I stood there looking at my grocery list and back in the produce shelf to decide what vegetable I was going to substitute for the not-on-sale-vegetable I had on my list. As I made my decision and picked up some crisp cabbage, an employee passed by while pushing a cart full of peaches and asked, "Have you tried these peaches? They're delicious!"
"Yes I have, in fact I canned some just last night," was my response. Without saying much besides a smile, she slipped into the back and I continued on with my shopping. A few moments later she reappeared and came directly towards me.
Reaching out for my hand she said, "How old are you?"
"25." I replied.
She continued to shake my hand. "Congratulations. There aren't many 25-year-olds who know how to can these days."
I can tell you that I was pretty blown away by her kindness and her effort to go out of her way and show me that I did something awesome. Later, when I was purchasing my groceries, she happened to be the one ringing me up and told the bagger lady about the amazing 25-year-old-girl-who-knows-how-to-can standing right in front of them.
When the peaches were only $0.25/pound, I couldn't pass up buying a whole bunch for the freezer and jars.
This was my first time doing peaches, but I think they turned out mighty pretty. I lightly followed this recipe. We'll have to wait until the winter to taste them to see if they were truly successful.
This is the wonderful thing about summer. You have the summer's bounty to save for the winter months. I grew up in California and my mom and dad had turned our tiny yard into a Garden of Eden. Seriously though, when I had to buy my first lemon or orange at the store when I moved to college, I couldn't do it. People pay a $1 for these things?
Anyways, since I haven't made the space for a garden/am really scared about my brown thumb, I haven't been able to bask in the satisfaction of fresh home-grown food as a married woman. But, I do know how to get the best deals out of the sale ad and at the farmer's market.
Did you know that you can buy tomatoes at the farmer's market for way less than they advertise? It's called seconds and they are actually pretty coveted, though you usually have to ask if they have them. Tomato seconds are the not so pretty tomatoes that have blemishes or may be a little over or under ripe. But if you're going to blanch and freeze/can them, who cares? Not me. I bought 10 pounds for $10. That's a pretty sweet deal, considering that the same stand sold their regular tomatoes for 3 times that amount.
I did want to actually can the tomatoes, but I ended up just blanching, peeling, chopping, and freezing them.
No, I don't know a lot about canning and preserving food. But I do know how to seek out the information and get the job done. I figure that if my husband is bringing home the main income in our family, I ought to do my best in seeing that it is used in the best way possible. For me right now, that is buying (extra) wholesome food in peek season and on sale and preserving it for later use.
Though food preservation can be tedious and exhausting, above all, it's pretty satisfying to see the fruits of your labors.
Enjoy the rest of your summer, my friends!!
Remember to just be YOU
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