Good and Plenty

The tomatoes - including the sungold cherry tomatoes - have slowed down quite a bit.  But I still have enough to eat daily.  I love them sliced and paired with fresh mozzarella cheese, splashed with balsamic vinegar and a fine olive oil, then sprinkled with fresh basil, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

Okra and green beans have been appearing regularly on our dinner table.  The butternut squash has been delicious fried, mashed, and incorporated into a potato-based soup.

Our garden is big enough to feed our family during the season.  What a bonus when there's more than enough for supper!  That's the time to put some away for tomorrow.  Some things I like to freeze, but I have limited freezer space.  This year, I decided to do more canning.

I've been making fruit jams and preserves for many years, and I made a few jars of okra pickles last year.  They were so delicious, I decided to attempt more pickles this year.  Both fruit preserves and pickles may be processed in a hot water bath, so no need to play with a pressure cooker.  Tomatoes may also be processed in a hot water bath.  I didn't have enough tomatoes to can, but Andrew bought two boxes of tomatoes from his favorite local farmer in Asheville.  Andrew processed the contents of one box for the freezer.  I canned the contents of the other box.  Tomato juice was the unexpected bonus out of that project!  Here's what's on the shelf to date:

Pickles

• Sweet Pickle Relish     11.5     pints
• Fiesta Salsa                   9        pints
• Okra Pickles                 3        pints
• Beet Pickles                  4        pints
• Dilled Green Bean         4        pints

Jams and Preserves

• Fig Jam                                16       half-pint jars
• Fig Chutney                          15      half-pint jars
• F.R.O.G. Jam                      10       half-pint jars
• Blackberry Jam                    13       half-pint jars
• Wineberry Jam                     18       half-pint jars
• Strawberry Jam                    14       half-pint jars
• Jalapeño Jelly                          6      half-pint jars
• Hot Pepper Jelly                     6       half-pint jars

Other Veggies

• Tomatoes                                7     quarts
• Tomato Juice                          2.5   quarts

Those jars look so pretty on the shelf!