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.