Pick Your Own...then CAN IT!!

This labor day weekend--like last labor day weekend--we went to a farm and picked some fruit and vegetables so we could can them.  Our garden didn't quite yield that 40 lbs. that I was hoping for so this year, on Saturday, we went to Lariland Farms near Frederick, MD and picked tomatoes...

Then, on Monday...with the HUGE help of my mother-in-law-- the kids and I canned them. 

14 quarts.

Not too bad and the tomatoes will be wonderful in the middle of winter.  The nice part is that when you pick over 20 lbs. of tomatoes at this farm-- the price drops to .49 cents a pound.  So, we figure each quart (32 oz) we canned cost .75 cents--which is awesome, but its not why we do it...I love for the kids to be in the kitchen, knowing where their food comes from and how to take care of it.  Plus I love the way the jars looked all lined up, full of summer-time goodness...just waiting to be plucked from the shelf for some cozy winter-time meal.

Then there was the raspberries!! and the peaches!!

Magda picked a pound of raspberries and we bought some peaches too...this was my first year to try pickles.  Grandmom picked up some baby cucumbers and for them: we added fresh dill, pickling spices (like mustard seeds, cloves, black pepper, allspice, mace, bay leaves) and whole cloves of garlic.  I made a brining solution with salt and vinegar and processed them in the canner for about 15 minutes.  I don't know why I thought it was going to be so complicated...it was pretty simple actually.  Will let you know how they turned out.  I love pickles...SO MUCH!!

Happiness is--to me...canning food for my family.