A Large Helping of Life

Fall time brings many things, changing leaves, harvested food, cool weather and sweaters.  At my house it has also meant canning is in full swing. This year I have canned salsa, apple jelly, cranberry-apple jelly, wild plum jelly, strawberry-apricot jam, raspberry jam, strawberry jam, strawberry syrup, strawberry-pear jam, chunky caramel apple jam, applesauce and apple pie filling. Now I have not always been such a canner! I had canned a hand full of times in Wyoming using some of the best apples and plums I have ever had from a family friend’s orchard in Lysite, Wyoming. Other than those times I had not done much of it. I did enjoy it though. Ever since moving to North Dakota I have had canning fever! I could attribute some fo this fever to my friend Wendy. She is a canning queen in my eyes. I am constantly asking for her advice. She also has given me a lot of the fruit that I have been canning. I had the pleasure of picking fresh raspberries from her garden this year. It was the kids and I’s first time ever picking raspberries. (I know, sad right?)  Then she brought me 2 huge bags of apples! There were so many! (everyone should have a friend like Wendy!)

Doesn’t this look delicious!

Apple Heaven.

So after getting all this fruit I started canning away! Now just for fun I took some pictures of some of the jams and jellies I have made. Just because they are pretty. (I know I am weird)

Apple Pie Filling

This is the caramel apple jam. I probably could have diced the apples a bit smaller but I think the chunky jam will be wonderful with cream cheese on a bagel.

You learn as you go with canning!

Yummy chunky applesauce. I had never made this before. Shane and I actually made this together and it was a bit of a mess and we improvised a lot but hey it tastes good and that’s what counts right?

Apple Jelly. I love the honey color it came out to be. I have to say that it was very easy to make and well worth it. I got a lot of jelly from those apples!

And last but not least I have my wild plum jelly. Shane had been driving around with the kids and came across some plums trees. He actually did not know they were plums until he brought them back and my friend Wendy just so happened to be at my house and she identified them for us. They were a light red color and very small but she told me to boil them down and make some juice and then make jelly from the juice. So….I did and it is soooo good!

And pretty. Thanks Wendy!