Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for August, 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1xmVzH04YA

Jake is the world’s best deer repellent and he’s organic.

Read Full Post »

Ready to make some tomato sauce? Click on any of the thumbnail to see a larger version of that picture. First, pick some ripe tomatoes. Have them guarded by a big dog to protect from rabbits, then wash and quarter the tomatoes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next throw em in a pot (not aluminum) and mash em up a bit and place on medium heat on the stove. Bring to a rolling boil. I don’t add anything to the tomatoes. I like a blank slate to use the sauce for chili or pasta or anything else. Feel free to toss in some basil or garlic to make the sauce to your likings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cook the tomatoes down by a third. Look for the ring on the pot and guess. Place a Food Mill on top of another pot and turn the handle clockwise. This removes the skin and a lot of seeds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a better look at the food mill (also called a sieve). Take the strained sauce back to the stove and reduce again about a third. Use a funnel and fill cans to 1/2 inch from top .  Place cans in boiling water with an inch of water above the cans and boil for 30-45 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomato sauce making will commence this weekend. I’ll post pics and directions on how we do it. I like to just cook down the fruit and not add anything to it. No basil, no garlic nuthin’. This way it’s a blank chalkboard for later use in the winter. I can use the sauce for chili or marinara or anything else. I do add a touch of lemon juice to keep the color of the sauce bright red but this doesn’t add any flavor to the sauce. The Thai and Jalapeno peppers will be frozen for winter, some will make it into fresh salsa but most will be frozen or dried out for later. Have a great Friday everyone!

Read Full Post »

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The garden is bursting with life and the tomatoes are finally staring to ripen. Which means, it’s time to can. My Dad found me a pressure canner at a garage sale yesterday for $8. What a deal. New they run close to $90. I’ve been canning the “old fashioned” way by putting cans in a huge pot of boiling water that takes forever but with the new canner, it takes just minutes and only an inch of water and it doesn’t turn the kitchen into a sauna in August. Thanks Dad!

Stay tuned, I’ll post a “How To Can” article with step-by-step instructions later this week. If you have any questions, send them to me now.

 

Read Full Post »

This pic is from Saturday Morning

Spent the weekend fixing the fence and tonight (Sunday at 8:15pm) I caught this doe mowing the pumpkins. Look at this video of her leap over the 5′ fence without even trying. She disappears in the first 1 second of the video. Might have to rewind it a couple times to see it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWkYvfMrRbw

Read Full Post »