Jelly Jelly who's made the jelly......

MMMMMgood... eldest daughter and i made 17 pints of blackberry jelly.... took 2 days and some work but all done.. i'd post a picture but it's at her house, setting and 'relaxing'... can't wait to put it on the shelves.. there is something so rewarding about having shelves lined with homemade preserves, pickles, jams and jellies, veggies... mmm makes my mouth water... i'm a foodaholic i guess, with a survivalist mentality and a mild case of hoarding... actually i think my obsession with canning/preserving etc., goes back to my childhood... my parents were settlers, we lived in a remote area of coastal British Columbia, where access to anything was by boat, no power abet a generator that they ran 1 hour a day, enough to supply simple lights... a kerosene fridge, a wood cookstove.. and the list goes on... was a wonderful life for a child... sometime i'll tell you 'some stories'... wintertime, when the gardening is done, a cup of hot chocolate in hand..

anyways... fast forward back to 2009...

more jelly..... Red Pepper Jelly..... i had a find at the the local farmer's market, a big bag of sweet red peppers, they are semi local, within 100 miles and mixed with mine.. made enough for 3 batches or 12 pints! the first batch was an 'oops' i only put in 1 pkg of pectin, so will be syrup for glazing but the other 2 batches worked out fine... i have 8 pints of mild spice and 4 pints of FIRE... sometimes one just has to have a kick in life...

the recipe i got from Fast Recipes because i couldn't find mine .. i liked the recipe because it measured the liquid and then you added the ground peppers to make 4 cups... so it was a no brainer of how many peppers to use..

Red Pepper Jelly

5 To 6 red bell peppers
1 c Cider vinegar
1/2 Lemon juice
5 1/2 c Sugar
1 ts Salt
1 ts Chili powder ( i used my hot peppers with seeds)
6 oz Liquid pectin

DirectionsWash and seed peppers; chop in food processor or grind in blender or meat grinder. Add enough pepper pulp to the vinegar and lemon juice to make four cups. Mix in a large kettle with sugar, salt, and chili powder. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add liquid pectin. Return to heat and boil hard for 1 minute; turn heat down to simmer. Stir and skim off foam for 5 minutes more as mixture boils gently. Pack in hot sterilized 8-ounce jars; seal and let cool on counter top. Store in refrigerator up to 1 year.
Makes eight eight-oz. jars. (8 half pints)

also at the farmer's market i got a watermelon.. just the cutest little thing...i was skeptical to its flavour, but when i cut it open last night... absolutely delicious.. and grown within 100 miles... since we have a cooler climate i was amazed at it's flavour... i'm going back there to see what variety it was and will post it...

My Ginger Boy...

i just HAD to show you this piece of ginger... it's sitting in my colander of veggies and caught my eye... a face and torso.. complete with bellybutton!!! Anyways.. the ginger will become a delicious jar of pickled ginger..



using my mandolin slicer, thin slices of ginger packed with flavourful goodness.. this is my own recipe... daughter and i were craving pickled ginger and it's a fortune to buy... i didn't have the rice vinegar so 'made do', my ingredients are approximate, subject to change depending on what i have on hand... it's not 'traditional' pickled sushi ginger, but very tasty...

Pickled Ginger and Cranberries

Slice thinly

1/2 lb. fresh ginger ( good 'hunk' of ginger will do)

in a small saucepan heat until simmering

1/3 of a cup of white vinegar
1/3 of a cup of cider vinegar
1/3 of a cup of red wine vinegar
1/4 c. sugar (or to taste) (i used Agave syrup)
kosher or sea salt to taste

a 'DASH' of Chili (could be a few thin slices of Chili pepper or a few seeds or even dried chili)
Dried Cranberries (enough to satisfy your cranberry needs) (i used approx 1/3 of a cup)

put ginger and cranberries into the saucepan, let the vinegar mixture infuse with the ginger and cranberries until cooled... pour into sterilized jar... refrigerate...
the pickled ginger cranberry will be tangy.. but my daughter who is a pickled ginger 'holic' loves it... it's a sweet pickled punch!!
I found this article on growing Ginger, my climate isn't for growing it, but perhaps someone else's is and it's just an interesting read if nothing else... Growing Ginger Root
Zingiber Officinale (True Ginger)

Next to the ginger boy (in photo) is one of my 2 eggplants i've gotten... yummy yummy... but i do wonder if it was all worth it, for only 2... just for the satisfaction of saying i could grow them, and the satisfaction of taking a bite and KNOWING that i grew it myself, on the coast where the weather is usually not conducive to growing eggplants outdoors....

Now for something i'm truly excited about..the first Elephant garlic bulb that i've dug up this year... MMMMM i can't wait to use it... this particular one has a knobby on it.. its a baby!!! YAY... there was another one, but had already separated and fell off when i went to clean the bulb...


I found this treasure at my local thrift store.. will 'donate' it to my littlest granddaughter who LOVES bugs... encouraging a love for insects is a good thing.. perhaps a budding entomologist is in the works... working towards a harmonious world where insects and humans co-exist?? whew such a dream huh!!!

an update on my disasterous Bread... it made a not to bad 'toast', but un'sliceable', it must be 'cut' (no sawing) and flakes off.. the other loaf that i couldn't salvage is now a pile of crumbs... the flavour is actually very good, the texture, not so good... just my cooking i'm sure... will attempt it again sometime in the future...

Flying and Fennel....

it's Swallowtail larvae time!! Throughout the years i've tried to let the garden grow, all of it, including insects and in my 'world' it's full circle, i try to stay out of the affairs of the inhabitants and let nature take it's course... today i found 3 Swallowtail larvae happily munching away on my Bronze Fennel.. the new seedlings, not my older well established Bronze Fennel.. and no i did not plant them... they 'appeared' in the garden this year, so i left them, only pulling out or transplanting those that got in the way of my Tomatoes or Leeks.. my theory on gardening is that it's only a weed if in the wrong place... most plants are valuable and if they should decide to grow in a certain spot, then it must be the right place! i'm afraid my garden isn't the wonderous rows of particular veggies or herbs, but i have a pretty diverse group of plants in a fairly small area!

mmmm pickles!!!! Refrigerator pickles to be exact... i already have quite a few jars of bread and butter pickles in my 'larder' so i really don't need to go out of my way to make more, but i had 4 very long cucumbers to use up... so i got out my Messermeister Gourmet Selection Mandoline Slicer which i bought at Judith's Kitchen Tools in Yachats Oregon... was one of my better kitchen gadgets that i've bought over the years!! i added a hot red pepper and seeds to the pickles to give it a kick.. already tried one of the slices with a seed.. WHEEEEE my mouth suddenly had a warm fuzzy kick... yum yum!!

Refrigerator pickles

4 cups sugar

2 cups apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. tumeric

1 tsp. celery seed

1 tbsp. pickling salt or Kosher salt

1 onion ( i used a sweet onion)

1 or more peppers ( i used 2 of my green peppers and 1 one red hot pepper)

and enough cucumbers to make an ice cream bucket worth (about 8 cups )

mix the sugar, vinegar, tumeric, celery seed and salt... pour over the veggies and stir gently...

put in ice cream bucket or glass jars ( i used one of my gallon jars)

put in refrigerator and let sit for at least 24hrs... will keep in refrigerator for a LONG time... yum yum!!

my next 'job' is to preserve my gallon of blackberries myself and a friend picked yesterday... she has a 'bluff' behind her house, a wire fence at the top, and all the blackberries one could ever need, behind the fence and falling over the fence... fortunately we picked yesterday as it's raining this morning.. YAY!!! supposed to clear and warm up this afternoon... the garden will be happy happy.....

Breads and Sacrificial Lambs...

Bread making was at it's very worst this morning!! UGH.... i'm on the hunt for the 'perfect' gluten free sandwich bread recipe and this morning's attempt was a failure!! i'm not sure if the failure was me (most likely) or the recipe... i think the end result which is in the oven at the moment will be fodder for the peacocks and duck.. i'm sure they will think it's delicious! I used Bob's Red Mill gluten free all purpose baking flour which does make life much easier BUT for my sense of smell and taste buds... no no... all i could smell are beans... anyways all was great except for the scent of beans ..mmmm yummy (not)! i let the bread mix rise in my 2 little pans and oopsy, over the top the mix went.. all over my oven.. let me tell ya, that cleaning my oven this morning was NOT a high priority.. what a disaster and bean flour isn't much fun at all... since i'm saving all my non toilet water for the garden, my chicory and squash got a dumping of lovely gritty bean flour liquid.. i hope they appreciate it and don't wither and die before the end of the day...

i think over all the recipe itself is okay, everything turned out the way it's supposed to so am going to attempt it again, but just using another type of gluten free flour mix... the recipe is from Bob's Red Mill site:

Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread for Conventional Oven

contributed by Carol Fenster, Ph.D.
INGREDIENTS:
2-1/2 tsp Yeast, Active Dry
1-1/2 cups Warm Milk (cow, rice, soy or nut)
3 cups Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour
2 Tb Sugar
1 Tb Potato Flour
1 Tb Xanthan Gum
3/4 tsp Lecithin Granules (Plain Soy)
3/4 cup Whole Egg, must measure 3/4 cup*
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
1 tsp Cider Vinegar
1 tsp Guar Gum
3/4 tsp Salt
In a small bowl add yeast to warm milk and let foam for 5 minutes.Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl of heavy-duty stand mixer, combine all ingredients. Add yeast/milk mixture and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl with spatula, if needed.Place dough in a greased 9” x 5” nonstick pan. Smooth dough with spatula. Cover and let rise in warm place (75°-80°) until dough is level with top of pan (approximately 30-40 minutes).Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 60-65 minutes. Do not under-bake. To prevent over-browning, cover with foil after first 15 minutes of baking. To test for doneness, tap loaf with fingernail. A crisp, hard sound indicates a properly baked loaf. Turn out of pan and cool thoroughly on a wire rack before slicing with electric knife or serrated knife.*For lighter colored bread, use one whole egg and enough egg whites to equal 3/4 cup. For an eggless option use 3 Tb Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 1/2 cup & 2 Tb water.Makes 1 loaf (12 slices).
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATIONServing size: 1 sliceCalories 190, Calories from Fat 70, Total Fat 7g, Saturated Fat 1.5g, Cholesterol 40mg, Sodium 35mg, Total Carbohydrate 27g, Dietary Fiber 4g, Sugars 3g, Protein 5g.

The Sacrificial Lamb...

i mentioned in an earlier post about a poor Burdock that was Aphid Heaven... the whole plant is covered like what you see in this picture.. what you don't see is the 'community' that is being supported by this plant.. the ants that are milking the aphids, the ladybugs larvae that are eating the aphids, the wasps that coming cruising, looking for a snack or two and the fact that my Brussel Sprouts and Brassicas have hardly been touched this year... thank you Burdock

Grandmothers.....

are a wonderous lot, diverse if nothing else... incase your wondering why i'm talking about grandmothers, it's because i just spent several days with 6 of them, and one being a great grandmother... all of us similar but not, was a magical few days...

we went to The Calico Cat Teahouse in Nanaimo, at rather unearthly time of 9:30 on a Sunday morning! All of us had our tea leaves read by Heather, the proprietor, who's simply one of the best readers i've encountered... if you ever come to Nanaimo and are interested in a great bite to eat and an even better reading go to there.... well worth it!!

after our breakfast we wandered around Nanaimo and followed the roads along the waterfront and watched a couple of seaplanes land.. some of the grandmothers aren't coastal folk and were excited to see the ocean...

after seeing the waterfront we wandered inland to Coombs to check out other tourists and the best ice cream cones! we checked out some of the little shops and the goats on the roof.. it's another great place to wander, any season...

ahhh was great fun!!

today i spent with one of my children.... shopping!! we are the queens of thrift stores!! i got a very cute little red curio cabinet and a couple of cute little dishes, she bought some collector plates and dog beds!

i've decided it fit on top of another cabinet which i got for $5.00 at another time and thrift store shopping trip.... anyways.. the curio cabinet matches my favorite mixing bowls!! YAY for luck!!

i perused my garden and it's perked up a bit... we've had a bit of rain, and much cooler weather..

perhaps now my Scarlet Runners will start to form beans!

tonight i made a gumbo with my tomatoes, onions, some corn and okra and some turkey sausage.. was pretty tasty!!

Saying Goodbye...

to my very old, very well used camper van... it was a 1976 Ford Econline and an amazing vehicle.. i bought it many years ago, got oodles and oodles of camping out of it.. some very fun times and an incredible cross Canada trip...
the cross Canada trip was wonderful.. we went all the way to and including Newfoundland, then came back through the U.S. .... my dog Shadow and my partner at the time had an amazing journey meeting people from the internet, seeing things we'd never seen before, getting lost in Boston, staying in New York for a week while we had a water pump replaced, seeing CATS on Broadway.... surviving travelling the desert with no a/c, staying in Los Vegas for a few days ...much later it became a dog house for Uno (daughter's dog) and a chicken coop because the chickens loved Uno... and eventually after Uno passed, a rat house... of which i'm sure the rats had a marvelous time!!

ahhh the memories...

as for my garden, no pics today.. but tomorrow!! i have 3 very luscious cucumbers ready for the picking... my tomatoes are ripening at an alarming rate and the kale is becoming overwelming..
my parsnip is way over my head and loaded with seeds.. i'll be harvesting the seed for next year.. maybe i'll even plant a row!! i always manage to just let the parsnip just grow where ever, and where ever it has grown!! My lovage is loaded with seeds as well but doesn't look quite ready yet.. will save the seeds for next spring and perhaps i'll get a few babies....

in one of the blogs i love to read, Subsistence Pattern there was an awesome tutorial on making laundry soap with Saponaria Officionalis aka Soapwort.. sooo that got me to thinking that perhaps next spring i need to pop a few of those in my garden... would be fun to try it, and according to the blog is a great natural soap.. i'm very cautious as to what kind of laundry detergent i use, because i'm on septic but also because i'm enviromentally aware of the 'crap' thats out there...

Pita bread and children......

go together well i'd say! the best filling holders ever!! can be filled with whatever you tummy desires... they are easy to make and i confess that i love to watch them turn into little space ships! tooo fun i say!! for anyone who hasn't made them, make sure your oven is clean or your going to smoke the house out!! they need to be baked at a high heat, like pizza or other types of flat bread.. i have a pizza stone that i use.. i found one on sale so snapped it up right away, but you can use any kind of UNGLAZED tile or brick.. the stone/tile/brick needs to be HOT..

what i wouldn't give for a 'real' oven... over at Masonary Stove Builders are some cool ovens and some great info.. i think i could almost be in heaven, i truly love to bake bread!

here is my Pita Bread recipe:

preheat oven and tiles 450 or 500!!
cook 4-5 mins

in large bowl mix

1 cup 115 deg. water
1tbsp. yeast
1 tbsp sugar

let sit for 5 mins.
stir in

2 cups flour or enough to make a stiff dough.

knead 10 mins or until smooth and elastic then cover in greased bowl, let rise for 1hr or until doubled.

punch down, let rest 5 mins, cut into 8 pieces, roll each into a ball
flatten with fingers to 4 inch rounds

let rest 5 to 10 minutes

roll out each until 6 inches across and approx 1/4 inch thick
let rise on floured board for 30 minutes

to cook.... place on preheated unglazed tiles, or pizza stone, careful not to tear dough rounds.. cook approx 4-5 mins..
cover with cloth when cooling...

so easy, so tasty!

i also made 'regular' bread as well.. well 'regular' is a loose term as per usual i experimented! Fortunately it turned out very good, and i'm quite please with the result..

i'm like whole wheat bread, but it doesn't always like me, so i keep trying different combinations of 'white' flour breads, with a kick.. i usually will put in a cup or 2 of other types of flours (usually gluten free items) like chick pea, or millet, or maybe quinoa or coconut flour.. whatever i happen to have handy..

Regular Bread

mix together and let 'grow' for 5 10 mins
1/4 cup warm water
1-1/2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
2 tablespoons bread flour
1-1/2 teaspoons white sugar

soak
1 cup quick cooking oats
in
2-1/4 cups warm water

add, mixing with beater or by hand
1 cup whole wheat flour ( i used 1/3 cup of millet flour, 1/3 cup of coconut flour, 1/3 cup of quinoa flour and a tbsp of Xanthum gum)
2-1/4 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 tbsp. black strap molasses

slowly add in approximately

5 cups bread flour (depending on 'weather')

knead for 10 mins or until smooth and elastic
let rise until doubled in bulk
punch down cover and let rest 10 mins
form into 3 loaves.. let rise for about an hr (double in bulk)
bake at 350 for 35 mins or brown on tops (hollow sound as well ) and turn out on racks to cool..