Can You Do the Can Can?

We've been canning up a storm over here. Our 2015 garden and peach trees have really overwhelmed us with blessings. Our pantry was totally empty of home-canned goodness by the beginning of the summer, so it's good that we've had a heavy canning year, though I am very much looking forward to being done. I've been keeping a running tally of how much we've canned on the side bar over there to help me keep track. It's fun to see the numbers rise!

Salsa 5 pints and 17 half pints.We'll see how long it lasts.

Bri came up and helped out with the jam. This year we did a strawberry-blackberry mix. I hope it's good, because we have 21 pints of it!

 Tomato sauce. We use it for lasagna, spaghetti, pizza, ravioli, soup and gulosh. 33 quarts so far and we are nearing completion, thank heavens! This year's crop took a significant hit from our pesky pheasant friend that lives in the field by our house. Without fail if the tomatoes got nice and red and ripe on the vine they'd have giant bites taken out of them that worms and bugs were quick to capitalize on. But we've done all right. It's not too bad to can tomato sauce, but I hate cleaning all the dirty dishes it generates! The kids are really good at working the squisher. Unfortunately, right as tomatoes really came on, school started. Very convenient.

Miscellaneous:

As we've brought in garden produce, we've also accidentally brought in several friends.

Peaches. Yum yum yum! Our trees were ready early this year. I love picking peaches. And eating them. Addison doesn't like them in any form. The boy is insane. 32 quarts and 15 pints. I wish we could've been more. We actually did go up to Brigham City and buy some, but they were pretty much out by that point. Seems that all the peaches peaked early this year.

The peach on the left came from the tree that we pruned and thinned meticulously. The peach on the right came from the other one. Good motivation to do them both this year!

 Asa was the king of the peaches this year. He ate tons of them. The day they were all gone was so sad. He made his usual rounds - cherry tomato plant, raspberry patch, peach trees, and was upset that he couldn't find any peaches. He loved picking the ones off the low-hanging branches and would take them straight to the hose so I could help him wash them off.

The zucchini and squash have been doing well too. So well that we made boats out of them to play with in the pool. Addison had just finished reading a juvenile version of Moby Dick and spent an afternoon as Captain Ahab chasing the White Whale.

 Harpooned.

Ahab's ship up top, Moby Dick below.

Leah with her squash boat.

Look at the size of this beast in comparison with my forearm! I'm thinking it's a world record.

Once again, we're overwhelmed with blessings from the Lord. I'm grateful for his hand in helping our feeble gardening efforts to bring forth fruit. Just applesauce to go and we can rest for a season!