I have a vision. An image in my mind’s eye of how next
winter’s pantry will look. It will glimmer a little with glass and metal. It
will hold much promise. It will provide for my family. I will feel accomplished
and domestic. It will be filled with rows of canning jars twinkling and
inviting with the harvested treasures tucked away for future consumption.
But this dreaming involves a bit of planning, which I
heartily welcome during the late winter months.
First, supplies. I just discovered that our local
agricultural co-op has the most extensive, comprehensive canning section I have
ever seen. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before – but it has jars,
lids, grabbers, pectin, citric acid, etc. Hardware stores can also be a very
good resource for these supplies. (Now is a good time to stock up, before
spring hits and everyone is buying supplies for jams and jellies.)
If you have a nice sized-freezer, freezing is another
super-fast way to keep things. I always have a few boxes of freezer bags in our
house when the growing season is in full, coming-at-you-from-all-sides swing.
{Oh! A side thought on canning to take that overwhelmed edge
off. Start with
small batches. There
is no need to go for three dozen quarts during your first go-round. I am *not*
an all-day canner. I do maybe eight jars at a time – carving out less than an
hour per canning job.}
And, finally, what to plant. Here is my list of some
existing plants I plan to use for preserving and some things I will add to our gardens.
A good pickling cucumber. I make sweet pickles from regular
sized cucumbers that need to stand up to four days of hot brine being poured
over them. I am going to try the ‘Ashley’ variety from Southern Exposure Seed
Exchange.
A good canning tomato. I read somewhere that it is best to
can tomatoes that you would normally enjoy fresh, as well. I am going to try some
of our preferred heirlooms like ‘Brandywine’ and ‘German Johnson’ and ‘Mortgage
Lifter’. You can also core your tomatoes and pop them in the freezer.
Garlic – This was planted this past fall (I buy the variety
‘Music’). I am going to roast some of it like Leni and store the jars in the
fridge.
Okra – I am hoping this is the year for okra in our garden. (Last
year it was the year of deer eating okra in our garden.) I am also hoping to home in on a good pickled
okra recipe, too.
Figs – We planted a ‘Chicago Hardy’ last year. It produced
fruit! So, maybe this year, some fig preserves to go with goat cheese and a
nice crusty ciabatta.
Rhubarb – One of the hits around our house is rhubarb syrup (easily
canned or stored in the fridge) for cocktails (try a Rhubarb Cosmopolitan) and
seltzer spritzers. We have eight-year old rhubarb plants that manage to thrive
on our land - so there’s lots to spare.
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