Today I washed and labeled the near end of this season’s preserves. Tomorrow I’ll do a few jars of mint jelly and in about a week I’ll catch up with my broths, chicken and beef.  For now, I will concentrate on getting caught up with my company books and household chores.  I also want to paint the rec room.

I am happy that Peter has decided to build me a pantry on the main floor so I won’t have to precariously carry all these jars down those stairs.

I have taken inventory of my stock downstairs and here’s what it looks like; Tomato sauce 5 quarts and 24 pints. Tomato juice 3 quarts and 1 pint, whole tomatoes 5, 1.5 quart jars, crushed tomatoes 51 quarts and  1 pint, salsa 25 250 ml jars, pasta sauce with meat 18 pints, vegetable soup 16 pints, 3 pizza sauces (2017), corn 68 pints, green beans 55 pints, sweet pickles 18 pints, beans tomato sauce 6 pints, chick peas 6 pints, sandwich slicer pickles 5 pints, bread and butter pickles 10 pints (2017), chili con carne 4 pints, onion soup 7 quarts, dill pickles 24 quarts, beef broth 4 quarts, pickle beets 5 pints, reg. beets 3 pints, chicken soup 10 pints, mushrooms 13 half pints, navy beans 11 pints, salmon 8 250 ml, roast peppers 7 pints (2017), green relish 5 250 ml, zucchini relish 8 pints, pinto beans 3 pints, jams various kinds 28 250 ml, dilly beans (2017) 3 pints, peaches 10 pints (2017).  And we’ve been eating from the garden since June. Then there’s my freezers….haha

So worth it.  So very worth it. NO PESTICIDES and grown with love. ❤

I love mushrooms.  I add them to stir fries, sauces, as a side dish or make creamy dreamy mushroom soup.  I know I’ve probably done a post in the past on mushrooms…but my, aren’t they worth two?

I find it frustrating while making a sauce or planning a dish that needs mushrooms only to find out the ones you have, have turned or you are simply out.  That’s why I try to keep some jars home canned.  250 ml jars, pressure canned, 10 lbs pressure, 45 minutes. (Bernardin)

I still buy fresh, but have my trusty jars on hand just in case.  I manage to go through these fairly quickly.  They were on sale, .98 cents for half pound of very fresh mushrooms.  I processed 8 pounds!

Ingredients: water, mushrooms.

If you ever decide to pressure can, send me a note and I’ll try to help you through the first time jitters!

Thanks for visiting, Leasa

This year’s garden was a huge success!  I lost track of how many tomatoes I’ve processed this year.  I’m guessing at least 800 pounds.  The paste tomatoes were so meaty, that I turned them all into a sauce that I let simmer down over night.  You go through a lot this way, but the sauce is so very versatile. Open a jar add onion powder, pepper, salt, sugar, garlic powder, cook it down a bit more and you have ketchup.  Or add garlic powder, sugar or honey and some oregano and you have an awesome pizza sauce.  Use it in your spaghetti sauces, soups, stews, as a baking sauce, anything goes.  That is why I stopped processing tomato sauces for ‘just one thing’ and leave it as a blank slate for winter cooking.

Filling jars with sauce.

One of many crates and baskets from garden.

laid jar of sauce on side to try and capture the thickness.

I run two pressure canners and two water bath canners as needed.  My only wish is that I had a larger stove.  Well I make it work with an extra hot plate on the side.  I follow only tested safe recipes and use common sense.  The following pictures capture some of this year’s bounty:

I think my pantry has well over 600 jars of fresh goodness from the garden.  I haven’t done a final count.  Tomorrow is mint jelly day.

Thank you for visiting.