The big day is almost here

I have been looking forward to the Fall Harvest Sale at Heritage Park!

We have our list made of what we are after, the old fridge is plugged in and cleaned out ready to use for storage.  Hubby has been asked to borrow 2 dollies from work... and he has next week booked off...

Tonight I just have to clean out the upstairs fridge, and get the counters and floors washed, so we atleast start clean up here... oh, and to clean out the deep freeze to see exactly how much we have left of what, before I go buy way to much!

Oh, and admission, the worst part of the whole event!  $19 each for hubby and I, but I did use some Lays Trip points and got coupons for free admission for the kids,  so that will save us $28.  I will make a list of what we got, and attempt to remember prices.  Hopefully hubby will snap some pictures of the insanity so those of you who have never been, can see what it is all about.  I will be going around gathering up the goods, so no time to snap pictures... let alone think!

Really this is like Christmas to me!

More to follow as the week(end) goes on!

Contesting has hooked me in again!

Less then a week back in the saddle again, and I love it!  A few small instant wins including a $10 iTunes card from Crush! 

I am finding that there are way more Dailies then there were years ago.  Is that because of the lack of snail mail?  I really do wonder.

Other then the $100,000 Kelloggs contest, I really think the next best prize out there is the trip to Ghana from Cadbury and Dairymilk.

I do look forward to my first "big" win!  But when that will be, no one knows.

A chance to make one of my Dreams Come True!

By receiving votes for my "fairtrade" ... I could have the chance to win a trip to Ghana!!

Please come vote for me and help me realize a dream!

Contesting in Canada

After several years of not entering contests, I have officially begun!  I have spent the last couple days getting organized, and searching out contests... I am attempting to do this without the help of all the yahoogroups I previously belonged to... I have however started a little Facebook Group.. as I am a Facebook junkie!

Contesting in Canada will focus on Canada based contests from reputable companies.  Feel free to come join, you might just win something.. and if you find a contest you feel you would like to share please do post it for other to see.

I have won tons of stuff in the past, but you get sick of hearing "you win everything", "you're so lucky", "I never win anything".  People need to know that contesting takes time, organization, and patients... for ever 1000 entries, I might win something... So lots of entries take lots of time... The more you put into contesting the more you will get in return.

Best of luck to those of you who decided to give it a go... Stop by the group, ask questions, share contests you have found, help people find codes, UPCs, Trivia answers.. you name it....and your rewards will come!

The Prize winner of Defiance, Ohio is an inspirational book, for any aspiring contest junkie, or long time contester! 

Contest Queen, written by Carol Shaffer will give you a more recent view of contesting, how to go about it, and were to start....  Carol belonged to the very first group I belonged to... and was an inspiration for many.

Always looking for freebies!

I never used to be a computer junkie... however after the birth of my second son, money was tight, so I was on the look out for freebies, and coupons that would help us make ends meet..

After days of searching I added an yahoogroup called Contestcanada... and after weeks, I found I was entering contest daily!  Next thing I knew, we built me a computer so that I wouldn't always be on the one my husband used... My first win was a pen!  and after that I was receiving packages nearly every day.. most things were small... books, DVD's, CD's, movie tickets.... then I started receiving bigger more impressive prizes... Concert tickets, spa packages, GC's....  Then I got hooked on Snail mail contests... these cost you a stamp, so I didn't enter as many as some people, but they yield bigger and better prizes...  Trips, electronics, cash.... I did amazing!  In my first year I won over $50k worth of "free" stuff.  But for some reason I stop?  I don't know why, and I do miss it.

But again in search of the "freebies" in life I have Swagbucks...  and I am loving it!  I have earned several gift certificates, just for using there search engine.... I don't stress on it, but it sure does add up.  And just yesterday I found another promising site, very similar to Swagbucks,  It is called Zoombucks, and is Canadian Based... so more freebies on the way...

I think I will looking into contesting again, as I miss the little surprises!  If you know any good Contesting sites here in Canada, please do share?

Surprises found in the compost bin

So, a few weeks ago we noticed we had a small tomato plant growing out of the side of our compost bin... NO clue what kind of tomato... but something store bought for sure, as those are all we have had this spring... well.... we have let it grow, not turning the compost in that area... and today.. it has buds!!  We have cut the hole bigger as the stem was being pinched and today, we added a support for it.... Will we get compost tomatoes?

We have adopted a few new family members!

LADYBUGS!!!!

Above is a little clip of them just before we released them into our outdoor garden.....

They have been named by a friends daughter.... Spot, Spot 1, Spot 2, Spot 3.....

mmmmmmm Dinner smells wonderful!

Sage, Marjoram, Thyme, Rosemary, Basil and Oregano....  What mixture could make a better speghetti Sauce...

Meals like this make all the work of the garden well worth it.  I can only imagine how much better it will be with our very own fresh tomatoes, peppers, garlic and onions also!

Hilling Potatoes.... How do you do it?

Having never planted Potatoes... We have had endless quesions on what approach to take, and the internet... well lets just say... NO two places tell you the same thing... So we went for it... I guess we will learn in the end if we did it wrong!

Before

After

The Herb Garden Update.

Finally today after spending the last month focusing on getting the veggies planted, the container gardening project completed and the yard cleaned up... I was able to give the herbs a bit of love this morning!

The are all so sad.... Very little growth... what will I do with out my herbs?  I think next year they will have to find a different location, somewhere that gets a little bit more sun.

But not everything is struggling!  OMG!!  The Peppermint is taking over!

All the growth below the "center plant" is new! It has spread out about 1' to a 1 1/2'... Now I have to figure out exactly what I can do with it, other then make Peppermint tea.  How impossible or possible is it to make your own extract/oil?  As I bake alot of goodies around christmas that use peppermint.

The multiplier onions and garlic are also coming along nicely... but they can tolerate a bit more shade then most herbs

All other herbs aren't worth mentioning at this time... as their growth is so sad!  So today, I gave them a nice top feeding of bone and blood meal... along with a sprinkling of Epson Salt... and for their next watering I will ensure to use compost tea... And hopefully this will give them the added boost they need to get back on track!

So much damage in so little time

 Yesterday all was well... then Mother Nature decided to show her true self....

Top is a Habanaro.. that I think is on its way to the big garden in the sky (compost bin), and then a strawberry... about 50% of the leave have these nice wholes right through them.  It is so sad, but I have to wait and see if they will decide to fight the fight... or move onward.

Any suggestions, on what might help these poor little guys?

Muddy Hands????

Re-use what you have!

1 onion/garlic bulb bag
2 pieces of tomatoes stretchy tape
and all those left over soap chunks that you normally toss
(I only had 1 really small piece, so used a new bar of soap)

The bag give it that nice rough scrubby feeling... and lifts all the dirt!

Then hang it off your outdoor faucet or near where your hose is stored

It is now ready to scrub all that mud off those hands.... and you no longer have to haul that dirt into the house!

Before and now.

I believe that this would be a good advertisement as to why one should use sunscreen!

Dead or Alive?

When do you finally decided that a seed you had sown didn't make it? It has been 3 full weeks since the cucumbers were planted, and still no sign of them. I was able to determine that the beans had frozen and rotted in our end of May snow storm.. but cucumbers seeds are to tiny to determine.

In the last few days I have noticed a tiny seedling starting in the general area that they were planted... now is that a weed seedling or is it a cuke seedling and when do I decided to give in and go buy some plants?

Ginger Beef

 We are trying thing recipe tonight... hope it is yummy!

 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound flank steak
• Marinade:
• 2 Tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons ginger juice (storebought or homemade)
• 1 Tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 Tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp white or rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 teaspoon hot chili oil or crushed red pepper flakes, or
  
  
  
• 1 stalk celery


• 1 red bell pepper


• 1 carrot


• 4 to 5 cups oil for deep-frying


• 2 Tbsp oil for stir-frying, or as needed


• 3 red chili peppers, seeds left in


• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped


• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped


• 1 tsp sesame oil


• Batter:


• 1/4 cup flour


• 1/4 cup cornstarch


• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil


• 1 Tbsp hot chili oil (optional)


• 1/3 cup water, or as needed

Preparation:

Partially freeze the beef to make it easier to cut. If making homemade ginger juce, grate the ginger and squeeze out the juice until you have 2 tablespoons. Cut the partially frozen beef along the grain into thin strips the approximately length and width of matchsticks. Add the marinade ingredients and marinate the beef for 25 minutes. In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, vinegar, sugar, water and hot chili oil. Set aside. While the beef is marinating, prepare the vegetables and sauce. Cut the celery, red bell pepper, and carrot into thin strips. To prepare the batter, combine the flour and cornstarch. Stir in the vegetable oil, and the hot chili oil if using. Add a much water as is needed to make a smooth batter. It should not be too dry or too runny, but should lightly drop off the back of a wooden spoon. Heat the oil for deep-frying to 360 degrees Fahrenheit. Dip the marinated beef pieces into the batter. When the oil is hot, add the beef and deep-fry until it is golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Increase the heat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Deep-fry the beef a second time, to make it extra cripsy. Remove and drain. Clean out the wok. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in the wok. When the oil is hot, add the chilies, minced garlic and ginger. Stir-fry until the chilies begin to blister. Add the carrot. Stir-fry briefly, then add the celery, and then the red pepper. Push the vegetables up to the sides of the wok. Add the sauce in the middle. Heat to boiling, then add the deep-fried beef back into the pan. Mix all the ingredients together. Remove from the heat. Stir in the sesame oil. Serve hot.

Got to love it when you trip on the deal of the century!

We visited the MCC today in search of planters, or alternative planting ideas... but walked out with 4 dozen 1 liter canning jars for $4.80!  Now I sit here wondering... so we head back and pick up more?  and if so what sizes do I need?  Can you ever have to many jars around when canning season approaches?

Now for me just to decide whether or not to splurge and buy myself one of these... or to wait and see if I can find a deal on a used on.  If I am going to can more then what I did last year, I have to come up with one, new or used...

A few more seeds have been sewn

 After determining that our bean had all decided to rot instead of grow (probably because of our end of May snow storm)... we have planted some cauliflower, cabbage and kohl rabi in its place.

I had also promised my other son, that he could plant some seeds in the front, as the jealousy of his brother was eating him up... so he plant some flower seeds around our tree, and cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, iceberg lettuce, swiss chard and spinach in our small front bed.  I figure the rabbits will have a heyday in your yard, and I can collect rabbit poop for the garden in the back!

A weekend of planting...

Well the weather has been good again... so we have spent the entire weekend in the back yard.  First off was to load the truck with all the sod we pulled up 3 weeks ago.  We waited until this weekend to take advantage of the community cleanup, therefore free dump loads!  This was back breaking work! after days of rain the sod was soaked.  We got the truck loaded, throw in a few other odds and ends, so the yard is now free of "junk" not mess yet, just junk.

We then spent the balance of saturday, screening the loam that was left behind... Nothing goes to waste here!  Then as promised we enjoyed our first campfire of the year... the best part of summer if you ask me.

Sunday was garage sales (looking for containers to plant in), screening buckets full of compost and planting more of the seedlings.  But the day ended quickly when I realized I was redder then a lobster, and needed to get out of the sun.

So hopefully this week I will be able to work on getting the rest of the seedling planted, and the seeds in the front done... so we can start to enjoy all the work we have put into it.

Create a ginger garden inside

An interesting article for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere who love our ginger..... We can actually grow it!

Create a ginger garden inside

Fruits our labour

 Well today we got to enjoy a wonderful simple meal... that tasted amazing!!  A quick batch of spaghetti sauce, thrown together at the last moment but packed with wonderful fresh herbs straight from the garden.  I can't wait for lunch tomorrow when I get to enjoy that sauce again.   It sure makes all the work well worth it.

Our garlic has sprouted!!

I can't say I have ever in my life had fresh garlic.... I am kinda interested in seeing how amazing it actually is... and can't wait to tray out :

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

Ingredients

1  tbsp vegetable oil
8 chicken thigh skinned (2 lb 1 kg)
40 garlic cloves, about 4 heads
1/2 tsp crumbled dried thyme
1/2tsp crumbled dried rosemary
1/4tsp crumbled dried sage
1/4tsp pepper
Pinch salt
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp fresh parsley

Preparation:

In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown chicken all over. Transfer to plate.

Drain fat from pan; fry garlic, thyme, rosemary, sage, pepper and salt over medium heat until garlic is golden, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with flour; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add stock and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Return chicken and any juices to pan; cover and simmer, turning once, until juices run clear when chicken is pierced and garlic is softened, about 25 minutes.

Local Calgary Farmers Markets

Airdrie Farmers Market

Royal Canadian Legion‎

3 Avenue Southeast, Airdrie

Wednesdays: 3:30pm - 7:00 pm
Starting June 2nd, 2010

Bearspaw Lions Farmers' Market

Bearspaw Lions Clubhouse

25240 Nagway Rd, Calgary 

Sundays: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Jun 6, 2010 - Oct 3, 2010

Blackfoot Farmers Market

5600 - 11th Street SE, Calgary

Friday: 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

May 21 - October 31

Calgary Farmers Market  

Currie Barracks

H6, 4421 Quesnay Wood Drive SW, Calgary

Friday & Saturday 9-5
Sunday 9-4  

Till End over November

Crossroads Flea Market

1235 26th Avenue SE, Calgary

Friday, Saturday and Sunday 9am-5pm

Year Round

Grassroots Northland Farmers' Market (Calgary)

Northland Village Mall

5111 Northland Drive NW, Calgary 

Tuesday:   3:30pm to 7:00pm 
June 8th to September 28th, 2010

Hillhurst Sunnyside Farmers' Market

1320 5 Ave. N.W. , Calgary

Wednesdays 3:30 – 7:30 pm

Jun 2 – Oct 6, 2010

Kingsland Farmers' Market (Calgary)

7711 Macleod Trail South, Calgary

Wed, Thurs, Fri: Noon-6:30p

Sat: 9:00a-3:00p

June 16 - ?

Mckenzie Towne Farmers' Market 

McKenzie Towne Hall

40 Mckenzie Towne Blvd SE, Calgary

Thursdays: 3:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Jun 3, 2010 - Sep 23, 2010

South Calgary Market

Grey Eagle Parking lot

3777 Grey Eagle Drive, SW, Calgary

Thursdays: 3:30-7:00pm
June 17th - September 30th, 2010

South Fish Creek Farmers Market

South Fish Creek Recreation Association)

333 Shawville Blvd. SE, Calgary
Fridays: 2:00 - 6:00 pm

June 11 to September 24

*Thorncliffe/Greenview Community Farmers Market (not confirmed for this year yet)
5600 Centre Steet North, Calgary AB  

Saturdays: 10:00am – 3:00pm

July 3th – September 4th

Triwood-Mountainview Lions Farmers Market

Triwood Community Centre

2244 Chicoutimi Drive NW, Calgary

Thursdays: 3:30pm to 7:30 pm

through September 30

Chestermere Market 

Chestermere Recreation Center

201 West Chestermere Drive, Chestermere
Friday: 3:30-7:00pm
Opening June 4th 2010

Cochrane Farmers' Market

104, Griffin Road E, Cochrane

Saturdays: 9:00 AM - 1:00PM

June 5 - Sept 25

High River Farmers Market

Bob Snodgrass Recreation Complex

228 - 12 Ave. SE, High River

Thursdays : 4:00 - 7:00pm

June 17 - September 23rd

Millarville Farmer's Market
Millarville Racing and Agriculture Society
Millarville, AB

Saturday: 8:30 a.m. until noon
June 12th - October 9rd 2010

Okotoks Kinsmen Farmers' Market

Okotoks Country Living

SW corner of Hwy 7 and Southridge Dr, Okotoks

Fridays: 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Jul 2, 2010 - Sep 24, 2010

 

Strathmore Farmers' Market
Strathmore Exhibition Grounds 

120 Brent Boulevard, Strathmore
Fridays: 3:00 PM -6:30 PM

June 11 to September 24, 2010

Do you know where your food comes from? - Eat Real. Eat Local.

Teeny tiny, but we have some green!

Onions, Radish, Leaf and Romaine have all started to pop their little heads out!! We have some green... A snow storm, heavy rain fall and these guys have still decided to pop there heads out!  


Progress has been made.  The Bone Meal we applied may have actually worked.  I have been smiling like a little girl in a candy shop (or big girl, if you're me).  I can't wait until we can test the first item that we have produced.  With all the  love that has gone into this project I be they are all amazing!

Kinda ironic if you ask me......

Shrek glasses recalled by McDonalds made in N.J.

June 4, 2010 By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The New Jersey company that makes the “Shrek”-themed drinking glasses recalled by McDonald’s because they contain cadmium says it only learned of the problem late Thursday and is looking into it.
Tom Reed, vice president of human resources at Arc International’s plant in Millville, says the company received a copy of a McDonald’s memo on the recall of 12 million glasses but has not heard anything...



Well, why would people be concern??  Well kids of course and what the cadmium can do to them.  But did the parents that bought the glasses for there kids not buy food at the same time?  And did they ever think what that crap is full of, and what damage it is cause our kids?

Rain Days are good days!

The weather today was ! So I figured whats better then Chili on a Chilly day... So I fried up my burger, added my tomatoes and realized I had no chili powder..... So for the first time ever I made my own Chili powder... and the Chili ended up wonderful.

But we needed something to go with it so we made up some Cornbread.

Rain Days are good days!

Buttermilk Cornbread


Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan.

2. Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Bounce This Along

All this time you've just been putting Bounce in the dryer!

1.    It will chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them.  It also repels mice.

2.  Spread sheets around foundation areas, or in trailers, or cars that are sitting and it keeps mice from entering your vehicle. 

3.     It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get opened too often. 

4.    It repels mosquitoes.  Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season. 

5.    Eliminate static electricity from your television (or computer) screen.

6.    Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling.. 

7.   Dissolve soap scum from shower doors.  Clean with a sheet of Bounce.

8.    To freshen the air in your home - Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet. 

9.     Put Bounce sheet in vacuum cleaner.

10.   Prevent thread from tangling.  Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew. 

11.  Prevent musty suitcases.  Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing. 

12.  To freshen the air in your car - Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.

13.   Clean baked-on foods from a cooking pan.  Put a sheet in a pan, fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean.  The anti-static agent apparently weakens the bond between the food and the pan.. 

14.  Eliminate odors in wastebaskets.  Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket. 

15.  Collect cat hair.  Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the lose hairs. 

16.  Eliminate static electricity from Venetian blinds.  Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling. 

17.  Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering.  A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth. 

18.  Eliminate odors in dirty laundry.  Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a laundry bag or hamper. 

19.  Deodorize shoes or sneakers.  Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight. 

20.  Golfers put a Bounce sheet in their back pocket to keep the bees away. 

21.  Put a Bounce sheet in your sleeping bag and tent before folding and storing them.  It will keep them smelling fresh. 

22.  Wet a Bounce sheet, hose down your car, and wipe lovebugs off easily with the wet Bounce.   

Herbs, Herbs and More Herbs....

Today we finished planting the Herbs in our garden!  One more major step in our Son and Mom project completed.

My fascination with herbs started years ago, when I started researching homeopathic remedies for my endometriosis. At the time I was desperate for any solution to the pain and suffering..... then I found an amazing book, that really changed my life, Fibroid Tumors and Endometriosis was a lifesaver, it gave me guidence when no medication professional was able to.  I changed my diet drastically, which included herbal supplements, and going gluten free and vegan.  I was able to maintain this until it was time for us to start our family, then I returned to my old meat loving carb addict!

A wonderful resource for everything herbs is The Herb Book: The Complete and Authoritative Guide to More Than 500 Herbs.  I got this book over 20 years ago... and love it to this day.

The Bayou Gardener

I found this interesting site today, and figured I would share it with everyone. The Bayou Gardener has tons of information about down to earth living... The forum is full of information on canning, cooking, washing, sewing, making butter, cheese, baking, all the "old" ways...

I love sites like this, and best of all Recipes! Good old southern recipes.

Not necessarily a good sources for planting in Canada, but he has the knowledge on how to do things, from starting your seedlings, caring for them, transplanting them, thinning, making trellises you name it.

Life changes quickly, and we must adapt

Well I received my EI deposit today, and it was only for one week... so it looks like they have finally cut me off.... This forces me back to work, and back to searching for further ways to save money.

I will be hunting for a PT or FT job, but something overnight so that I am home for my boys. I hope I find something quickly as, money will soon become an issue. How I wish I could of convinced they husband to move away from Calgary long ago, but here I am stuck, paying the price for living in an oversized industrialize nightmare.

Anyways, we must make the best of what have... So off I go to find some work!

The Simple things in Life

We all to often forget about the simple things in life... In the past year I have quit my job, so to stay home and help my eldest get the help that he so desperately needs... In that time, I have spent more and more time focusing on how we can better our lives...

Just under a year ago we took a trip out to a friends farm, where we spent a week in the beauty of being far away from the hustle and bustle of the huge industrialized city that we live in. The boys got to experience a little farm work, but best off they got to experience what it was like to be away from all the electronic entertainment that children today are so dependent on. At times they seemed bored, but most the time they were content going off and doing their own things, whether it be feeding the horses, peeing on fence poles, playing with the dogs, taking to the cows.... or just walking around and exploring.

Then the time came to leave, we packed up the car, for our 10 hour journey home, and the tears started rolling. The boys were devastated, even though we were heading home with a tiny puppy, a new friend, and a big memory of the farm.... they did not want to leave.

This is when I decided we need to relook at how we lived our lives.... No moving wasnt an option, but what else could we do? Well I decided, I could do my best to continue on the farm experience for the boys.

We live in a very busy city, in an over crowded neighborhood, in a cookie cutter house, with little to no yard.... So different from living on a farm! But I can try my best...

So, the first thing on our agenda was attending the Fall Harvest Festival at Heritage Park... This event is held at the end of August, beginning of September each year... It is a charitable event that gets huge sponsorship... truckloads of fresh produce, both fruits and veggies, are hauled in from all over north america... all the produce is donate by companies, groups, organizations or farmers themselves. This produce is sold at "turn of the century"price, well not quite, but you can not find better deals, trust me!

So what the heck was I going to do with tons of produce? I decided we were going to can! Yep, never done it in my life, but figured if they did it back in they day, I am sure with all the information on the internet, I could figure out how to do it also. I knew I wanted to make some jam, pickles, salsa and antipasto.... but I need jars... so off I went searching for them...and trust me at the end of August it isn't easy to find canning jars! But I lucked out... I found a nice stock in at Zellers... I paid between $10-$16 for a case of 12 jars... some 250ml, 500ml and 1 liter jars... total of the bill when said and done was over $200! That is just insane, oh, but that did also include a cheap tin canner, and some certos and pickling stuff... but still INSANE!

So now I have my jars, a canner, so packaged stuff to help me, and I know I am heading to the market on the weekend to stock up on the produce... So next I head to the internet! More information then anyone will ever be able to consume, all in one place... So I start researching... how you best preserve different items and I found 2 sources of information that I found extremely valuable and informative PickyourOwn.org and Homecanning.ca. So much information out there is unsafe to follow.... they way your grandma used to do it, is not necessarily the best way, so do your research, and error on the side of caution. I did, and I can tell you, I have not had 1 bad can out of all the items I canned.

So the day of the Harvest Festival came, and we headed down to Heritage park with the 2 boys... a few back packs and a rolling duffel bag and some cash. Well lets just say we were so unprepared for what we got ourselves into! I spent just over $100 which included admission to the park (which was a majority of the bill) and we left with 3 cases of peppers, 1 case of peaches, 2 cases of strawberries, 50 lbs of carrots, 50 lbs of onions, 2 cases of blueberries, cauliflower, brocoflower, green onions, avocado, peas, beans, case of tomato, jalapano peppers, chili peppers, case of rhubarb, garlic, cantaloupe, watermelon, honey dew... and the list continues on... all this for next to nothing. I was in heaven.... but then it was time to haul the stuff out!

Hubby and the boys took a load, while I sat with the remaining stuff... it took them over an hour to return.... I could not understand why, but I could not complain... now we were off with the last load... we loaded the backpacks and filled the boys arms... I took cases of peppers and tomatoes, and a back pack full... and hubby took the rolling duffel bag. That was the longest and the hardest hike I have EVER been on! After what seemed to be a 5 hour walk up hill, we made it to the parking lot (which we had parked at the far end of)... I crashed in a green space, the kids had had it, and I looked back, and hubby was stuck with that darn bag on the train tracks.... So I had to go back and help. He decided to go get the car and pull it up, as there was no way any of use would make it to the car.

So needless to say we learn that being prepared is VERY important and I recommend the following:

Cash... set a budget... I spent about $100 last year, and that includes admission to the park
Wishlist... know what you want and can use, you might pick up some extras but you do not want to forget something your really needed... The deal are AMAZING!! But get there early as things do run out.
Trolly.... one for each person on your team, split up the work.. As the haul from the location of the produce to the parking lot, is a long trek.

Muscles.... bring atleast one man with you, as 50lbs bags are very hard to manage alone.

Water bottles... beverages are insanely priced, and you are going to get a work out.

Cellphone... so many people, and it lets you locate the rest of your party easier.

Hats, Sunscreen and have fun!

Then the week long canning expedition began, and we all had a blast.