These days, we've been hard pressed for time, sleep, rain, time...did I already say that? My bad.
The other day, when I picked 53 lbs of tomatoes along with LLL's 4 lbs, it took up alot of 'time'...but we ended up with this:
16 Qts and 1 Pint of various Spaghetti Sauce, Tomato Sauce, Tomato Juice
6.5 Pints of Sloppy Joe Sauce
4 Half Pints of Relish
That was Thursday...Friday was a whole other story. Need.More.Time
We have been anxiously awaiting the Hard Cider making process. Got Apples?
Well, we had some fun with the folks at least.
We cleaned. Then we decided to cut. All hands on deck...or paws where applicable. Emma, she's got to be in everything! Leave a chair pulled out and she is the Cookie Monster!
Press was set and ready to go...
Apples in...
Juice out!
And.........
Stop
WhoopsieDaisey!
Ahhh....one PINT of juice, all that work...ONE PINT. For Pete's Sake! What the heck am I gonna do with all these damn apples? It just goes against every fiber of my being to let anything go to waste. There are more than what are in these pics, by the way...
idiot that I am. Yeah, Yeah...and we now know we went about it all wrong too. Shoulda had the fancy schmancy grinder type and all...Dunce Hat Securely ON!
So we're peeling and chopping and canning and OH-MY-GOSH...haven't made a DENT!
At least my girlfriend, Sue and I have had fun! We made quick of our annual apple day on Sunday. We did the same last year, this year we just have a few more apples.
Oh, and the garden gave me this:
8 Pints of Green Beans and the rest can wait till I get to it at least...
Did I mention Sue and I do grapes together every year too?
And I think Pig Pen felt so bad and sorry for me that the press broke, he got me a little present:
Seems to work really well! I had already cooked the grapes down, but we ran them thru anyway! What the heck? The next batch that comes in will go straight into the hopper though! If it doesn't meet my juicing standards, I can always go back to these:
I can't stand wearing gloves! Pig Pen told me last night that I have Farm Hands.
Here is what yesterday's canning project turned up:
4 Jelly sized jars, 24 half pints, 1 pint of Grape Jelly
17 Qts and 1 Pint of Apple Pie Filling
3 Qts and 9 Pints of Apple Sauce
I have 2 large roaster pans cooking down into apple butter now. And lots more to go...
Chicken Coop pics tomorrow if I have the energy to walk out there, Oh, and the time...
Settle something for me if you would! Sue said she 'read somewhere' that after you open your jelly, it can only be kept in the fridge for 3 weeks. Is she smokin' crack? That's alot of wasted 'wisdom' if you ask me. So I asked her how long she keeps her store bought stuff...she said, oh this was rich..."Yeah but that's got preservatives in it."
Like that's a good thing? She showed her "City" if you ask me.
What say you?
Also, don't forget to enter my GiveAway...$40.00 on whatever you want!!!
If you are more interested in a shape ball and workout DVD, you can
check out my SILs give away too!
Since I know y'all are hard pressed too...better luck!
Maybe YOU had some of that crack - holy homesteader girl, that's a lotta canning going on! I am amazed at those tomato sauce jars! That apple evolution looks like fun, I promised hubby once we move back up north where apples will grow he can build his own cider press. He has the plans and has been itching to do it but why do I need a cider press cluttering up the place NOW? Apples don't grow here.... LOL!
ReplyDeleteYa know Erin, if I had a hair on my you know what...I might try something in a pipe :) but like you, I grew up in the "this is your brain on drugs" era. Scared me straight! But I like to joke that I would any way...
ReplyDeleteI have so much crap waiting for me and what am I doing??? Catching up with you guys! Is that bad? :)
I think Sue's been smoking her socks (as we used to say!). Homemade jelly/jam will keep a LOOONG time in the refrig after it's been opened. It just never lasts that long around here. 'Course, you need to keep a nice screw type lid on it.
ReplyDelete"I'll have what she's having." I need a shot of that energy you're exuding, girl.
Don't tell my jam/jelly that it only has a three week refrigerator life! I've never had a jar go bad on me. I have had it finally get kinda hard and sugary, then I've tossed it, but it took a looooong time to reach that point.
ReplyDeleteMy, you have been a busy gal! You're lucky that you have a lot of helping hands. I only have two, and they're both mine ;-)
Boy I can't believe you were pressing the apples in the kitchen. That's an outside job girl! We have a local cider press that can do the pressing for you-if you have enough apples, I never do. Basically all their press is, is layers of wood boards with screens and chopped apples being pushed down from above with a weight. The cider squirts out around the wood and a huge hopper catches it at the bottom. With all that testosterone in the room I bet they could whip up something in the shop to do the same thing on a smaller scale.
ReplyDeleteMamaPea & Granny...I can't WAIT to tell her that you guys agree...heeehee! I will tell her to take another hit! And I really don't have the energy, I swear. Lots and lots of coffee!! I will have to get a picture of all the hungry mouths around here! We don't have kids to feed but the guys always come hungry so when there is something that needs doin', I start pointing! They are all really good about it too :)
ReplyDeleteJane, trust me...he's thinking! But too many irons in the fire for this year to get a press up and running. But if anyone could, these guys are the ones! And I did want to do it outside, but, well you saw! My house is such a mess it just doesn't even matter anymore!
Just reading this post alone has made me tired, I feel like I need a nap! Thank goodness it's almost bed time around here. Do you can all this food for just you and your husband? Or are there lots of lucky family and friends around you who benefit from your amazingness?
ReplyDeleteThyme -lots of lucky folks around here!
ReplyDelete