Growing up, both Big Daddy and I had our turns helping to put up various canned items with our families and I have been wanting to can some things for us for quite a few years now and never really got around to it. (Well, about 5 or 6 years ago, I made some blackberry jam and cranberry sauce with some extra fruit Grandma Sue had given us but I don't really count that as it was only about 10 jars worth in all.) Being the old fashioned country girl that I am, I have always had dreams of a having a big pantry filled with all sorts of homemade canned goods. (I am the first one to admit that I would really enjoy a "Little House" sort of lifestyle. )
There are so many benefits from canning your own goods. I love being able to know exactly what is in our food, being able to make what I know we use and package it in appropriately sized portions, putting away already prepared food that I can pull out when I am stumped for dinner ideas and helping to support the local farmers in our area.
Everyone took part in the happenings. Here are a few pics for you to browse:
So in the end we put up 5 qts. and 2 pints of (no sugar added) applesauce, 7 pints and 2 half pint jars of apple butter and 5 half pints of blackberry jam. A good start anyway. Next week I think we are going to do some peaches and maybe plums as well as a few more applesauces and Princess B wants to try her hand at a different kind of jam. Meticulous Man thinks he would like to perfect a recipe for chili and try some pressure cooking with me for some soup varieties. I am admittedly a little nervous because pressure canners sort of scare me. Once, when my mom and aunt were canning tomatoes, something went awry and the top of the pressure cooker blew off and smashed a huge hole in my aunt's ceiling. It was pretty scary! Ever since, the idea is a little intimidating, but I am going to press on and try my hand at it anyway. Hopefully, one day there will be a post on here about my large pantry full of homemade things.
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