Showing posts with label produce. Show all posts
Showing posts with label produce. Show all posts

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Applesauce Fun!?!

I mentioned in my previous post that Dear Hubby "surprised" me with two boxes of apples from a friend's orchard. The troops have been doing there best to eat them, but with the way above average temperatures here the apples had started to get a little soft. Not wanting to waste them I decided to throw together a batch of applesauce. Of course, I grossly under estimated the project! I started off by quartering the apples:

Tossing them into my trusty kettle. This pot is one of my most prized possessions. It belonged to my Great Grandmother, who used it for the exact same purposes, as I do. Then it was passed on to my Mother who would make giant batches of chili in it to put in the freezer, for later. I became the proud owner of it several years ago, and I have put it to a myriad of uses.


While the apple were "cooking down" (This takes about thirty minutes. Don't forget to stir them occasionally so they don't scorch!). I put together the Victorio Strainer. I picked this wonderous culinary gadget up at the local thrift store for $6.00. A HUGE bargain! Purchased new this would cost much, much more! This handy gizmo is one of my favorite canning items. It eliminates the need to peel, core, and seed fruits and veggies. It does the work for you. Notice the trusty Pyrex pans waiting to catch the yummy goodness!


Once the apples are soft load the hopper and start processing them.


Of course, it is always nice if you get a little help! Surprisingly, Child #3 and #4 love to help do this part of the process. They fight over who gets to "plunge" the apples and who gets to turn the crank!


Just like magic! Applesauce come out the side and the apple "poop" (Yes, another "Barrettism" created by my delightful children. Nice potty language, huh?) shoots out the center. The apple "poop" gets tossed into the garden to break down over the winter.


The applesauce goes back into the kettle, and it is time to add sugar. I usually taste test the amount of sugar I stir in. Sweeter apples need less sugar than tart ones. These were fairly sweet, so I only added 3 cups of sugar to the whole kettle. You can add cinnamon and nutmeg at this point, too, if you like spicy applesauce.

Once the applesauce comes to a slow boil and the sugar is dissolved pour the applesauce into hot sterilized jars (dishwashers are fabulous for doing this!).


Top the jars with new lids that have been simmering in hot water for 5 minutes, and tighten down the lid down with a ring. Place them in a on the plate of the steam canner.


Cover with the dome lid and bring to a boil (a steady flow of steam will start shooting out of the steam holes in the lid), process for 20 minutes (if you live at sea level). I process mine for 30 minutes because I live at 4,600 ft. above sea level. If you don't know what adjustment to make for your altitude you check out this link. You can also use a water bath canner if you don't have a steam canner. Just follow the instructions for water bathing in The Ball Blue Book. I fact, the instructions for making applesauce can be found in The Ball Blue Book.

When you are done processing the jars set them on a hard surface to cool. Don't they look just lovely?


Woo, Hoo! Apples are all done! Another check mark on the canning list! Is that list getting shorter? Maybe,..... but wait ....... what do I see simmer on the stove? More salsa, anyone?


Really, I can stop anytime I want to............................

Friday, October 1, 2010

I Need A Canning Intervention!

I swear, I made a promise to myself, at the beginning of the Summer, that I would NOT doing any canning this year! I had just inventoried the storage room downstairs and realized that 2/3 of the stash of garden produce I had put up from 2009 was still sitting pristinely in their cardboard boxes. That is because I was WAY out of control in 2008 and basically canned anything that would hold still for 5 minutes; leaving a surplus! I really had good intentions, and I held out for quite awhile but................
  • Bountiful Baskets had such great deals on peaches, and pears, that my Dear Sweet Friend and I just did a "little" canning to take advantage of great prices and put a few things away.
  • Then the stinkin' green beans that I had been lamenting were not going to produce, did just that! So, I thought I'd just put up a few more jars (12 to be exact) of Dilly Beans ( for a grand total of 36 pints of Dilly Beans in the storage room).


  • But then Bountiful Baskets offered a fabulous price on a 36 pound box of Gala Apples. My Dear Friend and I really did need to stock up on Apple Pie Filling and it was just one box. In the end we netted 22 quarts.
I am NOT an addict! I can stop any time I want to! Only...........
  • Those darn tomato plants that were loaded with green tomatoes that I knew were not going to ripen, did so all at once! Not to mention that those jalapeno pepper plants have been just so industrious, and so have the green pepper plants!
In fact, I don't think my peppers have ever produced anything close to this amount....ever! This is just one weeks picking. I have 2 gallon Ziploc bags of green peppers in the freezer already!

  • I just couldn't waste all these beautiful veggies that my garden had worked so hard to produce.
  • I would just make one batch of salsa to use them up....or maybe four batches (32 pints later).
  • Oh, No! When I drained the tomatoes to makes salsa, it left a gallon and a half of perfectly good tomato juice. Of course, Waste Not Want Not! There was no way I could pour that juice down the drain. Besides, I had all the canning equipment out anyway, so I steam canned 6 quarts of tomato juice.
  • Then I still had a pile of jalapenos! Now, if I tried to feed the kid's that many hot peppers all at once, I'm sure something VERY, VERY bad would happen! It would only take a minute to pressure can a few for later. Twelve more 1/2 pints later (bringing the grand total of canned peppers to 35).
  • I'm sure I am done now! Oh, wait! Dear Hubby brought me "flowers" in the form of two more boxes of apples from his friend's orchard. Looks like I'll be making applesauce tomorrow.....and what about all those yummy beets still in the garden.....and the carrots, we can't waste those!
Hello, my name is Tightwad Mom and I have an addiction problem...........!

Friday, September 17, 2010

Swore Farms



(Click on the picture above for directions to the farm.)

One of my favorite places to visit during late summer and throughout the fall is Swore Farms (I really am a farm girl at heart!). Mike and Wendy Swore and their five children own a small local farm that has been in their family for three generations. I admire their willingness to carry on the family tradition. As well as, provide local produce and agricultural education for the community. I end up at the farm on many weekends buying corn. I have been eating (and freezing dozens of ears) of their yummy corn for several years now, it's the best sweet corn I've tasted. I also like to peruse the "garage" while I'm there to find other fresh veggies to supplement what I can't grow in my own garden. They have a great variety of vegetables; I especially like the red potatoes.


You can visit the Swore Family at the farm Saturdays from 10:00am - 4:00pm (daily from 10:00am - 7:00pm during corn season). If you don't want to drive out to the farm, you can visit them Wednesday (from 4:00 - 8:00pm) and Saturday (from 9:00am - 1:00pm) at the Portneuf Valley Farmer's Market or Tuesdays at the Chubbuck Farmer's Market (from 3:30 - 7:30pm).

Starting October 1st Swore Farms will be hosting their Annual Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch every Friday (4:00pm to dusk), Saturday (10:00am to dusk), and Mondays (4:00 to dusk) for Family Night. Groups and classes are also welcome to call Wendy (705-0991) to schedule a visit. I have taken my Cub Scout groups on several occasions, and we have always had a fabulous time. I love that Wendy teach the kids about farming and agriculture while they are having a fun time.

Go check out there website soon to learn more about Swore Farms, and be sure to take advantage of all the fresh, yummy produce they provide. Thank you Swore Farms!!!!!

Saturday, May 15, 2010

This Week's Bountiful Basket


This week's Bountiful Basket haul was fabulous! Since I picked it up this week, I photographed our entire basket. I wasn't kidding when I said it filled a large laundry basket! I have very impressed with the quality of the produce. Most everything lasts a week or longer in the fridge. Our $15.00 ($16.50 including the handling fee) bought us:

  • 1 giant head of leaf lettuce
  • 3 pounds of apples
  • 11 peaches
  • 5 mangos
  • 3 pounds of bananas
  • 10 limes (hello Diet Coke with Lime )
  • 13 brussel sprouts (I am so excited to cook these)
  • 6 tomatoes
  • 1 pound package of baby carrots
  • 2 small butternut squash
  • 7 ears of corn
  • 1 personal sized watermelon
If you live in Wyoming, Washington, Utah, Texas, Nevada, Idaho, or Arizona check Bountiful Baskets blogspot to see if there is a location near you!

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Bountiful Baskets



(MY HALF OF THE BOUNTY!)
My dear friend and neighbor, Stacy and I have been participating in Bountiful Baskets for about a month now, and I have to say it has been one of our greatest finds! Every Monday night (log in times vary by state so check the site for your time. Idaho's time is 8:00pm.) we log on to the Bountiful Baskets website, and place our order for a basket(actually two small laundry baskets worth; one of fruit and one of veggies), which costs $15.00. In addition to fruits and veggies, there are other items that can be purchased. Usually, there is 9 grain bread (5 loaves for $10.00). I was worried my family wouldn't eat it, but it has been a hit. It is very tasty, and freezes well. There are also seasonal items that can be purchased. So far (since we have been participating), there has been flats of strawberries, packages of salsa vegetables, (7 dozen) assorted tortillas (also freezes well), and gallon cans of extra virgin olive oil. Bountiful Baskets co ops with small farms to purchase in bulk, and relies on local volunteers to keep the costs down. On Saturday, with laundry basket in hand (You have to bring your own container to bring your food home in. I would recommend a Rubbermaid tote or laundry basket. Cardboard boxes got heavy, and were hard to hold on to!), we go to our designated site at the time appointed (for us it's 8:00 am) and wait in line (for about 15 or so minutes). When it's our turn we show our voucher (which you print off of the computer from an e mail you receive on Friday), and sign the log book. Then we get our basket (if you signed up for extras you go to a second table to show your voucher and sign a second log book). Since, Stacy and I, split a basket and whatever else we purchase (which feeds two families, one with six and one with seven,for one week) our average cost is about $13.50 each. For instance this week we got:

  • A BIG head of Romaine lettuce
  • A BIG bunch of Spinach
  • 3# of bananas
  • 3# of apples
  • 1 cantaloupe
  • 1 honeydew melon
  • 2 cucumbers
  • 8 tomatoes
  • 8 kiwis
  • 2 small bags of radishes
  • 3 (6 oz) containers of blackberries
  • 2 artichokes
This would definitely have cost much more than $15.00 at the supermarket! Each week brings a different variety of fruits and veggies. It has been kind of fun for me because of the variety of produce we get. I wouldn't usually buy blackberries, kiwis or honeydew right now because they aren't really in season, and I have never bought fresh artichokes in my life until now. In fact, I have a blackberry/ strawberry pie in the oven (and it smells HEAVENLY!). I have also been very impressed by how fresh everything is, and how long it keeps in the refrigerator. So, THANK YOU to all the great people who have worked hard to bring Bountiful Baskets to our area!! I have to give them a two thumbs up for sure!!!

P.S. Pie anyone?

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