It’s that time of year when our gardens are really starting to pay us back for the many hours we have spent tilling and watering, weeding and staking.  Blooms are turning into prized produce, and we are thankfully enjoying the fruits of our labor.  Even in you are not is a position to have a garden, the farmers markets are in full swing and the grocery stores have good pricing on mounds of beautiful fresh vegetables and fruits.  It is time to think about preserving some of these treasures for the cold winter months to come. 

Growing up on a farm in the mid-west my family always had a rather large garden, we were fortunate to have the land available to do so.  Being thirty miles from a store it was convenient to have our own produce all summer long, and saved my parents quite a lot of money.  My siblings and I spent many hours during summer vacation from school digging, planting, weeding and watering.  Each afternoon my mother would send one of us kids out to the garden to gather a list of produce for the dinner she was preparing, and I have spent many an hour helping with tasks like shelling peas and husking corn.

Canning always played an important part in our gardening, certain crops were planned especially with the idea of preserving part of them for the winter.  Green beans, beets, corn, tomatoes, and of course cucumbers where planted in large patches in order to have plenty on the table and enough to fill the shelves in the pantry.  As each crop was ready my mother would break out the jars, lids, and rings and get busy.  I am thankful to have had this experience as a child and the knowledge I gained has served me well over the years.

I am not sure where my mother acquired this promotional booklet from the Heinz Company, but I seem to remember it always being around.  I would guess she got it through the Cooperative Extension Service where she was actively involved as a 4-H leader and also worked with the W.I.C. program.  My mother gave this booklet to me years ago after she had given up canning and knew that I had an interest.  I have always had a great appreciation for the wonderful illustrations in this booklet and have always found the information very helpful, after all I would trust the people who make vinegar to know quite a bit about canning.

The booklet is filled with great recipes for all kinds of vegetables and fruits, as well as helpful tips and a good troubleshooting guide.  I have scanned all of the pages and made it available as a PDF that you can download or print if you prefer.