Peaches, and Pears, and Apples! Oh, my!

I don't know what possessed me, but I've been on a canning binge this past month.  Normally I do a batch or two of pear sauce. And that's all.  My neighbor has these amazing seckle pears that make super sweet pear sauce with great texture and no added sugar.  But after a rather heavy pruning last year, there were no pears to be gleaned,

and this year my cupboards were feeling rather empty,

and the fruit at the fruit stands looked rather appealing,

and I went a little crazy.

It all started when my good friend Cassi did a day trip from Spokane to be my applesauce partner.  We tackled several boxes of freshly picked apples from the Whitby's. 

It is never safe to attempt applesauce without help. 

We make a good team. 

We make a good mess. 

We always wonder why we do it. 

In the middle of winter when we open a can of applesauce and enjoy it's fresh taste,

we remember why we do it.

 Processing outdoors on the camp stove is a lifesaver.

 After the applesauce came pears, which I always swear I will NEVER DO AGAIN.  Until next year, when I forget and do it all over again because, like childbirth, I forget how much work it takes. 

Then I did peaches for the FIRST TIME.  They weren't as bad as pears and I know I will have to ration them because my kids will beg eat them everyday, all winter.

This is why I dislike canning... the big mess. 

 But, with a little help from my favorite stove cleaning product 

and lots of elbow grease, it (usually) comes clean.

Food Storage Challenge

I have given myself a little challenge. For the next few months I am going to prepare one evening meal per week with only food storage items. I’m great at using food storage for breakfast, but I don’t have too many dinner recipes in my repertoire that come only from food storage. And who can eat pancakes and oatmeal everyday? Well, maybe Kirk. But not the rest of our family.

I feel a need to build up the number of recipes that I enjoy making, we like eating, and come mainly from food storage and pantry items. I am asking for your help. If any of you out there reading this have some favorite recipes that you could share, please email or call me with them. PLEASE! My only requirement is that the meal must be something (1) made mainly from food storage items & must be a food that (2) your family likes to eat on a regular basis.

Here is one that I do make often. It came from my great sister-in-law, Molly. I hope you like it!

Black Bean Stew

1 onion (you can use dehydrated onion)

3 cloves garlic

1/8 tsp. red pepper

½ tsp. cumin

½ tsp. thyme

2 cans chicken broth

1 large can green chilies

14 oz. can stewed tomatoes

3 cans black beans (I use my dried beans and cook them the day before)

Sauté onion, garlic, and pepper. Add herbs, broth, beans and simmer for 1 ½ hours. Remove half of the stew and blend until smooth. Return to pan and heat till warm. Serve over rice with lemon, cilantro and sour cream.