what i decided to do this year since we now have a nice great ginormous garden, we are going to can and freeze our own veggies instead of buying them at the store. it will only cost me about 4 dollars for an entire years supply of corn. and about the same for an entire years supply of beans, carrots, and other fruits and veggies. same as potatoes. and garden fresh/chemical free is the way to go, and its extremely easy. slightly time consuming, but totally worth it. i also make my own jams, and canned fruit, and apple pie filling. its a little pricey to get started since you have to buy the canner and the cans and the lids, but that pays for itself in the first year of canning your own veggies. recipes and directions are very to find online.

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Kimberley

"there is nothing to worry about, just plenty to think about" from an episode of Extreme Makeover House edition

check out my blog:
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We do the same. We've been very low on cash for the past 2 weeks and our garden has saved our behinds. You would not believe how many recipes I have come up with for zucchini. We had tons of salad fixin's already to be picked. I'm still waiting for those tomatoes to ripen, but I just bought some corn meal for fried green tomatoes.

I love having a garden!

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The mighty oak started out as a nut that held its ground.

Yum! I love fried green tomatoes.

I wish I had a garden

I would love to can some of my produce,but it seems like it would be difficult. Is it? What all do you need besides the obvious- jars, lids, parafin(?), huge stockpot and tongs to submerge nad handle the jars

My grandma taught me how to can tomatoes the easy way last year. Boil your lids and jars to steralize- leave the lids boiling on low. Put the tomatoes in a stockpot for 1-2 hours, then fill the jars. Put a tablespoon of canning salt on the top of each qt jar. Use one of the magnets on a stick (really cheap at stores that sell canning supplies- cant think of the actual name for it ) and remove the jar lids from the boiling water and seal the jar. Since the lids are still hot, this will create a vaccume seal after about an hour or so- you'll hear it 'pop'.

My other grandma prepares the tomatoes the same way but instead of boiling the lids continually, she puts her jars in the oven overnight w/ the oven door slightly open at the lowest temp setting and it also creates a seal.

I do have a water bath canner like most recipes call for but I've never used it because these ways are so much easier. I tend to like the first more than the second because it doesnt heat up my house during the hot summers. Both ways have worked for them for 70+ years of canning. I did about 30 quarts last summer and didnt loose one jar!

I freeze zucchini several different ways and for cucumbers, I do bread and butter, dill and freezer sweet pickles. I can fruit or make jams (i'm doing jam gift baskets this year for christmas!)

Its a lot less expesive than you would think!

Please share. I love fried zucchini, especially garden grown vs. store bought. But I can't have it the way I like it in the winter, -Dipped in egg and flour and fried- b/c store bought is so small. I have tried freezing zucchini in the past but in my experience when you thaw it, it is too mushy to do anything with but make bread or muffins. Didn't matter if I blanched before freezing or not, or whether I left the skin on or not.

Also, instead of canning tomatoes, I've discovered they can be frozen much easier. Of course it takes up more space in the freezer, but we have 2 deep freezes, so it isn't that big of an issue for us. The real issue in my family is being able to enjoy garden grown tomatoes in December and Jan. when everyone else is buying half ripened ones in the store at some enormous price.

Thanks so much for the canning tips ! I am curious about freezing tomatoes, what exactly do you do to the tomatoes before freezing?

Carleighsmommy call me dumb but you put the lid on a cool jar of what ever and then screw on a ring correct? This alone seals the jar? Interesting then I wonder what's the point of boiling the full jars with lids and rings on them? I've helped my mom but never done it on my own but I would really like to get started. Thanks for the help.

Here are the different things that I do w/ it- (I learned all of this last summer when I was pregnant and 'nesting':D )

1.) Fried zucchini- Bread the zucchini in the egg and flour and place it on a cookie sheet and flash freeze. Pop the slices off and put them in a freezer bag. When you're ready to make some, dont thaw it. The key is to put it directly from the freezer into the hot oil- this will keep it from going mushy.

2.) Zucchini sticks- slice the zucchini into sticks, about the size of a french fry. Dip it in egg, then a mixture of italian bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and greek seasoning. Put it on a cookie sheet and flash freeze. Pop of the sticks and put them in a freezer bag. With these, you bake them instead of fry- about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. I serve mine w/ ranch dressing. These are very yummy!

3.) I shread some and freeze it.

4.) Zucchini boats- cut the zucchini in half long ways and clean out the seads so you have a 'bowl'. Steam each half in water until it is tender then put it on a paper towel to absorb the excess. Then make rice and brown any type of ground meat (burger, italian or pork sausage, etc). Combine the rice and ground meat and season however you like (I use garlic pepper and greek seasoning). You can also add shredded carrots, peppers, tomatoes- anything that will freeze- so you can get really creative on this one! Sprinkle the inside of the 'bowl' w/ parmesan cheese and fill it w/ the rice/meat filling. Sprinkle w/ the cheese again and then top w/ mozzarella or cheddar (or any other kind you like!). After they cool, wrap them singlely in foil and put them in a freezer bag. When you're ready to make them, leave the foil on, and put them on a cookie sheet, filled side down at first. Bake them for 20 minutes at 350 and then turn them over and bake another 20 minutes at 350. Make sure the cheese side is the side that is up after you turn them so you dont loose any of your filling. I use the ones I've frozen on nights I dont feel like cooking.

I just started with cherry tomatoes and one came off and DS tried it and said it was yummy!
I am a true novice, but will try more veggies next year.