Summer time is busy time - and fair results

Garden update:
Squash is producing full-tilt. I already have 8 gallons of sliced squash in the freezer and more coming in every day.
Green beans - earliserve - are past their peak, but Tendergreen green beans (planted later) are growing well and will soon be producing beans.
Bell peppers are producing well. I have 1 gallon of sliced bell peppers in the freezer and have dehydrated several more.
Zucchini and cucumbers (planted later) are growing well and will soon be producing.
Okra got a late start but is now beginning to produce.
Purple hull peas have long pea pods that are still green. They will be ripening very soon.
Tomatoes are producing. I have canned crushed tomatoes, pizza sauce, salsa, and ketchup. I have also dehydrated and ground tomatoes into powder.
Potato plants are starting to die back. We'll keep them in the ground for another few weeks before digging up the potatoes.

I apologize for not blogging very much this past week. But anybody who has a garden knows that this time of year is a busy time. The produce is coming in at near peak and if you plan to put any of it up - canning, freezing or dehydrating - you have to work with it quickly or it will go bad.

Squash is especially precocious. You have to put them up the same day that you pick them. Tomatoes can be set in a sunny window or porch ledge for a day or two, but not much longer. Beans can be put in the fridge for a day.

But either way, you only have a couple of days at best to work with, otherwise you may as well forget trying to preserve the harvest.

That's one reason why it's so important to study up on your canning and preserving methods BEFORE the summer arrives. It would be awful to be right in the middle of trying to can a batch of tomatoes only to discover that you don't have the right equipment, not to mention the waste.

This time of year is also county fair time (at least in my neck of the woods), family reunion time, and summer vacation for the kids. It's a great opportunity to hone your time management skills!

How'd we do at the fair this year?
I entered 11 jars and won 8 ribbons.

THIRD PLACE:
Pickled cauliflower
Blackberry jam
Apple jelly
Elderberry jelly

SECOND PLACE:
White whole kernel corn
Dill pickle spears

FIRST PLACE:
Blackberry jelly
Blackberry preserves

My pears, green beans and apple butter didn't place.

*** Please let me know if you've entered any of your goodies in your local fair - I want to include you in the Victory Canners Hall of Fame! ***