Canning Summer's Bounty

I love this time of year, I know I have said it before , but I really really do! I love growing our own food and preserving it , so we have that fresh taste in the middle of winter.I think canning your own food was a dying art, but it seems it is slowly making a come back! I see more and more folks doing it, and more and more canning items for sell in the stores! There is no comparison  between what we put up, to what we buy at the store!

I always make home made vegetable soup in the fall and winter, hands down it is a favorite of my entire family. It has a little kick to it and it really is good , I learned it from my mother, and made a few changes to make it my own, but on a cold winters day it hits the spot! This year my goal, is to make it with all my own stuff, to use what I have grown or canned myself to make the soup and can it for winter! I want to use our own herbs, and tomatoes and all the veggies, I cannot imagine how much better it will be!It is so convenient too, just pop open a can on a cold snowy day, and it taste like you cooked all day!This is one of those go to meals like I talked about in a previous blog.."Convenience or not?" No need to run out to the store or out to eat, its right there on the shelf! It is so much better for you too, all natural ingredients! 

                                              This past weekend we put up  strawberries, we made strawberry jam,strawberry syrup and strawberry pie filling! To be honest , I am a little tired of seeing strawberries! But , to break out a jar  of my pie filling in November or December , and make a fresh pie.. it will taste like spring!Do you do your own canning? Have you ever wanted to give it a try? Believe me when I tell you I promise it is worth it , and not hard like you might think! You may be surprised at how much better it taste!