Food preservation is in high gear. A friend called yesterday with a bushel of peaches to get rid of. When I got there, she added cucumbers to the basket so now I have to do a load of pickles too. Then, on the way home I spotted a tree full of grape vines ready for harvest. Thank goodness, I always travel with a sack and my snippers. Now I realize that the apples are ready too, at least the early saucing apples are. In the midst of all this canning, I am putting the finishing touches on the workshops I’m presenting in the next month.

I am doing an all day preservation training in Northampton on the 18th. If any of you are that local, I would love to see you in the group. We will be making catsup, putting up a jardineire, drying some kale and using the food saver on the finished and making and pressure canning a big pot of chicken soup. The cost is $50.00. If I can get some jars at cost and come up with free produce, I will be sending everyone home with something. Participants will get to try out my Squeezo and get really, hands-on time with all of my other equipment so they can decide what will be a good investment for them. I get an awful lot of great equipment from tag sales because people buy things that they don’t know how to use and give up when they can’t find a mentor to help them the first few times. Bad for them, good for me.

I will be in PA the following weekend at the Mother Earth News Sustainable living fair doing workshops on root cellaring, dehydrating, food security through preservation and, finally, pressure canning. I wasn’t scheduled to do that one but the original presenter backed out and I was next in line. I love pressure canning but I do  have my issues with it. It’s energy and water intensive but the finished product is excellent (unless you can green beans). I am taking a class on lacto fermentation this fall. I want to know more about the intricacies of this low energy method of preserving the harvest.

So today, after I get myself together, I will be making grape juice and getting the peaches canned. If the rain holds off (and I fear it will) I will also be picking the first apples. Cider and sauce, here I come!