I Can Can

 

 

 

I seem to be back in the thick of it, making up for lost time while the swine flu had us down.  Our tomatoes and peppers we started from seed this spring are finally producing.  The church orchard is ripe for gleaning peaches and thanks to a fellow gardener, I have an abundant supply of jalapeños.  My counters are covered in zucchini and I’ve made enough fresh salsa to more than cover the daily veg recommendations for the next six months.

 

Peaches halved, Roma’s whole, tomato juice, salsa and crack in a jar (a.k.a. jalapeño jelly) have all been canned.   Thank goodness for our three burner camp stove and a nine quart water bath.  I do all the chopping, slicing, dicing, ice water bath inside.  The rest is done outside in my makeshift kitchen.  Less of the mess and the less my A/C has to kick on.

 

I’m keeping all the canned goods in my pantry this year and I have to admit, I get a little buzz of pride at seeing it all. Warm, hardy stews, spaghetti sauce from scratch, peach cobbler, crack and cream cheese, and spicy salsa to chase away those bland, brown months until spring.  Canning is a skill I’m grateful to have, though pressure canning is something that still scares me.  Something about exploding jars and steam burns…  I suppose at some point I should get over it, but then again maybe I won’t as long as grocery stores have case lot sales of canned corn and green beans.

 

There is at least one more twelve quart batch ripening in the garden and apples will soon be on the way.  I think it’s time to make some of Grandma Madeline’s apple butter and another chocolate zucchini cake.  I love fall!