Canning for the season

Canning for the Season

I brought my canners with me when I moved to Portugal.

I am doing both Boiling Water Bath Canning and Pressure Canning.

While I was living in the US, I learned to preserve fruits, vegetables, soups and stews and meats and mushrooms through canning.

It is part of my collection of sustainability skills, because that is the closest I was able to get to growing up in the country.

I used the Ball Bluebook Canning Guide.

Now, I can look up any combination of ingredients on-line and discover how to can them.

Last year, I canned tomato salsa, peaches, plums, and strawberries.

This year, I have canned Spicey Chicken Soup,  and oranges in honey water.

My current project is cinnamon apple slices and peaches in honey water.

This will be followed by a beef and vegetable soup, also pork-sauerkraut-mushroom, some form of pickling for cabbage, and a fruit combo involving the mango which is part of the fruit and produce box from the grocery store.

Later this season, I will can tomato salsa, but with stronger onions.

There is a particular feeling of abundance when I put up several months of food through canning.

Also, although I enjoy cooking, I do not enjoy doing it every night.

This lets me cook several different meals in advance, and have the convenience of Meals in Jars which I have made myself.

My husband used to chop everything by hand while we were living off-grid.

Back on grid, we use a food processor, excpet for the tomatoes which we prefer chunky.

We stripped corn off the cob with a mandolin, three cobs per pint.

That was futile, since we ate it almost before there was anything left to can.

I enjoy the flexibility of the soups and stews.

I can add a quarter cup of beans, stronger spices, onions, celery, whatever I want for flavor and nutrition.

It is fun to add more variety to my favorites.

I enjoy the seasonal aspect of canning, although in Portugal, there is more year-round produce.

© 2023 Kathryn Hardage