One Jar

There is but one lone quart jar sitting on my shelf downstairs in the basement. This one in particular is old and a blue mason jar, a hard to find piece. It is not good for canning, because the neck of the jar is a little short, making it hard for the jar to seal, so I cannot use it for canning. This is the first year I have used almost all of my jars. I might have one more thing to do and that is potatoes, if there are enough for me, but that means I'll actually have to buy some. It's so great to walk downstairs to see my full shelves for our family. It's a lot of hard work, lots of burns, as I even endured one today when I was canning applesauce. But the last of the jars means the end of the summer for us. I know it's October, but the canning season is officially over, so summer is officially done. Now we get to enjoy the bountiful harvest that God provided for our family all throughout the winter, spring and into the summer. And next year will be around the corner before we blink. I just wanted to count and see where all those jars went, so I tallied everything up and here's the final score for canning this year:
6 quarts of applesauce
16.5 quarts of green beans
12 quarts of dilly beans
12 quarts of tomato soup
10.5 quarts of peaches
14 quarts of carrots
11 quarts of tomato juice
39 quarts of grape juice
16 quarts of tomato sauce
12 quarts of apple pie filling
We also put away sauerkraut in our freezer, we have 10, but as a family (with Kyle's parents, grandparents and  brother, we put away 81 quarts)
I can't remember how many quarts of corn I have...

So the total without the corn: 137 quarts of homegrown love!!
I am so thankful that we are able to do this every year. I really enjoy it! The only thing I did not do this year was strawberry jam, but I added this year apple pie filling and peaches!
What a blessing that God has provided us!!
How did you do with your harvest this year?

Being Green

What does "being green" look like to you in the world today? Well for starters, it's the fact that the term litter has become more obsolete since I was a child. My daughter and I were looking through our favorite Richard Scarry book, The Best Word Book Ever and on the city page a key word to learn was litter. Wow, that part of the book would never be shown today! I remember the commercials of the crying American Indian of the litter he saw on his land. I remember getting gum wrappers when they first started showing "Do No Litter" or basically a "How-To" on re-using a gum wrapper to wrap up your used gum after you discard it, rather than throwing it on the ground, which is one of the most annoying things...guaranteed my shoes would find that gum! Eww! What a mess. 
I too am trying to become more green. I know I probably do not do the best job, as I am just more starting a little at a time. Last year for Mother's Day or my birthday (wow, I  can't even remember) I asked for a clothesline! And I got one. I loved hanging my clothes out. My daughter would be playing in her sandbox while I hung up or took down a basket of clothes. I would throw my clothes in the dryer afterward just to get any bugs (ew!) or fluff them up a bit (not too keen on stiff sheets and towels). I loved that and I can't wait to do it again this summer.
I also no longer buy bottled water, unless we happen to be on the road and we forgot our water bottles. We have a Brita dispenser in our refrigerator and our tap water tastes better and it's cold!! I absolutely love cold water! 
I also can in the summer, reuse my jars and rings. The only thing I have to buy each year are new lids. Other than that, I am saving money by canning my own veggies, soup and jam. (There, of course, are still things I must buy from the store, but I am saving on some things--it's a start!)
I recently started making my own laundry soap. I have already saved my family $40.00 since I started making the soap in December. Every time I fill up my container, that's ten more dollars we are keeping in our home!! That is so exciting to me and I will always make my own.
I just yesterday found a recipe for making my own oven cleaner, since my oven does not have the awesome self-clean button. I couldn't find a coupon for the oven cleaner I normally use, and I was dreading the smell, use of gloves and worry I would get it on my skin or on my kids skin. Instead, I decided to find one  that allowed me to not use the normal oven cleaner! I found this great website: http://beingfrugal.net/2008/03/25/save-money-frugal-homemade-cleaners/
Tonight I plan on trying this new oven cleaner! I can't wait, as my oven is very dirty. I'll let you know how it goes.
This is just a start of ways to save our environment. What small steps are you taking this year to help your environment?

Canning Green Beans

Well the time is amoung us! It's canning time at the Gantz home!! It seems once we start, veggies are ready in the garden in the matter of days apart! I have several posts to do from the last two weeks that we have done, but I could not find the time to write and can at the same time...so you'll receive these posts separately but probably in the matter of today or tomorrow.

Kyle and I went out and picked green beans one day and we have a little over a half a row. This is a good year for green beans, as our first picking we yielded 2 Wal-mart bags full=one 8 quart kettle overflowing of snapped green beans! To can green beans, I would suggest getting a pressure cooker canner and using 10 pounds of pressure for the canner (follow directions in the caning book). For the canner, once the canner starts to steam/bobble starts to jiggle vigorously, then you start timing for 20 minutes. After a good 20 minutes of jiggle, turn off the burner and let set for 45 minutes or until pressure is released from canner. If you are using a water-bath canner, this will take you 3 hours! (So invest in a canner--I think this will be on my Christmas list this year!! or borrow from a family member--thanks Jamie! or friend).

To prep, clean your jars and rings in hot soapy water, rinse clean. If these are new cans, you are set, but each time you re-use a can you will have to purchase new lids, as they will not seal again once they have been used. The lids are generally between $1.00-$2.00 for a set of 12 depending on if you need small or wide-mouth lids.

Out of my overflowing 8 quart kettle of snapped green beans, it yielded 25 pints and 1 quart of green beans. I decided to go with pints, because I have a ton of pint jars and need to save my quarts for tomato soup, grape juice, etc.

For the green beans, you will need salt, green beans and water to can.

1. Cut off ends of green beans and snap into 1 inch pieces. These do not have to be precise, as we worked together as a family. My 3-year-old helped too!! (This is a great way to get your kids in the kitchen to help you prep for the canning!! They enjoy being apart of the project as well!! And the more you do together, the more fun you have and great memories are made!!). I generally stop up my sink on both sides, pour my snapped beans into one side and rinse them and pour them into the other side, repeat twice and you'll have clean beans!

2. Pack green beans into a clean jar.

3. Pour salt over the beans (1/4 tsp. per jar of salt for pints, 1/2 tsp. per jar of salt for quarts)

4. Boil water on the stove, once boiling, pour water over beans, leaving one inch of head room at the top (meaning I usually stop at the bottom of the neck of the jar, if my beans are a little taller I just make sure they are covered, but do leave some space at the top). Be sure to use a canning funnel (it fits into your cans and will prevent spills and burns). Use your sink to pour the boiling water into the cans.

5. Put lids on top and put rings on tight.

6. Fill canner with amount of cans canner can hold according to directions. (If you are using a pressure cooker canner, be sure to put in 1 Tablespoon of vinegar to keep calcium levels down.)

7. Follow directions above depending on which canner you are using!

8. When cans are done, use pot holders and jar lifter (below) to pull cans out of canner.

9. Let cool and let the cans set on your counter before storing for 24 hours. You should instantly start to hear seals pop. You will be able to tell if your cans have sealed, by feeling if there is a bubble in the top of your can lids. If there is a bubble, you will have to recan them. If it is flat, they have sealed. I had two that did not seal, so I just set them in my refrigerator to use soon.

How fun is it to do something as a family!! What a blessing it is to can the veggies that God has given us! I am so grateful for the learning from my grandparents and Kyle's family on how to do this and the blessings it brings to my family! As I am doing each vegetable, I am amazed at how amazing God's creation is. How different each individual vegetable is by color, by taste, by appearance!! How could anyone not believe in God?? That is beyond me!! What an amazing God we serve!!

Happy Canning!

What to do with a bucket...or two...of strawberries

Summer is one of my favorite times of year...especially strawberry and raspberry season. Though the weather, depending on the Ohio day, can very steamy and muggy and sticky, I love going with my husband and my kids and pick raspberries and strawberries. Raspberries are more adventuresome, considering the ones we generally pick are wild...so I love the adventure and it reminds me of the time of year (usually around the 4th of July) when my husband and I got engaged and our anniversary (July 3rd). Well, anyway, I thought I might share what I have done with our strawberries we have picked this year. First of all, I am hoping to have a good crop of strawberries next year, as my little girl bought me 6 plants for Mother's Day (with the help of my awesome Mom-in-law). We have already enjoyed a few fruits this year, but next year there should be much more! I can't wait! For our strawberries, we generally go to Wengers Produce. The land they farm on is the land rented from Kyle's Granddad's land, so it is right down the road from their home. If you do not have a close produce stand in your county, check out a local farmer's markets, generally they are held on Saturday Mornings, and there are lots of fun items there. At our Logan County Farmer's Market, we currently have maple syrup, local honey, locally made cheese, pastries, flowers and strawberries. As the summer goes on there will be other veggies and fruits available!

My family and I went out a couple of weeks ago to pick a couple buckets of strawberries. Needless to say it was an adventure to go with a 3 year old and 4 month old, but we had fun and we will have those memories! The strawberries were juicy, a vibrant bright red and ready to be picked. We brought our strawberries home and made some yummy things with them!

One of the first things we made was Freezer Strawberry Jam! My husband loves peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches (I am just a peanut butter fan!) and he has those throughout the year for lunch, my daughter has started to love them too! Jam can be used for many fun recipes, which I am planning on sharing with you as well!! One of the best parts about doing the freezer jam is there is no cooking and no processing of the jars, so you can use any jar!! I save all my jars I use throughout the year, for example, olive, pickles, salsa, jelly jars, again any jar can be used since you do not have to have a seal!

Here is how to make yummy freezer jam:

First you need to buy Surejell Certo Premium Liquid Fruit Pectin (this recipe can be found on the inside packet, as this is their freezer jam recipe). (I use the liquid, because with the powder, you have to boil water, and with two kids, I like the easier methods the best and again I am sticking with the no cooking method!!) There is a lot of sugar in this recipe, but there are also other types of Surejell you can buy that are Reduced Sugar, just look where they sell your Surejell, which can be found in the bakery aisle. For each recipe of jam, you will need one pouch of liquid pectin per recipe.

You will need 2 pints of strawberries, whole to start with. Out of the 2 pints you will need 2 cups of squashed strawberries (after squishing them with my hands the first time, I used my immersion blender--thanks to my hubby's idea!!)

You will need 4 cups of sugar (yes I said 4 cups of sugar!!)

Also, the recipe calls for 2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. I forgot to buy lemons, so I used my refrigerated lemon juice, which worked perfectly.

First thing you do is get your strawberries to a good consistency and measure out 2 cups. You will add your 4 cups of sugar, mix well and let them set up for 10 minutes, stirring every couple minutes to make sure your sugar gets mixed in well.

Pour your Surejell Certo Premium Liquid Fruit Pectin into a small bowl and add the 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice, mix well.

After the 10 minutes is up, add the Surejell and lemon juice to the mixture and stir for 3 minutes.

Then pour into clean jars with lids. You will have to set your jars on the counter for 24 hours to set before putting them into your freezer.

One batch of Strawberry Freezer Jam usually yields 2.5 regular pint jars (ball or mason), you may get more or less jars per batch if you are using other various sizes of jars.

The First Post

This week I turned 30--yes the Big 3-0! And considering my love for creative writing I thought what better way to celebrate my venture into the new decade marked with 3's than to venture into the world of blogging. However, I have been unsure of what to even write about or even how long my entries should be. I am not a big picture person, so looking at what this whole blog should be about is a hard one for me. Let me break it down: looking at the title, A Glantz in Time, our last name is Gantz, so a lot of what I am writing will be about my family, what it is like to be a Mama and wife, my two favorite things in the world and I am so thankful that God has given me this great gift. Another thought is to encourage anyone who reads what I am writing with God's Word and what I am learning from reading His Word.

This summer I am planning on writing about canning. It's a blessing to be given a garden full of vegetables and fruit to save for the winter. I have the opportunity to work with my Mom-in-law and my sister-in-law, almost every Friday of the end of the summer to save yummy produce to enjoy all winter. When I was a child, I would can greasy beans and freeze sweet corn with my grandparents. Every summer I think of them and the memories of spending a week in the summer in Tennessee with them as I am canning and freezing produce for my family. I am thankful that my grandparents taught me to have a garden and grow our own food, it's so much better than store-bought, and to save the fruits of your labor. I am so thankful that God has given us ground to work with and the blessing of His crops to give to our family. Kyle's grandparents let us use part of their garden to plant in. We get to help care for the garden and plant our own veggies.

I may not write everyday, but I am hoping once a week. We'll see how this new venture goes...til next time!