Sunday August 5, 2012
Oh my gosh I slept till 10 this morning. O Wise One just let me sleep. I think it was that 20 pounds of carrots that I washed, peeled and canned all in one day yesterday that did me in. 30 jars of canned carrots in the pantry.
Sadly I missed church so I just put on some hymns and worshiped at home. Another 8 quarts of tomato sauce in the water bath canner as I type and the beautiful voice of David Phelps singing How Great Thou Are in the background. And maybe a half batch of sauce still left in the roaster. 4 hens are in a pot simmering to go into jars tomorrow. Lots of really pretty broth. They had quit laying due to age and O Wise One killed them this morning since it was cooler.
Sadly I missed church so I just put on some hymns and worshiped at home. Another 8 quarts of tomato sauce in the water bath canner as I type and the beautiful voice of David Phelps singing How Great Thou Are in the background. And maybe a half batch of sauce still left in the roaster. 4 hens are in a pot simmering to go into jars tomorrow. Lots of really pretty broth. They had quit laying due to age and O Wise One killed them this morning since it was cooler.
Our nights are supposed to be in the sixties for the next week and no hundred degree days forecasted. Sadly we received no rain either. Many got rain around us but we seemed to have drawn the short straw during this round of showers. We will wait our turn and count our many blessings while we wait. Just roll out the hoses and start watering again.
We now have 3 mama turkeys broody and we definitely do not need any more baby turkeys with 40 young ones already out there. So O Wise One put chicken eggs under them. I guess since the old mama hen raised 5 baby turkeys that the old mama turkey can raise baby chickens. Since all 3 older hens are broody at the same time I guess we will just take Fonzie (the gobbler) and put him in a different pen and let the mamas have some peace to raise their brood. What a crazy mixed up farm we are.
We continue to pick a 5 gallon bucket of peas daily. I shell them during spare moments, mostly at night. So we have trays of peas drying in the sun lined up on the picnic table in the front yard. We will have no shortage of dried peas or seeds for next year. That's alright because we can plant lots of peas for cover crops and green manure without having to purchase seeds.
So on this Sunday we continue to work side by side harvesting, canning and all the while praising our God. Ever thankful for our bounty, family and good health and the many blessings bestowed upon us.
Another 9 quarts and 4 pints of tomato sauce. That makes 55 quarts and 16 pints : )
Blessings from The Holler
The Canned Quilter
Hi! I am trying to learn how to do more of the homesteading lifestyle while waiting for the right land to come along. I have a question about the hens in your pot. Are you going to can them with their meat? Or are you using their meat for a meal today? I have hens that are getting pretty low in their production and wanted an idea what I should do with them. Thank you for your blog. It is really inspirational.
ReplyDeleteSpudknit
I boil them and take the meat off the bone. The bones are then returned to the pot and boiled again with the broth adding more water. Then the bones are strained out of the broth and the broth refrigerated overnight. Next day any fat rises tot he top of the broth and hardens and can be strained off. Then the meat is put in jars and the broth poured over the meat covering it. Any remaining broth is also put in jars. Then all is pressure cooked. The jars of broth are used in any recipe requiring broth. The meat and broth can be used for chicken and noodles, casseroles, chicken pot pies or soups.
DeleteHi, I am so inspired by you. I just finished canning 37 quarts of green beans today. Tomorrow I have 40 lbs of peachesvtobdeal with. I try to grow as much as I can in my small suburban yard. I have a question, are field peas and black eyed peas the same? This year I'm also going to can my own dried beans rather than buying them at the case lot sale. The carrots look delicious .
ReplyDeleteSak
Same family but a little different taste. Very similar...
DeleteYou've inspired me to go take a nap. Dang.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you peel your carrots? Do we have to when canning carrots? I read your blog everyday and enjoy very much.
ReplyDeleteBecause my carrots are not organic carrots and are purchased I choose to take the skins off. Unfortunately I cannot grow carrots because my soil is so rocky : (
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