Harvesting continues...

Well, I worked my patootie off over the weekend. I always seem to end up with doing rather more than I have hours (or energy!) set aside to actually do them.

I am racking up a rather impressive list of foods which are now preserved or frozen for the winter's use:

A staggering 35 pints of zucchini relish. A favorite of our own, and a hit with relatives and friends, we enjoy sharing this specialty that cannot be purchased in a store. Sweet and slightly tangy, it makes the best tartar sauce when mixed with mayo, is wonderful in salads of all kinds, in deviled eggs, on burgers and dogs. There is always a jar in my fridge :)

At least 30 packages (family size) of broccoli-cleaned, blanched, drained and then vaccum sealed.

13 quarts of Atomic green beans (and more to come, lots of beans out there still!)

5 quarts of cucumber pickles

26 half pints (two batches) cranberry ketchup-an Alaskan favorite.

7 pints tomato sauce

14 pints plain green beans-processed of course

Still to come: More green beans, all the cauliflower, about half the peas, the brussel sprouts and of course, the cabbage. I have heard of a different way to make sauerkraut so I will be looking that up today to make sure it's feasible and a safe method. In the greenhouse I have lots of tomatoes ripening and we've been enjoying the sweet corn. The green beans in there (my back up planting, done very late) are nearly fully flowered and some plants have tiny beans on them. I will cross my fingers they mature before the first hard frost. I haven't even checked my pumpkins in about six weeks, so I am hopeful there will be a treasure or two in there at frost. And I am up to my eyeballs in zucchini. After three years of marginal yeild-if any!-I really overplanted them. Whoopsie! Several big items coming in the month ahead: Salmon-smoked and plain, plus carrots and maybe more spuds.

We've been sharing our wonderful bounty with neighbors, friends, and relatives.

And a very generous bounty it has been indeed. Thank you, [diety of your choice], for blessing this house and this family.