Summer Canning and Freezing

Last week I headed up to my parents to do some canning and "putting up" vegetables.

I did more "putting up" than canning....my mother is the pro at that!!!

I don't have a garden right now, but next year we will....

I really want to have some chickens to lay eggs too, but I'm not sure if I can get away with it in my neighborhood:o) We have the space to do it though!

When I need to buy in bulk, I go to the Mennonites and purchase their delicious produce.

We pack up and leave early in the morning so that we can be the first ones to buy....it's a first come first serve basis.

This year, I got corn, green beans, squash, cucumbers, and peaches from them.

I was extremely lucky to get the green beans because there hasn't been enough rain in that area for them to grow well.

So here is my "canned" stash. I still have a few more things to add to the stash like pintos....and by the way, yes, we love pickles:o)

 Here is some okra that came from my grandmother's garden....still trying to decide whether to pickle it or freeze it.

 Earlier in the summer I made this strawberry jam....It is DIVINE:o)

My kids won't touch it for whatever reason, so it's all MINE!!!!!!!

 This is the contents of our chest freezer. It's full of corn and squash mostly. There are 12 quarts of peaches in there as well.

 Here's how big the freezer is. It's small, but big enough to hold for this family of four.

I had a lot of help from my parents! Shucking, peeling, cooking, canning, and everything that comes with putting up veggies. We had a good time, and now we are exhausted. Every time I do anything like this I am reminded of The Ant and the Grasshopper story:o)

I'm going to share some tricks here soon on canning, but I am not sure when I will get around to it. We have a lot going on these next two weeks. I am going to have some guest posts this week and next week. So make sure to stay tuned!