Every Year

The time is upon us again.  Harvest time!
This year I've already done 28 quarts of stewed tomatoes, 21 pints of pickled peppers, 14 pints of dilly beans, 18 pints of plum jelly, and 7 pints of frozen raspberry jam.  Today I made regular dill pickles for the first time ever (21 quarts).  I've always shied away from homemade dill pickles.  I love Nalley's baby dills and figure you shouldn't mess with perfection.  Last year I read the ingredients list for Nalley's and found that it was processed in India, a far cry from it's origins in Oregon.  So, when my friend wanted to make pickles, I was ready to try. 
There are a lot of different recipes.  My mom swears by her sister, Ellen's recipe.  Mom also believes that Nalley's are the best, so if she is okay with a certain recipe, it must be okay.  "It's no Nalley, but it's good." 
I have two boxes of pears ripening in my kitchen, with two boxes of peaches ordered.  I must have gone crazy last year, because I still have a lot of peaches and pears. I'll be making more cinnamon pears and this time with  more red hots; last year's just weren't spicy enough.   I've definitely got to bump up the grape juice.  Man!  I love homemade grape juice-- plain or mixed with lemonade.  I need to get out my dehydrator so that I can make dried apples.  The kids went crazy over my mom's jell-o dried apple slices.  Of course, applesauce.  My friend is going to teach me how to do chicken and ground beef with my pressure canner.  That canner frightens me, so I'll definitely be the learner on that one. 
Speaking of my friend, I love working with her!  We've done most of  our canning together this year.  I've never really done it steadily with anyone but my mom before.  I've taught a few people how to do dilly beans and salsa, but they didn't ever come back.  You'd like to think it's because they started their own home canning.  No.  It's easier to be my friend and get jars of the finished product because I love you. 
I would take pictures of my bounty, but alas, I have lost the cord again.  I need a different system because this is getting rather old. 
Dang it!  6 weeks before I can eat those pickles and they really look pretty.