I’m reading through Sharon Astyk’s Independence Days, and she suggests making a plan for food preservation for the year. Since we’re already out of strawberry jelly and tomatoes, I thought it might be a nice time to get together a list of the minimum amounts I’d like to get put away in the coming year.
June
- 2 dozen half-pints strawberry jam
July/August
- 1 dozen half-pints peach jam
- 2 dozen pints canned peaches
- freeze 10 lbs Maine blueberries
- 3 dozen quarts canned tomatoes
- freeze 5 dozen ears of corn
- freeze as many raspberries as possible
September/October
- 3 dozen pints applesauce
- 6 quarts apple pie filling
- 6 pints cranberry-applesauce
- 6 half-pints cider jelly
So that’s a minimum of what I’d like to get preserved this summer, and anything else will be bonus. I have no idea if this is realistic to think I’ll get it done with a baby, but I guess we’ll see.
We’ve still got a long winter to go, and I guess that’s why I’m thinking of this now! Plus when it’s chilly and icy here, it’s nice to think about standing over a pot of boiling water.
Has your pantry run out of anything yet? Do you have goals for the next growing season?
Farmer's Daughter 
I find that freezing is pretty easy with a small baby, but canning not so much. If the little one naps well you’re OK, but my second doesn’t and I couldn’t really work with boiling pots while I held him so I didn’t get much done that first year. It also depends, though, on how much help you can get from others – you seem to have some pretty eager grandmas-to-be, and that might help you reach your goals.
As for my pantry, I am almost finished the second batch of apple cinnamon jelly I made from your recipe. It is SO GOOD!
It’s ambitious, but I have faith in you. Maybe you can invite a girlfriend or two over to help you.
My dandelion honey is long gone, but I am dependant on wild dandelions for that, so I can’t really plan it. Hopefully there will be lots of them this year; depends on the weather and the bees I guess. It’s so delicous, and I would like to be able to give some jars away to a few deserving folks! 🙂
xo
country girl
wild dandelion honey? that sounds really interesting! how do you make that? my entire yard, minus garden space, is a sea of yellow in the summer!
I think you will be surprised what you are able to do with the baby! I had my little girl in May of 2008, and I did more canning that year than last year (mainly because the garden didn’t really like 2 straight months of rain last year). Just put the baby in a moby and go for it 🙂
I freeze most of my stuff. If you want you can easily take your fruit from the freezer and turn it into jam (freezer jam or regular) quickly and easily when you need it. I tend to buy jam and use the fruit in cooking/desserts/pancakes/sauces.
I am out of tomatoes but we haven’t had any decent ones in the last 2yrs, they’ve rotted in the field. I did get 6 L’s last year but that was all. I need to do atleast 2 doz this year.
I recommend canning with your Mother or someone else over. Then you don’t have to shut it off to deal with the baby’s needs.
I ran out of strawberry preserves but have a surplus of peach (from last year.) How long do you keep yours? I have read so many different things not sure which is right. I never can make enough tomato sauce and this year didn’t get any put away. ARGH. My tomatoes didn’t produce until Sept-Oct and then just pittance. (Shady garden) I love canning!
My cold cellar is out of apple pie filling (Hubby broke the last quart this week by accident ). I know next year, I need to can more. I am still good with the blueberry and strawberry jam and I still have frozen strawberries (for Valentine’s Day!). I still have applesauce (but not much).
I agree with the posters above. You will need a little help with the baby, but you can get your canning and freezing done. You seem to have a good handle on things!
I found it much easier to do things with a small baby, than a toddler. Babies nap, and as someone else said, you have some anxious to help grandmas to be. I had such lousy pregnancies, so by the time the baby was born, I was ready to run a marathon. Your list doesn’t look overly ambitious, so you should be fine.
every year i want to can and don’t because i’m scared to. well this year i’m GOING to do it! in particular i want to make jars and jars of salsa because my boyfriend goes through that stuff like nobody’s business.
So ironic! I went through my canning cellar and my deep freezer last night and was horribly disappointed at what was left! I still have 4 jars of jam and 1 can of tomatoes and copious amounts of frozen fruit but that’s about it. A friend here in town and I are talking about having a canning party a few times this summer and blowing through bushels of tomatoes and other time consuming things together. That way, like farmwifetwo said, I won’t have to stop because of the baby.
I think I’m going to steal your plan and use it as my guide for my goals since I tend to get all excited and get my priorities out of order!
I’m getting low on onions and I totally agree with The Mom, a baby was much easier than a toddler. My baby who turned 16 yesterday played with canning rings and slept through her “first” canning season – now she can by herself!
Canning parties are great, like a quilting bee, many hands make short work.
Put an apron on Ed and put him to work. The truth is Ed, canning is like any thing mechanical or technical- You have instructions- follow them. BTW I didn’t see any cider jelly on that list!
duhhh- cider jelly- the last thing on your list! Never mind.