Happenings Around The Homestead...

This is the first year we have ever grown cabbage.  I love fresh from the garden cabbage but do not enjoy it cooked or fermented.  However, my husband loves sauerkraut so we are experimenting with our first ever batch.  It's sitting on the counter as we speak.  We don't have a crock so we are using (re-using) a Costco pickle jar covered with an old t-shirt rag.  It's high tech, let me tell you.  I may (or may not) try some when it's done.  I know, I know, kraut is supposed to be really good for you.

We have also yet to have a frost in my area so the tomatoes are still coming on strong.  The kids are getting good at prepping the tomatoes for canning.  (Apples too.)  When they start to complain, I simply say, "You like to eat, don't you?"

This is a pic of the bag City Girl whipped up in about 15 minutes.  She wanted a certain size and everything we had was either too big or too small so she went down to our "craft" room and created what she needed.  The body of the bag is a bottom leg of a pair of jeans she had made into cut-offs earlier this year.  She merely had to sew one end shut.  For the handle she made a braided rope made from old t-shirts and sewed it on.  We had some iron-on decals laying around and she embellished the bag with those. (The decals were marketed for the back of jean pockets... who wants their daughter wearing kissy lips on her backside? This is a much more tasteful application.)

There are so many possibilities for this bag.  It is really only limited by your imagination.  It is a quick, easy, and cheap project.  Goodwill stores are great sources of jeans and t-shirts!

What have you all been up to?

Homestead Firsts- Little Eggs & Skinned Tomatoes

 

My little Barred Rock Hens (and one rooster) that we brought home from the farm store this spring have grown up.

 

 

We are now finding little eggs in the nesting boxes of the chicken tractor.  We even found one with out a shell.  It only had the membrane.  It is fun to hear the hens cluck after they've laid their first egg.

Also for the first time ever I de-skinned tomatoes.  My pretty batch of fresh tomatoes went from shiny and pretty to naked.

I was surprised how easy the skin came off.  Just a 45 second swim in boiling water and they just peel right off.  It was surprisingly satisfying!  I came away with 12 quarts of canned tomatoes with tons more waiting on the vines out in the garden.

I have a love/hate relationship with canning.  It seems like such a hassle and takes such a long time (Especially when you run out of lemon juice and have to wait till your husband comes home from work before you can go get more. Cough. Cough.) But it is such a feeling of accomplishment when you look at the finished product sitting on your counter and down in the larder.

What do you all preserve?

Eat This... NOT That!

Eat This!

 

Our tomatoes are finally coming ripe fast enough to warrant a bit of canning tomorrow.  I have already pulled out my trusted Ball Blue Book and will be canning a few quarts of tomato sauce.

 I no longer buy pre-made pasta sauces but in the past I have depended on plain tomato sauce for my sauce base.  What is so bad about that?  It's organic right?  Yep, however the acidic nature of tomatoes causes the lining of the can to leak BPA into the food.  Uncool!

Not That!

My budget is miniscule and I can not afford the premium sauce that comes in glass jars but I am able to make my own! I urge everyone to try canning tomatoes.  They're pretty easy and the taste is awesome! Not to mention kicking one more nasty chemical out of the house.  Hmmm... seems our great-grandparents had it good!

Surprise, Surprise!

 

City Daughter

Today was a day of pleasant surprises for me:

1. Six people to the dentist with not a one cavity! City daughter does need her wisdom teeth pulled though.

2. I was researching the YA market (Young Adult Books) and found out that the Christian publishing industry is really latching on to YA.  Yeah!  I'm not sure if I want to go Christian or Mainstream when I'm done with The Follower but it is good to know I have more options.

3. My tomatoes are really starting to ripen.  I may have enough ripe to start canning!

4. I remembered I had a Costco package of pork chops in the freezer.  Meat for dinner!

5. Farmer John made it home from Detroit meetings in time to eat dinner with us.

6. City daughter baked my favorite cookies for dessert... chocolate chip!

What a really good day!  Simple things make me happy :)

Friday Read & Write

Just a short note for today's read and write.  The new Writer's Digest is out.  I have perused it but have yet to read it in depth. I am looking forward to finding time to sit down with it soon. But probably not tomorrow.  The heat wave we've been having is supposed to break and that means that I have weeding and harvesting and preserving to catch up on.   Lots of beans to "dilly", zukes to shred, kale to blanch, basil to cube and blueberries to pick. 

What are you reading?  Writing? Harvesting? Preserving?

Of Turnips and Rutabagas...

This is our first gardening year on our new property.  We moved in last mid-June and decided just to watch and listen to the property before embarking on any gardening ventures. But while we waited, we planned and for Christmas I gifted my husband with a seed collection from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.

 

The collection I bought him was the Large Northern Package (They also have southern packages.) and it contained over 25 types of vegetables/60 varieties.  In other words we got 60 packages of seeds.  Included were some veges that we probably wouldn't have picked on our own like turnips and rutabagas.  But since we know we need to expand our vegetable horizons we planted everything with a vow to try it and use it/preserve it.

 

 

Now it is into summer and the turnips are ready for harvesting and the rutabagas are growing nicely.  But what to do with them?  Of course I've seen them at the grocery store and occasionally at the farm market but I've always skipped over them.  So I consulted my cookbooks and came up with a recipe for butter roasted turnips.  Surprise of surprise they weren't bad.  Now, they will never be a common sight on my dinner table but seasonally they will make a nice change.  Next time I'm going to try roasting them with butter and brown sugar so they carmelize a bit. I also might mash them. 

 

What I'm really excited to do is use the turnips and rutabagas in soups!  Not in the summer, though.  I try to stay away from hot soups during the summer. They are, however, a staple on our table the other three seasons. 

 

There are three ways to preserve the veges.  I can can them but I would need a pressure canner and I do not as of yet have one.  I could blanch and freeze them or I can blanch and dehydrate them.  I'm going for dehydrating.  After prepping the veges (wash, remove tops, peel) I will cut them up into slices, steam blanch for 5 minutes and then dry them in our dehydrator.

 

 

 

As you can see our dehydrator is a dinosaur but it still works just fine and soon I will have preserved turnips and rutabagas to throw into soups when ever I want.  I think they will be a perfect addition to my hearty homemade soups!

 

How do you use your turnips and other root veges?  Anyone willing to share recipes?

 

Mrs. P Laid An Egg!

 

That's my girl!  Mrs. P is back to laying!  This afternoon when I went into the barn to check on food and water supplies Mrs. Q ran right up to me as usual but not Mrs. P.  I thought that unusual because Mrs. P is always out to welcome me so I looked around the barn and couldn't find her.  I looked in the yard and couldn't find her.  Then I remembered when I couldn't find Mrs. Q and she turned up in a private corner of the barn laying an egg.  So I went back in and checked in nooks and crannies.  No Mrs. P.  Then I just happened to look under the tractor and there she was. She looked up at me but wouldn't move for me to check for an egg.  When I tried to move her she squawked something fierce and set off Jack and Sawyer a squawking. The noise in the barn was rock concert loud and highly comical.

 

My son needed to mow the grass so I told him to come out and start the tractor up but not move it.  Surely the sound will scare her and she'll move, right?  NOPE.  She just hunkered down more.  I finally had my son back up very slowly and carefully and only when the tractor wasn't over her anymore did she move.  You should have seen her sass my son for disturbing her nesting place.  But it was good that she was distracted because I was able to swoop down and grab not only her egg but apparently Mrs. Q's too.  I hope this means that she would make a good momma if we want to hatch some chicks. It will be interesting to see where the ladies lay their eggs tomorrow.  I really need to get them a nesting box set up.

 

 

On an off note... here is a picture of some of my pantry jewels... strawberry-rhubarb jam!

And while I picked more strawberries today...

 

...Taylor posed for a family picture with her husband, Tigger, and all their children.

 

She will always tell you that Tigger is her husband but a couple of days ago she said she wanted to marry Mickey (mouse).  When I asked, "What about Tigger?" , she looked at me strange and said, "You mean I can only marry one!?"  Oh, boy... I sense trouble ahead when she gets older.

Can't Wait For Cherry Season!

You know why I can't wait for cherry season?  Because then my strawberries will be done.  Now don't get me wrong. I have a love for strawberries and I will appreciate all the hard work my girls and I put in harvesting and prepping them for putting up come say as soon as August but right now I am strawberried out! 

When cherry season comes I will go to my u-pick farm.  Pick as many as I plan to need for pie filling, canning, jam, freezing etc. and then go home and put them up and be done with it.  I will not have to harvest for days on end because I'm unwilling to see any go to waste. This will change in the future of course because we plan on putting in cherry trees but for now I must u-pick off property and be happy for a bit of recovery from those blasted strawberries

Today Andi Rose and I picked for at least two hours and then Seven spent just as much time cleaning and hulling them. Tomorrow we have guests coming over for a quilting day so when we get a chance to pick again on Wednesday I imagine it will take us just as long. I guess the plants are making up for last season's miserable crop.

 Okay, I'm off to bed and hopefully I don't dream of strawberries!

Bubba Gump's Strawberry Co.

Yep, we're in the middle of strawberry season and we are feelin' like Forest Gump.  We've had fresh strawberries, strawberry shortcake, Oat-Fashioned Strawberry Dessert, strawberry ice cream and with today's pick I think the family is finally ready to let me make jam.  So tomorrow I'm jammin'! I believe I have enough for a batch of strawberry-rhubarb jam and just strawberry.  I might even try some syrup making.  I've never made a fruit syrup before. Hmmm....

Anywhoo... I would have never guessed we'd get so many strawberries from our two small patches.  We still have them coming.  We are picking only the ripest and then we let the patches sit for a day and then pick some more the next.  We may not have to u-pick many or at all this year.  (For berries to freeze for smoothies.)

The smallest patch is around two x four feet and is filled with Ever-bearing.  They fruited all through the summer last year.  The larger patch  is around three x fifteen feet and I believe these are June-bearing.  When we moved in last year they were already done.  But both patches are really turning out the berries.  I pull one of the kids out to pick with me because my back gets too sore to do it all alone purely because of the mass of berries and the time it takes to get them all picked.  (I have a new appreciation for migrant workers who do that day after day for very little $$.)

Even the chickens are getting a little jaded about the fruit.  They are getting all the too ripe or bird eaten, or wormy or any other reason that the berries are rejected berries. Tonight we went to put them in for the night there were still berries on the ground that they hadn't finished off.

I'm not complaining though, I have waited with anticipation for these berries and I will enjoy the "fruits" of my labor later this year when the season is done and I have put up berries sitting in my freezer and larder. I'm really trying to get out of the habit of buying things out of season so I know this strawberry window is short.  The it's on to cherries, raspberries, blueberries, peaches, apples and tomatoes.  There is also a farm about an hour north of me that does gooseberries, currants and a few other less known fruits.  I may be stopping by pick some of those goodies up.  I can't wait till I have my own.

What are you doing with strawberries and what are you planning on putting up?

Working With What God Gives Me

Just a quick morning post.  Gonna work with the bounty that the Lord has given me today.  I'll be picking strawberries from our two patches and hopefully will secure enough for a batch of strawberry jam or strawberry rhubarb jam.  I also will be infusing some plantain oil today for use in a healing salve in a couple of weeks as well as exploring what else is growing "wild" that I can harvest and use.  (My poor delusional husband calls these things weeds.) I love foraging on my property.  God has so richly blessed us with all we need if we just open our eyes to see it!

What has God given you?

Salsa Season!

Tomatoes, onions, cilantro, peppers, garlic, salt, cumin, lime juice... mix it up and can it!  Salsa! Yum!!

How to can 80 lbs of peaches!

I didn't intend to take a blogging break but peaches and all the other activities of the past couple of weeks caught up with me.  I spent the last few days recovering from busyness and getting the last of my ducks in a row for the new school year which starts tomorrow for us.  At last I feel recovered enough and in control of my time enough to sit down and blog again.

So you wanna know how to can peaches?  It isn't hard but it is a bit time consuming.

First you must acquire your peaches.  There are many places to get them:  At any grocery store, farmer's market, roadside stand, farm or my favorite... picking them yourself.  I'm very blessed to live in a very bountiful region. U-picks for all sorts of delicious fruits and veges abound.  The reason I like picking things myself?  It's fun, cheap, a great family activity and I like my children to know where food really comes from. 

Once the fruit is in your custody you must acquire a few more things. You will need: jars, rings, lids (widemouth is better for peaches), sugar, a water bath canner, a knife, hot pads, a towel and two handy dandy little utensils;  A jar grabber and a magnetic lid catcher. (Okay, those are probably not their official names, but that's what our family calls them.)  It doesn't hurt to have a Ball Blue Book Guide To Preserving on hand either. (A current version, not your great-grandmother's copy from the 1930's.  The science of food preservation has come a long way.)

 Jars in the dishwasher

 Rings in the dishwasher

 Lids boiling on the stove

The "jar grabber" and "lid grabber"... so you don't have to stick your fingers in boiling water!

Scald and peel a few peaches at a time.  (Scalding helps the peels release from the fruit easier.) Cut peaches in halves or quarters (Discarding the pit with the peels- you can compost those.) and pack them into your clean and washed jars.

Next you must make a simple syrup to pour over the peaches.  It is a combination of sugar and water.  Check the Ball Blue Book for exact recipes.  (www.freshpreserving.com also has great info.) Once the syrup is ready (It is hot and all the sugar is dissolved.) pour it over the peaches, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace in your jar.  Put a lid on the jar and seal it with a ring.  (Make sure to have boiled your lids- not just wash them- and make sure they are new.  You can reuse jars and rings but the lids should be new each time to ensure a proper seal. Also check the rims of your jars for knicks or anything that might prevent a tight seal from forming.)

 simple syrup

 jar ready for hot water processing

the water bath canner

Once you get enough jars processed put them in your water bath canner and fill it up with water until the jars are totally covered. Bring this to a boil and then leave the peaches to process for 25 minutes. (Some people prefer to keep their jars hot, the syrup hot and put the jars straight into boiling water.  But never put cold jars in hot water or hot jars in cold water.)  After they are done, remove the jars and place them on a towel covered counter to cool.  When they are cool, wipe them down so they aren't sticky and you are ready for the next batch.  Also make sure to check the jars to make sure they sealed properly.  If they didn't you can try processing in another waterbath or refridgerate and eat the contents of the jar promptly.)

This is what I do.  Please check the links provided in this post and read up on canning before starting.  Canning isn't hard but if not done right can make you very sick or even cause death.

The End Is Near!

I apologize for missing a day but the peaches had overcome me.  I am happy to say, though, that the bottom of the box is visible and I have my last 6 quarts processing as I type.  I have a few left that I will need to be creative with.  A friend told me about a wonderful peach bread recipe that I plan to investigate.  If it is any good I will share it.  Tomorrow should be the last day of peach processing.  Then it is on to Salsa!

Picking Peaches Was The Fun Part!

I love being out in the orchards picking fruit.  I just go wild.  Hence I picked over 80 lbs of peaches on Monday.  It didn't take long.  The trees were laden with fruit everywhere.  Big, ripe, juicy peaches!  Can I tell you how much I hate those 80lbs of peaches right now.  A few went towards peaches and cream for dessert but the rest are in the process of being canned.  I've canned 16 quarts and now at almost midnight I've still got 8 more quarts in a hot water bath. I canned peaches on Monday.  I've canned peaches today, Tuesday, and I will can more tomorrow.  Ohh... those evilly good peaches.  I am so thankful that God created such a wonderful fruit and I'll be so thankful for all this canned goodness this winter but right now...  I hate peaches!

A Pile Of Picked Peppers

Waiting for a salsa canning session!  I guess peppers like our sandy soil.  I wish everything did.