Pop, Pop, Pop

It's been a very long time since I have done any summer jam or fall canning.  Before parenthood I would spend forever making all kinds of jam, pickles and relish.  I even made jars of dilled garlic for the guys in the hunt camp.  They used to fight over the garlic in the jars of dills, so I used the same recipe and made the pickled garlic.  It has been a long time since I have done any of this and I LOVE the sound of the jars popping as they seal.  While on vacation this summer my aunt gave me a jar of green relish.  It's a recipe that my grandmother found in her house when she and my grandfather married.  I can remember being a kid and her making the relish, she teased me once that the leftover half jar of relish with no lid was the one I would have to hold all the way home.  I was more than ready to hold it for the 6 hour drive.  She of course was teasing and I got a mason jar with a lid to bring home!  After getting some from my aunt and then making tartar sauce with it for a fish fry I remembered how much I loved the taste of it and decided to make some.  I figured, why stop there.  I made Lady Eaton Relish and the Tomato Jam.
14 tomatoes with sugar, vinegar and some spices got me 2 jars of jam, so I think I'll have to get a few more baskets of tomatoes and some smaller jars.

While I was making this stuff today I had one of my bright ideas!  Homemade Christmas.  I have a little over 3 months and numerous gifts to make so I am thinking that everyone just might get something homemade this year.  I can knit, make jewelery, wine charms and preserves.  So seeing as how my blog is relatively new and very few people actually know who I am and that I am blogging I am thinking that I'll share the things that I am making as I go along, provide recipes, photos and patterns....

Wonder if I can do it!  A few years ago this blogger did it, Here is some of what she did one year...I think it's a great idea!! And if you know who I am....keep my secret..OK?

Green Tomato Relish, Lady Eaton Relish and Tomato Jam!