Canning

2021 was my first year canning. I'm still fairly new to it, but making my own jam and salsa tastes measurably different and delicious than anything I've ever bought off the shelf. And it's a great confidence boost. :) I made 10 deliciously different things this year, most with produce right from our own garden! I had a lot of fun harvesting what I'd grown from seed, designing cute labels and especially making salsas and jams. Before the pandemic, I wasn't able to do any of these things - look at me now!

Oregarden Salsa - I made salsa using another 8 cups of gorgeous tomatoes from the garden! All 7 varieties I've grown this year made their way into the salsa, as well as bell peppers and garlic I've all grown from seed.

Oregarden Sunshine Salsa - I used a huge tomato harvest to make salsa! All of the gold nugget tomatoes and roasted corn gave it a really bright and sweet flavor. It's addictive!

Blackberry Jam - We bought a gorgeous half flat of blackberries from the farmers market in August, which I turned into delectable jam. Since I started canning this year, my husband has been waiting patiently for blackberry season... because this jam is his favorite!

Oregarden Bruschetta - I canned bruschetta in a jar! 🍅 I used homegrown garlic and another 10 cups of gorgeous tomatoes from the garden as the base for this freshalicious baguette topping (slurp)

Vanilla Strawberry Jam - using a flat of Mt Hood strawberries and whole vanilla beans

Oregarden Green Chutney - I used 7 cups of chopped green tomatoes from the garden to make yummy green tomato chutney! I even included garlic and green jalapeños I grew in the garden and the last of my neighbor's pears.

Oregarden Tomato Jam - used 4 lbs of tomatoes from the garden to make tomato jam! The saigon cinnamon and freshly grated ginger give it a nice spice to balance the sweetness.

Spiced Pear Butter - Our neighbor has a mature pear tree that dumps a thousand pears every year. We helped relieve the tree of some weight and brought home a giant case of pears...

Oregarden Pickled Garlic Scapes - I pickled the garlic scapes I harvested from the garden

Marionberry Jam - picked up a full flat from a local farmer - it's soooooo yummy!