Preserving: The way to really dazzle your friends and family with mad homemaking skills that are actually quite easy.

I realized this past weekend that my favourite part of the year is the changing of the seasons and I’m guessing I’m not the first person that struggles with being content with what’s happening in the here and now. In the dead of winter I look forward to the beginning signs of life, the fresh spring air, the green sprouting up and the anticipation of new life. In the heat of the summer I look forward to the cool fall air, pumpkin pie, chai tea and puffy vests. Summer brings the joy of vacations, beach and BBQ while the winter reminds me that through death we find life. Here I am enjoying a sunny day at the waterfront with my littlest who happened to be born in the dead of winter, a day shy of Valentines Day. He is that reminder of glorious life in the otherwise frozen world.

What does this have to do with preserving? Well, quite a bit actually. With each new season comes new and delicious food to enjoy. Food is a big part of my life, partly by necessity as I’ve got three mouths to feed aside from my own, and partly because I enjoy it so much. I look forward to the change in season because it also means a change in food, which is fantastic. Preserving allows me to have that taste of summer while in the middle of winter which is a real lifesaver on those cold, dark days. Some of my favourites that I’ve preserved so far are peaches, strawberries and fresh tomatoes, beets, blueberries and pickles. Here are some of my local finds this past week including some colourful onions from my husbands company farm share.

Not only are the flavours of fresh produce amazing, the colours are absolutely incredible! Have you ever really looked at a radish?

The top is nothing special, kind of weed-like but pull that sucker out of the ground, dust of the dirt and wow! Gorgeous pink and bright white, spicy, crunchy and deliciously refreshing. Preserving allows me to take everything that I love about the season and keep it to enjoy all year around. Another bonus to preserving is the cost savings. Knowing that I can make twelve jars of fresh and delicious salsa for the same cost as a few not so fresh jars from the store is so satisfying. Unexpected visitor? No problem, bust out one of those salsa jars and you’ve got a fresh snack with veggies or chips and you didn’t have to spend a dime, at least on the salsa! (haven’t make homemade chips yet).

Like I said in my first post, my goal is to get back to a more traditional approach to homemaking and what better way to do that then to start preserving. A few years ago I purchased Saving the Season by Kevin West. You can purchase it here.

It’s a fascinating read as he shares his journey in preserving and the science behind why I can keep a jar of tomatoes in the pantry for a year, then eat it and not get botulism. He has great tips for the equipment you will need to begin canning at home and although he has a killer copper preserving pan, he tries to keep everything as simple as possible. He organizes his book into seasons with many unique recipes from marmalade to pickles. The recipes are easy to follow and very well written. It’s the only preserving book I’ve got and something tells me it’s the only one I need. This past weekend, I teamed up with @aimeeathome to tackle peach preserves two ways. You can check out the recipe featured in Bon Appetite here and hop on over to her post to see what our jam making looked like. Let me tell you, it was well worth the boiling hot kitchen and sore feet for that sweet, sweet taste of summer in a jar. Peach preserves are so versatile and this recipe gives you the option of adding earl grey tea to the peach preserves. It’s amazing with a cup of tea and a toasted, buttered english muffin. It also makes a great ice cream topper or I thought of even adding it to some bbq or hot sauce for a great sausage or burger condiment.

Aren't those colours amazing? I really hope this inspires some of you to take some time to preserve your favourites of the season. Preserving isn't rocket science but it is pretty cool chemistry and physics, so providing you do a bit of reading and preparation, you can pretty easily begin to stock some delights to savour in the coming year. Believe me, that peach jam will taste like heaven when its -35C in February.

If you have any questions or comments about canning or preserving, getting started or problem solving, please let me know and I’ll try my best to help. I'd love to hear about what others are putting up for the season, chat and share recipes. Happy canning and homemaking! You’re doing a really important job even when it doesn't feel like it.
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