I know the Funky Fresh Kitchen series has only just begun, but I sure do hope that you’re having as much fun as I am having!!! You all make this blogging thing a blast – I hope you know that. :)
This week for Gratituesday I wanted to share some of the fresh kitchen produce that we’ve been enjoying and working to preserve. Fall is always such a busy time, but the work is so rewarding as the wholesome food keeps filling our pantry and freezers.
We bought 12 dozen ears of organic corn at the farmer’s market and worked together to make a sticky, corn mess all over the kitchen – and also to put it up for winter. ;)
We ended up with about 30 quarts of sweet corn, maybe not enough for the entire year, but hopefully enough to last us until we can eat fresh corn next summer!
I ordered a big box of blueberries from Azure Standard (since blueberries don’t really grow well here in Nebraska). We ate as many fresh berries as we could, but then needed to freeze the rest for smoothies.
Why is it that looking at all these bags of good produce makes me so happy?!
Our green beans have been growing well, but have not produced enough for us to put up a year’s worth. Last week a friend of ours called and begged us to please come pick her green bean garden because she had quite enough. The six of us spent about an hour and a half one morning and well, judge for yourself. Do you think we got enough?
We snapped and blanched and snapped and blanched and now we have gallons of wonderful beans in our freezer!!! (Did I mention that we snapped and blanched? I truly was seeing green beans in my sleep for a few nights in a row.)
As I am every year, I am so thankful that God has provide wonderful, healthy food for our family. I’m thankful for my big freezers and that we are healthy enough to work together to get all of these foods preserved.
I’d love to hear what fresh foods have been in your kitchen as we head into fall. Have you been preserving? Have you visited your farmer’s market? (Leave a comment on this Funky Fresh Kitchen post for another chance to win one of 5 $10 gift certificates from our shop.)
What are you thankful for this Gratituesday? Write about it on your blog, then come link up with us here.
If you don’t have a blog, be sure to leave a comment letting us know what you’re grateful for!If you are linking up a blog post for Gratituesday,please copy and paste the following sentence into your post! Thanks!
Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!
angela says
I discovered how amazing freezer jam is. It is so easy and strawberry is so delicious. My family has been missing out all these years!!!
Diane says
I was able to put away yellow and zucchini squash this year. I am very thankful for that. I have a case of peaches coming and can’t wait to can them. Also going to a canning class next week and hoping to learn how to use a pressure cooker.
Jen says
I’ve been ordering a local Amish produce basket from our organic delivery service (how awesome is that?… they bring raw milk, raw cream, produce, maple syrup, honey, etc. to my door!)every week. It’s shocking how much produce they stuff in there! We’re mostly trying to eat it up, but I have frozen some chopped green peppers, and lacto fermented bananna peppers, and lots of dilly beans. YUM!
We had such a HUGE, LONG heat wave here that our garden didn’t produce as much as we hoped. Our tomatos are still green, and I’m hoping they ripen soon!
We are blessed to have lots of fresh produce right now, and we are enjoying it to the max. :)
Kristi says
I just learned how to can fruit this summer, from my mother-in-law. I’m looking forward to doing even more food preserving in the future. :)
Sara says
I am 8 weeks pregnant and in the throws of morning sickness, but I’ve been making myself preserve all we’re harvesting from our garden. I know that even though the green beans may completely make me want to throw up now, they sure will be delicious in December!
Bhriana says
no garden, but I love to visit the farmers’ market!
Crystal says
I froze tomatoes today! I did some online researching and saw that you can freeze them raw! So excited because canning scares me! My daddy’s garden yielded so many (and they were all plants from seeds I started… makes you feel good!)
And we just were gifted a decent size (5 cubit feet, I think) freezer. Praising God for His gifts!
We also order from a local CSA and the peaches and apples have been so yummy!
Sara says
I have canned green beans, cherry pie filling, cherries, peaches and dill pickles so far. The peaches came from WA…the rest were grown here in MT…in my garden, from friends, or from the Hutterites at the Farmers Market
Sara says
I have canned green beans, cherry pie filling, cherries, peaches and dill pickles so far. The peaches came from WA…the rest were grown here in MT…in my garden, from friends, or from the Hutterites at the Farmers Market
Julie says
That is totally amazing. Tomorrow I am hoping to make some of your zucchini recipes with some zucchini’s from friends and our CSA.
Andrea says
That does look like fun, Laura. I feel so much better when I eat healthy. Mentally and physically.
I’d like to know what questions you ask your local organic farmers about their practices in farming. I would have no idea what to ask them. Can you direct me to a link that explains this or have you posted about it in the past?
Thank you! :)
Laura says
In the area of produce, I usually just ask the farmer if they have used sprays and pesticides on their garden/crop. If they are a more organic type farmer or gardener (even if they aren’t certified organic), they jump right in and start telling me how they raise their crops the best they can without using many sprays. If they AREN’T an organic gardener, they usually look at me like I’m crazy and there I have my answer. :) Once I asked someone who was selling corn if their corn was GMO and they had no idea what that meant. This told me that yes, their corn was likely GMO so I went with someone else. :)
kelly says
lots of canning going on here: diced tomatoes, pureed tomatoes, sweet potatoes, apricots, strawberry jam, grape jelly, and some blueberries too. wooohooo!
Country Girl in the City says
Raspberry jam, gooseberry jam, canned red plums, canned mangoes. Frozen raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, rhubarb.
Abby H says
I was able to pick about 60 pounds or so of blueberries. So I froze most of those and then made some muffins for the freezer and a small batch of jam. I canned 22 quarts of dill pickles for my mil and I. I got 48 pounds of peaches that I canned, froze, and made a small batch of jam with. I tried fruit leather, but mine turned out more like fruit crisps or something. I hope to do some dilly beans soon!
Kristin says
I’m actually buying a deep freeze and plan to start doing this soon! We’re moving in 3 weeks and I can’t wait to check out the new farmer’s market…it’s SO much bigger than the one I’m used to!
Autumn Fraiser says
I have been canning up a storm! Helps that I am 29 weeks pregnant and totally nesting. I have canned minestrone soup,tomato soup, dieced tomatoes, tomato sauce, apple sauce, and apple pie filling, froze 6 dinners of chili, doubled up on every dinner the past 4 nights. Have pears to can as well but waiting for them to get ripe!! We have been so blessed that we have made all this with our garden that we planted and babyed from seed. And what I didn’t grow I traded with a local farmer for his goods! Thank you for your blog! Love it!!!
Katie says
I have been working on freezing some stuff but so want to do more. Hoping to plant a garden next year!
BekahJ says
I wish I could’ve put up all of that wonderful produce! Ah well, God provides what we need when we need it. ;) PTL
Cathy B. says
I am thankful for all the wonderful tomatoes and zucchini that our garden is providing this year! We’ve had some delicious, fresh food and we have some put away–and yes, that makes me happy, too!
Julie says
We will be buying a chest freezer and fill it up with wild game, then, veggies from a garden that we’ll “build” for next year.
Misty says
I am making huckleberry/raspberry jam this week. We picked 20 pounds of wild huckleberries this year, I have lots frozen for pancakes, waffles, smoothies, and muffins, but first I need to get the jam put up.
Janelle Tyler says
We have a blueberry farm nearby that was donated to the city and it’s open to the public to pick for free. We went tonight after work and picked a couple bucketfuls. Now to get them in the freezer before the kids eat them all!
Tammy Apitzsch says
We have put up 89 quarts of tomato sauce. Not tomatoes…tomato SAUCE. It was like a tomato factory here for about a month straight!
Kristin says
This summer we have frozen lots of different kinds of berries, zucchini, green beans (although I really wish I had a pile as big as yours!) and we are in the process of freezing peaches.
Wish we had 2 big freezers so we could do more.
sarina says
so far we have put up: tomatoes, squash, strawberries, blueberries, peaches & plums!
Staci says
So far just blueberries, strawberries & lots of peaches put up, but with the long spring & late summer here in Oregon, the wonderful madness has just begun, bring on the pears, apples, tomatoes & salsa!
Jessica says
I have been canning, and freezing tomato’s and green beans from our garden. We did strawberry freezer jam from the local berry farm. The apple orchard picking starts soon here and I will be canning applesauce and pie filling.
Renee says
I just started canning this summer. I’ve done 2 batches of dill pickles and they’re the best I’ve ever tasted! (Ahem, excuse me while I swallow my pride.) We bought 12 pounds of tomatoes, which I turned into 1 pint of tomato paste. yikes. Next on the list is applesause from the 5 trees in the woods behind our house. We’ve also just discovered chanterelle mushrooms in the local park. Since free food fits into the grocery budget very easily, we’ll be eating lots of those.
Soccy says
We don’t have a very large freezer. We have some meat stashed away in there and then there’s just enough room to keep my chicken stock jars and my nuts and seeds. We’re hoping to get a large chest freezer for next season. So far, the only thing we’ve put away is 7 jars of tomato sauce from the abundance of tomatoes at our CSA. Our garden didn’t produce very much this year, so we’ve just been eating our harvest. I hope to learn to can and preserve so that I can definitely put food up for next winter.
Amber J. says
We have been blessed with boxes of fabulous fresh fruits and veggies this summer. I can’t wait to dig into the 25 lbs of blueberries that have been frozen, along with many gallons of sliced peaches, and fresh corn! I love having the freshness of summer last throughout the fall and winter months!
Kathy McConnell says
I froze some blueberries that we got from the store, and also some rhubarb that I grew in my garden, such as it is(mostly weeds and rhubarb). We were unable to put in a garden this year due to health concerns. Hopefully next spring we can get it put in. I’m also limited on freezer space, so I make the best of it. Have a great day everyone! God Bless : )
Kristina says
My mom & I have canned tomatoes, tomato juice, made freezer jam, dried green beans, pickled beans, pickled beets, froze corn, peas & mustard greens (my favorite), & she canned some pork tenderloin while I was extremely pregnant in the spring :)
jenny Havens says
I have already went through the mountain of green bean stage. I am still in the up to my ears in tomatoes though! It is fun, and I don’t regret all of this work over the winter. But, with 2 jobs and 2 toddlers, it can be a challenge. But, I feel like this year with the kids a little older, I am more productive than ever. Plus, I can sleep this winter when it gets cold and nasty, right?
Trooppetrie says
We moved to NC last year. I was so excited to have my garden going. It produced nothing, a couple of small zuchini but that was it, no idea why, it makes me so sad. We will have to research better next year because I want a freezer of food to put up. I linked up with homemade baby food. If that is not okay please feel free to delete it
Dara purcell says
Hail storm hit our tomatoes about a week before they got ripe. :(. I’ve put up pear butter, a few jars of marinara sauce, 11 quarts of sweet pickles and froze some blackberries. This pregnancy and the heat have me exhausted!! It’s hard to do much else. I’m hoping to put up apple pie filling and applesauce when those are ready in a few weeks.
Kellie says
My little garden was a flop this year. My green beans did the best, but I only got 2 gallon bags worth. They are awesome, though! I’ve enjoyed the few tomatoes that the heat and bugs did not destroy, too.
Martianne says
Oh my! That produce looks amazing. Good for you and your family. I have not got a green thumb yet and am not disciplined enough this year to hit local market enough. Maybe next year….
Holly White says
Peaches for smoothies, carrots, pumpkin and butternut squash.
Gail E says
Since our tomatoes didn’t do too well this year I haven’t gotten to can many of them, but I have been blessed with enough basil to make pesto that I froze for use this coming winter. We also purchased some green peppers and peaches that I froze also.
Lisa says
That all looks so wonderful! I am new to all this and was wondering how to do the corn and what kind of green beans are the best to do? Cant wait to try this!!
Sara says
Tomatoes and strawberries and blueberries and beans and corn and peaches and so much more put away for winter. Sometimes living in Michigan is not so bad :)
Lyndsay says
We are only in our second year of gardening, so this year all I have done is tomatoes cause they went crazy! My husbands grandfather has a pear tree, so this year I am hoping to can some, and then make pear sauce. I live in Nebraska too, and was told recently that blueberries need very acidic soil. If you want them to grow, you plant them near pine trees, as the trees make the soil very acidic (which is also why you don’t find much else growing under them!) I don’t have any of my own, but my parent’s have plenty at their house. I see a few blueberry bushes in our future!
Joanna S says
Don’t want to make you jealous, but blueberries grow WONDERFULLY here in northern Indiana. Of course they’re done now, but we’re on to picking our second crop of raspberries. I’m so thankful my dad taught me how to garden so we’ve put up our green beans, potatoes, onions, spinach and corn. Getting ready to work on tomatoes and peppers now. Wow! What a reminder to be thankful seeing that all in one paragraph!
Amy T says
My garden was a bust this year. It produced one pumpkin plant that my son planted last year for ‘fun’, and now we have one pumpkin growing.
I did make some strawberry freezer jam though.
Jill Roper says
Love the pictures. I was introduced to a farmer that lives just down the road who also had had enough. I got to pick for an hour and a half and got 2 five pound buckets of green beans. I ended up with 21 quarts. I love summer produce!
Season says
I have been canning 90lbs. of tomatoes all week lots of salsa, tomato sauce, tomato soup fun fun!!!
Carla says
Thanks you for the link-up. I love seeing all the garden fresh in my freezer as well. Have a wonderful week!
Carla <
teresa says
I am thankful for my parents who raise all the crops at their house and then share all the yummy vegetables with me. I have put up frozen beans and zucchini. I also just canned some beans yesterday. Last week I went to the farmers market for some fresh carrots, onions and garlic and made three batches of chicken soup for the winter.
Barbara says
I haven’t been able to put up anything this year! However, I am planning to can applesauce this week and tomatoes next week. The Peach Festival is this week and my husband just told me that he loves peaches (news to me – we’ve only been married 27 years!), so I am going to get some peaches and get those put up too. I’m also going to grab up some of the last of the zucchini. I make a mock apple crisp with them and my husband loves having it in the deep cold of winter!
Pary Moppins says
Summer is definitely a “make hay while the sun shines” time. I have spent the whole summer canning eveything I can get my hands on so that we have food for our family and for gifts. Your produce looks beautiful.
Becky A. says
We have 3 freezers – one for veggies, one for fruit, and one for meat. :-) Our garden has done well and I currently have a bushel of beans to snap, blanch, and freeze. Guess I’ll be seeing green in my sleep too. :-) Canning tomato sauce, applesauce, hoping to make another batch of apple butter soon. I just can regular tomato sauce and then add the seasonings for spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, etc. as I need it. We also tap our maple trees and this yr. got about 18qt. of syrup. Pumpkins are coming in the garden, which I will freeze for pies and dry the seeds. I dry my diced peppers as well. Can you tell I like doing this stuff? Someone tell me to shut up!
Abbie Long says
i have canned a few tomato products this year (thanks to my mom and dad!) I have also canned a lot of jalapenos, jalapeno candy and banana peppers. Oh and also pickles!
Kate says
Our garden was almost a total wipe-out this year, but I did have a good haul of onions, which I’d never planted before. So, they’re all diced up and ready to go in the freezer. There are also over 30 pounds of blueberries that we picked and about 5 pounds of strawberries – the strawberries are so beautiful that it’s really hard to use them! I’ve had to empty out a bit of our freezer because I’ve ordered a 1/4 cow from a local farm for the first time and I’m not too sure how much space it will take up in there. I do plan to brown up and season most of the ground beef when it comes BEFORE I freeze it so I don’t have to thaw and then cook, just thaw and eat!
Jen says
The first year we ordered 1/4 cow and 10 chickens from a local farm, we had to go buy a new freezer after we picked it up! Despite my calculations from estimated cubic feet required and the average amount we received, it would NOT fit! I love having a second freezer though. :) We’ve ordered for 3 years now, and it always comes frozen. I think that is standard, so it will probably already be frozen when you recieve it. Unless you’ve arranged otherwise. Enjoy! It’s wonderful to be so stocked up on meat.
CathyG says
Hi! I soooo miss having a garden. If I may ask, how much was the corn per dozen? I’m in Ames, IA, college town and I can hardly stand to go to our farmer’s market as the prices are ridiculously high! So I was curious how much was charged in NE. Thanks!
DorthyM says
Oh my you’ve been busy –and blessed! We didnt do a garden this year although we had talked about it. Unfortunately it didnt go much past the talking stage. And this month I dont think I’ll get a chance to go to farmers markets because of hubby’s schedule. Next time maybe. But today I am grateful because a young man who became a Christian will soon be in America studying! He has such a heart for God so he is part of what I’m grateful for in my Life at Home post. : )
Lisa @ Happy in Dole Valley says
Laura – How do you find the time to put all that wonderful produce up for the winter and homeschool and blog? I’m impressed and wish I had that much energy! :)
We started school yesterday (history) and are still working on harvesting and putting food by. I love the end of summer and the crisp, cool mornings, and the promise of the new school year with so much to learn! Blessings, ~Lisa
Laura says
Well, it is a little known fact that I go a little bit crazy during these harvest months. It’s nuts. But thankfully my kids are old enough to help and my husband helps a lot too. The boys have snapped a lot of green beans the past few days as I’ve read History to them. Two birds, one stone. :)
Star says
I was beginning to feel this way about my tomatoes, then they slowed down….. I can’t imsgine having *sll* of that to do! What a blessing :-)
Star says
edit… *all* of that to do!! There’s something about typing with the wrong gand while nursing a baby that lends itself to typos LOL!!!
McKinsey says
That’s awesome that you were able to pick that many green beans. We did not put any green beans up this year and I’m regretting it already. I have canned about 160 jars of varying sizes of different foods(spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, juice, grape juice, relish, jellies,peaches, pickles) I’ve frozen corn, zuchini, strawberries, blueberries, peaches
I want to can potatoes, pinto beans, white beans and kidney beans as well as apple sauce. So much to do still!
Rebecca says
Busy and blessed!
Twila says
The garden has produced so well this summer! I’ve been canning several jars of pickles and am getting ready to do salsa today. Also had some fresh raspberries from our Amish friend, but I don’t think I will get any frozen cuz they are disappearing fast!
Shannon says
I’ve preserved canned tomatoes and blueberry jam. In the freezer, basil, cilantro, green beans,swiss chard and sweet corn with more beans to go in today. I’m pretty excited as this is the mos I’ve preserved to date. I’ve also done a couple gallons of fermented salsa and 1/2 gallon sauerkraut.
blair says
I’ve made apple sauce.. Lol and only 2 pints at that :(.. I do have 12lb of peaches to do something with. I’m going to read about canning them and hopefully take the plunge, since I’ve never canned before… Anyone in okc wana come show me the ropes :).. Lol
Tiffany says
Canning peaches is really very easy. I hope you take the plunge and do them. They are one of our favorite treats to open up in the middle of winter. We use a light syrup that is half honey and half sugar. I tried to can them without sugar one year and they were pretty tastless. Straight honey/water syrup was too honey-ish for us, so we mix it. When we open a jar of peaches in the winter, I save the syrup to sweeten muffins or smoothies or such.
blair says
Can someone tell me how long to hot water bath them? And how much fruit fresh? Lauras tutorial said how long/much, but it was for quarts, and I’m doing pints… This is for peaches btw
Tiffany says
We did our quarts for 25 and pints for 20 minutes. When I search online, I am getting 15-20 minutes for pints and 20-25 minutes for quarts. Even though we processed on the higher side of the range, our peaches were not mushy. If you are at a high altitude, you may have to adjust the time as well. Sorry to not have a concise answer.
Mary says
I have preserved apricots, salsa, mango salsa, blueberry, marionberry and raspberry syrup (for pancakes/waffles). this week I am doing 18 pounds of cherries into pie fill, jam and freezer bags, and spaghetti sauce. I am looking forward to getting some veggies, peaches,, pears and apples soon. We live in the mountains and the harvest is always a bit later:)
Laurence GL says
Recently, I have preserved some apricots and did some blueberry jam. I did some pickled mushrooms and green beens too. I plan to do lots of tomato sauce in the next few weeks.
Debbie says
I have frozen some peaches we got from the farmers market the other day. However, I also learned a valuable lesson from getting “seconds”- use them the same day or else you will be throwing away a lot of peaches :(
Pam says
I’ve done blueberries and dried tomatoes. You win!
Jenny C. says
We didn’t do a garden this year, but I have visited our local growers. I canned 12 quarts of peaches! Yum! And they look so pretty on top of my cabinets. :)
Suanna says
I haven’t been able to put up as much this year yet. I have made some jam, frozen peaches, and frozen marinated red pepper and zucchini for grilling of roasting.
Patty says
Canned green beans, tomatoes, salsa, chili sauce, barbeque sauce, and applesauce. Will be picking up peaches and pears this week.
Jessica says
My husband has canned dozens of pickles and we have frozen quarts of tomato sauce and okra.
Ginny says
Wow look at all that great stuff for your freezer. What a blessing!
Beth @ Turn 2 the Simple says
We have 20 pints of stawberries in the freezer; put 40 quarts of sweet corn in the freezer Sunday night — praise God for lots of friends that helped husk all the corn and watch our little kiddos while my husband and I processed corn — 40 quarts in 2 hours! Still hoping to get applesauce canned this fall, as well as pumpkin if we can get a hold of some. Oh yeah, am freezing zucchinni as I get it — would love for more of that too! God is good!
Rejoicedover says
We moved to our new house at the beginning of the summer…and hope to add a garden next year. Although, I have to say my husband is worried about my ability to grow anything — since we’ve been married, I’ve managed to kill anything green we’ve received (including an ivy!)
Kristi says
We just blanched 12 bags of beans – so wonderful!!!
Stephanie Wehrman says
Hi Heavenly Homemaker;
I ordered the Funky Kitchen e-book and thought I downloaded and saved it properly, but now I want to sit and read it and it is nowhere to be found, could you please email it to me? Sorry for the inconvience!
Thanks
Cassie says
I picked up some wonderfully plump and juicy cherry tomatoes from our Farmer’s Market last week. I plan on starting a garden next year- growing my own herbs, tomatoes, peppers and squash.
gayle says
When you freeze in plastic bags, how do you keep the produce from getting full if ice crystals? Doesn’t that cause freezer burn? Thanks…
Esther says
I canned pizza sauce, tomato juice, tomato sauce, tomato chunks, ketchup, peaches, peach & cherry & blueberry pie fillings, potatoes, beans,and still want to do grape juice! And my freezer is full of peaches, strawberries, corn, beans, zucchini, peppers. I feel so blessed!
Melissa Miller says
My garden did not do well this year as my puppy tore it up and I had to replant. We will go to the farmer’s market starting next month. Looking forward to some fresh green beans,corn and any thing else we can find.
Looks like you all got a good haul of veggies.
Rhoda says
As we recently bought a house (has room for garden but definitely needs a LOT of work to get ready) we missed out on this year. Hopefully next year! But I did manage to make about 40 jars of jam (various sizes from quart to half pint): black berry, sweet cherry, strawberry, peach, and combinations of black berry with just about anything and everything. I also have 3 batches of blackberries in the freezer ready for jam later in the winter. These will make great gifts come Christmas. Oh, and several quarts of frozen black berries for smoothies or black berry floats. Looking at your stash of goodies makes my mouth water. I can’t wait for our garden next year.
Lacy says
Laura –
This post was so inspiring!! It is amazing how with just a little prep you can have fresh and healthy produce year round. Thank you so much for sharing!
Leslie says
A co-worker had apples rip for picking so my daughter and I went and came home with bags and bags of apples. Lots of applesauce was made and I was able to give a lot away to friends and family. Just last night froze blueberries for blueberry banana bread, blueberry muffins and smoothies.
Rebecca says
We planted tomatoes this year, although they haven’t done as well as I would have hoped. Next year, I’m hoping to plant a lot more.
Lorinda says
I’ve hardly preserved anything. My tomatoes are lovely green plants and only a few tomatoes. Does that mean they need more lime? I have green beans growing for a harvest later…so hopefully they will produce enough to preserve. I have lots of jams in the pantry. But they just seem so sweet now that I’m trying to more mindful of how much sugar we consume.
Amy says
I’ve made jam this summer and have berries in my freezer. We live in the city and only have a small garden, but each summer we travel home (13 hours) and my parents share their garden with us. We butchered and canned 70 chickens. We also canned homemade chicken stock. The green beans were plentiful and I canned enough to last us a year. The garden wasn’t producing as much this summer due to poor weather conditions, but I am thankful for each jar I got! We regularly visit our local farmers market and I was able to can some peaches and make corn salsa this summer.
Lisa says
I have started canning for the first time this year. So far I’ve done pear sauce and apple sauce. I was able to score 45 pounds of pears and 75 pounds of apples from someone who just wanted their trees picked. We have also done some corn for the freezer. I am working on some apple butter and some baking to use up the rest of the apples. And we got a 50 pound box of canning tomatoes for $50 from a local farmer last week! So this week it’s salsa and sauce!
Amy says
I do have one additional question…Laura, I am curious how much you paid for the 12 dozen ears of organic corn? Ours was $8 a dozen and so it just wasn’t cost effective for me to buy from our farmer’s market. It would be so much cheaper to just buy organic canned corn. It was kind of disappointing b/c fresh tastes so much better.
Laura says
I paid $5/dozen.
Lisa says
We, too, are so grateful for the garden produce that we’re harvesting! I love to see my canning shelves fill up with beautifully canned produce! I’ve put up 46 quarts of pickles just from a two week time frame from my cucumber patch!
Carie says
Since my poor garden hasn’t been producing due to the heat, I’m grateful for my dad sharing his okra:)
darialauren says
My sister-in-law and I are so blessed to own a farm market! So we get great produce for a great price!( that is…the stuff we don’t grow) unfortunately I don’t have much freezer space for veggies :p but I for what I can to preserve as much as will fit in my 3×2′ space!!! GOD has been great this year! (as always:))
Micki Hawkins says
We are so blessed by our Church (LDS) raising sweet corn for us to have! I think they grow 7-10 acres and it is free for the taking! we put up about 60 quarts this weekend – hoping to go get some more so we can share some with our families and neighbors.
We cut the corn off first (I learned from my Aunt many, many years ago – whose husband was a corn & wheat farmer in Kansas for 30 years) I’ve been told that if you blanch it on the cob then it tastes more like cob… Anyway – 8 cups of corn, then stir in 1/4 cup each of sugar, butter and water, bring to a boil and cook it for 5 minutes (till juice runs clear) DELICIOUS!!!
Ashley says
I’ve put away green beans and tomato sauce – but soon I’ll be working on our applesauce frenzy!
Jennifer says
We leave our corn on the cob and freeze it. My father in law plants it so we can get all we want. We put up peaches this year for the first time, but didn’t get many blueberries because no rain in Ga. They all dried up.
We like to make muffins with our nurimill and put blueberries in the muffins.
Kristei says
You have had a great week. I would love to be blessed with fresh produce to put away. Thanks for the link up. I look forward to it.
Kristie @ http://quicklyahomemaker.blogspot.com
Kelly says
we harvested our corn recently. Been praying for my beans to grow… the flowers haven’t set, but the other day… I saw a bean!! Would love to have a mound like yours! And, praying for a very cheap (free?!) fridge or freezer.
Connie S says
Thanks for the chance to win. What a fun time!
Julie says
I have never canned before. I was curious about how you did the corn. Do you cook it first? Can it be frozen uncooked right on the cob?
Thanks for your great posts. I have learned so much.
Meghan V. says
We were able to put peaches in the freezer this year. And the lady selling them enjoyed my baby so much she gave us some of them for FREE! Having cute kids is a plus. :)
Priscilla F. says
And I thought we had a lot of beans to put away… but then I’m only feeding two hungry boys – not four. :) I love all the preserved produce in the middle of winter, but right about now I’ve nearly seen ENOUGH!!
Karen Morris says
My daughters and I have been attempting strawberry jam. I’m wondering if my pectin is just too old (it’s last year’s pectin). I have six pints of what is now strawberry ‘syrup’ and I’m hoping these next five I made this morning I actually turn out to be jam.
Not the healthiest stuff on the world, but at least I know what’s in it and it’s not GMO.
Laura Cross says
I put up some produce this year. Between our garden, my dad’s and the farmer’s market I got some nice produce. I canned some salsa and tomato sauce and my dad canned tomatoes for me and shared some of his green beans, carrots and homemade soup mixture he canned. I froze corn, blueberries, zucchini, peaches, apple pie filling and peppers. Peppers and some tomatoes are about all that is left of my garden which I guess is good since a huge oak tree landed on it this past weekend with the Hurricane that hit the east coast.
Heather says
I am very thankful for the strawberries, peppers, corn, peaches, tomatoes, and apples we will be eating in the dead of winter!
Ashley says
We were able to go peach and blackberry picking a few weeks ago. We have lots of yummy blackberry jam and peach salsa!
Elizabeth says
I need to get to canning my tomatoes! I’m not sure why I’ve been putting it off…
Daphne says
Help. I am getting 21 pounds of grapes. Other than raisins any ideas what to do?
Kathy McConnell says
What about jelly?
lyss says
If you have freezer space, frozen grapes are really yummy!
Lisa @ Happy in Dole Valley says
Make grape juice!!
katie z. says
Pickles and frozen tomatoes are it so far, but I will can strawberry and blueberry jelly later!
Teresa Yb says
An older lady from church called to say they had extra sweet corn in their garden. I went over and hada nice visit while her husband loaded over 100 ears of corn into my trunk-free! I felt so blessed. We did a lot of the prep outside. We all peeled it, then we blanched in a big pot over a propane burner in the driveway. After it cooled, we brought it in to cut off the cob. We filled 18 qt. bags, and some of them are very full!
I bought 2 bushels of peaches, and we have canned around 40 qts, and I froze lots of slices for strawberry peach slushies (4 gallon bags). I am going to make a batch of jam today before it is too late.
My husband has been canning the tomatoes from our garden, and earlier this summer we canned 35 pints of our own green beans.
Yes, it is a busy tie of year!
lyss says
This makes me want to garden! Although I’m glad I didn’t start this summer- I’m sure everything would have died in the heat. 63 days and counting of temps over 100*! My lone basil plant is very sad looking. :(
Haven’t had a chance to visit our farmer’s market, though I’ve heard it’s mostly craft booths. Maybe this fall I’ll check it out.
Christy says
I’ve got a lot of zucchini in the freezer, thanks to my mom’s new garden, and a whopping two jars of diced tomatoes (we’re starting slow, here!).
stephanie says
We are super thankful for carrots! We have never grown them and we had so much that we were able to share with TWO other families!
Samantha Marshall says
I haven’t started canning yet (aside from salsa and jelly). But we do go to our local farmer’s market, if for nothing other than to pick up our meats, milk and eggs from our CSA. But we always find more – zucchini and garlic are our favorites.
susan says
we were able to go and visit my parents who have a good garden last weekend. it was so nice to get veggies we did. i was able to get some that i had planned on buying this week for meals and didn’t need to :-)
Peggy H says
Today I canned green beans and made apple butter. Love having this food in the winter!
Tamela Camp says
It is such a blessing to have such fresh, healthy food put away for those cold winter months. Before long you will be thinking apples and putting those away!!
Bethanie says
We just finished canning 20 quarts of peaches and we’ve frozen blueberries and also picked and froze some wild black berries. The kids helped me hunt wild bushes on the sides of roads EVERYWHERE we went in July! It was well worth it! I love storing up fruit especially because it is SO expensive in the off season. We don’t have a lot of freezer space, so I can’t freeze veggies, and I don’t have a pressure canner which I would need for veggies as well… someday… in my dreams!!! ;)
Katie says
Looks great! I have canned tons of salsa, frozen about 30 quarts of sweet corn, canned lots of green beans, frozen zucchini and still have more tomoatoes to take care of sometime this week…
Christina D says
can you share how you prep your corn to freeze? is it just cut off the ears and in the bag or do you blanch it?
Laura says
I linked to a post explaining that process in this post. It’s super simple (although a lot of work!). Click on “put it up for winter” above when I’m talking about the corn and you’ll be able to read about it.
Maggie says
We had a small garden here at the house that we were able to just have enough tomatoes to eat on this summer. In late June, I drove about an hour and 45 minutes to a huge pick your own produce farm where I got zucchini, squash, tomatoes, green beans, and onions. I was able to freeze the zucchini, squash and can the tomatoes. I also picked about 16 gallons of blueberries over the summer, but that will not get us through the winter. It will probably last till December. I wanted to pick more, but with the heat of the south and me being pregnant it just wasn’t feasible to pick more. That is what is in our freezer for the winter.
Stephany says
How did you find the pick your own produce farm? I would love to do something like that with my boys. You did a great job for being pregnant and picking what you did in this heat. Great job!
Kelly says
http://www.pickyourown.org/
Be sure to ask various farms if they have utillity/seconds/drops (different name at different farms).They are cheaper, and if you want to can/freeze a large quantity, this is an economical way to do it. Often they are much less than if you pick them yourself. In the case of peaches, last weekend, I went to a local orchard. Pick your own price was $1.99/pound (one of the least expensive places around here). The utility peaches (they were all almost perfect!) were $1/pound. And they have them pre-weighed in 15 pound flats. Since I was buying numerous flats, I asked if they would reduce the price even more. They sold them to me for $.85/poun
d. Don’t be afraid to ask for a discount if buying in bulk!
I was able to make peach preserves, peach melba jam, canned peaches, peach skin jelly, and peach cobbler, not to mention fresh eating peaches.
Stephany says
I visited our local farmers market and was sadly disappointed. With the drought we are having in North Texas there was slim pickins and It is really hard to find try organic produce there. One day I will try to start a vegetable garden and hopefully grow my own (at least some of it).
When is the best time to start a new vegetable garden and what are some things I will need to make my garden grow? Thanks!
Tara says
Finally! Found a place to shop for locally-grown organic foods within 30 minutes of my home. Would love a gift certificate!
Heather says
I’m off to the farmer’s market again today. It is a weekly trip now that Daddy is home from his crazy summer and I can have the van for a trip over. I’m putting up all I can possibly find and/or buy reasonably before Baby 3 gets here and while my wrists hold out. I’ve never dealt with carpel tunnel due to pregnancy like this and it. is. hard. Especially when the third trimester coincides with canning and freezing time!
Heather
Laura says
Ugh, my SIL had that trouble when she was pregnant – miserable!! Hang in there!
Carmen says
Our garden this year produced very little – we had only a couple servings of beans, a couple peppers and zucchini, and not much else. I think it was the blast of heat we had for several weeks (we normally only get 2-3 day stretches). After reading your blog, I’m not feeling very grateful as I wish God would find someone to offer us food like that. But maybe he knows that right now we’re rather busy dealing with health issues of our extended family and don’t have much time for preserving this year.
Ok – to find something to be grateful for… well, every day I’m grateful for my baby girl. We waited a long time for her, and she is so very precious to us.
Ami says
That pile of green beans took my breath away!!! Glad you have those boys to help you! Our green beans were totally buggy so I only got one big batch out of them. But HOORAY! I discovered that I could plant late green beans in August here in KY. I had no idea, so I have new plants growing like weeds…and no weeds growing at this point in the year, so I am a happy gardener!
Brooke says
Looks yummy! I’m thankful for fresh, healthy food too :)
Janette says
I just got some peaches and am busy making fruit leather, jam and freezing some for smoothies. Fresh peaches are so yummy! The apple crop froze out this year so I am thankful for peaches.
Daphne says
This was the first year I canned anything. I did several jars of tomatoes that we got from my mother-in-laws garden. Hopefully next year we’ll have more stuff.
Sherry says
So far we have picked TONS of raspberries and frozen some for smoothies and made freezer jam out of the rest. I’ve promised to go get more since my husband wasn’t thrilled with my Stevia substitute for real sugar. We’ve also grated and frozen lots of zucchini and just did our corn yesterday (though not nearly as much as you did!). I’m GRATEFUL my parents were visiting to help keep track of 3 little boys during our raspberry eating…I mean PICKING.
Elizabeth says
We’ve been busy with wild blueberries and blackberries, green beans, zucchini and peaches. So much goodness this time of year. Also a lot of work. But it will be so worth it when we can go to the pantry during the long winter and get a little summer goodness.
Kristy says
We got tons of peaches cut up and frozen. Next step…peach jam!!!
Leanne says
We share a garden with my parents and this years we canned 75 quarts of green beans. That was our best crop this year.
Sarah S says
We have enjoyed a bountiful harvest this year, too! We have put up many quarts of green beans, 18 quarts of sweet corn, 15 quarts of hot salsa, 22 quarts of pasta sauce, and a “gazillion” quarts of shredded summer squash, and 35 quarts of grape juice….and pumpkin and squash to come yet! God is so good!
april says
we’ve stocked up on blueberries in the freezer and preserved peaches and strawberries. We’ve also started making apple “fruit rollups” and canning apple sauce.
Amanda says
Tomatoes! It’s about all I’ve got from my first attempt at gardening, but I have plenty of it!
melissa says
lots of tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic and basil here!
Cindy says
Well, so far I have frozen blueberries and makde wild blackberry jam and syrup. My corn was a disaster this year. I have re-planted green beans for a fall crop since the insects got my spring planing. Tomatoes . . . well I just eat them as I go-I dont’ have tons. I still have jars of last year’s salsa left
Deanna says
We don’t put up any veggies, but wish we could.
Maybe in a year or two when the little ones grow a little.
Rebecca C says
We are blessed to have grass fed beef in our freezer and plenty of chicken breasts (not organic though). Our garden didn’t produce much because of the heat we’ve experienced here in Texas, but I was able to put up tons of zucchini & squash, and a little corn. Tomatoes wouldn’t produce b/c of the heat. Maybe next year!
Rebecca C
Stephany says
Do you mind if I ask where you get your grass fed beef in TX? I live in North TX and I am looking for a good local source. Thanks!
Rebecca C says
It’s a private person, not a company. But here is his email: [email protected]
I live in the DFW area, in Mansfield. He lives in DeSoto.
Hope that helps!
Rebecca C
Stephany says
What a really small world. I live in Mansfield as well. Thanks for the email. We are just truly starting our healthy eating journey we are making changes slowly. I am headed to Sprouts in Ft. Worth with some of my Moms Club friends to check out the selection and I need to pick up this weeks and next weeks meats. What are the typical prices on grass-fed ground beef? I have already spent most of my grocery budget until the 15th. Definitly a little more expensive way of eating but one well worth it to keep my family healthy. Give me a shout sometime (stephany(dot)stratton(at)charter(dot)net. Would love to know someone local traveling this same journey. Have a blessed day!
Jennifer says
Please forgive me, for I covet your green beans :). Other than a few gallon bags of grated carrots and zucchini, I have nothing stored up. I will have a garden next year!
Heather T. says
Last week an aunt called and asked if I wanted sweet corn I loaded up my boys and headed out thinking I would get about 4 bags oh no she had her golf cart full and loaded up the entire back of my van, it was a lot of corn so I shared with both of my sisters and two of my next door neighbors and still had a heaped up wheelbarrow full, it was a blessing!
Erin says
Our blackberry bush will provide lots of jam this winter-Yay. And a neighbor blessed us with a laundry basket full of tomatoes and I canned lots and lots of crushed tomatoes. We don’t have a garden because we have walnut trees that kill everything(except the blackberry bush) but next year we are going to put in a raised bed garden or two!! Can’t wait!!
crystal says
We froze corn, peaches and blackberries so far. We canned peaches, pears, tomatoes, pickles, jellies and peach honey. I am very excited as this is our 1st year at preserving. Thanks for your inspiration.
Pam S. says
So far, we have frozen corn, canned green beans & peaches. Salsa to can next & applesauce, too.
Terri G. says
We’re oh so thankful for the wealth of friends the Lord has bestowed upon us. Many have shared from their gardens with us. We’ve got pears, muscadines, strawberries, fresh peppers and tomatoes. With some, I’ve made muscadine jelly, strawberry jam, pear honey, fresh pear bread, spiced pears, strawberry bread, hot sauce and vegetable soup. God is good!
Niki says
I hope you have a generator for those freezers. Out here in eastern VA after hurricane Irene we lost power for 48 hours (which many of our friends are still without power). Today I am thankful I was able to save my frozen ground beef and the freezer meals I have built up in preparation for the baby coming home soon. Most of all thankful for the safety of my family and friends through the storm!
Nancy Michel says
I have been freezing rhubarb, strawberries and blueberries. Dehydrating mushrooms, peas,banana peppers, carrots, bananas and several herbs.
I still have to can applesauce and freeze corn and other misc.items that come along!
It is wonderful to have these items in the winter..it brings back not only great memories but great tasting food.
Cher says
I’ve frozen or canned peaches, tomatoes, squash, green beans, corn, pickles, sweet relish and other goodies. I visited a local orchard today and bought apples.
Janeen says
Oh, green beans are fun! Thanks for sharing!
Amy says
That looks wonderful! I hope to do this kind of thing in the future, but probably won’t be until next summer at least. Freezer space and time are limited right now. Thanks for the encouragement!
Krisha says
Oh! Am jealous of your green beans! How nice to get them. I am trying really hard to plant a second crop yet before the first frost, but something ate the tops off! So am thankful for the tomatoes and pickles that I was able to can. Am really hoping to run out of empty jars and go buy more!
Katie says
My husband sold veggies at market last year and I got all the bruised and unsold ones. I loved washing tomatoes, cutting off the stem and putting them in a freezer bag. Just stick ’em in a pot to defrost, drain off the excess water, then cook and stick blend them. Excellent tomato sauces and soups. This year we tend to be using the excess for a new ministry my husband started, but I may be getting some leftovers soon.
Sara says
First time gardener here. We put away shallots, bell peppers, banana peppers, squash, and green beans. Our tomatoes didn’t produce very well. In the garden we have MORE squash coming. Plus we are growing butternut squash and butter beans for the baby’s first foods. :) We’re planning to do broccoli and fall tomatoes and more bell peppers next.
Annie Shindel says
Nothing from our garden this year, but I’m particularly excited about the organic pluots we just got from our co-op.
Jo says
We’ve been eating the bulk of what comes from our garden and not been purchasing veg’s. We have managed to put up peppers and a little zucchini. We’ve been blessed to be given some onions and pears (pearsauce-athon tomorrow). I’ve made one batch of spaghetti sauce and hope for more to come.
Tina says
We’ve gotten lots of blueberries from the farmers market. Most we’ve eaten fresh but a few quarts have made it to the freezer! We’ve been eating lots of raspberries from our garden. Can’t wait for apples to be ready and we’ll can enough applesauce for the year!
Brenda says
My 3 yr old daughter just saw your picture of corn and said “that’s our corn, momma.”
We were given the best gift this summer… 549 ears of corn…. it was overwhelming, but we shucked, washed and put up all but 2 dozen! We ended up with about 65 qts. I bagged the corn in 3 cup bags, so we have 80+ meals worth!!
We’ve put up the beans our garden grew, but it wasn’t such a great year… hopefully the fall garden beans will produce abundantly.
Now we are getting saucy around here… apples and tomatoes… put up with HH recipes! I’m hoping to get 52 Qts of applesauce and 26 qts of Apple Butter, we started earlier this year to try to get all the good we can!
So glad I found you Laura!
Angela Kahney says
We have a large garden and bought half a share at our local CSA. We haven’t had to buy vegetables all summer. We have also been able to freeze a lot but I know it won’t last us all year so I would really like to do more. My goal is put up enough to last all winter. Last year I think we ran out in early February.
Kelly says
I’m sure that by now you have tossed your corn cobs, but did you know that you can make corn cob jelly? Waste not, want not! I love recipes that you can use EVERYthing to make something! We made some this year and it is very good. It tastes like a honey/light apple flavor. We have been canning and freezing around here like crazy…busy busy busy!
Kay says
We got tons of squash from our garden all at once. I had the kids help me cut it up and I blanched it and put 22 quarts in the freezer. This will make great squash casserole this winter.
Christy says
One of my goals – to start preserving! Thanks for the encouragement!
Amber S says
I just finished freezing all the corn from our garden. I didn’t count ears, but I picked 4 5-gal buckets. I’ve been canning green beans, making cold crock pickles, freezing extra melon for smoothies, drying peppers, freezing green chiles and okra, EATING watermelon :)
Ruby says
My garden was not great this year (my second year of gardening). I’ve not gotten much produce yet, but I did just get my Azure order, which contained organic cornmeal, pinto beans, & oats, along with some other items. They should last me till next summer!
Linda says
I just started freezing fresh corn and fruit and we have noticed a distinct difference in the flavor!
Corrie J says
Oh boy! Freezer has 7 gallons of green beans, and more need to be picked tomorrow. We are eating corn, but I don’t think I have enough to freeze this year. Froze 6 lbs of strawberries that we picked ourselves, have 12 qts of cherries, and next coming is tomatoes!
Dara says
wow, you’ve been busy! I’d love to grow some (or a lot) of food for my family, but right now we are renting and don’t have the space. Till then, I enjoy learning how other do it! :)
C Dazey says
We’re thankful for a garden that, while small this year, has produced several zucchini, cucumbers, enough beans for a couple meals…and tomatoes and watermelons are on the way!!!
Nicole says
In July we went to a local blueberry farm and I froze two gallon size bags of berries. Two weekends ago, we went to our local farmer’s market and got a box of corn and I was able to get seven bags full for the freezer. We also bought a box of tonatoes which I turned into juice, sauce, and diced tomaotoes. I also ended up with a second degree burn as a result of the tomato sauce. Ouch! We are going apple picking this weekend!
Brighid says
Tomatoes! The kids are getting tired of not being able to use the counter any more because I have tomatoes taking up most of one and the crockpots to make sauce on another.
Apple picking will come soon enough and then it will be a challenge to make more mini apple pies so that I can get some to freeze.
Cara C says
Apples, found a really good deal on em, been using them in all kinds of recipes. Our favorites have been fritters and pie.
Natalie says
We haven’t been able to harvest quite as much from our garden this summer, but what we can-we can! I just love filling up jar after jar this time of year! :-)
Tiffani says
I’ve been doing a lot of canning recently, and I’m glad for it, because we would’ve lost a lot of frozen stuff during our days without power thanks to Hurricane Irene!!
Karen says
I just wanted to share with you how much we love our Excalibur too! I use the slicing blade on the cuisinart and just slice apples whole without taking out the seeds..when they are dry they fall right out! It just seems to make it even faster to get them dried. We also make up a LOT of apple pies and freeze them whole. I make them in a pie pan that is non-stick, bake them and cool, then slide them right out into a ziploc bag, we can get 20 pies done a day and if we work diligently have pie all winter long…made with coconut oil, butter fresh ground whole wheat for our crusts, lots of fresh apples, freshly ground spices! and fresh grated ginger! plus some lovely vanilla! Oh yummy! I guess I am ready for fall after all :)
Merrilee says
I have done tomatoes – I just make sauce as that is what’s easiest & quickest with 4 kids underfoot. I also made tomatillo salsa, cucumber /pickle relish, and more pickles than we will eat.
More tomatoes & tomatillos & peppers are coming on too!
allie zirkle says
we are planting our first AZ garden this fall. I can’t wait!
Gordon says
looks like tasty corn.
Lisa says
I’ve done over 20 quarts of tomatoes so far, and still have more coming. I’ve found the fastest way to put them up, is in freezer bags. I cut out the part where the stem was, quarter them if they’re big, or just cut them in half, and plop them in the ziploc bag. (No, I don’t take the skins off.) Throw them in the freezer and when I make my chili or spaghetti sauce, I cook them all day long with spices…turns out delicious!If the skins are bothering me, I give them a quick whirl in the food processor. E-A-S-Y!
Julie says
Just did more peaches and tomatoes tonight!
Carey L says
Besides all the baking I’ve been doing with your awesome recipes (freezing half of what I make), we’ve also been putting up peaches, corn, green beans, applesauce, and spaghetti sauce. Have run out of freezer space, so hoping to get creative with shelf-stable storage. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy to know I’m preparing wholesome foods for my family for the winter months!
jenn foy says
we just moved to oregon and have a FABULOUS produce stand across the street. since we’re in the land of berries (score!), our freezer is full of blueberries and blackberries….literally, full. i also was inspired a few weeks ago and canned some (a lot) of tomato sauce and peaches. i wouldn’t have done it without your step by step tutorial!
Christina Frei says
What a blessing to have so much produce from friends! The cheapest I have found organic sweet corn around here is$0.99 an ear..not ver economical! Such a relief to get all that in the freezer, I bet!
Shelley says
Starting with baby steps here…got some fresh peaches and strawberries in the freezer for winter smoothies. Planning to stock up on produce at the farmers market to freeze too! :)
Sharmista says
We got peaches and raspberries put up this year in the freezer. I also did a boatload of lactofermented pickles from my mother in law’s prolific cucumber garden!
Cara C says
Found cantaloupe for $.55 a piece! Putting a bunch in the freezer…cantaloupe smoothies anyone?
Jean says
I get together with a friend to put up food for the freezer and pantry. This year I canned 9 pints of tomato sauce by myself. Then my friend and I went to a wholesale produce auction and bought and canned 10 quarts of whole tomatoes each. We also froze 8 lbs. of green beans, 3 lbs. of green peppers, 1 lb. of red and purple peppers, 6 bags of grated zucchini and 6 lbs. of chopped onions each. We had fun and put away good, healthy food for our families. And yes, it made me smile! :o)
Susan Alexander says
Not as much as I’d like… We just moved and I’m SO not used to my new freezer. It’s tiny and hard to organize. :( I keep debating buying a deep freeze, but I’d need to figure out where to put it. Better do it soon if I’m going to…
Elizabeth Ginter says
Summer Squash thanks to our very generous neighbor!!
judy says
Our garden was wonderful to us this year. Yeah
Stacy says
We already froze about 30 bags of blueberries and have canned way too many tomato products (salsa, pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, tomato juice) and still have more tomatoes in our garden. Oy!
Alyssa says
We froze and made jam out of strawberries that we picked in the spring (about 90 lbs), but the rest of garden has suffered miserably through this drought and water rationing…I think I’ve gotten a 1/4 of a quart bag of green beans…hoping the fall crop pulls through…
Alisha says
I love my two freezers! I have one for meat and one for produce! This weekend I worked on freezing applesauce and tomato soup! Next year I am tackling canning in order to make room for more frozen fruit!
Melinda says
We have been using our yummy veggies to freeze some watermelon salsa and regular salsa as well as pizza sauce in ice cube trays for easy defrost and enjoyment come winter! We also have lots of gallon bags of blueberries for smoothies this fall and winter!
Tina says
Love the fresh veggies of summertime
Georgette says
I would love to do that. Need to get better at gardening!!
Shannon says
I love having fresh fruit and veggies to put up! We have done green beans and corn for several years. We did the green beans the same way you did, by blanching them first, but I’m really not sure why we do that. Do you know? I feel kinda dumb saying this, because there’s probably a very sensible reason, but I don’t understand why you can’t just wash it and freeze it. Ya know? :-)
Laura says
Blanching them stops the aging process, so they don’t get tough, then cooling them right away after blanching stops the cooking process. Does that make any sense?? :)
Mandi says
I really know very little about preserving, but trying to teach two little boys (and learn for myself) how to be hard workers, I’m thinking this would be a great thing to add to the list.
Christa says
We have some funky Cheroke tomatoes that grow in sort of a rainbow color.
Jennifer C. says
I’m canning tomatoes for the first time this year. Yum!
Patti says
I’ve frozen fruits and veggies for several years, but this year I finally got a pressure canner. I have already canned Italian green beans, peaches, potatoes, peach butter, bread-n-butter pickles, applesauce and stewed tomatoes. Plus, I’ve frozen more green beans, corn, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and peaches. We have some great farmer’s markets and produce stands near us and we have been blessed with the money to get what we have so far. Hoping to still put up dill pickles, carrots, lots more tomatoes and apples.
Valerie Ringuette says
Okay! I canned my tomatoes (using Laura’s tomato sauce recipe) my FIRST time canning EVER! Then I got 5 dozen ears of corn at the farmers market and froze them. THEN I did the same with beans. I feel sooooa accomplished.