Confluence Literary Festival

It's harvest time in Moab and all of us home growers are racing to keep up with our gardens. Sometimes it seems as if certain plants will never slow down, turning out food day after day, week after week (zucchini, for example). Others fruit all at once, suddenly blessing the gardener with a massive bounty to be gorged upon, frozen, canned, or sold. The zucchini I can't keep up with, and a great deal of it ends up shredded or chopped and then frozen for use this winter. Some of the larger specimens are tucked away into friends' cars, or chucked over the neighbor's fence (just kidding... kind of). Many Moab gardeners have an abundance of ripe tomatoes now, and that is how I found myself with 40 pounds of premium organic tomatoes to process into canned goodies for the colder months. Larry White of Creekside Organics sold me 20 pounds of Romas, with the advice that I roast them for 24 hours and turn them into spaghetti sauce. I also brought home 20 pounds of mixed tomatoes and two pounds of multicolored hot peppers from my beloved Castle Valley Farm vegetable stand. Armed with a box of onions and garlic from Moonflower Market and five dozen mason jars I scavenged from the Advertiser, I went home and set about the business of putting away spaghetti sauce and salsa.

Canning can be confusing, even scary, for those who have heard tales of botulism poisoning or exploding pressure canners. Fortunately, there is a book that will enlighten gardeners young and old who desire to put away their harvest. I have found The Beginner's Guide to Preserving Food at Home (Janet Chadwick) to be an indispensable source of recipes and directions for everything from pickles to peach jam. I really appreciate the author's "handy tips" for making every step of the process go a little bit smoother. Another fantastic reference is the classic canning bible, Putting Food By (Janet Greene et al). With directions for canning, freezing, curing, drying and root cellaring, it could well be the only book you'll ever need on the subject. Both of these books are available at Arches Book Company, and if you mention you heard about it on the blog, I'll give you 10% off the cover price.

Now its your turn to tell me what you have an abundance of and what you are doing with it. Have a favorite recipe for dilly beans? Or perhaps you've perfected jalapeno jelly, or peach salsa. Is there a book you always turn to for harvest time guidance? If so, I'd love to know, so post your comments here! Happy harvesting!