Summer is generous. She unfurls her leaves and offers up a variety of fruits, herbs, and vegetables. Yes, eating is easy and it is fresh. But with a wary glance to the sky, I note that it won’t always be summer. You see… for as generous as she is…. she is quick to depart. One […]
Preserving
Raspberry Lemon Jam
My raspberry bushes produce a fall treat… another crop of bright red berries. Since freezing temperatures is something on the horizon, I quickly harvest so my family can enjoy this berry. But this season, rather than turning the fall crop into wine or a mixed berry jelly, I decide to make an old classic with […]
Homemade Chipotles in Adobo
You know you love them. Hot. Spicy. Flavorful. There is just no denying this flavor of the southwest. And if you have access to plenty of vine-ripe tomatoes and chipotles, you too can make chipotles in adobo rather than buying them at the grocery store. Chipotles in Adobo 14 C. tomatoes, rough chopped 2 C. […]
Top 12 Reasons to Toss Home Canned Goods
As home canners, we are proud of what we preserve. A pantry full of home canned goods makes us feel as though we have done our job by providing for our family. Rows of jams, pickles, tomatoes, salsas, sauces, chutneys sparkle on the shelves, enticing us to open them up for special dinners. We carefully […]
Tomatoes: What Not to Can
It is that time of year where tomatoes are abundant. Perhaps you are growing them in your garden? Or perhaps you find them by the case at your local farmer’s market? But regardless of where they come from, do you know which tomatoes to avoid for canning purposes? According to NCHFP, “Select only disease-free, preferably […]
A Spicy Pickle: Jalapeños!
With harvest season well under way, a particular nursery rhyme goes through my head as I begin to fill my basket with a particular type of produce. I will give you a hint using the words of Mother Goose: “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked. […]