The Fruits of a Week’s Labor
We have a plum tree. I do love it. I really do. I might have loved it a smidge more last year, before we knew it was a plum tree, so weren’t on the watch to gather fruit at it’s ripest. This year, my husband saw it as his duty to pick each and every plum. Each and every one.
After sharing bags of plums with everyone we knew, he asked for jam. So I made jam. Then I made two more batches as he picked more. Then I canned plums for winter crumbles. Then I decided I was really really sick of plums and don’t want them for at least six months LOL. So here’s what’s left (after giving away jam to friends, family and neighbors) of my week’s work.
What do you think? Are you a fan of jam? Have you ever done canning? If so, after a week of canning, did you forget how much work was involved so you could do it again the next year? Just curious *g*
My family used to can and freeze many things from our garden when I was growing up. We always had jars of pickles, stewed tomatoes, and pears. My grandmother lived close by and she would give us jars of plum jam or we would make some ourselves from the plums she gave to us. We also had a deep freezer full of black eyed peas, butter beans, corn and dried apples slices. It was great eating all of these items, but it was a great deal of work for the whole family every summer. As an adult, I’ve only ever canned my own pear butter and fig/habanero bbq sauce and each time I was reminded of how exhausting the canning process can be. lol I don’t know that I’d ever have the energy to do it all over again each year.
Oh man, Jill – I hear ya on that energy thing. I loved making the first batch of jam. The second was okay, because I’d learned so much from the first on how to do it smarter and faster. By the third it was just hard work
I wish I’d leaned to do this when I was a kid, though, like you did. It’d be nice to know the ‘right way’ and all those inside tricks on how to make it go a leeeetle bit faster and easier LOL. My gramma always canned, and had the deep freezer full of yumminess. But my parents didn’t, so I only got to enjoy all the homegrown goodness on summer vacations
I envy you that wonderful year-round access.
We canned the year before when we had tons of tomatoes from our garden… made it ready for spaghetti sauce… this year we hardly got anything to grow even though our plants were doing well…
Okay, Colleen
I’m beggin’ ya -tell me how to can tomato based stuff. Sauces and salsas and such. I keep reading that it’s a special process, and since my gramma never did much with tomatoes (well, really I hated tomatoes as a kid, so pretended they didn’t exist. So she probably did stuff but I don’t know what LOL). So… sharesies on the spaghetti sauce how-to?
And you know, this must be a rough year for gardens. We’ve had one -ONE- ripe tomato so far this year. My husband had it in his burrito tonight LOL. There wasn’t even enough for a second burrito!
In our family we always canned stewed tomatoes so that we’d be able to use them for several types of things (soups, chili, tomato sauce, etc). I’m sure the process is similar for actually canning sauces and salsa though. We always scored the tomatoes with an X at the top. Then either put them in water to boil or put them in the sink and pour boiling water over the top. This will help remove the skins. Once those are removed, then dice up the tomatoes (or you can even leave them whole if you’d rather) and put into a big boiler on the stove to cook for a bit. It’s been a while since I’ve done this, but I think we let them cook for an hour or two until they are a tender consistency. We only added a bit of sugar (to remove any metalic taste that the tomatoes might have) and salt at this stage. I’m sure if you are making sauce or salsa you would just add the other ingredients and then cook until it reaches a thick consistency. When the tomatoes are done, put them into the jars that have been prepped. Mom always added a bit of salt on the top before sealing with the lids. Then we put the sealed jars into the water bath on the stove to help the lids seal up.
Hi Tawny!
I canned some as well. Like your husband, my dad and boyfriend picked every bloody cherry that was one the trees! My mom and I so had enough. lol The plum season is just starting here but there will be tons of it, too, as it seems to be a very good fruit harvest this year. Here (in Germany) it’s still quiet common to can fruit, at least in the more rural areas where people have big gardens (What else to do with all that?) We always complain about the work but in the end we all love to eat it (and it’s a nice present, especially for people who are total strangers to things like home-made jam) because it just tastes different than bought stuff and you really know where it comes from. I hope that was enough information. 
I feel for you! We had tons of cherries (both sweet and morello cherries) and I think I did cook so many jars of jam that we will have enough for the next 10 years.
I love cherries, Claudia
But I would probably go nuts pitting a bunch. Holy cow, that had to be a TON of work. But you are so right -the taste is worth it. I’ve never had anything as delicious as fresh from the garden, or made with from the garden produce. I even like tomatoes – if they are fresh LOL. And like you say, it really does make you enjoy it so much more knowing exactly what’s in the jar and that someone you know made it.
I love the idea of giving some away as gifts, too. I’ve already started planning my Christmas baskets for gifts LOL. S’all about plum jam, baby!!
I can every year. This year I have canned grean beans and tomatoes. It is a lot of work but the food tastes so much better than store bought.
You jam and plums are so pretty in the jars. Canning is a lot of work and yes you don’t want it when your through but wait until the snow flies and you will be ready for it. I use to can years ago but don’t any more. When I was growing up we canned every year, had a big garden and everything.