Today was a Long Day
Jun. 30th, 2012 11:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amberfocusBut very productive. I found a source of organic strawberries and I made these:
I made 5 pints. Usually I buy the half pints of organic jelly at $6 a jar. So for the same amount of jelly I would have paid $60. Instead I paid $14 for the berries that went into this and used about $2 worth of sugar. It was a no pectin recipe. So $16 and an hour and a half of work for $60 worth of organic jam. Not bad. Go me. I have enough berries to do it tomorrow, too. Another $16 worth for another $60 worth. Well worth it.
This is my first time canning on my own. I used to help Mom when I was a kid, but I have never done it without her before. I was a little worried about not using pectin, but it thickened just fine, it just took a bit longer. I have to be careful with pectin anyway, because T is allergic to apples so my pectin must come from citrus or quince sources. If it hadn't worked we would have had five pints of shelf stable strawberry syrup, which is awesome on Belgian waffles and pancakes, so it wouldn't have been a huge deal. Next time I will blend the berries in the blender though instead of mashing them with a potato masher. Less work and a lot easier.
Chris did help with the stirring as I had to run out and put the chickens and ducks away in the middle. Mom went to my neices for a barbecue tonight and it was getting dark and she wasn't back yet, and the racoons are teaching their offspring how to hunt so it wasn't a risk I was willing to take. They should start laying soon and it would be tragic to lose them right now.
Here is T holding Silver who is almost impossible to get on film.
She has the most beautiful feathers of all of the chickens even if her head is kind of weird looking. She is a silver laced wyandotte (why yes, we do have a lot of imagination in naming the critters, LOL), the only one that survived of the three purchased (we found out later most of that batch had sickened and died). Still losing two out of 13 really isn't that bad with chicks. Sad, but a pretty good loss ratio.
T is doing much better now. He still tires very easily and gets headaches, but most of his other concussion symptoms are gone. Again, thank you everyone for your support these last nine days. You cannot know what it means.
I am going to attempt writing tomorrow. I'm finally not so worried that I can let myself try to escape a little into the world of the Doctor and Rose.
I made 5 pints. Usually I buy the half pints of organic jelly at $6 a jar. So for the same amount of jelly I would have paid $60. Instead I paid $14 for the berries that went into this and used about $2 worth of sugar. It was a no pectin recipe. So $16 and an hour and a half of work for $60 worth of organic jam. Not bad. Go me. I have enough berries to do it tomorrow, too. Another $16 worth for another $60 worth. Well worth it.
This is my first time canning on my own. I used to help Mom when I was a kid, but I have never done it without her before. I was a little worried about not using pectin, but it thickened just fine, it just took a bit longer. I have to be careful with pectin anyway, because T is allergic to apples so my pectin must come from citrus or quince sources. If it hadn't worked we would have had five pints of shelf stable strawberry syrup, which is awesome on Belgian waffles and pancakes, so it wouldn't have been a huge deal. Next time I will blend the berries in the blender though instead of mashing them with a potato masher. Less work and a lot easier.
Chris did help with the stirring as I had to run out and put the chickens and ducks away in the middle. Mom went to my neices for a barbecue tonight and it was getting dark and she wasn't back yet, and the racoons are teaching their offspring how to hunt so it wasn't a risk I was willing to take. They should start laying soon and it would be tragic to lose them right now.
Here is T holding Silver who is almost impossible to get on film.
She has the most beautiful feathers of all of the chickens even if her head is kind of weird looking. She is a silver laced wyandotte (why yes, we do have a lot of imagination in naming the critters, LOL), the only one that survived of the three purchased (we found out later most of that batch had sickened and died). Still losing two out of 13 really isn't that bad with chicks. Sad, but a pretty good loss ratio.
T is doing much better now. He still tires very easily and gets headaches, but most of his other concussion symptoms are gone. Again, thank you everyone for your support these last nine days. You cannot know what it means.
I am going to attempt writing tomorrow. I'm finally not so worried that I can let myself try to escape a little into the world of the Doctor and Rose.
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no subject
Date: 2012-07-01 08:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-01 11:29 am (UTC)Those are some gorgeous feathers.
I hope T continues to get better!
no subject
Date: 2012-07-01 02:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-01 03:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-01 05:13 pm (UTC)Pretty chicken! I'm still surprised to see how many people have laying chickens. My sister has some (she lost a few of her chicks, too...then bought 16 more - she's crazy! LOL) and a bunch of the houses along my route have them, too. Some actually sell their eggs, but most just seem to have them for personal use. I've thought about it, but we have so many critters around here, they'd never make it.
That jam looks yummy! :D
no subject
Date: 2012-07-01 07:25 pm (UTC)Keep an eye out for those raccoons; we had some at our old house, and they were vicious little things, for all that they look adorable. Luckily the coyotes (wild dogs, really, but they're the same thing) kept them in line, but I hope they don't find a way into your coop!
no subject
Date: 2012-07-02 09:13 pm (UTC)