It's that time of year, the time when my garden amazes and overwhelms me with the amout it produces!
ITS CANNING TIME!
We kicked the season of canning/freezing off with a load of broccoli!
We've gotten a few head here and there before this, and there is still some out there, but this was the major picking! Broccoli is a bit easier than other veggies cause you just freeze it and it only takes a few mins to blanch. This picking resulted in 11 quart freezer bags full! Gus took some pictures of me doing the blanching :)
Now onto the cucumbers! they've been producing like mad!! This is where i start to feel like my kitchen turns into a processing plant, i get out all the big bowls and canning gear (well not the pressure canner, just the water bather for pickles) call up grandma to wach the kids, and go to town on veggies for the day!
this is the first time i've ever canned on an electric stove, and this one's right out of the 50's! I much prefer gas over electric for all cooking purposes.
The results of a days work :) 4 quarts of refrigerator, 7 quarts dill, and 3 1/2 (plus a little extra) dill relish. There is still cucumbers growing in the garden so i think with the next picking i'm going to experiment with freezing them. I found a recipe that says if you freeze them in a brine they retain their texture. we'll have to see if thats true. Next up in the processing plant business will eather be tomatoes or carrots, depending on how fast the tomatoes ripen, its been slow, but is picking up with the hot weather this week. i'm hoping to get as much as i can done before our baby decides to come! :)
