Amidst batches of tomato sauce, tomato salsa, blackberry jam, apple butter, apple sauce and delicious apple ginger marmalade, I write this little note to thank the yummy edibles and the soil and the rain and the sunshine for making my belly (and pantry) so very happy and full. Colourful freezer coldslaw and diced tomatoes are on my radar, just not in my kitchen…yet! Stephanie has a few tasty looking jars on her counter too – beany mustards and bread and butters and some funky squash creations.

Even if canning can seem intimidating at first, just making a small batch of jam to devour right away can be mighty satisfying. And salsa verde, oh my! I cannot wait for the tomatillos to be ready! Be forwarned, canning can be a bit of an addictive hobby. My current resolution is to do what I (well, we) will definitely use and appreciate. There are many recipes that intrigue me (like pickled water melon rinds) but since time is limited in the summer months, we’re focussing on our main canning consumptions – tomato based yumminess, dilly pickles, and lots of sweet stuff. Joel is a ravenous jam eater (at least one jar a week) and if only we grew and roasted and ground the peanuts to make all the peanut butter our two households consume, we’d be all set!

If you have any canning recipes to share, I’d love to hear about it! My favourite book du jour is The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest by Carol W. Costenbader. All recipes tried have been super delicious. Back to the boiling water bath I go!