Sunday, May 4, 2008

Adventures in Canning

This year is the first time I will be really trying to preserve as much food as possible for winter. With rising food costs, the damage that importing food does to our environment and the effect that corporate farms have on local farmers, we will be growing as much as we can, plus we will be getting produce from the CSA and other local farmers.

In preparing for canning, the first will be the strawberries we will pick for Haven's birthday, I need to get the supplies together. I have a canning pot, but need more jars and all of the other bits and pieces, so I am considering just ordering another full set up so I can run two pots at once. My plan is to use one pot for sterilizing, the other for canning. In the summer, I hope to dedicate one day per week to canning, hopefully processing two or three different items that day. For example, if I am doing tomatoes, I will do sauce, stewed tomatoes and paste all on one day. This will be quite the adventure, and I need to get on Ryan to add more shelves for storage. I am hoping to get us through most of the winter, although we will also plan to cold frame the lower tier of the garden to grow root veggies and greens, and if I have my way, we will have tomatoes and green beans growing under a light in the garage.

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