Nature's Pantry

Rachel you are far from a Moron.... you are my go to source here on AR and I've missed seeing you around.

Thanks Avon! Sweet of you to say. :) I am happy to be back and chiming in on the exchange again once in awhile.

You are far from being a moron. That's a lot of salsa! I just bought 24 quart, 12 pints, and 12 jelly jars for canning. I can't wait for my tomatoes, tomatillos, and peppers.

I have alot of roma tomatoes from my garden, and am trying to find out about cold packing them. What do you suggest? Thanks for your input. Sarag

Sara, you might want to blanch them first and remove the skins... Dip in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds or until skins split, then dip in cold water. Slip off skins..It is not totally necassary but the skins will pull away from the tomatoes during processing and you will end up with thin 'spears' of skin . For cold packing you will need to add 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice per pint of tomatoes. If you are canning in quarts, add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. To keep the sweetness of the tomatoes and to cut any acid flavor the lemon juice might add, you can add a bit of sugar to each jar. I normally add 1 tablespoon of sugar to each quart. Feel free to pack the tomatoes as close together as you can in the jar. Just leave an inch of headspace. Cap your jars and screw your bands on tightly. Process in boiling water bath for 90 minutes. The timing is the same for pints and quarts. Because of the long bath time, check your water level often and make sure the water stays at least an inch over the jars. Enjoy!

Mmmmmm. Salsa. Looks delicious!!

I read in a previous blog from last year that your husband hunts grouse and is a taxidermist. My husband is hunting grouse this very moment. I found a few good recipes but don't know what condition these birds will be in when (or if) he brings it/them home. If I have to, I suppose I could process the bird rather than let it go to waste. But I've never done anything remotely close to this. It kind of creeps me out. Can you or your husband provide me with any suggestions or guidelines? Thanks!

Wow all your canned goods look so yummy!!! I have a soft spot in my heart for Rhinelander. That's where my Mom is from. I remember going back to visit my Grandparents for the summer and watching my Grandmother can her goods from the garden. Wish I would have paid attention and learned what she had to teach. It's been 30 ish years since I've been back there but I can still almost smell the paper mill across from the church we would visit. Amyway, had to say "hello" and tell you how wonderful and yummy your canned goods look!!