Comments on: First Attempt at (Anti) Social Home Canning

By: Kim Woodbridge

Kim Woodbridge — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 11:52:08 +0000

Hi Terri – That’s so great to hear :-) After eating produce from the Farmer’s Market and other local sources, I can’t eat food from the grocery store anymore – it just has no taste. So, in the winter we eat a lot of potatoes, squash and carrots. This summer I was so excited to get cucumbers because it had been so long since I had one. It cracked me up to feel so excited about something that seems so simple.

The canning is a lot of work but it can also be fun.

By: Terri

Terri — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 05:54:32 +0000

Kim,

I was so inspired by this post that I vowed to eat local as much as possible until the end of our growing season. I found a great farm right down the street. It has been there for years; it just never caught my attention. For the last few weeks we have been enjoying homegrown tomatoes (homemade spaghetti sauce and salsa), peaches (the best I have ever tasted) apple pie from homegrown apples, and corn. This week I am going to try a dish with eggplant, squash and a few other variety of peaches. I think I might also try canning later in the season. Thanks for the tips!

By: Kim Woodbridge

Kim Woodbridge — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 22:14:45 +0000

Hi Christine – Thank you so much for stopping by :-)

I would love to can my own produce but I’ve only got a teeny tiny garden – it was a test and a learning experience – hopefully we will have a larger one next year.

Canning is a lot of work but it’s the fulfilling kind – so much more so than cleaning the bathroom ;-)

By: Christine

Christine — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 14:58:55 +0000

Hi Kim,

Welcome to the wonderful world of canning! You won’t be sorry at all, those tomatoes you canned will make great starters for soups and chili this winter when the weather finally cools down. Yummy stuff!

We have been home canning for 3 seasons now using fruits and vegetables we raise from our own garden. Even though it does take up time and there is work involved we have really been enjoying the “fruits of our labor”.

I never expected to be canning and preserving either but I am so thankful to have started. You have a great idea about using your jams as gifts. I like to make little gift baskets to friends and family around the holidays. They always seem to be pleased and that makes me smile.

Thanks for sharing this post and your canning experiences. I enjoyed reading about your venture.
Christine
.-= Christine´s last blog ..How to Can and Process Grape Jelly =-.

By: Kim Woodbridge

Kim Woodbridge — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:21:37 +0000

Hi – I’m thinking of doing the jams as gifts. I was telling my brother about the canning and he was shocked. He lives in rural Vermont where it’s more likely that people would be canning. He was like you have to come live here ;-)

Thanks for the book recommendation :-)

By: Kim Woodbridge

Kim Woodbridge — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:20:30 +0000

Hi Patricia – My freezer is tiny – otherwise I would definitely do a lot more freezing.

By: eMarketing Strategist

eMarketing Strategist — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:39:52 +0000

Good for you! Once you get the hang of canning, it’s not hard. But kitchen size is a problem. You definitely have to think through where the sterile jars will hang out before you fill them, then where they will hang out once they are piping hot. You really don’t want to move them before they’re done cooling.

If you’re looking for a good book on the topic, “Blue Ribbon Canning” by Linda J. Amendt is THE bible. It’s got detailed instructions and lots of recipes.

You will be sooo glad you made the effort in the dead of Winter when you have Summer tasting tomatoes. BTW, homemade canned goods make excellent Holiday presents. People will think you’re a super genius. (Oh yeah. You already are.)

By: Patricia

Patricia — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 03:42:56 +0000

one of my daughters loves canning, but I prefer freezing and drying…Guess I have had a number of disasters in the canning world of my childhood.

I wish I did have another freezer though because mine is already full
.-= Patricia´s last blog ..Stopping to Smell the Flowers =-.

By: Kim Woodbridge

Kim Woodbridge — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:27:02 +0000

Hi Andi – I’m not that fond of mushrooms but that does sound really good :-)

By: Andi

Andi — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:46:37 +0000

I love canning food. Here in Austria we have a special type of mushroom that gets cooked in vinegar and then pickled in oil and some spicery – it’s delicious. I like the tomatoes you made, I really have to try that out.
.-= Andi´s last blog ..Nackenstützkissen- Für einen rückenfreundlichen Schlaf =-.