Saving Your Fare for the Winter
Toiling over a garden can be a lot of hard work. Tilling the ground, adding the fertilizer, making the neat little rows of seeds and breaking your back to pick your fair are a lot of work. At harvest time you find yourself with the right tools to harvest your hard work but what about saving it for winter. If the squirrels can stockpile their nuts then why can’t you stash your hard work for some great winter meals?
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Saving Your Fare for the Winter
Here are a few things that are necessary to keep that food safe, fresh and tasty for those long cold months ahead.
Being Prepared
Remember the story of the ant and the cricket? The ant worked hard to make sure there was food for the winter while the cricket had fun. Being prepared for the winter makes living a lot easier and tastier as well. Some of the tools you will need to can for the winter is a boiling water canner and a pressure canner, jars, lids, rings and of course, hard work gathering the things you want to can.
While these items will help you, there are some other things you may want to consider such as recipes, a temperature and pressure guide for canning. Don’t for the most important and final part, family and a few friends to share your delights with.
Stockpiling Your Stash
While it is always great to can 100 jars of your favorite strawberry preserve, it might help out to have a place to put them all. Make sure you have enough room to store all of your canned goods. The way to store your jars is in a cool room that does not get direct sunlight. This will keep the cans under pressure so they hold the seal. Remember, the heating then cooling off is what created the seal in the first place; getting them hot again will only loosen the seal and cause the goods to spoil.
Cover the Whole Winter
Make sure you have enough of each item to be canned. This way you can make it through the winter. A little prior planning can go a long way and can really make the difference in the winter dishes. Imagine having freshly canned green beans in your casserole during the holidays, instead of having to use poor quality ones found in the grocery stores during that time.
Pick and can more of the items you know you and your family will use, after all, they can be used at a later date and it is better to have more than less. The canned goods can also be used to give away as presents or special gifts to those who are dear to your heart.
In the End
Canning fresh fruits and vegetables mean being prepared. Have the right supplies, make sure you have the storage area and have enough to last the winter is the best way to prepared. Canning is a great way to enjoy a little summer sunshine instead of the dark winter blues.
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