And The Preserving Begins...

This morning, I sprang out of bed at a few minutes before 9am and went right into the kitchen to begin canning.  I'm not joking--I'm really that sad and pathetic.  :-)

I was excited to get going because I finally had enough of my San Marzano tomatoes sitting in a basket that I cold do a small batch.  They were certainly worth the wait.  A meatier, more tomato-ey-tasting tomato, you couldn't ask for.  Nearly no water/seeds and tons of meat.  Here's how the canning shelf looks so far...

I only ended up with two jars of the San Marzanos.  The others you see are from that batch of "Grade B" tomatoes I bought at the farm stand.  However, the bushes are still producing and I'm sure I'll get a few more jars before the season is through.

I also scored a bargain at the supermarket the other day on some California strawberries.  I know they're not local, but I just never made it to strawberry picking this year what with the move and all.  I'm not a huge strawberry jam fan and Michelle is allergic to them so I just canned two pounds in syrup.  They'll make great sauce for pancakes, ice cream, or maybe some cheesecake.

Next will be some peaches and maybe some peach jam!