Tuesday, August 30, 2011

My Gardening and Preserving Adventures

So, it's been quite a while since the last post.  I've been pretty busy during this gardening and canning season.  What I thought might not be such a great year for our garden, turned out to be one of the most productive ever!   We've had rain at almost perfect timing all summer long so we haven't had to water at all.  It's kind of bitter-sweet seeing it start to wind down.  I haven't had a whole lot of waste and the things I did have to toss won't be wasted, it's going into my new compost bin!! ;)

My lil' buddy was such a big helper with everything from harvest, to prep, to just being satisfied playing on his own while I worked.  He absolutely loved picking berries, beans, cukes, corn, and peppers.  He even made his own "iceberry" jelly as I was doing the blackberry. ;)  I hope he is always as excited and curious about growing and preserving his own foods!

This year I tried so many new recipes and have yet to be disappointed by one!!  It helps when you can get opinions from others who have tried the recipes before.  I'm part of a wonderful canning group, you can get help from 'seasoned' canners almost immediately and it's a great place to share recipes and experiences.  It's also nice to know that I'm not the only one "addicted" to canning!

Here are a few pictures of my canned goods...
 Thai Sweet-HOT chili dipping sauce

some dill pickles
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green beans

Zucchini Relish
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Stewed Tomatoes...funny how when I do pints I don't lose liquid but with quarts I do!
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Tangy Dill Relish (a new fave!)
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Mexican Corn Relish
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diced, red-ripened green bell peppers

Sweet-n-Sour Beans
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pickled hot green chili pepper rings (I actually ate a whole pint myself in 2 days!!)
pickled red hot chili pepper rings
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seedless blackberry jam
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& Candied Jalapenos (like "Cowboy Candy") 

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and I did a few pints of picante sauce for the hubs but haven't got a pic of those to share.


So, that's the most of it for now.  I'm sure there will be more in the near future!  Maybe I'll get more organized and can share the recipes for these on here someday.  Have a great week y'all! :)

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