Well, here are the fruits (or should I say vegetables) of my labor some of these past few days. I guess I should also say "our" labor, as I did not do this by myself. I am blessed to have my family's help, as growing and preserving food is a family endeavor at our house. Thankfully, the girls are delighted to help (they especially love to peel), as many hands make light work. And my son and husband do their share of helping, too, so all together we make a good team. :)
This is just part of our carrots; we're not finished yet. We are planning to can enough to have 1-2 jars a week for a year. We are also dehydrating some of our carrots for throwing in soups, chicken noodles, etc. We usually shred those before drying so they rehydrate and cook up faster. Not much beats the satisfaction of cooking meals with your own produce during the year. Maybe snuggling up with your own handmade blankets, but they run a close race. :)
I love preserving home-grown produce and seeing the much valued results of our labor. Some of the most delightful parts of it all are removing the jars from the canner, hearing the ping of the lids as they cool, and seeing the jars all lined up and ready for the pantry. And the icing on the cake is that canning is another thing that reminds me of my grandma and grandpa. I have many fond memories of helping my grandpa outside on the farm in his working years, and in the garden in his retirement years... and helping my grandma inside with baking, cooking, and crafting... along with, you guessed it, canning. :)
I hope you enjoyed my post... if so, I'd be delighted to hear your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to share some of your own experiences as well. :)
--Nikki / myMountainStudio
