This year I am trying something a bit different. Since I learned to can I have always done that when it comes to tomatoes. This year I do not have a garden so I do not have a large amount to can. I have decided I would like to freeze this year.

The first tip I came across when looking for freezing help was this. It may sound simple, but I had never thought about it. Using electricity for our freezers we have all been told to keep our freezers full. It helps to keep it colder and run more efficiently. But did you know that where your freezer is located will also help you save electricity? Parking your freezer next to your dryer would not be a good thing. Mine now resides out in the garage. Here in Wisconsin I don’t think this will be a problem. Let Mother Nature help keep your freezer cold.

Next purchase some high quality freezer bags or containers. I was in Walmart the other day and was impressed with the wide variety of containers that are out now, just for this purpose. I use a vacuum bag sealer. The bags are heavy duty, and removing the air lowers the chance of freezer burn.

Now that you have the freezer and the containers you need the tomatoes. I purchased mine from a local farmers market. The more you buy usually the cheaper they are.

We often associate canning, pickling and freezing with something our grandmothers or mothers did. All that time in the kitchen, over a hot stove, making sure it was just right so there was no spoilage. We have all heard the stories of the pressure cookers exploding and the walls being covered with tomato sauce.

But does this help us stay green in anyway? Is this something that has been “modernized” to become more effiecent and worth our effort and time?

The answer is yes!

I even read in the local paper on Sunday how using our freezers to preserve food was becoming the in thing with the economy headed the way that it is.

So how does one go about this? How do we can or freeze or pickle? Well if you were like me and didn’t learn at Grandma’s knee, then you start your research. There are many good sources on the internet for all sorts of food preserving.

My all time favorite and probably the American Standard is Ball Blue Book of Preserving This is the book put out by the people who make the canning jars. It never fails that I always make my way back to this handy reference. It covers from pickles to jams and just about everything in between.

I have to admit that fall is my favorite time of the year. I love all the fresh produce that surrounds us. This year we have an apple tree in our backyard. My mind is full of home made apple pies, apple sauce and apple butter. Then pumpkins. Think of it, pumpkin pies, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin chocolate chunk bread. Are you hungry yet?

I love to make things from scratch. I save a lot of money in my monthly grocery bills do to the fact that I cook and bake many of our family meals from scratch. It may be a bit more time consuming, but it is well worth the effort. I can tell you ever ingredient that goes into my apple butter. Right from Grandma’s recipe too. Nothing in the world can top that. Eaten on warm from the oven sweet corn rolls. Yum yum. While it may not be in the nutritional column it is far from bad for you. No preservatives, limited salt. And guess what? I can actually pronounce every single ingredient I used!

Take time this fall to put all the wonderful produce to good use. You don’t have to be a master pastry chef to whip up an apple pie from scratch. Remember too that it is not what it looks like, but how it taste that counts!