Food - Recipes - Slow Cookers - Baking - Favourite Dishes

Norcalgal wrote:
I usually make jam with fruit from our orchard - cherry is my favorite or peach. One year I made plum chutney with apples and plums from the trees. It has to be cold for the fruit trees to produce well and this past winter we either didn't have enough frost days or the drought meant the crop was very light. I was all geared up to make peach jam (my peaches are a mere 3 inches in diameter so it's lots of work) and went to pick them and discovered nary a peach was on the tree. Racoons!

Your fruit jams sound incredible, @norcalgal. Hope you get the chance to make peach jam soon

@Norcalgal that's too bad about your tomatoes and jam. We have had a lot of problems with critters eating people's garden's. My niece makes strawberry and grape jam every year. We are lucky to get a jar at Christmas time.

I got another half bushel of tomatoes on Sunday not quite a half but why did I do that? When I'm on a roll I can't stop. They are laid out and are getting ripe since they weren't completely red yet. I'm sure they won't wait for me to do them on the weekend so I'll probably have to do it tomorrow. They make the rules!

@GuardianAngel

You will have plenty of tomato sauce this winter!  You are amazing with all your canning.   Just ran across this Smithonian article how canning is making a comeback.  Something you can relax & read after you finish canning your second batch of tomatoes.  

 A Brief History of the Mason Jar

 :yougogirl:

@MiniDiva thank you for the article! It's amazing how our ancestor's made it work to feed their family during the winter months.

I know there's a shortage of lids and jars because I have tried buying an extra package of lids and there's none to be found. I have 6 lids and that's why I bought only another 1/2 bushel because I shouldn't get more than 4-6 jars. I have plenty of jar's so that's ok.

I'm fortunate to be raised Italian who canned and cured everything from their massive garden along with making sausages and prosciutto. Trips to the farmers for bushels of peaches for canning as well. My family still can's a lot, green tomatoes, eggplant, mushroom, olives, vegetable medley (what ever is left over) and so much more.

The other thing I haven't done for a few years is corn. I'd go to the farmer and get 1/2 bushel of corn. Husk and wash them, snap them in half, and freeze them in zip lock baggies. No par boiling. When I want to make them I drop them in boiling water or I nuke them in boiling water and they are fabulous. BBQ on the grill are so delicious too. I just might do that in another week or so when they are harvesting them.

@GuardianAngel

That is fantastic that your family has canned and preserved food to enjoy throughout the winter.  

The closest I have come to canning is sealing it in a baggie for the freezer!  

@MiniDiva sealing in a baggie for the freezer is good too! Sometimes if I have too many garden tomatoes given to me from family, I quarter them put them in baggies and freeze them for soup in the winter.

6 almost 7 jars. Good thing because I only had 6 lids!

looks like those bananas will be banana bread tomorrow.

@GuardianAngel

Bravo!  What an accomplishment -- I admire your energy!  So as a follow up, I hope you will share what you make with these tomatoes this Winter.  

Enjoy your banana bread - my big accomplishment this week is pumpkin bread which is almost gone now.  

Pumpkin bread! That sounds delicious. I've never made that. I will make that for our Thanksgiving coming up in a few weeks.

The banana bread became banana squares. I topped it with a crumble of brown sugar.



Then I had to do something with the huge bag of peaches. My mother decided to buy a bushel and share with us, you know to make pies.  I didn't want to make pies, so I created a peach torte. I used a recipe I've had for years for Apple Torte that calls for a 9x13 pan but it seems to be always too big and not enough batter. So, I made these two. I still have a lot of peaches to make a couple of pies, but I have to be in the mood for that.  

@GuardianAngel

They look awesome. That is a lot of baking.  Enjoy the fruits of your labor!   Pardon the pun.  

@GuardianAngel Preserving food is now in and aren't you glad you know how to do it so well! I made a divine fennel tomato soup with my 2 quarts of canned tomatoes I got last year from my garden. I still savor it.

You all make me feel so lazy.

It's my 3 day weekend this week so I may try to do some baking myself.