Preparing for the harvest

Just about the time we get used to picking fresh vegetables and fruit we have to start thinking about preserving the harvest for winter. Right in the middle of a 90 degree day we have to think about the coldest day of the year and what we will be eating. I love pulling a jar of sauce, pickles, or berry jam from my pantry shelf in January. So this year I made up a simple form to start to keep track of what I make each year. Some years are great for tomatoes and other years give a bumper crop of cucumbers. It took time at first to figure out how much we would eat over the winter but I am the one in charge of the pantry so I can space out when we use various canned items. This year we will hopefully can tomatoes, pickles, and maybe a few new items.
Happy Harvesting and Happy 4th of July!