While there have been several great harvests coming in over the past couple of weeks, we still haven’t hit the point in the season where it is absolutely (ridiculously) overwhelming. We’ve been eating lots of fresh veggies out of the garden and trying to put up as many as possible in the process.
I took a long weekend for some self-care after our Summer Camp ended last Friday, so the past few days have found me in the kitchen a lot, putting up small batches of various items. I am finding a bit more confidence with jars and lids and rings as I practice my still very new canning skills and become more and more excited about the prospect of pulling said cans from the pantry in future months!
So, what’s gone into the pot and into the pantry?
Tomato Basil Jam from this blog. While we’ve had tomatoes for a month and a half now, they’re still trickling in slowly. Given this, we’re eating lots of them fresh 🙂 However, I was able to squirrel away a few of our Yellow Taxi Tomatoes to make a half batch of my favorite jam. I made this for the first time last summer and absolutely fell in love with it! I’m not sure I can go a summer from now on without making at least a few jars of this wonderful jam! Two half pints.
Ketchup from this book. This was my first shot at making ketchup (ever) and I did a tiny batch…not even a full pint split into 2 half pint jars. I figure that if we love the recipe I’ll make more of it as the Romas keep pouring in. If we don’t love the recipe, I’ll try another one. Making ketchup takes a really long time and a lot of stirring, so I will have to find a recipe that we all absolutely adore to make it worth while. Almost two half pints.
Boozy Peaches from this book. A friend of ours dropped by the other day with a small bag full of fresh-from-her-tree peaches! They were tiny and they were perfect! This is also the first time I’ve made this recipe and I am very excited about it! The recipe calls for bourbon, which I swapped out for Jameson, since that’s what we had on hand. Nine half pints.
Green Beans from this recipe. Again, I’ve never canned green beans before and this is a test in texture and taste! Last year I blanched and froze all our “extra” beans. While they turned out OK when thawed and sauteed with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, the texture was just not quite right. Not sure that canning them will turn out much better, but it’s worth a shot! 4 pint-and-a-half jars (this size is quite cool and will be especially helpful since a pint of any veggie is never quite enough for three hungry ladies).
What about you? Do you find yourself canning small batches throughout the season or just the massive quantities that come in towards the end of the hot months? I’d love to hear your stories and if you have a favorite recipe, please feel free to share it below or leave me a link to it on your blog 🙂
I have done both, but I prefer canning small batches. I have 3 children, under 7, and I homeschool, so they are always there. It is easier on them (and me) if I do a little at a time.
I love your beautiful canning successes. The tomato basil jam sounds yummy. 🙂
Wow…I swear I replied back to you several days ago…it must have gotten lost in Internet Land!
Anhow…Cheers to you for homeschooling your 3 kiddos! You must have the patience of a Saint! I can completely understand why you’d prefer to do small batches!
The tomato basil jam is absolutely divine! I highly recommend trying it out!