The world of blanks
After work at the dacha, we picked a variety of berries—a little bit of everything. We pick raspberries every evening. This year, they froze, leaving only a few living bushes left. We try to gather the entire harvest of these healthy berries—about 1 kg or a little more. After harvesting, we immediately process them—freeze them or make jam, and... 
We had a yellow plum tree growing at our dacha for many years. The tree was old, its trunk cracked, and the leaves at the tops were constantly curling—it was plagued by pests. Of course, we tried to save the tree—we sprayed it for pests, whitewashed the trunk, but nothing really helped. One day, our plum tree finally died, and we uprooted it, but it... 
July is in full swing. Everything is ripening—strawberries are finishing, the felt cherries, serviceberries, red and white currants are ripe, black currants are just about ripe, gooseberries are coming, the cherry blossoms are turning red, the raspberries are ripening. You don't even know what to pick first. After work, we went to the dacha, and while I was weeding the garlic and onion beds, my husband was picking cherries. In the spring, the cherry trees bloomed profusely, and the berries... 
Our strawberries froze a bit this year, and the harvest was small, but we still had enough for both a tasty treat and some winter storage. What I usually do with strawberries is freeze them whole in plastic containers or disposable cups. It's very convenient to have a cup full of berries in the winter. I blend some of the strawberries, adding a little sugar, fill the containers, and put them in... 
Summer is the season for fruits and berries, which means it's time to make jam. We don't make jam in large quantities, but we make 2-4 jars from different berries. Last year's stock is running out. All that's left is raspberry and blackcurrant jam. As soon as the honeysuckle ripened, I made jam from our very first Siberian berry. I also made two jars from... 
I made a compote for the winter using the very first Siberian berry, honeysuckle. It looks beautiful, a rich burgundy color, and I think it will taste amazing too. I stock up on berry and fruit compotes for the winter every summer. I make two or three jars of every berry we grow at our dacha—currants (black, white, and red), raspberries, strawberries,... 
June is over. The honeysuckle is ripe; there's a lot of it this year. I froze some of the harvest whole, unsweetened, and pureed the rest, adding a little sugar and freezing them too. And today I made some jam. I make this jam every year for myself; other family members won't eat it, saying it's bitter. But this isn't... 
Tomato seasoning called "eye-gouger" is our most essential condiment. We've been making it every year for years, and we can't even imagine our table without it. We add it to prepared dishes, pelmeni, vareniki, side dishes, and soups. My mother and all our neighbors used to make this seasoning. Some called it "throat-gouger," but we called it... 
Another ketchup I make every year. Unlike Bulgarian ketchup, it's more like a tomato sauce. I add it to soup dressings, borscht, vegetable stews, and pizza. It's also perfect for chicken, grilled meats, and shashlik. This ketchup recipe is easy to make, and the ingredients are always readily available at home. 
Ketchup is easy to make at home, especially when you've got a bountiful harvest of ripe, plump tomatoes. We've already prepared all sorts of tomato preserves for the winter and decided to make some ketchup too. I've been making ketchup for several years now. It tastes like that authentic Bulgarian ketchup in those little glass bottles that was sold in stores during Soviet times.