Peach Chutney

We're headed towards a mostly handmade Christmas around here I think; this has been a good excuse for me to catch up on canning. I used to can every year reliably, often food I had grown. (I had a large vegetable garden and apple trees at the old house.) But when Will started getting sick a few years ago, I sort of lost track of it. First it was the year of "what's wrong?" Then the year of chemotherapy. Then the year that Liam was a tiny baby (last year). And now, now. So, I'm back to canning. Cherry jam is already done and put away (what a mess that makes!). Today I finished the peach chutney and blanched and cleaned half a box of tomatoes (so just half a box to go and then make and can the sauce). It's awfully nice to look at all those clean, neat jars. Now if I could just improve my photography a little bit, you could see how nice they look too.

Liam had a fine day today; he stayed with Grandma KM and Grandpa DM and practiced his Polar Bear noise. (I'm trying to get caught up at work and have been working Sundays.) Will was active, mowing and doing some picking up in the back yard and is now eating the turkey and stuffing that Grandma KM sent home with me. (Second dinner in a row from Grandma KM; we'll forget how to cook!) So all is well as we head into another week.