~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

~It has officially opened~

Written by Sue, Saturday, May 3, 2014        Beautiful sunny day, temps. 70's.Good day to a hang laundry outside.

Thursday officially started my food preservation season for 2014,  spinach and kale were the first to be gathered this year! It doesn't take a lot of space to plant a garden, ours is a little large, simply because we share with family and friends!
Without being to over zealous one day soon I hope to share the importance and joy of home gardening, and preserving food. I bet you can hardly wait.~smile~

It is hard to imagine that only a few weeks ago these were tiny seeds being planted into fertile soil, and with a little time, and nurturing,they are now ready to serve us. That's the way it is with our life as Christians we are planted in fertile soil, God nurtures us and after a while we are ready to be used of Him for His service.

II Corinthians 9:10~ Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

~Preparing Spinach for the freezer~

Once gathered, it is washed and rinsed in several waters,if needed the wooded stems are trimmed, 

 I then spin the leaves in a salad spinner until almost dried....

Then placed in air tight Food Saver bags,...  If I were using regular plastic bags I would blanch the leaves for a few minutes, cool in ice water then bag, I opted to try it this way to preserve the nutrients. I hope it works as I have had success with other vegetables.  A Food Saver is a great investment!

 "Voila", ready for the freezer.

Yesterday, as Dh and I were working in the garden I said, "I could stay out here all day,"...and I did ~smile~  the weather was so comfortable, overcast skies with an occasional peeking of the sun, pulling weeds was actually not bad at all.

I love gardening and being near God's creations, where all of my senses are touched in some way, I get to play in fresh air, kissed by the sun with the scent of honeysuckle flowing from the nearby woodlands, Our produce is organic, so tasting is always a must, rinsed first at the nearby faucet.~smile~ Watching butterflies flutter around the flowers, ladybugs feasting on aphids, toads, and the chameleons, along with the call of the Mourning Dove to its mate, birds singing.

In the far distance I hear the nearby train whistle,(one of my favorite sounds) as it nears Beard Station. I have often wondered why I love this sound so much, occasionally, when I can't sleep  at night, and the  house is quiet I hear the train whistle again, it always makes me smile.  Years ago towns were built near train tracks and near rivers, it was for necessities and made for easy travel!

Life is simple here at Pear Tree Lane, but not without problems, but God is my strength and my refuge!

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, and ever present help in trouble.

Enjoy your day!

Sue