fall

with the coming of fall, comes canning season! i actually really like to can. i love knowing that i've put up produce for my family to eat at a later date. i love the way it makes the house smell. i love the bonding moments it produces.

i have a tendency to not let the kids help me in the kitchen. the kitchen is my domain, and i really don't like the extra work that comes with letting my kids "help." however, i've discovered (i should have already known this...) that when you are canning, "many hands make light work." having one of the older kids help me, makes things go twice as fast (imagine that)!

this year, i wasn't able to get the peaches canned before they went bad. i got them on a monday, and ended up working tuesday, wednesday, and thursday. by friday, they were beyond saving, so i made jam, dried them, and fruit leather.

then, we had an early freeze (like a month an a half early), and all my plums fell off and weren't usable. and all the red apples fell off and were bruised and mushy. wouldn't you know, though, that my apple tree is a granny smith, and they need the freeze to fully ripen! how i love me a tart granny smith! however, they make tart applesauce too.
i was able to find enough red apples (by searching all the dropped ones from ours, and a friends), to make 2 batches. then i broke down and bought some from broulims. they had them on sale for $1 a lb.

however, i don't have a victoria strainer, and didn't really want to spend hours slaving over my stove. so, i found a crockpot recipe online! it turns out fabulous! i was able to get 11.5 quarts out of 5 batches.
and, i even let the kids help me! i had them go get the granny's for me, and what they could find of the reds around the corner. i let elizabeth and taylor dice while i peeled and cored (this recipe was great for my granny's cause they didn't get sprayed this spring, and they are super wormy).

i'm working on letting them help. they want to desperately to, but it's hard for this mama to give up her control in her domain.