Nope- I think I've already put up enough to last DH and I two years, but I'm still at it!

I've had a good harvest this year, and I hate to stop while there is something still there, but I've had to spend a small fortune in canning jars this year as we just didn't empty enough of them over the winter!

Today is apples and potatoes. I've only got squash and green tomatoes in the garden, and I'm looking forward to taking out the frozen fruit and making jam. I put quite a bit in the freezer out of desperation - just not enough time to process it all right now!

Cathy

I was at a local farmers market today and just could not pass on the baby beets and the pearl onions. So tomorrow it's pickled beets and English style pickled onions.

Oh and I did pick up the makings of another batch of pepper jelly. The batch I already made is to my DH liking but I want it zippier. So I'll do a "just for me " batch.

Next week will be roasted red peppers for the freezer and then I'm done! Except for the cabbage rolls and stuffed peppers also for the freezer.

Yesterday morning, I dreamed that I'd made a batch of botulism-ridden lime jelly. I did the jam I had to do (the peppers were already chopped) and then I cleaned the kitchen and put everything away.

It's time to quit when one starts having anxiety dreams.. lol

Nope. Can't quit yet.
My tomatoes STILL aren't ripe.
Potatoes to harvest.

Chickens to butcher in Oct.
Beef coming in late Oct./early Nov.
Tuna...maybe....?

And my favorite local farm doesn't close until Nov. 1st-2nd.
That's half-price time!! I'll be in line on the 1st before they open.
I stock up on apples, winter squash, onions, bell peppers (to freeze...at 6/$1.00, how can I NOT buy some?) and whatever other random stuff looks good that day.

Then I can take a deep breath and relax....for awhile.
Pull out the quilting, build a fire and enjoy the fruits of my labor... Ahhh.........

But not YET!!!!!!!!!!!

Deanna

At least I can let the other half do the dehydrating since he has to leave the canning to me, or at least requires very close supervision because he doesn't quite understand that you actually have to follow the rules and recipes when canning. So we have a division of labor at least that is pretty good.

The tomatoes I've let hang on the vines for the last three weeks, and just pull one when I need a fresh one. Poke me with a fork, I am done with them!

I'll gather the green and red peppers right before the first frost and haven't decided their fate.

I still have half an apple tree to harvest and half a bushel of those apples unprocessed yet. Those are earmarked to be my last canning, but I am toying with pulling the soup bones and chucks out of the freezer and doing up a couple runs of beef and broth and also have a source for some good, cheap spuds I may do up to use up some empty jars and have them handy for those pinch situations when I am running low on fresh potatoes.

I still have the canner out because as sure as I put it away, I'll get inspired. LOL. News said groceries will be going UP! So, it was a good year to do up a lot of canned goods.

I told my husband that I would be almost done over a week ago, 100 jars later, and I am still looking for things to can:)

Stacie

I hear ya! I don't want to keep going, but there's still good stuff coming out of the fields and my mind is full of ideas for it--plum orange jam, apple jam and sauce, pears in port, tomato sauces, roasted red peppers, cucumber relish . . . help!

The problem with living in zone 9/10 is that the season is way too long for preserving. Now that my figs are processed I await the apples and the persimmons. In December and January it will be oranges and lemons. I will have a brief respite from Feb through April then the cycle repeats with the arrival of plums and peaches.

Yes, our winter is full of citrus and greens. Plus, I'll be doing stocks and beans. If anything, I have a break in the summer as the garden goes dormant and prices in the market skyrocket for awhile.
Heading to the market today, will see what the next big project will be.

Well can't stop yet, did 9 pint of mixed pickled hot peppers. I have 2 bushels of apples and pears needing canning homes next.

Stacie

(and I so want to add to the 58 pints of Annie's salsa too:))

pixie_lou,

A little off topic but can you share your corn salsa recipe? I've been looking for a good one for the family.

Val

Here, we still have maters coming on. Sunday I picked another 5 gal bucket and lots left on the plants.
The raspberries are doing well also, picked 4 quarts since Sunday.
Thankfully the neighbors' rhubarb is growing, now I need more for the Rhuberry jam and sauce.
Have not even thought of apples, I need to pick up beets for pickled beets yet

I thought I saw the end in site - was thinking maybe one more marathon canning weekend. It's been too cool here for any more tomatoes to ripen, and I know I already have enough for two years put up.

I brought in some apples and potatoes to work to share, and another co-worker said she had pears off her trees - so although I diminished my apple/potato stock, I've now got a big box of pears!

And another co-worker might be able to bring me some wild plums -

We expect to have a frost any day now. I found a thread with a bunch of green tomato ideas, so I'll have them to deal with too, on the chance I don't feel I have enough.

But the worst part of all this - DH and just don't eat all that much. I still have stuff from two years ago, and last year and now this year. Our families live too far away to consider it worth the drive to come get a share.

Some day I'll be able to retire from my job, then I can get really serious about putting up food! (that I won't eat LOL!)

Cathy

This thread is too funny.

Last week after I finished about a ton of tomatoes from the garden, I said to my husband, "done, you can have your wife back".
I went to the farmers market on Sunday, JUST TO GET A COUPLE OF THINGS, to tide us over until the fall crops come in, and there was this amazing crop of pears, and some lovely autumn peaches, so WHAT CHOICE DID I HAVE ????

As I was standing over the jars about twenty minutes ago, I said to myself,
"well, this finally it. But then I remembered that big bag of end of the season pickling cukes I also picked up.
LOL

Val -

I never made the corn salsa. Turns out a bunch of my corn ears were malformed, so I didn't have enough corn.

I had seen the thread you had started a while ago about corn salsa. And I was going to experiment - using the Southwestern Corn Relish recipe and try subbing tomatoes for some of the other low acid ingredients, using part lime juice, and using cumin and pepper instead of the other dried seasoning.

I made the zucchini corn salsa recipe a while ago from that thread, but we haven't been able to eat it yet.

Did you ever try that? How were your results?

I made myself write on the board "I will not go to the Farmer's Market anymore" 100 times.

However, I'm driving to the Fruit Growing valley this weekend in search of Quince and hoping to find late Damson's.

It's hopeless. I need a twelve-step program.

Did you ever try that? How were your results?

I haven't tried it yet because we only go out to that orchard once a year. We are due to go out within the next few weeks.

I wanted to wait and be sure of the flavor profile, so we're going to buy a bunch of jars and see if we can identify the "spices" listed. Good excuse to buy more and eat (taste) more! LOL

I think whoever wrote to try the relishes was probably right because I think there might be pickling spices in the taste.

I'm so leary of changing recipes around that I want to make sure I have the right profile before I bring it on here and see if it will be safe.

Annie took something like 5 years to perfect hers, so I figure I can be patient too :-)

Val