One of my favorite sites

Hopefully, you've got a garden coming and we are yielding a ton of veggies from the garden we helped plant at my in-laws. I decided to can this year and I forgot how easy it is!! And I've made a goal that I will try to utilize our harvest and don't let things go to waste.

I love www.allrecipes.com! You can search for anything and I have found some of the best recipes. One thing I love is the 5 star rating and the ability to read reviews. The reviews are great because posters add their suggestions, changes and additions to each recipe.

I haven't canned in years because one year I put all this effort into making pickles. I stored my many jars and they were mush! This week I found a recipe on this website and learned the secret- ice water bath for the cucumbers for at least 2 hours. They turned out perfect! (so far) It's really not hard, you don't need a pressure cooker for things like pickles and relish. Just make sure you sanitize the jars, wipe the rim of the jar off before placing the lid and boil the lids right before placing on the jar. The heat of the contents or brine plus the heat of the lid will seal the can. Once the lid is on the jar, put the ring on and tighten as hard as you can. And if canning intimidates you- there are some great icebox pickle recipes and recipes for bread like zucchini bread. Super easy and the girls loved it this week.

Garden harvest is one of my favorite things about summer. There's nothing better than a tomato sandwich and fresh veggies. The best thing... no buying commercial produce at the grocery store!