Garden, canning, and preparedness...

So my garden didn't quite turn out the way I envisioned it. We got 1/4 of the amount of peaches that we typically get, only a handful of edible tomatoes, carrots, onions, basil, and 4 pumpkins - just in time for Halloween! Thankfully, I have many friends who had an abundance of apples, peaches and tomatoes to keep me busy this fall and to keep my shelves stocked! I've learned how to make and can applesauce, apple butter, and apple pie filling, and how to can tomatoes - an unfounded long time fear of mine. It is rewarding to see my shelves full and to know that we'll enjoy these fruits of our labor all year long.

As for gardening, I am a bit discouraged but I know that it is a long process of trial and error and work all year long. I'm starting now by adding TONS of compost and organic matter to our garden areas - leaves, as they start to fall, will be great additions. Hopefully my soil will be better and with some tweaks to our watering system - we'll have have a grand, productive garden next year (or maybe the year after that). The most important thing is that I'm trying and learning.

In the coming months, I will be posting more about a 1 year plan I intend to impliment in my area - all about becoming prepared. Each month will have specific goals and tasks as well as workshops available to anyone who is interested. I hope this becomes a valuable resource for everyone so be watching!

Peaches

I love peaches and I usually freeze or can mine. My tree will be ready toward the end of September and if you would like to learn how to can or freeze peaches, comment on this post and I'll set up a time to demonstrate it. I also have a friend who has access to grapes and apples and I will be making grape juice, frozen apples, and apple sauce. This is a fun time of year and I would love to know if anyone else has access to large quantities of produce that needs to be preserved. Comment away!