Blog

Having lived in Michigan for most of my life I grew up eating everything from my mom’s garden. We would spend countless hours canning various fruits and vegetables to store away for the long cold winter months. Our pantry looked like a rainbow of various sized jars by the time fall came to a close. My mom typically stuck to the basics; carrots, beets, green beans, peaches, peppers and of course tomatoes. As a child I distinctly remember our food tasting so fresh and flavorful. Some of my favorite memories are of sitting outside in the summer and snapping beans on the back porch with my brothers.

Today, being a new mother myself, I decided to dig out some of the old canning recipes and put them to good use. I did plant a small garden this year and have enjoyed the veggies on a daily basis but I bought most of my canning produce in bulk from our local farmers market. I have also found that www.pickyourown.org has a variety of resources including local farms and recipes. I think that there’s a lot to be said for knowing where your food comes from.

I started my season out with strawberries. These are by far my favorite because they make the house smell amazing!!! Bread and butter pickles along with dill spears were next on the agenda. They have been calling my name on the shelves since I set them there three weeks ago. They have only one more week to pickle and then we can begin the taste testing. A couple weeks ago we had a tomato extravaganza in the kitchen, canning 3 bushels in one weekend. One of our favorite local farms was getting ready to plow over the fields in a couple of days and offered that we could come pick whatever we wanted for half price. I canned nearly 60 quarts of sauce, stewed tomatoes and salsa. It was made possible with a couple of late nights and one amazing husband’s help.

Hearing the popping noise as the jars seal themselves shut is like a symphony, music to my ears. The dog is startled and growls under his breath at every pop which makes the evening highly entertaining. Once the jars are cool I stack them into the old hutch that my mom has handed down to me and they fit just perfectly. I can’t resist, I open a jar of salsa, take a bite, and know in my heart that all of the effort was well worth it. Along with some of the veggies we have chosen to freeze, I know that we will be eating fresh and local this winter.

We love receiving homemade canned goods as gifts from relatives around the holidays. It’s such a unique and practical present at the same time. Every year we long for Grandmas catsup, a recipe I have yet to perfect, Mom’s homemade jam, and Grammy’s peaches. This year we will be able to give a tasty little gift from our very own kitchen!