For those who know me, I am an obsessive note taker. I am the crazy person who weighs and logs in all the produce from my garden (yeah I really do!). I also have a journal where I record my preserving endeavors. I do this for multiple reasons:
1. So I know what I actually did! With the craziness of life I don’t need to try to remember these things, do you?
2. So I know what recipe I used. With all the resources out there these days I drive myself crazy trying to remember. Was it in my Ball Book? On Pinterest? Another website? Did I make any changes to the recipe?
3. So I know how much I made. This helps when I am preparing to preserve the following year. Was it enough? Too much? Did the love or hate it? Did I actually use it?
4. So I know how much produce I started with and how much I need to grow or purchase next time, since I can’t seem remember that every year!
Be sure to log the date, how much you used, recipe you used, adjustments or changes you made to recipe and how much it made.
So it sounds like a simple tip but it is so important. You can use many different things for your journal. Of course there is the old pen and notebook. I primarily use an online (and mobile app!) called Evernote (http://evernote.com/). There are many different online and mobile apps to use, if you aren’t already using one! I am beginning to back up my digital journal with a physical journal since working in the kitchen with a digital device isn’t the best thing to do!
Hope that helps.
Happy Preserving!
-Adria
