We were extremely fortunate enough to have a good sized garden this year, one that didn't die from too little or too much rain. We did get it in late, because of the extreme rain we got in the spring/early summer, but that did nothing to deter it's growth.
Whilst on internet sabbatical I got busy with canning. And I mean BUSY. In the past week, my mother and I have put up the following:
55 quarts of green beans
65 pints of green beans
18 pints pizza sauce
34 quarts whole tomatoes
44 quarts spaghetti sauce
32 quarts dill pickles
18 quarts bread and butter pickles
24 quarts sweet pickles
18 quarts pickled veggies (broccoli and cauliflower)
16 quarts peach halves
16 pints peach preserves
18 pints blackberry preserves
16 pints apple butter
24 pints fried apples
36 pints apple jelly
38 pints grape jelly
41 pints plum jelly
10 quarts diced peaches
8 quarts diced apples
10 quarts apple slices
24 quarts apple pie filling
16 quarts shredded zucchini
8 quarts each of grape, apple and plum juice
And that is not the end of it. This weekend we are off to relieve my aunt's apple tree of more apples (poor thing is so very droopy with goodies) and glean a neighbor's peach trees. The pears in the back field aren't looking spectacular, so may not put out near as much as we were hoping. The tomatoes and the green beans also show no signs of stopping anytime soon, though today's high of 64 degrees may slow them down a bit. The watermelons weren't ripe as of last Wednesday, but may be closer now.
Our fall camping trip is scheduled for the first weekend of October, so we are sort of hoping things wind up. Me especially as the parents will be going a whole 4 days earlier than everyone else, leaving me in sole possession of the garden and everything that comes out of it. Did I mention that my storage is bulging and the basement shelves at the parents' are pert near full? Freezers are getting that way too and we've not even gotten the cow in yet! No way will we be able to get the pig slaughtered that my sis has for us, there is no where to put it. So we will be helping to build a winter shelter for him and hope we can get him slaughtered sometime before next fall, lol.
I am not complaining about our abundance...not by any means. I am thrilled with it! Especially since we are expecting such a difficult winter. If it isn't as difficult as we are expecting, then we'll be saving a ton of money by eating stores. Putting us that much closer to getting out of the rental and onto our land!! Here's to hoping!
3 comments:
Great job of canning. But it mostly seems to be sugary sweet stuff. Where are the dried beans and the rice and the corn? Have you got a hand mill to grind the stuff into a form you can digest? I hope you have plenty of canned Tuna and Chile and stuff like that. Vitamins and minerals are important and good for you. But 70% of what you are after the water is removed is from Protein. Stock up on PROTEIN. And that is not saying that you should get rid of the fruits and jams and jellies. You need those things too but not to the extent that they supplant your protein stash. But survival is never done and we ALL have more work to do. Me especially. Keep up the good work.
Michael
Way to go Girl - I thought I had a good week what with 2 half-pint cases of dried Summer Squash and 4 half-pint cases of dried Zuccini - But you and your Mom put that in the dark. Keep up the good work! Do you dry food much at all?
Belwether
No worries on the beans, rice, corn and proteins in general Micheal! I picked up a couple of cases of tuna and canned chicken last week to go along with the 30+lbs of beans (pinto, great northern, navy) that are in the buckets. We aren't even counting the meats in the freezer or dehydrated (though there isn't much dehydrated right now).
We're actually good on pretty much everything for at least 4 months now, without me having to get too creative with the menus, which is a real bonus. I do want to get some more kidney beans and like I said...the cow and pig are yet to be taken in, lol. That could very well push me over the edge!
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