It's time to begin the canning process

This summer has been the coolest and most definitely the wettest summer on record where I live. I'm so happy that the cooler temperatures and lack of an abundance of sunshine hasn't been a detriment to my garden. My garden has grown better than any other year previously.

I've been very busy the past week so I thought I'd post a few photos of some of things that have been keeping me out of mischief. The beans and peas are in full harvest time so I've been canning beans and peas (a few jars shown below). Also, the Ontario Peach crop appears to be very good this year as well so I bought several baskets of fresh peaches and have been canning them for pies and pastries. I have some more to make fresh peach preserves and will make and can that this weekend.

The raspberries are especially delicious this year and I had to make my favorite Raspberry jam to have on hand too.

I can hardly keep up with the green beans. Most I'm just canning plain. But see the jar of beans to the far right with herbs and seeds in the jar? Those are Dilly Beans and are in a garlic/herb marinade (I suppose you could say they are pickling) and will be eaten cold on a relish tray.

I think peas are 'cute'. Don't laugh! I do! I like the jacket and the way you pop them open and sweet peas are inside. They are now starting to really produce on the vine so I've just started picking them.

My broccoli did well this year. It has all been harvested and I blanched and froze it.

Next will be tomatoes. My tomato plants are HUGE! And they are now really starting to produce in full force. I want to can salsa and tomato sauce and plain tomatoes for the winter as well as eat as many as I can fresh off the vine. I love just standing in the garden eating warm tomatoes fresh off the vine.

This afternoon I'm going to do some papercrafting and one of the things on my list to do is to make labels for all of my canned produce.

I hope you are having a great summer.

Cheers!