Preserving the Harvest

Today I spent the morning cutting up the the tomatoes and beans and added onion and capsicum and cooked it all up. These will go into the freezer to be used in the slow cooker with meat from our paddocks. 

I also got a bag of home grown apples from my father in law and one from my mother in law. I added the apples from my tree and I now have 6 containers in the freezer waiting to be made in apple crumble during winter.
So I have 6 main meals and 6 desserts. The only things not from home will be the rice served as a side dish and the flour, sugar, coconut and butter for the crumble.
Not bad I think.
I just hope we dont have anymore freezer problems, when the spare fridge whent it took alot of frozen produce with it.
I hate wasting all that hard work.
see ya

In a jam!

 My wonderful sister in law gave me a heap of plums so I made up some jam. For those in the USA plum jelly.

 I only used up half the plums she gave me and I got 10 jars, and lots still left to eat.

Warning this is what happens when the jam spits at you. Very painful and Im sure I will get a scar as a reminder.
but all in all the jam is worth it as I am onto my last jar from last years crop.
see ya

Bread and butter cucumbers

cut up your cucumbers into thin slices and salt carefully.
leave overnight.
next morning wash and put aside to dry.
in a pan add
white vinegar
sugar
white pepper corn
and water.
I used 3cups vinegar
1 cup sugar and a handful of the pepper corn.
I then added 1.5 cups water and brought the lot to the boil.
I washed and put jars into hot water while I waited for the vinegar to come to a boil.
Pack the jars with the cucumber and add the vinegar mix.
seal and put in canner.

This time I also added onion to the cucumber to salt but only left them for an hour.
I hope these tast like you remember. Its been a few years since I made the last batch and the family Iove them.
They will be ready to eat in about a week or so.
If you can hold out that long.
see ya

Sauce!

two of these Turned into 12 of these

Just like magic!

see ya

Pickled Beets and wooly Socks

This is my attempt at knitting socks. So far it looks like it should, I think.

And these are the jars of beetroot that I preserved today. They will be ready to eat in about a week.

All the nectarines are gone. I have a couple of fruit monsters living in the house so no nectarine jam this year unless my MIL gives me some of hers.

see ya

Making jam!

We harvested the second lot of plums and we had lots, so I decided to make some jam. Even though the plums were a purple colour they turned a glorious red as they simmered in the pot.

And these plums are whats still left. Our nectarines are next. I may try a plum and nectarine jam.

It should be interesting. Will let you know the verdict when I make it and it gets tast tested.

see ya