A very busy day!

I started my day cleaning apples for the dehydrator, a sackful.  The peels and cores went into the pot to simmer for jelly.   There is enough now for another batch, I have been freezing the juice and am hoping there will be enough to make a couple half pints of syrup.  Also,  I made Mojo de Ajo with 8 heads of garlic and Oh my! the house reeks of garlic.  I have not made this before and am looking forward to trying out this condiment.  Baked garlic is so good, but this is DEVINE!!

                                                                                                                

Yesterday someone gifted me with vegie tray leftovers (broccoli and sweet peppers, blanched) that is now dehydrated and my son made 4 pies (2 with a friend).  The vegies will be made into powder along with a half pint of the dried zucchini (from A Working Pantry),  I am hoping the broccoli is not too strong.

And yes, I am thinking of Christmas and have bought a few small things.  I need to start my list!

Fall . . . .

. . . seems a couple weeks early.  Some trees are in the middle of turning already.  Beautiful, very warm days and night under 60 degrees.  Yay, and what a relief!

I have been busy!  Pulling stuff out of drawers and tossing more 'stuff' (half my make-up went).  Started washing blankets for the winter.  One blanket need repair before washing.  The comforter and 2 sleeping bags will be done at the laundromat because of their size.  Six books left my bookcase for their rightful owner.  A load of recycles went and a couple sacks to the Goodwill truck.

For the pantry I have dehydrate 2 3 quarts of zucchini (apparently I cannot count), this is new for me to try.  I think adding about a 1/4 cup to soups or stew will equal about 3/4 a cup fresh.  Also in the dehydrator went apples, the grandgirls love them as a treat.  The peels went into a batch of apple peel jelly adding 11 jars to the pantry.

Feels so good!  And yes, so much left to do.

Canning

I have had a busy 2 days.  My son in law picked a box of apples from his mom's house and delivered them to mine.  Sweet guy!  Possibly 80 to 100 pounds.  So far I have filled my dehydrator 3 times and made 2 batches of applesauce, 13 pint jars.  Three Two failed to seal right, too much seepage under the screw lids.  No problem, they will go in the fridge to be used first.  I have barely used half.  They are buggy but with small holesl which adds to processing time.  I don't mind, I love to recieve free fruit!!  My worms love the extra compost food.  My daughter actually has some of the best apples that hold their shape and have LOTS of flavor (they are what was canned last year). Every little bit helps.   I am HAPPY!!  with my efforts. 

Update:  Another batch in the dehydrator.  Life has interfered with getting more of the apples done and not too happy about it!

Zucchini

I have wanted to try dehydrating zucchini, so yesterday I did.  I used a large holed grater so they looked chunky and spread it all out on 5 trays.  The dry zucchini  filled a pint jar 2/3 full.  Not nearly enough but now I am looking forward to using them, maybe in soup!

Accomplishments:

• Sunday 9/1           Picked plums (not ripe enough)
• Monday 9/2          Made 2 batches of jam (they taste very good)
• Tuesday 9/3          Going to my parents (not quite, drove to the VA TWICE, UGH!)
• Wednesday 9/4     Spent 6 hours lugging boxes down a flight of stairs 
• Thursday 9/5         More of the same (exhausted)
• Friday 9/6             And more!   Arranging and post prices for a garage sale.
• Saturday 9/7         Garage Sale day!  6 hours (exhausted)
• Sunday 9/8           About 3 hours to clean up, pack up for goodwill pickup, Finally!
• Monday 9/9          Pick plums, it's hot out there.  Cut up and fill dehydrator.
• Tuesday 9/10         Make a batch of jam (and bread, brown rice and quinoa)
• Wednesday 9/11    Make a batch of jam and half fill dehydrator (used them up).

So the garage sale project has been in the works for 3 years now.  A very good friend of my moms has Alzheimer's (I have know her also for about 40 years).  She was so artistic and had a very large room full of sewing, knitting, floral supplies, paints,   quilting, etc.   Junk had also found it's way in, the theory being the Alzheimer's had affected her bringing home stuff that people had pawned off.  When I first saw the room, my jaw dropped.  It was the show "Hoarders" and I wanted to quit before we even started.  That first year we only pulled out garbage or contributions.  At least 50 big black bags worth in 3 years.   The garage sale was HUGE with only a quarter of what was left in the room, filling 7 tables and in boxes on the floor of the covered parking.  I thought a lot more would go, my guess is we packed up 2/3 for charity.  Sales netted quite a bit at .50 and .75 prices.  It is now finished, what a relief.

The plums came from my sister in law, my trees did not produce this year.  I have never seen so may on one tree.  One branch that was 15 feet straight up had bent over almost the the ground.  The tree is still fully loaded. An overload of dishes!  my guys didn't do any while I was gone and the fruit production has added doubled the days work.  We don't use a dishwasher.  I am tired!

I have also started on Christmas presents!  And a afghan project started before we moved in this house (maybe 7 years ago)  It's called a crayon colored pattern, knit on the diagonal with 2 yarns.  One yarn is the same constant color and the other changes constantly!  It uses up the little leftover balls that sit around getting tangled up.

It's Quiet . . .

. . . around here.  My son is gone for 8 days of hiking and climbing in the wilderness!  For two weeks we dried food and he pre-packaged all his dinners.  A list of food dried:

• canned beans
• hamburger
• tomate sauce and spaghetti sauce
• sweet onions
• green, yellow and red peppers
• canned pineapple for granola
• lot's of yogurt drops

He rounded out his meals with quinoa, thin spaghetti and cous cous and loves how is food tastes.  Homemade granola with fruit for snacks, instant oatmeal and chocolate.  The estimated weight of food is 10 - 12 pounds which is nothing compared to the climbing equipment, he carries about 80 pounds.  Elevation gained the first day is about 3,000 feet, Oh to young!

I took a 5 gallon bucket of finished compost (2 yr old, worm ridden, YES!) over to my daughters garden for the tomatoes.  They are looking so beautiful and a ample harvest is looking good with lot's of canned tomatoes! The rest of the garden is amazing too.  I have about 2 more bucketsof compost left to keep feeding the garden.

MRE's made at home

My son and I did some dehydrating a couple weeks ago.  The list so far:

• onions, peppers
• spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce (into leather)
• a variety of beans
• flavored yogurt drops

He went camping and tried out some recipes, (for practise) adding quinoa, angel hair pasta (least liked),  buillion cubes and was very please with the results.  More drying is now required for his weeklong hike and climbing trip into the Enchantments (a wilderness area near Leavenworth, WA).  This will include hamburger, apple slices, to add to the above.  Encouraging his friends to dry food by sharing is on the list also, (they have been impressed).

Very strange weather, a few days ago we had thunder, lightning.  Today, we have had thunder, lightnin, sun, sudden but brief downpours, and snow (not kidding)!   Tonight, we are having the worst outbreak of mosquitos I have ever seen and they are making themselves felt.  In my hair, trying to crawl up my pant legs, it's miserable.