I think I have jam coming out of my ears, but I'm done. I processed 4 more pints and 1 more 12 ounce jar of strawberry jam today and I am finally out of berries. It is interesting how the same amount of ingredients do not always produce the same amount of jam. I've been at it for four days now, but it is totally worth it and my half a pantry shelf of gorgeous jam and jelly is beautifully jewel-toned, but did I mention that canning is hot, sweaty work? Because if I didn't it is hot. And sweaty. And work. But I should not have to make jam again for a week.

One batch of raspberries will be enough (most will be Christmas gifts) and if the chickens eat the rest, well, I won't tell anyone. And then after that no more jam until mid-August when the blackberries and blueberries are ripe. And then that shelf will be completely full of jam, jelly, and home-canned fruit. And maybe the next one, too.

I will love this in the late fall and winter when local, organic fruit isn't readily available. I am really trying to reduce most of our food needs to the 100 mile food-shed (well 50 miles for most of it). Except citrus and seafood. I will allow California for oranges and anything West coast for wild fish. And Hawaii for pineapples and sugar, because I mean come on.

I have been reading a farm blog that has a climate very similar to ours and she has a big garden and overwinters cabbage and kale. Some of the outer leaves get damaged but the inside ball of cabbage makes it just fine year after year. We have kale growing but I wasn't going to plant cabbage being as it is so inexpensive (even organically), but the idea of fresh as opposed to stored cabbage in the winter really appeals. The types she uses are Melissa and January King so I am going to see if I can't get ahold of some seeds from one or the other. It's a late start but they are late season crops so I might be able to pull it off and if not, well a couple seed packets are not that much. If I can't find them now I'll just wait and try to pull it off next year.

I am also reading Joel Salatin's book Folks, This Ain't Normal. He has a lot of interesting things to say about commercial farming and what it is doing to the planet and the nutrition of the food and the animals. I don't agree with all of his ideas, a few are just highly impractical or would violate health codes, but the vast majority of what he says and does is good, common sense logic in regards to farming, gardening, and growing animals. The one I like the best though is simply not allowing any biological matter into landfills. If it can rot and break down it should be allowed to do that not in a landfill. Anyway, it's interesting and informative reading.