Off Topic: Gardening, Pickling, Jams & Preserves

[OzBud]

Hello all,

I just finished making up some strawberry jam after picking some from the garden. I didn't think to take any pictures but it got me thinking about what everyone else grows/ &/or preserves. My partner & I have taken up making jams & preserves over the last two growing seasons as we can't use everything we grow fresh because there's just too much for us to eat.

This year we've grown:
5 varieties of tomato
3 varieties of bush beans
strawberries
raspberries (not a very successful year this year)
baby carrots
beetroot
spring onions
3 varieties of cucumber
zucchini/courgette depending where you're from
grey pumpkin
capsicum
chillies
lemons
apples
grapes
peas
plus basil, coriander, sage, thyme, rosemary, chives & oregano

Here's a couple of photos of our cupboard stockpile so far this season. There's still 6-8 weeks left of the growing season depending on when the first frosts start.

From right to left
12 jars zucchini salad
4 jars bread and butter cucumbers
3 jars bread and butter zucchini
6 jars pickled zucchini
16 jars of beetroot from two different batches
6 jars wild blackberry jam
2 jars strawberry jam that I just made.

That's what's left from what we have used or given away. We've also made Italian garlic and herb tomato sauce for pasta but we've used that already.

 

[alltatup]

Fantastic, Oz, I'll take two of each!! Yummy!

 

[trippergreenfeet]

Nice selection Oz ... I put in a lot on your list plus a few others. My favourite that I have bottled so far is beetroot, and you got 16 jars! I know who I'll be contacting when I run out : )

 

[Flockshot]

When I was a child, both my mother and my aunt did a great deal of canning. You will enjoy flavors that don't exist anywhere else in the world. Great pantry.

 

[rockman]

Such great crops you grow OzBud...and a very neat pantry! Love your ability to produce so much! 😊 You obviously have an abundance of nature's life force flowing through your body! 🌻🌿🌻

 

[bobsakamoto]

OzBud, this is so impressive!!

 

[OzBud]

Thanks all. Hopefully it will encourage more people to grow and preserve their own food.

 

[Tika]

Absolutely beautiful!!!!

 

[OzBud]

No Title

made some more zucchini salad yesterday afternoon with the mrs.

Contains:
Zucchini - grew ourselves
Brown Onion
Capsicum - grew ourselves
Corn
Salt
White Vinegar
White Sugar
Yellow Mustard seeds
Tumeric
Cayenne Pepper
Celery Salt
Celery Seeds
Red Kidney Beans + juice from tin
shell pasta

 

[OzBud]

I think we bought two, maybe 3 punnets of beetroot seedlings at Bunnings. We've given away a dozen jars already to family and we've probably got enough left in the ground to make another 6 jars or so.

 

[OzBud]

No Title

This is where most of the magic happens

 

[alltatup]

Do you need an old farm hand? ;-}

 

[OzBud]

haha just about.
Mrs & I have been pretty flat out with work and harvesting/preserving the garden produce so it's been a bit neglected overall. Luckily the entire yard is reticulated and the only things we have to hand water are the plants in pots. Slowly starting to get on top of all the weeding around the yard. Gotta trim the hedge down the side of the house this week some time too.

 

[alltatup]

You and Mrs get all the gold metals at the state fair for your efforts!!!!!

 

[DingusKhan]

Growing turmeric, very cool.

 

[Jeg]

Gorgeous! I want a backyard garden exactly like that. I've been trying to plan one out. Really cool

 

[OzBud]

thanks Jeg we got lucky, this is only a rental. I built up the existing garden beds though.