The ketchup cooked all day until it was nice and thick!
I ended up with 6 Half Pints and 1 Pint of Ketchup!!
While the ketchup was cooking, Erin had posted a challenge called "Medicine Cabinet".
I know I'm the last person to be issuing demands and challenges since I've been such a bad blogger lately, but since I put up the kitchen photo and it is that time of year, how 'bout you share a photo of where you do your canning and a photo of what you have stashed away so far? I'll call this the "Medicine Cabinet" challenge, because you have to admit that for us like minded folks looking at photos of other's canning spaces and under-bed storage pantries is like other peoples' fascination with medicine cabinets!
Here's what my place looked like on Labor Day Monday.
View of part of the island and kitchen
At the other end of the kitchen.
Doesn't everyone have their computer in the kitchen and veggies everywhere??
There's even canning jars under the table on a chair!
The ketchup cooking at it's earlier stage before it was transferred into a different pot.
Don't you like our recycling center?? A bag hanging on a knob and a box for the paper???
This is the cupboard in the basement....
and the other side.....
I started stashing tomatoes on another shelf downstairs. That shelf will have to be reorganized soon to accommodate the rest of "The Italian's" tomatoes!!
While I was down there taking pics, I took this pic of the chest freezer and all it's frost!!
So, I defrosted it , reorganized and it's still full!!
There are also two side by side refrigerator/freezers, garlic hanging and potatoes stored in baskets.
I think you get the picture!!
What's been going in or out of your Cupboard lately.....and how's your mess???
Oh you have just reminded me that I need to defrost the freezer. I should have done it months ago.
ReplyDeleteDaphne, I am pleased that this post motivated you to defrost your freezer! I had been putting my off in hopes of "The Italian" doing it!
DeleteWow, it sounds like you got a ton of work done this weekend! I'm so glad that you got to make the ketchup. Defrosting and reorganizing the freezer is also a lot of work. I did that the other day - although mine is half the size of yours - and realized we really need a bigger one.
ReplyDeleteWe are very happy about the ketchup. I didn't make any last year. As you can see, I think we need a bigger freezer too!
DeleteGosh, I am thinking I would rather post pics of our medicine cabinet than to show our messy kitchen. Yours looks pretty organized!
ReplyDeleteDave, the kitchen looks much better in the pictures! It's always a hot mess during canning season.
DeleteThat pantry looks awesome! I wish I was so clean and oraganized as you :) But my pantry is also slowly filling out so just need to shuffle it a bit and put labels on jars to see what's what :)
ReplyDeleteJenny, Believe me when I say that nothing is very clean around here right now!
DeleteRobin, know the feeling of the kitchen pictures. When I was working mine looked the same way this time of year. Since I am retired I am able to harvest and get things put up the same day or the day after. However, there are 2 canners sitting here in a chair and about 5 cases of empty jars ready to be used sitting on the floor. I had to go buy more jars so wasn't about to haul them to the basement and back up. If I get some time today will try to get a picture of my 2 freezers and post a separate post. My freezers however are all meat.
ReplyDeletewilderness, my canner spends a lot of time on a chair or on the kitchen floor, this time of the year. "The Italian" occasionally suggests that I put it away. Then I just give him a look :)
DeleteI don't can so no canning closet to show off. I suppose I could take a photo of the freezer. This year with the food saver I've frozen so many bags of tomatoes and made so much sauce. We will be enjoying our tomatoes all winter.
ReplyDeleteWe are all going to be very happy this winter with all our stored goods!!
DeleteI have a tiny, very in need of updating, kitchen. The canned goods are in multiple places but the majority are in what was intended to be a linen closet. Like you the freezer is overflowing at the moment. Was actually recently thinking about buying a second chest freezer as a back up and overflow to my very large upright freezer (which is getting quite old now). Just cannot figure out where I would put it so I stopped giving it so much thought! LOL!
ReplyDeleteYour kitchen is gorgeous and your pantry and freezers are very organized and beautiful. Properly put by food stores are beautiful and comforting to look at.
Thanks Laura, I think my kitchen looks bigger in the photos. It is the biggest one I have ever had even though I think I need one twice this size!
DeleteYou have a very nice kitchen and I think the added produce, jars, and kettles on the chairs adds a nice touch :) I don't dare take pictures of my kitchen right now. It is a mess and will be for another few weeks. Love your cupboard filled with jars.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rachel, it's very difficult to cook a meal this time of the year with produce taking up every inch of space!
DeleteIf I had anything to can, my kitchen would be a mess too (and I have, in the past, shown what a mess I can make)! Sheesh, I don't think I'll ever get enough ripe tomatoes to do any serious canning. I love the looks of your kitchen. I was just wondering, how do you manage to work with one shoe on and one shoe off?
ReplyDeleteGranny, I had both shoes off! The other one was somewhere!!! I was wondering if anyone would notice the shoe!
DeleteI covet your canning cupboard! I have a tiny area in a room divider to store my bounty ... which isn't all that bountiful!
ReplyDeleteThanks Tammy, I keep most of my stored goods in the basement. Thank heavens for the basement!
DeleteI have a whole spare room full of food, kitchen stuff and basic junk. It looks a whole lot worse than one bag and box, lol. Oh and my freezer--it was only defrosted once by accident. We have had it several years now. I don't dare take anything out of it now that we got the pig in, takes forever to get anything back in. I'll take from the little freezer first, lol.
ReplyDeleteBecky, I store my winter squash under the bed on the third floor. When I get around to hauling it up there! You are so lucky to have that nice fresh pork!! Yum!!
DeleteWow! Amazing!!!! I'm aiming to have a big enough garden so that I can preserve all our groceries and be more self-sustainable!! Thank you for the inspiration!!! :)
ReplyDeleteYour welcome Sheila, and thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI left a message earlier, but it has disappeared. Nice mess, feels like home! Love the tomatoes. Mine are slowing down quite a bit.
ReplyDeleteLangela, I'm glad you enjoy my mess! I don't know what happened to your earlier message, it wasn't in the spam.
DeleteMy kitchen table is covered with a lap top and veggies...lol After seeing your pics I don't feel so strange..LOL
ReplyDeleteEverything looks great!
Mrs.P, where else would one have their computer??
Deleteohhh, simplemente maravilloso. Cuantas conservas!! felicidades
ReplyDeleteThanks Monica!
DeleteBeautiful kitchen, pantry cabinet full of canning, freezer and home.
ReplyDeleteI have very few cabinets in my kitchen therefore, we put up commercial shelving units on one wall in the kitchen. This is where I stack my stash of flour, sugar, canned items (from the grocery), beans, salts, vinegar ect.... My canning jars are stacked on one side of the shelving unit waiting to be used for canning. As for canning, I have two cabinets with stacked jam/jelly and vegetables. I need to get off my butt and make my tomatoes sauces and soups.
Thanks Sandy, We are very lucky to have a nice big basement. "The Italian" has lots of shelves down there filled up with tons of stuff.....mostly kitchen stuff and stores.
DeleteYou have a nice large kitchen. The ketsup looks pretty and yummy. I have never tried making it but remember my aunt making it and I loved it on a slice of bread! Nice storage area of food for this winter! Nancy
ReplyDeleteNancy, the ketchup is absolutely wonderful! It was definitely worth all the work! You should give it a try sometime.
DeleteHow can one have a neat kitchen during harvesting and canning season? If it is neat that would mean poor harvest, not a pleasant thought.
ReplyDeleteNorma, you're right! There is no way!! Yippee for the mess!
DeleteSo I got you to reorganize your freezer? LOL! Seriously, your kitchen is beautiful! Love all those tomatoes everywhere, it looks like a busy place filled with love :) Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteErin, yes, you got me to defrost and reorganize my freezer! This was a lot of fun!!
DeleteLove the sneak look into your kitchen Robin, LOVE your big cooker and all your preserves look beautiful stacked into the lovely timber pantry. The Ketchup looks pretty good too! sick of tomatoes yet?
ReplyDeleteThanks Andrea, No, I'm not sick of tomatoes yet. Maybe I'll be sick of canning them by next week!
DeleteI loved looking in at your beautiful kitchen to see where all the magic occurs, Robin. I can't reciprocate yet since I've been mia for months on end. Slowing down or just too much to do... not sure which it is. I finally got 3 quarts of sauce made today and that is a first; our tomato harvest is practically nil compared to last year, but we'll take what we can get. Hope all is well.
ReplyDelete