We've been busy preserving.....

Ryan and I have been busy canning plum jam and shredding zucchini as well as cooking pumpkin for future pies. On Saturday we picked the shiro plums and peeled and pitted them. Then we made the jam with the flesh. It is yummy and tastes like fruit roll ups. Actually, Ryan did most of the work of peeling the plums and sterilizing the jars while I was running around trying to find more jars and a food mill. I found a good one at Bed, Bath and Beyond for about $50. It pitts the fruit and you can choose the texture by selecting different discs. Who doesn't love getting a new kitchen gadget?! I shredded the zucchini on Monday and put four cups of it to a quart sized bag. I freeze it and use it to make zucchini bread. Our tradition is to give out small loaves of zucchini bread at Christmas to our neighbors. Each of the eight bags of zucchini will make four large loafs or 12 small loafs. That means I have enough to make 96 small loafs of bread if I wanted too. I also took our pumpkins and peeled and cooked the flesh. Then I mashed it and put it into freezer containers. I filled five of those containers with 4 cups of pumpkin. Each container will make 2 pies so I have enough to make 10 pumpkin pies! Sydney loves pumpkin pie! Later I will have to get a picture of the pie at Thanksgiving and Zucchini bread at Christmas! This is the first year that we have been serious about preserving the plums so don't think this is a regular occurrence. It is also the first year I have cooked pumpkin for pies. The zucchini I have been freezing for several years now- that's why it is a tradition for us to give away the bread!