I don't know where you are located, but Alaska is beautiful all year, not just at certain times. One of my favorite times is March when snow is deep and the days are long and the temperatures are "moderate".
I'm sure it is but I like warm weather but we use to like to visit the mountains now and then espeically when it snowed and ice crystals on all the tress,winter wonderland,but not so much now. We are from the south and now live in Flroida. We don't aclimate like we use to.
We always preserve food. It has been our habit for the 45 years we have been married, and my wife and I both came from families who gardened and preserved. Not everything is canned; we also dry some foods, freeze some foods, and cold-cellar some foods.
Good for yall that is great. We have a dryer we bought 10 yr ago Excaliber but we haven't used it but a couple times. we can or freeze most of ours. Or seal it and store what we can.
We did our first canning of the season today: 7 pints of sweet hot dill pickles and 7 pints of mustard greens with bacon and ham hocks. Things are just beginning, but it is good to finally get things harvested. We did make some nectarine jam earlier, but that doesn't count as we purchased the nectarines.
I use to can everything from A-Z. I also made lots of freezer corn. My pantry was always full of can goods. I think homemade can goods not only are very delicious, but look beautiful on the shelves. I don't do much canning anymore.
. I agree! I haven't canned in years. I am lucky we have several canneries around the area that process locally grown produce (some organic), so it is about as good as home canning. Cans aren't as attractive for display. that is for sure. I keep my canned goods in a dark dry pantry, so it doesn't make too much difference. I think some produce tastes better canned in jars. I admire all of you of advanced years that still grow produce and can it. The process from seed to jar is a lot of work.
Years ago we used to preserve fruit in alcohol--brandy or vodka---and display it on the kitchen counter. It was very pleasing to the eye as well as the palate. It was also the way early jams and preserves were made before sugar became readily available. I learned to make "plum wine" in Japan, where they took the thinnings from the plum trees and layered them in a crock or jar with sugar between the layers. Alcohol was then poured over the fruit and ages for 6 weeks or more. The sweetened alcohol was then poured off and diluted to the desired strength. It was a good way to use the fruit that would otherwise be discarded or fed to pigs.
Some books I have on preserving have way to much gobbledygook in them ( I was given them) I wouldn’t have payed $40 for them. I can post a recipe for pickled veg mix / cucumbers or zucchini’s / carrot / capsicum/ onion mix that will keep in-the cupboard forever…I love it on a biscuit with cheese ….but hubby not so much so I don’t bother making it , I don’t make it my friend makes it and gives it to me .. @Yvonne Smith Most books stress cleanliness when dealing with food for preserving or drying …but I’m sure all of us that are interested in preserving food are far cleaner in our preparation than the factory’s who do mass production . The area I lived in prior to meeting hubby in 1986 was / is a huge soft fruit growing area and it had a huge cannery and juice factory that processed the fruit , I worked seasonally in the cannery so what you see being canned turns your stomach , cans are known to explode toppling the heaps of cans stacked on pallets. The processing plants have closed long ago ..now we eat ( not us ) canned fruit from who knows where …not Australia
When you get time, I'd like to see a long-term pickle recipe for cukes and onions, Kate. I'm in no rush but should come by some in another couple of weeks (July 16, to be exact.) If nothing else, I can dehydrate them. But I really like cukes and onions together in a vinegar, and I don't can.
A friend tried raising and selling edible flowers to fancy restaurants around here. Unfortunately only one was interested and didn't make her any money. But a heads up to I wonder if dried cukes will work. Can't imagine they'd be crispy, rehydrated. But refrigerator pickles are yummy.