It’s the rewards of having sweet homemade jam, tasty salsa, and organic frozen vegetables year-round that keep the Bodnar ladies busy throughout the summer and fall months.
“I like my kids knowing where their food comes from and how it’s prepared,” says Karlene Bodnar. The St. Paul resident has been busy over the past little while, making a variety of things, such as homemade spaghetti sauce, strawberry and raspberry jam, pickled carrots, and freezing vegetables such as coloured peppers, zucchini, corn and beans, among other things.
“My mother has taught me everything I know,” says Karlene, adding, “I look up to my mother a lot, and this was one thing I remember from my childhood that I knew I wanted to pass on to my children.”
Karlene and her mom, Doris Bodnar, often get together to can and prepare their homegrown food.
“It is so great doing this with my mom. It’s an afternoon or evening of visiting and making memories,” says Karlene, who remembers enjoying her mom’s cooking while growing up. “I had to learn her ways so I can continue to enjoy them.”
The art of canning and freezing homegrown fruits and vegetables is one that appears to have been passed down through the generations in the Bodnar family. Doris says it wasn’t her own mother who taught her most of what she knows now, but rather her mother-in-law.
“My mother used to can beef and chicken, which was super tasty, but I am never going to attempt that since it would be too expensive to do that . . . My mother-in-law canned a lot. She’s can vegetables and fruits of all kinds and passed this art down to me.”
Her reasoning for continuing to can and freeze her homegrown produce is simple – “There are so many additives in our foods, it’s good to know my family is getting organically grown vegetables and fruit.”
She agrees that many of her children’s memories growing up relate to good food, “and I want my grandchildren to experience the same simple pleasures.”
Despite the obvious benefits to canning and freezing, Karlene admits that she doesn’t really “like” the process involved, since it can be a lot of prep work, that involves washing, cutting and the sterilization of jars.
“But the rewards of that fresh taste is what makes it worth it,” says Karlene. “I take a lot of pride knowing that when I break that jar seal, my kids are getting the best of the best, and I know exactly what’s in each jar.”
She says she and her family especially appreciate the fresh garden taste in the middle of winter when it’s -35 outside.
Karlene recalls running out of raspberry jam earlier this year, so her husband made a trip to the grocery store, despite Karlene warning him that he would not be happy with a store-bought product.
“Once I made a fresh batch with berries from my aunty’s patch, the store-bought went into the trash immediately,” says Karlene. She also gifts her canned produce to her in-laws during the winter months.
She says her husband has made fun of her habits, saying no one else her age does the amount of canning and freezing she does, but Karlene isn’t bothered. She says having her children involved in the process, such as picking the vegetables out of the garden themselves, also helps make it easier to convince them to eat the healthy food.
“It’s a little tougher to get my eight-year-old to help, but I still make him. It’s good for them to know these skills. My three-year-old really enjoys helping, she grabs her bench and is right in there with us helping.”
It seems that Doris’ efforts over the years to teach her daughter the skills have paid off. A few years ago, Karlene wanted to make salsa. It turned out so good that now they always make more jars than they did the previous year. Nearly every ingredient that goes into the salsa is homegrown, as is Karlene’s spaghetti sauce.
“I even grew more tomato plants just so we’d have more tomatoes,” says Doris.
And just because she is now passing on what she’s learned over the years to her daughter, it doesn’t mean that Doris isn’t still learning and experimenting.
“My newest, best canning is mixed Saskatoon and raspberry pie filling that I use as cheesecake topping throughout the winter,” says Doris.
Karlene agrees.
“It’s so delicious. Definitely a family favourite.”
