Happy Atheist Forum

So I don't annoy y'all too much on the other threads.....  Here's one devoted to my current expansion of the pantry.  I'm doing this from foods we can grow or get cheap/free because we have bare pantries and would like to eat this winter without having to pay a boatload of cash for groceries.  Everything will be made here at the house, canned, frozen or dehydrated, by me in this cramped sweat box I call a kitchen.
Feel free to drool, ask question etc.  I just wanted to showcase my hard work to those who won't automatically think I'm a die hard theist because I'm frugal

To recap to date for the moth of July:
Zucchini: http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/07 ... r-not.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/07/when-garden-gives-you-zucchini-or-not.html)
Limed Pickles: http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/07 ... rivel.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/07/time-to-shrivel.html)
B&B Pickles: http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/07 ... ckles.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/07/more-bread-and-butter-pickles.html)
Plum Butter: http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/07 ... crazy.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/07/plum-butter-crazy.html)
Giardinere: http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/07 ... inere.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/07/taking-stab-at-gardinere.html)
Pickled Red Onions: http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/07 ... nions.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/07/pickled-red-onions.html)


Today's additions
Pickled Cantaloupe: http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/07 ... loupe.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/07/pickled-cantaloupe.html)
Banana Butter: http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/07 ... utter.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/07/banana-butter.html)

Not to mention the ongoing peach preservation that has reached 3 quarts, 19 pints and 2 half pints of peach butter, with plans for canned peaches and pickled peaches in the next few days depending on how many fully ripe one I can get my hands on.  And I have a half bushel of tomatoes waiting for me to start on them in the morning.

I'll go for the    option!

You have inspired me to work over part of my back garden next year for tomatoes and possibly some carrots and spuds. I don't have a large garden and I HATE gardening because I don't see it as particularly productive. So it's time to make it productive! The first thing I'll have to do is re-home the half-dozen frogs that inhabit a little pseudo-pond I put in about 5 years ago. It's a large plastic storage container dug into ground level filled with water loosely covered with a dust-bin lid covered with turf. When you lift the lid they sit there for a while as if you won't notice them and then jump into the water.

In the early eighties my brother used our garden to grow plants like these. That was the only time in life that I liked gardening.
(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fphotos.igougo.com%2Fimages%2Fp331293-Bhutan-Marijuana_plant_near_Paro.jpg&hash=73cbb0dafa681bc0028e7905769e2a97b2b2f980)

Quote from: "Tom62"In the early eighties my brother used our garden to grow plants like these. That was the only time life that I liked gardening.

Quote from: "Tank"I'll go for the    option!

You have inspired me to work over part of my back garden next year for tomatoes and possibly some carrots and spuds. I don't have a large garden and I HATE gardening because I don't see it as particularly productive. So it's time to make it productive! The first thing I'll have to do is re-home the half-dozen frogs that inhabit a little pseudo-pond I put in about 5 years ago. It's a large plastic storage container dug into ground level filled with water loosely covered with a dust-bin lid covered with turf. When you lift the lid they sit there for a while as if you won't notice them and then jump into the water.

Depending on the size of your yard, you could probably do container gardening or small raised beds without having to evict the frogs (I like the frogs, have a garden tub pond thing myself).
One of the self sufficient books I have talks about raised beds and over planting them, which is what we did this year and it has turned out fairly good minus the sudden jump in temps that killed off half of the start up crops and the dry conditions.

Today's additions:
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/07 ... erent.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/07/trying-something-different.html)
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/07 ... atoes.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/07/half-bushel-of-tomatoes.html)

:verysad:  Now you're just plain upsetting me  

Quote from: "Tank":(  :sigh:

Quote from: "KDbeads"

Quote from: "Tank":(  :sigh:

lol

Well, in the states 'jam' still requires a pectin of some sort added, according to the FDA idiots in the latest book of preserving I have.  Butters don't, they rely on the natural pectin of the fruits, sugar, and great evaporation of the product to ensure gel state is at least somewhat reached.

Today is zucchini candy and possibly onion jam if I can find a recipe that uses dry pectin instead of liquid pectin, they were out of the liquid in town this morning.   Maybe even a few more pickled peaches if I gather enough courage to face the peeling of the fuzzy things again.  Peach fuzz and fiberglass insulation have a LOT in common when it comes to being an irritant.

Zucchini candy..............  Damn this stuff is good!  It has been declared totally eat-able!
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... -able.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08/totally-eat-able.html)

2 pints pickled peppers
2 more pints pickled peaches
6 pints onion jam
6 more pints peach butter


And.......

a batch of fresh, homemade ricotta cheese     It's good even still warm!


I am sitting either on the couch or at the computer the rest of the day, with breaks to deal with laundry.

Would it be polite to apply the epithet 'Domestic Goddess'  

You can call me goddess all you like.... it's the domestic that gets me in trouble

Links to today's stuff:
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... d-way.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08/pickles-old-way.html)
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... nions.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08/jamming-onions.html)
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... ppers.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08/pickled-peppers.html)

I posted the peach butter
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... utter.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08/peach-butter.html)

What are the green beetles you mention on your blog?

These things, it's a pdf:
http://www.ent.uga.edu/peach/peachhbk/i ... beetle.pdf (http://www.ent.uga.edu/peach/peachhbk/insects/greenjunebeetle.pdf)
This is a really bad year for them, most late fruiting crops are being totally destroyed around here if you don't use pesticides.

They look pretty but I'm sure they are a real pest too. They very pernicious in their reproduction and feeding habits. Pity one cant eat them too!

The chickens love them

And more of today's additions (not including another batch of zucchini candy)
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... pples.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08/white-apples.html)
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... ppers.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08/peck-of-pickled-peppers.html)


There could be halved peaches tomorrow, we'll see if I feel like even trying to peel the beasties.

Ok... so where was I?

Oh yeah:
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... aches.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08/ruby-red-white-peaches.html)
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... -time.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08/ok-so-i-cheated-this-time.html)

You really don't want to see how full my pantry is at the moment

No longer afraid of the pressure canner thingie, I take it.    Do you love it now?

Well considering these are all high acid water bath process :drool
I can't wait!!  Been told that a 25 pound sack will net 50+ quart jars full :yay:

I seem to have issues with reading tonight; I read the thread title without the "r".

Quote from: "Thumpalumpacus"I seem to have issues with reading tonight; I read the thread title without the "r".

Lawdy.

Quote from: "Thumpalumpacus"I seem to have issues with reading tonight; I read the thread title without the "r".

You're not the only one that misreads that title  

;)  :bananacolor:

http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... -them.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08/brussel-sprouts-yep-i-pickled-them.html)  (AKA Atomic Frog Balls)
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... -chow.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08/little-bit-of-chow-chow.html)
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... nyone.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08/green-tomatoes-anyone.html)

Quote from: "KDbeads"http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... -them.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08/brussel-sprouts-yep-i-pickled-them.html)  (AKA Atomic Frog Balls)
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... -chow.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08/little-bit-of-chow-chow.html)
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... nyone.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08/green-tomatoes-anyone.html)

Pickled Brussels Sprouts! FFS do you have no sense of smell!! They could be considered a WMD under the Geneva convention! Jesus H Christ on a Bike giving those to a friend would be like giving their 8yo kid a drum kit. In a confined space they would probably be considered a 'cruel and unusual punishment.' Suddenly having the Atlantic between me and your pickled products appears to actually be a blessing! Simple thinking about the potential after effects is making me want to barf!

Pickled Brussels Sprouts 0/10

When I was a kid a bag of Brussel Sprouts appeared in my house.
I still haven't got over it.
I know what my room 101 would have in it.

So I take you two are not fans? :blink:
Though I did figure out a way to cook without gagging.  I dumped the frozen mass, notice I didn't buy fresh, those were only quadruple the price, in the pickling liquid and boiled, the vinegar cut the nasty sulfurous fumes by almost all of them.

There's a company that makes these under the name of 'Atomic Frog Balls'... gourmet food lol

Oh I like Brussels Sprouts, properly cooked. The trouble is nobody can stay in the house with me and hour or so after consuming them.  

Oh and.... I'm making English orange marmalade tonight.  A recipe from a 1913 publication in the US.  It's cooking away as I type and I'm already sick of the orange smell  

TANK!!...... dude..... never again..... never ever again...... will I make English Orange Marmalade.  

I finally got it to gel stage, only took 5 hours, processing now, 12 half pints, 5 pints.  I have another bag of oranges too.  Thinking those will end up as orange preserves, requires no orange peel, hence much less if not no orange oil.

Now of course like the idiot that I am.... I'll probably forget how nauseous I am at the moment and do it again next season.......


Gah..... Finished it:
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... ed-it.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08/orange-you-glad-i-tried-it.html)

So... I have more.... and unless something comes in in the next few days I'm done for a bit.  

http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... range.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08/another-lesson-in-orange.html)
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... pears.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08/gingered-pears.html)

Totals in case anyone is interested:
243 jars, of which there are 60 half pints, 148 pints, and 35 quarts


Now the long wait until the peanuts come in, I have 25 pounds of green runners reserved for me when the fields are pulled in a month or so.  Hoping to net about 50 jars of boiled peanuts

http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... icjam.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08/roasted-garlicjam.html)
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... e-jam.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08/cantaloupe-jam.html)

I got another case of tomatoes today..... tomorrow is crushed stewed tomatoes......

So I've added more.......
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... sauce.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08/canning-sauce.html)
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... nanas.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08/yes-we-have-no-bananas.html)
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/09/apple-day.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/09/apple-day.html)

So now I'm contemplating chinese condements........ duck sauce, plum sauce, hoisen sauce.......  Considering out here in BFE we can't get anything other than plain old kikoman soy sauce and chili oil.  Have to drive down to Austin for anything else or order it online.

Have the duck sauce started, have enough prunes for a small batch of plum sauce I think, just have to find my recipe....

Yes I'm nuts.  But at least I'll be eating this winter.  Here's yesterday's small project:
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/09 ... hetta.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/09/canned-bruschetta.html)

Only read the first five posts or so.

I'm a bit jealous.  I planted my garden right before the flood hit Tennessee.  Well, the rain that flooded Tenn came from my backyard and everything drowned except my corn, which then dried up.  I need to irrigate pretty badly.

Our garden dried out about 6 week ago when we maintained 100+ without rain for longer than a week.    
I have however, started the fall planting of zucchini and cucumbers, crossing fingers on those cause I'm OUT of all my zucchini from last year!  Hoping the tomatoes come back and do what they did last year.... fruit until December 18th.

If it won't grow in the snow, I can't plant it now.  My backyard oughtta be pretty nutrient-rich next year, though.

Eh, depends on the area of KY but I'm pretty sure you can get in a crop of beets, radish, turnips, carrots, cabbage and lettuce before the first hard freeze     Then again, I'm thinking way too hard at the moment about what else I need to plant this year and when.....

I just have to make myself go do it, but it's still so damn hot out here!  Maybe I can do it in the rain from the tropical depression headed this way tomorrow.... hmmmmm.....

It's too dry right now.  The ground is clay and it's like ceramic right now.  Aside form that I have no exterior water.  The lack of water and my previous comment about fertilization are both related to: [link removed by PoopShoot]
I couldn't get the pics to load here, but the event was last week.

Crap, forgot about the clay belt!  Been out of the south too long.  I can totally relate to water issues, we are on a watering moratorium and burn ban and have been since June.  So it's like not having the spigot outside.  I'm using pasta water and the water left over from canning to water what's left of my garden.  Can't get into the site to see the reference, may have to sign up  


And today's addition:
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/09/duck-sauce.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/09/duck-sauce.html)

Quote from: "KDbeads"Can't get into the site to see the reference, may have to sign up  

That wasn't the point of the link, but feel free to join.  I've removed it so that the staff doesn't think I'm trying to hide spam.

(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsphotos.ak.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ak-snc4%2Fhs630.snc4%2F58999_1485793019703_1080215244_1444228_5148288_n.jpg&hash=e2cfef9e83ff7a34d00f793ab6382e5daf6fe0c9)
(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsphotos.ak.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ak-snc4%2Fhs417.snc4%2F47986_1485793819723_1080215244_1444230_3763220_n.jpg&hash=1a6718b5519867a028626256c4dec917ec01beb6)
(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsphotos.ak.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ak-snc4%2Fhs417.snc4%2F47986_1485793859724_1080215244_1444231_7142753_n.jpg&hash=83245a7876c2716426083caf5ce0a123fff8e8b0)
(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsphotos.ak.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ak-snc4%2Fhs417.snc4%2F47986_1485794059729_1080215244_1444236_3757469_n.jpg&hash=6c819d84e9c66f0707862dbf889451333a2a7969)
(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsphotos.ak.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ak-ash2%2Fhs217.ash2%2F47986_1485794099730_1080215244_1444237_2729046_n.jpg&hash=e50c4ecc101016c795ea78e7fd066f3a0e058a2f)
(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsphotos.ak.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ak-snc4%2Fhs410.snc4%2F47360_1485795779772_1080215244_1444246_7785248_n.jpg&hash=e6a505a7454016ea5d360f9fed087994e2dc02a7)
(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsphotos.ak.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ak-ash2%2Fhs210.ash2%2F47360_1485796019778_1080215244_1444252_7228732_n.jpg&hash=b23ddb86427adce74c03d568eef450e8dd42449a)
(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsphotos.ak.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ak-snc4%2Fhs410.snc4%2F47360_1485796099780_1080215244_1444254_2866198_n.jpg&hash=efd4324c9b1bc4967cf20978b72b569b2d515103)

That did my firefighter's heart good.

No worries PS
Wow, that's going to be some really fertile ground next year!   Still happy we haven't had a grass fire here though.

That was a 10 foot hedge.  On a related note, I now have more land.

Yep, been in TX too long, 10' is a full grown tree out here!  More land is always good.  I live in the 'city', to get more land I'd have to buy the 2 acre field behind me, then I could get goats, a cow or 2 and really piss off my neighbors instead of the mild annoyance of the 30 some odd chickens in the back yard now.  

I've got just under an acre, but that hedge covered enough land for a whole GOOD garden.

And a few more....
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/09/plum-sauce.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/09/plum-sauce.html)
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/09 ... sauce.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/09/teriyaki-sauce.html)
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/09/sriracha.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/09/sriracha.html)

Did you ever happen to blog about step by step how you can something?  I have yet to find instructions that were clear enough that I thought I could follow them and end up with something shelf stable.

Actually the best thing to do is get the Ball Blue book, it has step by step with pictures for several different methods of canning.  I do have the step by step thing on the peach butter but is more for those who already have some canning experience.

There is also this site that has some fairly in depth directions that may be of help:
http://www.pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htm (http://www.pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htm)

If you want to try something, pickles or jelly are the fastest, easiest, most fool proof types you can start with.  
Pickled peppers are probably the easiest actually, ingredients are here: http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... ppers.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08/pickled-peppers.html)
If you slice up the peppers into rings, pack into jars with spices, wipe off the rims, pour in the vinegar and set in the water bath for 10 or 15 minutes they are a no fail for the most part.

Had 3 watermelons given to me yesterday......
http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/09 ... n-jar.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/09/summer-in-jar.html)

Damn I'm tired after that one.

Quote from: "KDbeads"Actually the best thing to do is get the Ball Blue book, it has step by step with pictures for several different methods of canning.  I do have the step by step thing on the peach butter but is more for those who already have some canning experience.

There is also this site that has some fairly in depth directions that may be of help:
http://www.pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htm (http://www.pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htm)

If you want to try something, pickles or jelly are the fastest, easiest, most fool proof types you can start with.  
Pickled peppers are probably the easiest actually, ingredients are here: http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... ppers.html (http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/08/pickled-peppers.html)
If you slice up the peppers into rings, pack into jars with spices, wipe off the rims, pour in the vinegar and set in the water bath for 10 or 15 minutes they are a no fail for the most part.

Thanks for the help...I'll have to give it a try.

Another idea is to call your Ag extension office, they usually hold classes on canning/preserving a few times a year.  Would really be worth the time to go to one if you can!

My mom was just out here from Austin helping a friend move, and she was telling all about how she's canning and pickling all the tomatoes and cucumbers her and her bf grow in their garden, and retardo-me, the first thing I thought of was this thread.  I need to get my garden back in shape.