What did you do in the garden today?

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Good morning gardeners. I processed 5 pints of tomato sauce yesterday. I think I'll do stewed tomatoes for my next batch. I picked another basket full of tomatoes and found a surprise cucumber on the plant mixed in with the cherry tomatoes. We're enjoying a taste of Autumn right now. The temps dipped last night and I woke up to 48F. A little nippy, but great for sleeping. The chickens are laying like crazy. I have 5 dozen in the refrigerator downstairs and another dozen on the kitchen counter. My priority for today is to finish cleaning the garage so it will be ready pellet delivery on Wednesday. In order to get my freezer through the basement door I'll have to take the door off. I measured yesterday and I think it's a bit tight with the door on. Also, since I really don't use that door I noticed a small wasp nest being built. So wasp nest removal is on my to do list now. I'm not allergic so no worries. So please @cavemanrich, don't use your dishwasher to can anything. Your neighbor is playing Russian roulette with botulism. I'm guessing he steams fish in that as well. LOL! I admire your tolerance of peaches @karenerwin. I got burned out on the aroma of peaches after processing the preserves and sliced peaches. Since I finished freezing the remainder I've only had a couple of sliced peaches with my oatmeal one morning and then there are the preserves on my toast. I'm ready to move onto making grape jam and apple picking next month. Have a great day everyone and enjoy the harvest.

 

[WthrLady]

I miss having a Concord grape vine.

 

[WthrLady]

For thos ethat listen to podcasts... a new one...old fashioned on Purpose

 

[IamRainey]

I was discussing canning with my neighbor, and he said something that REALLY SURPRISED ME. He seals his jars not in a hot water bath, on stove, but in his 'dishwasher" He lets it run a cycle, and said it is about one hour or so. The water is hot, and it gets heated with the electric element even more. Lets the washer cool until next day. Does not used soap BTW. Said ALL his jars always sealed nicely.

That's how I always prepared my jars to be filled but I never thought of sealing in there.

I know the USDA has guidelines now that once didn't exist. If you ask me, their guidelines can scare as much as encourage. I'm going on the record as NOT in favor of anyone getting botulism but -- and this is thinking out loud NOT a suggestion -- if your product is boiled and goes into hot, sterilized jars with utensils that have been sterilized and then it gets processed at X˚ in the dishwasher, when would the bacteria be introduced? Seems to me if you get a seal, you get what came out of the boiling pot.

I'm just thinking of my great aunt who sealed her jams with wax and raw packed her tomatoes in the old glass lids with the zinc bails without lids that popped concave and it worked. It would doubtless make a USDA rep faint today but I'm the third generation who grew up eating her pickles, jams and veggies.

I dunno. I just do what I think is best and serve my family with it.

 

[IamRainey]

I miss having a Concord grape vine.

OMG! I grew up in NYS. We had an old abandoned line of Concord grapes behind a barn at my house. No one pruned or tended the vine in any way but it just kept going. As kids we used to lie on our backs in that field and eat the Concord grape, sucking the skins and dumping the grapes (if I remember that part correctly).

When I was still in NY I used to make the following jam. If anyone has access to Concords it's pretty freakin' good. I can't get them here on the West Coast. I don't know why they don't grow them out here. Not suitable for wine production which is the West Coast obsession? But I miss this preserve. And you can't buy anything resembling it.

These are old directions from a publication back in the 60s or 70s so we wouldn't boil the gaskets anymore.

Grape Conserve

Recipe By: Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery
Yield: Makes 10 8-oz. jars

A conserve is a preserve that has at least one fruit and usually two or more and also has nuts. This preserve is unique and outstanding with the fruity taste of grapes and a winey flavor from raisins.

• 4 pounds Concord grapes
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 lemon, juice and rind
• 1 orange, juice and rind
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 4 cup sugar
• 1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

1. Prepare clean jars by placing them on a heavy cookie sheet in a 350˚ oven. Prepare lids and rubber seals by boiling and then simmering them in a saucepan of water. Keep hot and sterile during conserve preparation.

2. Make sure all the grapes are of the freshest quality. Wash, drain and remove stems. Slip skins from pulp and reserve. Heat pulp to boiling in large, tall pot. Rub through a course sieve to remove seeds. Return the pulp to cooking pot.

3. Remove rind from lemon and orange making sure not to include any of the white pith. Grate or julienne finely. Ream the juice from the orange and lemon. Remove any seeds. Set this aside in a separate bowl.

4. Add water, rinds, salt and raisins to the grape pulp. Cook for 15 minutes. Add the citrus juices and grape skins. Heat to boiling. Add the sugar and cook until conserve is thick. When the proper consistency is reached the conserve will still appear liquid but a thin layer on the back of a spoon will leave a "track" if you draw a line through it with a spatula.

5. Add the nuts during the final minute of cooking.

6. Pour finished conserve into hot jars to 1/4 inch from top. Wipe rim of jar clean and put on a sterile seal and top. Process jars in a hot water bath that is at least 1 inch over the jars for 10 minutes. Remove jars and set aside on a rack or several layers of kitchen towels to cook. Check jars for a vacuum seal when cool. Store sealed jars. Any that did not successfully seal can be placed in the fridge for immediate use.

 

[IamRainey]

I got a really nice zucchini this morning. I've never had a zuke as robust and mildew-free as this plant. And I've got my first baby acorn squash on the vine. But then I always planted them last and had to stick them off in shadier spots. This one's in prime place in the sun and thriving. I've actually had to take huge leaves off so the tomato plant gets enough sun. I had reasoned that the tomato would be taller and get its sun that way but it's barely keeping up with the zuke.

The pumpkin vine is taller than I am. It's had a few male blossoms but no indication of the females yet. It's taken to the trellis like gangbusters. It will hit the top soon and then, I guess climb down again and snake along behind the boxes but at least the trellis kept it from taking over all the real estate in that box.

There are lots of jalapeños ready for picking. I'll take them tomorrow and give them to my housekeeper. I've never used a lot of them just want to have one when I need it. Nothing I can see yet on the bell peppers that I would use. There have been plenty of blossoms but I guess they're not getting fertilized... And aphids have moved in. I'll have to clean those suckers off.

Nothing else even remotely ready to pick from my late-start garden but the corn and beans are going great guns. Both my tomato plants have a good number of blossoms. The volunteers out in the landscape have visible cherry tomatoes. I have no idea what size they should attain so no guess when they may start ripening. Hope I get to them before the birds, rats and squirrels this year!

My pear tree has a good number of fruit on it. I'm just watching that to see when they look ripe enough. Maybe I'll pick a test for my grandson later when he comes to spend the day with me.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Hey morning all awake way to early had a good breakfast and coffee coops cleaned little tip from the old gal take any spray bottle fill 90% add 4 drops dish soap shake kills aphids, spider all that garden goo hey thanks for the recipe @IamRainey

 

[pennyJo1960]

Lost ,,,, as went to the rainbow bridge,,,, or lost as "jailbreak,,,, escape"?

Nope lost two now another one this morning a buff up dead these are the ones the others stepped on in the box think when I see Dillon again gonna educate him

 

[WthrLady]

Sent a crazy amount of tomatoes through the puree/skinner/seeder machine and came up with another gallon of puree. I'll simmer it down tomorrow and add spices and then can it in jelly jars for pizza sauce. The girls are stuck inside again, so they'll fight over the skins, seeds and cut off bits.

I couldn't bring myself to feed the giant beefsteaks to the machine, so I sliced two large steaks out of them for DHs hamburgers tonight. That's a 9 inch plate! SOOOO MEATY!

Fabric for all the pillowcases has all been ironed.

I was going to scrub bathrooms, but am out of scrubbies.

I was going to box up excess canning jars, am out of boxes that fit the shelves.

I was going to mow, but our .25 inches turned into 1.21 inches of rain.

I was going to trim alpaca toenails, but see above rain and one little boy that decided to roll in the manure pile. Hard pass.

So I guess I'll wander down to the barn and find the giant trash bags and start cleaning the garage. Then maybe I'll move out to the workshop... we'll see.

Hope everyone is have a great day!

 

[Acre4Me]

if your product is boiled and goes into hot, sterilized jars with utensils that have been sterilized and then it gets processed at X˚ in the dishwasher, when would the bacteria be introduced? Seems to me if you get a seal, you get what came out of the boiling pot.

As I understand it, botulism toxin gets produced by the anaerobic C. botulinum microbe. So, the anaerobic environment of sealed jars is great for the microbe! The toxin produced by the microbe is the problem and can kill when ingested. In order to deactivate the toxin, you can boil the contents for approx 10 minutes or more to denature the toxin, such as when you decide to get that jar of canned green beans off the shelf for dinner. If my memory serves, the C.Botulinum can produce spores. Spores are resistant to heat, but will be killed under pressure (pressure canning done properly). Like many things, microbe growth can likely be controlled by acid levels too. That is why some things (low acid) need to be pressure canned, or acidity levels need to be adjusted (adding citric acid, for example) to higher sugar content/low acid items - like many tomatoes available today. The above is just from memory, FWIW.

sealed her jams with wax

Because, jams are so high sugar content, and can support primarily yeast and molds (not bad bacteria). Yeast and molds need air. Wax seals off the air! No air - no Y or M.

raw packed her tomatoes in the old glass lids with the zinc bails without lids that popped concave and it worked.

I know nothing about this - cant comment!