Canning

Remember the ridiculous amount of canning jars my mother purchased as drinking glasses for the wedding? Well, one of the reasons I wanted to use canning jars was because I want to start canning, and I figure if I have 17 cases of jars sitting around the house, maybe I'll find some motivation! Oh, and they were adorable, but that's neither here nor there.

Anyway, when I was visiting Etsy's How To page for my last post, I saw the tutorial for these hand-stitched jar toppers. Which reminded me of my desire to learn the age old art of preservation. This year. It's going to happen.

So then I decided that I should probably find a "canning calendar". Guess that doesn't really exist, so I suppose I'll need to make my own. Luckily, this funky little website has some good local information. Actually, it's got good info for anywhere in America--check it out!

Ok, so here's the growing calendar for the middle of the state:

Typical Crop / Harvest Availability Dates for South and Central California (all but the southern 1/4, the northern 1/4 and the coastal area)

In Chronological Order

CROP	MONTH
Asparagus	March -April
Strawberries	Apr.10 - June 30
Blackberries	June 1 - July 30
Blueberries	May 15 - June 30
Boysenberries	May 10 - July 5
Cherries (more detail)	May 5 - June 30
Apricots	May 10 to August 15
Peaches	May 20 - September 5
Nectarines	May 20 - September 15
Olallieberries	June 1 to July 31
Plums	June 1 - September 5
Pears	August 10 - September 10
Green Beans	June 15 - September 15
Peas	June 15 - September 15
Corn	June 25 - September 30
Raspberries	July 1 - September 15
Grapes	July 10 - October 15
Apples	July 15 (early apples) - September 25
Tomatoes	July 15 - September 15
Okra	July 15 - September 15
Almonds	August 20 - December . 13
Figs	September 05 - October 31
Persimmons	September 20 - October 31
Walnuts	September 25 - Jan. 10

And here you'll find a link to all the U-Pick farms in the area, sorted by County. Thank goodness for Contra Costa County! Brentwood even has a website, brochure, map, and calendar dedicated to their growing season and farms, Harvest Time in Brentwood. They're as organized around their produce farms as Livermore is around its wineries. So cool! Even cooler? Brentwood is just a quick trip from Livermore on the backroads.

So here are some goal dates for what to pick and preserve when:

• April: Strawberry Jam, Santa Rosa
• May: Apricot Jam, Brentwood
• June: Blackberry Jam, Pescadero
• July: Raspberry Jam, Menlo Park
• August: Tomato Sauce & whole tomatoes, Fremont
• September: Apple Butter & Sauce, Petaluma or Auburn area
• October: Fig Chutney, Sacramento area or Brentwood
• November: Almond Butter, Brentwood

I'm hopeful that this will also provide some great Tour de la Bay opportunities! So, who wants to play??