Summer in a jar

With the help of my lovely neighbor Carol, I produced eight pints of peach jam, six pints of peach-tomato salsa, and nine pints of fruit-tomato marmalade this morning.

It is all delicious. I am exhausted. And, as with so many of my domestic endeavors, I have sadly realized that canning, like sewing, afghan crocheting, and building your own furniture, is not a way to save money. After buying the jars, fruit, and hiring a babysitter, I estimate each of these small jars is worth at least $4, not counting my own labor or the cost of canning equipment (I just used my neighbor's). Oh well - it's awfully yummy. And if I did it on a Saturday (with husband, sans babysitter) and re-used these jars, it might be cost-effective too.

One of my domestic efforts that IS saving money (though not calories) is baking my own bread. I am getting pretty good at it, too - see latest effort below.


This is thanks to my new favorite cookbook, "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day". I'm a low-maintenance kind of girl, and their method (mix your ingredients together and stick the dough in the fridge for a week or so, baking as needed) is right up my alley. The crusty boule is great, I'm a wonder with the challah, and a couple varieties of multigrain peasant bread are pretty spiffy, too (and they parbake and freeze well).



That said, my soft pretzels tasted good, but looked NOTHING like soft pretzels. My whole wheat bread in a loaf pan has scorched every time (I think I need an oven thermometer). And my latest effort at oat bread looked like it had melted. It was crusty and tasty, but only about an inch thick. More like oddly crispy focaccia.