A Productive Summer

It's been a busy summer. I didn't do a lot of canning last year, and this year I suspect I've made up for that, even though I'm not finished yet.

So far this year: sweet pickled cherries, sour pickled cauliflower, sour cherry-peach marmalade, black cherry-whiskey jam, sweet cherry-jalapeno chutney, peach salsa, pumpkin pickles, plum jam, white currant jam, dilly wax beans, crabapple jelly.

On the way: beach plum gin, cherry bounce, juniper berry sauerkraut.

Lots of knitting, too. I've made simple shawls for DH's aunts, am finished a February Lady Sweater for my MiL, a cotton scarf for my sister, hats for one of my MI nephews and for a local friend. Still need to make a hat for a new BiL, and maybe a couple of small things for other people.

Here's some good news: if your batch of jam or jelly doesn't set, don't re-make it with commercial pectin (that involves quite a lot of extra sugar). I made my sour cherry-peach jam into marmalade with the addition of lots of lemons, and my black cherry-whiskey jam set beautifully when I added the pulp left over from making crabapple jelly. No extra sugar or off texture.

We haven't gone apple picking yet, though I found some lovely Macoun and RI Greening apples at the farmers market today, as well as some zucchini, so that I can make spicy zucchini pickles.

When we do go apple picking I'll make applesauce and apple marmalade. I also want to make cranberry catsup again--we went through that fast last year.

Apple Season: Next

We haven't gone apple picking yet, but it's on the horizon: this coming Saturday, so long as the weather cooperates.

Unlike other years, though, I've already begun to can/preserve/pickle with a will. It started this summer.

Here's the "so far" listing:




spicy tomato-peach salsa
sweet pickled cherries
pickled crab apples
pickled hot zucchini
hot zucchini relish
hot pickled carrots
carrot cake jam
candied cherries
cherry lemon marmalade


I have about two pounds of crab apples waiting to become jelly, and if by some miracle I find more cherries, I'll candy those. (I also need to candy lots of lemon, orange, and grapefruit peel).

After we go apple picking I expect to make apple marmalade, apple pickles, cinnamon flavored apple jelly, apple salsa, and maybe pie filling (if I find good cooking apples), and applesauce. At least!

Then I want to make cranberry marmalade, cranberry catsup, green tomato or cranberry mincemeat, lavender jelly, and various other herbal jellies.

We're already running out of structured storage space in the cellar--we don't have a proper pantry down there--but that won't stop me.

I think I'm obsessed. But it's a useful obsession; its fruits (pun intended) will provide presents and good things for our own table. I've already promised my husband he'll have a carrot cake with carrot cake jam and cream cheese frosting for his birthday.