Harvest Time

I've hardly blogged about all the food we've put up for winter, except to lament that there aren't more hours in a day, so I thought I'd share (read: brag) about a few favorite little goodies that we'll be cracking open come January or so.

From summer 09

First up, we've got the quadruple-batch peach salsa. I spent one lovely August day chopping peaches, onions, and peppers into tiny pieces, which took a really long time. But I was left with eleven lovely, lovely pint jars of peach salsa:

From summer 09

Nearly one a month until the peaches come around again! Also, although you probably cannot see it, the jar on the left in front reads 'Canadian Mason' - it's one of a few pint jars I have that my Mom used to use for her canning. When I was a kid, that jar probably held canned cherries, one of the best desserts ever invented. I just love using the same jars that my Mom used, I don't know why. Maybe because it gives me a sense of history, of preparing for winter in the same way that my mother, and hers before, did. I know, what kind of weirdo gets all mushy over a glass jar? ... But I still do.

I think I am kind of weird for the souvenirs I choose as well. Most people going through wine country, as my family and I did this past weekend, might get a bottle of wine, right? Or, perhaps, a t-shirt from Niagara Falls? Nope, not me.

From fall 2009

I got grapes! Ben and I actually came this close to an argument, because I insisted on stopping for grapes and, as we were barely into a ten-hour drive, hubby thought that our time could be used more wisely. Y'know, like to drive the heck home? But fortunately, we found a farm stand at a rest area, which ground the spousal sniping to a standstill. And, I got to make real, yummy, amazing grape jelly:

From fall 2009

It is so darned good. Also, I found that grape juice that is prepared to become grape jelly (as in, the mashed grapes are mixed with a small amount of water, simmered for ten minutes, then put into cheesecloth and hung up over a pot to drain) makes excellent grape juice concentrate. I mixed the half-cup or so that I had left over with some sugar and about three cups of water, and it was all gone by dinnertime. The kids love drinking juice from 'wine grapes,' and eating the few leftover grapes was the icing on their cake.

August and Blogging Don't Mix

To do:

Friday - Make giant batch of granola and then eat some for breakfast. Go with relatives and friends to best blueberry place ever, hands down. Pick 3 pounds blueberries. Swim with kiddos in pool. Finish drying 1/2-bushel of peaches purchased earlier in week. Stay up way too late, unable to put down Harry Potter #4 (third reading in as many years).

Saturday - Return to blueberry field and pick another 7 pounds berries. At favorite farm stand, put in order for another 1/2-bushel of peaches; while there, ask about 1/2-bushel of tomato seconds. Take home said 1/2-bushel of tomatoes. Cook down into tomato sauce. Swim with kiddos and hubby. After kiddos are in bed, can tomato sauce, interspersed with reading HP#5. Stay up way to late again reading HP#5. Swear that tomorrow night will be different.

Sunday - Wash large load of laundry and hang on line. Pick up peaches ordered yesterday. While there, notice a lonely-looking 1/2-bushel of tomato seconds; take home. Take laundry off line and put away. Prepare for and host afternoon pool party. Drink beer and eat cheez doodles and Adele's awesome blueberry pie. Swim, talk, laugh. Make sauce while hubby puts kiddos to bed and then slices peaches for the dehydrator - thanks hubby!. Make yummy fruit roll-ups for dehydrator. Stay up way too late reading HP#5.

Monday - Wash first load of laundry hang out to dry. Continue cooking down last night's sauce and prepare canner and jars for processing. Teach yoga class. Take down first load of laundry and hang second load on line. Can tomato sauce. Swim with kiddos. Get some dinner on the table. Take down second load of laundry and put into dryer, because clothes are not dry due to excessive mugginess. Forget about them until tomorrow. Read HP#5 well into night. At 1AM, smack forehead and SWEAR that tomorrow night will be different.

Tuesday - wash and hang laundry. Make giant batch of waffles with Owen. Grow crystal experiment with Owen. Read The Indian in the Cupboard with Owen. Notice that Owen is attached to right hip today. Swim with kiddos. Take down first load of laundry and put up second to dry. Swim with kiddos and hubby. Make dinner - Spaghetti Bolognese made with extra tomato sauce, love the leftovers! While hubby cleans up from dinner and takes care of chickens, slice peaches for the dehydrator. Read more Indian in the Cupboard to Owen before bed. Make more yummy fruit roll-up for dehydrator, this time in a pleasing peach-and-blueberry stripe. Write blog post. Finish HP#5? (Probably... will most likely stay up way too late :-)

Blueberries, Blueberries, Blueberries!

For blueberries, we go to this amazing, indescribable place not far from home.

They provide ancient-looking coffee cans strung on plastic wire; pricing is simple - 1 full coffee can = 4 pounds = 8 dollars.

It is awesome. Owen acts like the bear from Blueberries for Sal, standing at a bush, munching and gulping. The first time we ever went, I offered to buy an extra pound of berries due to my youngest's nibbling. The farmer's response was to wave my money away, saying "nonsense, everybody eats."

As you stand among the bushes, you don't see anyone else (even the people you're there with - you have to call out every once in awhile to the kids), but here and there you can hear voices of other pickers. I love that, on any given day, you'll hear Polish, Indian, Chinese, Spanish. All kinds of people who really care about good, fresh food come here.

Best of all, you leave with 9 pounds of berries, picked in an hour and a half. And then you get to turn it into pies, and muffins, and pancakes...

And jam.