This was the first year since I first began growing tomatoes (about 30 years ago) that I had to buy tomatoes for canning.This definitely cramped my style, because there's something about growing your own fruits and vegetables and putting them up for the winter. There's such a nice feeling of accomplishment and of having food on hand when the winter months arrive. Canning is my September ritual.
The rains of June and July, which I've fussed about many times on this blog, ruined my hopes for a good crop of tomatoes this year, though. I picked, at most, a grand total of...oh...six tomatoes from my own tomato plants. Six tomatoes do not a bountiful harvest make. Six tomatoes from the twenty-four tomato plants which I put into the ground in early June.
So. I decided I needed to buy a bushel of canning tomatoes, and that's what I did last weekend. Luckily there were some successful local gardens, although many had the same lousy outcome as mine.
But at least I now have plenty of canned tomatoes on hand for the soups and stews that I make once there's a chill in the air.
Loved the header photo. So bright today in the miserable rain! Gosh, I do remember Mom canning for many years...and how great the vegetables tasted later in the year. I am glad you got to do some canning though and won't the results be great later on!
ReplyDeleteI love your header photo, too and am envious of your canning. What a good feeling that must be!
ReplyDeletelooks delicious, I can almost smell the stews and soups simmering. Lots of work though...
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