fall garden

its getting cold outside.  too cold infact, for the vegetables

these days are filled with seed collecting, herb drying, carting vegetables around, looking thru cook books for pickle recipes...

leaves are falling off the trees

crispness fills the lungs when we go for walks

Three days ago I pulled out most of my garden.. 

salvaged the tomatoes, zuchs, cukes, squash, corn and the one eggplant!

here's some of the fruits:

nice big brandywine tomato.

 medieval purple carrots and good sized beets.

collecting tomato seeds for next year

 here's how:

saving tomato seeds 

ONE beautyful eggplant!!

I'm not crazy about eggplant, however I think its a beautyful thing to watch grown!

babaganoush or eggplant parmesan?

Onions drying

a pile of tomatoes to turn red...

the red pile will turn into salsa tomoro!

 one batch of canned tomatoes..  

This pure apple juice is from neigbor's apple tree!  

sooo yum. 

I just froze it tho cuz not sure how or if you can can pure apple juice. anyone know?

Ava in the calendula patch.

then we picked all the flowers.

to make salve!

the Corn and calendula princess!

 a bit of summers end chaos in the greenhouse.

drying calendula, peas for seed, cukes waiting to get the seed sucked out, lettuce seeds, tomatoes ready for seed sucking...

exploding seed tomato berries

aka sweet million

canning roasted tomato paste or pizza sauce

Gnarly, tasty Brandywines!

Here's the process in photos:

 

(Getting bubbles out)

Use a very clean rag, make sure top is clean.

Process in boiling water for 40 minutes

any questions?  :0)

Okay, the answer is:

Pizza sauce / sweet tomato paste:

1) Put raw tomatoes into a large pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes, or until skins start to crack

2) Take em out and place in a big bowl of cold water. Then slip the skins off and allow to drain.

3) place on a cookie sheet with some peeled cloves of garlic and in the oven @450 for 30 min

4) Place in blender with:  Oregano, salt and Dates (these makes the sauce).

5) For canning or to reduce further, place in a pot on medium, cook until desired thickness.

I have no measurements, sorry! Use your judgement. Approximately one date per 1/2 pint.

This is a VERY tasty pizza sauce!  Fridays are going to be pizza night here because of this...  



Here is a good post about what to do with all the tomatoes that we can find ourselves with
at this time of year...

Quick "How to Can" tips and borscht!

Its crunch time to prepare for baby. 

 I am due in 2 Days!!

whoa.

So made a big pot of borscht and canned it up.

cuz I don't want to be eating kraft dinner every day if I end up with a cesarian to heal from... 

that's another story. 

here is a link to my borsht recipe 

- this is beet borscht.

I enjoy canning things now that I get how it all works!

If you're scared of canning (like I was) and want some encouragement so you can finally try it, Here's a couple tips ( for pickles, jams and soups):

- Prep the thing to be canned and have it hot for the canning process

- wash the jars/lids, then put em in boiling water bath to sterilize for at least 10 minutes.

(Don't have to bring out the massive canner every time...  can just use your largest cooking pot)

- Having these three items will make the job more enjoyable and your fingers less burnt!!

                     funnel                                        hot jar lifter                                   magnetic lid lifter

- you can buy them in a kit

- so then, use your jar/lid  lifter to get the sterilized jars out of the boiling water bath

- empty jar of water, put the funnel on top and scoop the special sauce into the jar

- with a clean rag, wipe the rim and place the lid on top

- to be sure you will hear all those lids pop, "process" the full, lidded jars in the boiling water for 10 minutes 

*certain items must be processed for longer like canned tomatoes which you basically cook inside the jar.  Look at a canning recipe for your project, these are just basics.

Here's an easy tutorial on canning tomatoes 

 

This is my Gramma Dorothy with her new baby.


My Gramma Margaret talks about canning.
" I used to can Everything. Meat, Rhubarb, fruit, everything from the garden...
After we got married and then we could afford jars...  "

Imagine not being able to afford jars. 

I am grateful!

Happy canning! 

any tips/stories to share?

Bread & Butter Pickles with HONEY!

 

 The garden exploded with glorious cucumbers!

Mostly marketmore, but a few little heirloom miniature whites.

...Calendula buds too.

So that means pickle time

Around here, we really like the sweet bread and butter pickles. 

The usual pickle recipe I go by is my auntie Bernie's Refrigerator pickles

 

I have little space in my fridge tho, so we go for canning this time!

Found a really great recipe that uses HONEY instead of sugar!!

So good,

as there is a lot of sweet in these babies.

 ~ pretty pickles ~

...listening for that pop, pop, pop  sound that brings joy to your heart...

Here be the recipe 

Taken from this lovely old wonder found at a garage sale. 

not sure when it was published but my guess would be 1973!

Its a great local foods cookbook with all kinds of DIY food type information,

like make your own cheese, yogurt, saskatoon wine,...  

 Here's one of the best pages in the book:

Are you putting any garden foods by right now??



~ Peace, love and pickles to all ~