FRESH & CANNED GOODS

I have been working on my cookbook for years, copying down recipes, perfecting them and adding them to binders. I now have six books in total, from canning and preserving, to beverages, to main courses and deserts.

Then I decided to enter some products in county fairs, Henry, Patrick, and Franklin and the Tobacco Road Honey Show. That in itself turns up the dial on perfecting a recipe.

I sold quite a few fresh tomatoes, but planted enough to can, including quarts of tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, tomato soup, spaghetti sauce, tomato juice and my favorite, SALSA.

Mild Tomato Salsa | Hot Tomato Salsa

Mild Peach Salsa | Hot Peach Salsa

Canned Tomatoes | Tomato Juice | Tomato Sauce

There is nothing better on a sub sandwich or pizza than a pickled pepper. For more heat, pickled jalapeno peppers. However, the biggest use of my peppers was for my SALSA.
Tobasco peppers (30,000-50,000 SHU) are reserved for pepper flakes and enhanced seasoning.

Banana Pepper | Jalapeno Pepper | Pepper Flakes

In 2022, we harvested 40 pounds of apples from the trees, that until that time, had produced nothing. Spring of 2023 showed very promising blossoms, however, the trees were not strong enough to support a crop. I got only 30 apples. I then purchased Macintosh apples to make my apple sauce and apple butter. Hopefully 2024 will show a better harvest.

Applesauce | Apple butter | Cranberry-Apple Sauce

Cranberry Sauce