There is nothing quite like the feel of autumn setting in. If you lean, just right, into that fresh crisp air you feel like you might lift off the ground and take flight.
Here at Noisy Cottage, we returned to canning for the first time in over 5 years. Not having our farm anymore is hurting pretty badly so we are faking it here though I don't think I could pass sheep or goats off as dogs-- the neighbors would know. But we are looking for land, just a plot at least 1 1/2 acres where we can return to the land we love and grow and raise and run.
But, back to the canning- Since we don't have the room to grow it all ourselves, we purchased cases of vegetables from The Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island- beets, tomatoes, green beans and pickling cucumbers and then a quick run over to Vancouver's Firestone Farms found us with 4 cases of Veteran Peaches for $30 (buy 1 get 1 free).
So we began to can. I don't think I remembered how much work it actually was. We always go for the grade B fruit since the grade A is so much more money but the work in picking through and washing and cutting out the worms or bruises is very consuming.
When all was said and done, we managed in to put up:
30 qts if peaches
10 qts of tomatoes
6 qts and 12 pints of pickles
11 pints of spicy string beans
2 dozen pints of peach butter, peach jam and blackberry jam (combined)
It is so deeply satisfying.
