Pear tree lane Farmhouse

~Welcome home~

This blog is dedicated to my dear family who live many miles away, and to you dear ladies , who have a heart for keeping the home fires burning. You, who love and cherish your family, and have a desire to create a home that says "Welcome, you are loved and cared for."

My desire is that when you leave that you will be encouraged and know that you too are loved.

Sue~

~And So it Begins~

 Written by Sue, Friday, May 29, 2020 .... rain, rain, rain, very warm, humid,  HIGH 80'S

Most of you know that we grow and preserve our veggies/ herbs  here at the farm.
This week was the beginning of my food preserving, the methods I use to preserve are, canning, freezing, and dehydrating.

Anticipation begins long before any seeds are planted, winter is when we plan for the next growing season, and prepare the soil! From the time the seeds and plants are planted into the soil, countdown begins,  seeing plants come forth and begin to grow is so rewarding, once the plants are established there is weeding, fertilizing, and watering, some might think a lot of work, yes, there is labor involved, but so rewarding when you can walk out to the garden, pick a vegetable, bring it into your kitchen, wash and cook it. or preserve it for later use, such was the case Tuesday.

The first vegetable I gathered from the garden was broccoli,

washed, air drying on counter.

 I use my Foodsaver for freezing fruits/vegetables, and nuts, I bagged 10 bags of broccoli , anything that is packaged in a Foodsaver last twice as long as regular bags, one of my most used appliances is the Foodsaver.. We enjoy broccoli, so I leave a little more stem on the florets.

Some of the cabbage are ready, the carrots are almost there, they were so pretty I couldn't resist,  I pulled a few to have with a roast, aren't they cute! Small for now so I will let them grow a bit. The flavor was so yummy.



Making Jam/jellies is another of my favorite things to do, yesterday I made strawberry jam,
 once picked, they are washed, and capped. Did someone say, "Luscious?"


  Using another one of my  favorite appliances, my food processor, I chop them a bit, (I have had this processor for about 40+ yrs.)
I then add the sugar, lemon juice, mix thoroughly, let the mixture macerate a couple of hours, this causes the berries to soak the sugar and become juicy, by using this method I don't use as much sugar. Lemon juice added to jams makes for a better flavor, actually lemon juice is great in most foods!
I then cook until thick, there are several ways to tell when the jam is ready, use a temp. gage, watching the jam run in a sheet off of a spoon, place a plate in refrigerator, to cool, pour jam on plate,

run finger straight through the jam on plate, if it doesn't run together it is ready, this is  almost ready but  not quite.


 Fill sterilized jars with jam, wipe the rim with a clean wet cloth, cap with sterilized lids and caps.Process in boiling water bath  for 15 minutes.

 Voila' homemade jam made with lots of love! I must say this was quite tasty.


Thank you for visiting, I have no legitimate excuse as to why I have been so lax in blogging, I could say I have so busy, (true), maybe it's laziness, hmmm, not true, maybe it's old age, that's it, I am getting old!😱😱😙.
Love from me to you
Sue

18 comments:

Ginny Hartzler said...

So lovely, beautiful, healthy and fresh!! The header is your place? Do you use the swing much? It all looks like paradise to me.

Shug said...

lots of work but like you said, so rewarding. This is what I call healthy eating.

Theresa said...

Your veggies and jam look delicious! I don't like veggies that much but I think if I had them fresh like that I may change my mind ;)
Have a great weekend :)

happyone said...

I certainly wouldn't say you were lazy after all that work you've been doing!!
We can't even put anything in the ground to grow here before June 1. Hard to believe you have all that growing already!!

ellen b. said...

Lazy as a word to describe you would never pass my lips. Just look at all that canning! Good to hear from you and see what's happening in your corner of the world. Hope the last weekend of May is wonderful for you and yours!

Vee said...

I know for a fact that your jam is delicious. Look at all that beautiful produce! Such bounty and you deserve your reward for all the hard work.

Pamela M. Steiner said...

Oh that strawberry jam looks so delicious! Making my mouth water for some right now on a fresh hot biscuit! And your vegies look wonderful too! I'd say you've been too busy to write your blog by the looks of the wonderful things you are accomplishing! If I had a garden to tend to like that I probably wouldn't be on this computer much at all. What a wonderful way to live!!!

Cheryl said...

Lazy? You?! Never!!

You have been hard at work, cultivating and preserving the bounty that God has provided. Your jam looks delicious! (Am I correct in assuming that you are not using any added pectin in your jam, or did I miss something?)

Thanks for your visit at Thinking About Home and for your always kind words! Blessings on your weekend!

Debby@Just Breathe said...

I am so impressed. What a wonderful way to respect and treat the things you grow. It must be wonderful eating the food you have grown.

Polly said...

Your produce is lovely, that's a beautiful cabbage, they are almost artistic! You can't beat picking your own produce knowing it is completely natural. I had an allotment a few years ago but gave it up because it was too much work. I don't miss the work but I do miss the produce.

Lea @ CiCis Corner said...

Oh, my goodness, lazy hardly is a fit description for you. I so admire your garden and preserving of food. It's beautiful! Have a great weekend!

CHERI said...

Wow! You sure have been industrious:) Your vegetables look wonderful and I'm sure they will taste even better. I'm so glad you commented on
the Foodsaver. I have often thought of getting one but just wasn't sure. I think I will (try to remember) to look into one. We don't have a garden but I do put up vegetables each summer. Hopefully I will be able to get some this summer without any problems, but with all going on who knows!

Edna B said...

Your veggies are beautiful and that strawberry jam looks oh so delicious!! I agree about the food saver and I'm thinking about getting one for me. You have a super day, hugs, Edna B.

Susie said...

Sue, You have a great green thumb. That jam looks so yummy. I like that you vacuum packed the broccoli, so as not to waste. Blessings to you, xoxo, Susie

Old Time Cindy said...

Everything is looking good, especially that jam! I just may need to get a food saver for some of my surplus from the garden. Thanks for the idea. Have a blessed day!

Carla from The River said...

Hi Sue,
I loved the opening words of your post today. Very true at this house too. I like how you captured the love and excitement of gardening and fresh eating.
My husband made dandelion jelly during his time off from work during the pandemic. It is so good. He plans to do more jam and jelly making. :-)
We freeze and I process our garden goodness too.
Enjoy the season!
Carla

Betsy said...

How pretty the jam is in the jars. Thank you for sharing how you made it.

Anonymous said...

Sue, I have been remiss from blogging/commenting as well. Oh your garden is doing so well. We were a little late in planting but they are coming along little by little. Your jam looks delicious! xo