That'll Do, For Now...

Brynwood Needleworks - Thirteen Pounds of Pickling Cucumbers (Raw)

 

The day began with thirteen pounds of pickling cucumbers. They were washed, sorted and then processed. Handsome and I did this together. Sharing the load always makes it easier (and more fun).

 

Brynwood Needleworks - Thirteen Pounds of Pickling Cucumbers (Processed)

 

By early afternoon, we'd processed everything. We ended up with eight pints of bread & butter pickles; eight pints and one quart of kosher dill spears; and five pints and one quart of kosher dill pickles...and a farmhouse that smelled like a big pickle, too!

 

These are all the pickles I'll make this year. I also have tomatoes, applesauce, perhaps Concord grapes, crab apples, pears and/or plums, and more strawberry/rhubarb pie filling to can in my/our future. For now, I'm caught up and heading back to the studio...after my morning coffee.

Today, I Shall Pickle...

Brynwood Needleworks - Zucchini and Pepper Relish

Shelly and I headed to the Fond du Lac Farmer's Market first thing on Saturday morning. They had nothing in bulk that we could find, and I was in search of green and red peppers to make tasty Zucchini and Pepper Relish.

I bought a few crab rangoons from a street vendor (very tasty) and Shelly bought kettle korn. (Yum!) We left and decided to try our luck at the West Bend market.
 

Brynwood Needleworks - Pickling Cucumbers

We arrived in plenty of time to shop before they closed up at 11 am. I didn't find any peppers, but I did find a nice assortment of pickling cucumbers, which I'll can up today. 

Yesterday, Handsome and I tackled the zucchini relish. We did buy some peppers, but not at the farmer's market, so I grated and he chopped. In no time, we had the ingredients for two batches of relish, which yielded eleven pints (and that was from just one zucchini! I have three more!).

By the time that was finished (of course, on the hottest day this week), I was too pooped to tackle another thing. I'll do more relish on a cooler day, and today will be my day for making bread & butter pickles with these little beauties. (It's supposed to be cooler today.)

I've already got my orders in the mail from the weekend, and I'll sew again tomorrow. Today, I shall pickle. heehee

 

Grandma's Going To School This Fall...

MPTC Class Schedule Cover

 

I'm not going to school this fall for a degree (yet), but I am taking classes to learn how to make artisan breads and rustic soups (three classes total). 

 

I'm so tired of going to the grocery story for a limited selection of "okay" breads. I'd like to create our own breads here at the farm, instead of choosing from Italian, French, sourdough, country, etc., that have no real substance to them. After a while, they all taste the same. I'm taking the bread classes to learn how to make breads with personality (meaning taste, texture, and appeal). 

What goes better with a delicious bread than a hefty, comforting, soup? I'm looking forward to expanding my soup repertoire in time for the cooler weather, too! I think this is going to be fun, and I can't wait for my first class in September.

 

Farmhouse Bread & Butter Pickles

 

Handsome and I put up the last of the farmer's market pickles yesterday, too. These are bread and butter pickles for the pantry. I plan to make more, but I've got other things to do first.

 

Today, I'll be back in the studio (yippee!) to work on setting up more of my Twilight Garden blocks. I have more than a few to get caught up. I'm also going to prepare the weekly minis so I can get those stitched, too. I'm anxious to get a needle in my hand again. I'm happy today's the day.

And, So It Begins...

Homemade Dill Pickle Spears and Gramma Donna's Raspberry Jam

 

Handsome and I canned our homemade dill pickle spears on Monday before he left for band rehearsal in the evening. While he was gone, I put up homemade, old-fashioned raspberry jam...and still managed to have a late dinner ready for him when he got back home. (I am woman, hear me roar. lol)

By bedtime, we had fourteen quarts and eight pints of pickles; and eight half pints and two four ounce jars of raspberry jam. I slept like a log on Monday night!

I still have five pounds of large pickling cucumbers left that will become hamburger dill slices, and this is just the first batch of cukes! When I get our next batch, they'll be made into sweet, bread & butter pickles. I think I've got a week before then, though.

 

When my girlfriend, Linda K. saw these pictures on Facebook, she said she thinks I'm living Proverbs 31...which made me feel so great. I can only hope to emulate one of my favorite Bible verses, and was humbled that she honored me with her words.

This is my favorite time of year for stocking our pantry. Next up will be salsa, made from our own tomatoes. They're coming in like gangbusters now, and so, it begins! Happy August!

Pickle Monday...

A Canner Full of Pickling Cucumbers

 

This is what is on the agenda for today...a huge canning pot, full of pickling cucumbers, will become dill pickles. Handsome loves helping with this task, so we should have most of the jars processed by early afternoon. In fact, if things go well, I may be able to work on my butterfly project later today! (Of course, by the time all the pickles are processed, I may just want to take a nap! I'll let you know.)

One For The "Win" Column...

Sweet Basil Jelly

I'm writing this post at the end of the day on Thursday. I had a loooong, productive day.

I'm going to share photos, and "stats", but few(er) words. I'm good tired. 

This Sweet Basic Jelly is tasty!

Use it any time you'd use mint jelly, or pour it out over a brick of cream cheese for a

sweet/savory appetizer, served with your favorite crackers. That's how we'll try it here.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam

 I haven't canned strawberry jam in forever!

This is the Strawberry-Rhubarb version. mmm mmm

Salsa (Ole'!!)

I purchased seven pounds of tomatoes on Wednesday. This is what I made with them.

Salsa. Now, where did I put those tortilla chips? I'd better wait at least until it cools, right?

More Pickles

  I saw pickling cucumbers at the farmer's market on Wednesday, and couldn't resist.  This is just a portion of the pickles I made. Grrrrr. They're floating. I really dislike it when they float! If I'd packed them any harder, I would have broken the jars.  Frustrating, even though they'll be just as tasty either way.   Here are my totals for today: 6.5 half pint jars of Sweet Basil Jelly 14.5 half pint jars of Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam  9 half pints of Salsa 2 quarts and 10 pints of Pickles (bread & butter and dill)
I still have strawberries left, so I'll make Strawberry Jam today. I also want to make some Lavender Jelly, so I'll see if I can get that done, too.

All in all, I'd say that yesterday goes into the "Win" column, and all these jars are going into the pantry! (giggling)