Them apples taste good.

Minnesota in the fall = Apple picking deliciousness

and this year we especially enjoyed the HoneyGold variety.

They turned out to be very yummy in muffins...

and translated nicely into adult applesauce...

wouldn't that be divine on top of gingerbread with a dollop of whipped cream?

Oh, yes, I think it would.

Can't stop canning...

I've told myself to stop, that it's time to move on to something else...maybe to one of the four (gasp) Craigs list furniture projects in the garage?!?  But the bounty of beautiful summertime fruits and vegetables continue to seduce me.

So far I've canned the following:

Pickled Sweet Onions

Jalapeno Cranberry Jam

Bread and Butter Pickles

Corn Salsa

Carrot Cake Jam*

*This jam is so delicious I've dreamed of sticking my entire face in a big ol' bowl of it.

If anyone is interested in the recipes that I used, let me know...I'd be happy to share!

What have you canned this year?  

Jars and jars of yumminess

While dating my husband, all those years ago, I quickly learned that he was a guy that didn't (and still doesn't) eat.  I hadn't even realized that there were such men until I met Corey.  His entire diet consisted of cheap frozen pizzas (think Totinos) and chips and salsa.  I'm not joking.  That's all he ate. 

So, for our first Christmas together, I sneakily attended a class about canning salsa and canned twelve jars of salsa!  I think that was all I gave him.  Maybe I made him a scarf, too.  Anyway, I think the salsa sealed the deal, I was to be his lifelong love.

Those twelve jars of salsa (which lasted about a month) have morphed into a passion for canning.  And yearlong salsa for him.

This week I tried for the very first time...Pickled Sweet Onions!  And oh my goodness are they delicious.  I have found a way to add them to everything from sandwiches to brats and I'm anxious to branch out from there.  My breath is going to be stinky this year but my belly is going to be happy!