It's that time of year...

Preserving your bountiful harvests... Growing just a few things in your garden can lead to a grocery store like atmosphere in your pantry... Take tomatoes for instance... Not only are they great fresh on a BLT, but you can make LOTS of stuff with them... Sauce, Paste, Ketchup... You can make stewed tomatoes for hotdish, you can make chili seasoning mixes... How about home made Bloody Mary Mix!?!?! The options are endless...

Now, I won't get into too many recipes here, because I believe that everyone knows SOMEONE who has canned and can pass along a great recipe; but I will pass along a trouble shooting guide for those of you who aren't seasoned pros, or just want to double check against something you may have had a question about.

Canning and preserving require patience and waiting and some diligent practices, so it's better to be over informed than under.

Here is a guide from the University of Minnesota helping to trouble shoot some issues that many of us have when home preserving. Check it out.

Recipe of the Week! Fried Chicken

Who doesn't love fried chicken? Many people are afraid of the 'fried' part of it, but there are a few tricks to keeping the fat levels lower... SKIN the chicken. That way you're not just browning the fat. DO NOT CROWD the pan when frying... doing so will lower the temp of the oil and will cause your chicken to soak more of it upl. Drain on paper towels when finished cooking...

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 (2- to 3-pound) whole chickens cut up
• Vegetable oil

Preparation

Stir together first 3 ingredients in a shallow dish. Whisk together eggs, milk, and lemon juice in a bowl. Dredge chicken in flour mixture, dip in egg mixture, and dredge again in flour mixture. Chill 2 hours.

Pour oil to a depth of 1/2 inch into an electric skillet; heat to 375°. Fry chicken, in batches, 10 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Reduce heat to 250°; cover and cook 25 minutes or until done. Drain on paper towels.