We finally got down in the 30's Sunday night with a small amount of scattered frost in low lying areas but not really a killing frost yet. Monday morning O Wise One and I knew we needed to tackle some of this canning and knock it out. The house was starting to look like a root cellar with produce everywhere.
He got out that handy apple peeler and made short work of another 5 gallon bucket of apples.
They went into the roaster to simmer most of the morning for applesauce.
Next went a load of chopped onions into the dehydrator to run for the day.
We had 10 turkeys butchered and iced down in the ice chest from the day before. So it was another pot of bones to simmer on the stove.
And bones to pick clean of any meat still left on them.
Then meat to go back in the jars with the broth and process for 90 minutes.
Turkey meat to grind. Another 10 pounds ground turkey for the freezer.
Turkey loin for strips, stir fry and nuggets.
Another 5 bags of breast cutlets and 3 bags of loin in the freezer.
And the turkey fat and trimmings boiled down with rice and a few carrots for the dogs. What a treat.
In the end nothing left but the bones and feathers.
Onions finished and put in jars for use in the kitchen.
This big jar I keep in the cabinet near my stove. Just so handy to throw a hand full in those soups and dishes simmering.
And in the end everything sealed. I will allow them to cool overnight and label in the morning and put away once they are washed down.
One more batch of applesauce down. Maybe tomorrow some more and some apple pie filling.
As I drag myself off to bed this is how my kitchen looks most nights these days. With jars on the counters and tables cooling overnight. My morning ritual putting up all food canned from the night before so I can start over again ...........
Is it winter yet?
Blessings from the Holler
The Canned Quilter
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ReplyDeleteMy counters look about the same as yours. Just when I think I am caught up, something else arrives... that's a good thing.
ReplyDeleteGod has been so faithful and has been really showing Himself to us these last few months by providing food at either inexpensively and/or given to us as well.
I had been putting off going to the upick tomato place for about 3 weeks because of so much stuff I had to can up already and really not a lot of extra cash to go.
Well after a lot of canning, I got down to one bushel box of apples yesterday, a med. basket of mixed peppers from our garden and a friend that gave us some, a med. basket of tomatoes from our garden that we pulled when we thought it would frost a weekend ago. Some were ripe while others were ripening or turning.
One day, He crossed my path with another lady who I had recently met. She needed assistance because she ran out of gas and we were just driving by on our way home from the eye dr. and I noticed the big van and thought it looked like her when we passed. I never saw her hazard lights until I was pass so I turned around and went back. She said she had been praying someone would stop so she could get help as her cell normally does get signal where she was but it was yesterday but she couldn't reach anyone.
I took her back home to get gas, etc. When I got home I discovered a set of her keys in my truck. So knowing she was leaving, I waited til shortly after supper time to take them to her as all I had was her email and I was concerned she couldn't get in her house.
I drop the keys off to her husband who was there, meet her coming in as I was going out of her driveway and she has me to come back to her house. She gave me bags upon bags of tomatoes and an offer of to come pick more plus other little things. What a blessing! We talked and discovered we have many things in common, etc. So not only did He provide tomatoes but a new friend.
I hadn't been praying for any of the produce, etc. but God was listening to my thoughts, heart, and comments to hubby and children. He not only showed up, He showed out and gave us bonuses on top of the things I had mentioned I hoped we could get to can this year.
To name a few... apples with bonus of other produce, muscadines, a huge deal on wheat with a bonus of some other things (over $600 in savings), and these tomatoes.
He has done something similar to that for the last few months. What an encouragement to me. I can't help but to tell others of His providence in our lives. God is so good!
Come winter, you will be in a better place than many. I am not at your level of food production, but making good progress thanks to your teaching.
ReplyDeleteYour counters are indeed full, but your kitchen looks so CLEAN after so much canning!
ReplyDeleteAs always amazed at all you accomplish!! Are you using parchment paper on your screens to dehydrate your onions?? We want to get more into dehydrating more and am curious how to do it more cheaply as the dehydrator we have only came with one plastic disk for making fruit roll up type items. I would like to be able to load the entired dehydrator up with chopped veggies.
ReplyDeletethanks again for all your guidance!!!
Dana
Parchment paper works great and you can reuse it several times !
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