The Joys of Canning

The last couple of weeks have been busy getting fruit off our trees and into jars to be used this winter. We got things picked in the nick of time as we have had a string of well below freezing nights and days that haven't been much warmer.

We had more than enough plums ... 72 half pints of jam and syrup and we didn't even use them all! We were glad that Don and Darlene were willing to help us out!

Next came the apples off our two small trees. Not the greatest eating apples but perfect for applesauce.

Our helpers ... Lane was ready for any attack from wild animals too. (:

The finished products:

Applesauce

Pears (that came off the ugliest looking pear tree you've ever seen - however, after a week sitting in brown paper bags, they ripened up and were quite tasty.)

Plum jam and syrup

It is always nice to see jars full of food and feel a sense of accomplishment. Ryan helped speed up the entire process by doing the majority of the peeling and coring and it is always more fun having help!