With gardening in full swing I decided I had better take inventory of what we had in our stockpile in the basement. Knowing what I have on hand now will help me decide a few things.First...Did what I preserve last year, last me the entire year? Usually my goal is to preserve enough of something when it is in season to last me the entire year.
Second...How much do I have left before the next batch is in season and ready to preserve? I have 3 jars of applesauce left. Apples are usually ripe in my area in late August or early September. So I have 2 months to make those 3 jars last before I will be making anymore.
Third...Did I preserve too much or too little of something the year before? Did I run out of anything? In 2009 I canned 16 quarts of pickles. I still have some. Obviously I went overboard and realized we don't eat near that much in a year.
If things are properly canned and appropriately stored the shelf life can last well over a year. I try and keep track of when and how much I preserve to give me an estimate of how much to preserve the following year. Make sure to rotate your items to make sure the ones with the closest expiration are first to be used.
This post is linked to the Frugal Tuesday Tip.
I canned 12 half pints of relish one year and the following year did another 12. Needless to say we still have relish and I won't be doing it this year! Pickles, I went overboard too. Not enough tomatoes or applesauce though, so need to do more of those.
ReplyDeleteI want to try to can a few items this year. We will see how that goes. Stop by and link up any tips you may have.
ReplyDeleteCanned food is so pretty!
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