Canning!

While Sean was gone and over the fall I took advantage of the all the fruit around where we live. I was browsing Craigslist one day and a family had a few apricot trees that they had to much fruit on the for their family, so they were allowing people to come pick them for free. It was very nice of them and I got some very big apricots. The apricots that I'm used to from where I grew up where about half the size of these apricots.

The apricot compared to a plum.

This is a little dark picture but it shows how many apricots I was able to pick.

Sean and I both like Apricot juice better then plain apricots so that is what I decided to make.

Once they are cleaned and pitted, I boil them on the stove to get them nice and soft.

Once they have been boiled I put them through my food strainer, which separates the skins and strings from the juice. I then pour the juice into the jars and then put the jars with lids in a hot water bath for about 20 min. I didn't add any sugar because the apricots were pretty sweet already.

I ended up with about 27 quarts of juice, about of quart of dried apricots and a couple trays of fruit leather.

I also made some very yummy apricot jam.

Next canning activity was pears and Apples!

Not all of these apples and pears were mine, most of them went to my mom but I picked up the fruit for them at the Church orchard by our house.

Me slicing and dicing the fruit.

Making Apple sauce is very similar to the apricot juice that I had made earlier. You slice them up skin, seeds, and all and throw them into a pot, boil them and then send them through the food strainer.

I ended with 28 jars of Apple sauce and about 8 trays of dried apples. 

Through out the canning season we were blessed with canned cherries, pears, peaches, apricots, apple sauce and a few different kinds of jam.

Although canning is hard work, I'm grateful my mom taught me how to can and preserve fruit. I know at the time I wasn't grateful but I am now :)