Way to go, Anne. It's good to see you continue preserving your harvests. I uncovered a presto canor that I'll probably cull, along with one of those huge enamel canning kettles. Time to clear out the quart jars too. I hope they go to good homes. I'll keep one enamel kettle and pint/half pint jars since that's my preferred jar size since now. Best to you this coming year.

I failed to dig and process my horseradish this fall. Good thing I still have about 3/4 of a gallon left from 2023 and 2024!

I've 'put up' several kinds of soup so far and have a double batch of chili going now.

I got half a hog a couple weeks ago and will be getting a side of beef in mid March. Freezer room is going to be tight.

Not exactly canning season yet, is it? I've been going through the vegetables stashed in the cold room and using them before they deteriorate. We dug potatoes in September, so they've been in there nearly 5 months and are just starting to sprout so I canned 10 quarts and a pint of those. I also went through the remaining butternut squash and roasted any that seemed a bit wrinkled or not as firm as I would like, so I got another 6 quarts of butternut squash puree in the freezer.

I think my next project is going to be dehydrating that garlic that's been sitting back there since I pulled it last July, before it sprouts. It's still good right now, 7 months after harvest, but when it starts to sprout I'll dehydrate it and turn it into garlic powder. I want to do that in the garage, though, because of the aroma, so I'm hoping to wait a bit longer, until it's a little warmer as my garage is unheated and we are forecast temperatures in the teens with lows into the single digits. The stuff would freeze before it dries, LOL.

Annie

Hi everyone, wonderful to see everyone getting a good start on putting up in 2026!

Due to the mild winter we have been having, our tomatoes are still growing from our Fall plantings. I was able to make two quarts of salsa and five pints of tomato sauce with the extra tomatoes we harvested. I did a batch of dehydrated tomatoes to add to soups later. I also dehydrated our harvested ginger but not sure what to use it for. Any ideas for use of dehydrated ginger? Thinking about grinding it down for ground ginger. Any tips on this process method?

Annie.... I'm glad that your daughter lives close and is able to take advantage of your canning. That warms the heart for sure. My kids are states away and while I do send them tastes of home, fedEx fees add up. I didn't include any in their Christmas packages this year, but they did get plenty of home baked goodies.

itsfun... I uses ginger in Asian recipes, and sprinkle a bit in tea. Perhaps you can add it with other Asian spices and gift it as a spice blend, too. I'd probably use a coffee/spice grinder to pulverize to desired consistency. I freeze ginger is 'hunks' and will pull out a chunk for stir fry's soup and add a dash of ground ginger if needed.

canfan, I'm happy the girls live close too, now if I could just interest them in learning to can!

itsfun, I have a ginger plant out on my entryway porch, I started it last year from a piece of organic gingerroot. It's trying hard to die, I keep trying to keep it alive until spring, then I'll put it out in the greenhouse and maybe it'll be happier!

Today I added 6 quarts of chicken stock to the pantry just because I'm almost out.

Annie