It’s That Time of Year

Fall… the crisp colorful leaves, the brisk mornings, that smell after a fresh rain… And of course, the canner. It’s a permanent fixture on our stove at this time of year while the dehydrator keeps a steady hum on the homestead.

I have been busy, which is an understatement. Our ten heirloom tomato plants keep the harvest basket overflowing every few days with about 30 pounds of fruit. My dad is sending us home with boxes of tomatoes as often as we’ll take them. It’s wonderful to have a family so rich in green thumbs!

We are stocking the pantry with canned tomato sauce and simple canned tomatoes. We’ve reach our goal of 25 pints of sauce, 20 quarts of marinara and are close to the 40 quarts of simple tomatoes I’m after. That might seem like a ton, but after years and years of canning I know what we use and tomatoes are a necessity.

We’ve dried a bumper crop of Italian plums from a generous neighbor. I’m picking apples this weekend with the Portland Fruit Tree Project, which I expect will fill the dehydrator for several days. Dried fruit, fruit leathers and possibly canned jams will soon pack our shelves even fuller.

This just happened. #30poundsoftomatoes

A photo posted by Renee Wilkinson (@hipchickdigs) on Sep 22, 2015 at 5:02pm PDT

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve been seeing lots of late-night posts from these food preservation adventures! Are you experimenting with new things this harvest season or relying on the tried and true canned classics? I must confess that I’m sticking to the basics this year, but would love to hear your preservation plans in the comments below!