Canning Extravaganza

A few weeks ago I was at one of the local farmers markets and they were selling tomatoes, peaches, and pears by the box, and right then and there I decided that this year I would jump on the canning bandwagon. After purchasing a one box of each I realized that I didn't have any of the other supplies to can, so I headed to the store and away I went with canning jars, lids, pectin, a canning pot for water bath canning, and a lot of sugar. Then reality hit....I was so excited about canning, that I didn't even think of the fact that I have no idea how to can. We had always helped my mom when we were kids, and it seemed fun, but then again I was about 10 and most things seem fun at that age. Thank goodness for "Google"! I googled everything I could ever possibly need to know about canning, and away I went. It was a ton of fun, but a TON OF WORK! After about one week of canning peaches, pears, blackberry jam (we picked the blackberries since they grow like weeds in Washington), salsa, stewed tomatoes, and marinara sauce I was all canned out. I still have some jars so I think I'll give applesauce a whirl soon, but I think that will be the end of the canning extravaganza until next year. In the pictures below you will probably wonder why there's a picture of Sierra, my parents dog. Well it's because that's how she would look at me for hours on end while I was canning. She is the worlds most dedicated begger I have ever seen. By the second day I figured she was getting tired from standing for so long that I brought her bed into the dining room so she could at least take a break and relax while watching to see if anything fell from my hands. She's a funny dog.




There's about 8 jars missing from this picture to make up all our canned goods so far.