What did you do in the garden today?

[Sueby]

Pumpkin Jam

2 good sized pumpkin
5 oranges
6 lemons
1 fresh ginger minced
1 red chili minced
1 1/2 lb granulated sugar

Cut the pumpkin into chunks and cut off the peel, now cut into pieces about an hour 2 inch square and toss into a large pot/preserving pan.
Slice the oranges and lemons into small pieces (peel and the inner flesh too) and add these to the pan.

Cut the skin from the fresh ginger root and grate it into the pan. Now finely chop the chili (remove the seeds, we don’t want to go too over the top here) and toss this in too.

Add 1 pint of water and bring this to the boil. Now lower the heat and let it simmer away for 40 minutes, or until all the citrus peel is very soft. The pumpkin will be really soft by then too.
Add the sugar and stir until it has completely dissolved. Raise the heat and bring it to the boil and keep it bubbling madly until it has really thickened so that when you put a spoonful on a saucer and run your finger (let it cool first!) through it, you get a clear channel and it doesn’t flow back together again.
Spoon into sterilized jars and pop on the lid.

Thank you! Perfect!

Not much happening in the garden, tomatoes & squash still going. That's about it.

Made the Christmas jam today. 3 jars still holding out to seal. I'll give it another half hour or so then re do them.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Ah crud can look at mine today later I planted green beans, never looked back gourds went crazy.

 

[Sueby]

Made the Christmas jam today. 3 jars still holding out to seal. I'll give it another half hour or so then re do them.

they all sealed.

 

[Smokerbill]

My trash can compost sifter worked perfectly! I took it into the chicken run and sifted out around 15 gallons. I have a different sifter down by the compost pile next to the woods, where I sifted out another 15 or so gallons.

I amended last season's small garlic bed, and dug up an area next to it to quadruple its size. Now it's around 3'X10'. I should have plenty of garlic next year.

I used the rest of the sifted compost to amend my potato bed, so it's ready to go too. I'm pretty sure I'm going to plant my potatoes this fall sometime after the temperature drops, and just leave them in the ground all winter. They'll know when to come up next spring.

I ended up triple digging both beds, so I'm kind of tired. And I have a physical therapy appointment in less than 2 hours. I'd rather take another long nap.

Processed 5 half pints of thick tomato sauce this AM too. It was cooked down Saturday and in the fridge since then. I just brought it back up to simmering before I jarred it.

 

[Smokerbill]

Thank you! Perfect!

Not much happening in the garden, tomatoes & squash still going. That's about it.

Made the Christmas jam today. 3 jars still holding out to seal. I'll give it another half hour or so then re do them. View attachment 3955636

@Sueby , did you get a new electric canner? Wasn't it yours that had the electrical problem a few weeks ago? Smelled like smoke or something?

 

[WthrLady]

THe very last of the tomatoes and apples.

Now I just need to wait for the freeze in a few weeks to drop all the leaves and do a final rake out of the garden.

Little to no motivation today. It's very dry, and although it IS cooler out, there is no wind and that makes the sun quite toasty- plus the bitey midges are out.

 

[Sueby]

@Sueby , did you get a new electric canner? Wasn't it yours that had the electrical problem a few weeks ago? Smelled like smoke or something?

Yes, that was me. DH took it apart & tested it & said it was fine, tho I can't remember what he said about why it was ok. I'm paranoid so I have a fire blanket on the fridge & an extinguisher in the pantry so I told him I was ready anyway. He laughed at me & said, 'just unplug it, don't make a mess with an extinguisher'. He may have a point.

 

[Smokerbill]

Yes, that was me. DH took it apart & tested it & said it was fine, tho I can't remember what he said about why it was ok. I'm paranoid so I have a fire blanket on the fridge & an extinguisher in the pantry so I told him I was ready anyway. He laughed at me & said, 'just unplug it, don't make a mess with an extinguisher'. He may have a point.

Hey, I have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen too. It's better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. LOL. Glad the canner is still working.

 

[pennyJo1960]

We keep one in the pantry also never be without.

 

[Smokerbill]

I went out and picked more tomatoes, and there aren't many more left. Got a little over 11 pounds. If I decide to make more salsa I'll have to break down and buy peppers from the store. Darn. I'll definitely grow more peppers next year.

I'm really liking the giant Roma tomatoes coming from my volunteer plant. I hope the seeds I saved from some of them produce plants that grow similar fruits.

Those three small Romas on the left side are from plants grown from the Roma seed packet, and they are actually large ones from those plants. Most of the others are half that size.