Bottling Summer 2

Summertime and the living is easy - unless you're canning.
This sunflower was planted by the bluejays amongst our beans.

25lbs of summer fruit and veg came back with me from Wolfville.  Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, plums, tomatoes, corn and beets.  We also contributed almost 4lbs of beans from our own garden.  The next day, I started a ritual as old as harvesting food - trying to preserve it for leaner times.  I pulled back my hair, tied my apron around my waist and cranked the tunes. 

Canning is a hot, sticky business in August.  The stove has water boiling and steaming on it all day, sugars are being converted to syrups, berries are being crushed and the air is thick with vapourised vinegar.  Lots of counter space is taken-up.  Burned fingertips are inevitable.  But hot damn, in the dead of winter, spreading some homemade raspberry jam on you toast is pure heaven.

Oh, there will be Cesar's.

This becomes...

Every canning day has a casualty; usually a jar that fails to seal.  I had one of my jars of peaches do this to me, so sadly we had to eat it at book club with a raspberry shortbread cookie and coconut ice cream (I am not actually sad).  I also had a jar of salsa explode in the canning pot.  There must have been a fault with the jar.  It was loud, and it made me a little weepy seeing 500mL of deliciousness go to waste.  All in all though, a successful venture that almost has me looking forward to the winter.  Almost.

 xoxo

s.