It took a little while for our tomatoes to kick into high-gear, but once July flipped the thermostat to HOT, they took off with cheerful gusto. {I’m glad someone and/or something enjoyed the two months of nonstop sweltering. The peppers have also flourished}. Nothing tastes like a fresh tomato, and we ate our share for sure. Sliced on paninis and burgers, baked with onions and peppers and cheese {so much yum}, and diced into garden pasta salad. All the summer flavors.

And there were still tomatoes. Enough to share with family and friends {and the occasional rabbit or other nocturnal garden visitors}. And still the harvest continued. So, in true farmstead fashion, we canned – with a little help from our sweet neighbor-cousin.

Last year was my first time canning tomatoes, and it was definitely a learning curve experience. Things went smoother this year: we planned everything out before we started, I now knew what I was doing while helping, and we were able to knock out 7-quarts of canned tomatoes in under 3 hours. That’s what I call a successful canning session.

To the uninitiated, canning may seem like a lot of {hot and steamy} effort for not a lot of gain. But there is nothing like opening a jar of homegrown tomatoes to make a comforting batch of soup or chili in the winter. Summer in a jar, my friends, summer in a jar.

Do you can or otherwise preserve garden goodness? Got any tips or tricks you’d like to share? What is your favorite summer flavor to savor in the winter?