Here is my 2011 harvest list. I indicated next to each item where the fruit or vegetable came from.
Strawberries: 2 gallon freezer bags, fruit leather, 1 pie (grew)
Rhubarb: 2, 9x13 pans of rhubarb crunch (grew)
Blackberries: 10 pints blackberry jam, 5 gallon carboy of mead (gleaned in public area)
Blueberries: 8 pints blueberry pie filling, 2 gallon freezer bags, blueberry muffins (grew & gleaned in woods)
Cherries: 26 pints pie filling, 9 half pints jam (u-picked at farm)
Peaches: 7 quarts canned in syrup (bought)
Beans: 34 quarts (grew & bought)
Asian Plums: 1/2 gallon of plum wine (gleaned from friend's tree)
Tomatoes: 11 pints tomato soup, 25 quarts stewed, 7 quart bags in freezer, 15 pints salsa, 8 half-pints tomato paste (grew and bought)
Apples: 7 quarts applesauce, 2 jars dehydrated apple slices, 7.5 pints apple pie filling, 11 quarts apple cider, apple crisp (gleaned in public area)
Grapes: 6 quarts & 1 pint grape juice (grew)
Pears: pear crisp, 17.5 quarts pears in honey syrup, 12 half-pints pear butter, 4 half pints pear honey, 4 gallons Perry wine (gleaned in public area)
Carrots: 8 quart freezer bags full or sliced carrots (grew)
This summer Jon got really ambitious and made homemade berry soda. Here's a list of varieties we made:
Peach
Blackberry
Blueberry
Cherry
Sparkling cider
Total cost for all of the above food=$157.00 (that's even adding an extra $30.00 for miscellaneous things like sugar, peppers, and cornstarch). I didn't have to purchase any jars this year, and surprisingly I still have 3 dozen left. There isn't an accurate way to track the cost of canning lids because the Tattler lids can be reused. This summer was by far the best for foraging and gleaning! Jon and I are both good apple and pear tree scouts now and see them everywhere we go. Every time I find a tree in a public area my heart jumps; I get so excited with the idea of preserving more things for free and knowing that the fruit won't fall on the ground and rot.
Some of you may notice the various pie fillings that I made this year. I made plenty for when we go camping and cook Hobo Pies over the fire. The pie filling can also be used for making turnovers and pie in a jar gifts!
Below are a few pictures of my preservation adventures!
4 comments :
I've never seen cherries that red around this area before! Do you remember the variety, or what farm you picked them from?
--Tiffani
Hi Tiffani!
The cherries were picked at Sandy Farms (34500 SE Hwy 211, Boring, OR). There are only a few u-pick farms in the area. For pie filling you want the sour variety, not sweet. I didn't ask for the specific name, I was just told that they were sour.
Holly
I love the photo of Paul with the huge pile of carrots! Those are as long as his face! Have you discovered the joys of carrot greens? What do you do with yours? I chop, freeze, and throw them into soups.
Your harvesting is inspirational. Reading the Little House books has me remembering that food is available to us to grow, harvest, thresh, and process all year. And there are such simple healthy joys found in just being outdoors regardless of the weather. Happy eating this winter!
Thanks for the comment Jennifer! Surprisingly I have never done anything with the carrot greens. We pick our carrots pretty late in the year so most of the greens are brown in color and don't look very edible. I'll challenge myself next year to salvage some and add them to soups. Thanks for the idea!
Post a Comment