
The weather this year was AMAZING for tomatoes. Our crop was terrific. I had grown tomatillos as well this year, so this year is salsa canning year. Salsa verde, Bruschetta salsa, yellow pepper salsa! We also canned whole tomatoes, crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce. But since we were so busy we didn't can any fruit this year (just froze it all!)
Canning is really experiencing a resurgence of interest. Happily, that has meant new cookbooks being published that have great and easy recipes that definitely aren't "your grandmother's chile" recipes. It makes it so fun to experiment and so easy to make interesting things.
I am a big believer in food preservation of all types - not just because "bad times" might come, but because it makes it possible to eat healthy things with a minimum of time or fuss.
I also freeze a lot - fruit for smoothies, veggies and such. But canning is a good skill because it takes no energy to store the food once you've made it.
Plus the best thing is to go to the pantry and see the cans lined up - it really does invoke a sense of self-sufficiency and competence. I guess I remember my grandmother's shelf lined with jars, filled with stuff she had put down. She actually did make chile sauce. Maybe I will make a batch after all!
Canning is really experiencing a resurgence of interest. Happily, that has meant new cookbooks being published that have great and easy recipes that definitely aren't "your grandmother's chile" recipes. It makes it so fun to experiment and so easy to make interesting things.
I am a big believer in food preservation of all types - not just because "bad times" might come, but because it makes it possible to eat healthy things with a minimum of time or fuss.
I also freeze a lot - fruit for smoothies, veggies and such. But canning is a good skill because it takes no energy to store the food once you've made it.
Plus the best thing is to go to the pantry and see the cans lined up - it really does invoke a sense of self-sufficiency and competence. I guess I remember my grandmother's shelf lined with jars, filled with stuff she had put down. She actually did make chile sauce. Maybe I will make a batch after all!