by laura beth

My word, the fruits and veggies we've encountered this Summer and Autumn have been amazing. First of all, my mom plants a mean garden. This year she had strawberries, rhubarb, broccoli, peas, lettuce, green beans, swiss chard, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, beets, carrots, onions, cabbage, pumpkins, and peppers in addition to basil, parsley, cilantro,dill, chives, rosemary, thyme, and mint. We canned green beans, tomatoes, and pickles from the garden. Mom made strawberry freezer jam and hot pepper jelly. We picked plums from a tree across the street and Dad dried them. Mom and Dad picked peaches and pears at a nearby orchard, which we canned. Grandma Rosella let us pick her apples and blackberries. We dried apples, made applesauce, pies, and cobblers. Grandma Willey gave as pears and some friends gave us apricots and grapes which we dried, canned, and made grape juice out of. Right now Mom is making sauerkraut. Kenny helped and really enjoyed learning how to can. I wish I would have taken photos of the fruits and vegetables as they were harvested, and different preserving processes, but I got a few photos of the finished products. It is so rewarding to look at a pantry full of delicious food that you grew, harvested, and canned. And a lot of it was practically free.