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Canning All the Things

Posted by Carolyn on September 9, 2015 Leave a Comment

And Then They Canning All the Things CansWe’ve had a garden pretty much since we moved into our house.  Some years have been better than others.  The last few have been pretty lean.  Mostly because I have either been pregnant or with a little baby for the past four summers.  To me, that made it very difficult to nurture something else – like a garden.  We’ve tried lots of different things.  This year, it was pretty small, but we focused on spring greens, a substantial herb garden, a sad little flower bed, and a couple tomato plants.  In the past we’ve tried to grow enough to can, but it never seems to all be ready at once.  This year, I just went out to a farm and bought enough produce to spend a week canning all the things.

The only photo I got of the canning progress... clearly I was busy. Sorry it's a blurry, grainy phone photo.
The only photo I got of the canning progress… clearly I was busy. Sorry it’s a blurry, grainy phone photo.

I bought a case of peaches, a case and a half of tomatoes, a huge bag of cucumbers, a bouquet of dill, and some amazing sweet onions.  With this bounty, I was able to make (and can) a ton of stuff that will hopefully get us through some of the darker months.

After a week of cooking, canning, burning myself, washing, sanitizing, cleaning, sweating, I have 35 jars of summer food to eat in the winter months.

And Then They Canning All the ThingsI know that it’s easy (and cheap) enough to just buy good tasting and good for us food at the grocery store.  Especially the way we are able to shop at our local market.  It might even be cheaper (and it’s certainly easier) than doing all the cooking and canning myself, but that’s not the point.  The point, to me, is that I know exactly what’s in our food.  I know exactly who made it, and when, and where.  It’s something I can do to provide healthy and tasty food for my family.

In the past I’ve canned tomatoes a few times, but that’s it.  Just plain old tomatoes.  Last year, I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and really wanted to try the recipes in the book.  I was especially intrigued by the three in a day recipe.  You basically begin with a tomato base that starts as barbecue sauce, can it, add some stuff that makes it into a sweet and sour sauce, can it, add some stuff that makes it into a chutney, and can it.

And Then They Canning Tomato SaucesThat was the first thing I did.  Unfortunately, I started too late in the day and lost steam when I got to the chutney stage.  It was late at night and I wasn’t thinking.  I ended up skipping the chutney and throwing the remaining sauce away.  The chutney was probably a good idea – I’m not sure we’d have eaten much chutney.  But the throwing out the remaining sauce?  As I was pouring it out it occurred to me that I should not be doing it.  Even if I was too tired to can anymore, I could have at least frozen it.  Or saved some to eat right away.  Ugh.  Live and learn.

  • 7 pints barbecue sauce
  • 7 pints sweet and sour sauce

Next up was the tomato sauce also from AVM.  I’m not sure I let this cook down enough before I canned it (hey, canning expert readers, is that okay?), there seems to be some water in the jars (you can see this in the above photo).  I suppose I can just cook down the sauce more when I’m using it if it’s too runny.  I also had three jars that didn’t seal, so I just stuck those in our freezer.  Oh, I also gave a quart to my friend Jane who came over to help entertain the kids during the canning process – thanks Jane!

  • 9 quarts tomato sauce

And Then They PicklesI found my great uncle Chet’s amazing pickle recipe at my mom’s house earlier this summer, so I had to make those.  As with many old family recipes, some of the directions were unclear, so I did my best to figure it out.  The biggest thing that didn’t make sense was his recipe called for canning in quart jars, but the canning book I have said that canning pickles in quart jars leads to soggy pickles, so I did it in pints.  Does anyone out there have an opinion on this?  Should I try quart jars next year?

  • 7 pints dill pickles

I decided to just straight up can the rest of the peaches.  I already used one jar (because it didn’t seal) to make a cobbler.  I know that in the dead of winter, that will taste amazing.  I can already imagine it on one of those dark, dreary, foggy nights when it feels like the whole world is void of color – popping one of those jars of summer open and making a sweet, bright dessert.

  • 5 quarts peaches
  • TOTAL: 35 jars of food!

And Then They Canning PeachesSo, I learned a lot about canning all the things, and I have some ideas of what I’ll do differently next year, but I’m going to hold off on final judgements until we’ve eaten all the fruits of my labor (hahaha… food pun!).

In closing, on the night of the wasted sauce, I didn’t get to bed until after midnight.  The next morning Harriet woke up bright and early, and I turned to her and said, “Harriet, you need to be quiet.  Mommy was up late preserving the bounty of the season for us to enjoy in the winter.”  Jesse cracked up.  It’s become one of those jokes.

What have you canned this summer?  What are some of your favorite canning recipes?  Do you like canning all the things?  Do you have any other ways you like to preserve the bounty of the season?

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Posted in: ate., garden, in the garden, meal planning | Tagged: canning, cooking, food, garden, garden eating, recipes, summer

35 Things to do Before I Turn 35

Posted by Carolyn on February 26, 2015 6 Comments

Yesterday was my birthday!  I am now proud to say that I have made 34 trips around the sun.  Pretty cool journey we get to take each year, flying around in outer space.  For my 35th years, I decided to make a list of 35 things to do before I turn 35. ABM_1424992821Here’s my list:

  1. Read a book a month.  This should be easy since I have book club every month.  If I keep up with the club, this will be complete!  Note to self: must get this month’s book!
  2. Sign up for life insurance.  Not to be morbid, or anything.  But, yeah.
  3. Try a Barre3 class.
  4. Get a monthly massage.  I would love to complete this goal, but I think it might be one of the less likely.
  5. Try acupuncture.
  6. Get a haircut.  I’m pretty much on a once yearly schedule, and my last haircut was last March.  I did this right before my trip to California!  I love it how the stylist thins out my hair.  Feels so much lighter!
  7. Try 5 recipes from my new cookbook!
  8. Spend a weekend at the beach.
  9. Spend a weekend in the mountains.
  10. Can something.  Maybe tomatoes, pizza sauce, green beans?  What do you think, friends?  I know I have some amazing canning friends!
  11. Get our garden going again.  It has been sadly ignored since I’ve either been pregnant or living with a small baby for the past 3 summers.
  12. Focus on getting my Etsy shop going.  Note:  It has a new name and address – CaroMade!
  13. Post one new listing on CaroMade every month.
  14. Do a creative retreat – either an organized one, or organize my own!
  15. Get more chickens.
  16. Get back on my daily chore schedule!  Our house neeeeeeeds it!
  17. Go to Disneyland!  Yes!  We took Alma there with my cousin and his family.  So perfect.
  18. Go to a Broadway musical – it will more than likely be on tour, but it will count and it will be amazing.
  19. Hike 35 miles.  Or maybe 35 kilometers might be more attainable.
  20. Get the trailer set up and go on bike rides with the girls.
  21. Rent a limo.  I’m thinking wine tasting, or Christmas lights?
  22. Make and sew a huge cushion for our hearth.
  23. Get chairs recovered.
  24. Get estimates to get our house painted.
  25. Set up some good seasonal capsule wardrobes.
  26. 5 Days of Christmas crafts on the blog.
  27. Get going on a creative, relaxing morning routine.
  28. More author interviews on the blog.
  29. Plant a tree, or lots of trees.
  30. Take a class.  Sewing?  Cooking? Writing?
  31. Sew some clothing for me.
  32. Make art of Alma’s and Harriet’s rooms.
  33. Go to the Country Fair.
  34. Go camping.
  35. Build a sandcastle or a snowman.

And…. GO!

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Posted in: learned., STRONG | Tagged: art, birthday, creating, garden, goal setting, goals, Life, love, Novruz, Oregon, sewing, strong, travel

Sometimes You Just Say Yes

Posted by Carolyn on February 16, 2015 Leave a Comment

IMG_6225Alma kept talking about painting all day yesterday.  When the time was right, I went out to the sunroom, set up her watercolors and paper, and she said, “No! I want to paint the fence!”  I have no idea where she got this idea, but I thought it was a good one.  Why not?  Sometimes you just say ‘yes!’

IMG_6184 IMG_6185 IMG_6188 IMG_6190We started with finger paints and they weren’t working very well, so we switched to tempera.  At one point Jesse came out and asked if it would wash off.  I just shrugged.  Who cares?  It’s art.  It’s memories.  It’s beautiful.  It’s yes.  And truth be told: we’ll probably have to replace this fence this spring anyway.

IMG_6196 IMG_6201 IMG_6203 IMG_6205 IMG_6208 IMG_6210

All the pink spots are lions.  She told me that.  Then she said, “Oh!  One’s falling down!”  Do you see it?IMG_6222 IMG_6224

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Posted in: a little moment, art, created., decorating, garden, gave thanks., learned., painting, parented. | Tagged: alma, art, create, creating, creative, daughter, garden, gratitude, kids, Life, love, motherhood, outside, paint, Parenting

In the garden – June 17th

Posted by Carolyn on June 17, 2014 Leave a Comment

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We are picking raspberries by the bowl.

The peas are blooming.

The garlic has reached its alien plantform stage.

We water even when it’s raining.

The radishes are out of control.

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Posted in: ate., in the garden | Tagged: garden, gardening, peas, radishes, raspberries

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Posted by Carolyn on June 12, 2014 3 Comments

We moved into our house in 2009.  Ever since, we’ve been trying to improve our backyard, making it beautiful, useful, and fun.

This is basically our to do list:

  • Dig up gravel in RV parking
  • Build beds, and plant vegetable garden in RV parking spot
  • Clean up back fence area – chickens
  • Build chicken fence/ coops
  • Rebuild front fence that blew over in 2011
  • Plant berry patch – blueberries, raspberries, strawberries
  • Make grass nice, and keep it green
  • Outdoor seating
  • Plant flower garden (started)
  • Fun (ongoing)

We have accomplished a lot of our long term goals!  Yay!

Here is our current, seasonal list:

  • Build up pea supports
  • Weed around blueberries
  • Clean up herb bed, tomato bed
  • Plant basil
  • Plant tomotoes
  • Plant more lettuce
  • Weed patio

See our crazy herb garden?!

The main things I have wanted to do in order to make the backyard pleasant are done.

  1. Back where the chickens are used to be totally overgrown with weeds and blackberries.  No joke, we got the chickens to keep the weeds away.  We don’t even really like eggs.  They do their job and I love how the eat weeds.
  2. Build a fence and gate to the front yard.  We used reclaimed wood from my dad’s old deck to build our fence.  We wanted to make it look interesting, so we went with the diagonal design.  It’s pretty, and it keeps Alma in the backyard.  Win- win!
  3. Plant a garden with yummy food – especially berries.

We have already spent a lot of time in the backyard.  Alma and Harriet both love the pool, the green grass, the sprinkler, the flowers.  Alma loves being able to go get her own berries.

I have never loved summer, but I kind of feel like summer is awesome this year.  I guess all I needed was a place in which to love it!

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Posted in: created., garden | Tagged: backyard, chickens, farm, garden, urban farming

Spring is Coming

Posted by andthenthey on March 16, 2014 3 Comments

Spring is on its way.  The extra hour of daylight has been a beautiful thing in our house.  We are spending time in the backyard.  The flower trees in town are amazing.  I love this time of year.

And Then The - 01 Outside And Then They - 02 Chicken And Then They - 03 Hattie Outside And Then They - 04 H and E And Then They - 05  Tending the Garden

Our Azerbaijani friend, Elvin, came up so celebrate Novruz with us.  Look for posts about our toddler Novruz party later this week!

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Posted in: gave thanks. | Tagged: garden, Novruz, outside, Parenting, spring, sunshine
If God said, ‘Rumi pay homage to everything that has helped you enter my arms,’ there would not be one experience of my life, not one thought, not one feeling, nor any act, I would not bow to. -Rumi

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