Peach butter and strawberry jam. Fruits that were sun kissed and picked by yours truly and made into these delectable treats. I’ve taken an interest in preparing my own foods and eating whole foods. I quickly found that this takes a lot of time and preparation. But you simply cannot beat the flavor. I truly enjoyed getting to slow things down a notch and take charge of what we are eating and choosing where it comes from. Growing up in the Deep South, we had a garden every year! Not just a patch but a HUGE one. Nothing like eating veggies still warm from the sun and sharing with neighbors. Interestingly, this is a lifestyle I promised to walk away from and not look back. Now that I am halfway to being 100 years old, I truly miss it and realize that on many levels, I never left it. To this day, I don’t eat soup from a can🤢 and I have always made my own broths.So this summer I stepped it up a notch on canning. The Jams and Butters turned out fantastic! But mercy me -the pickles were horrible!!! I will have to try that again next year!
Another item that came out great was the chow chow! It’s like a pickled cabbage and most southerners eat it with beans and/or greens. You chop fresh cabbage and bell peppers straight from the garden and ladle it with vinegar (this is not the official recipe!) 
I made jars of chow chow! Since the Jams and Butters made such small amounts, I decided to double the recipe for the Chow Chow and it proved to make a nice bountiful batch! The only problem is… no one in my family likes it and my friends and co-workers have no idea what it is🤣😂🤣. So I’ve got jars of the stuff just sitting in the pantry! Suppose I should have inquired first. But I had a blast canning. Just me, some fruits and veggies and my audiobooks. Euphoria!
Everthing looks delicious and your right, nothing can can replace fresh from your own kitchen. I have tried my hand at many different things over the years and now time the the giggest issue. You have inspired me try my hand at canning.
Pennsylvania Harvest
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I hope you enjoy the journey.
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