Time to make "Chow Chow Relish" + UPDATE

Now that I have so many Greens to Harvest this time of year from a beautiful bounty! What's a girl to do but make some nice Chow Chow to go with them :o)  I'm a little late doing it, since I've had Greens since Spring! I like to say "Better late than never" :o)  Above you can see all the veggies I will be using in the "Chow Chow Relish" I got the recipe from the Ball Book of Canning, and added a few veggies of my own. like those red hot Jalapeno peppers and a few more colorful veggies. It's funny how so many veggies shrink (All those you see are in the container below)  after 4-6 hours when salt is added. Tomorrow I'll do the boiling of spices and jarring it up... 

UPDATE: BELOW

Afer a good night's sleep and pushing the morning's work I end up with 13 jars of Chow Chow Relish!  Don't count the 13the Jar, that's the one left for Cecil to try :o)  We usually like it with Greens, but today it was tried with some hot dogs on a bun < it sure was good :o) and Cecil is happy as can be, I think I should have more than tripled the recipe this batch doesn't look like it will be here for long.

Happy Thanksgiving Wishes,& Recipe curtesy of Mr. H. fellow blogger

Wishing you all a Blessed Thanksgiving Day, above  is a "Carrot Cake" my recipe is from an Old Cook book!  Below is a recipe curtesy from a fellow blogger  Mr. H.

Orange Pecan Sweet Potatoes with cranberries -
Ingredients:
4 large sweet potatoes, peeled, chunked and cooked
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped raw cranberries
2 tablespoon Corn Starch
1 cup orange juice
2+ tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Lightly butter a 3 quart baking dish and add sweet potatoes and pecans.
Combine brown sugar and corn starch in a small saucepan. Gradually add orange juice, whisking to blend.
Cook over high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.　 Remove from heat; add butter and vanilla. Pour over sweet potatoes.
Top with cranberries
Bake in preheated 350°F oven for 45 minutes, until edges are browned and bubbly.

November 25, 2010 12:19 PM

              

Clarifing a few making butter steps

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       I've had a few questions asked about the making of butter that perhaps I didn't make it clear enough for some...So here is a few steps that I hope makes it  more clearer .
          A 16 0z container of what?  Heavy Cream
     Step 1,Pour that into the processor? Yes

             Step 2
                         What setting do you use to churn the butter and for exactly how long???  put the processor "ON" so that it is   
                          running steady! As it runs you will see the cream change into something that looks like whipped cream (that's     
                          just what it is) let it continue to run, and in about 4 minutes you will see it change again, it will start to "slouch"  
                         around and separate into a ball (butter) and  liquid (buttermilk). how easy is that
             Step 3. 
                        How much water or whey comes off and then what do I do with that  Maybe a cup or less, Save it and use it to make               biscuits, Now that you have Butter, you will do it again and next time you will know just when to add your spices to    it.....I plan to add my spices next time when it passes the "whipped cream" stage...Hope this explains it better...Ginny (who else?)

Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Pudding!

 This may be the last of the Sweet Potato Saga :o)
I did these the modern lazy way! Your supposed to "grate" them by hand, but I was too lazy for that motion, so I used that new fangled machine called "Food Processor":o) it came out alright but to be honest the "hand grate" method is better. The potato grated is finer and makes for a better presentation and taste in the mouth. There is a difference. Next time when I'm not all tuckered out maybe I'll sit in my "chair bed" and just grate :o) Even if I didn't hand grate, I don't think I'll have any left overs. I only have a couple of pounds left, maybe I needed a root cellar :o)

Candied Sweet Potatoes to freeze ;o)

Sweet Potato, Sweet Potato ,Sweet Potato and more! These two pans will go into the freezer for another time. I was surprised at how quickly it was done, l peeled, chopped and then seasoned them up. Wrapped them with Tin foil and into the oven at 350* I think that's my favorite cooking temperature for most foods. I'm not finished with Sweet potatoes yet! I still have more that will become Pies and the rest will be eaten slowly. Maybe today I'll have one baked with lamb chops for dinner, and maybe I'll make a small pan of candied for the weekend. I can't complain about sweet potatoes this year.:o)

UPDATE:from 11/18/10 Sweet Potatoes now Canned :o)

Nineteen jars later :o) + one that didn't seal :o( that one will become a pie today, which will make Cecil very happy.
I still have some on the Patio, peeled and in Lemon Water. I will make some Candie Potatoes for the freezer today after I purchase some tins..and purchase more sweet potatoes to have on hand while the sale is on...Also Sweet Potatoes are supposed to be good for Diabetics :o)  (those are  the best excuses I could come up with to buy more.:o)
If you do a close up, you will notice that the jars with the label are the first batch I did , I boiled them and then peeled, jarred,and added hot water> I didn't like they way they had to be handled. They were hot,and became mushy when put into the jar. Although the jar was fully packed after canning,I can only make pies, cakes and another whipped potatoes recipe. So I did the second batch My way I peeled them, cut them up in large pieces (chunks) , jarred them, added the boiling water and pressure cooked  10  lbs pressure for 1 1/2 hours. To me they came out pretty neat..I can make candied yams, sweet potato pies, Cakes or whipped potatoes, whichever I choose. Maybe I'll bake a few the weekend :o) Sounds to me Potatoes are like a Chicken, you cook  them in many ways.

Sweet Potatoe's On Sale

Well Ladies, Sweet potatoes are on sale today and I've been waiting for them. I knew they would drop from $.99 lb. to about $.25 lb. for the Holidays and I'm taking advantage of it. They have been doing that here for a few of years...I have about 10 lbs in the Canner already :o), but I didn't like the way the process went..The book says wash, boil, and then peel, but by that time the potatoes are too hot and mushy to handle..you can't go sticking holes in them every minute..so I'm going with my own method. I've washed the rest of 30 lbs. Peeled them and have them sitting in water with some Lemon juice to help them keep from turning brown. Tomorrow I'll cut them up, jar them, add boiling water, and pressure cook them @ 10 lbs pressure for 1 1/2 hrs. < That will be sufficent to cook them enough. If I'm not too tired I may buy more and make a couple of tins of Candied Yams and freeze them for "Company Time" the others I can use different ways.
By Morning I will have  decided how I'm
going to cut these, I'm not sure if I want to
slice them thick, or dice them thick, Right
now I'm tired and I need to think clearly. I'm just happy that I was able to get them the first day before they were all picked over. I think Cecil did a good job selecting  sizes too, it was easier for me to peel. Lets see what tomorrow brings...


                                                                

Update: on Making Butter

I wasn't too satisfied with the consistancy of the Butter I made yesterday , it was quite soft and still had more liquid than i noticed..
So this morning I "re-Churned" it an extra 4 minutes to make sure I had as much liquid out of it, and to see what would happen and I'm glad I did. Re-Churning took out more liquid and then I was more satisfied with it .
Next time I'll do it longer the first time  < that's an important part of making butter.
I made biscuits for dinner tonight with leftover mashed potatoes, Rutabaga greens and beef and gravy. I don't have to tell you it was good :o) Look how much butter is left now :o(, that was a 16oz container I started with that means I will have to make more. The butter is very tasty and I will add some spices maybe next time..Probably next week.

Let's make some Sweet Homemade Butter

In the olden days ( should say a step up from the floor model churners :o)  this item was done in a large bottle and was called "Butter Churner"  next to it is the Modern "Churner"
Which is a dream today for making your own Sweet Homemade Butter that you can add your own Herbs or Spices to taste.. I chose not to add salt to this batch, which took all of a minute and less than two wow! it surprised me to no end...I was sure I'd have to separate the whey or buttermilk before I got Butter..no such thing with this new finagled Processor my daughter gave me. It went so fast I thought I had blacked out for a minute :o).

All Thing considered this will become a regular routine for me making my own butter. I'd like to add some Herbs and Spices to it..It will be a great experiment to find how each Spice or Herb will affect the taste of butter...Guess I may as well attend to the Laundry now that the Butter is done.Thank goodness at  least the washing machine will do the job..no more hot tubs outside and washboard..in the City of NY as a child we had a bath tub in the Kitchen covered by a Tin Top, the top was removed for Laundry day and bath night.. If you were lucky you found an Apartment that the Tub was in fair shape inside...they were sometimes used to make Homemade Liquors "Moonshine". People in those days did what they had to do to survive, I guess Just like today, only it's done in different ways.Being old has a lot of advantages (sometimes :o)  Some like to hear about the "Olden Days" , I can only go back so far, when I do it brings a smile to my face reminiscing. Heck! I remember when milk came in a glass bottle and there really was cream on the top.

Saturday's Cobbler and Part of Sunday's Dinner :o)

This is Saturday's Pear and Apple Cobbler.
This time I used my head and made it in a larger pan, it was just juicy enough, next time less sugar in the middle, but the Crust is just the way Cecil likes it...Crispy and Sweet< doesn't that sound like a description of me :o)

Here's Cecil showing the size of the Rutabaga and greens while I take the picture
It felt real good to be able to go to the garden and pick a meal for Sunday's dinner.
It was time to pick that Rutabaga and I'm glad I didn't have to  shoot Cecil in the foot, he has had a taste for them for the last two weeks. I've still got a little Country ham to use as seasoning, so we both will be happy campers!

I wanted you to see all the dirt on the bottom and how large this one grew, the leaves in the sink are from it and I snapped a couple more from the others to make a good sized meal. Next year we will
certainly grow more of them. This is the first time we have grown Rutabaga also. I know I don't have to say how proud we are,and blessed, our cup is truly running over.

The Photo on the Right is showing the
Rutabaga cut..the dirt part goes to the compost the rest will be sliced, diced, boiled and I'm hoping to add my own "homemade butter" :o) I'se a Farmer...

I'm still Canning Greens

I'm waiting for the Canner to finish the time limit to take the jars out! I have to say Cecil and I have been well blessed with Greens this year...(every year, but these we grew :o)
We worked all day yesterday picking and cleaning mixed greens and this morning I got  them into the Canner ..I don't have to cook we are having leftovers Okra & Tomatoes with a pot of rice ( I used one of the ugly carrots :o) with it, and some backbone with gravy :o) Later I'm going to make a Cobbler for the weekend.. I wanted to show you the growth of the "Side Garden" :o) We are very proud to use every inch of space that we have  been blessed with (except I don't have no chickens :o(

This is a long view and it's the left side of the house and I think it's really neat. the Broccoli Rabe didn't do so well this fall,but it was great during the Spring so I forgive it.

This is a closer view of some of the Collards and Red Cabbage.

I think the Red Cabbage is doing so well, and I'm proud as the dickens of them. Do a close up and see their beautiful hue :o)  I hope they have the time to "head up". This is the first time Cecil and I have planted Cabbage and we are so proud of them. They will go into the freezer, I think canning would make them mush. I meant to get a "Foodsaver"by now so it would suck out all the air of the package...I have that little Ziploc thingy, but I think the Foodsaver might be a little better.

The Savoy Cabbage isn't doing too badly, but it's obvious it's not as large and full as the Red Cabbage, it's welcome just the same. I have some regular Cabbage and also some Collards in the Box and Garden.

UPDATE: Here are 6 nice full jars of Mixed greens that will be mighty tasty during the  Winter.I didn't add any bacon to thisbatch.Just added some salt.Now to get my Cobbler going and that's it for today.I tried to lighten the left side but keep running into trouble but you get the picture.

  

This Post is about a Complaint and a possible Solution!!

I want to know if anyone else out there is being bombarded by telephone calls from Health care companies or any other telemarketers ...they start off with "is there a diabetic in this household etc..."
Or they have gotten real smart and show up on the TV as a local county dept. which makes you think it's something you need to address by answering the phone...
All these calls are coming into my home from 9:15 am until 8:30 at night.
Many of these calls were coming from "Call Central" , I have tried to re-dial them , I've gone on line to no avail...online there isn't anyplace you can connect with them, unless you want to use them for your business...At one time the "Atterney General's office would be able to stop these calls....
After much complaints, and @#%^& I was finally able to get some information from my telephone provider that I'm hoping will help..I called the "Do Not Call" number that I got from "Google" and placed myself on the register for "do not call"  I hope this is the end of the calls I have been receiving and also be of help to someone else who is being annoyed and driven insane by these type of  calls...

Lousy Looking Carrots :o(

Are these the lousiest looking home grown  carrots you ever saw? Maybe so, but they are more than enough to add to a couple of dishes (I do mean a couple too) like a tablespoon with some onions and salute before adding rice to it...what a delicious taste.
I only planted one little cube of Arugula, and it has lasted all summer , I'm left with just a couple of hands full to pick at a time, they taste pretty good on a sandwich too.
Back to the carrots, I had three more that went on the compost pile..when I pulled them up...it seemed that something had lodged right into the middle of them and survived living off my carrot.. At least now I know that carrots aren't so hard to grow, and that's encouraging. The beets were no where to be found...maybe something totally destroyed them :o(
I'm still up to my waist with greens :o) it's exhilarating to see them, and to realize they are Mine all mine :o)

Just couldn't leave the blog hanging today

Isn't this plant just one of the prettiest thing in the fall...I've had it so long I've forgotten it's name!
I brought it with me from NJ. it used to sit near the front door in the corner as you came up the steps..here it sits in the corner near the back door on the Patio. I think it thinks it's in the same place :o) it gets shade really most of the day but rays of sunlight gives it what it needs.

Here is another transported beauty from NJ. I didn't take such a good picture of it, I needed to bend down a little...but my back said "straighten up girl before you throw something out of whack" and I quickly did.
sometime you have to follow your mind, if I threw my back out , I wouldn't be able to put away Cecil and my picking greens again today. It seemed to take us much longer today than last time, then we realized we picked more :o)  (we are greedy little guts when it comes to greens)
We started about 11am (I slept late)  and we picked and picked...each time we said that's enough we would see one that looked to good to leave, and before we knew it we had picked all day :o) it was like eating potato chips  we couldn't just pick one :o) As I write this blog ....this is what's waiting to be washed , blanched, and jarred..after I add some bacon in the bottom of each jar..guess I'll be up half the night :o)
I took this picture twice (once to remove the towels covering the so the wind wouldn't

blow the leaves away..and then to show the three containers full, and one of the containers I had on the table is hiding behind a container of ivy leaves ..Oh well!
Professional photographer I'm not..green grower, :o) that's my name.