tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59383908666698335042024-03-14T12:15:31.171-04:00Headspacea cooking and canning blogVirginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394244876219033487noreply@blogger.comBlogger180125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938390866669833504.post-5755334386065151702016-01-18T17:03:00.000-05:002016-01-18T17:03:11.947-05:00Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know I am sharing more baking recipes lately, but my dinner menu usually consists of old standbys as we try to accomplish some projects around here. Last night, when making one of my dessert standbys, I realized I had never shared these insanely, awesome, yummy cookies here. So here goes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These are the best and easiest cookies you will ever make. They mix up like a breeze and are always consistent. I know that many people enjoy making cookies, but I am not one of those people. These cookies are so good and so easy that even I don't mind mixing them up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The recipe yield is on the smaller side at only about 25-30 cookies, but I have doubled and tripled this recipe with good results. Just make sure if you triple that you are using a large bowl on a stand mixer. If you are just making a regular size batch, they can be mixed by hand with no difficulty. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These cookies are also very versatile depending on what you have on hand. I have made them with natural peanut butter and regular. I preferred the natural although there was nothing wrong with the regular batch at all. I have made them with chunky peanut butter and creamy. I prefer chunky because I love the pieces of peanut, but another great alternative if you use creamy is to add 1/3 cup chopped salted peanuts when you add the peanut butter chips. They are excellent this way. You can also leave out the peanut butter chips altogether or substitute chocolate chips in their place. You can make these the size listed in the recipe or make them larger if you prefer (just make sure you bake them a tad longer). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Seriously, you just can't go wrong with these cookies. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Flour Peanut Butter Cookies-</b> makes approximately 25 cookies</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I simply drop my cookies and flatten them ever so slightly with a glass or the tines of a fork. If you prefer rounder, neater cookies, you can roll them in a ball first and then bake. I never see a need for this though. </span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 cup brown sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 cup crunchy peanut butter (natural or regular)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 large egg</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 tsp baking soda</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 tsp vanilla extract</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 cup peanut butter chips</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a spatula, mix brown sugar and peanut butter together in a large bowl (or in a stand mixer). Mix in the egg, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir in peanut butter chips. Drop by tablespoons onto baking sheet leaving 2 inches between each cookie. Using the bake of a glass, slightly flatten each cookie (this is optional but results in more consistent cookies). Bake 10 minutes. Cool on wire racks and store in a covered container. </span>Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394244876219033487noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938390866669833504.post-30447402147093598912015-12-31T15:47:00.001-05:002015-12-31T15:47:18.446-05:00Attempting Babka<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I recently got energized to bake, and since I am off for winter break, I decided to try my hand at something new. I had snapped up a copy of a relatively new magazine titled <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bakefromscratch">Bake From Scratch </a>while out shopping, and it has some interesting recipes inside. I have also been a bit hooked on the show <a href="http://thegreatbritishbakeoff.co.uk/">The Great British Bake Off</a>, and I especially love that each episode centers around one type of baked good. I kept telling my husband after finishing the most current season of the show that we should really start baking together, choosing one type of recipe to "master" before moving on. That hasn't happened yet (and probably never will), but we did try our hand at babka a few days ago. It was extremely tasty, although there are things about it that weren't quite right for me, and I am determined to play around with it until I am completely and utterly satisfied (although I will have to wait some time between experiments as it is, of course, very rich in flavor and calories). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is my first attempt. You can certainly use the recipes listed if you wish. I will share what I liked about them and what I plan to change for the next go 'round. Then once I have made it again, I'll let you know how it went. In the meantime, if you want a rich, unique bread for dessert, breakfast, or just a special treat, this is a good place to start. I am also eager to try this with a jam filling and streusel topping. I will say that although the bread looks complicated it is actually fairly simple to make and turn out a pretty decent loaf. It was time consuming and a little messy, but it was worth it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The recipe makes two loaves, so I opted to fill each with a different filling. I used a chocolate filling for one loaf and a cinnamon pecan filling for the other. Both were delicious. The chocolate version allows the brioche-like dough to really shine, and we liked the subtle orange flavor of the dough. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The cinnamon pecan version was all about the filling. It was much richer, much sweeter, and we really want to try to cut back on some of that in our next attempt. When I'm trying something new, I tend to stick fairly closely to the recipe so I know what it is like as written before I start altering it too much. Once I've tried it, then I have no problems making changes which I will definitely be doing with this loaf. While it was exceptionally delicious, I cannot justify eating that much butter or sugar in a single slice of bread, and I want to taste the bread rather than just the filling. If you want a bread that tastes like an inside out sticky bun, though, this is the bread for you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The chocolate babka is filled with a mixture of melted semi-sweet chocolate, sugar, cocoa, and butter that was cooled before spreading over the dough. To fill the babka, you roll the dough into a rectangle, spread the filling on top, and roll it up jelly-roll style. You then cut the roll in half lengthwise and twist the two resulting pieces together allowing the filling to remain facing up. This allows you to see the filling from the top but also to get the swirl of filling and bread when you cut into the loaf. I was happy with the rise on my chocolate loaf as well as the texture and appearance. I did make a mistake though and added the entire filling recipe even though I later realized it was meant to be split between the two loaves. What can I say, it was very late at night, and my brain was heading into sleep mode. The result was a thicker ribbon of chocolate (maybe a little too thick if that is possible with chocolate). Next time I will use half the chocolate filling in one loaf as I am sure the recipe intended. I can definitely see how that would have been an appreciated mistake for chocolate lovers though. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The cinnamon pecan babka was filled with a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, butter (lots of it), finely chopped pecans, and sugar. I did use the correct amount of filling in this loaf, and the filling is delicious. It keeps the babka super moist on the inside, but it has so much butter in it that the babka did not rise as much as it should have in baking. Even though this type of dough is rich and full of butter, there is a point at which it can become too rich and the dough structure cannot support the amount of fat. It can cause the dough to collapse in on itself, leaving gaps in between the filling and bread. While this recipe did not have extreme issues with that, it did teeter on the edge. I will definitely make this again, but next time, I will alter the filling by adding less butter and sugar and more nuts. While the nuts were there, they were not as prevalent as I would have liked, and I think adding more nuts and less fat will help the structure of the dough as well as the taste. It will also allow me to more easily justify eating it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are the recipes I used. I am writing them here in their original form. I will be making changes to them in the future. The filling recipes are for two loaves. If you plan to fill each loaf with a different filling, halve the filling amounts for each. I also created a glaze for the Cinnamon-Pecan Babka. It was made by mixing 2 tablepoons milk with 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla. I drizzled it on once the loaf was completely cool. The glaze is completely optional. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Babka-</b> <i>Makes 2 loaves</i></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Dough:</i> </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6 1/2 cups all purpose flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3/4 cup sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 Tbsp active dry yeast</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 Tbsp orange zest</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4 large eggs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3/4 cup milk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 tsp vanilla extract</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">16 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 Tbsp kosher salt</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><b>Egg Wash:</b></i> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 egg and 1 tablespoon water beaten together.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i>Simple Syrup:</i></b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water heated to boiling to dissolve sugar and then cooled slightly.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Chocolate Filling (enough to fill two loaves):</i> </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3/4 cup unsalted butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3/4 cup confectioners' sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 cup cocoa powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 tsp kosher salt</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i>For Chocolate Filling:</i></b> Heat butter and chocolate chips over medium heat in a saucepan, stirring frequently, until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in confectioners' sugar, cocoa, and salt. Allow to cool completely.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Cinnamon-Pecan Filling (enough to fill two loaves):</b> </span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 cups unsalted butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 cups sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4 tbsp ground cinnamon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 tsp grated nutmeg</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 cup finely chopped pecans</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i>For Cinnamon-Pecan Filling:</i> </b>Using the paddle attachment on a stand mixer on medium speed, mix butter and sugar until blended. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix again until incorporated. On low speed, mix in the pecans. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i>For the dough: </i></b>Spray two (8 inch) loaf pans with cooking spray and line each with parchment paper. In a stand mixer with a dough hook, combine flour, sugar, yeast, and zest on low speed. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla. Beat until dough comes together, 2-3 minutes. Add more milk 1 tablespoon at a time if mixture seems too dry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With mixer on low, add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Add salt, beating just to combine. Increase speed to medium, and beat until a smooth and elastic dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time if dough does not pull away. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in bowl and let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until doubled in size. You can also let the dough rise in the refrigerator overnight instead. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i>Assemble Loaves: </i></b>Divide dough in half. On a floured surface, roll one half of dough into a 12 by 9 inch rectangle. Spread dough with desired filling leaving a 1 inch border on all sides. Brush border with egg wash, and roll dough starting at the longest side, jelly-roll style. Press edges of dough to seal. Using a large, sharp knife, cut dough in half lengthwise. Twist the dough pieces around each other with cuts sides up. Place in pan, cut sides up. Repeat with the second half of the dough. Cover and let stand in a warm place 1 to 1 1/2 hours until doubled in size. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While dough is rising, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake loaves 30 minutes. Cover with foil, and bake another 30 minutes (note- I did not cover mine with foil for the second half of the baking. They were not brown enough.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While babka bakes, prep the simple syrup (if you have not already). Once a skewer can be inserted in middle of babka without dough on skewer, remove babka from oven. Allow to cool slightly. Pour half simple syrup over each loaf (it looks like a lot, but it needs the entire amount to stay moist). Let cool in pans 5-10 minutes. Remove loaves to wire rack (with parchment paper underneath) to cool completely. </span><br />
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Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394244876219033487noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938390866669833504.post-83404771350331463062015-12-13T11:41:00.000-05:002015-12-13T11:41:53.652-05:00Turkeys Part Two: Lessons Learned<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In case you didn't catch part one of my turkey post, <a href="http://headspacecanning.blogspot.com/2015/12/turkeys-part-one-raising-our-own-birds.html">here is the link</a>. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">s I <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">was discussing in that post, <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">we had read that 24 weeks was a reason<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">able</span> amount of time for the turkeys to <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">reach their optimal wei<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ght. My husband loaded the turkeys up i<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">n the wee hours of t<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">he morning and drove them an hour or so to a processing fa<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">cility. He<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> was able <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">to stay with them and watch the process which he <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">said was <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">very quick<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> and <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">seemed <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">to be as painless as possible. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The man at the processing plant had a little difficulty with one o<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">f our toms due to his size which was <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">my husband's first clue that maybe our turkeys were a little different than most. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">W</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">hen asked how we wanted t<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">he turkeys <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">processed, <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">my husband</span> told them we wanted 1 ma<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">le and 1 female <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">left whole and the other ma<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">le and fe<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">male cut<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> into parts. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And here is <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">where we learned our fi<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">rst lesson. When asked <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">how you want the turkeys processed, it is <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">a good idea to ask how much ea<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ch weigh<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ed before making a decision. Turns out we ha<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">d some very large turkeys on our hands. Our males wei<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ghed in a<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">t <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">just over 40 pounds each after being processed. Yes, that's right<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. Forty pounds per tom! I don't even have an oven large enough for a 40 pound turkey. If I had known they were <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">that large under all those puffy f<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">eathers, I would have opted to get both toms cut up and the femal<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">es left <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">whole. The females weigh<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ed in at a much more rea<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">sona<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ble, albeit<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> heavy, weight of <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">app<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">roximately 20 p<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ounds each.<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">plant manager exp<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">lained that most people bring their turkeys in somewhere be<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">tween 16 and 20 weeks which is definitely our second lesson learned. The 24 week time frame worked well for the <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">females, so another option would be to buy sexed <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">birds the next time so th<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">at you're working with <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">either all females or all males. Either that o<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">r process them at differen<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">t times. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">we got the bird<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">s back home, w<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">e were ba<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">rely able to fit them in the upright freezer. In fact, we thought the freezer door was closed but as <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">it turned out the <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">suction <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">on the door was not as st<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">rong because of the one of the t<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">om's legs <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">sticking out just a bit too fa<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">r which resulted in a thawing of some of the <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">veggies in <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">the freezer. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We were able to sal<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">vage most though. That's lesson number three<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. Always check the upright freezer <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">to make sure the door is closed tight when storing 120 pounds of turkey insi<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">de. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So, we stored the turkeys until T<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">hanksgivin<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">g at which point <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">we<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">thawed one turkey breast <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(from one of the hens). The turkey breast<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> we<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ig<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">hed in at a l<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ittle over 9 pounds. We made a mixture of melted butter, <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">orange juice, r<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">osemary, <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">salt<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, and p<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">epper, and basted the <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">tur<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">key with the<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> mixture th<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">rough<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">out the cooking process. It<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> tu<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">rned out to be ab<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">solutely <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">scrumptious</span>. Mu<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ch more f<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">la<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">vorful than turkeys you buy at the store<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> and more moist also. We served it alongside <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">a sweet po<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">tato casserole, dr<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">essing<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> and gravy, and <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Brus<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">sels sprouts with bacon<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. It was a yummy meal and on<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">e <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">for which we were truly t<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">hankful. </span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394244876219033487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938390866669833504.post-16412036724908129142015-12-05T23:36:00.000-05:002015-12-05T23:36:17.707-05:00Turkeys Part One: Raising Our Own Birds<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It has been such a long time since I posted. My life has been a little crazy lately, and I never really felt like I had anything worthwhile to say here. I did miss it though and have felt guilty for letting everything keep me from posting. I am going to try to get back on the wagon and post more. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. Ours was spent out of town with family, and we enjoyed every minute of it. When we got back in town, we decided to cook up one of our turkey breasts from the turkeys we raised this year. We had not tried any of the meat and really wanted leftovers for turkey sandwiches which is something you really don't get when you go out of town for the holiday. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before I tell you about the turkey and how it tasted, let me give you a little information about these birds. I know I have mentioned here that we were raising turkeys, but I never really went into detail. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On April 2 we purchased four Broad-breasted Bronze turkeys. They were a day old at that point. We raised them inside in a brooder just as we do our chicks. The turkey poults grew very quickly, much quicker than the chickens we got around the same time. It turned out that out of the four, there were two females and two males. Within a month or so they had outgrown the brooder. My husband then built a turkey tractor to house them. These are pictures of the tractor in progress. It is made of lumber, cattle panels covered with smaller welded wire, and metal and plastic ties. We covered it with a tarp to keep out the rain, hung the food and water, and made a roost for the turkeys to sleep on. The turkeys then moved outside to their new home. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We locked the turkeys in at night for protection, but during the day they had access to a large grassy area that was fenced with a large portable poultry fence. They were moved around regularly to give them fresh grass. Occasionally they did get out of the fence, but they were easy enough to manage and were, for the most part, very easy to care for. My husband did have to go out each evening and shoo them into the tractor because they always hunkered down under the tree instead. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They ate specialized poultry feed for turkeys and game birds, bugs and grass, and vegetable/fruit scraps. You do have to be careful with turkeys because they will eat anything put in front of them and aren't the smartest animals. They were always very fascinated by the yellow caution sign attached to the poultry fence. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They were also very entertaining. The hens were extremely curious, pecking at you if you got close enough and getting right in the way of the camera. The toms, on the other hand, were much more skeptical and puffed up immediately as soon as anyone came near. They never became aggressive though, which I had been a little worried about early on. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We raised them this way for approximately 24 weeks. Everything we had read suggested that was a good amount of time, allowing the turkeys to grow to a reasonable size. We scheduled to have them processed at <a href="http://foothillspilotplant.com/mainpage02.htm">Foothills Pilot Plant</a> (a North Carolina plant specializing in humane small flock processing for farmers in the state). We chose to let the plant process the turkeys because we had never processed turkeys before and were not confident we could deal with such large birds. Turns out that was a pretty smart decision (more on that later). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the early morning hours, my husband loaded the four birds into crates on the back of the truck and hauled them a little over an hour to the plant. That's where our lessons in raising turkeys really began... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span>Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394244876219033487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938390866669833504.post-48091895785802121742015-08-06T16:16:00.000-04:002015-08-06T16:16:02.708-04:00Cinnamon Spiced Peach Peel Jelly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love to can things that allow me to use ingredients that would otherwise be discarded. Recently I was faced with a 20 pound box of peaches from the folks at <a href="http://sweetpreservation.com/">Sweet Preservation</a> and the Washington State Fruit Commission as well as four quarts of local peaches I already had on hand. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I decided to freeze the four quarts of peaches to use in oatmeal, cobblers, and the like throughout the winter. I peeled them, sliced them, and tossed them with a little sugar before dividing them into quart bags. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The rest of the peaches (20 pounds), I peeled, halved, and canned in a very light sugar syrup. We like to eat peaches like this straight out of the jar. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I got started on those peaches, I had it in my mind to peel them by dunking them in boiling water and then in an ice bath. This allows the skins to slip off easily and without much effort. I changed my mind though and decided to peel them by hand. The peaches were absolutely huge with each one weighing in at about 3/4 of a pound (sorry I don't have a picture), and I thought that if I peeled them by hand I would have a little more meat left next to the peel. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, in the world of canning (or cooking for that matter), you generally do not want fruit taken away when you peel it, but my thoughts on this were that in peeling by hand and inevitably removing just a bit of the meat of the peach, I would have very flavorful peels to make peach peel jelly. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had read about peach peel jelly before, although I could not find a recipe from any official sources such as National Center for Home Food Preservation. I knew peach peel jelly to be something traditionally made to prevent waste and to create something with nothing. That sounded good to me. I had also read negative reviews though that stated that the peach peels did not lend enough flavor to make a strong, peachy juice. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIDENRHGUpeEn6wmE91BBCapnzloZRWMQP9qOJnm-niZIDhHtLyWeTR47MTEgXEkXMiK31N8y4Tplm2M7ZSFXebKFZZKwOq-dLlLm5GrIjh4s5VQpm3o6jOZOeaeUzd_29sN32_BbjIpY/s1600/IMG_3159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIDENRHGUpeEn6wmE91BBCapnzloZRWMQP9qOJnm-niZIDhHtLyWeTR47MTEgXEkXMiK31N8y4Tplm2M7ZSFXebKFZZKwOq-dLlLm5GrIjh4s5VQpm3o6jOZOeaeUzd_29sN32_BbjIpY/s400/IMG_3159.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Peach juice after straining</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I decided to try to remedy that by peeling by hand. I washed my peaches well, peeled them by hand, and tossed the peels in a large pot along with three (4 inch) cinnamon sticks. I covered the peels with water, brought the mixture to a boil, simmered for 10 minutes, and turned off the heat. I then allowed the mixture to cool on the counter for a few hours. I refrigerated the cooled mixture overnight allowing my peach peels to steep even longer. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Peach juice and enough sugar for two batches waiting to be made into jelly</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the morning, I strained the solids from the liquid, and then strained the liquid through a clean, white pillow case to remove all sediment. You could strain through cheesecloth, but you will most likely need to do it several times to remove all solids. A jelly bag would also work well if you have one. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsgYXoYRp1R7qAWWy51g-Lcyqto7iXKx_O007rUvPnIXM4_-Sd1mLeWYNYWrNKDM1psXstdq4zXfeOg6maFDJV9CY0A-KH_QZ6MnsHSLzluhyphenhyphen7eCdFLfOIy_2ni0TSIlUzXpaa8EoS78/s1600/IMG_3192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsgYXoYRp1R7qAWWy51g-Lcyqto7iXKx_O007rUvPnIXM4_-Sd1mLeWYNYWrNKDM1psXstdq4zXfeOg6maFDJV9CY0A-KH_QZ6MnsHSLzluhyphenhyphen7eCdFLfOIy_2ni0TSIlUzXpaa8EoS78/s400/IMG_3192.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Cinnamon Spiced Peach Peel Jelly</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once strained, I had clear, pink peach juice. I measured my juice into 3 cup portions (I got 6 cups of juice total- enough for two batches). You do not want to double the recipe as the jelly may not set up as well in double batches. I made one batch, spooned it into my jars, and then made another batch. The first and second batches then went into the canner together for 5 minutes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The results are a sweet, very peachy, and slightly spiced jelly. It reminds me of peach cobbler. It is absolutely delicious and a great way to use something that would otherwise be discarded. By the way, the chickens enjoyed the peels the next morning after I strained the juice. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Cinnamon Spiced Peach Peel Jelly</b>- <i>makes 4 half-pints</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Note: You must begin this recipe the day before you plan to make the jelly so that your juice is ready.</i> <i>The juice recipe that follows makes enough juice for at least 2 batches of jelly. </i> <i>You can make as much or as little juice as you want by following the same directions and just adjusting quantities. </i> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3 cups peach juice made with 3 (4 inch) cinnamon sticks</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 box powdered pectin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3 cups sugar</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>To make peach juice the day before: </i>Combine the peels of approximately 20 pounds of peaches with 3 (4 inch long) cinnamon sticks, and enough water to just cover. Bring to a boil. Simmer 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Refrigerate overnight. In the morning, strain the solids, and then strain the juice through a clean pillowcase, jelly bag, or several layers of cheesecloth until the juice is clear. You may need to repeat straining process several times. Measure out 3 cups of peach juice for each batch of jelly. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>For the Jelly: </i>Combine the peach juice and pectin in a large pot on medium high heat. Bring to a boil. Add sugar all at once, stir to combine, and bring to a full rolling boil. Continue to boil until the mixture reaches 220 degrees and sheets off of a spoon. This may take anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pour jelly into half-pint jars, top with lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes. </span>Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394244876219033487noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938390866669833504.post-16539016991089276332015-07-16T18:39:00.000-04:002015-07-16T18:39:13.597-04:00The Two Lone Rangers<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don't often post about our chickens, and I definitely don't post multiple times in a week, but I thought I would share a quick snippet from the lives of our two "lone rangers". <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26zsGPZzo2MUipTGVoIuhpI3Wrs_3LwkM2Im8osxwX5WBdPkzU-EGv-fNxmpaHFuYw9WStInoLpp8IbFt7Uy2ykBVQZjovRwvogNyJzKDoIE_SfY-tptbvy4I97SBCrL6UMXFKtOXqvw/s1600/IMG_3102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26zsGPZzo2MUipTGVoIuhpI3Wrs_3LwkM2Im8osxwX5WBdPkzU-EGv-fNxmpaHFuYw9WStInoLpp8IbFt7Uy2ykBVQZjovRwvogNyJzKDoIE_SfY-tptbvy4I97SBCrL6UMXFKtOXqvw/s400/IMG_3102.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Broody Piggy in the nesting box- notice how she is puffed up.</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have had our three Buff Orpingtons for several years now. When we moved to the country and incorporated eight more chickens to the mix including one rooster, they all lived happily for a short while. Then, the rooster, wanting to be the boss that he thinks he should be, began trying to mate with the three Orpingtons. One of them, Rosie, took to it well enough. She is quick and can usually get away from his advances, but when she doesn't it's not the end of the world for her. Another chicken (Piggy), however, was used to being the ring leader among the three, and she did not take well at all to big Al (that's the rooster). She would escape him each time, and he did not like that one bit. So, to make a long story short, Al attacked Piggy several times to the point of drawing blood at which point we moved Piggy and her chicken buddy, Chippy, to live on the other side of the coop separated from the others. One might think they get lonely, but they don't. They are perfectly happy without the antics of the other chickens and the "leadership" of a male. In fact, they probably have the best life of any of the chickens. While the other chickens are enclosed within a portable chicken fence, Piggy and Chippy free range all day. They don't travel far, but they travel together. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3lrM05vOFwGeykfUOW4Wp4CA-5TA7V_jKhoCEFw24hJO2_nBeBAD903M3KagtyDHxEwLS2xj_M8mGp_Cvx9VDULKCsfEVRA3tBZllYA9Js1Nl7OOybywt4aAPnmE34fuskjed9XpUSE/s1600/IMG_3100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3lrM05vOFwGeykfUOW4Wp4CA-5TA7V_jKhoCEFw24hJO2_nBeBAD903M3KagtyDHxEwLS2xj_M8mGp_Cvx9VDULKCsfEVRA3tBZllYA9Js1Nl7OOybywt4aAPnmE34fuskjed9XpUSE/s400/IMG_3100.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">She is puffing up to tell me to leave her alone.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The problem is that Piggy has a tendency to go broody. This means that she wants to sit for several weeks on eggs in hopes of hatching chicks (which of course will never happen since she and Chippy do not have contact with Al). She has been prone to broodiness all her adult life, and in the past we have tried to break her from being broody without much success. Now that we get plenty of eggs each day and don't miss it if she isn't laying, we leave her be for the most part. We do try to coax her out of the nesting box when it is extremely hot, and these days we try to get her out at least a few times a day to be with Chippy. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizH_vg4ZqBOIbWlkeBPVV-IqHoXZzGNddPrTwz6PThYo8xGXrwOkTXEYBIE7O2Ko0VZIsVyXjqW-ooxBw3BZ9mdyAb1ZgKxyG97tNjttblPXznXhkcxlB1tWYiShVDhJvKbOEHKbfjTJI/s1600/IMG_3105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizH_vg4ZqBOIbWlkeBPVV-IqHoXZzGNddPrTwz6PThYo8xGXrwOkTXEYBIE7O2Ko0VZIsVyXjqW-ooxBw3BZ9mdyAb1ZgKxyG97tNjttblPXznXhkcxlB1tWYiShVDhJvKbOEHKbfjTJI/s400/IMG_3105.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Chippy camped out under the table saw.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I feel bad for Chippy roaming around on her own. She has gotten to the point where she just camps out in the shed with the tractor or on the other side under the table saw during the heat of the day, and she will roam a little when Piggy is out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The bad thing is that Piggy is nesting in Chippy's favorite box which has led Chippy to lay several eggs under the table saw in the shed. This is not a habit we want to stick as we don't want to have to go in search of eggs each evening. So, here's hoping that the broody chicken snaps out of it quickly this time and the two lone rangers can keep doing their thing (together). </span>Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394244876219033487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938390866669833504.post-75011030896715182002015-07-15T10:20:00.000-04:002015-07-15T10:20:04.343-04:00A Non-Stop Summer Week<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The garden has been going crazy! Buckets of tomatoes, loads and loads of zucchini and squash, and melons ripening on the vine. We had several pumpkin plants at the edge of the garden and we pulled 3 pie pumpkins off of them last week. At this point, we have preserved almost everything we wanted, and therefore, we are letting the zucchini and squash plants fend for themselves from here on out. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguqMpsPaQtnjEU7S1nUnDeSXfBi0bx72B9luXrxWaymtxrvcFaSKHRb_WgljdQLfNKfpscnBOSXsSFXbK6-fD95R49LYXKPtzRawAk4dkl8IFM5W-79dsajpOcFnvlIp1cnOamYEZG2c0/s400/IMG_2972.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A pan of produce- we are getting this much every couple of days</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We will continue to maintain the tomatoes and melons, but other than that we will buy corn and lima beans to freeze, and we'll call it quits until we plant fall crops. I have been so pleased with the garden this first year. I have spent very little money on produce to can and freeze, and that makes it all worth it. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCxM-L3QFMsNguHjFwLuhJtfeg2z9vAFayxPyY-Vq3eJHaSFxyt2qyM7a4h9m7xOJVaj8TNhgBDD832kDPbXIu5lXEvxE2lx3llFleq-wx9MEUVBhvMkhhiA-TZXcxDx3ni7B8DuKTZ4/s1600/IMG_2979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCxM-L3QFMsNguHjFwLuhJtfeg2z9vAFayxPyY-Vq3eJHaSFxyt2qyM7a4h9m7xOJVaj8TNhgBDD832kDPbXIu5lXEvxE2lx3llFleq-wx9MEUVBhvMkhhiA-TZXcxDx3ni7B8DuKTZ4/s400/IMG_2979.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">These were cut in half, and roasted, and then the puree was frozen.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I spent last week canning <a href="http://headspacecanning.blogspot.com/2012/07/roasted-garlic-and-herb-pasta-sauce.html">roasted garlic and herb pasta sauce</a> (our favorite), <a href="http://headspacecanning.blogspot.com/2011/08/roasted-salsa-verde.html">roasted salsa verde</a>, <a href="http://headspacecanning.blogspot.com/2015/02/something-new-pickled-pintos-corn-and_12.html">pickled corn and pintos</a>, sweet pickle relish (more on this to come), tomato salsa using <a href="http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/canned_tomato_salsa/">this recipe</a>, and freezing lots of stuff as well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I froze 10 quarts of shredded zucchini to use for zucchini bread, and I made 3 batches of <a href="http://headspacecanning.blogspot.com/2014/09/chocolate-chip-zucchini-bread.html">zucchini bread</a> and froze those as well. I also froze zucchini in chunks to use in <a href="http://headspacecanning.blogspot.com/2011/08/chicken-and-vegetable-tostadasa-way-to.html">Chicken and Veggie Tostadas</a> and casseroles. Is there any plant more resilient (or annoying) than zucchini? I swear every time I walk through the garden I come in with an armful of summer squash. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhR_FUErQC6Y2LiqvAzEpHQHDkXI0PNNYXvo4UopLxDiraUj2BDy5h-JTok8oN1Yx2472wb4zsWlLFBzuAd71NQh9BHRnDeDIUYRPhacgBtPmK5xC8rQ0I1DBHStiz9S9ihdC_tFEfyOo/s1600/IMG_3070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhR_FUErQC6Y2LiqvAzEpHQHDkXI0PNNYXvo4UopLxDiraUj2BDy5h-JTok8oN1Yx2472wb4zsWlLFBzuAd71NQh9BHRnDeDIUYRPhacgBtPmK5xC8rQ0I1DBHStiz9S9ihdC_tFEfyOo/s400/IMG_3070.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I did not plant cherry tomatoes, so when I came across a gallon of them at the farmers market for $7, I snapped them up. I definitely need to add this to my list of things to plant next year. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyBv1JCzBiH_KRJ1p1v9w-YmBJgYg_keIf9aF86eucEgO_7Ob05zL8jdeXo6w_JS9aXOSc8d8f1RjFOS29SYKGFuiIrj_MO0GcbL-D_dw2iB1SXJrNMQGgPWRPe4ZD9U31CCEomZQHQQA/s1600/IMG_3063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyBv1JCzBiH_KRJ1p1v9w-YmBJgYg_keIf9aF86eucEgO_7Ob05zL8jdeXo6w_JS9aXOSc8d8f1RjFOS29SYKGFuiIrj_MO0GcbL-D_dw2iB1SXJrNMQGgPWRPe4ZD9U31CCEomZQHQQA/s400/IMG_3063.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhMWO9_w85po1z5TbfCP6AAQQ4qEQJozADCImxVB5X7wwzTpDsucbS3iQu1UBRAT_ouTRbhpq0WWaRasGuD4aXcrGpe3NcqyHCfFxO8_a4W-VhRV1aFtz9dg0yi3HG2UCRw2PrkVCU9T8/s1600/IMG_3065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhMWO9_w85po1z5TbfCP6AAQQ4qEQJozADCImxVB5X7wwzTpDsucbS3iQu1UBRAT_ouTRbhpq0WWaRasGuD4aXcrGpe3NcqyHCfFxO8_a4W-VhRV1aFtz9dg0yi3HG2UCRw2PrkVCU9T8/s400/IMG_3065.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I enjoyed some of them on a <a href="http://headspacecanning.blogspot.com/2012/06/blt-salad-and-roasted-salsa-verde.html">BLT salad</a> to which I also added fresh corn kernels. Yum!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGf1NLUftKW32lpbiIxHZPSVMCrPcWGJ8xXbC-Qm0DuTFP8cNpizLd7Tp0PA2wMmPN3mpRHm7bo0gUU2K-pfCpqN_mAAQeIlFtuJ-h2cjJat6F6EA9PU5MLa_WV7UIVY13m-RBRIMC8RA/s1600/IMG_3043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGf1NLUftKW32lpbiIxHZPSVMCrPcWGJ8xXbC-Qm0DuTFP8cNpizLd7Tp0PA2wMmPN3mpRHm7bo0gUU2K-pfCpqN_mAAQeIlFtuJ-h2cjJat6F6EA9PU5MLa_WV7UIVY13m-RBRIMC8RA/s400/IMG_3043.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The rest I cut in half, tossed with olive oil, and sprinkled with salt, pepper, and dried basil. I then spread them on sheet pans and roasted them in the oven on 200 degrees for a couple of hours until they were chewy and most of the moisture had evaporated. They are so sweet like little tomato candies. I packaged them in pint containers and froze them. I will use them in pasta and sauces throughout winter. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGU69OhzAGjcvQ8-B-LDR-RUmFbyNGjNM91I3W0wkqq4CzvIqTqEf7BNH8fHj66B4mdSK8olNuiPzxOewH5yvl2jMdb5XJSNYYyJI0nP467FV7cHvk0DQwPmO4-jcS6lFQl0nHkdEJRUk/s1600/IMG_3068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGU69OhzAGjcvQ8-B-LDR-RUmFbyNGjNM91I3W0wkqq4CzvIqTqEf7BNH8fHj66B4mdSK8olNuiPzxOewH5yvl2jMdb5XJSNYYyJI0nP467FV7cHvk0DQwPmO4-jcS6lFQl0nHkdEJRUk/s400/IMG_3068.JPG" width="300" /> </a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjaORg-f89IrjlcAYKoNU5a-Q3bCRDd1XvHfWvbhWUViBq4vzLWPt5CR4M2bgW89p39QWwceNwf_l4_AtxgEQ2icMTocc6wZD0Z9szf0cPnazap1XIeJtHOtRa1OwA8JDIc6mRphdPfVM/s1600/IMG_3093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjaORg-f89IrjlcAYKoNU5a-Q3bCRDd1XvHfWvbhWUViBq4vzLWPt5CR4M2bgW89p39QWwceNwf_l4_AtxgEQ2icMTocc6wZD0Z9szf0cPnazap1XIeJtHOtRa1OwA8JDIc6mRphdPfVM/s320/IMG_3093.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had a half row of basil plants in the garden which gave me enough to use in my pasta sauce and plenty to make pesto. I ended up making about 4 batches <a href="http://headspacecanning.blogspot.com/2011/09/pesto-and-pizza-dough.html">using this recipe</a> with each batch being quadrupled in volume (I used slivered almonds instead of pecans this year). I froze some in 4 oz containers because one container is perfect for a pizza or pasta meal. The rest I froze in ice cube trays. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5eCrrV_vabD7iK8Ujyz-63sw21HjquiGZrpZ4ml1B6y5HQBqoZ5S27EYDyoqwvNvhi-X3xC-en6Znx9VMS3cCv6RN2sgkzAASK9RnxCFYtlZqiya2zX1DgXUP-3CZHVDXfkzr9URbYIQ/s1600/IMG_3046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5eCrrV_vabD7iK8Ujyz-63sw21HjquiGZrpZ4ml1B6y5HQBqoZ5S27EYDyoqwvNvhi-X3xC-en6Znx9VMS3cCv6RN2sgkzAASK9RnxCFYtlZqiya2zX1DgXUP-3CZHVDXfkzr9URbYIQ/s320/IMG_3046.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXDN5OI2eroVQjvkP_rcpCkEP5YvTsDCUzH2IB4S5St2Vp2gjhod2aCNUms5uc5XXF1ybB5wRQqGy4lIDZBmlgUcnkxc69Hw9nYDa4TJ02dVaxFsByQOoBe17L_OcV6GY8QKPHIE1J82E/s1600/IMG_3047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXDN5OI2eroVQjvkP_rcpCkEP5YvTsDCUzH2IB4S5St2Vp2gjhod2aCNUms5uc5XXF1ybB5wRQqGy4lIDZBmlgUcnkxc69Hw9nYDa4TJ02dVaxFsByQOoBe17L_OcV6GY8QKPHIE1J82E/s320/IMG_3047.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFN7fG_5LpqvGsJJ0e-xRjG71yDTlnxJ7a0uv5vkB3EIiKnYKaIAE6zh3A2o0Yu559YM5ZrQLnRvNx-x85a75_Zm9zufBhuYOOdjp0jRs88sJDimBNsFVH2Oc2WM5DWhoT7lEjnQ0X1g/s1600/IMG_3048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFN7fG_5LpqvGsJJ0e-xRjG71yDTlnxJ7a0uv5vkB3EIiKnYKaIAE6zh3A2o0Yu559YM5ZrQLnRvNx-x85a75_Zm9zufBhuYOOdjp0jRs88sJDimBNsFVH2Oc2WM5DWhoT7lEjnQ0X1g/s400/IMG_3048.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My projects for the next few days involve canning crushed tomatoes. I already have them peeled and in the fridge waiting on me. I also have a peck of peaches in the fridge waiting to be made into jam and maybe a few jars of peaches in syrup. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We also (finally) took a trip somewhere. We have not been on vacation since moving to the country, and I was dying to go somewhere if only for a day. We went to Valle Crucis and spent the day browsing antique shops, general stores, and eating at a fabulous restaurant. I snapped a picture of the flower beds in front of the restaurant. They have winter squash and melons planted among the flowers. I just love that! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWN9xye9WiQfqYLQI5F3mxljAPCJI4exryYAXyfeFw4FrMSaaNW4auNMJ0dFg5iCynAlZL6EgMiK3pn_bmGPWygw34I1ZKxAblyVwTduwpjIn4tDhF0UY0VSrlUBnVNX2dA9bGZ80cKm0/s1600/IMG_3076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWN9xye9WiQfqYLQI5F3mxljAPCJI4exryYAXyfeFw4FrMSaaNW4auNMJ0dFg5iCynAlZL6EgMiK3pn_bmGPWygw34I1ZKxAblyVwTduwpjIn4tDhF0UY0VSrlUBnVNX2dA9bGZ80cKm0/s400/IMG_3076.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next week, I will pressure can some of our potato harvest. Some of them are not storage quality, and I will peel them and can them to use in mashed potatoes and soups. I will also put up 2 bushels of corn, and pressure can a batch of chicken stock. After that, I hope to be done for a while. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQ5oVNjrMxzkGPjwteFBLg97RMuYcwgvSR4sn9qIcpaj548n0gVRxwHF2NQ1GOmlt-LNo39ATfcnKOjjiwqh_CL7Iy2XfdNJ4bzt0roXSSiQ5nvW_Uab7H43TIMAlrsyaVgtyReH189k/s1600/IMG_2977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQ5oVNjrMxzkGPjwteFBLg97RMuYcwgvSR4sn9qIcpaj548n0gVRxwHF2NQ1GOmlt-LNo39ATfcnKOjjiwqh_CL7Iy2XfdNJ4bzt0roXSSiQ5nvW_Uab7H43TIMAlrsyaVgtyReH189k/s400/IMG_2977.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We had the potatoes on the counter to let the dirt dry a little while we found a large enough washtub to store them in temporarily.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Preserving foods is a lot of work but so worth it. It makes meal planning and prep so much easier later in the year, and most importantly we know where our foods come from and how they were grown. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span>Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394244876219033487noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938390866669833504.post-27413822661730848872015-06-30T11:24:00.000-04:002015-06-30T11:24:07.517-04:00Blackberry Pie<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Fourth of July makes me think of fruit. Fruit pies to be exact. And I love homemade pie more than any other dessert in the whole wide world. So, with summer blackberries in the orchard and the summeriest holiday of all coming up, I have been fiddling with a blackberry pie recipe. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxg5LcO-AVoQvq4x2EEXGOfg2VotmMqkF6RfQ98bo6lQqJhmZ7VgkUj-J6SMoz1B-IZ1OhpPoo0CFP3rH4FUXLk2o7lhn9cUYLBzAPLPS_KVyNQwF4v2HPs0gWbT2jtofbrSTso-Vrc4/s1600/IMG_2898.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxg5LcO-AVoQvq4x2EEXGOfg2VotmMqkF6RfQ98bo6lQqJhmZ7VgkUj-J6SMoz1B-IZ1OhpPoo0CFP3rH4FUXLk2o7lhn9cUYLBzAPLPS_KVyNQwF4v2HPs0gWbT2jtofbrSTso-Vrc4/s400/IMG_2898.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Pie with homemade crust but berries left whole</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wanted a blackberry pie recipe with a lattice crust because I wanted to see the filling through the top, but I also wanted there to be plenty of flaky crust to go with the filling. I also wanted a pie with good texture, some whole blackberries, but one that was oozing with gooey goodness all at the same time. Most of all, I wanted a filling that held together when cut. I love all pie, but I think a slice of pie should look like a slice of pie when cut. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RQnmR2RnKY62WFVmIcu_uhqWc7poHDOuv3dVx6YLIi-IZ9wn_VrLd_V2D2tuE3ai010fvBfMRZSVn-C5SgqV6-WWD3n98rtfoAz36SyfGl7o4BZdK6pM7D4Enj8FntfeeGq1bHBX_DY/s1600/IMG_2894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RQnmR2RnKY62WFVmIcu_uhqWc7poHDOuv3dVx6YLIi-IZ9wn_VrLd_V2D2tuE3ai010fvBfMRZSVn-C5SgqV6-WWD3n98rtfoAz36SyfGl7o4BZdK6pM7D4Enj8FntfeeGq1bHBX_DY/s400/IMG_2894.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I started with a recipe that I thought sounded good, but I used my own all-butter pie crust recipe instead of the suggested crust. When I made the filling the first time, I did not mash the berries but rather just tossed them with the flour, sugar, and nutmeg. This resulted in a pie with an incredibly flaky crust but a somewhat gluey filling. The pie did hold together, but the filling was too chunky, and the flour had not had enough liquid to mix with to create the gooey filling I wanted. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Pie with store-bought crust but slightly mashed berry filling</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, I decided to make the pie again. I had the crust just where I wanted it, so the second time I made the pie I made it with a store bought crust to save myself some effort since I was just playing around with the filling at that point. I left all the ingredients and amounts in the filling the same, but I worked on determining how much to mash the berries. I found after playing around with this pie, that you just want to mash the berries enough so that they create a little juice. You want enough juice to incorporate the flour and sugar completely, but you still want plenty of whole berries and berry pieces to add texture. The pie holds together beautifully when cut but is not at all gluey. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I would like to continue to test this recipe with different thickeners such as Clear Jel, but for now I am pretty happy with it the way it is. I will make this pie again this weekend, but this time, I will use my homemade pie crust and the slightly mashed berry filling. It's going to be delicious!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Blackberry Pie</b>- makes 1 lattice topped pie</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>A note on fruit pies...if you want a fruit pie to hold together when sliced, it is important to allow it to cool completely. This allows the filling to set so it will not run when cut. </i> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><i>Crust: </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting counter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1 tsp salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1 tsp sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">2 sticks cold butter, cut into small pieces</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">approximately 4 tbsp ice cold water</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Filling: </span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1/3 cup all-purpose flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp granulated sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1 tsp salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">6 cups fresh blackberries</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">a pinch of nutmeg</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1 egg white</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">To make the pie crust, combine
flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several
times to blend. You can also mix the dough by hand. Add the butter to
the processor and pulse several times until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Alternately, cut in the butter using a pastry blender. Add the ice
water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together and forms a
ball. Divide the dough into two equal pieces, flatten into disks, and
wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the dough for about an hour. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Preheat oven to 425 degrees. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Remove one pie crust from the refrigerator. Lightly dust a surface with flour and roll the pie crust into an 11 inch circle and place it in a 9 inch pie pan. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Make the filling by tossing the berries with the flour, 3/4 cup of sugar, salt, and nutmeg. Use the back of a spoon or a potato masher to gently mash the berries until they begin to give off juice but most remain whole. Stir the filling to incorporate the flour and sugar. Pour the filling into the pie crust. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Remove the second crust from the refrigerator. Roll it into an 11 inch circle on a floured surface. Use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to cut the circle into strips that are 3/4 to 1 inch wide. Arrange the strips over the filling in a lattice pattern. Tuck the edges of the crust under to secure the strips to the bottom crust and crimp the edges. Brush the lattice strips with the egg white and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Place the pie on a baking sheet (to catch drips) and bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Lower heat to 350 degrees and continue baking 30 minutes. Remove pie from oven and allow to cool completely. </span>Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394244876219033487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938390866669833504.post-21234991335429952182015-06-23T10:35:00.000-04:002015-06-23T10:35:11.614-04:00Cherries Galore<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I recently became the proud owner of 40 pounds of cherries thanks to some kind folks over at <a href="http://sweetpreservation.com/">Sweet Preservation</a> and the <a href="http://www.wastatefruit.com/recipes?page=1">Washington State Fruit Commission</a>. I was asked several weeks ago via email if I would like to receive a box of fruit to can, and I said yes (of course) because who turns down free fruit?! Well, little did I know that a "box" of fruit would really be two twenty pound boxes of the ripest, most perfect sweet cherries. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, normally I can what's in season here in my part of the world, and that does not include cherries. In fact, I have never purchased cherries that were grown here in NC, and I am not even sure that they can grow here (maybe in the mountains), so my hours of cherry canning experience totaled zero. I was very excited to get to experience fruit that I had never dealt with before, and to have access to something different. The problem I faced was trying to find ways to use all those cherries!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, I immediately got on Amazon and purchased <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001MSYWQW?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00">this cherry pitter</a> because, of course, I had no reason to own one before that day. It did the job fairly well, but it takes a really long time to pit 40 pounds of cherries. It would have taken less time if I had purchased a pitter that would allow a quicker flow of cherries into the chute and out again. This one said it would, but ultimately, the cherries were so large and juicy that I had to place them just right in the chute so that it actually removed the pit and not just the side of the cherry. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I decided to try several recipes and methods of preserving them. I made a small batch (4 pints) of pickled cherries, 4 pints of cherries in amaretto liqueur following <a href="http://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/canning-101-amaretto-cherries/">this recipe</a> (I did process them for 25 minutes rather than 15 though as that is the standard processing time for raw pack cherries in syrup), and another 5 pints of cherries in syrup using the same syrup as for the amaretto cherries but omitting the liqueur. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also dried two quarts after pitting them which gave me about a quart of dried cherries for salads, sauces, etc, and I froze five quarts of pitted cherries for later use in pies and desserts. All in all, barely a cherry went unused, and I was pretty proud of myself for going through them all. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have opened a jar of the cherries in syrup, and they are tasty. I know the others will be as well. Oh, and I almost forgot, I also used two quarts of crushed cherries to start a batch of Cherry Bounce. Cherry Bounce is made with crushed cherries, sugar, and bourbon. You let the cherries sit in the fridge for 3-4 weeks, and then you use the liquid as a mix in for lemonade, tea, or even to deglaze the pan when making a sauce for pork chops. I'll let you know how it turns out once it is finished. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For now, I hope you enjoy this recipe for pickled cherries. You can adjust the spices in the jar as you wish. I used a cinnamon stick, but peppercorns, whole cloves, or whole allspice would work also. You can also use white vinegar if you prefer. I used the apple cider vinegar for a sweeter, fruitier pickle. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One word of caution, some recipes called for gently pricking the cherries before putting them in the jar while others did not. Since the cherries are processed whole with pits and stems still intact, the idea of pricking is that the cherry skin will not split as easily. I took the lazy route and tried without pricking, and some of the skins did split. I don't mind that because I'm going to the one eating them, but if you plan to give them as a gift or serve them for a special occasion, you may want to prick each cherry once on the bottom before placing it in the jar. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Sweet Pickled Cherries</b>- makes 3 pints</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>A few notes on this recipe. You may choose whatever whole spices you like, but don't change the amount or strength of the vinegar. I also increased the pickling liquid by half so that I would have a little more which is how I ended up with 4 pints rather than 3. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 3/4 cups apple cider vinegar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 3/4 cups sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3/4 cup water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3 cinnamon sticks</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 pounds sweet cherries with stems and pits intact</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Prepare your jars and lids. Jars should be kept warm in the canner. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Combine vinegar, sugar, and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer until sugar is dissolved. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Remove hot jars from canner. Pack each jar with cherries, and add one cinnamon stick to each jar. Pour hot syrup over cherries leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and place lids and rings on each. Process 15 minutes in a boiling water bath. Remove jars from canner and cool. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i> </i> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span>Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394244876219033487noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938390866669833504.post-60285136180875869542015-06-14T14:41:00.001-04:002015-06-14T14:41:18.900-04:00Baseball Bats from the Garden<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last week was a very busy one, and in all my other tasks, my garden got a little overlooked. Yesterday my husband went out to pick veggies while I was canning (more on that later), and he came in with the most gigantic zucchini I have ever seen in my life. Who knew you could grow a zucchini with the diameter of a baseball bat and a length almost as long?!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He then called me out to help him pick, and when all was said and done, we picked 10 pounds of zucchini (some were good size while others had gotten too large), 6 pounds of cucumbers (some of these were large also), a few pounds of yellow squash, and some zinnias. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I will still use most of the large vegetables, but I will remove the seeds first. The large zucchini will most likely get shredded and frozen for zucchini bread, but the baseball bat zucchini may get donated to the chickens. I'm not even sure they will appreciate it, so it may contribute to the compost bin after that. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I will post very soon regarding my latest canning project. I'll give you a hint...it involves a fruit I have never canned before and <i>lots</i> of it! Do you think you can guess what it is? </span><br />
<br />
<br />Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394244876219033487noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938390866669833504.post-21132996828277734012015-06-07T14:19:00.000-04:002015-06-07T14:20:33.943-04:00Canning Inventory 2015<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">Each year as I can and freeze
foods, I keep track of the amounts in a small notebook as well as in the What's
Preserved section on the side of my blog. This is helpful on several
levels. Not only does it make me feel good to see my efforts pan out over
the course of the summer, but more importantly, it helps me determine how much
of each item we used over the year. This is very important in helping me
determine how much of something I want to put up the next year. This
year, I also started a Harvest section in the same notebook to keep track of
how many pounds/pints/quarts/etc. of each item we harvested so we can plan how
much to plant next year. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07k6V3UR9CK9zGde4H_8CkOuRB7ZS43tPAqBjcj1v1Du16VlP43dinA28yHtrauoGDLn0dUwhZB6gcGFgqgdqy_Csr-7mqUIp9OfhTpbvwqXjxP1yXD4FoySW2H_hdqH386Zp4nra8To/s1600/IMG_2802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07k6V3UR9CK9zGde4H_8CkOuRB7ZS43tPAqBjcj1v1Du16VlP43dinA28yHtrauoGDLn0dUwhZB6gcGFgqgdqy_Csr-7mqUIp9OfhTpbvwqXjxP1yXD4FoySW2H_hdqH386Zp4nra8To/s400/IMG_2802.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Zinnias from the garden</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">Our garden is doing well so far. Our tomato plants are loaded with unripe tomatoes. Our squash, zucchini, and cucumbers are already giving us lots of tasty treats, and we harvested our red potatoes last weekend. I am already freezing zucchini and squash in both shredded and chopped forms, and I am going to make a batch of pickles this week. The plan is to eat the red potatoes fresh over the next few months, and to pressure can many of the white ones once they are harvested. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">We have a shelf area in our mud room which houses most of our canned goods as well as a small chest freezer in which we store all of our vegetables. Here's what is left from last year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;"><b>Canned Goods:</b> </span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">2 pt green beans, pressure canned</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">1 pt pasta sauce</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">2 pt chili garlic dills pickles</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">2 pt corn poblano salsa</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">6 pt crushed tomatoes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">4 half-pt Concord grape jam</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">1 half-pt plus 3 (4 oz) jars peach jam</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">3 half-pt apple wine jelly </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">13 half-pt scuppernong jam </span></li>
</ul>
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">Freezer: </span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">7 qt blueberries</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">2 qt whole figs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">2 qt blackberries</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">1 pt pumpkin puree</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">2 qt shredded zucchini</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">3 qt crushed tomatoes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">1 1/2 qt pesto cubes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">2 qt turkey stock</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">2 pt chicken stock</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">1 pt pasta sauce</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">13 pt corn kernels</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">3 gal whole strawberries</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">7 qt crowder peas</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">1 gal plus 1 qt chopped zucchini/squash</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">Once I have compiled a list like this, I try to analyze it to see what we used and what we didn't. We didn't use as many berries or crushed tomatoes as we have in the past which means I can get away with putting up less this year. My list also reminds me that I am much more likely to use things like chicken stock, pasta sauce, and tomatoes when I have canned them rather than frozen them. I think that is because those are things I tend to reach for at the last minute, and when they are frozen I don't prep them in time. We also used less corn than in the past, but to be honest the variety we purchased last year wasn't our favorite which I think led to less corn side dishes. We will try to purchase Silver Queen corn this year which is our favorite. We also need to find other uses for the scuppernong and muscadine grapes in addition to jam. We used all of them for jam last year, and even though it was good, we tend to prefer Concord grapes for jam. We gave some away and ate some, but there has to be another use for the grapes. We will search for something. </span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE2UdHdjAmUzbcj_Ltdxq55e7E5RIPPwfBudFdVWa_ytTXoUiMdMapNO-qjKfpTt1ZOqjkeznHaHX8BDzdlUM8HARjGJy6c05yfq1QLlgCxYs5whXBXiNnFRX24PWOZn3GrRBbNf1r9Ng/s1600/IMG_2728.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE2UdHdjAmUzbcj_Ltdxq55e7E5RIPPwfBudFdVWa_ytTXoUiMdMapNO-qjKfpTt1ZOqjkeznHaHX8BDzdlUM8HARjGJy6c05yfq1QLlgCxYs5whXBXiNnFRX24PWOZn3GrRBbNf1r9Ng/s400/IMG_2728.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">There were several things that we really ate lots of and need to make more of this year including pasta sauce and salsa (!!!). We also need to make salsa verde which we didn't make last year but are now out of, and we want to try our hand at pressure canning any potatoes that aren't storage quality so that we can add them to soups, stews, or mash them throughout the winter. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RTVMOhWUhK6Sfe3JIC3McAX29MJsNDvGftJ0gPdejNjobn_YSa7yua8SiillDvYKrFp195gPyZIvkjvldPyP9cvW1HH8gOk9cYJ8hASF67iM5cRpSK-OcdeHsE-7i4J3fesTRo4sTys/s1600/IMG_2730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RTVMOhWUhK6Sfe3JIC3McAX29MJsNDvGftJ0gPdejNjobn_YSa7yua8SiillDvYKrFp195gPyZIvkjvldPyP9cvW1HH8gOk9cYJ8hASF67iM5cRpSK-OcdeHsE-7i4J3fesTRo4sTys/s400/IMG_2730.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">In addition to all of this, I put up some things we have never put up in the past, and it will be interesting to see how we like them over the course of the year. I have frozen sugar snap peas, broccoli, and kale so far. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">If you haven't been keeping a canning notebook and list of preserved items, I definitely encourage you to start. It is most helpful and you will appreciate your efforts so much when you get into the canning mood this summer. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394244876219033487noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938390866669833504.post-41536062025478255062015-05-27T22:01:00.002-04:002015-05-27T22:09:31.981-04:00Foam and Two Types of Strawberry Jam<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is nearing the end of strawberry season here, and we picked up what we will probably be our last berries on Monday. We have been getting a gallon or so a week to eat fresh and to make jam. We also pureed a gallon and a half and made fruit leather in my new dehydrator (more on that later). </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55CS7ah5aGMLI3pzaGQUcRpyVJ8QfLU4hewHZLbf60vG22ImluYTh60ABez0y5cKbC-nda6xBoeWkQn-Lm6N6wBUc9wr83yGJCIgPkqGUlMNz8bBwgm_5zqMjZKWIz8S3jXDU0y2QT0k/s1600/IMG_2645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55CS7ah5aGMLI3pzaGQUcRpyVJ8QfLU4hewHZLbf60vG22ImluYTh60ABez0y5cKbC-nda6xBoeWkQn-Lm6N6wBUc9wr83yGJCIgPkqGUlMNz8bBwgm_5zqMjZKWIz8S3jXDU0y2QT0k/s400/IMG_2645.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When it comes to strawberry jam, I am a bit of a purist. I like flavors in other jams like cardamom pear, gingered peach, and apple pie jam, but when it comes to strawberry I just want to taste strawberry. I have gone the strawberry vanilla jam route without added pectin before, and even though it was good, the longer cooked jam and the vanilla took away some of the fresh taste that I love about strawberry jam. So, I go the purchased pectin, classic recipe route when it comes to strawberry, and I am perfectly happy with that. Over the years I have learned to preserve what we like best and what we will eat because ultimately (even though it may be fun), that's the point. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3kOM94dguhq8UeK_aBJ0p2y-mCc7sIbaciYmhzorUFocPALG4FUDDs4YXIQEXPaBAIVyJr2YadTo4STSySJXMrE-AfY-b-jdad8XqiXsdPspn6yNQgVG1_owjxDCCSIFH7zW11Ah-AJQ/s1600/IMG_2646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3kOM94dguhq8UeK_aBJ0p2y-mCc7sIbaciYmhzorUFocPALG4FUDDs4YXIQEXPaBAIVyJr2YadTo4STSySJXMrE-AfY-b-jdad8XqiXsdPspn6yNQgVG1_owjxDCCSIFH7zW11Ah-AJQ/s400/IMG_2646.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I did decide to make some strawberry freezer jam this year though. Freezer jam is not cooked, and therefore, it retains all of its bright, fresh flavor. I froze the jam in pint containers, and it is delicious. I wish I had added a little more pectin though because my berries were pretty ripe that day, and they prevented my freezer jam from setting up as much as I would have liked. It is still spreadable, but could have been a little thicker. I am thinking it will be just as delicious over yogurt as it will be on toast. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge8_SQzZQUiqVw4eY2KS_DLgR_qJjAS0p7MshMieB-FcoSQ3Cl_fZEpu7KVPBnErhYOaCdbZDzl3VTZb2NEZGQX-JK6q5lCLb0pmfjdFbkNftR3xW1ZUtJounF538JEu5aW7qrjHumUhM/s1600/IMG_2642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge8_SQzZQUiqVw4eY2KS_DLgR_qJjAS0p7MshMieB-FcoSQ3Cl_fZEpu7KVPBnErhYOaCdbZDzl3VTZb2NEZGQX-JK6q5lCLb0pmfjdFbkNftR3xW1ZUtJounF538JEu5aW7qrjHumUhM/s400/IMG_2642.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All in all I put up 11 half-pints of canned strawberry jam and 5 pints of strawberry freezer jam. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While I am posting about strawberry jam, I wanted to address the foam on jam issue. If you have ever made cooked jam, you have most likely experienced a thick layer of foam on top as the jam cooks. The directions in recipes will tell you that you can prevent some of this foam from forming by adding a little butter to the jam as it cooks. I never do this, but that leaves me with foam to skim off. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh40GKy3pVHXbJ8GRZmLqvnDC4HQP44hf2RwYBMzGfat13GoCtUGcD2yc8B7V1CYRyV13lletYC7xuXdQAYFW06r51DgxO84AYJzzbqEAjg3UftVMHqHQrRoOQV_1_IB-53GG49uNp8A0c/s1600/IMG_2640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh40GKy3pVHXbJ8GRZmLqvnDC4HQP44hf2RwYBMzGfat13GoCtUGcD2yc8B7V1CYRyV13lletYC7xuXdQAYFW06r51DgxO84AYJzzbqEAjg3UftVMHqHQrRoOQV_1_IB-53GG49uNp8A0c/s400/IMG_2640.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Foam on jam just after removing the pot from the heat</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are several reasons you want to skim the foam from jam, and even though I know some people who don't bother, I think good jam making practice says otherwise. First of all, as the jam cooks and air bubbles up forming the foam on top, the foam takes on a different appearance, consistency, and texture from the rest of the jam. It is still tasty, but it is light and airy, not like jam. It creates color variations in the finished jam if added in, and you will be able to visibly tell that you left it in. This may not matter so much if you are just using the jam yourself, but if you plan to give it as a gift, enter it in a fair, etc. it will just be better aesthetically without it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Second, canning experts like those at the <a href="http://missourifamilies.org/quick/nutritionqa/nutqa134.htm">Missouri Cooperative Extension</a> bring up a potential safety reason to remove foam. They say that since the foam is made mostly of air, if you add the foam into the jar you are essentially increasing the head space in the jar. This could lead to improper seals or jams that mold more easily. While I don't think you will ever get sick from jam with foam (unless you eat visibly moldy jam), it could mean that your jam will not last as long, and let's face it, no one wants that. So, when faced with foam, remove it by skimming a large, clean spoon lightly along the surface of the jam once the heat is removed. Place the foam in a bowl and repeat until most of the foam has been removed. The foam can then be eaten on toast or refrigerated for a few days while the rest of the jam is canned. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-OgDh6C31ZWfu-55jC1KTzeNit294mKVoXACGAYhQvR3Q-JjPTXHO8DkY0r1G3cso_EcXrUjWARxuCG2ECfVegYvS8e8xP3-6rLjGlW4x_ga3J3Z2-bVFR3I8iYm399F7LmkJoaWkAA/s1600/IMG_2641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-OgDh6C31ZWfu-55jC1KTzeNit294mKVoXACGAYhQvR3Q-JjPTXHO8DkY0r1G3cso_EcXrUjWARxuCG2ECfVegYvS8e8xP3-6rLjGlW4x_ga3J3Z2-bVFR3I8iYm399F7LmkJoaWkAA/s400/IMG_2641.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Foam on jam after sitting for a minute or so- you can see the difference in color between the lighter red foam and darker red jam and berries. </span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I personally find that strawberry jam produces more foam than most other types of jam. I'm not sure why this is the case, but I find I do more skimming with strawberry than any other. If you make freezer jam, you may see a little foam at first (like in my pictures at the top), but that foam is different from foam on cooked jam. It will dissipate as the jam sets over that 30 minute period. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Strawberry season is such a fleeting season here. We look forward to it all year, and it is gone before we know it. Preserving some in the form of jams, leathers, and even freezing them ensures we have the taste of strawberries year round, and for that, and I am grateful. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGzeesXAYztNkCPfmPXfyBiHYYoSZIfS8Dv-M6xcAsuiGK6InkP6AqvpHBivDksjC0ClCmLvR_67iyIyfv8x35dSp1vwOJY_DTphPTUqQk2gQdBXhiKyNwxtgD_zikRUf7IfuWKua7E0/s400/IMG_0691.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">picture from previous 2013 post on Strawberry Jam</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the canned Strawberry Jam recipe and directions, <a href="http://headspacecanning.blogspot.com/2013/05/strawberry-jam.html">visit my page</a> from a few years ago. I use the same one. I did, however, make 11 jars this year, so I adjusted my ingredients for a 10 jar batch (you don't want to do more than this at one time as it can prevent the jam from setting up). If you wish to make 10 jars, follow the same procedures as on my previous post, but use the following quantities instead. For 10 jars, you will use 6 2/3 cups crushed strawberries, 7 1/2 tablespoons pectin, and 8 1/3 cups sugar. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Strawberry Freezer Jam</b>- makes 6 half-pints (or 3 pints)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5 cups crushed strawberries</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 cups sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6 Tbsp Instant Pectin (for freezer jam)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In a large bowl, stir sugar and pectin together. Add crushed strawberries and stir 3 minutes. Ladle into freezer containers and allow to sit at room temperature 30 minutes. Freeze or enjoy fresh. </span><br />
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Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394244876219033487noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938390866669833504.post-24122310247721105592015-05-20T22:08:00.000-04:002015-05-20T22:08:26.505-04:00Gardening Goals<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When we moved to the country, one of our many goals was to try to grow more of our own food. We enjoy having canned foods on hand throughout the year, and we try to purchase most of our fruits, vegetables, and meat locally. The problem I have found over the years with canning is getting my hands on fresh, local food in large enough quantities to be beneficial to us throughout the year but also at a price we can afford. I have found, over time, growers that I use every year, but sometimes that means paying more than I want to for produce, traveling an hour or so to get it, or not being able to put up as much of something as I would like. The items I generally need in larger amounts are green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, and corn. Other items like beets, basil, and peppers, I preserve in smaller quantities. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFFC1pSU_pmY02Ca4iq2KQmp5J0pZcft7VRHNlqTmQt-GNsyvzmesBHKhTbbMGnoDU7wsP39vogY7Vk2tL8lRw_jaVZQFOrpXxROzx8xuawX6NA7UCuP3KH9fu_ENwE4gTjtuZUgLAYqc/s1600/IMG_2692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFFC1pSU_pmY02Ca4iq2KQmp5J0pZcft7VRHNlqTmQt-GNsyvzmesBHKhTbbMGnoDU7wsP39vogY7Vk2tL8lRw_jaVZQFOrpXxROzx8xuawX6NA7UCuP3KH9fu_ENwE4gTjtuZUgLAYqc/s400/IMG_2692.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>From right to left, potatoes, snow peas, arugula, beets, and green beans. Tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, etc. are in the background at the far end. You can also see our bee yard behind the garden as well as the run of our chicken coop. </i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now that we are settled in our house, we decided to plant our first garden here this spring. We were able to walk around our property (which is about 3 acres) and see where previous owners had had garden plots. One of the areas we had in mind had actually been used as a garden in the past, and we will keep the other areas in mind if we choose to expand our gardening efforts next year. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA_7S78IdIq875WVzU6fKVn9rYRWReO8Er-s4ij18VcN5Zah_Z0uXy0YB9hz9wVH6xwfSYfXA1XKvYrK4np3Z4yU5JSfFRpSBLPM8YdqAkFa3kbRQpUN34FJiSYE1bIc5HCvvtN6olISU/s1600/IMG_2658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA_7S78IdIq875WVzU6fKVn9rYRWReO8Er-s4ij18VcN5Zah_Z0uXy0YB9hz9wVH6xwfSYfXA1XKvYrK4np3Z4yU5JSfFRpSBLPM8YdqAkFa3kbRQpUN34FJiSYE1bIc5HCvvtN6olISU/s400/IMG_2658.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Close up of potatoes, peas, and onions with our water tank and chicken coop in background</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My gardening experience is limited to 4 (4 x 8 foot) raised beds at our previous home in which we grew potatoes, green beans, squash/zucchini/cucumbers, some root vegetables like beets, and herbs. We grew enough back then so that we had some to eat fresh, but we never really had enough to preserve. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRauzMR4REgcORmmko-Albnxva53gGxY3Rim_UD-8WPamMWGlMsXH7i9N241od9tBIryTm4q6e6IVC0XhxUesVJWZoT08_8GRPHfPeTRV76v_Zy0xj0W6Np0Gztzy85Ol7rTHWR80ySEU/s1600/IMG_2660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRauzMR4REgcORmmko-Albnxva53gGxY3Rim_UD-8WPamMWGlMsXH7i9N241od9tBIryTm4q6e6IVC0XhxUesVJWZoT08_8GRPHfPeTRV76v_Zy0xj0W6Np0Gztzy85Ol7rTHWR80ySEU/s400/IMG_2660.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">peas, kale, beets</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My gardening efforts here are focused more on preservation. While I do want to have fresh veggies and fruits, I still visit the farmer's market weekly. What I would like to see is the garden produce enough to put up so that we aren't spending time and money sourcing items from farmers in the area. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipTkwWn4x1tVj56N3KHnd5etPu40AKbKRldudmLKiQ2bNde1Okw8B6P1KE8WqXqzseJ0FfDjwIaMrpHOYcIT2pvQ_lKLOxbose1aMDYgRjybhVQUdR5qoH4iQ9Tn6dEBoGbbTgk8Lj0DU/s1600/IMG_2653.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipTkwWn4x1tVj56N3KHnd5etPu40AKbKRldudmLKiQ2bNde1Okw8B6P1KE8WqXqzseJ0FfDjwIaMrpHOYcIT2pvQ_lKLOxbose1aMDYgRjybhVQUdR5qoH4iQ9Tn6dEBoGbbTgk8Lj0DU/s320/IMG_2653.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIRetAhcIzRY9rx7u6rjiRNyXaeX6OOLq3RdZsNcK42E-XIKYhn61O4T94qY9K1STmySy5IdrxIXo16nK_dNBs8HWy_SYuPRLhTHInGUpGF2gD81iOrsYmB9aej4GQqqyv88nb01UXIQ/s1600/IMG_2659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIRetAhcIzRY9rx7u6rjiRNyXaeX6OOLq3RdZsNcK42E-XIKYhn61O4T94qY9K1STmySy5IdrxIXo16nK_dNBs8HWy_SYuPRLhTHInGUpGF2gD81iOrsYmB9aej4GQqqyv88nb01UXIQ/s320/IMG_2659.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We are also raising four turkeys this year to freeze later, and we plan on adding meat chickens in the near future. All that coupled with lots and lots of fresh eggs, and we feel that we are on our way to meeting (at least in part) some of those goals we had when we moved here. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-FDV1NDuKH8GgHqgIxC5GsiqdeU-zpNnlzMuHmna9uwLWAqokMy6PkWrK_hEn_-EI2HKNZwiP3XDk59hmQcA1UbEuqWphTWuuZxB9Y75EVqHTJRRt3sXwlCWY1-VCBGU4Jy1zbxeRdM/s1600/IMG_2689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-FDV1NDuKH8GgHqgIxC5GsiqdeU-zpNnlzMuHmna9uwLWAqokMy6PkWrK_hEn_-EI2HKNZwiP3XDk59hmQcA1UbEuqWphTWuuZxB9Y75EVqHTJRRt3sXwlCWY1-VCBGU4Jy1zbxeRdM/s400/IMG_2689.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Two of the girls- these two live on one side of the coop alone since our rooster does not get along with them. They love pecking around their side of the yard closest to the bees. Our new, smallest hive is in the background. It consists of bees we captured when ours swarmed recently. </span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The garden is approximately 75 feet by 40 feet and is divided mostly into rows running the length (75 ft) of the garden although we have some of our vining plants like pumpkin and melons planted close to the perimeter so that they can run out of the garden for more room. Right now, from right to left, we have planted: </span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> 2 rows potatoes (1 row red, 1 row white potatoes)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> 1 row snow peas (a bush variety)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> 1 row divided into thirds with kale, onion, and arugula</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> 1 row beets</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> 2 1/2 rows green beans (a bush variety)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> 1/2 row lima beans (I wanted more but ran out of seed)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> 1/2 row zinnias</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> approximately 20 cucumber plants (some vining, some bush varieties)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> 5 yellow squash plants</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> 10 zucchini plants</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> 5 pumpkin plants</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> 18 tomato plants</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> 6 bell pepper plants</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> a few melon plants (watermelon and canteloupe)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 row sunflowers</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We also planted several additional fruit trees to supplement the ones already here in case we cannot get them to produce healthy fruit (they have some disease issues due to lack of maintenance from previous owners and age), and we planted blackberry vines and blueberry bushes early in the spring. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0M7Ls4vwTAtXHhmMCNJH3dkds5nUH_6dSTcChip0VCVkxNTrXu7pmNHsZB6YaKGjjxaBVL0J0MYu2hyYWKuzMBvWqwum3oJOh0evgIWtayNPATCklWML0NCbkBp5ZzB9tAsOVnj5gJa4/s1600/IMG_2652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0M7Ls4vwTAtXHhmMCNJH3dkds5nUH_6dSTcChip0VCVkxNTrXu7pmNHsZB6YaKGjjxaBVL0J0MYu2hyYWKuzMBvWqwum3oJOh0evgIWtayNPATCklWML0NCbkBp5ZzB9tAsOVnj5gJa4/s400/IMG_2652.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">arugula</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So far, we are enjoying arugula and kale from the garden, and we ate our first snow peas (just a handful) the other day. We are patiently waiting for more to mature so we can enjoy them with a meal. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have plenty to do in the garden this year and in the future to make it better. When digging at the far end of the garden (the corner closest to you in the first picture) we uncovered the foundation of part of a barn that once stood on the property. Due to the rocks and poor soil at that end, things aren't growing as well there. We will need to amend the soil this year so that it is healthier and more productive next year. We have also started a compost bin which we hope will help in these efforts. In addition, we have bales of straw close to the garden that we had planned to put down in a thick layer to help hold in moisture and deter weeds, but we have never gotten around to distributing it. Hopefully, that will happen soon. We have started, thanks to my father-in-law, started collecting rain water from the roof of the chicken coop, though, so that we can water as needed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, we'll keep working on it, and keep our fingers crossed
that it will stay healthy and happy until we can harvest its bounty
(or at least what we hope will be bounty). I'll keep you posted on how
things go as well as things we learn along the way. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span>Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394244876219033487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938390866669833504.post-57310527737845188422015-05-10T23:07:00.000-04:002015-05-10T23:07:48.011-04:00Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler with Cornmeal Biscuits<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Spring has been a very busy for us thus far. We work on outdoor projects every chance we get which usually means evenings after work and weekends. We have been busy with the garden, bees (which have been very needy this week- more on that later), chickens, chicks, turkeys (which are now outside in a new hoop house we built), and general yard work. With strawberry season in full swing, I have also been making and canning jam and making freezer jam. I'll post about all of those things soon (I am going to try to be a better blogger in the coming weeks). All of this means I don't have much time to play around in the kitchen, though, so when I know I'm going to cook something special like dessert, it needs to be worth it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler with Cornmeal Biscuits was sooo worth it. It was excellent warm with vanilla ice cream, but it was also tasty at room temperature a day or two later. It made plenty and was not all that time consuming. Best of all it had the sweetness of fresh spring strawberries paired with the tart twang of rhubarb, and the cornmeal biscuits to which I added a little whole wheat flour were so much better than many cobbler toppings I have tried with strawberries in the past. They offered excellent bite and remained intact without getting soggy from the filling. Any cornmeal will do, but I used Anson Mills cornmeal which I think has nice texture and excellent corn flavor. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On a side note, I am going to go back to posting recipes here rather than offering the printable version. The printable version has not been working and my attempts to find a solution have not worked. I apologize for any inconvenience. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler with Cornmeal Biscuits</b>- makes a 9 x 13 pan </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>This recipe was modified from <a href="http://The New Southern Garden Cookbook">The New Southern Garden Cookbook</a> by Sheri Castle.</i> </span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Filling:</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3 cups thinly sliced rhubarb</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4 cups capped and quartered strawberries</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 tsp orange flower water (optional)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 cup sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 Tbsp cornstarch</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cornmeal Crust:</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 cup all-purpose flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 cup whole-wheat flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/3 cup cornmeal </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3 Tbsp sugar, divided</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 1/2 tsp baking powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 tsp kosher salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5 Tbsp butter, cut into small cubes and chilled</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2/3 to 1 cup heavy cream</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 large egg</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 Tbsp ice water </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">flour for dusting</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">whipped cream, ice cream, or yogurt for serving</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>For the filling</i>: Combine the rhubarb, strawberries, orange flower water, sugar, and cornstarch in a large bowl. Spread into a 9 x 13 baking dish and set aside.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>For the crust</i>: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk flours, cornmeal, 2 tablespoons of sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter, incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs. Use a fork to add enough cream to form a soft dough. You want the dough to be moist but still hold together when you cut it into biscuits. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lightly flour the counter and knead the dough several times. Roll the dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Use a biscuit cutter to cut the dough and place the dough onto the filling. You may need to use a spatula to help you lift the dough. Make an egg wash by whisking the egg and water together and brush it over the biscuits. Sprinkle the biscuits with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bake until the biscuits are golden and the filling is bubbling and thickened, 45-50 minutes. Let cool slightly. Top with whipped cream, ice cream, or yogurt and serve. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span>Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394244876219033487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938390866669833504.post-27244323482349350172015-03-22T18:36:00.001-04:002015-04-27T20:49:05.251-04:00The Freshness of Spring and a Luscious Lemon Pie<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love living in a state that experiences four distinct, albeit sometimes short, seasons. Just when you are getting sick to death of the cold, damp weather in North Carolina, flowers begin to pop up reminding you that spring is just around the corner. Now that spring is here, I am enjoying every weekend outside, often performing less than appealing tasks, but thankful every moment for the beautiful, sunny weather and the world that's blooming all around me. Sometimes, you just have to get outside and smell the daffodils. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The house we live in now has loads of daffodils. There are bright, cheery yellow ones and creamy white ones with bright orange centers. I desperately need to mow the grass right now to cut down some of the weeds, but I can't bring myself to do it because the daffodils are clustered everywhere making it difficult to mow without running over them. So, I'm going to leave them as is and tell myself that the weeds that need mowing (our "new" old home has plenty of them right now) are making the bees happy and I'll leave them and the daffodils alone for another week. Every time I look at these happy little flowers, I think of the farm wife who planted them years and years ago and must have loved seeing their smiling faces as much as I do. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All of these projects are keeping me from blogging like I would prefer. I have to prioritize right now, and at this point getting our garden going, planting some new plants and trees, working on our existing peach and apple trees, gearing up for more bee hives and chickens, and working on the inside of our home all take precedence. I hope to get back on track and blog more as these spring projects get taken care of, and by then there will hopefully be some canning to talk about. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For now, I hope you enjoy this recipe for lemon pie. I have read about this pie several times, although I had never eaten myself even though I grew up just a little over an hour from the North Carolina coast. It is often called "Atlantic Beach Pie" although I have seen recipes by different names. Apparently it is served in many seafood restaurants and by many families along the coast. I have had it on my to-make list ever since <a href="http://www.ourstate.com/one-phenomenal-pie/">this article in Our State Magazine</a>. When I saw it published most recently in the <a href="http://www.cookscountry.com/magazines/197-april-slash-may-2015/recipes">April/May edition of Cook's Country</a> I had to give it a shot. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is delicious and oh-so-easy to make. The crust is a saltine cracker crust held together with some melted butter and sweetened just a touch with corn syrup (although the Our State pie uses a little granulated sugar instead). The idea of a saltine crust seems strange at first, but the saltiness is perfect with the tart lemon. A friend of mine compared it to the pretzel base in a strawberry pretzel salad, and I think that's a perfect comparison. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The filling is a custard base made with sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, and egg yolks, and it is so creamy. The whipped cream on top is necessary, in my opinion, as it provides a light airy quality as well as something sweet to cut through the tartness of the lemon custard. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The best part about this pie is that it is quick and uses ingredients most of us probably have on hand or can keep on hand easily. It will become my go-to lemon pie from this point forward. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The recipe in the link below was modified from both the Our State and Cook's Country versions. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Atlantic Beach Lemon Pie</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Crust:<br />1 1/2 sleeves saltine crackers</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1/8 tsp kosher salt</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1/4 cup light corn syrup<br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Filling: </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">4 large egg yolks</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1/4 cup heavy cream</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1/8 tsp kosher salt<br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Topping: </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1/2 cup heavy cream</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2 tsp granulated sugar</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1/2 tsp vanilla extract<br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For
the Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine crackers and salt in
food processor and pulse until coarse crumbs are formed. Slowly add the
melted butter and corn syrup and pulse to combine. Transfer cracker
mixture to a 9 inch pie dish and use the back of a spoon or measuring
cup to press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of the dish. A
layer of plastic wrap in between the crumbs and the spoon can be
helpful in preventing the crumbs from sticking to the spoon. Place the
crust on a baking sheet and bake approximately 18 minutes. Remove the
crust from the oven and set aside. There is no need for the crust to be
cool to continue. <br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For the Filling: Whisk the condensed
milk, egg yolks, heavy cream, and salt together. Add the lemon juice
and whisk until combined. Pour the filling into the crust and return
the pie to the oven. Bake 15-17 minutes until the filling is almost set
and the center of the pie jiggles ever so slightly when shaken. Remove
the pie from the oven and chill for at least 4 hours. <br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For
the Topping: Using a mixer, whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla
until stiff peaks form. Spread the topping on the chilled pie and
serve. </span><div>
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Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394244876219033487noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938390866669833504.post-54016882750674386702015-02-01T17:49:00.000-05:002015-02-01T17:49:48.565-05:00Something New: Pickled Pintos, Corn, and Poblano Peppers<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At this point in my canning
endeavors, I tend to stick with the same recipes. We know what we like,
and more importantly, we know what we will actually use and what we
won't. I am always on the lookout, though, for something new that can
liven things up a bit but be an integral part of my cooking rather than
just a condiment on the side. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This past summer I found a recipe for Pickled Pintos, Corn, and Poblano Peppers in the <a href="http://www.bhgsip-mediakit.com/r5/showkiosk.asp?listing_id=3633927&category_id=42956">BHG Canning</a> magazine. I thought the recipe looked interesting, and I also thought it looked more substantial than most
other pickled veggies. It looked like something that could be a main
part of a dish rather than just something to jazz it up. Since I had
never made it before, I only made one batch of it to try, and I held off on posting about it until we ate it a few times. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4yQ9WG4UCXHKM0dUu0ruY5PZFJyB_T2yNuBAz_ch8Uk7u_kCUs0zeg0nxU0uO5MVl3Jp9xv8crEhYMNiqhatLCq31UfaPuTk6C3s-Z1C7zJS4vovnL4vR-lvdYOC28iBjUMBsjD_ZxyI/s1600/IMG_2463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4yQ9WG4UCXHKM0dUu0ruY5PZFJyB_T2yNuBAz_ch8Uk7u_kCUs0zeg0nxU0uO5MVl3Jp9xv8crEhYMNiqhatLCq31UfaPuTk6C3s-Z1C7zJS4vovnL4vR-lvdYOC28iBjUMBsjD_ZxyI/s1600/IMG_2463.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, we have now tried it, and we love it!
The beans and corn are filling, and even though they are pickled they
have enough sweetness from the sugar and corn to make them versatile.
They can be eaten on top of tostadas or baked nachos (as we are doing
this evening for the Super Bowl). They can be incorporated into a taco,
mixed into rice or other grains, added to salads, or eaten straight up
with corn chips. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG5bMCsMQ72f9KNTTvyYLcP0motF97b_h8C_AB2wbqQkawhnFnrHZwyTKN5d395v2sgJDpTb-OzhZEUqPgVKrrvlLcqI53BqXpw-EoSSJ6RftGiOqzEVrxFxRG7yA5RRfOILHNZ7RUtYo/s1600/IMG_1947.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG5bMCsMQ72f9KNTTvyYLcP0motF97b_h8C_AB2wbqQkawhnFnrHZwyTKN5d395v2sgJDpTb-OzhZEUqPgVKrrvlLcqI53BqXpw-EoSSJ6RftGiOqzEVrxFxRG7yA5RRfOILHNZ7RUtYo/s1600/IMG_1947.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They
are a fantastic addition to my preserving list, and I will definitely
be making them again this year. Here are pictures I took over the summer
while canning the batch as well as pictures taken more recently while getting ready to use a jar. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The only changes I made to this recipe was to substitute ground cumin for the cumin seeds because I could not find the seeds. The original recipe can be found<a href="http://www.bhg.com/recipe/mexican-pickled-pintos-corn-and-poblanos/"> here.</a> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4KEit5OIB19hRoBSrYXbgJpjMdMvm1_BbtI5Jmeid6XOXbVMvd00eFXe01dNjNIVOlmAtOnY2FbbENtzZ3OH40SjalXFJkvQZlKMMdIESKtNxdLzUBaWnjiT2FMjmw-8GUB4JbF6AOk/s1600/IMG_1949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4KEit5OIB19hRoBSrYXbgJpjMdMvm1_BbtI5Jmeid6XOXbVMvd00eFXe01dNjNIVOlmAtOnY2FbbENtzZ3OH40SjalXFJkvQZlKMMdIESKtNxdLzUBaWnjiT2FMjmw-8GUB4JbF6AOk/s1600/IMG_1949.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Note:
For those concerned with the canning of corn or pintos without a
pressure canner, this recipe is safe due to the fact that the vegetables
and legumes are pickled. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/headspaceprintablerecipes/pickled-pintos-corn-and-poblano-peppers"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Printable Version</span></b></i></span></a> </span><br />
Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394244876219033487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938390866669833504.post-36645546003382783002014-12-28T18:07:00.002-05:002014-12-28T18:07:46.890-05:00Christmas in Our New Home<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It feels like forever since my last post, and it has been a long time. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with family and friends. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsl_Q52PrKqvNvEBFGPqH2ogsq8xEuh66vwTk7Efy7sx3K-rQLQAKiyzkHxoItNrgsSsK8rkZ16sMhqodNeZfir0QDL0nNxxNrnHTmI_AcRWmPcuHnqnSzOYfNhUrcisa0ZjDbjllHgjY/s1600/IMG_2345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsl_Q52PrKqvNvEBFGPqH2ogsq8xEuh66vwTk7Efy7sx3K-rQLQAKiyzkHxoItNrgsSsK8rkZ16sMhqodNeZfir0QDL0nNxxNrnHTmI_AcRWmPcuHnqnSzOYfNhUrcisa0ZjDbjllHgjY/s1600/IMG_2345.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Dining Room Tree</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since I never posted before Christmas, I thought I would do a post now to show a few glimpses of our holiday in our new home and to share a few recipes we've enjoyed over the past few weeks. Unfortunately, in the bustle of the holiday, I did not take as many pictures of food as I should have, so I'm posting the links and the pictures from the sites so you can see what they should look like. I will also post some images of our home decorated for the holidays because even though it still needs so much work, it is home now and being in it made for a wonderful Christmas season. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Usually Christmas is a time of travel for us, going to my family home and my husband's (both over two hours from our current home and three hours away from one another), but this year was different. We did travel to my family for Christmas Eve, but Christmas Day was spent in our own home with my husband's family visiting us. It was nice to be home on Christmas. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7E_xdGazj_CzrH6LWbrwgc-aonhg7Ahrny9jGQb5orRMJn8d5U8skaeZsl6FrozyZkvCo_thSsBbWG2Y7SXidj1D3KWh_o58DL2xfDztzx40Xy5bZa0PwYu-hF_aJEevQyBxx6EDWmY/s1600/IMG_2339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7E_xdGazj_CzrH6LWbrwgc-aonhg7Ahrny9jGQb5orRMJn8d5U8skaeZsl6FrozyZkvCo_thSsBbWG2Y7SXidj1D3KWh_o58DL2xfDztzx40Xy5bZa0PwYu-hF_aJEevQyBxx6EDWmY/s1600/IMG_2339.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Christmas table set with my grandmother's Christmas dishes.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcDuqhyphenhyphenYFoHD0NoiH0LRFz-FM6NcAJ_PqOKx5sg5GX81W_GiMa54V0bRhPbV7F7tDASo_iuWLvP3wRpo4bZ2wphl1ku1sM6eFK6Fcb7NlwShP1mN69wnqXjZSi7s3tkH0GfuPgHuy_65s/s1600/IMG_2351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcDuqhyphenhyphenYFoHD0NoiH0LRFz-FM6NcAJ_PqOKx5sg5GX81W_GiMa54V0bRhPbV7F7tDASo_iuWLvP3wRpo4bZ2wphl1ku1sM6eFK6Fcb7NlwShP1mN69wnqXjZSi7s3tkH0GfuPgHuy_65s/s1600/IMG_2351.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our Christmas Day was very cozy with lots of twinkling lights, glowing candles, and a fire (built by my father-in-law) in the fireplace as the temperature became crisp outside. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpvCx-jE4ZTGZKzojAs4238V3ymDLzVS8jlRPXIRwPVrKeiw3SHCEeITjKwsrcj-Oszcsus3ZISoNobgCcVlqFpasjn__2esahwmnuPt7U_k8_rytW_1yd9cdjDwYQNMsr4VPAbqE8TCY/s1600/IMG_2363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpvCx-jE4ZTGZKzojAs4238V3ymDLzVS8jlRPXIRwPVrKeiw3SHCEeITjKwsrcj-Oszcsus3ZISoNobgCcVlqFpasjn__2esahwmnuPt7U_k8_rytW_1yd9cdjDwYQNMsr4VPAbqE8TCY/s1600/IMG_2363.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A glimpse of the porch before the wind blew me back inside. </span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We enjoyed a casual dinner of <a href="http://headspacecanning.blogspot.com/2012/12/baked-ziti-with-meat-sauce-ricotta-and.html">Baked Ziti with Meat Sauce, Ricotta, and Mozzarella, </a>a simple salad, and garlic bread.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis9X21AQx3lQTm348m9Pub3wt_Q5Ay97i_7ODx4UlHCT4mP52iBSzb_HPkWrHH7w-n5u-pHzF_zBPAKxT210fdbAlhWRN8HwaFk3rR_BAyakYdl9TR4Ub2zu_c-z0jSVSb-pkiDpuPiak/s320/IMG_0154.jpg" width="320" /> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dessert was this <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/brownie-pudding-recipe.html">Brownie Pudding</a> from Ina Garten. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you have never tried Brownie
Pudding, you must. It is gooey, almost like brownie batter inside, but
it has a crisp, chewy crust on top. With ice cream, it is delectable.
My in-laws all brought yummy snacks, and my sister-in-law brought a
chocolate chess pie similar to <a href="http://headspacecanning.blogspot.com/2011/09/chocolate-chess-pie-and-oompa-loompas.html">this one</a> (yum!). </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Brownie Pudding" height="240" itemprop="image" src="http://foodnetwork.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/food/fullset/2009/2/23/0/BX0112-1_Brownie-Pudding_s4x3.jpg.rend.sni12col.landscape.jpeg" title="Brownie Pudding" width="320" /> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/brownie-pudding-recipe.html"><i>Image Credit </i></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also hosted a cookie swap the week before Christmas which I have done for the past few years. It was a little different this year because we opted to bring unbaked cookie dough to freeze rather than bake all of our cookies. I am really looking forward to being able to bring out cookie dough whenever I need it over the next few months. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtU1urY0k3kEPzlHF_pLxweiD_VXJLZkZSH8zuf-XHxoLgD5Eu6ySsSS6v2gxNd45qQbC_HgrVdxSpZTXPVkq_YhI0c0KRG4PqzTp3_kGpY5Ww2fSNAttwbooS7xPlaa_mjH0qr_M4Z8/s1600/IMG_2346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtU1urY0k3kEPzlHF_pLxweiD_VXJLZkZSH8zuf-XHxoLgD5Eu6ySsSS6v2gxNd45qQbC_HgrVdxSpZTXPVkq_YhI0c0KRG4PqzTp3_kGpY5Ww2fSNAttwbooS7xPlaa_mjH0qr_M4Z8/s1600/IMG_2346.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Our Christmas "bush" on an old trunk in the living room. It is decorated with my grandmother's antique glass ball and teardrop ornaments. </span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The cookie swap dinner consisted of <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/recipe/julia-childs-beef-bourguignon-8222804">Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon</a></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">baked into individual ramekins, topped with whipped potatoes, and broiled until crisp on top. The salad recipe was really tasty. I followed this recipe from Williams-Sonoma for a <a href="http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/spinach-pear-and-pomegranate-salad.html">Spinach, Pear, and Pomegranate Salad</a>, but I used a baby kale blend in place of spinach and candied walnuts in place of toasted ones. It will definitely be making a reappearance soon. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="photo" height="304" itemprop="photo" src="http://rk.wsimgs.com/wsimgs/rk/images/dp/recipe/201470/0054/img43l.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="304" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/spinach-pear-and-pomegranate-salad.html">Image Credit</a></span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also made a <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/dark-chocolate-and-peppermint-whipped-cream-tart">Dark Chocolate Peppermint Tart from Bon Appetit</a>. I didn't have the patience for the decorative whipped topping, so I just mounded mine on, but it was delicious nonetheless. Unfortunately, after we ate our fill, I was putting the rest in the refrigerator, and it slid right off the cake plate and onto the floor. It was frustrating, but the dog really enjoyed licking up the residue later. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttrws9RF1XUnVZzbggAygR0aKGZOF27ZPz0M-DcEUURTdahJwJJLh8kMR0iAKgdSX5j1Ox3_cvkdx5q-qg5AxTbiAu9m1tt8XkFD_STVDfhTsz9CQSKYXpzq-NA3aW8tzl3UJVz_meWY/s1600/IMG_2308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttrws9RF1XUnVZzbggAygR0aKGZOF27ZPz0M-DcEUURTdahJwJJLh8kMR0iAKgdSX5j1Ox3_cvkdx5q-qg5AxTbiAu9m1tt8XkFD_STVDfhTsz9CQSKYXpzq-NA3aW8tzl3UJVz_meWY/s1600/IMG_2308.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The crust is filled with dark chocolate ganache and sprinkled with crushed peppermint candy. </span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0FTqubX-LHe2cTmrw8CJNbh46DVsgwvobtJL_A1dX1GIRsshb1jPf5Lto6KtbJ7xR6leXGtCy5hH5HDQA63z79QZNsyGX38_XZlJ0fPfH2SxdQpEt7QlpqtNI_zONgT26nn8km-tMfHk/s1600/IMG_2310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0FTqubX-LHe2cTmrw8CJNbh46DVsgwvobtJL_A1dX1GIRsshb1jPf5Lto6KtbJ7xR6leXGtCy5hH5HDQA63z79QZNsyGX38_XZlJ0fPfH2SxdQpEt7QlpqtNI_zONgT26nn8km-tMfHk/s1600/IMG_2310.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Then it is topped with peppermint whipped cream and more crushed candy. I used half the whipped cream recipe, and it was plenty. </span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now that Christmas is over, it is difficult to think of taking down the decorations and getting back to "normal". Christmas is such a magical time, and the decorations make everything so warm and cozy. So, rather than think of it ending, I am going to savor one last evening by the fire and curl up to watch <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Meet-Louis-Two-Disc-Special-Edition/dp/B00005JKGZ">Meet Me in St. Louis</a> while enjoying a cup of hot tea. </span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span>Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394244876219033487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938390866669833504.post-40592462728132986862014-11-19T18:30:00.002-05:002014-11-19T18:30:28.707-05:00Slow Cooked Pork Roast with Spicy Asian Sweet Potatoes<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First of all, let me start out by saying that I am not a photographer. The pictures of food on my blog sometimes leave something to be desired. In addition, when you're trying to take photos of food at night before you actually eat said food, it is even worse because the light quality is so poor. That being said, I decided to post this anyway because the recipe was really good, and it was a more unique recipe for a slow cooker. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrYwLhyMJAmTdr66X8iPABsoXhdJqwLbYpVSfycBEn8QqocB9TM4gfXpQcY8IUoSGyrAb3swtkoBrTvVtu5MaMgf2L54CtOPAnkecgrzoJMl6JOXY5faPEePSzKQt97nstav4tmuem9w/s1600/IMG_2253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrYwLhyMJAmTdr66X8iPABsoXhdJqwLbYpVSfycBEn8QqocB9TM4gfXpQcY8IUoSGyrAb3swtkoBrTvVtu5MaMgf2L54CtOPAnkecgrzoJMl6JOXY5faPEePSzKQt97nstav4tmuem9w/s1600/IMG_2253.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have been trying to find good recipes for my slow cooker for a long time. Often, I find that the slow cooker washes out the flavor of the ingredients and leaves me with a meal that was convenient yet bland or mushy. The best slow cooker recipes tend to be those that require lots of prep which, let's face it, defeats the purpose of a slow cooker. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, a while back I was browsing in Williams-Sonoma and saw their cookbook, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Slow-Cooker-rev-Williams-Sonoma/dp/1616286024/ref=pd_sim_b_9?ie=UTF8&refRID=05J168Q917J16SVTFWTY">The New Slow Cooker.</a></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I came home, ordered it from Amazon (it was cheaper that way) and have cooked a few recipes from it. I like that the recipes are different, require some but not tons of prep, and have sauces or toppings to jazz things up a bit. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This particular recipe was pretty tasty and proved to be versatile. I prepped the pork which included browning it along with some aromatics the night before. I then put the pork into the slow cooker insert and refrigerated it overnight. The next morning, I popped the insert into the slow cooker base and cooked it all day while I was at work. That evening, I made the Asian Vinaigrette for the sweet potato chunks while they roasted in the oven. When done, I mixed everything together with some fresh cilantro and dinner was ready quickly and without much mess or fuss. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxshtyXDvZwo3nSsBAQPG0xyAahr4PcWgamx4EwglQBwdumKyIeiYDt7DjT1fYXWrQYsi86IRpzRbW3M4Ar2VJprpa8nFUk7OBe8YSBrl3Z1P3X6vZ83BNFAr7zkxoy0bVfu1VvdDiPYk/s1600/IMG_2252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxshtyXDvZwo3nSsBAQPG0xyAahr4PcWgamx4EwglQBwdumKyIeiYDt7DjT1fYXWrQYsi86IRpzRbW3M4Ar2VJprpa8nFUk7OBe8YSBrl3Z1P3X6vZ83BNFAr7zkxoy0bVfu1VvdDiPYk/s1600/IMG_2252.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We ate this meal several different times, once with steamed veggies on the side, once as leftovers, and once in a quesadilla with cheddar cheese. All were yummy and made good use of the pork roast. This would also be excellent with rice or served in a hamburger bun with or without a little barbecue sauce. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A few notes on this recipe...the original version called for butternut squash instead of sweet potato. I used the sweet potato because that's what I had on hand. I used dry sherry rather than sake, white wine, or vermouth because that's what I had. I also omitted the basil because I didn't have any, but I did have some cilantro hanging around so I added that for a pop of color and flavor. I used a pasture raised pork roast which had a fairly thick fat cap. I trimmed most of the fat off before cooking. If you are using a roast from the grocery, you may not need to trim as much. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Pork Roast with Spicy Asian Sweet Potatoes</b>- serves 6</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>This recipe is adapted from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Slow-Cooker-rev-Williams-Sonoma/dp/1616286024/ref=pd_sim_b_9?ie=UTF8&refRID=0910ZHV3MM5H8H67448Z">The New Slow Cooker</a>. </i> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3 lb pork roast (I used one with a bone but you can use boneless instead)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">salt and pepper</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 Tbsp vegetable oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 large onion, finely chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4 cloves garlic, minced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 Tbsp dry sherry (original called for dry sake, white wine, or vermouth)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 cup chicken stock </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 Tbsp olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/4 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 recipe Asian Lime Vinaigrette (recipe follows)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 tsp red pepper flakes</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Asian Vinaigrette</i>- makes 1/2 cup</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">juice of 1 lime </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 tsp rice wine vinegar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 tsp peeled, minced ginger</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/4 tsp sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2-3 drops Sriracha sauce</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>For the vinaigrette</i>: Mix everything together except the olive oil. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking until it is well blended. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>For the pork and sweet potatoes</i>: Season the pork with salt and pepper. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add pork and brown well on all sides. Transfer pork to the insert of a slow cooker. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pour most of the fat from the skillet and return to the heat. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Pour in the sherry and scrap up the browned bits from the skillet. Stir in the stock and pour the contents over the pork. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before you are ready to serve the pork, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Toss the sweet potato cubes with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast, stirring several times, for 20-25 minutes until they are tender and brown on the edges. Transfer to a bowl. Add the cilantro and vinaigrette and toss to coat evenly. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let rest while you finish the sweet potatoes. Skim the fat from the liquid in the slow cooker. Shred the pork. Spoon some of the braising liquid over the meat. Toss the pork and sweet potatoes together gently. Serve. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/headspaceprintablerecipes/pork-roast-with-spicy-asian-sweet-potatoes"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Printable Version</span></b></i></span></a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span>Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394244876219033487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938390866669833504.post-61607779175011079892014-10-18T08:44:00.000-04:002014-10-18T08:44:10.549-04:00October Randomness: Part Two<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As October continues, my to-do list grows. I wish I had days at home so that I could spread my list out over the course of the week rather than trying to cram it all into the weekends. I would like to have a chat with the person who invented the five day work week. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now for the rest of the October random happenings... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We are still working away with our one
little bee hive. The bees in the hive seem to be doing well as far as
we can tell. We found a couple of emergency queen cells but were told
that this is normal (you can see it on the right side of the frame in
the picture). They have used most of the honey stores they had put up,
so we are feeding them a 2:1 sugar syrup right now to help them prepare
for winter. We will definitely be investing in a few more hives come
spring as well as splitting this one. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM3q38pifkBOqKaPrrOO_6v471IQW8C4wzC7LdPzHFodiXR0eUep9X1R7nLLJPbIBlGIWN9gNws3jP5_2S1tiBaLIMQcfLP4cqgkP_9Ps5XmZ-dNp81EQ-k8ZFXQ5qQrDgmcymRSzbHTw/s1600/IMG_2071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM3q38pifkBOqKaPrrOO_6v471IQW8C4wzC7LdPzHFodiXR0eUep9X1R7nLLJPbIBlGIWN9gNws3jP5_2S1tiBaLIMQcfLP4cqgkP_9Ps5XmZ-dNp81EQ-k8ZFXQ5qQrDgmcymRSzbHTw/s1600/IMG_2071.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On a completely separate note, I
decided on a whim to enter a few items into the county fair, and was so
excited to win a blue and red ribbon for <a href="http://headspacecanning.blogspot.com/2012/07/two-days-of-pickles-part-2.html">these pickles</a> and <a href="http://headspacecanning.blogspot.com/2011/11/testing-my-patience-with-apple-butter.html">this apple butter</a> respectively. I also entered a jar of green beans but didn't win anything for those. I was so surprised as I had absolutely no hope for winning, but it was so much fun I think I'm hooked.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZcFcN_m6e3CnC2vWoPnRqPzeZez7QYEGd9zhDt2hDsz7BT6MHQp2RuDqDwEBHpIqAoRw1gZeBfyFvp1PuPbqKrcRmiBTXkuuLY4igjasKU5qa_QC5T21o56lQnyoOoYnTF0uCRneKHJQ/s1600/IMG_2142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZcFcN_m6e3CnC2vWoPnRqPzeZez7QYEGd9zhDt2hDsz7BT6MHQp2RuDqDwEBHpIqAoRw1gZeBfyFvp1PuPbqKrcRmiBTXkuuLY4igjasKU5qa_QC5T21o56lQnyoOoYnTF0uCRneKHJQ/s1600/IMG_2142.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>A wall of canned goods at the county fair</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLHg-3CsFfN1h_MIMvA4F8p7yEy1hPrfo3aFrooTjZsCcW6nBZUC7ZeBwvnWEbY3JziaSlI7RhsyKHUcdtXGbpMF6kvn2iEFMx-m9JpdMsVgQu0ZOJyhpV9CpvfrbwDq48J-IEJisFls/s1600/IMG_2187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLHg-3CsFfN1h_MIMvA4F8p7yEy1hPrfo3aFrooTjZsCcW6nBZUC7ZeBwvnWEbY3JziaSlI7RhsyKHUcdtXGbpMF6kvn2iEFMx-m9JpdMsVgQu0ZOJyhpV9CpvfrbwDq48J-IEJisFls/s1600/IMG_2187.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had one jar of apple pie filling left and decided to make a pie with it the other night. I had four of <a href="http://headspacecanning.blogspot.com/2014/02/anytime-breakfast-pie.html">these pie crusts</a> in the freezer, so I thawed one and used it as the bottom crust. Then I spread a jar of <a href="http://headspacecanning.blogspot.com/2013/09/apple-pie-in-jar.html">this pie filling</a> into it before topping it with a crumb topping made of 3/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, and 1/3 cup butter. I cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender until it resembled coarse crumbs. I then sprinkled it on top and baked the pie at 375 degrees for 50 minutes. It was easy and yummy although I do wish it had browned a little more. Again, I'm blaming this on my horrible oven. Let's just say I can't wait to get a new one. It did make me realize that I need to put up more pie filling as it makes for a super easy dessert when you're short on time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have plans this month to make pork
stock from some bones I've had in the freezer since spring along with
some apple butter and pie filling from apples we got back in August. I
also want to plant some fall pansies and kale outside, and I'll keep you
posted on the chickens and bees. Happy October! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span>Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394244876219033487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938390866669833504.post-65362603467088440952014-10-12T20:50:00.000-04:002014-10-12T20:50:39.028-04:00October Randomness: Part One<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fall is finally here, although some days it is still reaching into the low 90s. Today was a cool, misty day, but I loved every minute of it because it was the first weekend day in weeks that has not been filled up in some way for us. We relaxed, cleaned the house, and I canned chicken stock I had been working on since Friday evening. Our weeks have been busy and random as we try to take care of several different things all at once. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before I get into what we've been up to, let me tell you that I have started making chicken stock in the slow cooker. A foodie friend of mine turned me onto it, and it is so much easier. I still save my chicken scraps and carcasses in the freezer until I have enough for stock, but rather than simmering it on the stove for hours, I put half of the scraps in the slow cooker along with carrot, celery, and onion, and I cook it on low heat through one night and one day. Then I remove 2/3 of the stock (but leave everything else in there), add the other half of the chicken scraps, and fill again with fresh water. It cooks on low throughout that night and the next day until the afternoon when I am ready to pressure can. It means I can make stock while I'm doing other things, and I think the stock is even more rich and flavorful. I strain several times before pressure canning according to <a href="http://headspacecanning.blogspot.com/2013/04/making-and-canning-chicken-stock.html">these directions</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Okay, now to some of the randomness of the month...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fall means mums, Indian corn, and pumpkins. I know I have lots of weeds and things aren't perfect, but I had to put some fall decorations out anyway. The mums have flowered more for me this year than in the past, and they look lovely next to the light orange pumpkin I picked up from a house out in the country where the owner grows fields of pumpkins and squash. This pumpkin has developed a spot on the back and is soon destined for the chickens who will enjoy it immensely. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have been working hard on our other house in the city and finally sold it about two weeks ago. It was a little bittersweet having been our first house and our home for so many years, but I know the people who bought it will love it just as much as we did, and it's nice to be able to focus on our new home now. The worst part was leaving my little chicken coop behind (we had three chickens there), but the new owner plans to get a little flock of her own. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Speaking of chickens, I think they are perfectly happy here in the country. They love to get out and peck around in the weeds and grass. They especially love to get into the flower bed (it needs work anyway) to get bugs and worms. We are getting ready to purchase some mobile poultry netting so that we can move them around the property to forage when we are home. They are hard workers, giving us about eight eggs a day (from ten hens). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Al, the rooster, is still in with the girls and is still acting like a gentleman most of the time. He is very large and handsome, and he doesn't mind us unless we are messing with his flock. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finally, I tried a recipe for challah bread. I used to make challah sometimes, but had not made it in years. I used a recipe from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Fresh-Egg-Cookbook-Backyard/dp/1603429786/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413158479&sr=8-1&keywords=the+fresh+egg+cookbook">The Fresh Egg Cookbook.</a> The bread was easy, used several eggs (which was why I chose to make it) and tasted delicious. It also made three loaves one of which is in my freezer waiting for an occasion when I need a loaf of fresh bread. I will say that I had a little problem with the baking time which is listed as an hour. My bread was beginning to burn a little on the bottom after about 40 minutes and was done, so I took it out. It could have been the recipe but it just as easily could have been the horrible, no-good oven I'm forced to work with right now until we have time to make some much needed changes in this new kitchen of ours. If you bake the bread, set your timer for 30 minutes and check it every 10 minutes after that to make sure it doesn't get too brown. You may need the entire baking time or you may be like me and need to take it out early. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'll post part two with the rest of the randomness a few days from now. Until then, enjoy the fall weather!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Challah Bread</b>- makes 3 loaves </span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(slightly adapted from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1603429786/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=052QF48BGW8PNC1PJTPY&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846">The Fresh Egg Cookbook</a>)</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 packs active dry yeast</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 cups warm water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 1/4 cups vegetable oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 cup sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4 tsp kosher salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4 eggs (3 beaten together, 1 beaten separately to be used as an egg wash)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dissolve the yeast in the water in a large bowl. Stir in oil, sugar, salt, and 3 beaten eggs. Stir in half the flour, then mix in the remaining flour until make a soft, pliable dough. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 8 minutes, or knead using the dough hook of an electric stand mixer. Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease the top, cover, and let rise 1 1/2 hours until doubled in size. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Line three baking sheets with parchment paper. Separate dough into three equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, divide dough in thirds. Roll each third by hand into a strand 12 inches long and arrange them on a work surface pointing toward you. Pinch the three strands together at the top end and braid the strands working toward you. Pinch the bottom ends together and turn them under to secure them. Place the loaf on a prepared sheet. Repeat with the other two braids. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Let braids rise 30 minutes. Gently brush each loaf with the remaining beaten egg and bake for 1 hour (watch this carefully as you may need to bake less time) until nicely brown on top. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/headspaceprintablerecipes/challah-bread"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Printable Version</span></b></i></span></a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span>Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394244876219033487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938390866669833504.post-45370197488837330122014-09-13T15:24:00.000-04:002014-09-13T15:24:10.735-04:00Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am a so-so fan of quick breads. Some are really good while others seem very one-note to me and don't appeal to me that much. The ones I like most are moist in the center with a crust on the outside and contain some type of ingredient (either nuts, chocolate, fruit, or a cream cheese ribbon like a friend of mine adds to her breads) to break things up a bit. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My absolute favorite quick bread is filled with zucchini and semi-sweet chocolate chips. It is sweet and gooey with chocolate, and while you can see the zucchini, the texture of it does not come through. It just makes the batter oh-so-moist. I have substituted blueberries for the chocolate, and it was yummy that way as well although I remain partial to the chocolate version. This bread is fabulous as a snack, dessert, or even for breakfast, and one loaf will last, well wrapped on the counter, about a week. The bread also freezes really well, and since the recipe makes two loaves, I make a batch every week or so and freeze the extra loaf for later. I also freeze shredded zucchini in three cup increments to use to make this bread when zucchini is not in season. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The recipe comes from <a href="https://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/143660/Chocolate-Chip-Zucchini-Bread/detail.aspx">Very Best Baking</a> and is very similar to another favorite of mine from that site, <a href="http://headspacecanning.blogspot.com/2012/10/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-muffins.html">Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, if you're overrun with zucchini this time of year or just find a great deal on it at the farm market, whip up a batch and try it for yourself. This bread is also a great way to use eggs when you find yourself with too many to handle. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread</b>- makes two loaves</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>This bread is from <a href="https://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/143660/Chocolate-Chip-Zucchini-Bread/detail.aspx">Very Best Baking</a>, and I do not alter the ingredients at all except that I add regular size chocolate chips rather than mini. For a picture of it with mini chocolate chips, click the link to the original recipe. The recipe calls for baking 60-70 minutes, but I usually begin checking it after 55 minutes to ensure that it does not over bake. It is usually ready around the 60 minute mark. </i> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="amount"><span class="value">1 1/4</span> cups all-purpose flour</span><span class="amount"><span class="value"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="amount"><span class="value">1 1/4</span> cups whole-wheat flour</span><span class="amount"></span><span class="amount"><span class="value"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="amount"><span class="value">2</span> teaspoons baking soda</span><span class="amount"><span class="value"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="amount"><span class="value">1/2</span> teaspoon salt</span><span class="amount"></span><span class="amount"><span class="value"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="amount"><span class="value">1/4</span> cup </span>butter, softened<span class="amount"><span class="value"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="amount"><span class="value">3/4</span> cup granulated sugar</span><span class="amount"><span class="value"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="amount"><span class="value">3/4</span> cup packed brown sugar</span><span class="amount"></span><span class="amount"><span class="value"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="amount"><span class="value">4</span> large eggs</span><span class="amount"><span class="value"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="amount"><span class="value">3/4</span> cup vegetable oil</span><span class="amount"></span><span class="amount"><span class="value"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="amount"><span class="value">1</span> teaspoon vanilla extract</span><span class="amount"><span class="value"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="amount"><span class="value">3</span> cups shredded zucchini (about 3 medium zucchini)</span><span class="amount"></span><span class="amount"><span class="value"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="amount"><span class="value">2</span> cups <span class="type">semi-sweet chocolate chips</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="amount"><span class="type">Preheat oven to 350ยบ F. Grease and flour <i>two</i> 8 x 4-inch loaf pans.<br /> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="amount"><span class="type">Combine all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking soda and
salt in medium bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in
large mixer bowl until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating
well after each addition. Beat in oil and vanilla extract. Stir in
flour mixture just until moistened. Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips.
Divide mixture between loaf pans.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="amount"><span class="type">Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in
centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes.
Run knife around the edges of pans. Remove from pans; cool completely
on wire racks. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/headspaceprintablerecipes/chocolate-chip-zucchini-bread"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Printable Version</b></span></i></span></a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span>Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394244876219033487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938390866669833504.post-19394121068634167732014-09-07T12:33:00.000-04:002014-09-07T12:33:53.819-04:00Freezing Crowder Peas<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I grew up eating field peas all the time. My family (and practically every other family I knew) put up field peas and snaps to have during the winter months. The field peas I grew up with (I don't know the exact variety) were green when fresh but brown and creamy when cooked and produced a richly flavored broth. I love them served with other veggies and meat, but I can make a meal out of them alone. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This year, I have not been able to get any peas from back home, but I stumbled across crowder peas at the farm market yesterday. Crowder peas cook up similar to the peas I usually put up but they are a little larger in size and are tighter together in the pod which means they have dips and dimples. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I bought a bushel basket of crowder peas and spent yesterday evening shelling them, and this morning was spent blanching them and readying them for the freezer. Now when the few quarts of field peas we have left from last year run out, we will have yummy crowder peas in the freezer to take their place. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My favorite way to cook field peas is to place them in a pot, cover them with water, and add a little bacon grease or olive oil to the pot. I bring them to a boil and then reduce them to a simmer, allowing them to simmer uncovered until they are tender and creamy but not falling apart (anywhere from 30-45 minutes). Then I season them with salt and pepper and simmer them a few more minutes. You can also get fancy with a chunk of country ham, a ham hock or small ham bone, or other meat seasoning of choice. The simpler the better for me though. Served with crunchy fried cornbread to dunk or spooned over cornbread or rice (with maybe a sliced tomato on the side), they are a meal all their own. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Freezing Crowder Peas (or other field peas)</b>- makes approx. 7 quarts</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 bushel field peas in the shell (30 pounds)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Remove the peas from the shells, discards shells, and wash peas thoroughly. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place peas into boiling water in several batches. Blanch each batch for 2 minutes. Remove peas from boiling water and place in an ice bath until cool. Drain peas to remove excess liquid. Fill quart bags or containers, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Place containers in the freezer. </span><br />
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<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/headspaceprintablerecipes/freezing-crowder-peas-and-other-field-peas"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Printable Version</b></span></span></span></i></a>Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394244876219033487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938390866669833504.post-34733317178420064122014-09-01T21:12:00.001-04:002014-09-01T21:12:22.739-04:00Muscadine and Scuppernong Jam<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When we moved onto this property several months ago, there were three sets of established grapevines. One set is growing up and over an arbor and has a mixture of muscadine (purple) and scuppernong (bronze) grapes. One is trellised and we think grows bronze grapes, but it is so overgrown that there are only a few grapes on it this year. Our plan is to cut it back later this year and allow it to come back out over time. The third is a single vine of Concord grapes left over from a trellis that the previous owner attempted to cut down. They weren't completely successful, and this lone vine remains. We got plenty of grapes off of it this year and made Concord grape jam with <a href="http://headspacecanning.blogspot.com/2013/09/concord-grape-jam_22.html">this recipe</a>, and my in-laws took lots with them to make jam too. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Recently the muscadine and scuppernong grapes were ready to pick from the arbor. We went out on a Saturday morning and picked almost 25 pounds of grapes. As we picked them, we separated them into containers by color. We set aside two gallons in the freezer to reserve for pie filling which we will make a later date, and we made jam with the rest. We used the same recipe for the jam that we use with Concord grapes, the only difference being that the skins of the muscadines are thicker and don't break down as easily. Therefore, you end up with a less chunky jam with fewer pieces of skin. The pulp still gets used.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In all, we made 27 half-pints of jam that day (three batches). The grapes produce a lighter colored jam than Concord grapes and look like jewels in the sun. The only warning I would offer is that there are tiny specks of pulp that are browner in color and those show up more in the lighter jam. If you wanted to eliminate that, you could put the pulp in a jelly bag and let it drain, but then of course you would be making jelly and not jam. I personally prefer the texture of jam and the idea that I'm using the whole fruit rather than just the juice. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm not sure exactly what we plan to do with all this jam. I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches but using this much jam (for us) would be a feat. We may sell it or give it as gifts. I'm sure we'll figure out something. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the recipe, use the same recipe as for the <a href="http://headspacecanning.blogspot.com/2013/09/concord-grape-jam_22.html">Concord grape jam</a>. You will still pulse the skins in the processor separately from the pulp, and you will push as much of the pulp and skins through the sieve as possible. You will probably find that not as much of the skins go through. Feed the rest to the chickens or compost them. The purple grapes produce a light pinkish lavender jam, and the bronze produce a golden yellow jam. </span>Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394244876219033487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938390866669833504.post-36859334912126492842014-08-20T21:28:00.002-04:002014-08-20T21:28:54.393-04:00Pullet Eggs and the Rooster<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have eleven chickens. Within that mix are three hens, seven pullets, and one rooster named Al Capone. For those unfamiliar with chicken terminology, the word pullet is generally used to indicate a female chicken less than a year old. Most chickens, depending on the breed, begin laying eggs somewhere between sixteen and twenty-four weeks of age. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Some of our pullets looking very curious for the camera</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pullet eggs usually start out small and gradually gain in size during the following weeks. I love collecting pullet eggs. While I'm used to the size, shape, and color of the eggs laid by my hens, the pullet eggs often offer up surprises. As the pullet continues to lay, the eggs may change shape or even alter the shade of their color. These eggs will eventually reach normal size and even out in their appearance as the chicken grows larger and its reproductive cycle becomes more consistent. In the meantime, I think it's fun to see what's out there each day. We are still waiting on four of our pullets to begin laying, and I can't wait to see what the eggs look like when they do. One note on baking with pullet eggs...I generally use two pullet eggs for every large egg called for in a recipe. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> (Above) Smaller pullet egg on left, egg from older hen on right</span></i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></i><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></i><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></i><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></i><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></i><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></i><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">(Above) Pullet egg on right, normal sized egg on left</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our hens and pullets all lay brown eggs, but they are in varying shades of brown. It's interesting to note that we can often tell whose egg we are eating by its shape and color before it's cracked open. One of our hens lays eggs that are long and pointy like a torpedo while another lays small round eggs. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>A mixture of eggs in various sizes</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since we're on the subject of chickens, our rooster is coming into his own. He is getting more confident in his mating abilities and enjoys exercising those abilities primarily in the morning and evening. I am keeping a close eye on him and his behaviors with the girls as I want to make sure he is not hurting them. As of right now, he is being a gentleman. He alerts when there is danger or perceived danger (like the lawn mower), he makes sure the girls get their share of the food, and he generally keeps order in the flock. While our chickens have always gotten along well without a rooster, I have noticed that there is less pecking and puffing of the feathers with this latest batch. They get along and don't try to assert their dominance over one another since he is there and in charge. If we begin seeing any signs of abuse, we will of course remove him from the flock and allow him to forage out on his own, but since we have so many predators around here (I saw a coyote in the backyard under the grape arbor just the other day), we'll allow him to remain in his current position as king of the flock until then.</span>Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394244876219033487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938390866669833504.post-76923597615913090752014-08-13T12:00:00.000-04:002014-08-13T12:00:44.018-04:00A Week in Review<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The summer is drawing to a close for me. In just four short days I will return to work, and the chores around here will have to be taken care of at night and on weekends. In the meantime, I'm trying to accomplish as much as possible. While I haven't canned as much as I usually do due to the craziness of moving, there are still things that we aren't willing to go without all year. Those are the projects I've focused on over the past few weeks. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have put up a variety of canned goods. Some of them can be seen in the photo below. I'm still trying to find a good place for my canned goods until we can do some renovating, and I hesitate to even share this photo with you now. They are being stored on some old shelves in the laundry room (a curtain hides them) as well as in a cabinet in the kitchen until we have a better solution. Included in the picture are jars of (top row from left to right) <a href="http://headspacecanning.blogspot.com/2013/07/green-beans-love-hate-relationship.html">pressure canned green beans</a>, grape jam, peach jam, and the best <a href="http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/canned_tomato_salsa/">canned tomato salsa</a> ever (from Simply Recipes). The bottom row (from left to right) includes <a href="http://headspacecanning.blogspot.com/2012/07/roasted-garlic-and-herb-pasta-sauce.html">garlic and herb pasta sauce</a>, <a href="http://headspacecanning.blogspot.com/2012/07/two-days-of-pickles-part-2.html">chile garlic dill pickles</a>, pickled corn/poblano/pinto salsa (from Better Homes and Gardens- I'll post about it once we open it and try it out), <a href="http://headspacecanning.blogspot.com/2012/07/canning-crushed-tomatoes-and-other.html">crushed tomatoes</a>, and apple wine jelly made using the recipe for <a href="http://headspacecanning.blogspot.com/2011/12/muscadine-wine-jelly.html">muscadine wine jelly</a> but (obviously) using homemade apple wine instead. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We recently realized that one of the grape vines that the previous owner had intended on cutting down has come back out and is loaded with Concord grapes. We had to dodge privet bushes and the like to get to them, but we did it and ended up with about ten pounds of ripe grapes. There are still more on the vine, and we will harvest them when they ripen. They are absolutely delicious, sweet, a little tart and super juicy. I used four pounds to make this <a href="http://headspacecanning.blogspot.com/2013/09/concord-grape-jam_22.html">Concord grape jam</a> which is so much easier (and I think better) than jelly, and my in-laws took home two gallon size bags. We ended up with eight half-pints of jam which will last us until next fall. The chickens loved the leftover grape skins. It's so satisfying making jam with your own fruit. I usually have to buy grapes from an orchard we visit in the mountains, but not anymore. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our project for the weekend is to pick ripe grapes from the muscadine and scuppernong vines. Those vines are growing together on the same arbor, and unfortunately into a nearby tree (a pruning project for later in the year). We will pick the ripe ones and figure out what to do with them and leave the rest to ripen over the next few weeks. I was thinking of making grape pie filling although I'm still not settled on it. If anyone has any ideas for what to do with them, I'm all ears. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Over the weekend we will also pick some of the pears off the tree by the chicken coop. The chickens have been enjoying the ones that fall (which we break open for them). Not all are ripe, but there are some that are ready, and the squirrels around here don't mind getting to them before us if we dilly dally. I was walking around the orchard the other day and a freshly half-eaten pear almost hit me on the head when it was dropped from the tree by a squirrel. They are cute, but they are pesky. They also break open the walnuts and pecans. We really hope they save some for us! I'll be doing some kind of canning project with the pears once we pick them. I'm considering either pear sauce or canned pear quarters in red hot syrup. I'll keep you posted on what I decide. For now, we're enjoying just eating them out of hand. They are crisp and juicy. All of the fruit trees and vines on our property have been neglected for years, but now that we own them, we hope to remedy that. With a good pruning later in the year, we hope all of our trees and vines will be better producers (and be healthier) going into next year. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I cleaned out the deep freezer and organized it. It is so frustrating when you don't know how much of something you have and have to dig around to find it. If I ever buy another freezer, I will go with an upright one rather than a chest freezer to make finding things easier. In the meantime, I used this <a href="http://www.mrshappyhomemaker.com/2012/01/freezer-inventory/">handy printable</a> I found online to take inventory of the contents of the deep freezer. It will allow me to easily cross things out when I use them so I can keep track of what we have. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, that's what's been happening around here. My plan for today (since it's not raining) is to mow and check in on the bees. There's always something to do around here, and I'm loving it!</span>Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394244876219033487noreply@blogger.com6