Outdoor Canning Station

Since it's raining today I get one of those things called a day off!  What it really means is that I've got time to show you guys the "new" outdoor kitchen site Mars put together.  He moved it off of the old houses porch and back behind it instead because it gets shade there most all day long. The back side of the old porch also works to help as a windbreak from the southern winds we get in the summer.  I was having problems with keeping the stove lit when the winds were blowing even with the "windbreaks" he added to the stove.  Those are the sheet metal parts hung on the front, back and side of the stove.

He used some of the  bricks left from the old house to make a pad for the stove. 

Leveling out the ground to get started

 This way not only is the stove level but it won't be sinking into the dirt in the long run.  

 The black mat came from the bed of the diesel truck I wrecked . 
It makes it easier to walk on if for example it's been raining and the grounds a little wet. 

 

 I've been needing a table for some workspace for awhile.  I've looked around several places for tables and even the camping tables many places carry now, but on an income of $900 a month even though they really aren't that expensive there was always something that we needed more.  

Mars decided to make a work table from one of the pallets he'd been saving.  Notice the whole top has slats unlike most pallets.  The legs are part of one of the old cedars that we cut down here a couple of years ago.  He set the posts and also used the top of the porch for even more stability.

   I just love this stove.  With the high pressure BTU's it heats to boiling in no time at all and stays at pressure like it should.  The old set up I had worked but it took forever to heat to boiling and then I was constantly adjusting the fire to try and keep it at the correct pressure for canning. 

   Oh and the table is totally level too! (Mars wouldn't have it any other way) The table makes the whole canning process SO much easier!  I just get everything prepped and ready, get all the jars, lids, rings, etc lined up and it's good to go.  

We use a tarp to cover the stove in the summer when it's not in use and move it to the barn during the winter. 

 The outdoor sink is just a few feet away but  there is also a hose I can use to fill the canners, wash my hands, rinse off stuff, etc... so I set up a hose right by the table.  

 There is talk about building a clay oven someday.  That would be cool!

Checking In

Hey Susan... kymber....  See the weeds now?

I know I've not kept up with the blog lately but like lots of other folks the garden is keeping me busy.  And I mean 12 hour days every day.  Well almost every day since it rained like crazy a few days ago and that always gives me sort of some time off.  Except that there are also tons of things that tend to get neglected when the garden starts coming in.

I'll just run down yesterday to give you an idea of what I've been up to.  Since it had rained a couple of days before weeding is much easier to do.  They tend to come loose (the weeds) without tools.  The intention when I went out there was to pick squash and cucumbers to get ready to do some canning.  When I get out in the garden for some reason I can't help but pull weeds.  Heck I was in town the other day and saw some weeds growing along the sidewalk.  I actually had to stop myself from bending over and pulling them.  Does this happen to anyone else? 

So for those who think my garden looks so "weedless" trust me it doesn't happen by itself and is still overrun in many places.  I actually took some pictures of some of my weeds for Susan and kymber! lol  When you have control of the camera you have control of what you shoot.

I spent the early morning dealing with the rabbits, washing some clothes and hanging them out.  I'm still way behind but at least it's a start.  Then I walked the garden to see what all was coming in.  It seems like most everything is coming on at the same time.  So as I picked squash and cucumbers I weeded where I was picking.  Believe it or not I spent the entire day doing that so I could get the pickles worked up this morning. They are on ice and I'll get them canned tomorrow morning.  Then I washed a bunch of dishes, cooked dinner and sat down about 9 to eat.  While we were watching our evening movie I was shelling peas.

Speaking of shelling peas, I picked 3 six gallon buckets and one 3 gallon one of peas.  The way I get them done is to shell them is that I shell them when I'm sitting down to rest up and cool off.  I shell peas instead of reading in the evening like I normally do.  I shell peas while we watch our evening movie.... well heck, you get the idea.  Any sit down time is spent with peas until I get done with them. So far we've shelled a one gallon freezer bag full.  Not enough to fire up the canner yet. Soon though, really soon.

The tomatoes are starting to turn red.  There are a bunch out there but nothing like the huge amounts last year.  The weather has them real confused and right now there are only a few blooms on them.  We'll see how they do once it cools down a bit.  I just need enough to make my salsa and the homemade Ro-tel's.  I've got my fingers crossed.

This week we also butchered dispatched the 6 rabbits that should have been offed a couple of weeks ago.  Our feed bill was getting ridiculous and to be honest I was glad to get it done.

 Now I can officially be called The Rabbit Killer.  Those of you who have been hanging around with me awhile will understand that one!  lol At least this time it's true.  But this morning I had a real scary moment.  What with the rabbits and all the freezer is over full.  As in there isn't any tiny little space left.  So I had to move some things around to get to the ice bucket.  I can't start the morning without my ice tea.  After that I can get my coffee fix.  So I was pulling things out and all the sudden a big package wrapped in butcher paper (read rabbit here) This big package falls out of the freezer and hits me in the shin.  
Well there was a sharp part of bone that clipped me right in that main vein that runs right up the leg.  I started bleeding profusely.  Lots and lots of blood was just pouring out.  I'll admit I was scared.  Mars was outside and there was no way I could holler loud enough for him to hear me.  Still flooding the kitchen floor with pools of blood first I grabbed a chunk of paper towels that only worked for maybe thirty seconds.  I had sat down on the floor to take any pressure off the leg.  I was able to get to the dish towel drawer and grab a towel and sort of tried making a tourniquet out of it.
 All I could think was apply pressure and oh my God there was a  LOT of blood.  The towel and the pressure made everything slow down and before long the bleeding stopped.  You talk about scared!  WOW I was truly scared.  I don't think I've mentioned it before but I have really thin skin and some sort of blood thing that I can never remember the name of. Thromb something.... Anyway, I bleed real easy.  I've now got a good dent in my lower shin that will be needing daily care but I'm still above ground. 
All this to say that the rabbit got me back from the "grave" as it were.  So the Rabbit Killer was attacked by the very  rabbits that were butchered dispatched.  Kind of funny when you think about it. Revenge from the grave freezer. 

I guess that's as good a place as any to wrap this up.  Lots of canning is in my immediate future.  The green beans, Cherokee beans, Limas, peppers, tomatoes.... Well you get the idea.This time of year is what we work for all season long.  I'll just keep repeating it to myself.

Have yourself a great weekend and I'll try to get back to you soon. 
Sci

4th of July, 2014

 And so it begins. Everything up to this point has just been a warm-up for what's to come. What?  My first batch of green beans is sitting in a bucket ready to be cut and prepared.  As usual (for me anyway)  many of them are too large to be anything but tough.  The chickens like them though so it's not like a lost cause.

It seems like once the green beans start coming in  everything else will follow as closely as possible.  Don't ask me why.  I might be wrong but it's the way things happen for me.   

I put up some dill pickles using the recipe that Cristy suggested. I thought I had enough cucumbers ready for a full canner full but only ended up with 5 quarts.  It all worked out though because that was all the vinegar recipe I'd made.  I even made extra so next time it looks like I'll have to double the vinegar mix next time.  I've picked a whole bunch of cucumbers in the past couple of days and it's time to get them prepped and canned.

I also had one of the jars bust on me.  Thankfully it was just the bottom that blew out.  The brand?  It was one of those that Big Lots and Dollar General  carry?  Golden Harvest is the name I think.  It's the first time I've had one of them bust so I don't know what happened.
 
Miss Kitty has decided that she likes the outdoor sink.

I've got peppers to pick and it won't be long till I have to can them too.  These hot banana peppers are almost as long as this plant is high.  I'm thinking I want to  put some up for sandwich peppers.

The picture doesn't do justice to the size of these jalapeno's.  I'm seeing some bacon wrapped stuffed peppers in the near future.

Mars has a thing for serrano's and so I'm definitely going to have to put some up as well.

The purple hull peas are just waiting on me for the first picking and I'm hoping I can get that done today.  I'll shell them and put them up in the fridge until I have enough for a full canner run.  Of all the beans/peas we eat these are our favorite.  I've got a goal of 52  quarts this year. 

I've also got the same goal for squash but that is probably just wishful thinking.  Slowly but surely those #%*$ bugs are trying to take over. It's an ongoing battle and I'm not ready to fly the white flag of surrender just yet.

There are other things I could share but it's all pretty much garden stuff.  Shoot, many of you are going through the same things as I am.   It's times like these I wish I could move as fast as I used to.  This going on at half speed truly gets old. It's frustrating but hey, we all do what we have to do with what we have to work with.  

The beautiful Day Lilly's up top are a sight to see right now.  This is the first time in three years that they've actually bloomed.  I just love the color.

Lots of Questions

Today's Harvest minus the whole bag of broccoli

Where to begin?  It seems I've been gone from here forever yet not much has changed other than the work intensity.  The weather has played a remarkable role in it all.  That's what I keep telling myself anyway. 

I've got another question for you guys.  See the difference in color of some of the squash.  Some of it looks almost orange. They are hard to cut and don't seem to cook well at all. Why do you think that is?  

Everything in the garden seems to be behind  by at least a couple of weeks,  maybe even more with some things.  I haven't canned my first jar of beans or peas yet.  Not a single one. That in itself is pretty unbelievable for this time of year.  I know it won't be long though.  There are all sorts of blooms on everything.

My dill, cilantro, basil and other herbs either didn't come up at all and that that did make an effort went to seed before it ever even got big.  Some of these are required to be partners in different recipes.  *sigh* I'll figure something out though.

I need to find a decent dill pickle recipe this year.  Even with the squash bugs on full throttle the cucumber plants are really doing well.  Now the question is what the heck will I do with all these cucumbers.  There are only so many things I can do with it.  I've got several different things I can do with the fresh cucumbers and we are having cucumbers at most every meal. 

The broccoli has done well.  We are eating it at least once a day and adding it to salads. We just love broccoli! It's starting to bolt however.  Do I replant it for a fall garden or if I just leave them alone will they make goodies on their own?

Why is it that the tomatoes never get ready to eat until after the lettuce and other stuff has bolted?  lol just one of those things that make you go hmmmm.....
I need to be replanting some lettuce but I'm wondering if it would do better to start in a few weeks, after the heat of summer is backing off. 

I had finally got used to having a food processor in the house.  It was a garage sale find and  I really got my moneys worth for $4  One of those little things that you don't miss until you have had one and then when it dies you realize just how much work it did.  *sigh* Just in time for summer too!

I'm still fighting the #$*% squash bug war.  It seems to be working though as long as I'm participating in it's destruction.

Speaking of destruction I've been weeding like crazy.  In fact I've done so much that I seem to have pulled a muscle or something in my neck. I can hardly move it and if my buddies in the preppe'rs chat room could see it I'm sure they would have a super fun time giving me grief!

Well, like I said to begin with things are