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Fresh picked corn in my old washtub.
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One of my favorite things about having a big garden is putting up the produce for the winter.
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Debbie Bosworth
is a certified farmgirl at heart. She’s happily married to her beach bum Yankee husband of 20 years. She went from career gal to being a creative homeschooling mom for two of her biggest blessings and hasn’t looked back since. Debbie left her lifelong home in the high desert of Northern Nevada 10 years ago and washed up on the shore of America’s hometown, Plymouth, MA, where she and her family are now firmly planted. They spend part of each summer in a tiny, off–grid beach cottage named “The Sea Horse.”
“I found a piece of my farmgirl heart when I discovered MaryJanesFarm. Suddenly, everything I loved just made more sense! I enjoy unwinding at the beach, writing, gardening, and turning yard-sale furniture into ‘Painted Ladies’ I’m passionate about living a creative life and encouraging others to ‘make each day their masterpiece.’”
Rebekah Teal
is a “MaryJane Farmgirl” who lives in a large metropolitan area. She is a lawyer who has worked in both criminal defense and prosecution. She has been a judge, a business woman and a stay-at-home mom. In addition to her law degree, she has a Masters of Theological Studies.
“Mustering up the courage to do the things you dream about,” she says, “is the essence of being a MaryJane Farmgirl.” Learning to live more organically and closer to nature is Rebekah’s current pursuit. She finds strength and encouragement through MaryJane’s writings, life, and products. And MaryJane’s Farmgirl Connection provides her a wealth of knowledge from true-blue farmgirls.
Cathi Belcher
an old-fashioned farmgirl with a pioneer spirit, lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a “lifelong learner” in the “Live-Free-or-Die” state, she fiercely values self-reliance, independence, freedom, and fresh mountain air. Married to her childhood sweetheart of 40+ years (a few of them “uphill climbs”), she’s had plenty of time to reinvent herself. From museum curator, restaurant owner, homeschool mom/conference speaker, to post-and-beam house builder and entrepreneur, she’s also a multi-media artist, with an obsession for off-grid living and alternative housing. Cathi owns and operates a 32-room mountain lodge. Her specialty has evolved to include “hermit hospitality” at her rustic cabin in the mountains, where she offers weekend workshops of special interest to women.
“Mountains speak to my soul, and farming is an important part of my heritage. I want to pass on my love of these things to others through my writing. Living in the mountains has its own particular challenges, but I delight in turning them into opportunities from which we can all learn and grow.”
Dori Troutman
Dori Troutman is the daughter of second generation cattle ranchers in New Mexico. She grew up working and playing on the ranch that her grandparents homesteaded in 1928. That ranch, with the old adobe home, is still in the family today. Dori and her husband always yearned for a ranch of their own. That dream came true when they retired to the beautiful green rolling hills of Tennessee. Truly a cattleman’s paradise!
Dori loves all things farmgirl and actually has known no other life but that. She loves to cook, craft, garden, and help with any and all things on their cattle farm.
Mary Murray
describes herself as a goat charmer, chicken whisperer, bee maven, and farmers’ market baker renovating an 1864 farmhouse on an Ohio farm. With a degree in Design, Mary says small-town auctions and country road barn sales "always make my heart skip a beat thinking about what I could create or design out of what I’ve seen.”
Rooted in the countryside, she likes simple things and old ways … gardening, preserving the harvest, cooking, baking, and all things home. While you might find her selling baked goods from the farm’s milkhouse, teaching herself to play the fiddle, or sprucing up a vintage camper named Maizy, you will always find her in an apron!
Mary says, “I’m happiest with the simple country pleasures … an old farmhouse, too many animals, a crackling fire, books to read, and the sound of laughter … these make life just perfect.”
Alexandra Wilson
is a budding rural farmgirl living in Palmer, the agricultural seat of Alaska. Alex is a graduate student at Alaska Pacific University pursuing an M.S. in Outdoor and Environmental Education. She lives and works on the university’s 700 acre environmental education center, Spring Creek Farm. When Alex has time outside of school, she loves to rock climb, repurpose found objects, cross-country ski on the hay fields, travel, practice yoga, and cook with new-fangled ingredients.
Alex grew up near the Twin Cities and went to college in Madison, Wisconsin—both places where perfectly painted barns and rolling green farmland are just a short drive away. After college, she taught at a rural middle school in South Korea where she biked past verdant rice paddies and old women selling home-grown produce from sidewalk stoops. She was introduced to MaryJanesFarm after returning, and found in it what she’d been searching for—a group of incredible women living their lives in ways that benefit their families, their communities, and the greater environment. What an amazing group of farmgirls to be a part of!
Nicole Christensen
Suburban Farmgirl Nicole Christensen calls herself a “vintage enthusiast”. Born and raised in Texas, she has lived most of her life in the picturesque New England suburbs of Connecticut, just a stone’s throw from New York State. An Advanced Master Gardener, she has gardened since childhood, in several states and across numerous planting zones. In addition, she teaches knitting classes, loves to preserve, and raises backyard chickens.
Married over thirty years to her Danish-born sweetheart, Nicole has worked in various fields, been a world-traveler, an entrepreneur and a homemaker, but considers being mom to her now-adult daughter her greatest accomplishment. Loving all things creative, Nicole considers her life’s motto to be “Bloom where you are planted”.
Dori, you are so inspiring! I can’t stand the heat, so this gives me a better way of canning. Outside the heat doesn’t collect in the house as you mentioned. I do a bit of dehydrating, and fortunately once it is set up all I have to do is rotate the shelves periodically. No heat :0)
Our Master Sgt., Marine Corps daughter doesn’t have the time yet to do any canning, but she does a lot of dehydrating. She will be able to retire with 20 years in, next yr. and will only be 37. She looks forward to having the time to do some preserving at that time.
I think it is interesting how an air conditioned house can get so hot when you are canning. I think it must be the large kettles boiling on the stove top and me hustling around the kitchen. And the mess… oh my goodness the mess is horrible. I tend to drip things down my cabinet door fronts and on the floor, etc. But outside on the porch, even in the hottest days of summer it’s not that hot when I’m canning.
How exciting for your daughter to be able to retire at such a young age and have so much to look forward to. And what a wonderful service she has done for us so that WE have the freedom to do things like garden and can. Thank her for me.
Happy summer,
– Dori –
You are just amazing and have such a way with country decorating! Love the enamelware bowls, outdoor canning kitchen, red and white check table cloth, the view, just ALL OF IT…This post just screams SUMMER!!! What time’s dinner?
Hugs,
Deb
Thanks Deb! Dinner is at my daughters tonight! 🙂
I don’t know about the country decorating… I think it’s just country living!
Big hugs, Deb.
– Dori –
Thank you so so much for this tremendous idea! I am in a wheelchair now and canning my garden haul has been almost impossible. With a few adjustments, this idea is going to be perfect for me. Thank you for the huge impact to my life. I just read this to my husband and he is already working the set up out for me!
Lynn,
I’m so excited to think of you being able to be outside canning your garden haul! I sure hadn’t thought about how this would help someone that was in a wheelchair but I can just picture it on my porch and it would be awesome! I’m so happy!!! You’ll have to email me some pictures the first time you get to can! redfeedsack@gmail.com
Thanks for writing and letting me know!
– Dori –
I have MS and the heat just kills me. We are all excited about this idea. I will be happy to send you pictures.
I can’t wait to see what you put together on your porch!
– Dori –
I’ll give you another reason for canning outdoors. I cry so hard I can’t see when I am peeling onions and the outdoors is the only place I can peel them. Thanks for your great pictures of your canning on your wonderful huge porch. Living where you do you also can can a lot earlier than we can. We usually can’t plant until late May or early June. Those tomatoes surely looked yummy.
Bonnie,
Onions never seem to bother me much but wow… that would make a huge difference. Just having the bit of a breeze on the porch would really pull that onion smell away wouldn’t it?
My cucumbers are on their way out already and I forgot to get a second set planted, so I’m going to do that this weekend and hope that they actually come up. I planted the first seeds about the end of April. That is actually a bit early for some things, but it seems to work fine for the cucumbers.
My tomatoes have been very ugly this year – but the flavor is good. So that’s alright!
Happy summer to you!
– Dori –
Not to mention that the outdoor “canning” (I’m from VA) keeps from heating up your house, and that is more eco-friendly as well. I did my fair share of indoor canning in younger kids-at-home days and now miss the good, home canned veggies and knowing that they were more healthy. Maybe the back porch canning is a take-off of olden days when they had “summer kitchens”, although I think that was as much to prevent burning down the entire house if you had an “accident”! The “good old days”? Love your blogs.
Linda,
I think it is interesting that I grew up with Ranching parents and grand-parents and we didn’t do any of our canning outside. We certainly snapped beans, shucked corn, etc outside but not the actual preserving part. Maybe they were so tired of the “good old days” of doing it outside they were thrilled to be inside! 🙂 And now, we are all wanting to get back to the “simpler” way of doing things (smile!).
I hadn’t thought about the eco-friendly part of it but you are so right about that.
Thanks for writing!
– Dori –
Hi Dori,
Thought I would share some memories with you. We had a back porch that was screened in and my Mother used it for just about everything. First she put the ringer washer out there while the tubs (3) went in the kitchen. I use to help pull the close out of the ringer part, then put in the laundry basket to take out side and hang up. At 4-5 I was tall for my age and could reach the wire to hang some of the cloths. Then during canning she had to use the kitchen stove but did everything else that she could out on the porch including letting the jars cool and set up. All day we would hear the pop of the lids. Then the other side of the porch I either stacked the wood in the bins or would cut the wood (when I was over 8) into kindling or regular wood and stack in the bins inside. The porch was also used when my Father shot some kind of fowl or killed some chickens and plucked the feathers and also had buckets of hot water to rinse the fowl in after they were plucked. Such great memories. Thank you for reminding me of them.
Love and hugs to you and your family,
Kay
Hi Kay!
You wrote that so well, I swear I was there! Such wonderful memories. Thank you for sharing!
Big hugs to you friend,
Dori
Great idea. My husband set up our canning kitchen on our screened in porch. Wouldn’t want to do it anywhere else. We’e done this the last couple of years.
Sabrina,
I’d love to hear any suggestions you have learned from your canning kitchen!
– Dori –
Our kitchen is set up that it faces my side yard where I have flower beds. My husband put a double sink in an old table so we could use it for washing the veggies and such. But when the water drains out it goes directly to my flower beds. doing double duty. Now if I could just figure out a way to water my other flower beds and garden.
Dear friend,
I sent the comment without completing it. Could I blame my new tablet? I helped my grandmother and mother “put up” for years. By the way I love that expression and remember Granny using it.
It is rewarding for me to can and freeze. I feel such an accomplishment when everything goes well.
A few years ago, I pressure canned sweet potatoes. My kitchen floor was so sticky. I mopped it three times before it was clean. Do you pressure outside? Also, I made watermelon jelly one year for Christmas gifts. I have canned pinto and great northern beans. These can be opened and warmed or used in soup.
I cut corn off outside . We do not have a roof over the patio. The process of canning and freezing has become rewarding for me.
Carol from middle TN
Hi Carol, I’m pretty sure my grand-mothers both used the term “putting up”! 🙂 Of course here in Middle Tennessee we hear “puttin’ up” don’t we?!
I agree with the reward. I love to look in my pantry at all my canned goods lined up on the shelves. It gives me such a good feeling.
I have never pressure canned sweet potatoes but oh wow I bet they are good. And yes, my entire kitchen would be sticky!!! ha Ha!
Okay, on the instructions that come with the high output propane burners they don’t recommend using a pressure canner. However, I do. I just keep the burners turned down about half way so that it isn’t as high of output. And I’ve had no issues. I suppose that one time someone was using their pressure canner (probably incorrectly) with the high output burner and blew the top off of it, so they have to issue the warning with the instructions. I really think with caution and good sense it isn’t a problem.
Watermelon jelly??? How awesome would that be. I’ve never even heard of it!!! What a fun gift!
– Dori –
Hi Dori…I love you blog & it brings back some memories, but not until I was in my 20’s did I get exposed to canning by way of my mother in law & I just love it the same as all of you.
Now, here is the question of the day. Where do you get the high output propane burners? This looks like a better way to can & pressure cook & will save my burners, which I have had to replace because they burned out with the large canner & it is not recommended to use them on the smooth top stoves.
Pat
Hello Pat,
Thank you for brining that up. I actually meant to mention that in my post and forgot.
I purchased mine at a camping type store – Gander Mountain. However, you can get them at any hardware store, Tractor Supply and even Amazon. I think possibly Lowes and Home Depot carries them also.
Here is a link to the one on Amazon that is like mine: http://www.amazon.com/Camp-Chef-Explorer-EX-280LW-Modular/dp/B0009N0PIA/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1438636573&sr=8-12&keywords=high+output+propane+burner
They are not that expensive really, for what they can do. I think I paid about $150 for mine. That does not include the propane tank.
I have a large gas range in my kitchen and could actually do canning with the large stock pots on my range top; however, it is so much easier on this propane burner… right at the height I need, etc.
Thanks for writing!
– Dori –
Hi, Dorie,
I always enjoy your posts. You mentioned that you would like a sink on your porch and I noticed you have two galvanized “sinks” sitting in their stand in the background of one of your pictures. I have a picture of those made into a beautiful, rustic sink area and can send it to you if you are interested.
Love the idea of canning on the porch — especially in the rain!
Thank you Ruth.
And YES I’d love to see a picture of the wash tubs made into a sink. I’ve seen a few pictures of it done but would like to see the picture you have. I have my hydrangeas planted in there right now because we are working on our landscaping on our hilltop (finally have our completed and time to get a yard in!) so I have them in the washtubs until I have my flower beds ready. But certainly by next spring my husband could turn those tubs into an awesome sink set up!
My email is: redfeedsack@gmail.com
Thanks!!!
– Dori –
Hey Dori,
I too still do canning. My mother taught me too. She even canned chicken, pork and beef. We have a small garden (20 x 20). We have it completely sealed from the ground up with a net over the entire garden to keep all the desert critters from destroying it. Wayne gives most of our tomatoes away to friends but I did get a few jars of tomatoes canned this. But we have an abundance of fruit trees (about 25) and I put up peach, apricot, and fig jam. We have two fig trees and figs are wonderful. We also have orange, kumquat, lemon, lime and grapefruit trees. Your mom gave me her recipe for three fruit — orange, grapefruit and lemon marmalade. It is one of my favorites. My mother always made tomato jam with orange or lemon rind in it. It is an acquired taste, but is my very favorite marmalade. During the winter I just buy one of those small packs of small tomatoes and make me a jar of tomato marmalade. We are getting old or might think about getting Wayne to set up a canning area on our back porch. I have an electric stove and I worry having the big kettle full of jars and having the stove get too hot! So far so good and I have been doing it on this stove for 5+ years. Loved the blog, you are an inspiration.
Love, Marvene
Hi Aunt Marvene,
I love your and Uncle Wayne’s garden and I’m glad that when I went through there last year I saw the early stages of it – I think I was there in March? Or was it February? Anyway, I can at least picture it! 🙂
I love that marmalade that my Mom makes for Dad. Oh does he EVER love it. I need to get the recipe from her actually. Marmalade is definitely an acquired taste, but it is so good on home-made biscuits huh?!
Hugs to Uncle Wayne… sorry I was out of town when you came to KY in July.
– Dori –
I forgot to tell you a really ‘old’ method of canning. When we were in the military in the 1950s (stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky) we wen’t home for Christmas when our son was two months old so all the family in AZ could see him. When we returned (driving) my mother had pork sausage and hamburger patties in crocks to take back to KY. The sausage and hamburger patties we cooked slightly and put into old-fashioned crocks covered in layers with the fat from the pork rendering. Today everyone would be horrified at all that fat, but it kept the sausage and the hamburger patties sealed and we are still alive today even after eating those.
Oh my word, Aunt Marvene. Can you just IMAGINE doing this in today’s world???!!! 🙂 I love thinking about it and thanks for sharing that memory!
Hug,
– Dori –
I just stArted to get produce from. My gArden , so I haven’t started to. …Can, but I put up for winter every year. I freeze and can. I try to stay aheAd of the sezsont, but. I. FIND I give a. It a way..be
Cause. I overwhelmed if. I dont hzve help…..lost my helper
…hubby. pAssed Way……dont.now how I will do my grapes without. Him.s
Susana,
I saw a comment you wrote to Alex, our Rural Farmgirl, about wondering of ways to cook okra. And I wanted to tell you that I grill it. If you don’t use an outdoor propane grill you can do it on the stop top in a skillet. This is what you do: cut the okra in half longways, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and cook on a high temp for just a few minutes. The key is not to overcook it… you want it a tiny bit crunchy still. You can add cherry tomatoes to the skillet too. My husband and I have grilled okra for lunch almost every day in the summer! 🙂
I know living without your husband must be so hard. All of us farm girls think about you a lot.
– Dori –
Good morning! I live in Kentucky and also love to can. I can in my kitchen but you make it sound so good, I may try it outside! Thanks for sharing.
Hello Ellen,
You’ll have to give it a try and let me know what you think! 🙂
– Dori –
Wow, Dori, what a fabulous idea. I’m just learning to garden and only I. Pots for now as we are renting, but I’d love to can one day. I love this outside way of doing it. Very inspiring indeed 🙂
Ok, Dori, this just may get me back into canning. I too do not like be confined inside. I love being on the back porch, so hmmmmm, think I will give it a try. Thanks for sharing a great idea and wonderful post. Be Blessed. (we say puttin up as well back home in La.) Neta
Vivian,
I would rather be outside any day and sometimes the thought of being stuck in a hot kitchen makes me want to cry! So, yeah… I think you’ll love it! Let me know!
– Dori –
I love canning outside. My grandma had a stove in the basement for canning for as long as I knew. I swiped her idea when we built our garage. I looked at pool house ideas and old time (out house was built 1772) summer kitchens. I love it. On hot days dinner is made out there. On humid mornings the tea kettle is boiled out there.
The best part is we made it part of the garden. So produce is picked, washed and processed right there.
Ironically I just rummaged up a board to make a sign from the last blog for my summer kitchen. Once I figure out photos I’ll post one.
We used an explorer 3 camp stove (3 burner).
Hi Rachann,
Can I come visit you?!! 🙂 Your place sounds like a dream and I want to see it! I’ll settle for pictures though! Seriously, I would love to see pictures of your 1772 house and summer kitchen. And the sign! email me pictures: redfeedsack@gmail.com
Dreaming of an old 1772 farmhouse…. sigh.
– Dori –
You have a wonderful setup. I would love a back porch to do that type of work. I have a small porch and would probably do. I do can inside and make jelly and it does get hot but I love canning. I also dehydrate a lot and I use my garage to do it especially onions that really stink up the house. I can’t wait till I retire in a few years and I want to can more for sure. Great idea about those camp burners. I have to try that. Also the beautiful enamel ware is awesome. I love vintage items. Thanks again!!
Rowena,
My vintage enamelware is one of my favorite things I have! Some of the pieces were my grand-mothers and then my Moms and now mine! 🙂
– Dori –
What a great idea to can on your back porch! It just makes a ton of sense and you have a perfect setup for doing so. Plus the wide open space just feels cooler than the confines of walls where it gets hotter and hotter as the hours pass.
Hi Winnie!
And the bird songs… 🙂
– Dori –
I love canning on my porch also. I have a three burner stove and use it for more than just canning in the summer. I cook on my wood cook stove in the winter inside and on the porch on my camp stove in the summer. There is 12 of us, so lots of canning and cooking.
Sharon
I love the idea of outdoor canning (wish I had the view like you). I wonder if I could do it in the burbs? This year I have canned Pickles, Salsa, Tomatoes, Pasta Sauce, Carrots, Green Beans,Jalapenos, Okra,Peach, Strawberry/Kiwi, Fig and Pear preserves.
Do you cook your tomatoes/fruit etc. outside or in your “house” kitchen? Could you can using a pressure canner outdoors also?
Thanks for your advice
Karen
Hi Karen,
I cook my tomatoes, etc outside on the camp stove either in one of the smaller enamelware pots. As for using a pressure canner on the camp stove… the instructions say not to. And I’m sure the reason is because those stoves put out a really high BTU. BUT, that said – I’ve used my pressure canner on the camp stove many, many times with no problems. I’m just careful to keep the burners down to a lower flame. I’ve had no problems.
I would think you could use the camp stove in the city – in some ways it isn’t really any different than using a gas grill.
I haven’t ended up doing as much canning this year as I have in past years as my garden just did not produce like it usually does. Most everything that it produced (except tomatoes) we ate. 🙁
Thanks for writing!
– Dori –
Hi Karen,
Just wanted to let you know that I have two pressure canners I use in my outside kitchen. Never have had any trouble.
Dori; My husband and I recently moved into our new home in outside of Union, West Virginia and it is situated on 3.9 acres. The previous owner planted a huge garden and we get to reap the rewards. I am new to gardening and canning so all I know I have learned from reading. I just canned my first tomatoes and made juice out of them. I have a camp stove like yours except it is a three burner and I bought it through Sportsman’s Guide catalogue. I read in the canning book not to use it because of the high BTU’s, but I think I will try it on a lower setting like you said. Also I have a covered breezeway that I think will make a great canning area once I get everything out of it from the move. Do you have any suggestions for “putting up” zucchini squash. I have more than I know what to do with. I hope to have my “summer kitchen” ready for next year. Thanks
Hi Mickey!
Your new home sounds so lovely and I’m so excited for you! And how exciting that you got to move right in to a producing garden! 🙂 The best gift ever.
A covered breezeway is a great idea for a canning kitchen. Totally perfect.
I have never done any canning of zucchini; however, I have frozen it before. Because I’m not a huge zucchini fan, other than using it in baked goods, what I do is run it through my cheese grater and freeze it flat in a ziplok bag. Then it is ready for zucchini cake, bread, etc… It doesn’t even need to be thawed. And it works great. I know that my mother used to can all sorts of summer vegetable (squash included) all together in a jar for vegetable soup. And it was great. I’ve never done it though.
Thanks for writing!
– Dori –
Thanks for this column. I Have done my canning on my deck for a few years now. It’s pretty hot out there this year (2018) but it’s still rewarding. My son says “that’s dedication”. I thought I might post a couple photos of my stove and “rewards”, butcould’nt make that happen. Any way thank you for writing.
I also love canning outside. We have a basement level patio and that’s where the fun begins. I have a two burner propane cooker. Plus, I have a single burner. Last summer I had three pressure cookers going at the same time. Like you said it’s easy cleanup and I enjoy the outdoors.
Love your outside kitchen. I can in my garage on a fish cooker.
Do you also water bath your green beans, black eye peas and ect.