Our Backyard Homestead

8 Gallons of Jam

My mom and I spent the day using up the remainder of the 140 pounds of peaches we picked last Saturday.  She was only going to stay a few hours and we were only going to make two batches of jam, one for me and one for her.  But the peaches wouldn't end and we couldn't let them go to waste.  At many points The Tornado's desire to play "peach smash" with them was sounding like a better option especially after the 300th worm cut out!  We began shortly before 1 pm and my mom literally cut peaches until 8:30 tonight!  I did let her have a short break for dinner.  While she cut peaches, I did the jam making.  We sure accomplished a lot, but the peaches continue to be the gift that keeps on giving.  Me with a sticky kitchen to clean up and her with a batch of half made mango/peach chutney and a peach pie to mix up tomorrow.  Fortunately for her sake, the hardest part is done in the cutting of the peaches.

After she left, I had to figure out just how much jam I have made this summer.  I was quite shocked to discover that the grand total is just over 8 gallons or 43 pints!!  And pears haven't even ripened yet.  The tree that towers over my garden just on the other side of the neighbors fence is a pear that is brimming full of fruit this year!  With what is on the branches on our side of the fence, I do believe there will be enough to get at least one batch of pear butter.  I am going to need a few days to recover from the 140 pounds of peaches before I can think about pears.

Of the peach jams, our favorite by far was Grand Champion Peach Jam.  It was a bit labor intensive, but definitely worth the effort!!  I have now made four batches of it.

The jam run down:

• 3 batches of Four Berry Jam
• 1 batch of Blackberry with Honey
• 1 batch of Blackberry Jam
• 4 batches Grand Champion Peach Jam
• 1 batch Peach Jam
• 1 batch of Rhubarb Strawberry Jam
• 3 batches of Mango Peach Chutney

Save Money on Groceries

I know it might sound a bit odd, but my favorite room in my grandma's house has always been what she calls her "fruitroom."  It is in the corner of her basement and summer or winter, the temperature is always quite cool in that particular room.  From a child's perspective, walking into the fruitroom didn't seem all that different from walking into the grocery store.  But how fun that the grocery store was in my grandma's basement!  Even now, I still have to visit the fruitroom every time I am back, there is just something about the space that beckons me in.

Whether canning her own jams and veggies or stocking up on a good sale, my grandma truly understands the value of being prepared and "living green."  Most of our grandparents grew up remembering a time when they went without during the Depression.  They lived in an era prior to the mega-grocery store where every imaginable convenience food stock the many aisles.  Growing up in a disposable generation, I believe far too many of us take for granted that food comes from the grocery store and that it will always be available when we want it.  The art of canning and storing food is nearly lost.

I began subscribing to Mother Earth News a few years ago.  While I disagree with much of their political leaning and environmental theories, most of the magazine contains such helpful or interesting articles that I choose to overlook that with which I do not agree.  I was thrilled to receive my new issue yesterday and see that it contained articles on canning and living on less.  The thing I appreciate most about the magazine is how many articles they provide free on their website.

My first recommended article is a great primer on learning to live like our grandparents did.  In this time of uncertain economy, I believe it is something we could all benefit from learning to do a bit better.  So with no further ado, I recommend that you click on over and read the article "Save Money on Groceries: Buying in bulk and freezing or canning fruits and veggies are great ways to enjoy better food and cut your costs by up to 85 percent!"

Don't worry, you don't have to have a garden to benefit from reading the article.  Here is how it begins:

"Not everyone has the time or resources to tend a big garden, so we wondered: What if you bought your produce in season at a farmers market and preserved some of it for winter use?"