Yes, we "CAN" ...

It's that time of year again!
Here's a couple home preserving projects, recipes and tips.

Salsa!  Ingredients: Garlic, jalapenos, onions, tomatoes (and vinegar to help preserve it). 

Getting the carrots ready for pickling. 

And some for the freezer.  

1. Wash jars, disinfect (either by hot water bath and in oven).

2. Put lids in hot water bath (to disinfect and soften).

3. Put pickling solution together (water, vinegar and salt).

4. Jar by jar (from hot water bath) add garlic cloves, dill and carrots.

6. Add pickling solution (cover carrots).

7. Put on lid and ring on

8 Put jars in hot water bath for 15 mins.

Picked the tomatoes and washed the jars the evening before hand. 

Jars in the oven, to sterilize, but also to keep hot.

Steam tomatoes in hot water for 1 min.

Pull out and put into cold water immediately and de-skin.

Cut out stems/core.

The tomatoes are ready to put into jars. 

Take jar from oven with tongs, add 2 tbsp. lemon juice. Then add tomatoes. Then add hot water (light boil) to jars to cover tomatoes. Remove air bubbles. Add lids and rings. 

Can for 25 mins at 11 pounds of pressure OR put in hot water bath for 45 minutes (clock starts when the water is boiling).

All in a day's work.  

More like 3 hours? (Guesstimate).  

August Garden Love

A walk through the garden in August...

Oranges.

Sunflowers.

Echinacea.

Loveliness.

Honeybees...

Grapes. (Hoping to make wine this year!)

Conversation spaces for two :)

Resting spaces :)

Group picnic spaces.

Artichoke flowers. The bees are in heaven!

Fibonacci spiraled cauliflower!

The first red tomato!

Acorn squashes!

Time to process the garlic! Step one. Cut down from drying rack.

Step two, cut off stalks and roots.

Looking good! Ready to sell.

Greek salad night!

Carrots all cut up and ready to be blanched for freezing!

Jason all suited up to knock down the three wasp nests discovered in our greenhouses! 

A walk through the garden early July.

Fresh potatoes, all from one plant. Some of these, some fresh beets, carrots, onions and dill - made for our first batch of Borscht.

Tarragon!  Time to get the drying racks out!

I just love how this onion bulbil looks like its wearing a little 'witches' hat :)

Our bee-autiful Circle space in the garden.  

Grapes Galore!

The greenhouse is filling in nicely :)

Carrots going to seed. Oh boy, did our saved carrot seeds planted - totally grow this year! Definitely worth saving carrot seed!!!

Oooooo the tomatoes have started growing!

Our first cucumber ready for harvest!

Peering into the circle again :)

Squash plants growing out of our compost pile. 

First year ever for our apricot tree to have fruit, and wouldn't you know it, it's diseased. :(

Mmmmm... back to our stuffed squash flower delights in the morning... with ricotta and feta cheese... and garlic scapes. 

When we find the time to rest in the hammock, a whole new world is discovered!

Anyone taste a mulberry?  Our mulberry tree is at it again :) To be honest, they really don't have a taste, rather watery actually, neither bitter, sweet, nor sour.

So enchanting!

Parsnip going to seed. The plant of which (the juices inside actually) are extremely toxic to our skin! Learned the hard way pulling a couple plants out the other day... have spotted blistering and burns on both arms! Apparently its in the same family as hogsweed!  Who knew a vegetable plant could be so nasty?

Time for family & friend picnics! Our favorite time of the year!

J