This year I was invited to a turkey thanksgiving supper yesterday and I'm hosting a big family meal today (I'm making a slow cooker pot roast). We have lots to be thankful for and I wanted to write about one of the big reasons for the holiday, the completion of the harvest and celebrating the bounty of the land.
This year, I put in a ridiculously small garden. I planted peppers, two cucumber vines, four tomato plants. Here's what I ended up with:
- Many meals garnished with fresh veggies I grew
- 12 500ml jars of bread and butter pickles
- 5 500ml jars of dill pickles
- 7 250ml jars of delicious relish
- 7 1000ml jars of salsa (post with pics coming tomorrow)
Of course I added some onions and and other marginal ingredients but essentially I got all these preserves by making sure I watered the garden every second day. The effort was quite small. I also took the time to gather some free food which either grows wild in my neighbourhood or was offered to me. I used this free rhubarb and crab apples to produce:
- 7 125ml jars of strawberry/rhubarb jam
- A dozen 500ml jars of preserved crab apples in light syrup
- Several jars of crab apple jelly totalling 4L.
I know that home canning/preserving isn't for everyone but I enjoy doing it and I like knowing what's in the food that I give to the kids. Of course, being productive in the kitchen could also help lure a potential future wife onto the scene.
Just remember, growing your own food is like printing your own money.
Enjoy the long weekend.
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