Canning Season Now Open

Ah summer...one of my favourite seasons for food. I love dining al fresco and having barbeques, but most of all I love all the gorgeous fruits and veggies that are in season! What a riot of colours, flavours, textures and shapes!

I find great joy in wandering through farmers' markets, farm stores and produce stores scouring for the freshest produce to stock up on for winter. "Winter?!" I enjoy preserving the flavours of summer by canning. All the fresh fruits and veggies available locally inspire me to pull out the canning pot to make goodies for later.

I started my canning blitz this past weekend. I took advantage of the beginning of cherry season by canning Brandied Cherries. The Okanagan cherries were plump, crimson and larger than I have ever seen. Can't wait to open up a jar of the brandy steeped cherries in the middle of winter!!

As summer progresses, I'll be canning other goodies. I've already frozen over 10 pounds of local strawberries to make various jams in the fall. I'll keep you posted on other canning adventures, tips and recipes!

In the meantime, for more info on canning, please check out Bernadin's excellent home cannng site.