A lot of things are different this year. We’re spending more time in our kitchens. Some of us have brought back the tradition of growing our veggies in a backyard garden, or supporting local growers and farmers markets.
Wherever your food adventures have taken you of late, there is no doubt that there’ll be more canning and preserving of vegetables and fruits this autumn than we’ve seen in several years.
For our household, its been years since we’ve ordered an entire case of raspberries for example, but we did it this season. We love mixing them with Saskatoon berries and apple bits for very flavourful pies that our kids and grandkids truly enjoy. It was a bumper crop season for the berries in our area, which means we’ve been able to enjoy plenty of summer fresh berry pies and put some in the freezer for a Thanksgiving or Christmas family treat.
The berry picking experience took me back to our farm on a river valley in Southern Alberta where it was an annual summer tradition. Ice cream buckets in hand, the whole family would pick until the buckets were full. Then, plenty of pie, jam and jelly making followed. I recall the days of work as the pantry and freezers were filled with the fruits of our labour.
Who every imagined that here we’d be, decades later in 2020, and we’re once again sizing up the freezer space, counting jars and lids and trying to decide what else we’ll preserve while the harvest is bountiful. Perhaps brine pickles and beets and canned tomatoes for spaghetti sauce this winter. We have also put up corn on the cob, frozen blueberries and oh, did I mention the freezer jam, lots and lots of strawberry, raspberry and apricot too!
If you’ve been enjoying a return to growing it, canning it, and of course, eating it as fresh as you can get it, remember Nutters Everyday Naturals has the products you’ll need to help you fill your pantry and freezer with lovingly prepared home preserves. Pickling spices, pectin, and all your canning and cooking basics are all there waiting for you along with helpful customer service during this most unusual of years.
Now, what will we do with all this squash??