If you follow this blog at all you know I enter the county, district, and state fairs every year. I always have 12+ entries into the food preservation class. Last year I won grand champion at the county fair for my dehydrated onions and grand champion at the district fair for my dehydrated strawberries. Of course this isn't quit good enough as I'd love to have something I've actually canned win...nothing can ever be perfect!
This year, as usual, I've done some canning and drying this summer, but now is the month long race to can/pickle/dehydrate what will be entered into the fair. Each weekend until I have to hand in my entries (Aug 30) I'll be canning at least 2 things. I've already done some cinnamon peach chutney that I'll be entering. This weekend I'll be doing bread and butter pickles, which I just started a few minutes ago...
As for my dried entries, I'm finishing up some beef jerky. I've never entered any dehydrated meat, but there aren't that many entries in the category, which is the way I like it...makes individual entries stand out. I'm a vegetarian, so my mom is my guinea pig on this one. She first said it needed more spice, then 10 seconds later changed her mind saying it had a back kick. she just tried it again and apparently its a keeper.
This weekend I'll also be making my Gigi's hot tomato relish. I have plenty of tomatoes! I've been collecting all of the ugly and split tomatoes for this effort. We've had a lot of really hot, dry weather lately, so we have a lot of splits. In the morning a tomato will look like it needs a few more days, return at 7 pm and its red and split.
My dried vegetable will be black krim tomatoes with basil leaves on top. I've been drying these as they come in so I've got several more rounds on tap.
Of course you have to listen to music while you can...I listen to Hair Nation on XM...what do you listen to?
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