This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
We bought this tiny little sweet basil plant this spring for a few dollars. It has doubled and even tripled in size, and we’ve picked so many leaves off of it. It is delicious in pesto sauce, marinara and spaghetti sauce, soups, or other Italian dishes.
It also freezes very well, so I picked some and froze several bags.
And it just keeps reproducing! I just found this delicious pesto recipe on Julia’s blog, which would also be great for preserving basil. I’d like to try it soon.
I also have quite a bit of chicken stock in the freezer. It will be great to have on hand for cold and flu season.
And we also bought 1/4 of a grass-fed cow from a local farmer and friend.
I really love to can things, but our central air conditioner is broken (struck by lightning last week), and it would make our kitchen too hot. I was hoping to be able to can some tomatoes, as my parents have a lot of them right now, but without air conditioning I don’t think it would be bearable. It’s almost 100 degrees in my kitchen right now (seriously). I can see now why some older farmhouses had a “summer kitchen,” which would keep the main part of the house from getting so hot.
So, that’s a little bit of food preservation over the last few weeks. So much more to do!
Dropped by your site via Mrs. Rabe. Love this blog and will be back often. Even though I am retired, I will certainly pass along your site to those homeschooling moms I know. You have so much useful information. I really want to a better job with organic gardening in the Sonoran Desert, Arizona which has been a challenge for me. I will be spending more time here at your site. Love the quilts on your site. Have a blessed weekend.
Dear Gen~
Thank you so much for visiting and for your kind words! I'm thankful if you found something useful or encouraging here. To God be the glory. 🙂 I hope you have a great weekend!
April~
Thanks!
Hi,
Thank you for stopping by our blog.
I'm following you back.
April
Ramona~
Thanks for stopping by and following!
Hi Karen Lynn~
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I'll have to try freezing the pesto…it sounds great!
Deanna~
That's a great idea! I know Sarah (From As Lilies) has canned some things outside before. We talked to a repairman who was waiting for a part to come in before he can fix our air conditioner (it's an underground heat pump). He's hopeful the part will arrive Monday and he can fix it that afternoon (I sure hope so!). Hope you are staying safe and have a nice weekend!
Joy,
Would you be able to use a camping stove or something outside to can your tomatoes? Kind of make your own Summer Kitchen….
Deanna
I have made tons of pesto this summer! Definitely worth making….and so good on pasta in the middle of winter! Love seeing your freezer processes!
Thanks for joining me at Create With Joy. I'm delighted to follow you back!
Look forward to getting to know you!
Ramona
https://create-with-joy.com
Frugal in WV~
Thanks for visiting and following!
Mona~
Thank you so much for the suggestion to freeze tomatoes. That is very helpful to know, as I've never done that before!
You can freeze tomatoes too. I cut of the top and then put the whole tomato in a freezer bag. You just pull out the tomatoes as you need them for sauces and such.
I really wish I had bought a basil plant.
I made a bunch of chicken stock which I pressure canned last week 🙂 Homemade stock is the best. Your basil looks great! New follower from the friday hop, have a great weekend! You can find me at
https://wvfrugal-wvsaver.blogspot.com/