Taking Stock

Or rather, making stock. I have made our stocks since forever (chicken, vegetable & beef & sometimes seafood). I save up cut off pieces of all the vegetables I use. I put them in a plastic bag & add to them until the door to our freezer is bulging & husband starts to complain that it will hardly close. I then will put them in a large stock pot & boil/simmer for several hours. If I have chicken bones, beef bones or shells from lobster or shrimp, I will add to the vegetables to make that appropriate stock. I then strain through a sieve & then again through a very thin cloth.

I used to freeze all that stock by putting in plastic containers or ice cube trays. But, that takes up a whole bunch of room in the freezer as well.

So, recently I had enough vegetables amassed to make it again. But, I still had a couple of containers in the freezer & didn't want to freeze this time, I wanted to can it! As some of you know, I have been looking to purchase a pressure canner. Well, I finally broke down & bought one!

It's an All American, the 921 model. Isn't she pretty? Expensive, so she better be pretty & she better work. But, I think the investment will be worth it, if for nothing but my piece of mind of a very sturdy piece of equipment. Plus, it's made in America!

We had a roasted chicken on Satuday night so I decided to make chicken stock. I got up Sunday morning & put everything on. While I was taking the vegetables out of the freezer I noticed a baggie full of london broil clippings I had saved the last time we made beef jerky. So, I decided to also made beef stock as well. I had two large pots of chicken stock & one large pot of beef stock. I let them all boil/simmer for about three hours. I strained them & put them back on to bring back up to simmer.

I had washed my jars & had them keeping warm & the lids were keeping warm in a pan on the stove. Everything was ready, I had read the directions at least 100 times. I was a nervous wreck!

So, I filled my jars & put them in the canner. Then I read the directions again. Started the canner & read the directions again. While it was heating up to be able to let it vent, before actually starting the pressure canning, I read the directions again. When it came time to put on the pressure gauge, I wasn't sure I could do it, I was still a nervous wreck. But, I got my courage up & put the gauge on. While waiting for it to come up to pressure, I read the directions again. I so wanted to make sure I hadn't missed a step! After the gauge started rattling I turned down the flame to low & kept an eye on it like a hawk. I had my stop watch to make sure it kept rattling every 1-4 times per minute, just like the directions said.

After 30 minutes I turned it off & waited about 20 minutes for the pressure to come down to 0, like the directions said. I was again nervous (actaully had never stopped being nervous) when it came time to remove the lid & inspect what was inside. Here's my bounty!

 

 

16 pints of chicken stock (only 1 didn't seal, I think I forgot to wipe the ring before placing the lid on that one). We have hard well water here in the city so I always get that film on the jars & lids. The regular jars in the back were on the top rack so very little film on them.

 

And, you know what? It worked like a charm just like the directions said.

 

Note: I put the rest of the chicken stock & beef stock in the fridge & canned it on Tuesday. I was too tired to do a 2nd batch the same day. When I canned on Tuesday, it was a breeze! In the future, I'll definitely make my recipe the day before actually canning.

Reflexion on Southern Funerals

Well, not just southern ones but primarily rural ones. I've been to plenty in the south rural areas. And, to a few out of state:

North Carolina .... MIL family members. But, those were also rural & I consider NC a southern state.

Chicago ... 3 close relatives. But, there were no processions to any of them as they were all cremated.

Pennsylvania ... A very close friend who happened to have also been my boss for 13 years. He was also cremated but the family had decided to bury his ashes in the same plot as his mother who had passed many years ago. 

I had lived through the births of his two beautiful children, his ugly divorce & his new found love (of his life). His new found love & I flew to PA for the funeral. She had also been through a terrible divorce & considered herself to be the luckiest person in the world to have found my friend. And, I agreed & believed they were meant to be together, unfortunatly that wasn't the case. I was in such a fog at that funeral that I noticed very little detail of the actual ceremonies or local customs so I don't know if rural PA shows the same respect that I have come to expect from my southern neighbors.

I went to a funeral of an Uncle today near our Country House. He had been married to my Dads sister, my Aunt, many years. She passed around 5 years ago. They had 2 very handsome & nice sons & beautiful grandchildren. He had heart problems & underwent open heart surgery last week & never recovered. He had met a new 'lady' friend recently.

What stuck with me was that the sons, who had to bury their last parent today, had accepted this lady as part of their & their Dads lives, even so 'soon' after their Mothers death. She was an active part of the rituals & they helped her, even through their own emotions, get through the day.

The pastor didn't even 'preach' to us too much. He just mentioned that we should each do our own 'due diligence' quoted from the book of Timothy I think. (I had actually forgotten that there was a book of Timothy - shame on me.) I thought this was appropriate, rather than the fire & brimstone that is sometimes forced upon those in attendance.

However, the thing that always strikes me, is the respect that rural people give to the dearly departed. Or, at least to the dearly departed family & friends attending the services.

In every rural funeral I have attended, the strangers coming in contact with the funeral procession to the graveyard, always pull to the side of the road, many with their flashers flashing. This happens no matter how long the procession is.

They are farm workers, with a lot to get done before the end of their day. Delivery drivers that are surely on a deadline. Mothers trying to get their kids to some appointment. Some people heading to lunch & some heading home. But, they always stop & pay their respects until the procession has passed. It's usually no more than 10 to 20 minutes. 10 or 20 minutes to some, is a lifetime, or so they think.

There were only about 75 cars in today's procession but not even one strangers car tried to continue on their way.

Yes, my husband & I have come across processions, and yes, we groan if we don't know who it is. But, we always stop until it is finished, out of respect. That's what we were taught to do.

Unfortunately, this doesn't happen in cities. Yes, I understand the logistics of highways & interstates. But, I don't understand the need for speed at times like this. Even on the side streets in cities, it is rare that people stop to pay their respects.

I've been to rural services with over 200 cars & still the strangers stay stopped.

For some reason, that small show of respect brings fresh tears to my eyes. And, proud to be a southern rural person who pays my own respect when necessary.

Tomato Paste, Sauce & fall seed starting (productive weekend!)

I stayed home alone this past weekend while husband went to the Country House to mow the grass. Couldn't see 'losing' another weekend driving 3 hours to sit on back porch, too hot to work on garden beds, & then turn around & drive home 3 hours the next day.

On Saturday morning I made my way around to estate sales in my area. Got an old fashioned dehydrator that I thought I would try out.

It was originally listed at $12 but was 50% off. It has 20 trays!

Came home before 10:00a & made more pepper jelly (no pic). This batch was much lighter in color & hotter than the 1st batch. Had about 1/2 c. left over which I promptly heated & poured over 1/2 block cream cheese & ate w/a few wheat thins for dinner. Delicious!

I also got my seeds planted for the fall garden (1st time). I am starting cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, regular cabbage, chinese cabbage & romaine lettuce. Plan to plant carrots & spinach directly.

I went to a local seed & feed store to buy my cauliflower seeds & decided to stop at the farmer's market. Bought a box of local tomatoes & cut up 1/2 the box before going to bed Saturday night.

Got up early Sunday & started cooking the tomatoes & making marinara  sauce. This took ALL DAY LONG, but damn if it isn't good (only 8 pints but it's very concentrated).

Decided to try Sci Fi's idea of tomato paste w/the skins & to use my 'new' dehydrator. Loaded the trays (8 in all) & dried for a couple of hours.

I found out that you really need to make sure there are no 'folds' on the skins as that takes a whole lot longer. Live & learn - my new motto.

I don't have a spice grinder at the City House but do have the Ninja which I used to cut up in pieces in order to store w/an oxygen pack until I have a grinder (searching on Craig's list & estate sales for one).

I got a pint jar full of tomato pieces which I will grind, once I get my grinder, to make paste. No more 2/3 can waste!

Isn't it pretty?

Thank you Sci Fi! I can't wait to turn this into paste.



The Project That Took Forever (it seemed)

The patio table & chairs. We always seem to start projects that take forever. Note: I don't like painting chairs w/slats.

We have a patio table set that was given to us by a dear Aunt. Well, she actually gave us money, rather than leaving it in her will & we bought the table & chairs. That was about 10 years ago. It's a hard wood but not teak. We've oiled it w/linseed oil a couple of times but it sits on our City House patio that gets direct summer sun. So, it was getting to be pretty dried out. The chairs & table base are in pretty good shape but the table top is suffering. We decided to paint the whole set & try to get a few more years out of the top.

First, we needed to pressure wash the patio, which we do every year. We always have to wait for the oak trees to finish dropping leaves & those little wormy things before putting patio plants back out & washing. Since we hadn't put the patio plants back out, it was a bit easier than in year's past.  This was done June 3rd. Note: It's now August & we still don't have the patio plants back out.

Here is a picture of the table before:

A couple of weeks later we started the process of painting the table & chairs.

First we have to prime:

We paint in a shaded area of our yard but it still gets hot. So, we broke out the fans to help keep us cool. This was on the 2nd coat two weeks later.

How redneck is that?

And here is the finished product (along w/ acorns already starting to drip in August - 2 months too soon):

We added a fancy umbrella we got on sale at World Market. We're taking bets that it lasts for 6 months, if we're lucky.

Here's to hoping for at least 2 more years on the table top. After that husband will build a new one to go on top. Oh joy, more priming & painting.



Jam, Jelly & Butter

I've taken a few canning classes at our local County Extension Office recently. The office is fairly close to our city Farmers Market which is a medium size market but has very few local farmers selling. Basically, most of the produce is from other countries & has about as much flavor as a cardbord box. However, there was an article in our local paper a few weeks ago about a lady who sells things that her family grows themselves. She's been selling at the market for over 50 years!

Anyway, I decided to stop by after my last canning class (peach jam). While looking for her stand I noticed a sign advertising produce from a town very near our Country House. They were selling peaches, peas & watermelons. The peaches were very ripe & the lady selling said they had to be used right away. I bought a box & brought them home. She was certainly right about the ripeness. They were very soft & I didn't think they would hold up to dehydrating very well. Since I didn't have any pectin I decided to make peach butter. Basically, you peal & chop them & cook with sugar very slowly until it's very thick. Then, process in a water bath. My box of peaches made 5 paltry pints but it's very tasty. I'll definitely make this again. Although, I think I'll cook in a crockpot the next time.

I read Sandy's blog post about watermelon jelly a couple of weeks ago & decided to give it a try. I must have done something wrong because it just won't 'set'. I even reprocessed one batch, adding more pectin, & it still won't jell. Oh well, I now have 12 1/2 pints of lovely watermelon juice. I need to find the blog post that I recently read, on watermelon spritzer's. Anyone know who's blog that was on?

Undaunted, I then decided to try Sci Fi Chick's pepper jelly recipe. We have a habanero plant that is about three years old. We don't eat many of them but my husband picks them & gives them away to his customers. When ripe they are a lovely orange color. I put on rubber gloves & picked a handful, cut off tops & scooped out the seeds. I also added some bell pepper from the garden. I processed & it came out great. Absolutely delicious!

Oh well, I'm off to the Ritz for a conference this afternoon, back on Tuesday. Yeah it's work but at least it's at a nice resort. Too bad it's going to rain the entire time, dang tropical disturbance.

Today was my Birthday

We don't make a big deal out of them around here. Usually when we can & want to treat ourselves, we do just that, rather than waiting for a special day.

I took the day off work, like I have done for the past 30+ years, never work (at my job) on this day. That is my present to myself.

I stayed home & weeded the garden beds, early. Harvested a couple of tomatoes & peppers. Then I saw some plants that I had started that needed to be repotted & got that done. By then, it was in the upper 90's & I decided to call it a day.

Husband came home & asked what was that thing in the garage. I thought I had left my potting stuff in the way & went out to look. Lo & behold here's what I saw!

I have been wanting one of these for forever - a two wheel wheelbarrow!

In the past, I have received nice gifts like a boy's axe, a Kitchen Aide mixer, etc. I love practical gifts!

Who needs flowers & jewelry?

Through Fresh Eyes - San Francisco

I'm back from California. My 16 year old niece & I had a great time. She is beautiful, sweet, caring & very spiritual. She has not been north the Mason Dixon Line or west of the Mississippi, so she was very excited about this trip.

She loved the city & everything about it. She was amazed at the landscapes, the sounds, the people & the architecture. Especially the architecture. I think she took a picture of every single Victorian that she saw. We did the usual tourist things & it felt good to just let go for 4 days.

We walked, talked, gawked & ate. Boy, did we eat ... Seafood, Chinese, French, Italian & sushi (she loves sushi). She's an adventurous eater & will try anything (well, maybe not the alligator toes we saw in Chinatown). Actually she loved everything. I think her favorites were the lamb stew at  Absinthe & escargot at North Beach. We both agreed that every single salad we had was just wonderful. Not a french fry was had the whole time.

I get teased in my family about my fresh/organic eating habits. As we were walking back to the hotel the 1st day, my niece pointed out an organic sign hanging over a restaurant. We ate breakfast there almost every day & it was wonderful! She tried my Eggs Benedict & ordered her own the next time we ate there. If you are ever in the Wharf area I highly recommend this place Beach Street Grill.



We went on a Hike in the Muir Woods. Our guide was great, he only takes small groups (up to 7) & goes very early in the morning well before any crowds. We hiked about 3 miles & it was absolutely gorgeous & very peaceful. http://www.muirwoodstour.com/

We shopped Union Square & wandered through Chinatown, saw the Sea Lions & strolled through the Ferry Plaza farmer's market (talk about Organic!). http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/farmers_market.php/farmers_market.php.

We also saw Les Miserables, had lunch in the Haight & took a Segway Tour of Golden Gate State Park  http://www.electrictourcompany.com/?gclid=CLiP4rn-srECFc2a7QodAw8Agw.

Overall, I think we had about 2 hours of down time. Otherwise, we were on the go the whole time.

I enjoyed myself & so did she, which was the whole point. Everything was new & exciting to her. It was great to see her eyes light up & to hear her exclaim "Oh WOW" at everything. Then, "I've GOT to get a picture of that!". Very refreshing.

Although, I AM glad to be home, those hills were hell on my shins.

San Francisco Bound!

We have actually gotten a couple of things checked off our list. One was the patio table & chairs finished 2 weekends ago. I wrote a (long) post but lost it & have been too disgruntled to rewrite at this time.

I have been very busy these past 2 months. One niece got married a couple of weeks ago & another one (her sister) turns 16 tomorrow. Plus, all the gardening & preserving stuff.

But on to the 'project' at hand.....

I used to travel a LOT w/my job. When the nieces were little, the older one that just got married, asked if  I would take her to NY when she turned 16. She was just 6 at the time & I of course, said sure thing!

Not another word was spoken about it until about 6 months before her 16th birthday (4 years ago). She asked if I remembered my promise & was it still on? Sure, was my reply & we agreed on a date. I told her I would take care of air & hotel & it was up to her to find things to do & restaurants to go to. She lived up to the promise & we had a wonderful time.

Well, since that was promised to the 1st niece, I felt I needed to do the same for the rest of them. Thank goodness there are only 3 of them!

The 2nd one has selected San Francisco as her city of choice to visit. We leave on Wednesday & will have until Sunday to enjoy ourselves in that wonderful city. While I haven't had as much time to plan as I would like, I still think we will find enough to do to fill our days. Unfortunately Alcatraz is sold out but that city offers a whole lot more.

So far, we are headed to the Muir Woods, Sausalito & going to see Les Miserables on Thursday. Other than that, we are wide open. I have visited many times but not as fresh eyes & a tourist, which we will be this weekend. If anyone has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it.

I will post on the trip & our projects when I return.

Lazy 4th of July - Update

We have done just about the square root of nothing today.

Last Sunday our plan for today was to finish the paint job on the patio table & chairs. But, as the husband left for work yesterday he asked, out of the blue, what time we were going to the beach tomorrow.

I said "we really should finish that blasted table". As I made my way through the day, my thoughts started wandering to the beach ..... sand, wind, water, seagulls, relaxing, relaxing, relaxing. Oh my, relaxing started to sound really good.

So, we went to the beach today, early. Way earlier than most, by the looks of the lines waiting to get into the State Park as we were leaving. The State Park we go to has several parking & picnic areas to choose from. Our favorite, the very last one is no longer open so we stopped at the next to last one. We didn't need a picnic table as we expected to eat our lunch on the beach while watching the dolphin roll by. So, we took out our chairs, small cooler & small bag & started making our way down the walkway. We noticed an unusual amount of mosquitos while in the parking lot but knew they wouldn't be bad on the beach. As we were traversing the walkway the mosquitos seemed to be getting worse. About half way to the beach, we came upon the reason for the mosquitos. The walkway dips down between the dunes to sand level & then back up again before arriving ON the beach. That area was completely covered in standing water. Apparently, Debby left a lot of water that had yet to evaporate.

So, we headed back to one of the other parking areas, having only lost about 15 min. The lot was still fairly empty & we made our way to the waters edge. We walked away from the crowd at the end of the walkway & spent a lovely morning at the beach. We left around 12:30  & as mentioned before, the line to get in was really long. Glad we went early. This picture was obviously taken last year but it's the same beach. Lots more driftwood this year, wish I had taken my camera.

Stephen explained our beach day much more eloquently than I ever could. But that is exactly what we did, plus a nap to boot. Yes, that shower does feel so very good!

It's fried shrimp & fish, broccoli slaw & sliced tomatoes for dinner.

Happy Birthday America!

p.s. A  small rain shower to cool things off, plus I forgot to mention that husband also made hushpuppies, yum.

Hot,Tired, I'm a Loser & other Misc things

We worked outside all morning, & into the aftenoon until around 2:00p. We're working on painting a deck table & chairs (I don't like painting chairs). Will post about them later.

Around noon today the temps started rising & the humidity kept rising as well. We lasted as long as we could. With the humidity, the paint just wouldn't dry enough to be able to add another coat so we decided to stop. We'll finish up on the 4th.

Husband suggested a chicken quesadilla casserole for dinner. We cheated. Bought a grocery store roasted bird. Sauted onions, refried beans (sorry, canned), store bought queso cheese & quesadilla cheese & store bought flour tortillas. And, to top it all off - store bought enchilada sauce. Not homesteading at all but we are tired! I really want to make my own enchilada sauce & I will! (someday).

Garden is suffering but I do have eggplant & peppers that are actually doing pretty well. Have a few more small tomatoes to harvest. Didn't get to the onions  or carrots (all four plants of them) but I think there are a few that I'll get.

My loser item of the week is that I didn't check Craig's List for 3 days. Checking CL is one of the 1st things I usually do when I get to work (lol). It takes me about 3 minutes to see if any of the 15 or so items I am looking for are for sale anywhere near where I live.

With all the storms last week I was thrown off schedule. When I finally got around to checking on Wed., I found the holy grail of items that I look for.....

A 930 All American Pressure Canner (only used a few times) for sale for $150!!!!!! It had been posted the previous Sunday but was still listed so I immediately emailed the seller. He wrote me back that he was showing it to someone on Thur. - dammit!

For those that don't know, this is the 30 qt. canner that usually sells for around $300+.

Of course, he emailed me early Fri. morning to let me know that the other person bought it. Duh, who wouldn't.

That's the 2nd time I've not gotten an item recently, due to lax checking. The other one was for 2 (yes 2) Excaliber dehydrators for $95!

In the future, you bet I'll be bring up CL before I even get my morning coffee.....