Adventures in Home Economics

Recognizing that Stacy just posted a beautiful recap of her putting food by for the winter, I thought I would share my novice input on the canning subject.

For those of us who have a yearning and passion to create our own jams, pickles, sauces and relishes, and have spent lots of time at their previous places of employment reading blogs such as Food in Jars or Tigress in a Jam, working on a farm is tremendously exciting. Indeed, I have been looking forward to this kitchen time all season. And although there were many mishaps (think burning fruit and/or flesh), I have learned that however runny, clumpy, cloudy or discolored, people will still eat and love anything you put in a jar. Therefore I hope to transmit the message that canning can sometimes be as complicated as it looks, and despite all the reading and research that one does to prepare, nightmares can still ensue.

Here are some of my tips for you to avoid any similar disappointments:

1. Live and work and Broadturn Farm, where you can borrow all the necessary equipment and encouragement.

2. Stay sober. Save that self-congratulatory white-wine spritzer for when the jars are popping.

3. Call your grandmother/mother for moral support.

4. Hustle someone into buying you beautiful, bpa-free, stackable jars, so your pantry can look like this:



via

5. Work alone. Of course, gather the ladies and gents to help pick, sort and hull, but save the fire for your lonesome.

6. Stir, baby, stir.

6a. Wear an apron- especially when blending hot liquids.

7. Look to Doris and Jilly for help.


Finally, since I am a fan of puns and veggies, I will leave you with a poem that I was asked to share, and coincidentally includes much of what you will be picking up this week in your shares!

Do you Carrot All for Me? – Anonymous

Do you carrot all for me?
My heart beets for you,
With your turnip nose
And your radish face,
You are a peach.
If we cantaloupe,
Lettuce marry;
Weed make a swell pear.

The Harvest List

Lettuce
Tomatoes
Summer Squash and Zucchini
Cucumbers
Melons
Potatoes
Chard
Peppers
Carrots
Beets
Basil
Beans

Your 2010 Intern,
Samantha



images from Google Life Archives