This is the time of year when I feel swamped with yard and garden - and putting up all the yummy treats that are so bountiful. This past week or two I have been making myself take some time to just relax and slow down, to savor the season before it is but a memory.
I'm re-reading the Adept series by Katherine Kurtz & Deborah Turner Harris. When I am busy I find it easier to re-read books I enjoy because then I don't have to try to keep all the characters and plotlines straight. Earlier this summer I was doing a re-read of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
But what I'm really glad about is that I've picked up Egyptian Sampler again. I've been working on this piece, off & on, for at least two years now I think. Currently I am working on the backstitching in the border sections. On the top half of the chart. Once I get the two side sections backstitched then I can roll the fabric up and start stitching the bottom half of the chart.
This means I am nearing the half-way point (minus beading) and I am so excited! Progress! When I get to the "time to roll the fabric" I'll take photos. Trying to fit it in the scanner while still on the scroll frame would be crazy, so I'll wait to scan the piece until after it's completed.
I have an Eagle Scout emblem to stitch when I finish this, and then I can embark on the Egypt Garden Mandela by Martina Weber. And I'm really excited to start on that one! So luxurious, with all the gorgeous silks and crystals and things.
23 August, 2010
14 August, 2010
Reusable canning lids & tasty treats
We invested in some Tattler canning lids this summer and I have canned my first batch of goodies using them. I found the process no more bothersome than the Ball/Mason lids** although I have to say I kind of miss the "ping!" sound of the metal lids sealing. The jars all sealed properly so I suppose there isn't much else to say. For something as exciting as a reusable lid I'd expected to have a lot more to chatter on about! When a jar of food gets opened I can examine the rubber rings and such. They get washed and dried and put away until the next time you need to use them.
Bought some corn from a local farmer and put up a dozen pints of sweet corn. And today I'm making peach jam. I bought Pomona's Pectin which is a citrus pectin activated by calcium so I can use as much or little sweetener as I wish. I've not used it before... the worst that can happen is the end consistency won't be jam-like. Still edible and delicious though! I'll be adding a splash of rum and possible a dash of vanilla.
Also on my list of preserving projects is making something out of the rosehips. I have old roses, the sort people plant for the big flowers, which set crab-apple sized hips. I'm pondering a syrup as we don't actually eat a lot of jams and jellies. A rosehip syrup could go on pancakes & waffles, or be added to tea for a little extra flavor & vitamin C & sweetness. Hm..
My compost+potting soil-in-buckets tomato growing project is working well, except for the calcium levels not being what they should. I've seen some signs of blossom end rot which is most likely because the watering method was essentially just washing nutrients right on by the roots and out the buckets into the ground. Which was facilitated by my lack of properly mixing all the bucket ingredients prior to transplanting my seedlings. Learning curves, and am I ever thankful that my literal survival hasn't been dependent upon getting it right, right now.
**I feel I should elaborate about this. I -personally- don't find this more fiddly. Many people, however, probably would. With the metal disposable lids, you have them waiting in boiling hot water while you fill your jars. You put the tattler lids & rubber rings in scalding hot water while you fill your jars. Pretty much the same so far.
Next, you wipe the jar rims clean (very important step, if you skip it, don't expect 100% seal rates). For metal lids you put a lid on, and then a metal screw band gets put on and tightened (not wrenched super tight, just hand-tightened), and then the jars go in the canner.
For the tattler lids, you put a gasket on the plastic lid and then put them on the jars, put on a metal screw band just like you would for the metal lids, hand-tighten, and then *back off 1/4 INCH. In other words, you tighten it all the way and then loosen it that 1/4" smidge. Then the jars go in the canner.
After canning, jars with metal lids get taken out and set to cool on the counter and when cool the metal bands come off. Tattler lidded jars, however, as they come out of the canner you need to tighten the metal band the rest of the way, and then set them to cool.
The tattler lidded jars need to cool completely (12-24 hours) before you take off the metal screw bands.
So, yes, a bit more fiddly, on a literal level. Mentally for me, it isn't that big a deal. I am a fiddly canner. The lid stuff is a lot less hassle than monitoring a pressure canner! (Which isn't too bad if you have a chair or stool to sit on and a good book to read, and remember to look at the gauge every couple of pages in your book).
And then too, there will be the extra fiddly-ness later what with needing to be careful in removal so as not to damage the gaskets or lids or jar rim (use the backside of a butter knife to gently pry them open); and to not stretch the rubber gaskets when washing them.
I guess a lot of people prefer to just hurry through everything and anything which adds steps to a process is something they strive to eliminate. Canning for me is a Slow Process. If I wanted to hurry I would just go to the store and buy cheap tinned food.
Anyhow, I had realized that my post about the lids might be misleading regarding the amount of "bother" involved with the reusable lids. Hence the addendum. I'll report back over time about this product as I am actually rather curious to see how well it keeps a seal over time, if removing lids causes a lot of damage, how well actual reusing of the lids works and so forth.
Bought some corn from a local farmer and put up a dozen pints of sweet corn. And today I'm making peach jam. I bought Pomona's Pectin which is a citrus pectin activated by calcium so I can use as much or little sweetener as I wish. I've not used it before... the worst that can happen is the end consistency won't be jam-like. Still edible and delicious though! I'll be adding a splash of rum and possible a dash of vanilla.
Also on my list of preserving projects is making something out of the rosehips. I have old roses, the sort people plant for the big flowers, which set crab-apple sized hips. I'm pondering a syrup as we don't actually eat a lot of jams and jellies. A rosehip syrup could go on pancakes & waffles, or be added to tea for a little extra flavor & vitamin C & sweetness. Hm..
My compost+potting soil-in-buckets tomato growing project is working well, except for the calcium levels not being what they should. I've seen some signs of blossom end rot which is most likely because the watering method was essentially just washing nutrients right on by the roots and out the buckets into the ground. Which was facilitated by my lack of properly mixing all the bucket ingredients prior to transplanting my seedlings. Learning curves, and am I ever thankful that my literal survival hasn't been dependent upon getting it right, right now.
**I feel I should elaborate about this. I -personally- don't find this more fiddly. Many people, however, probably would. With the metal disposable lids, you have them waiting in boiling hot water while you fill your jars. You put the tattler lids & rubber rings in scalding hot water while you fill your jars. Pretty much the same so far.
Next, you wipe the jar rims clean (very important step, if you skip it, don't expect 100% seal rates). For metal lids you put a lid on, and then a metal screw band gets put on and tightened (not wrenched super tight, just hand-tightened), and then the jars go in the canner.
For the tattler lids, you put a gasket on the plastic lid and then put them on the jars, put on a metal screw band just like you would for the metal lids, hand-tighten, and then *back off 1/4 INCH. In other words, you tighten it all the way and then loosen it that 1/4" smidge. Then the jars go in the canner.
After canning, jars with metal lids get taken out and set to cool on the counter and when cool the metal bands come off. Tattler lidded jars, however, as they come out of the canner you need to tighten the metal band the rest of the way, and then set them to cool.
The tattler lidded jars need to cool completely (12-24 hours) before you take off the metal screw bands.
So, yes, a bit more fiddly, on a literal level. Mentally for me, it isn't that big a deal. I am a fiddly canner. The lid stuff is a lot less hassle than monitoring a pressure canner! (Which isn't too bad if you have a chair or stool to sit on and a good book to read, and remember to look at the gauge every couple of pages in your book).
And then too, there will be the extra fiddly-ness later what with needing to be careful in removal so as not to damage the gaskets or lids or jar rim (use the backside of a butter knife to gently pry them open); and to not stretch the rubber gaskets when washing them.
I guess a lot of people prefer to just hurry through everything and anything which adds steps to a process is something they strive to eliminate. Canning for me is a Slow Process. If I wanted to hurry I would just go to the store and buy cheap tinned food.
Anyhow, I had realized that my post about the lids might be misleading regarding the amount of "bother" involved with the reusable lids. Hence the addendum. I'll report back over time about this product as I am actually rather curious to see how well it keeps a seal over time, if removing lids causes a lot of damage, how well actual reusing of the lids works and so forth.
06 August, 2010
Of crafts and Summertime
I have a lot of projects on my various lists that have been sitting dormant most of the summer. Summertime is filled with the growing things- vegetables, fruits, herbs, flowers. It is a time of furious picking (the speed, not the emotional state of mind). A time of drying bundles and bundles of herbs, more than it would seem a person could possibly ever want or need to use.
When summer is nearing an end and the children are preparing to start the new schoolyear, I usually feel a sense of urgency. It is an "oh no, already?! It can't be!" sort of a feeling. The garden has another solid month of growing time and possibly another month beyond that if the cold weather holds off.
But the season shifts palpably in these next few weeks and then I really feel the squirrel instinct kick into high gear. Is it some latent genetic trait that ensured the survival of my ancestors through the cold dark harsh winters? Is it remnants of a full and carefree childhood filled with gardens and pantries full of jarred sunshine? I don't dwell too much on where this instinct arises, I merely am at its mercy.
In these brightly lit long days I find myself labeling jars with delightful things such as "dried lemon" and "clover blossom"; things which promise a hearty nourishment in the deep winter such as "dried turnip" and "raspberry jam". I find myself doing daily yard checks and picking yet another small bundle of mint to dry for tea, a check to see if the nasturtiums are budding (the pickled buds make a delightful substitute for capers and the blossoms add such a yummy zip to a salad). A few things are setting seed and the songbirds are feasting on the bounty.
It is a busy time- the plants run rampant everywhere needing a constant vigilance to keep them within their bounds (or in the case of weeds, removed and exiled).
There too are all the family summertime activities which fill the hours and days with much excitement and memory-making.
Very little in all this leaves much room or energy for the hobbies I also love. The cross stitch, the scrapbooking, reading, making music, learning herbs & essential oils, sewing, weaving, or my latest... knitting. I was given the most awesome advance birthday+christmas gift: fine wool yarn, needles, and a pattern (and stitch markers too!) I'd been wanting to make a shawl and now I'll be able to. When I have time. And when the weather isn't so hot that the thought of wool yarn gives me heat rash, LOL!
If I can get my camera working I will take some photos of herbs and things to share.
When summer is nearing an end and the children are preparing to start the new schoolyear, I usually feel a sense of urgency. It is an "oh no, already?! It can't be!" sort of a feeling. The garden has another solid month of growing time and possibly another month beyond that if the cold weather holds off.
But the season shifts palpably in these next few weeks and then I really feel the squirrel instinct kick into high gear. Is it some latent genetic trait that ensured the survival of my ancestors through the cold dark harsh winters? Is it remnants of a full and carefree childhood filled with gardens and pantries full of jarred sunshine? I don't dwell too much on where this instinct arises, I merely am at its mercy.
In these brightly lit long days I find myself labeling jars with delightful things such as "dried lemon" and "clover blossom"; things which promise a hearty nourishment in the deep winter such as "dried turnip" and "raspberry jam". I find myself doing daily yard checks and picking yet another small bundle of mint to dry for tea, a check to see if the nasturtiums are budding (the pickled buds make a delightful substitute for capers and the blossoms add such a yummy zip to a salad). A few things are setting seed and the songbirds are feasting on the bounty.
It is a busy time- the plants run rampant everywhere needing a constant vigilance to keep them within their bounds (or in the case of weeds, removed and exiled).
There too are all the family summertime activities which fill the hours and days with much excitement and memory-making.
Very little in all this leaves much room or energy for the hobbies I also love. The cross stitch, the scrapbooking, reading, making music, learning herbs & essential oils, sewing, weaving, or my latest... knitting. I was given the most awesome advance birthday+christmas gift: fine wool yarn, needles, and a pattern (and stitch markers too!) I'd been wanting to make a shawl and now I'll be able to. When I have time. And when the weather isn't so hot that the thought of wool yarn gives me heat rash, LOL!
If I can get my camera working I will take some photos of herbs and things to share.
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