Countdown to Glacier Park!

In 4.5 days Jon and I leave for Glacier Park, Montana. It's hard to believe, but it's actually our first vacation where we're not either visiting family or attending a wedding or funeral since our honeymoon over 4 years ago! Crazy right? We're leaving here Saturday morning and will arrive at Glacier Park Sunday afternoon. We're staying there Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights, and then will drive back Wednesday/Thursday. So far all I have planned/booked is a horse-back riding tour. Anyone who's been there, any suggestions are appreciated!

Canning Peaches

After owning a canner/accessories for almost a year, I finally put it to use! I became interested in home canning last fall, so Jon bought a setup for me. However, I didn't get around to using it prior to the end of the harvest last year. (Our farmers market was done by the end of October - gotta love the short Colorado season!)
So, last week I pulled it out. Last Sunday at the farmer's market I bought a box of peaches (about 55 peaches). I've now completed 3 rounds of canning: 3 quart jars of spiced peach halves, 7 half-pint jars of peach preserves, and 4 pint jars of peach butter. I also ended up with a frozen batch of peach margaritas (thanks to Jon for the yummy suggestion!), 2 frozen batches of honey peach syrup (to be used as an ice cream topping), plus a few that we ate. =)
Canning definitely has a steep learning curve. At least for me. My first attempt took like 7 or 8 hours - it was hard to get everything the right temp at the right time! (Canner, jars, lids, and actual product to be canned.) But, I learned a lot, and the next 2 times went faster. It makes me happy to have local produce stored for the winter, when it's so hard to find anything local here. I'm hoping to do tomatoes or raspberries next!