salsa

The tomatoes are still coming in.  We figure we've gathered over 100 lbs from the greenhouse so far.  We've been loving lots of fresh tomato sauce, tomato soup, caprese salad, BLT's and salsa.  Lots of salsa.  We've canned 30 pints so far, with plenty left over from each batch for eating on the spot.

We still have lots of almost-ripe tomatoes hanging on and numerous green ones.  We're holding out for the first frost to hit the greenhouse and then it will be time for green tomato pie! 

canning 101

 

We've been canning up a storm lately.  The best part is that it's a whole family event.  The kids love helping.   Everything from washing the fruit, using the magnetic lid lifter to give me the lids and rings, to eating all the fruit peels that are left over.  But the really great part is that they've been playing "canning" almost every day.  I love listening in to their creative play.  A few things I've learned from them:

~always use a saw to cut your watermelon and tomatoes

~monster meat can be canned

~so can T-Rex meat, but it must hang in the freezer first to chill

~slices of bread can be used if you run out of lids

~a tea bag can also be used to wash the rims of your jars (bowls)

~all jars must be left in the oven overnight to rest

~sometimes you can "fast can" (Mason's technique) and other times you have to work really slow (Emma girl)

~when canning berries you must dress up as Steggy (a stegosaurus: Mason) and Little Bear (Emma) to first pick the berries to fill your purse

~use your flashlight to heat up the jars before putting them on the stove

 We still have a lot left on our list of items to be canned: cabbage from the garden to be turned into sauerkraut, beets to pickle, tomatoes and peppers from the greenhouse to make more salsa, a few more boxes of apples, and pepperoni from our local deli.  Can't wait to see what the kids come up with next!

first harvest

We cut our first harvest of rhubarb and of course the first thing we did with it was make strawberry rhubarb jam.  It's one of our favorites to have on hand.  Mason and Emma are great strawberry mashers.  Making jam has turned in to a family affair...a fun way to spend a morning.  We ended up with 21 jars.  Success.

Our rhubarb is nice and healthy this year thanks to all the rain we've gotten.  I think the next batch will probably be turned into a nice pie.  Hopefully the hail will stay away this year and we'll get a few more cuttings.

canning



Here's a little peek at what we've been canning over the last week or so.  Lots of jam (strawberry, strawberry rhubarb, blueberry, spring conserve) and bread and butter pickles.  We were down to our last three cans of jam and we have two cans of pickles left.  This was our first try at bread and butter. 

 



 

We also got two bushels of corn.  Mason was the "string puller-offer" and he did really clean them up.  I love his attention to detail! 

 

We ended up with 19 pints, 7 quarts and 6 freezer bags of leftovers.  While we were busy with the corn we watched the second hail storm of the summer wreck havoc on our garden.  We just watched, not really able to do anything.  We're hoping to can some beans and beets, but they were pretty tattered when the clouds cleared.  And that evening there was snow on our mountains (I know!) so we're not counting on a late frost.  Hopefully it holds off enough for things to bounce back.  It was just starting to really look good after a hail storm in late June.  Such is gardening! 

 It's our last weekend before I have to report to school!  My classroom is (mostly) ready and I'm reading up on all the new curriculum after the kids go to bed as long as I can keep my eyes open.  It's going to be a great year. 

We're tidying up the house, meal planning, making s'mores, getting ready to can pears, finger painting, and enjoying these last days before we have a whole new routine.