Our family spends countless hours harvesting and preserving foodstuffs for times when they are unavailable fresh. We preserve tomatoes, cook up jam, press cider, can applesauce, and dry herbs summer through fall.

Our winter stores for 2011-2012 began Sunday, just as the winter of 2010-2011 violently passed on. Alex chopped and I hauled ash wood from generous friends who had to remove the dying tree. We went back today and will make one more trip to fill our wood pile. We believe with this week of hard work we will have enough fuel for our wood stove to last the whole winter next year.

What are you planning to 'put up' in 2011?