Well, while I was lolling in front of THE POWER BLOCK shows, Momma put up 20 jars of Pluot (plum apricot X) jam. Then I got in there & cut up pickles and onions to start the bread and butter pickles.Five and a 1/4 hours later we had 17 jars ready to label
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In process
Last 3 jars ready for a bath.
in the sun. Picked the first of many small pear shaped tomatoes to add to the medium sized ones from the “cheater” plant.
Looking good,no bug or animal damage. It really helps to grow them 2’ off the ground in my homemade containers
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I should be in dialysis more often. Momma gets more done that way. Yesterday it was 3lb of green beans turned into 10 jars of Dilly Beans.
Meanwhile the search for apricots and peaches and raspberries continues.
We got the final 1/2 bushel of beets Thursday and got them canned.
Washing station
Sorting sizes
18 more pints to store for 6 weeks to develop flavor.
Last Tuesday while I was in thrall to the dializer machine Momma headed out to Blueberry Lane and picked 9 1/3 lbs. By the time I got home she had put up 4 1/2 pints of pie filling and 17 1/2 8oz jars of jam.See Momma’s site for pics.
Next up,apricots, peaches and raspberries. Got our eyes open.
We stopped at McDanials farm stand and picked up a 1/2 bushel of beets on our way home Sunday. That was after having dinner with Bob and Edna Hittel. Edna was our letter carrier for years.
This morning Brandy helped Momma clean the beets.
This year Momma sorted out the small ones to put into the new Ball Elite jars.
We ended the session with 20 pints of ruby goodness.
Labeled and ready for at least 3 weeks to “age”
We started to search for the next fruit for canning, apricots. Unfortunately the crop froze in this part of the state. After searching the interweb I have found a possible source. If i don’t find another it looks like we will be making a day trip to Northern Lower Michigan. King Orchards are located North of Travers City, about 198 miles from here in Central Lake . Ah, what I won’t do to get Michigan fruit. Plus, we haven’t been North of Bay City since we retired to Otisville.
We picked up 20 lbs of tart cherries yesterday.Didn’t do the U-Pick,we both tire easily. Got going today finished rounding up supplies and equipment. Started cooking at 11:43 and jarred up 14 jars of jam and 14 jars of chutney with apples, onions,brown sugar, vinegar and spices. We had to stop and re figure the pie filling recipe because we ran low on cherries. Should have made it first and then do just 1 batch of jam. Oh well, hindsight and all that.
You know? Nothing would get posted here if Momma didn’t say anything to remind me to. So, 2 weeks ago we started jammin’ again. 36 jars of strawberry and 14 jars of rhubarb strawberry. Next up, apricots, cherries, and raspberries.
Next door neighbor Phylis asked if we could do a repeat of 2 years ago when we made tea sandwiches for a Master Gardeners garden party.That one was for about 50 to 75 people. This was a wedding shower with about 24 to 30. So, back to the Food Network and Epicurious for more recipes. We did Raisin Sandwiches,Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches, Herbed Vidalia Onion Tea Sandwiches, Cucumber Mint Tea Sandwiches snd Salmon Dill Eggs. We shared a selection for our lunch, saving the filled eggs for supper.
UPDATE: Just got pictures from Phyllis & had Les upload them.
I harvested our rhubarb Monday(5 stalks). Momma cooked up a batch of rhubarb sauce (12 jars!)while I was in dialysis. She is really enjoying canning, says it’s easy.
Today, together, we worked on rhubarb chutney(7 jars(. You should have smelled that! Chopped rhubarb,apple,lemon& orange zest, diced lemon & orange sections and brown sugar. And ground cinnamon.allspice,cloves and nutmeg.Orange marmalade because there was no candied citron to be found.Yowzza!!Stick tour nose into those vapors.Did I hear there were strawberries coming along?
The new fruit trees are in bloom !
A whole 14 of them on the plum tree.
And about 6 on the peach tree.
That will help me through the procedure of Roto Rooting the blood clot out of my fistula tomorrow,
Brandy’s favorite outdoor lounge got its spring move today.
And here she is, warming the cushion for us .
Now to chronicle this years new growth on the fruit trees.
Still looks like a twig stuck in the ground.
Click to embiggen, can you see’em?
I can see the peach buds a little better.
Photo credit to Momma.
Last use of the season for the snow plow. I can’t have the plow and the mower on at the same time, and the change over takes too long to do it casually.
I decided to reshape the driveways while I was at it.
Then moved the dirt pile.
Lots of maneuvering because it’s a lawn tractor and can’t really push a lot of dirt at a time.
Most work I’ve accomplished all winter.
Photo credit to Momma.
The family all gathered for the end of winter feast. Ah, Momma’s lasagna, Debora’s wilted spinach salad, Cindy’s deviled eggs, Anne’s vegetables and my contriibution, mini cheesecakes topped with homemade jams.
And after all that, good old tryptophan kicked in & I collapsed for about an hour. And then one by one they melted into the tiny flakes of snow that started falling about an hour ago.
is starting on the fruit trees.
Peach last year.
Peach today
Plum today
Good to see buds on the trees, especially as the view of the snow was beginning to wear thin.