Preserving the Harvest

{Claussen-style Homemade Pickles}

Thinking back to our first year having a garden, I remember being so thrilled that our plants were producing and that we had an abundance of fresh vegetables.  Even though we could eat many of them and give even more away, there was still a lot left over!  Soon I was thinking, "HELP!  What do I do with all of this produce?!" 

While I had experience with canning jams and jellies and applesauce, I knew nothing about preserving vegetables.  The more I read and researched, the easier I realized it was. 

Hopefully over the course of this summer, I would like to give a few tutorials (with lots of pictures!) on what you can do with either the abundance you receive from your garden, the produce stand, or perhaps a generous neighbor or friend.  Perhaps I can even take the fear out of canning and show you how simple of a process it can be! 

Coming up tomorrow...."What in the world is 'Blanching'?"  and a step-by-step tutorial on how to blanch green beans.