GroshLink

Harvest has taken on a new meaning for me this year. This is the time of year for gathering the bounty from what was sown in faith this past spring. Our tiny garden continues to yield, from a second crop of lettuce planted in late July and from the carrots planted in the spring. Our 8 tomato plants (4 plum, 4 Big Boy) keeping pumping out tomatoes and even our zucchini and cucumber plants surprise me now and then with another round.  And the squash vines continue to snake across the yard.

The tomatoes have kept me the busiest. About once a week I cook up a batch of spaghetti sauce. I've now canned about 12 qts with more to go in the refrigerator and more tomatoes ripening each day. Today (9/21) I'm making applesauce -- just 1/2 bushel for this round. The apples are cooking while I type. I've also made jams, pickles, and red beets. I find it very rewarding to put to good use the fruit of the land. But I couldn't do it without my SauceMaster. If you'd like to can sauces, you must get one of these beauties.  It's a hunk of change, so if you find one at a yard sale or Goodwill (as I and my mom have) don't think twice about buying it.

For tomato sauce you don't need to cook or peel or seed your tomatoes first.  Just cut them in 1/2 or 1/4s and throw them in the hopper, turn the handle and voila!  For apples, you need to quarter them, cook them until soft and then throw them in the hopper.  No need to peel or seed.  I also make vegetable juice this past week and to the tomato base I added various veggies which I cooked in water until soft and then threw in the hopper.  I canned 5pts. of that.  Haven't tasted it yet, as I don't like vegetable juice!

I even gathered nuts the other day.  And then I learned that grubs live in nuts.  Nothing like seeing a mealy white grub scrunch his way across your kitchen counter.  Yech!

Well, my apples are cooked. Time to sauce! Pray that Eden takes a long nap today!