Last fall, my wife Chris and I made spaghetti sauce with the tomatoes, onions and peppers we grew in our garden. We processed some of the sauce in canning jars, just like our parents did when we were children. We wanted to make a basket full of homemade items for our families for the holiday season, since we both come from large familes. We also made Bread and Butter Pickles and Green Tomato Raspberry Jam, from family recipes. Chris grew many containers of herbs so we could also make Rosemary flavored vinegar and parsley, sage, thyme and garlic flavored sunflower cooking oil. We purchased fancy bottles from a bottle company for these creations and filled the baskets with these and other home made items. This fun project had us scurrying around to find just the right baskets and the little extras to go with our homemade items. We hoped our family would also enjoy these home made items, they did. This spring as we planted the garden our families commented on how they loved their basket from last winter and hoped we would continue and expand on the holiday basket. We are, with Pickled Beets, Relish, Piccalilli and more. Canning is fun for the whole family and if you are not doing a little bit of it this fall you should try. Canning, the process of preserving food is an American invention. It was developed by John Mason in 1858 by using a glass jar and lid with a rubber gasket in between. The glass jar, rubber gasket and glass lid were held together with a metal locking device still used today. We have linked several canning websites to this page to help you enjoy and can safely this fall. Enjoy
A book we used when we are canning is called the Ball Blue Book "Guide to Home Canning, Freezing & Dehydration" http://www.homecanning.com/
This site gives information on canning basics http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ohioline/hyg-fact/5000/5338.html
This site is called Canning your own fruits and vegetables it has many useful facts, also has a link to canning times for fruits and vegetables. http://www.makestuff.com/foodstuff/canning_basics.html
Freezing
Every summer thru the fall season our garden produce more fresh vegetables than we can use. What do you do with all the extras, its simple give it away to neighbors, friends and family. Most of us enjoy giving this surplus away because of the look on the recipient face and knowing that they will enjoy the taste as much as we do. I give many vegetables away also but I also freeze many containers for the winter when fresh vegetables are expensive. Why pay over one dollar a pound for frozen vegetables when you can freeze your surplus for just pennies. Did you know that after Labor Day the farm stands sell vegetables by the bushel at a much cheaper price than they do during the summer time? This way if your garden was not as productive as it should have been you can freeze farm fresh produce and enjoy the flavor all winter long. Commercial Refrigeration Systems were not developed until the 1870's. An American inventor named Clarence Birdseye developed the procedure to pack and quick -freeze foods in the 1920's and in 1953 C.A. Swanson and sons invented the frozen TV dinner. Today you can create your own frozen meals right from the garden. We have linked several "Freezing of Vegetables" websites to this page to help you enjoy your extra vegetables during the winter. Enjoy
This site is a guideline for freezing different vegetables. http://www.gardenguides.com/TipsandTechniques/freezing.htm
This site is about freezing vegetables. http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ohioline/hyg-fact/5000/5333.html
Food Preservatoons-Freezing vegetables http://www.muextension.missouri.edu/xplor/hesguide/foodnut/gh1503.htm