With the freezing of three quarts of melted apple butter, I officially (REALLY officially officially, not just kidding officially) declare the end of Canning Season 2011.
And now for the traditional list. And photos.
Frozen
8 quarts corn
8 quarts maquechoux
8 quarts chard (what's with all the frozen stuff coming in 8-quart quantities this year?)
9 quarts green beans (never mind)
3 quarts melted apple butter
10 quarts German red cabbage with apples
2 gallon bags of pesto cubes
2 gallon bags of bell peppers
Canned
3.5 pints peach jam (MiL)
9 pints strawberry jam (MiL)
9 pints bread and butter pickles (MiL)
8 pints apricot jam (MiL)
3 pints damson plum jam (MiL)
8 quarts mulberry juice
12 quarts chicken stock (from our chickens, but of course)
7.5 quarts sauerkraut
16 pints salsa
7 pints tomato sauce
6 pints green tomato chutney
9.5 pints apple chutney
6 pints dilly beans (dill-pickled green beans)
16 quarts applesauce
30 quarts peaches
22.5 pints pickled jalapenos (that's OBSCENE)
54 quarts pears (DEAR GOD)
And 5 quarts of refrigerator dill pickles, which are not actually canned but just put in the, uh, refrigerator.
That's 274 containers of food stored in the Pit of Despair and the freezer. What's not on that list? Tomatoes. No plain tomatoes. None. SUCK SUCK SUCK. I actually had to BUY a few cans of tomatoes from the store the other day. It was sad, duckies. Very sad.
But still, thanks to the cuh-RAZY fruit this year, the shelves are far from bare. As you can see.
Top shelf: Jams and jellies.
Second shelf: Pickles, chicken stock, pears, and mulberry juice.
Third shelf: Peaches and pears.
Fourth shelf: Why yes, I do believe that's more pears!
Fifth shelf: ENOUGH WITH THE PEARS ALREADY. And sauerkraut.
Top shelf from left: Salsa, applesauce, tomato sauce. And one lonely jar of plain tomatoes left over from last year that I will now guard as the most precious commodity I possess.
Second shelf: Jalapenos, chutneys, and pickled green beans.
Then there are the boxes of potatoes; the numerous squashes hiding on the steps in the Secret Stair; the bags of garlic, onions, and shallots in the first pantry; and the brussels sprouts, kale, chard, parsnips, and leeks still in the garden.
Let the eating season begin!
Edited to add: Per the MiL's reminder in the comments, there are also four gallons of sweet cider in the freezer (or there WERE--probably more like three now) and what will--we hope--be six gallons of hard cider currently fermenting in the dining room. Stay tuned on whether A. manages to create six gallons (SIX! GALLONS!) of alcohol for free. Because that is going to be awesome. If it works. And if it doesn't? Then I'll have six gallons of apple cider vinegar. So there's no losing on this one. Though I think we can all agree that the alcohol would be way more fun than the vinegar.
11 comments:
Wow!! You've all done a great job.
A job well done. You definitely deserve a rest. Sorry about the tomatoes though.
Eating season.....that is good !
You have done well grasshopper.
Beth
Yay, Brussels sprouts!
You forgot the sweet cider in the freezer --
Wow. You put so much effort into this post I'd feel really selfish if I just enjoyed your hard work, at a very early hour I might add, and not take the time to send a comment. I'm truly impressed with your jar organization on the shelves. Doesn't even look like it belongs in the pit of despair. Job well done, both with preserving and stacking!
You are my hero. Seriously.
A couple of things: Can I have the recipe for the dilly beans to save for next year? I think you should try the jalepenos in a bloody mary. It is possible to can stock!?! Why didn't I know this? The salsa will last you a week. =)
Every year during the growing season I thank God I am not you.
Then when you do your seasonal tally, I'm a wee bit jealous.
Even so, I'm lazy and I recognize that about myself, which is why I'll never have a pantry like yours.
But yours sure is purty :-)
Let the apolocolypse commence.
You are prepared.
I don't know how that spelling error happened.
APOCOLYPSE
Sheesh.
Oh my word the pears.
And the jalapenos! WOO! That'll make a lot of chili. And football dip! Do you make this atrocity with plastic cheese (Velveeta), ground beef and salsa? Because it's way good. Even with the plastic cheese in there.
Congrats on another successful year, though BOO on the tomatoes.
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