Everybody Can-Can

Our crew!!



Our setup. We had two Camp Chefs and four pressure canners going.



One of our Camp Chef operators. Doesn't he look like he is loving his job?



Our finished product!! Beautiful and delicious!!

I cannot believe I have not blogged about all the canning we have done this year. Peaches and pears were quite a sight this year!! Kristen, Sheri, MY GLORIOUS MOTHER and I canned last year together and had so much fun (sticky, messy, did I mention sticky?) we decided not only to can but to can MORE than we did last year. We have also acquired a few more soon-to-be enthusiasts as they have never actually canned but wanted to learn. It was hot, sticky, messy fun as always. We were able to do 124 quarts of peaches and 164 quarts of pears. It is hard work, but they are beautiful and incredibly gratifying to see full shelves of our hard work. Cameron and I have also made batches and batches of raspberry-peach, raspberry-huckleberry, raspberry-raspberry, and soon will do pear-vanilla freezer jams. We have also canned and juiced apples.

We are lucky to live where these things are available to us at great prices, grown in our own state, by local farmers, and sold in farmer's markets or fruit stands right her in our little town. I love that in the deep of winter, we can enjoy jams, juices and fruits as if it were summer. We are so blessed.

I also love that my mom has been able to teach me about how to can and what to can. I think this is a tradition that is dying. It really is a time to be with friends and family and truly work hard with so much to reap in the end. I hope to pass it down to my children (yep, even the boys will get a good opportunity to learn this)because we have been told to know how to be self sufficient. I believe canning will be something we will need to fall back on.

Right now, it is just good fun with delicious benefits.