My hands have been busy putting up food from our garden. They usually are this time of the year, but this year it seems like I’ve been putting up more than ever before. There’s a couple of reasons why.
With the rising price of groceries I know it will be nice to have a little extra on hand.
This is the first full summer I’ve been at home working for myself. That very fact lends itself to getting more put up since I’m home to do this or that in preparation for a big day of putting up food.
Since Chatter got married she has wanted to put up things for her own home. I’ve helped her a lot and the joy of working together has encouraged us to keep putting up. Not to mention she’s adventurous with her new skills and wants to put up things I usually don’t. This week it’s been canned peaches.
Over the years I’ve written about putting up food quite a few times. In one post I even pointed out how surprising it is that the term putting up wasn’t in any of my reference books.
The Dictionary of Southern Appalachian English rectified that issue.
put up verb phrase To put away, store.
1969 DARE FW Addit (KY) = to store, put away, or put in storage as in a closet; (CwNC) put it up = put it away.
[DARE put up v phr 1 chiefly South, South Midland]
Although I’m glad the new dictionary included the phrase, it’s hard for me to fathom the shortness of the entry since putting up is something I’ve taken part in from the time I helped Granny as a girl. Not to mention the fact that the entry really doesn’t address the process of preserving food directly.
Last night’s video: Quiet Morning Harvesting from the Garden | Summer is Almost Gone.
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Tipper I’m so sorry I keep getting behind on answering your post. So so much has been going on and it’s hard to find time to do anything. I also having been canning. Not as much as you. You have really been busy. I see that.
The photo of your canned bounty from your garden is inspiring. It takes me back to my grandmother’s shelves of jars of canned vegetables, fruits and preserves in the basement. I have frozen vegetables, berries and jam, but have never done actual canning. I really should give it a try.
Tipper,
There was an old store here in Barberton Ohio called Wades market that closed down about 10 years ago. They had a pickled pepper recipe that everyone around here used, and it was posted on a note card at the back of the store. It is an awesome recipe, and we make them every year. I believe the couple that owned the store came up from Kentucky in the early 50’s. Here is the recipe, and I hope you get to try them out. I think you and your family will like them.
Sweet Yellow Peppers (Wades Market)
10 Qts Yellow Hungarian Peppers
Mix Together and Boil
4 Qts Water
3 Qts White Vinegar
Garlic (as you like it)
⅔ Cup Salt
3 Cups Sugar
1 tsp Sesame Seed
1 tsp Turmeric
Core, Seed and slice Hungarian peppers
Boil Jars 15 Minutes
Boil Caps in hot water
Stuff Jar’s one at a time with peppers
Pour boiling juice over peppers
Stick a knife in to get the air out
Put a hot cap on the jar then ring and screw tight
I have been busy as a bee, putting up food this spring/summer & will be, right on into the fall. I have taught several people how to can over the past 6 months. I fill hundreds & hundreds of jars. Peaches are one of my favorites & usually that involves a couple of days. My MIL likes to come help me pit & peel them, while we chat. Then I do all the heavy lifting & canning. We did 70 qt.s in 2 days. We’re getting ready to do another round, and I will be helping another neighbor tomorrow with his peaches (he’s never done it before). Usually, the very last thing I can for the year is turkey soup from Thanksgiving leftovers or Venison. I never put my canners or stuff away until then, because I process something every single day! Slow & Steady wins the race. I also dry my own corn for meal, and beans, fruit, leathers, jerky, etc… Our hogs will be butchered soon & then I’ll be rendering lard (my kids HATE that day). And then it’ll be apple cider time. We own a press & make a big party out of it. We order a pallet load of apples, get jugs (and tell people to bring their own if they want to take some home), tell folks to bring a dish to pass & boy, do we get to work. We made over 50 gallons last year. Then we have a hay ride and s’mores. Hubby and I have always tried to bring back the old ways. We freeze a lot of the cider to have for the rest of the year. Next thing I’d like to get into is smoking meats. Have fun ‘putting by’ all that great food, folks.
I have always canned food to put away for the winter.
Loved the picture of all the beautiful bounty you have put up. That’s what we have always called it. Ya’ll should be so proud of all your hard work cause it surely shows! I remember Mama having all her jars sitting on shelves. She was so proud and I miss those days for sure. When my brother was living, he used to put up pickled beets. They were the best I think I have ever eaten.
Here in the hills of northeast Mississippi I’ve been “puttin up pert near” everything that would hold still! I have canned all sorts of vegetables, soups, sauces, and meats. Should we have an extended power outage, like the usual ice storm, all I have to do is heat up a feast on the grill.
I’ve been putting up All my life.
I heard a term this week I haven’t heard in years, “fly flap” , rather than fly swatter. I grew up saying fly flap but had gotten away from it.
Store bought food just doesn’t taste as good as homegrown. Can see it is a lot of work for you and family but then also notice how much everybody seems to enjoy eating it too. Can’t help but believe your girls will have fond memories of these times collecting, putting up and eating all the fresh food from the garden.
We’ve been “puttin up” food as well here. Our garden has done well and the canning process does show it in our downstairs pantry/furnace closet. We also watched your video last night of the harvesting you did yesterday morning, so I have a question regarding your okra, I noticed as you clipped a pod, it looked like you also clipped the leaf next to the pod. Does clipping that leaf help the plant produce more? I’ve never done that and our plants always branch out with more pods on the branches.
I never heard “put up” till we moved to the South from the Midwest. I think it was 6th grade, a substitute teacher. Some kids had made Japanese throwing stars, or shuriken, by cleverly folding paper, and the teacher said, “Put that junk up!” Funny how that stuck in my mind for four decades.
This is a very interesting post. It reminds me of the way it used to be. Nothing much else got done in summer except gardening and canning. I am so pleased that your young daughter is interested in learning, and this will be one of the most important skills she can learn.
I miss the canning, and hoping to get back into it. I really enjoyed the winter canning of different types of beans and meat. Those pressure canners can almost heat a home in winter. I have heard “putting by” and “putting up” food sometimes used interchangeably.
I’ve said putting up for multiple reasons. Like when I’m putting up my winter clothes for summer, or I’m putting up green beans in my freezer.
Tipper your garden did great and that Okra you showed on your last video reminded me of a donut. Never seen okra grown round like that. It’s good that Corie is learning how to can. I wish my daughter or my granddaughter would take an interest in learning how to can. I had no interest in it when I was young either. I had learned on my own when I was in my 40’s, but I’ve been gardening since I was little helping in my mom’s garden. I didn’t garden much in my early 30’s but started planting again after I learned how to can from watching YouTube videos and reading books. I remember my mom and sister canning but had to learn all the safety rules from books and videos. I’m thankful I learned but sure wished I took interest in it when I was young like Corie. It’s One of the life skills that they should teach in schools, but they don’t seem to teach any life skills in schools anymore.
We use the term to put up some pickles or spiced crab apples . The Dollar Tree in my area (Maine Woods) has a magazine , Canning & Fermenting w/ 28 recipes, tips & tricks for beginners & pros. $1.25
Some great recipes, bought 4 copies for friends and neighbors. Some recipes I did not have .
Dollar Tree also a great place to pick up medical items for a first Aid Pack. Stacking about 3 cord of wood tomorrow for this winters comfort. Baked beans on the wood stove during a blizzard , dont forget the salt pork and molasses .
Some folks head to Florida for the cooler days, some of us like to stay put to see what were made of.
Power failures, snow , knee deep to a tall Indian. Winds howling louder than the coyotes. Lanterns lit, wood stove red hot with grandpas coffee pot that never got washed with soap. Just a rinse with water from the spring up the path.
If you washed it wrong he would let you know from the taste of coffee the next time morning about 5 am.
You would know something was not right as he ranted and raved whilst he paced about the kitchen.
It would be quiet for a few minutes when he went for the eggs from the coop , kicking at the rooster as he went , never ever touching the rooster. Just letting off some steam about the coffee pot that has not seen soap for over twennny years til yesterday. Life is good, everyone healthy and God is still on the throne. Pastor Rusty
I have heard either “putting up or put up” all of my life. It seems like the ladies I know are now freezing more of their fruits and vegetables than canning. The picture of the canned jars of food reminds of how it used to be in mine and my wife’s families. There would not only be jars of canned food but two of the largest chest freezers you could buy at that time full. There would only be a few items bought at a grocery store.
I’ve been putting up food for as long as I can remember. As a child, I helped to break beans, wash jars and carry water to the outside tub where mom kept a fire going under it. There was a long dry spell of not canning when I got married and moved to the big city. The dehydrator didn’t get the workout this year like it did in the previous summers. The weather in KY has not been kind to gardeners this growing season. It would be great to figure out how to preserve the tastiest things in my garden. The Honeydews, Banana Muskmelons, and Orangette watermelons are about to make a lot of people happy.
We’ve always said putting up. Sure enjoy your posts and videos. Thank you!
I’ve been “putting up” all summer too although I have to buy everything I “put up” because we have two black labs that “dig up” everything in our yard.. LOL I’m doing my best to prepare for possible shortages in the near future. We all need to be prepared. ❤
You remind me of “lay up” to as a type of putting up except I never heard it in any connection with food.
Chatter will be rightly proud of the work you two did again this winter when she puts the “put up” on the table.
Enjoyed your article this morning. My hubby and i were the lucky recipients of his cousin’s hard work putting up veggies and jam here in Northern Illinois. So thankful for the hard work that resulted in all the tasty treats.
That is a beautiful picture! I love seeing pictures of home canned food, it is beautiful with all the colors, but it represents so much loving work! It is also a long-time tradition here in the Appalachian Mountains to put up food for the family to eat all winter, and many cases without this canned food they would not have enough food for the family.
It’s also wonderful that Chatter is learning how to carry on the tradition!
I love the picture of your pantry. Jars of canned vegetables are beautiful to look at, unlike tin cans bought at the grocery store. Glass is a healthier option for storing food.
I’ve heard putting up foods all my life. We always used it to refer to canning foods for the winter. Great post. I agree with you on all points. I know it’s so much work and I’m glad you had Corie there to help you. it always makes the job lighter and you both will have benefits this winter. Love to y’all from SC, Jane
As per every year about this time, there’s a lovely photograph of all your “put up” bounty in pretty shining jars lined up happily together as if to say “pick me!” I’m so glad Mrs. Corey is interested in canning and preserving! It sure does pass the time having an eager helper who happens to be one of your dear and sweet precious daughters! I’m sure you’ve laughed, shared some tales and worked very hard because it shows! I pulled up the tomatoes (and they’re ripening on a table) but got a quart of tomato juice yesterday. I’ve gotten 9 pints of green beans, 2 pints of corn, 6 pints of pickled peppers ( in a bread and butter brine cause Murrman raves over those,) a pint and quart of tomato juice. I’m thinking about going down the mountain to Mt. Airy for more produce, but only time will tell what I do. Groceries are ridiculously expensive. Thank God deer are literally taking over the town because that could be dinner… lol
The convenience of food at the grocery has put most people out of touch with how labor intensive putting up the garden really is and that it’s a protracted process of weeks. In addition to the garden we go to the orchards for the two bushels of apples to make our own applesauce. That’s a whole week of “saucing” right there. I do believe saucing is my favorite part of each Fall.
Tipper- I’ve heard the phrase “putting up” referring to canning foods once I was young. Watched your video also. It was so peaceful. Glad you’re getting a taste of fall. I can hardly wait for fall and winter. It has been so very hot for so long in our part of Texas this summer. I told my husband I will never complain about being cold again – if it ever gets cold again! Btw, what was the last thing you were harvesting this morning and was it the last thing you held up in front of the camera?
Nan-Glad you enjoyed the video! It was okra and the one I held up was interesting because it had grown in a circle instead of straight 🙂
.I did not see the video and I absolutely detest okra, but I very much like your blog and the pictures of your canned foods you put up, put by, laid up, put away, laid away. Interesting terms from our “betters”. Unfortunately, I do not know how to can foods but my mother did so until I was 12yrs old and she gave it up. But she made berry juice and tomato juice as well as ketchup. Anyone still make their ketchup? I. remember she put some foods in gallon size and half-gallon sizes as well as the usual quarts and pints. My aunt Lucy made the best vegetable soup and would put white potatoes (all purpose?? Irish??) I do not know but they held up good in the soup. Many of our grand or great-grand parents were uneducated and could not read or write but they had the mathematical ability to know how many feet and how many rows of vegetables needed to yield enough to lay up, put by, to feed a family of 8 or more people and have some to give to the pastor or teacher or some elderly person. Maybe parents should demand that it be taught home-ec classes. Young people love to get involved in helping others and teaching them to can foods to help the elderly and the less fortunate….what better way to show concern. It is better than constantly asking for money. Just make sure everyone returns those canning jars.
It seems a satisfying jpb, to ensure you have plenty to feed your family. Love the sight of your cupbparfs full of food
I’ve also heard it referred to as “putting by.”
I am surprised about the phrase “putting up” not receiving more definition in your dictionaries, either. It is a term I heard often in Iowa, and somewhat in my childhood in San Diego (I think the reason I don’t remember it so much in my childhood is because I simply wasn’t paying attention, too busy playing as a kid). I use this term all the time myself when I am putting food back for eating later. I have not done much canning, my usual go to for preserving is freezing. I keep telling myself I am going to start buying extra at the farmers market, etc, and start canning, too, when my life isn’t so busy. But does that time ever arrive? I am just going to have to make the time. Wonderful post!!
Donna. : )
Wow, that is beautiful! Lots of work, but so worth the trouble.
I don’t have a garden or a pressure canning pot, so I don’t “put-up” a lot. But I do take advantage of farmers markets all season long & make a few of our favorites to have through the winter.
I make strawberry jam, apricot jam & tomato jam in season. I freeze green beans, corn, peaches & lima beans.
Nothing beats the taste of summer strawberries, peaches, corn or tomato in cold, dark January.
“Putting up” up foods has always been a common phrase to me. I am surprised it’s not referenced in your books. Maybe “put away” might be more common outside our little section of Appalachia but “away” just doesn’t seem to fit.
As I read your comments and saw the photo of the food put up in your pantry, I was reminded of the woman described in Proverb 31. It is wonderful that you daughter is following your example.
This year I’ve been “putting up” more meats and meals in addition to the usual garden fruits and veggies. It’s been nice to have these convenience foods on the shelf. Plus it frees space in our freezer.
Interesting. Also you ‘put in’ a garden and ‘put up’ the harvest. I do miss some of the ole sayings and when I hear them it is usually hearing you talk and/or read or reading BP&A..Looking forward to the next read. God Bless.