Saturday, December 4, 2010

SATURDAY EVENING POST

Ok it isn't evening yet but I imagine I will be too busy the rest of the day to post and I am resting from the first part right now.

I drank coffee this morning after I slept in til 7:30am. Then burned some trash, fed the bunnies their morning oats and sunflower seeds and just relaxed.

Then I took off for wally world to get a vaccum sealer. I internet shopped for an hour and found that the one wally sells is the same and I don't have to wait for shipping.

Since I was going to a store in more of a rural comminity I decided to swing by the canning section because the one in the neighboring city to me has nothing left in that section.

This wallyworld is well stocked in the canning section which also included a good variety of vaccum sealers.



I decided to try the Mainstay brand of canning jars as they are 7.88 for a case of quart jars instead of the Ball and Mason which are almost 11 per case. From what I see the only difference is that they don't have a fancy picture impressed on the side. If they explode in the canner then I will understand the difference.



Then I went to my local u pick um farm. I am so excited about this visit. I came away with about 8 lb of beets and 5 lb of beet greens.I also came home with 18 lb of turnips and 8 lb of turnip greens.



They have a glass door'd refrigerator in the garage and I saw small bottles of milk without labels. I asked about them and I guess I have a dairy not far from my house!!! I can order my milk and yogurt etc through her. woohooo So I placed an order for 2 gallons of milk to be picked up next Saturday. I will be trying my hand at homemade cheese which I have always wanted to make.

As you can see from this photo, it is rather remote. But Boo doesn't mind. She waits patiently while I pick turnips and beets so that she can carry them hom for me.





This is the turnip field. See in the edge of the photo...that is my ghost. I have been seeing this lately in some of my photos.



I decided to do something different. Instead of cutting turnip greens and then going back to pick turnips, I decided to simply pick beets and turnips and then seperate them at home.

I got 3 bags of turnips and 2 bags of beets.



I will go get 2 gallons of vinegar and pickling spices and I will make pickled beets. Harvard beets are my favorite veggie.



Here are the beet greens that I will blanch and freeze or can.





Here are the turnip roots. These are so wonderful cooked and mashed like potatos. These should keep in my veggie drawer in the frig for a couple of months...if they will last that long.


Here are the turnip greens which will be canned.

I bought 3 pints of local honey which is in reusable canning jars. And I bought a pint of fresh unflavored yogurt.



Here is the most exciting part. We talked about me killing my meat chickens this weekend...which hasn't happened yet but should tomorrow. When I told her about the laying hens she perked up. She asked me if I would be interested in being an egg producer for her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We talked about the fact that I produce brown and green eggs and I have roosters (this is a problem for many people) and she said that is exactly what her customers are looking for! Now I have a good reason to increase my flock. I will need to remodel the hen house though. YAY a new project.

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