Careful What You Ask For....

Careful what you ask for because you just might get it! Last weekend we took a quick trip home for a last summer hoorah with the kids and for my husband to hang his deer stands close to his Uncle Rogers place.

Well Uncle Roger has an apple tree behind his house. My husband brings back 2-1/2 bushels of apples and you could just tell he was tickled to death with himself.  I have been off work since April and had just started a new job the previous week and I looked at him in disbelief! I said, "when am I supposed to put these up?" and "did you forget I am now working?"!! His response which I am sure you can guess by now was "Ask and you shall receive!"  I asked for apples about two months ago, but nonetheless I did ask for them.

We put up 18 quart freezer bags on Wednesday night and I put up 8 more on Saturday. I will be glad we have them this winter for apple pies, fried pies, and fried apples.

The apples were a green sweet apple similar to a granny smith, so after peeling, and slicing them off the core (which was easier than coring them) I just added fruit fresh per the directions on the bottle and bagged them. I had 5 cups of apples per 4 quart freezer bag.

Salsa Time

Can you say Salsa? I hit the mother load in the garden this morning!

Not My Grandma's Garden

Fruits of Our Labor

I love when all the vegetables  are ready to harvest. A big part of gardening is knowing when to pick and then what to do with it. This week I have picked Japanese eggplant, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, bell peppers, banana peppers and a few potatoes. Feeling very blessed to be able to grow and store our own food.

Broccoli - when to harvest?

Broccoli is a little tricky. Hot temperatures can make broccoli bolt and grow yellow flowers instead of broccoli heads. Basically you have to pick it when the buds of the head are firm and tight before the heads flower. Cut the stalk of the main head at a slant 5 to 8 inches below the head. Most varieties have side shoots that will continue to develop after the main head is harvested. You can harvest from one plant for several weeks; even from spring to fall as long as your summer is not too hot.
Broccoli can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days. If you wash it first make sure it is thoroughly dry.  I only planted two plants but if you have more and can't eat it all right away broccoli can also be blanched and frozen for up to one year.
I am not entirely sure which variety of broccoli I planted but they are definitely different. I bought them from my dad's green house. I harvested them yesterday and I think I could have done so a week ago.

Squash

I always have more squash than we can possibly eat. Normally I eat it, freeze it or give it away. I had never heard of anyone canning it. I found it on Pinterest  via deborahfantasia.hubpages.com . I even looked it up in the Ball book of Home Preserving which only had winter squash.  I talked to my grandmother and she said they used to can yellow summer squash when she was younger until they bought a freezer. Freezing is not an option for us this year as we have way too much fish, wild turkey and deer. 

How to Can Squash 

Canning squash is really easy.  The reason for this is there is absolutely no pealing, coring, or removing seeds.  All you have to do is wash your squash, now cut it into the size pieces you desire.  Get you jars and lids ready by boiling them or running them through the dishwasher.

Put your cut ups squash into a pot of water and boil for a couple minutes. Using a slotted spoon pull out your squash and put it into your jars.  Make sure to leave about 3/4 of an inch space from the top. Add a 1/2 teaspoon of canning salt to each pint jar and 1 teaspoon for each quart jar.  Now add the boiling water (that you cooked it in) to each jar, making sure to leave about an inch space from the top. You want to make sure to get out any air by using a flat (plastic) knife or something similar.  Now place your lids on and then screw the bands down on jars. Put in your pressure cooker at 10 pounds for 30 minutes for pint sized jars and for quart sized jars for 40 minutes.  While cooling do not pick up jars or move them around. It's best to just leave them overnight on your counter or table top. It is also best when you remove them from the pressure cooker to layer a few cloth place mats or dishtowels under the jars because they can bust due to the temperature change if placed directly on a cold counter.

Bread and Butter Pickles

Ingredients

16

cups sliced small to medium pickling cucumbers (4 quarts)

8

medium white onions, sliced

1/3

cup pickling salt

3

cloves garlic, halved

Crushed ice

4

cups sugar

3

cups cider vinegar

2

tablespoons mustard seed

1 1/2

teaspoons turmeric

1 1/2

teaspoons celery seed

Directions

1. Combine cucumbers, onions, pickling salt, and garlic. Add 2 inches of crushed ice. Cover and refrigerate for 3  to 12 hours.
2. Remove any remaining ice from pot. Transfer cucumber mixture to a large colander set in a sink; drain well. Discard garlic.
3. In a large pot combine sugar, vinegar, mustard seed, turmeric, and celery seed. Bring to boiling; stirring to dissolve sugar. Add cucumber mixture. Return to boiling. Remove from heat.
4. Pack hot cucumber mixture and liquid into hot, sterilized pint canning jars, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids and screw bands.
5. Process filled jars in a boiling-water canner 10 minutes (start timing when water begins to boil).

Strawberry Freezer Jam

I made a short trip to Crossroads yesterday with my dad to buy strawberries from Merlin Blackwoods farm.  I bought 3 gallons of strawberries for $9.00 each. They are yummy!! I made 6 pints, 14 half pints and 11-4 oz jars of strawberry freezer jam. This is my mother-in-laws recipe

Strawberry Freezer Jam

1 Quart strawberries ( 2 cup crushed)
4 cups sugar
1 box SureJel

Mix berries and sugar well
Separately combine 3/4 cup water, 1 box Surejel and bring to boil, boil 1 min stirring constantly
Stir the Surejel/water mixture into the strawberries and stir for 3 min.
Ladle into jars
Leave at room temperature for 24 hours. Put in freezer.