Yes, You CAN!

In honor of the upcoming election, I think we should all adopt this slogan. I know you are thinking, "Beck, that is soooo 2008!" I guess. But if you are a CSA member or an avid gardener, then it's finally time to consider doing something different with your bounty.

That means, get your Fanny on the Canny Wagon. At some point (and I've reached it), you start to feel your creativity waning a bit. It's not always easy coming up with recipes, even with so many resources around us. And getting into a food rut is easy to do.  Sometimes I think I need to cook and eat it all in one week. Not true!

Perhaps it's time to think outside of the CSA box once again. This is the perfect season to preserve this wonderful bounty to enjoy in the winter months.   There are entire websites devoted to canning and jarring and the possibilities are endless. It's not just about jams & jellies anymore. This amazing site will take you from fruit butters, sauces, and syrups to  "Boozy Infusions", relishes, pickles, salsas, soups and salads. Soba Noodles with Peanut Sesame Sauce.  In a jar? Wow! Sign me up!

I never thought of myself as the "Canning Type" until my friends, M&M, bought me a book called PreserveIt. (The only thing I'd ever jarred were my grampa's garden green tomatoes.) My mom pickles eggplant and she loves the feeling she gets when it's all done. She says she "feels rich" when she looks at all of the jars sitting on the shelf.  My neighbor Dorie shares this same sentiment and is always sharing her lovely jams, relishes and barbecue sauces with us.  That is the nice thing about canning. It makes you want to share the wealth!

So check out the site and say it: "Yes, I CAN".  Look at this week's CSA box and I know you will find at least 3 ingredients to preserve. You don't really need any special equipment. Just a CAN do attitude.

What's your favorite thing to preserve? Please share with us here.