It's Harvest Time

Well, fall is in full swing. While most of the leaves haven't turned colour yet, the temperatures are starting to get cooler. We had to put on our furnace a couple of mornings to help heat up the house. And I think I saw some frost on my neighbour's roof the other day. BRR.

But what I love about fall is that the farmers market is bursting with delicious produce. Last week I bought leeks, beens, squash, apples and carrots. And man, they tasted so yummy. But, as always happens to me, I bought way more produce than what I can possibly use in a week. I get so excited and the prices are so good that before I know it I have carrots coming out of my ear!

This week at my church we had an activity that talked about freezing and dehydrating produce. I always knew you could do that. I even have a dehydrator I have used a few times. But as with anything, family life, kids and other stuff get in the way, and I just don't think about preserving my food using the freezer and dehydrator. I loose the spark. I think that can happen with anything, not just home production. It could happen with sewing, knitting, crocheting, making your own bread. You know how to do it. You have done it in the past. But, the desire to continue to do it or start it up again just isn't there. I think it goes with the whole times and seasons of life thing. You can only do what you can do. And, for the time being that is okay.

Well, for me, going to this activity totally put the spark back in my desire to dehydrate. Yesterday I put on my first batch of carrots on the dehydrator and when I woke up this morning there were little orange bumpily dry carrots waiting for me. How exciting! I have some more carrots that I am going to do today. It will be exciting and the perfect day to do it as my kids are home from school today. I will have two expert peelers.

As I was going to bed last night I was thinking of how my little freezer could be full of local produce that I prepared myself. And I started making a list of all the things I could do. But, I think I need to pull in the reigns a bit. I don't want to take on too much and get overwhelmed and then just quit. Slow and steady, get in a routine and then I'll be in the habit for life.

What type of harvest production do you like to do?