A Farmers Wife?

I have to say I am very proud of myself! Today was the first time I have ever attempted preserving/canning something! I made Tomato Relish and it was great success. I was not entirely convinced it would be!

I did quite a bit of research and read a fair few recipes and finally settled on one. Then all that was left to do was jump right in!

I am really pleased with how it turned out, and everyone who had it, still warm from the pot on the freshly baked crusty loaf I made, loved it too! Hooray! So now I have a little collection of jars, beautifully packaged and filled with tomatoey goodness. The packaging was a very thoughtful gift from my dear Sister-In-Law, Didi.

I must admit that I am a little addicted, throughout the two day process I got to thinking what it would be like to to this as a matter of survival, i.e. if I were the wife of a farmer in a rural location where the nearest grocery store is 6 hours away. I'd like to think that I would enjoy it, using seasonal produce, no wastage and having a pantry packed to the brim with jars of preserves all home made! Perhaps one day it will be a reality for me and I shall see just how 'relaxing' it really is when I am surrounded by mountains of produce, empty jars and days of boiling, bottling and labelling ahead of me!

For now I am happy with my 10 jars of relish and look forward to the next session, whenever that may be!