Six pounds of local ground beef became seven pints of shelf-stable canned beef. No need to take up freezer space or wait for thawing. It's ready and waiting for future barbecues, tacos, or whatever else I'd like to do with it. Believe me when I say it's always worth the effort
I didn't get to stitch today, but I did set up a new project. I'll share photos tomorrow
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| Liljegren's Hickory Hill Farm - Canned Carrots, Sliced Mushrooms, Alfredo Sauce and Mushroom Pieces |
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| Liljegren's Hickory Hill Farm - Beef Stew |
I also canned five quarts, plus 1 pint of beef stew. I prepared all the ingredients for this, which means nothing dehydrated or freeze dried. Everything was cut into bite-sized pieces - beef stew, potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, and tomatoes.
The beef was partially sauteed and then put into my Kilner pot with the raw vegetables, beef broth and spring water. After that was brought to a boil and cooked for five minutes, all the ingredients were jarred, sealed and then processed in my pressure canner. Actually, everything I processed Saturday was pressure canned. The recipe I used was from The Complete Guide to Pressure Cannning by Diane Devereaux that I told you about when I first started my pressure canning journey.
Have I mentioned how glad I am that I overcame my fear and got the canner and book to give me this confidence? Looking back, I ask myself, "What the heck took you so long?" Reaching for it now is nearly second nature.
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| Liljegren's Hickory Hill Farm - Pinto Beans and Ground Beef Taco Meat |
Sunday was spent with family, so I got back to my To Do list Monday. There were things I meant to do but couldn't get to on the weekend. After we got home from our son's home, I pulled out the gallon jar filled with pinto beans. I measured 110 grams and put that amount into each clean half pint jar. Then I topped them off with water to soak them overnight.
In the morning, I poured each jar (one at a time) into my strainer, rinsed off the beans and checked for any duds that I would want to remove, rinsed that jar and then filled back up with the beans. After I'd done that to each and every jar, I refilled them with spring water, wiped the rims, added lids and rings, and then into the canner. When they came out, I placed them on a towel and covered them to finish sealing.
Then, I turned my attention to taco meat! I mean, what good are the pinto beans without the taco meat to accompany them? We recently purchased the deal offered at the butcher shop about three miles from here, and there were ten pounds of ground beef, individually packed. I grabbed four of them out of the freezer Sunday night after putting beans in jars, so the meat could thaw overnight.
The ground beef is also hot packed, so I browned the meat, put 2 1/2 t. of taco seasoning in the bottom of clean jars, and then added the beef. Once all six pints were filled with meat, I topped the jars off with boiled spring water, sealed and processed them. After they were finished and the canner had depressurized, I placed those jars on a towel and covered them, too. They sat overnight with the beans to cool down and seal. Hearing the jars "ping!" is the best sound when you've just done a bunch of canning.
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| Liljegren's Hickory Hill Farm - Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce |
Last of all was a recipe I've been eyeing for a while. This is referred to as "rebel canning" because it's not an FDA-approved method. They don't like us canning dairy, but it's actually been safely done by homemakers for decades upon decades. That alone wouldn't have convinced me, but I also listened to three different, experienced canners who explained the whole "botulism" thing having done their own extensive research. They come from canning families who have also done this for decades, and they have successfully done these recipes for years, so I was convinced. (Fully disclosure - The Alfredo sauce is another rebel recipe, too.)
This recipe is done in the oven, where the cheesecake is actually baked the traditional method (jars sitting in boiled water in a pan) with the lids off. After I made the raspberry sauce, I topped the finished cheesecakes, added the lids and rings (this time really turning down the lids rather than "finger tight"), and back into the oven for ten more minutes. That was it. I had ten beautiful, wide-mouth half pints to show for it. Handsome tried one last night and gave it a big thumbs up!
I wasn't interested in making a big dinner after finishing all that so I grabbed a quart of beef stew that I'd put in the refrigerator on Saturday. That jar hadn't sealed (along with one half pint of sliced mushrooms, and one pint of mushroom pieces), so after I got that in the pan, I added half the jar of mushroom pieces to the mix. Once it was heating, I added enough of my homemade beef gravy mix (about a tablespoon) which thickened it up nicely. We enjoyed a lovely warm stew with a side of warm rolls, and declared that recipe another winner.
There is something so rewarding about doing all this work over the past three days. Seeing everything on the shelves and knowing that we don't have to leave home to do a lot of grocery shopping; knowing exactly what is in the food we're eating; and the gratitude I get from family who enjoy the fruits of my (and sometimes our) labor is just the best feeling in the world. Bonus is that I sleep like a baby on the nights after I've been in the kitchen all day! I'll share photos of the full pantry shelves later this week.
I'm off to the station for my six hour shift today. I'll be back tomorrow to share the recipe for the cinnamon rolls that I make. I'm not a recipe miser. If someone is interested, I think recipes should be shared. The more the merrier! This recipe is expecially simple and easy, and has tremendous (feedback) reward for the effort. So, you won't want to miss tomorrow's post with the recipe! Gotta run...
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| Turkey Meat in Broth, Turkey Soup/Stew Mix, and Turkey Broth |
On Sunday I put a mostly frozen turkey in the pressure canner and cooked it along with vegetable scraps and spring water from the local artesian well. To make my life easier, I tied the turkey in cheesecloth with a separate bundle for the veggies. It was a snap to pull the turkey without it falling apart back into the broth, and all I had to do was pull and toss the vegetables.
After opening the turkey "bag", I pulled all the meat off the carcass and set it aside in a large bowl to cool down a bit. I tied all the bones back up in the cheesecloth and then tossed them after they were completely cooled.
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| Turkey Meat and Broth on the left. Turkey Soup/Stew on the right |
I have a big can of Augason Farms Vegetable Medley Blend for soups and stews. They're dehydrated, so easily stored. It also contains a soup seasoning, which is nice. I added about a half cup to each pint jar, and topped it with about a half cup of the turkey, leaving an inch of headspace. Then I added turkey broth from cooking the bird.
After I jarred up all the soup/stew mix, I canned six pints of just the turkey meat and broth. That can be used for casseroles, potpies, or even sandwiches later. I did set one pint aside for the casserole I made for us for dinner.
When all was said and done, I had five pints of turkey meat in broth, ten pints of soup/stew mixture, and three quarts of turkey broth. I left them covered on the kitchen island overnight, and will clean and label everything this morning. All the jars have already sealed. yay!
I'll take it easy today as I'm working again tomorrow. I have some mail to get ready to post, and a few boxes yet to pack for shipping. That should keep me busy for the rest of the morning.
It's darn cold here, so the girls aren't out for very long at all. Crystal always teases to go out, so I've opened the door for her, only to have her curse something in cat talk and run back up the stairs. I have to laugh every time. Tease. Tease. Tease. Nevermind. lol
I hope you're all safe and warm. I know Tennessee has been hit pretty hard with ice storms. I contacted a friend who lives there, and thankfully, they still have power and are okay. How are things where you are? You're all on my mind as this weather passes. Take good care.
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| My Kilner™ Pot Filled With Hickory Nut Pie Filling |
It was a perfect day to preserve some hickory nut pie filling for the pantry. This stuff is so delicious, and I can use it to make pies, tarts, or simply use it as a topping for homemade vanilla or butter pecan ice cream. In fact, last time I did this (it's been a few years now), I made four pints and it was all used as ice cream topping!
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| First Batch Out Of The Canner |
I had more than enough nut meats to make two double batches of pie filling. Each batch took seven cups of nuts. When all was said and done, there were a total of 15 full pints, and two half pints of these gifts from our trees last year. Don't worry, I let the squirrels have most of this year's harvest. We share.
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| Lined Up Like Soldiers On The Shelf |
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| Sunday Canning |
Sunday began with a resolve to get a little canning and more laundry done. Handsome helped carry and move things for me which really lightened the load. Last week we bought a bushel of beautiful McIntosh apples from the local orchard for applesauce, pie filling and fresh pies. Neighbors Pete and Dawn also shared a box of tomatoes that needed attention, so Sunday was the day!
Handsome brought in one of our Nesco™ roasters and we cut up the apples together. We loaded the quartered apples into the roaster to cook down for a couple hours. We also cut up Roma tomatoes, added onions, garlic, and avocado oil and popped those into the oven to roast.
I peeled, cored, and chopped a number of apples to make pie filling so I could make some hand pies later today. I planned everything to stagger filling the jars, and I processed the pizza sauce in the stovetop canner while the applesauce went into my Kilner™ pot after milling out all the seeds and skins from the roasted apples. Those filled jars went onto the porch where I had my electric canner set up to process them.
When all was said and done, we had eight half pint jars of roasted tomato pizza sauce, one and a half pints of pie filling, and eight quarts of applesauce. We still have a half bushel of apples left to make more pie filling to can, and fresh pies...and more tomatoes that I may make into tomato basil soup.
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| Clean Kitchen |
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| Clean Pantry |
I was recently asked to share the recipe I use for the Zucchini Pepper Relish that's such a huge hit around here. This recipe is so good that it has great barter power! We eat it on the usual hamburgers, hot dogs, Italian sausage, brats, etc., but we also love it as a side for cheese, sausage and crackers.
Here's the recipe. If you decide to make it, be sure to let me know what you think!
Zucchini Pepper Relish
Makes 5 (one pint) jars
Prepare a boiling water bath and 5 regular mouth (1 pint/500 ml) jars for water bath canning. Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.
Combine the chopped bell pepper, zucchini, and onion in a large, nonreactive pot. Stir in 2 cups of the apple cider vinegar and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until the vegetables have cooked down, about 30 minutes.
Drain the vegetables and return to the pot. Add the remaining apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seed, celery seed, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
Ladle the relish into the prepared jars, leaving 1/2 inch/12 mm of headspace. Gently tap the jars on a towel-lined countertop to help loosen any bubbles before using a wooden chopstick to dislodge any remaining bubbles. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
** I turn off the canner and remove the cover once the time is up, to allow the jars to cool a little while in the canner to avoid the hot contents from siphoning out of the jars. Once the water has cooled a bit, remove the jars from the canner. Wait 24 hours and remove the rings. Make sure the lid has sealed. If not, you can reprocess with new lids within 24 hours, or keep in refrigerator until ready to use. Clean the jars and lids with white vinegar, label and store.
Enjoy!
I danced in the kitchen again yesterday. The last of my frozen tomatoes became salsa. I have my electric water bath canner set up on the porch, so even though the temperature has dropped outdoors, I won't have to worry about steaming up the kitchen.
All my pints (and one half pint) fit into the canner in one batch, so after a 40 minute bubble bath, they were all finished. I started to remove them, but one of the jars started to siphon, so they all stayed in the water until it cooled down late day. The one that siphoned didn't seal, but everything else did.
Before bed, I removed the rings, cleaned the jars and labeled them. Final step was to line them up like little pretty soldiers in the pantry. I went to bed with a smile on my face.
I did take time to rest during the day, and iced my knee on another time-out. I have physical therapy this morning and didn't want to backslide. I'm feeling pretty good right now, but I'll take my pain killer just in case I get a tougher workout from Nicole than what I usually do with Jenna. It's Jenna's birthday today so she took the day off. I won't see her on Monday either as the clinic is closed for the holiday. I'm down to twice a week now, so I won't have PT again until next Friday. I'll keep working on my exercised, and hopefully I'll have made some more progress by the time I do see her.
I'd better get rolling. I don't want to be late for my appointment, and the sooner I get to my session, the sooner I can get back home to do something fun. What, you ask? I haven't decided yet.
What do you have planned for this holiday weekend? I'll be back here tomorrow.
Handsome got up early yesterday morning and drove to our favorite millwork company (Tom's Custom Millwork, Ashford, WI) to pick up a new countertop we'd ordered about six weeks ago. When we built our "big" house in the early 1990s, Tom's was just a fledgling company down the road from our building site. They provided all the custom wood trim for our windows, doors, and casings in that home. Since then, they've grown from one small building to at least three large buildings and a huge contractor clientele. We're grateful that they were willing to provide custom hickory countertops (a small retail order) for our farmhouse.
Over a year ago, we had a kitchen island installed by our younger son. We ordered the hickory top from Tom's, and said we'd be back. Handsome called them last week to see whether our order was ready, and when told yes, said we'd pick it up this week.
So, this is the countertop that came with the cabinetry we purchased a few years ago. I painted everything this light sage green, which was a perfect match (darker shade) of the color we'd chosen for the walls. The counter was nice and served us well, but we knew the rest of the kitchen would eventually be butcher block, too.
I haven't styled it yet for this photograph because we will be light sanding and oiling it today. Jeff laid down a bead of caulk along the back edge, so we wanted to give it a full day to dry and cure.
We also have the same countertops for the smaller cabinets on either side of the stove, but I just had to share this one because it completely changed the vibe in the kitchen. It's lighter, of course. The last countertop was black, after all, but it also matches the other counters in the room, now, which makes a huge difference.
I also asked him to hang my new rolling pin rack in the pantry before he left. I knew I'd have a hard time getting it safely secured - and straight - so I asked Jeff, who was happy to oblige.
I found this particular rack on Etsy from Farmhouseon5th. They have a huge selection of wood products, but after searching through various sellers, I fell in love with their rolling pin rack. (There's another in their store in case you're in the market. giggle)
Now, it's where I asked Jeff to mount it, and it's already populated and waiting for my next pastry project. But first, we're going to treat the countertops so seal them. We'll do the light sanding, and then I brush on heated mineral oil which is allowed to soak in for a bit before it's wiped off. We'll oil it again in another two weeks or so and then about every eight weeks. The other counters will be treated today, too, because they're "due for".
I'll be taking advantage of our countertops a few times before the weekend. I'm making another big batch of bread for the freezer - to hopefully carry us until I'm healed well enough to make more. I'll also make a few batches of rhubarb and blueberry scones for the freezer. They're perfect for those mornings when we fancy a little something sweet with our morning coffee. They're easily pulled from the freezer, brushed with cream and baked. All in preparation for next week.
Once we've treated the countertops, I'm going to sit back down to my needlework. I have a deadline, after all. More tomorrow...
Opened one of my bottles of syrup last week (I made homemade waffles) to find that it wasn't "syrup-y". Sadly, it was more the consistency water. After much contemplation, I realized that I miscalculated one of the ingredients - cane sugar. Whoever thought that school math skills were unimportant, never wanted to bake, cook, or can. Math skills are crucial here, and I messed up. sigh
It's a good thing I always write down my ratios for each batch. So, I sat down and recalculated what I needed in excess of what I used. I used the carpenter rule, "Measure twice, cut once", calculating and recalculating, in this case.
Guess what I'll be doing today? Yup. I'm going to fix my error. I'll be recooking my syrup, adding what I missed the first time until it transforms from watery to syrupy. That takes additional ingredients, and about thirty minutes on the stovetop. Then, I'll rebottle it.
Just a good reminder that when it comes to measuring, getting it right is important. It saves time and more importantly, it saves effort.
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| Hickory Hill Farm Hickory Syrup |
I spent yesterday in the kitchen making hickory syrup! It takes all day for me to brew and bottle a batch, so I made a larger batch this time. In the end, there were a total of fourteen 12 ounce bottles. I shot this photograph just before it got dark here (just before 5 pm).
I have an order shipping today to my BFF in Georgia for her and her husband's bed and breakfast operation. She uses it to create a lovely granola. She and her two sisters developed the recipe, which I've yet to taste. I'll have to bring that up with her!
I'm going to label, cello-seal, wrap and package her order to ship, and once it's in the mailbox, I'm going to sit down and start working on my bluebird until about an hour before I have to go in for my short Friday shift at work. I consider it a little needle dancing "practice" before I spend the weekend stitching on it.
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| My sister, Lyn |
Today marks one year that we've been without you. One year since you went home to be with the Lord. One year that your girls have had to learn about life without your daily chats, frequent visits, and warm hugs. I'm putting this out into the universe, knowing you'll already know these things. All of us miss you deeply. Until we see you again, rest well, my sister. We love you.
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| Smoky Paprika Tomato Jam |
Tomato season is nearly over, but my favorite produce stand still had some beefsteak tomatoes, so I purchased ten pounds over the weekend. I also had more than a few from our garden on the counter, so some of them were added to this recipe. I reserved a few for salads and sandwiches. (I love cheese and tomato sandwiches on fresh bread with Duke's mayonnaise. Summer in a "sammy".)
In all, I made three double batches (four pounds at a time) of this delicious, smoky, spicy, slightly hot tomato jam, which we use as a condiment instead of ketchup, or as a barbeque sauce. It's perfect either way. We ended up with seven pint jars to add to our pantry stock.
I still have the frozen Roma tomatoes downstairs, but those will be thawed and used for homemade Rotel™ in the near future. I'll be doing hickory syrup first before the weekend.
I'm only working one extra afternoon shift (in addition to my usual Tuesday and Friday evening), so I'll have time to do the things around home that I want to accomplish. There'll be canning, cleaning up the garden beds, working on my bluebird project, and another early Craft Saturday this weekend. It will definitely be a fun week, and I think this makes for a great start.
It actually wasn't in my plans to do any canning yesterday, but "flexible" is a good thing, right? I'd sent off a message to the couple who have a fabulous fruit and vegetable growing business close to us to see if there were tomatoes available. I awoke to a message yesterday morning informing me that she'd have a twenty pound box of beef steak tomatoes waiting for me at the "pick up and pay" shed by noon.
When I arrived, I saw the box of gorgeous tomatoes with my name on the sheet. I turned around to see what could easily be award-winning green peppers for $1.00 each. I knew that I would be turning this twenty pound box of shiny red goodness into stewed tomatoes, so I grabbed five peppers and put my money in the drop box. Then, Handsome and I drove up to their barns - having seen them in the yard - so we could say "hi" and thank them for being so accommodating. I also said I'd be back for more soon.
We drove home and I got all of my canning supplies set up in the kitchen. While the water was heating up in my pressure canner, as well as the blanching pot, I set about cutting onions, green peppers, and celelery, and putting them into my Kilne™ pot where I would soon be adding the cut up tomatoes. Adding salt and dried parsley to the mix, and then letting it simmer, until the vegetables were all softened, it was ready to jar.
Everything went into clean jars, and after the rims were cleaned, lids affixed and rings screwed on (finger tight), seven quarts of goodness went into the pressure canner for twenty five minutes. An hour later (after the pressure was completed released), the lid was removed and the jars were allowed to settle before I put them on the board to cool. All the lids sealed, jars were labeled, and by dinnertime, all put away in the pantry.
This batch (I used fifteen pounds of tomatoes) also yielded a quart jar of leftover juice that I put into the refrigerator for us to drink. It's our homemade version of V8. I also reserved all the skins from blanching the tomatoes to put into our dehydrator. I've learned that I can dehydrate, then process into powder to use as tomato paste later by simply adding water and a little vinegar. There was actually only a very small bowl of waste - cores from the tomatoes and the cutoffs from the other vegetables.
The contents of these jars will be used as a base for chili, spaghetti, soup, or casseroles into the fall and winter, so I'll definitely get more tomatoes to make more. After all, two of us would easily go through seven quarts rather quickly.
We took a break for fresh cheese and tomato sandwiches with Duke's mayonnaise on homebread for lunch. I can tell you they tasted incredible. They 'maters were rich and sweet tasting, and each one in the box weighed nearly a pound!
On another note, the ladies and I had a great time for our Saturday Craft Day, but I'll tell you all about that tomorrow. Veggies took top billing for today. I hope you all had as nice a weekend as I did! I'll see you tomorrow.
Look at all these jars of golden goodness! There were thirty two jars on my outdoor counter that cooled overnight last night. Wondering what it is? Well...
On may latest trip up the road to our local butcher shop, I inquired as to whether it would be possible for me to purchase beef fat by the pound to render into our own tallow. They told me I could, but they had just ground all of theirs, so they took my phone number and name and said they'd call when they had the twenty pounds I requested.
The call came yesterday morning, so Handsome ran the two miles or so to the shop and picked it up. I knew how I'd be spending a significant portion of the rest of my day.
When he got home, we immediately set about cutting and trimming any impurities from the fat - which had the consistency of soap, and felt like cream. It was them cut into 1-2" cubes and tossed into our two Nesco™ roasters. As some people may not like the appearance of twenty pounds of fresh beef fat, I'll share the cooking process, but not the cutting part.
Handsome and I had set them up in the area I set up in our large pole barn to use as a summer kitchen area. After setting them at 350º each, we went inside and did cleanup. It was nice not to have the house filled with the aroma of melting beef fat, even though it's not unpleasant. Plus, it was in the 80s today, so we didn't have to turn on the oven either. Bonus.
For price comparison, twenty pounds of beef fat cost $15.00. I used all but about a pound because the roasters were completely full. I could have added it after things started to cook down, but I was over cutting fat by then. It can wait until next time. I think thirty two pints of tallow for $15.00 is a pretty good deal. My wide mouth jars were free, so I needn't consider them in the cost. When I checked the price for Crisco shortening online, it was listed at $3.92 for a one pound can. That means these thirty two jars could have cost $78.40!!!
As I said in the beginning, we ended up with 32 pint jars of beautiful beef oil and will harden into white deliciousness. I'll use this in the place of nut oils like Crisco in oil or shortening form. This is actually much healthier and foods cooked in the tallow taste much better, too. Did you know that McDonald's fries were originally cooked in beef tallow? Yep. Do you remember how they always had the best fries? Not anymore. The best fries are right here at home!
I haven't gone out to the barn yet this morning, but I know all the oil will have cooled and will be ready to wipe the jars with vinegar, put them into the trays that previously held the empty jars, and these will be stored in the basement. I'm saving space in the pantry for stewed tomatoes and applesauce!
I've been telling Teresa about how I render beef fat into tallow and she's been intrigued. I'm taking a jar of it to work for her tomorrow. I'm taking one for my boss, too. I know they'll both appreciate it.
I'm using this photo from 2018 to show you what I'll be doing today. It's Hickory Syrup day at the farmhouse! Likely by the time you read this (if it's still morning), the kitchen will be filled with the wonderful sweet aroma of hickory syrup being bottled.
Once it's all bottled, I'll water bath it so the jars will all be safely preserved for the usual short time they remain on the shelf. Our sons are already excited at the prospect of bottles heading their way, and depending on just how many I do today, I may have a few for sale. If so, you'll find a purchase button that will appear in my right sidebar tomorrow.
I'm working early today because it's supposed to get into the 80s by this afternoon, and I want to be finished - with all the canning and cleanup done - by then. So, as much as I'd love to chat more with you today, I really must run. I'll see you again tomorrow!
I need to write a note to self. If I'm going to garden one day, I can plan not to stitch for at least the next two. My hands were suffering after my recent foray into the garden. I was unable to comfortably hold a needle, and going back for a second day of weeding was also out of the question. Lesson learned (for now).
So, when Sunday rolled around, I wanted to try the lilac jelly again. The blossoms are peak right now, so they'll be off the bushes within a couple days. I hoped to make up a fully successful batch before it was too late this year.
I went back through my recipes to find the one I originally used for my flower blossom jellies, and compared them to the one I used earlier last week. There were definitely differences. I pulled out all my supplies and picked blossoms to make a single batch.
I followed the recipe except for one thing. It called for food coloring to change the color of the jelly, but I added about two tablespoons of fresh lemon instead (an ingredient from the recipe I used last week), to naturally change the color away from a dull green to this pretty pink/peach.
The tall jar in the back right of this photograph was a planned first
use jar that didn't go through the water bath. I actually
knew it wouldn't fit in the pot I used to process the jars, so we'll eat
that one first.
This time everything came together perfectly. It was already jelling before I could get it into the jars! A short 10 minute water bath and all the jars pinged when they came out of the canner.
After this was done yesterday, I spent a little time just sitting outdoors and enjoying the sunshine, and Handsome and I had a nice dinner together last night. We've had a Cameron™Stovetop Smoker for the past 30 or so years, but I've only used it one or two times. It can be used stovetop, on the grill, in the oven, or even over a campfire.
We pulled it out to try the stovetop method on a couple of nice ribeye steaks. Twenty minutes in the smoker with hickory chips, and then finish browning them in melted butter in my cast iron pan. (Is your mouth watering yet?) The result was another kitchen toy that will definitely see more action in the future.
I don't work again until tomorrow, so I'm going to attempt a little frog stitching today. I don't think I'll be able to marathon stitch - as I love to do - but I should be able to make some progress nonetheless.
Here we go with another new week. I'll be back tomorrow, and hope you will, too!
Yesterday was lilac jelly day. By the time I finished, there were sixteen 4 ounce jars and eight 8 ounce jars of mild, sweet goodness for the pantry.
I made a double batch, which I've done before, but after water bathing the first batch, I didn't feel like it was going to set up, so I emptied all the jars, added more pectin and re-jarred everything. As of bedtime last night, it appeared to be turning into a jelly, but I think it may be a day or so before I'm confident. I really don't want to have to rework it again. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
I can say it tastes delicious, so I'm happy with that part. The jars are beautiful, and I'm looking forward to creating a lovely pound cake to become the base layer for said lilac loveliness.
I'm working today, but will be back to stitching on my frogs this afternoon after I get back home. Nothing like a little needle dancing to end the day.
We woke up to overcast and cool weather yesterday, so I knew it was a perfect day to spend baking. I began with farmhouse bread, and while the loaves went through the process of rising, folding, repeat, I made the dough for the cinnamon rolls.
No. These aren't all for us. I definitely know my boundaries, so we share. Some will go up the hill, and this time I'm also sharing with a couple friends from work. One of the gals bartered venison and halibut for some of our canned delights. I'm adding baked goods when I see her today. I do love bartering!
I work from 10-7 today, so I'll be away most of the day while Handsome and the girls hold down the fort. This weekend, I'll be setting up the last of the frog brooches to make into scissor fobs and brooches. It's time to send them hopping to their new homes. I'll probably set them up on Saturday so I can start on them right away.
Did you notice the fresh lilacs in the background of my picture? The blossoms are just beginning to open up. I think that means there will be lilac jelly in the near future, too! If you've never tried it, you don't know what you're missing. I don't make it "perfume" strong, so it only has a lilac hint, but served on pound cake with a little whipped cream is heavenly. Yes. I'm sure there will be lilac jelly again this year.
Are you ready for the weekend? Do you have plans for Mother's Day? Are you creating something fun right now? I'd love to hear about it!
