Because I Can

It's Not Uncanny

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, there really is a National Mason Jar Day. And you can learn all about this amazing invention that is one of the gardener's best friends here.

If You're In A Pickle, Then This Is Your Day!

Yes, it's National Pickle Day. And for those of us who garden, we know that pickling is one of the tried and true ways we can make our harvest last all year long. There is almost no limit to what you can pickle. But here are a few general rules to follow:

1. Always start with clean, sterilized mason jars! Don’t skimp…they are fairly cheap and you can reuse the jars several times.

2. New canning lids …never reuse old seals or ones that have been used before. never! You can reuse the screw lid tops but, what the heck..just keep with new ones and make a wind chime or something with the old ones:)

3. For best results, make sure that whatever you are pickling is at its peak of ripeness and freshness.

4. Use 5% vinegar distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar…if you're like me sometimes I will use a combination of both of these vinegars.  The key here is to look at the labels on the vinegar to make sure you have a 5% acidity rate.  Vinegar along with the salt is what preserves your pickles and keeps them from spoiling. So very important…to get the right stuff!

These Pickled Peppers Have Nothing To Do With Peter Piper

Well, it's not quite a peck of pickled peppers, but I think six pints will be more than enough to see me through the winter.

Happiness In A Jar

Money can't buy happiness but it can buy the means to preserve your harvest into the dead of winter by canning. Whether it's marinara sauce, pickled summer squash, green tomato relish or something more exotic. You can smile your way through the roughest of snow days when you have some of the summer sunshine available to you in a glass jar. So don't be afraid to try your hand at putting away some joy that's been canned.

Suddenly, Last Summer

Pickled banana peppers provide a bright note that goes well with just about any kind of sandwich. And they provide a handy reminder of last year's garden success and hopes of success to come.

Did I Mention...?

It's been a very good year for pickled summer squash.

Yes, We Can!

For those of you who are dreading an entry of a political nature, relax. This is nothing of the kind. I just liked the idea of a title that was a double entendre.

As I may have mentioned previously in this blog, there is a great deal of fretting, obsessing and sweating that comes with being a gardener. Initially you fret, obsess and sweat over whether your seeds will sprout and develop properly. Then you fret, obsess and sweat over whether your plants will reach maturity and produce delicious produce. And somewhere in the middle of all the fretting, obsessing and sweating; Mother Nature pulls a fast one and creates a harvest so prodigious you can hardly believe your eyes. Neither you, your family, your neighbors nor your friends can eat fast enough to keep up with the output. So what do you do?. You do what mankind has done for years, you preserve the fruits of your labors for future consumption.

Pictured above are the results of some of this season's canning efforts. From left to right we have mock raspberry jam(made from green tomatoes), pickled green tomatoes, pickled crookneck squash, tomato conserve and pickled papaya pear squash. And perched atop the green tomatoes we have tomato preserves. As Jackie Gleason used to say,"How sweet it is!"