Jammin!

Today was another "at home" day getting jams made to refill our stock.

On the stove is "Monkey Butter" in process and Red Raspberry on the back burner coming up to a slow heat.

Later will be Blackberries ...ah the smell of summer!

Harvest Moon

Today was a very busy day!  

My parents came up for their "farm" fix.  My dad and the Boy made a great display out front and worked on the water situation (The well has not been functioning correctly for almost 18 months.  But it seems to take 3 years to get things done...lol).  Dad made a temporary fix so we can get city water out to the barn without having to use 7 hoses from the house.  

Man made some awesome "hotdog" sticks for Dad in anticipation of the evening!

Mom and I spent the afternoon getting all of the jellies labelled for the Festival.  And also made a few more jars of jelly (Sweet Tea with Lemon Jelly, anyone?)  And also put up more of our Pepperonicis.  My family went through 1 pint at one meal!!  These are canned for our lovely Festival folks though.  I ran out of labels though, so off to town again tomorrow.

Then Dad started up our little backyard bonfire (not the huge one in the field that also needs burned) and we enjoyed campfire hotdogs and marshmellows as we watched the big Harvest Moon come up.

1 down....how many more to go???

If you've been around here long, you've heard of my 101 in 1001 goal.  (If not check it out here)

Well, today I was able to cross a mighty goal off the list!  It was huge...

Can 500 jars!

Last year I was able to complete 199 jars.

Last month I canned 265 jars!!  

Which left 36...I've already canned 48 jars this month as of 9/10.

I'm going to continue to keep count, as I think it would be cool if I made it to 750.

And MORE Salsa!

So this has been the summer or Salsa!! 

Every week we have had an abundance of tomatoes:

Like our weeble-wobble people tomato?

Or the big heart tomato 

I have had lots of help from both my guys and also my parents!! 

 I'm so thankful for the help. 

And again this morning as I looked around the kitchen, 

I saw that we needed to get another batch going.  

Maters everywhere!

My loves!  Helping hands are the best.

This time the peppers were mostly yellow.

YUM!  7 More quarts of Salsa!

Currently the Salsa count is up to 145 jars

Too busy....

I was too busy today to take any pictures...oh yeah, and also, I don't have a camera....

But good news, I found a replacement camera on eBay and it should be here next week.

My parents have been such a big help on the farm this fall!  They came out and we got so much done.
Dad and I had to do way too much re-wiring on the barn.  One light had an issue and once it was fixed that cause more issues.  But everything is working now.

Dad and I also harvested the last of the sweet corn, then Mom blanched it and we all got it packaged up for the freezer.  10 quarts.  That's besides the 2 dozen for the CSA tomorrow.  This was my first time doing a large scale corn patch.  One half of the patch was blown down about a month ago in a bad storm.

My guys have decided to take an earlier flight and will be home tomorrow afternoon.  I try to do "big" projects when they are away, but haven't even started on it....so I guess, no big project besides corn this time.

Jam...Jelly...Salsa!

We are in full swing getting ready for the coming "Really Local Farm Market & Craft Fair" and winter.

My whole family has been such a blessing, pitching in to chop, dice and stir stuff.  Both of my guys have helped and just this past week, my parents came out to put in long full days on the farm! Between the 5 of us, we have canned over 175 jars in the past 10 days!!  Mostly it's been Salsa, as I've come up with a recipe that is so yummy that everyone likes it!  We have 30 pints ready for the Festival, and another 60 quarts/pints for the winter.  On the "hot side", I have 27 jars of "cowboy candy" mellowing.


Plus, the jam/jelly machine has started.  Last year we sold out of 3 flavors of jam right away, so already I've been making double and triple batches of those (Strawberry/Rhubarb, Razzleberry, and Elderberry).  Plus Dad came up with a new combo to add to our selection this year of Strawberry/Blueberry--it is outstanding!!  This week, we also added more straight Strawberry and Lilac syrup for Ice cream.  Here's the list of what we have on hand so far:

• Strawberry
• Strawberry/Rhubarb
• Strawberry/Blueberry
• Blueberry
• Cherry
• Apple Cider
• Watermelon
• Black Raspberry (Jelly-no seeds)
• Red Raspberry
• Golden Raspberry
• Blackberry
• Peach
• Concord Grape
• Cinnamon Apple
• Peach Vanilla
• Carrot Cake
• Razzleberry (Red Raspberry/Blackberry)
• Coffee
• Lilac Jelly *
• Lilac Syrup *
• Violet *

*Small Batch, limited quantity, slightly higher priced due to nature of product.

On the current "To Make" list is:

• More Carrot Cake
• Sweet Tea Jelly
• Tomato Jam
• "Traffic" Jam
• Christmas Jelly
• Gingerbread Spice Jelly
• Red Pepper Jelly
• Root Beer or Mt.Dew Jelly (??)
• Pumpkin Pie Jam

What do you think?  What jams / jellies do you love?  What one have I forgotten??

"Fruits" from the farm...

Here is some of the "fruits" of our labors.  

Weldon Jerky in the dehydrator

Hot "Cowboy Candy" and a cool rootbeer to wash it down.

Cowboy Candy...and what's in the dehydrator today?!

What is that in the sink?!? Why that would be an entire peck of Jalapeno peppers.

And what am I doing with them?

Making COWBOY CANDY!

Cowboy  Candy is candied (jellied) jalapenos that my cyber-bff is always raving about.  I had to make them myself because her family eats them so fast that she can't get a jar away from them to send it.  

Yes, it's that good!!*

*if you can handle HOT!

I haven't canned as much this summer as I would have liked (although Man did a good job preserving food for the winter for us with the dehydrator) but I had a goal to get some stuff in jars, and in less than a month we will be having our very first, on-farm, local farm market and craft fair.  I still have tons of jars of jelly from the last canning challenge, but wanted to add some new flavors....so Cowboy Candy!

The smell was very spicy and the house smelled like Mexican Restaurant! YUM!

Almost 18 jars later....

It has to "mellow" for a few weeks before we try them. 

 (Although we did sneak a few, and then I had to ask my friend, does "mellow" mean it will get hotter or milder...because OH MY!  HOT!!)

Meanwhile in the dehydrator we have some apple chips (Honey Crisp-YUMMY!) and homemade raisins

Guest post from the Man coming up!

Freezing Corn

It's been over 3 years since I put up corn.

It was the year my Grandma "went home".  I remember that I thought (in my addled state) that we'd need to do about 3 bushels.  

Man, that was A LOT of corn!!! 

 This spring I used my last package of frozen corn.  (I still have some in jars, but don't like how it tastes as well --better for soup) So corn was not optional.  I found a local farmer and bought 80 ears of corn to supplement what was coming out of the garden (which was not much and most went to the CSA).

We ended up with about 10 packages of corn...that's a bit more reasonable.

And, Maybe...if the garden does better next year, I can again put up a "bushel and a peck"

Dandelions....

To continue onward with the "City Mouse"'s Canning Adventure, we then made Dandelion Jelly.  Honestly I thought I would absolutely adore the violet jelly and wondered about the results of the dandelion...I LOVED THE DANDELION more than the Violet!!!

Dandelion Jelly

1 quart tightly packed ripe yellow Dandelion flowers

6 cups water

6 cups sugar

2 Tbsp of Lemon Juice (or the juice of one lemon)

1 package Pectin

First, make sure your flowers have not been sprayed, pick and wash. remove the ends, and as much green as possible.



Place petals, water and lemon juice large heavy bottom pot, bring to a boil, then transfer to a bowl. Place a piece of waxed paper over top and refrigerate until morning.

Strain through a sieve, discarding petals


Return to pot, and sugar and bring to a hard boil. Stirring occasionally. Boil for 10 minutes.

Add pectin to the liquid and return to a boil for 5-10 minutes, until it begins to set.

Pour into hot sterile jars, and process in a hot water bath for 5 minutes.

It tastes a bit like honey

To keep the foam down, add 1/2 tablespoon of butter when you add pectin. It could take up to 2 weeks for jelly to set properly. If it doesn't set, makes a great syrup

Pictures courtesy of "City Mouse" (Except the picture OF City Mouse, and the very first flower picture, and petals)  To follow her adventures visit : www.thenikiverse.blogspot.com

Making Violet Jelly!

So my cousin/BFF, otherwise known as "City Mouse" came to visit earlier this week.  She has never canned before (and is all up for new experiences!)  I had already picked and made both violet and dandelion infusions as I've actually had these recipes waiting in the "drafts" of my blog for some time (Apparently, I wrote down the instructions for this one in 2010)  So without further delay.....

Recipe for Violet Jelly

 Yield: About 2 pints 

Once you've picked enough violet flowers, making this jelly could not be simpler. I got four 1/2 pint jars which I canned (plus a little extra that went straight into the refrigerator) out of this recipe.

Ingredients:

*2 cups fresh violet flower petals (no stems)- make sure you gather them from an area which has not been sprayed with chemicals (and where your dogs don't do their business)
*2 cups water
*1/4 cup bottled lemon juice
*one (1.75 oz) package pectin
*2 cups sugar

Directions:

1. Rinse and drain flower petals, and place in heat-proof glass bowl. Bring water to a boil and pour over petals. Cover and allow to steep overnight, or for up to 24 hours.
2. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve: use a wooden spoon to press all the liquid from the plant material (compost or discard the flowers when you're through).  If not using it right away, you can refrigerate it for up to 24 hours.  The "flower tea" is a gorgeous purple, but wait...

3. Combine strained liquid with lemon juice in the saucepan (notice how it turns pink!!)

 Then whisk in the pectin and the sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil, whisking to ensure the sugar and pectin dissolve thoroughly, then turn heat to medium high and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes (or until the jelly has reduced a bit and thickened).

4. Skim off any foam and then ladle into your clean, hot and sterile jars, leaving 1/8″ head space. Wipe lids and screw on the the rings, then process in a hot-water bath for 10 minutes.
5. Remove jars and allow to cool for 24 hours on the counter.

And there in the back is another batch waiting to be done!

I'm Thankfull for....Day 13

I am grateful for the fact that my family has never really been hungry.  I am thankful for the food on our table.  I am especially thankful when it comes from the work of our hands.  It just seems to taste better that way.

This week we've had lasagna made from Bessie Cheese and homemade tomato sauce from our tomato harvest.  Fresh bread made from raw milk (from a friend) and home ground wheat.

We've had fish flavored with home grown dill weed that I finally had to pull the whole plant and prepare it to be dried.  (It's too cold now to keep it going)

Dill (before)

 

Dill Weed after...(OK, it's not all of it!)

 

And today, I spent the whole day processing pears from off our tree.  I pulled about 10 gallons for us.  Gave about 10 gallons to friends down the road, in exchange for the 10 pounds of grapes they gave us last month.  I've given away about 5 grocery sacks to various people who have been on the farm in the past few weeks.

And given the chickens about 30 gallons of bug/wasp eaten pears or slightly..um..fermented ones. I also have 30 gallons stored in a trash can in the coop to dole out over the next few weeks.

Weldon gets 3 pears each morning as well.  He stands in the corner of the pasture closest to the house and pear tree waiting for me in the morning for them.

Here was my set up. Far on the stove is the juicer, behind which is the pan of very light syrup.  Then the peeled and sliced pears in citric acid water to keep them from discoloring.  Then you can see 3 jars packed and waiting to go into the canner, and a casserole dish that will later become cinnamon pear crisp.  And my handy dandy peeler. The only thing missing from the picture is my huge canner.  (I might need a bigger stove!)

 

Final count 12 Quarts of pears sliced.  7 Quarts of pear juice that will later become Sunshine Jam (Peach/Pear-my favorite!)

My poor ole body lets me know when I spend the whole day on my feet working on canning, but in the end it is worth it when I hear the "pings" of the lids vacuum sealing and see the jars on the shelves.  I know that my family will eat well through the winter!

(And 19 more jars for the 101 challenge!)

Concord Grapes

A few weeks ago, I stopped by a neighbors house and her husband asked if we liked grapes. They had canned all the grapes they wanted for the year. Would I like to cleans off the vines? 

Umm...yes, please. 

After a mere hour, I had gleaned 10 gallons of them. Now what?  I got them home and cleaned a small batch to munch on while we figured it out. 

Our neighbor also mentioned that they used a steamer juicer and it made it so much easier than than colander and cheesecloth method. I'm all for easier. 

So I looked them up online and debated the merits of each. With no time to spare I made a rather big impulse buy. 

(Merry Christmas to me!)

The juicer is in the back. I didn't get a great picture of it. The bottom pan is filled with water. The middle one has a cone shaped opening in the center (for the heat to rise through).  It also has a tube coming out the side that drains the juice. Then the top pan has a colander bottom. You put the fruit in this one. 

 

After hours of making sure only the good grapes went in and all the sour ones went out to the chickens, we loaded up the juicer. 45 minutes later...

Ta Da!  Juice!

 

We ended up with 14 Quarts of Concord grape concentrate. Soon to be turned into grape jelly. Everyone's favorite (so it seems)

More peaches....Peach Salsa

Today...ok, I guess technically...yesterday, I worked on peaches...I will be working on peaches again tomorrow...or I guess...today....anywho...this is what I did!


Peach Salsa
yield 8 pint jars or 16 8-oz jars
Adapted from Ball® Complete Book of Home Preservation

• 1 cup apple cider vinegar or white distilled vinegar (5% acidity)
• 12 cups chopped, pitted peeled peaches **
• 3 cups chopped red onion
• 3 pablano peppers, finely chopped
• 1 cup loosely packed finely chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup honey
• 4 large cloves peeled garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tsp cumin

Prepare canner, jars, and lids. Prepare boiling water canner by filling with enough water to cover jars by 1-2 inches. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Wash jars and lids with hot, soapy water, and place in a bowl of hot water (NOT boiling) until you are ready to fill them.

Prepare ingredients as directed in ingredients list above.

In a large, tall stainless steel pot, combine vinegar and peaches. (TIP: To keep peaches from browning, add them to the pan as you chop and measure.) Add onion, peppers, honey, garlic, and cumin. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Add cilantro and reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding more hot salsa. Wipe rims clean with a damp, clean cloth. Center lid on jar, then screw band down until resistance is met then increase to fingertip-tight.

Lower jars into boiling water canner, making sure that jars are covered by 1-2 inches of water. Add more boiling water as necessary, and cover with lid. Once water has returning to a rolling boil, start timing and process 15 minutes for elevations up to 1,000 feet above sea level (increase 5 minutes for every additional 1,000 feet of elevation).

Once time is up, shut off heat, let sit in canner for 5 minutes, and transfer jars to a double thickness of towel placed 1-inch apart. Do not tip jars or wipe dry - water will evaporate.

Let sit undisturbed for 12-24 hours, away from drafts. Then check seals - the tops of the jars should dip in the middle, and not bounce back when you press down with your fingers. If jars are well-sealed, wipe them clean, label, and store in a cool, dark place. Consume with in 1 year. Jars that did not seal should be refrigerated and contents consumed. Eat within a week or so. 

Sadly, for my son....all "ping-ed" so no peach salsa for him tonight!

Also, sadly, for me...this is what happened to my favorite kitchen knife while cutting the onions...

And tonight's garden haul....

 

And all of this despite the fact that I fell off a 2 inch step by our cellar door, fell on my knees, smacked my ankle on said step, and sprained my ankle but good. Just call me "Grace".  (As my Daddy always does!)