Post Peaches

It's been a while since I posted.  So here's what happened the rest of the month.

More peaches.... bought another half bushel of peaches and made jam.... lots of jam... trying to perfect the recipe... which i think i did.... 4 cups of mashed peaches to 1 cup of honey.  Don't know why I don't have a picture, but I don't.  You can taste the honey, unlike using 1/2 cup.  It is a keeper.

Needed to clean out the freezer to be able to put more stuff in the freezer.  It was packed.  Strawberries, Blueberries, Black Raspberries, Sour Cherries, Rhubarb, and Chicken.  No, chicken is not a fruit.  Ended up making more jam

12 jars of strawberry jam back left with labels, 8 small jars of strawberry rhubarb, and front center is 9 small jars of black raspberry jelly.  The strawberry and raspberry jelly were using the 4 cups fruit/juice and 1 cup sugar.  It came out fantastic.  While I was cooking down the raspberries to get ready to strain it, the whole house smelled wonderful.  LG came up on the porch and could smell it from there.  The jelly tastes like nectar... totally delicious.  The strawberry rhubarb used 4 cups strawberry rhubarb 1:1 mixture and 1.5 cups of sugar.  Tart and excellent.

Ended up cleaning out the garden last week.  Pulled the beans and the brussel sprouts.  The sprouts never really developed.  The biggest ones were a little bigger than my thumb nail. 

The beans on the other hand rocked.  Several times a week when walking past i would pic a handful and munch.  I still had a bunch to freeze... now that i had a little room.  Unfortunately, the purple ones lose their pigment when blanched.  But, they look beautiful in a fresh salad.

Another project completed these last 2 weeks of August was the bottling of the strawberry wine.  It was absulutely clear and just dang purty in color.  Ended up with 18 bottles that will sit and age for a year, at least.  Came out dry and strong.  16% ABV.

The morning sun comes thru the window over the sink and hits the counter.  I put some bottles in the sun and this is the color on the counter top.  I just think it's cool.

Speaking of wine... Black Raspberry is in the primary fermenter.  Wine or Jelly, Wine or Jelly.... wine won out.  Started this on 8/29 and pitched the yeast yesterday.  SG was 1.084 which should end up approx 14% ABV and sweet.  Only making a gallon, but have access to 40lbs of frozen fruit if I wanna make a 5 gallon batch... which I probably will.  The fruit is in the white mash bag to keep all the setiment together.  I didn't use the bag when I made the strawberry, and wasted alot in the sediment.  Live and learn.

Tomatoes are the next topic.  Picked a half bushel and canned.  Peeled a bunch (scalding water trick) and canned them with clove of garlic, oregano, basil, and black pepper.  And did two types of sauce.  One had green pepper, onion, garlic, basil, oregano, and salt and pepper.  To the other, added an eggplant and red lentils.  That was LG's idea.  That's how she makes sauce.  The eggplant and lentils cook down and disappear in the sauce.  Ends up a very rich, thick sauce.... love it.  If you look close, you can see the garlic cloves in the quart jars.

Replanting the garden with fall crops.  Lettuce, spinach, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and an experiment with sugar snap peas.  I sprouted the peas to give them a head start.  Literally 2 days after putting them in the ground, they were starting to break the surface.  I was amazed.  Next year, presprouting all the beans... may even try the squashes too.

And finally, finishing up with some misc pics... , itty bitty tomatoes, lemon cukes, and sunflowers in the horseshoe pits (sorry stevo).