Saving Some Summer

I love preserving food. I mean, really, who doesn't? I take all of my extras and stash them for later. What's not to like?! The beauty of canning for me is that I get to save some of my summer and fall bounty to eat in the depths of winter when all the world outside my windows is cold and white. Jams and jellies that glow in their jars like rare jewels and glisten on foods, beckoning the gourmand to taste, to savor as the flavors slide across the tongue, some comforting and some dancing, all making your senses dance and hum in excitement. Syrups sliding from jars and across breakfasts, ice creams, desserts, adding their rich flavors. Pickles and relishes sitting bright and refreshing in their jars, waiting to zing the palate and add zip to a meal. Stewed tomatoes as rich and fragrant as when they were freshly picked from the garden. Fruit sauces just waiting to grace the table with their gentle sweetness. The list keeps going, and all of it is right there in my pantry!

Today's canning is a combination of summer bounty and hey-it's-on-sale. First, I'm going to do pineapple jam. Being in the Upper Midwest, pineapples are definitely not part of my summer bounty, but they are on sale for $2.99 each, so I picked up a few and am making pineapple jam, a favorite of C's and something I love to put on ice cream. The summer bounty part comes into play with the second canning item: crabapples. A friend has a crabapple tree that is ready to pick, so I'll be picking crabapples and then experimenting. I've never done anything with crabapples, so it will all be new. My plans: crabapple pie (will freeze some if the trial pie turns out nicely) and crabapple jelly, and possibly crabapple juice to use later in other recipes, crabapple cordial, and crabapple butter. We'll see what we get!

Since nothing I'm doing today is a recipe I've done before, I'm going to wait until tomorrow to post recipes and the verdict on each one. Meanwhile, I have a day in the kitchen ahead of me!