Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Canning and Freezing Notes for 2011

I was just taking a look at what I have left on my canning shelves today. Plus, I'm really thinking about warm weather! So, here are some mental notes (now written) that I was making for myself as I think about canning and freezing this year.
image found here

1. Don't bother making cherry applesauce. Not a big hit at all. Stick with regular applesauce and make lots of it!


2. Can and freeze more tomatoes!!!! I always end up using them up quite quickly.


3. Can spaghetti sauce and and salsa this year. Every year I want to do this. And, every year for some reason I don't. We use a lot of these items in our house, and it's a great way to use the abundance of tomatoes we usually get in the garden.


4. Plant and freeze green beans. Last year I didn't plant any in my garden because my parents always do and usually have an abundance that they can share. Last year their green beans didn't do well at all and we ended up using store-bought green beans most of the winter. It could be a bumper crop this year, but to be on the safe side, we should plant some too.


5. Experiment this year with growing and freezing some dark, leafy greens like spinach and kale.


6. Experiment this year with freezing herbs.


7. We can never have too much frozen sweet corn. Be sure to freeze plenty.


8. This is the year to can pears again. We've used up the last from previous years. Note: Spiced Pears are not a huge hit. Can them plain.


9. We still have canned cherries to use. If I can any cherries this year, experiment with canning them as pie filling.


10. Homegrown peas and limas this year? Consider this option.


11. Can grape juice and grape jelly this year. We've completely used up what we had. And, the boys love grape juice!



So, do you have any garden plans this year? What types of things do you grow? Can? Freeze? Are you trying anything new this year?

7 comments:

  1. I am impressed! Wow, I have always thought canning would be a great way to make that yummy fresh produce last longer, but we have never had a big enough bounty to can. Maybe some day.

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  2. Wow, now you've got me all excited for gardening (not that it takes much, I'm a bit of a garden-aholic!). It sounds like you've got quite the garden and orchard! I'd love to have apples, cherries and pears in our yard!

    Our regulars for canning/freezing/storing are corn, beans, tomatoes, strawberries, dill pickles and potatoes. We're hoping to add asparagus to the garden this year. Do you know if that freezes well?

    Happy gardening and harvesting to you and your family!

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  3. Come visit me this summer. We are gonna be super busy here doing the same thing. But cherry applesauce, no, we won't do that :)

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  4. Great list. I highly recommend canning tomato sauce. Every year I have to can more and more because we use it so much and love it. We're hoping to be able to plan our garden next week- I can't wait! I'm ready for spring!

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  5. Thank you for sharing, it has my juices going. My problem last year was my tomatoes didn't produce and buying them was soooooooooooo high that I think my sauce cost me over $6.00 per jar, so I promised I wouldn't do that again.

    Oh...you will love the laugh on my post today...since we are both trying to loose weight, which you have!!!

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  6. You have to show me how to do all this.
    We have problems growing things because of the deer that come in our yard.
    I would love to have stored salsa and sauce.
    HELP!

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  7. How did I miss this post! I love canning and freezing. It's my passion in the summer.

    Every year I freeze tons of rhubarb. I'm addicted to the stuff. I eat it stewed, in pies, in muffins. So good. Also very easy to grow. I also freeze tomatoes for soup. So tasty.

    We freeze applesauce as we go through it so quickly I have to make tons of of it constantly. This allows me to keep reusing the same containers without having to buy new inserts constantly.

    If you've got an abundance of cherries may I suggest cherry jam. We devoured ours last year and didn't have any left for the winter. This year I have to make a ton.

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