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September 2, 2007 at 6:38 pm
Well, I hate to admit this but our garden has suffered from all our activities this summer. It is something like a small jungle now, which the goats find quite enjoyable. In fact we’ve staked our goats out in the lower part of the garden to help keep down the weeds. Goats are not grazers like sheep, but are browsers like deer.
Despite this neglect, the garden has produced a variety of vegetables. So far we’ve had lettuce, basil, onions, and green beans. My very favorite has been the beefsteak tomatoes.
This week is canning week. I will harvest most of the plum tomatoes from the garden and can or freeze them. Canning is a lost art. However, people who want organic food for their family might take a second look at canning. Food is canned with heat (and sometimes pressure) in glass jars. The jars and rings are reusable. The canner needs only to replace the lids every year.
It seems to me that this is an easy way to stretch our food budget and know exactly what our family is eating. If I buy a bushel of corn and can or freeze it, I can decide exactly what I want in the cans. I don’t have to add preservatives, sugar, or any of the other things manufacturers add.
I’ll do more on canning later this week. But for now it’s harvest time. Are you harvesting anything? Are you doing any canning? What’s your favorite canned item?
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When I lived at Trillium Farm (http://www.deepwild.org) in the mountains of Oregon, we canned beans. It was a lot of fun, but I forget how to do it now. I’m looking forward to your upcoming post on canning to help jog my memory! Great for harvest time, indeed.
Jill
Comment by Jill — September 5, 2007 @ 2:31 pm
Yum, yes beans. I love home canned beans, they taste better than the ones I can buy in the store. People usually can them in a hot bath but you really need to use a pressure canner for safety. And it takes less time. Another favorite of mine is dilled beans, they are a nice alternative to a pickle.
Comment by Deb — September 5, 2007 @ 8:02 pm
I canned several canners of tomatoes from our garden already and will probably have some more to can in the coming days. I grew a new variety this year called Costeluto Genovese (so much fun to say in my fractured Italian). It is a great all-purpose tomato that has proven to be disease resistant and extremely hearty. We have had a steady supply of tomatoes since the middle of July with more blossoms appearing on the plants.
In the coming weeks I will be canning homemade raspberry applesauce with local produce. I plan to use two bushels of apples this year since my family can’t get enough of the stuff.
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