What year is it?

Lately I have been trying my hand at home canning. I want to make Hudson's baby food like I did Jackson's but he'll be starting solid foods at a time when fresh fruits won't be local and affordable. I ran into the same problem with Jackson. I ended up using frozen fruits and some dried fruits. I didn't want to do that this time so I decided to make the purees and can them. 

I read about canning on the internet and found that for baby food you have to use the pressure canning method so I bought a pressure canner. I bought about 20 pounds of fresh, ripe fruit and got to work. It took me an entire day but I ended up with 24 half pint jars of baby food. I did pears, plums, peaches, apricots, and berries. 

On the baby food websites it says that making your own baby food saves money over store bought baby food. I can tell you that I have not saved a cent! By the time I bought the canner, jars, and organic produce I probably could have bought 1,000 jars of baby food. However, saving money is not my goal; I want to know that my baby is eating the best foods I can provide for him. Making my own baby food lets me know exactly what's in the jar and as he grows I can introduce him to lots of flavors and textures that aren't available in the baby food aisle. 

Last week I also did some canning for Keith's grandfather. I did beef vegetable soup and some vegetables. It's been interesting trying new things in the canner. Next year we plan to plant a bigger garden and do some vegetables, soups, and sauces. That'll be no problem with 2 toddlers, right?