We'll see how this goes...

Hi, My name is Noel. I'm a grad student, going to Georgia State University. I live in a duplex with a wonderful wife, two cats, and a newt. As a note, I am a vegetarian, so any recipes I post of things I make will reflect that. Last year was my first year gardening at home. I grew several things such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. I had some good successes, and some bad failures. This year, I decided to expand the garden some, go to more PYOs (pick your owns) and/or local farmer's markets, and eat more locally grown items.

My wonderful wife got me a pressure canner and the BIG Ball Canning/Preserving book for Christmas, and I look forward to using both with the garden this year.

My first harvest will be some fall/winter white onions that are growing now. They'll get dug up when it is time to plant the garden this spring.

I am trying to buy a few things used before this year's harvest gets fully underway. A power problem at home killed many small appliances, including a food dehydrator I bought used on craigslist last year. Hopefully I can find another cheap used one. I'll be on the lookout at thrift stores, garage sales, and craigslist for canning jars, especially smaller pint sized and jelly jars. I also need a food mill, and hopefully I can find one used, like the one my mother used to have...

As far as canning goes, I have found in my talking with people that people who do canning, that people who can tend to fall into one of two broad categories. The first is the category who grew up doing it (e.g. on a farm or near the country). The second category are the people who want to eat more local food that they know how and where it is from, and what all is in it. While I grew up with my mother doing a lot of canning (either jelly/jam, or whatever was in season at the farm we always went to), I think I belong a little more in the second category.

That's enough about me for now.