Art Journal: This Summer

Growing up my mom did a lot of preserving of fruit and vegetables.  Like, a LOT.  I remember long hot days in the kitchen while we canned peaches and apriocots and cherries.  We did quarts and quarts of tomatoes and at least 5 kinds of jam every single year.  A few years ago I bought my own canner, and I’ve done applesauce, peaches, pears and apricots and jalapeno jelly on my own at home.  The fall I was pregnant with Creamie I even did 30 big jars of beef stew.

And this summer, I hope to do some more.  It is so satisfying to open my pantry and see a whole shelf full of jars of beautiful food.  I made strawberry jam a few weeks ago, but I have a lot of empty jars that need to be filled up before winter.

My mom found this Better Homes and Gardens Canning magazine, and I can’t wait to try out some of the recipes inside.  There are things like Tomato Basil jam and vanilla pickled sweet cherries and Sundried Tomato Pesto or Tomatillo Apple Salsa.  Not to mention the pictures are amazing.  After I flipped through hers I went to pick up a copy for myself, but they were sold out.  Thanks to my sweet friend Rose for finding one for me and picking it up!

So, do you can things?  It’s not as hard as people say it is, you just have to be careful is all.  And it is so satisfying to look at that row of delicious things to eat you made yourself.  It makes eating out of the pantry one of my favorite parts of the winter.