I love Summer and hate to see it come to an end. I know my days of roaming around in flipflops and shorts are almost over. My wild flowers are fading and the flower heads are getting ready to scatter their seeds for next years re-birth. Even the leaves of a few Maples are already showing their Fall colours…way too early for my liking….they are pretty though.
The past couple weeks have seen the nights cool considerably here on the Homestead. I even had to break out the sweaters on a couple days last week, much to my dismay…. and with that nip in the air, it has made me unpack the knitting needles and start knitting a new scarf. You can’t start early enough on making a new soft, cuddly scarf to ward off the soon to arrive winter chills. 
My daughter put me on to a great website for everything knitted last week. How in the world I never found this site sooner is beyond me, but I have been pouring over back issues of their seasonal features finding all kinds of neat stuff that I now want to make. If you are an avid knitter, then you will love www.knitty.com Poke around the site, you will soon have wondered where the next two hours has gone as you wander the internet halls gazing at all the beautiful, wooly wonders.
Inside the Homestead Kitchen I have been busy canning lots of yummy goodness. Pickled Beets & Serrano Peppers are done and I put down so many jars of Tomatillo Salsa I am hoping it lasts until next summer, seeing as I am thoroughly addicted to the stuff. I have also made 2 batches of Spiced Blueberry Jam and Chipotle-Peach Jam and I am now on to making Green Tomato Relish with an over abundance of green tomatoes that are stubbornly clinging to their green hues.
Next week it will be Spicy Salsa and Tomato-Basil Sauce canning time. Then I think my canning pot will get a well deserved rest until next year. I think the best part of summer is getting to preserve all the great produce you toiled over during the past few months.
Which leads me to a poll I would like to do…..What are your must-have canning/preserving items to hold you over until next year? After Labour Day, I will do a follow-up post of the Top 10 most canned/preserved items. So anyone that loves to can/preserve food, feel free to list your favourites below. Besides, I am always looking for new ideas to fill the pantry and will gladly accept the suggestions of my great readers!
I hope you all enjoy the last remaining days of Summer. Soon it will be a distant memory as we trudge through the slushiness of winter…..I for one am NOT looking forward to it and will be counting down the days until I can start digging into newly thawed ground to start the garden anew.
I absolutely love fall, the colours, crispness in the air and of course apples !! I cannot wait to get started on canning applesauce and apple pie filling 🙂
I also love comfort foods like chilli, and stews and soups, so I will be putting
all my canned tomato sauce to good use.
You have definitely been bitten by the canning bug Caroline! 🙂 I am waiting for apples too, but need to get through the tomatoes first! 😛
You have been busy, would love for you to share a tom/basil sauce and the spicy salsa recipes PULEEZE!
Cannot head into winter without hamburger relish (refuse to eat the funky store bought crap) salsa, tom sauce, dill pickles (have not eaten a store bought pickle in years, even potlucks have women’s fresh pickles). I fill the gaps in the jars with carrots and yellow beans as the guys love pickled carrots and beans too, so why make extra jars.
Also love beet pickles, saurkraut (only made every second year), several types of cucs-dilled, sweet and mustard, and several types of jams. The boys enjoy canned fruit and the favourite is fruit cocktail, apple juice is a must.
I freeze apple sauce, but prefer the canned as I often forget to thaw apple sauce on days I want to bake.
Enjoy your last dog days of summer, I had to dig out a hoody the other day too, weather is a changing and some of the poplar leaves have a tint of yellow 🙁
I will post them here as well as email them to you 🙂 The Spicy Salsa you can adjust the heat as to your family’s taste. Really good stuff! I loved your apple juice you made and shipped to me last year…..may have to try and make my own 🙂