{"id":790,"date":"2009-08-13T11:33:00","date_gmt":"2009-08-13T11:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/homegardenjoy.com\/site\/2009\/08\/saving-the-harvest.html"},"modified":"2026-01-28T15:23:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T20:23:18","slug":"saving-the-harvest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homegardenjoy.com\/site\/2009\/08\/saving-the-harvest.html","title":{"rendered":"Saving the Harvest"},"content":{"rendered":"

I wimped out on using John’s grandmother’s canning equipment yet again yesterday. Sigh. I don’t know why I’m so intimidated by a big old pot, a bucketful of beets, and Mason jars.<\/p>\n

Maybe it’s the instructions. I read my Ball Canning Cookbook over and over again. It’s as if the warnings against not boiling the jars long enough are highlighted in screaming neon letters. “BOIL AT LEAST 30 MINUTES TO PREVENT SPOILAGE.” And then lots of warnings about spoilage and signs thereof (but no first aid hints).<\/p>\n

Spoilage? I picture the three of us dying from botulism. In the emergency room with food poisoning. That’s what keeps me from starting this darned project.<\/p>\n

My sisters have made jelly, relish and lovely preserves. They’ve sent them to me for Christmas. I’ve seen Mary’s jars of relish in her basement. They didn’t harm anyone with food.<\/p>\n

I’m willing to start my project and have it be a failure. Oh no, it’s not my sneaky perfectionism creeping into the task. It’s fear, pure and simple.<\/p>\n

Maybe I was scarred by the time when I was small and my grandmother put green peas into the pressure cooker. That story was told and retold over and over again. My dad, up on a ladder, scraping peas off the ceiling. Repainting.<\/p>\n

I’m scared of pressure cookers, too.<\/p>\n

So the freezer is now my best friend. I’ve learned this season how to blanch vegetables. I’ve never done that before. This former city gal had maybe one bag of pepper slices left at the end of the summer back when I gardened on Long Island. Not like now!<\/p>\n

So far, here’s what I’ve blanched and frozen from the garden. All of the weights and measures are approximate. Next year, John wants to put a small scale in the kitchen and take accurate records, which sounds like fun to me – I’d love to really understand the yield we are getting from the garden. All produce is organic, and the list below doesn’t include what we’ve eaten. It’s just what I’ve frozen.<\/p>\n