Summer bounty...

 I bought a peck of peaches. You know what that means... canning and lots of it.

One dreams of peaches like these.  They are absolutely amazing, juicy and perfectly ripe. 

Do you see my beautiful vegetables?  Carrots that are every color of the rainbow.   Chinese pink celery and potatoes.   I have never successfully grown celery or potatoes, but this year I overcame. 

I spent all Sunday canning.

Do you see the glass of Wizard of Oz wine?  I earned that for sure.  It is made with ruby red grapes. 

Stew Vegetables  - 9 pints

Peach salsa -  2 pints & 4 Jelly jars

Jalapeño Salsa - 3 jelly jars

Honey Spiced Peaches  - 10 pints

Spicy Vanilla Peach Jam - 2 pints & 8 jelly jars

Maple Peach Burbon Jam - 3 jelly jars & 3 sample jars

Wizard of Oz Wine - 2 big bottles & 6 little bottles

I am exhausted, but ecstatic.  If you added it all up it probably costs more than what you would buy in the store.  Still, there is nothing more satisfying than in the middle of winter eating venison pot pie made from canned venison, vegetables from your garden, with freshly made peach cobbler and a glass of homemade wine.  All from one long day in the kitchen. 

I got a little teary eyed while preparing the veggies for the canner, as it brought back childhood memories.   My mom had a huge garden and we spent most of the summer canning tomatoes, beans, and making chokecherry jam. Let's not forget butchering chickens in August.   

I don't preserve the same things, but I am forever thankful that she taught me these skills. I will admit I wasn't the best student,  at the time (I wanted to be riding horses NOT in the kitchen).  Still, I learned and I am glad I did.  Maybe I could just buy some canned peaches for the cobbler and they sell potatoes at the store.  It isn't the same.

Do you do any preserving?  What are your favorite things to can?  Did you learn from your mother?  Do you can the same things she did?