I have been canning relish today. I read the recipe wrong and anticipated 16 *pints* of relish. Instead, it said *half pints*, so I have a lot less relish and a whole lot of left-over zucchini. Oy! Well, at least I do have 8 pints. I wonder if I would have *meant* to can half pints if I'd feel more successful.
My son just asked if my relish was sweet or dill. He let it slip that he wished it was dill; next time I'll make dill! I'm glad he said something, because I need more suggestions on what to do next with my zucchini. I really want to put as much food away for winter as I can. With food prices going up, I want to save as much money on food as possible. If I run out of bottles I'll visit a thrift store and see if they have any for a lot less money than the grocery stores sell them for. I do have quite a few bottles though, so I think we'll be fine.
The process took pretty near the whole day. I started by trying to get rid of as many of these bugs and eggs as possible:
They are scary looking, aren't they? I think that they look like a triceratops dinosaur! I am always afraid to pick them off of my zucchini plants because they look like they'll bite off my fingers, but they are invading! They are also leaving their eggs all over the bottom of my plants. Unfortunately, when I pick off the eggs I usually make a whole in the leaf. But! the bugs themselves do the same thing, so I guess in the long run I'm avoiding further damage.
I picked the zucchinis after killing the buggers, and at around 1 p.m. I started with the process of canning and finished around 7:30 p.m. For my recipe, you cover the chopped vegies with cold water and let them set for 2 hours, so during that time I took a shower and ran errands. I am just really glad it is done!
I hope that you had a day that you relished, too! (sorry, just being punny!)
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