Thinking out loud

Ok, I'm posting this, which means DD didn't like what she canned.  When we first read that it was herbs there was some confusion and consternation concerning this confounding canning conundrum (OK, I was reaching a little on the alliteration). We thought of a couple things that we make for recipes, an apple thyme jam was suggested many times and we almost went that direction. But, there was a substance that I have always craved from my childhood that DD decided to attempt to replicate. I have no idea if this is what I had as a kid, but it rocks..... Dilly Beans! Pretty cool stuff. You go and buy some beans, then you open up your Ball Blue Book 2008 to page 54 and do what it tells you. 2 lbs Green Beans 1/4 cup canning salt 21/2 cups vinegar 21/2 cups water 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 4 cloves garlic 4 heads dill Trim ends off green beans. Combine salt, vinegar and water in a large sauce pot. Bring to a boil. Pack beans lengthwise into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch...

DD is doing a raised bed garden this year. Our dirt is crap, nothing has done well the last couple years. So, I got her some horse poop, and peat, and vermiculite... and a pulled groin later we had a raised bed garden. In square foot gardening by some magic method you are able to put a million or so plants in each square foot. In some of the squares there are upwards of a couple dozen things growing. 24 carrots, 24 radishes... I have no idea how that works. The cages are for peas and tomatoes, we can't plant the maters outside yet since we live in some of the most random weather in the US. Edit: Ok, peas and cucumbers, not tomatoes. I put the string in, and she puts the plants in. And then the plants come up. The close up is Asian radish things. The site she gets a lot from is http://www.squarefootgardening.com/ I'm looking forward to more things like what we made for the can jam, which I'll talk about tomorrow.

We are driving home from vacation right now.  I have had the most relaxing time.  We stayed with Woodman's Nana and Papa J.  They live just west of Washington DC in a little piece of heaven.  Their farm is very off the beaten path and they are the most wonderful host and hostess ever.  I feel as if I have just been to a bed and breakfast where my every need was attended to.  It isn't that they necessarily wait on you, they just make you feel so welcome and relaxed.  We did make a trip into our nation's capitol for a peek at the cherry blossoms (beautiful) and a couple museums.  We really had a great time and I am coming back refreshed.  Of course spring is in full bloom there so I played outside quite a bit and brought home some wild onions and a few starts of a willow tree.  I am so excited to get started on my garden.  Woodman and I had some discussion about why we (or more specifically I) are drawn to the locavore movement....

Woodman indicated he would be doing his own can jam this month but I don't see that happening!  Best laid plans and all that.  That said, I have completed my mission for the month.  I wasn't sure what to do with onions, which is the only allium I felt like canning.  A few months ago I did Tigress' Onion Tickled Pink which I highly recommend.  These are the greatest condiment ever.  But alas, they are not really a canning item.  Just a make and eat - keep in the fridge kind of thing so would not qualify for the a Can Jam entry since there is no water bath canning.  Of course you might be able to can them I will have to check into that. I wanted something sweet anyway so I searched and searched for recipes.  The Ball Blue Book's Red Onion Marmalade with 4 cups of sugar looked like it would do the trick.  So I started the process, wanting to get it in early so Tigress could get her part done before her busy work schedule.  It was the...

March Can Jam is Onions. DD and I have an issue though, she wants something sweet, and I want something savory.... I am voting for dueling household can jamming!! While I have helped can a gazillion times (Ok a couple dozen or so), I have mostly been the one cutting things up and mashing things together and stuff like that, pure sweat shop labor. This will be the first time I have tried the whole process from start to finish. Thursday DD put up some spaghetti sauce. Big can of tomato sauce, big can of crushed tomatoes, garlic, basil and oregano. 7 quarts of spaghetti sauce for about $7. Friday was our youngest daughter's birthday. The big THREE!! We let her pick out her cake. Strawberry cake with strawberry icing, strawberry orange juice, vanilla ice cream with strawberry syrup..... I guess it's a strawberry kind of birthday.

The bread had a butt.... That's ok though, because the pizza had plenty of heart.

I am doing this post because something unfortunate has happened. DD made these carrots a week ago and they are supposed to sit for two weeks, so we tried them after one. Then tragedy struck, she doesn't like them. But, she doesn't like carrots anyway. So, I'm the one who gets to write this one up. The recipe is from The New Preserves, so we've hit two from the same book now. Sweet Pickled Carrots 1 pound carrots 1/4 cup water   3/4 cup cider vinegar 1/2 cup sugar 1 tablespoon canning salt 3/4 teaspoon mustard seed 3/4 teaspoon celery seed 6 whole cloves 1 stick cinnamon Combine water, vinegar salt and sugar in pan and bring to a boil . Boil  to a boil. In each sterilized jar add 1/4 t mustard seed, 1/4 t celery seed and 2 cloves.  Break the cinnamon stick in three pieces and put one in each jar. Divide the carrots between the jars. Add vinegar mixture leaving 1/2 inch head space, seal and process for 10 minutes. I love them, ...