A Belly Full

The kitchen smelled of fresh tomatoes, basil and oregano. An acrid burning of boiling vinegar, dill and pepper too. And even still, the sweetness that only boiled corn can have.

It was a busy day, with having done 3 of 4 preservation techniques that I'm aware of: dehydrating, canning and freezing. The only thing missing was fermentation, which I think I'll save that adventure for another time.

My legs ached by the end of it, but my soul - and belly! - filled. By the day’s end, I had leathery sun-dried tomatoes, 8 jars of pickles, a quart - yes only a quart - of sweet corn in the freezer, and flakes of basil and hot peppers in jars.

LESSONS:

1) Just buy the damn dehydrator already! I can't believe I waited so long to invest in a dehydrator. To be able to put up a significant amount of vegetables taking up such a small amount of space…it’s amazing!

Side Note: I' purchased the Cosori Dehydrator and strongly recommend it!

2) Partake in harvest sharing.

Unfortunately, in my homesteading journey, I didn't realize corn needed to be planted in groups for it to wind pollinate and produce ears.

So, my one row of corn is beautiful and will be a nice decoration for fall, but I have no ears of corn. Thankfully, when one lives in the country, there's always plenty to go around, and I'm grateful to my neighbors and family for sharing their harvest. And, I look forward to sharing with them.

3) Have a good support system

Because I'm new to the canning world, I find it rather stressful. I anxiously flit about the kitchen, and dread something will go wrong. So, when I placed a full jar of pickles into the waterbath canner, and it immediately broke, I froze with confusion. With pickles now free floating around my other jars, and me anxious of not overcooking the jars currently in the bath water, I was grateful for a supportive husband to quickly swoop in and relieve me of dealing with the situation. It was also a good note for me to refrain from trying to can by myself, at least for the first few years.