I grew up on a farm.  We began canning when the strawberries were ripe and didn’t end until all the cucumbers and corn were harvested.  My job in the canning process was to wash the jars–I was the smallest and my tiny hands fit inside the small mouth jars perfectly.

In my effort to eat more whole foods–I am going back to my humble beginnings on the farm.  I will always be a farm girl in my heart!

Today I was able to can 5 pints at a time–I roasted peppers in the oven, made a spicy red dip, and homemade ketchup with a ton of different tomatoes–mostly organic from the CSA, the local farmers market, my own organic garden and a few from a neighbor at the cabin (probably not organic).

I’m not sure how much money I have saved but my house has been filled with the smells of roasted peppers, tomatoes, garlic and basil–my yield was a mere 15 pints–of love!

I would love to can applesauce but finding organic apples might prove to be cost prohibitive but I will continue the search.

I used a simple water bath method.  It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.

My next step is to get a pressure cooker . . . like my Mom had . . .