Why Do WE have Fans Running in December

Today was "work in the kitchen day" at our home....We had lots that we had to do. We had been graciously given some venison, peaches, tomatoes, key limes, jalapenos, and bell peppers . Plus, we had stock made from our left over turkey that needed to be canned. So, we got up ready to get to work...at least some of us did, while others got into the groove after a few minutes and a cup or two of coffee.

Needless to say, it got really warm in the kitchen really fast with a room full of people, the cook stove running, and the fireplace blazing.

Here is what took place.


The guys were designated the breakfast area as their prep station. Where they washed, trimmed, cut, ground and packaged the venison meat. They did a fantastic job.'

We ended up with 21 quart packages of ground venison, 8 packages of either back-strap or tenderloin, and we have about 8 pounds of meat marinating in the fridge to make Jerky out of.



This is down the main work area of our kitchen. We had a lot of things happening at the same time. Here My Knight is getting venison from a cooler to grind and package. On the stove is jam cooking and broth/stock being processed in the pressure canner. In the large kettle next to the PC, is pints jars of both in a "holding tank of warm water" waiting to be pressured. In the second black kettle is peach peelings, waiting to be cooked down to peach juice. Finally in the sink, are the peaches that are being washed, peeled, and chopped for peach jam and butter.

 Our daughter loves to "can", yet today she had to set out. As she is studying for the ACT test. She only has a few more days to practice and study before taking the test. So, we gave her the day off from canning. Even though she would have loved to be in on the whole process. 

Side Note: She is doing a presentation this week for FCLA competition called "Leukemia - We "CAN" make a difference. More on that after her presentation is judged.

Here are the final "canned" products. Left to right: 3 quarts and 1 pint Peach Juice, 5 pints Tomatoes and Onions, 4 half-pints and 3 pints Peach Butter, 2 half-pints and 3 pints Peach Almond Jam, 5 half-pints and 1 pint Peach Raspberry Lavender Jam, 8 pints and 5 quarts of Broth.

I will share recipes for the Peach Jams and Butter in upcoming posts.

Happy Canning,