Saturday 12 September 2020

Canning the garden

I realize I've been a terrible blogger again, taking so long to post but its been crazy busy around here. Pickleball Sun, Tues and Thurs, Hiking with Stacey Mon, Wed and Fri and Paddleboarding when the weather permits - not to mention regular household stuff including the Monday run to Nanaimo for Brad's massage... and then...

As you know, we had a garden this year... 

Therefore, it was time to learn how to do some canning...

So I did. Learn, that is....

I hope....        Let's face it - I'm no Martha Stewart.

For several weeks now things have been harvested from the garden and 'processed' in some form or another. I have canned a lot of tomatoes, salsa and the like. Frozen tons of Romaine (not great as a salad but good for soup/chili type filler), pickled and frozen plenty of cucumbers, green onions, potatoes, and peppers.

Yesterday we harvested our green cauliflower (only 2 plants this year) and today it was time to bottle it up. I chose to harvest some carrots to put in with it, to give the jars a bit of colour really, I've seen pics of it online and thought it looked good, so I did it too.

Prepped and ready to do some more canning - this time, Cauliflower.

Cauliflower, carrots and Red Pepper flakes

Dill, chopped green peppers and garlic (from a local island farm)

Oh yeah, there are always a ton of tomatoes ripening in my kitchen window these days.

Remember the tomatoe plant on the deck? Its on its last legs but the tomatoes are still ripening so Brad took some more this morning.

Cauliflower and Carrot jars are ready to seal

After a very long (10 hour) day... dishwasher is broken so I'm sterilizing the cans old school which causes massive delays.

3 Cauliflower, 3 Bread & Butter Pickle....

1 Green Pepper and 2 Salsa


Expecting my next kitchen adventure to arrive in approx 3 weeks.... tick tock, tick tock. So excited!

**Open for suggestions: 

Having trouble getting our larger tomatoes to ripen on the vine.... tried not watering, trimmed the leaves, even tried covering to keep the offgasses in... Anyone know any other tricks of the trade? Or will it be Fried Green Tomatoes all winter? LOL  I'm sure they'll turn eventually but concerned they will all go at once and overrun my kitchen.

 

2 comments:

  1. It's good that you are doing your best to preserve the Vegetables of your labour. My Father used to garden but I was always working. My Grandmother used to Can but never passed it on. Sorry.
    Be Safe and Enjoy your harvest.

    It's about time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Making every attempt, just hope I haven't messed anything up and make us sick.... canning is a finicky thing apparently.

      Delete

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