I have a serious weakness for green beans. A steaming bowl of tender beans melting on a dollop of butter reminds me of my childhood.
I love the sweet smell and delicate taste of beans. I wish I could enjoy them year-round. Every year I find that their season goes by way too quickly. I never seem to be able to get my fix of them!
So I try to lengthen the season by blanching and freezing some of my harvest. While eating green beans from the garden at the beginning of February is not the same as enjoying them at a picnic at the end of July, frozen beans from my garden feed my hunger for earthy veggies right in the middle of winter. Unfortunately, my freezer is small. It can only take so many bags of beans, which end up competing with all the other produce I freeze! So this year I've decided to get back to canning.
Canning is definitely a practice whose appeal is growing. I have been meeting many gardeners and cooks lately who tell me that they would love to get into canning. Luckily, there are now more and more canning workshops which give enthusiastic cooks the opportunity to learn in a safe environment. Canning within a group is the best way to learn as it creates a fun and rewarding experience.
Martin knows this. That's why he is planning to offer a hands-on canning workshop at the Cavendish Community Centre in Catchacoma on August 20th and 21st from 6 to 9 pm. The workshop will give participants an opportunity to learn both water and pressure canning technics and talk about the possibility of starting a local canning group. What a wonderful idea!
The workshop will include a minimal fee of $10 or less which will be charged to cover the cost of the material and to rent the space. To sign up for the workshop or to find more information, call Martin at 705.657.7039
This event is sponsored by the Peterborough Community Garden Network.
