September 8, 2012

found out that our neighbor Max Fabert passed away yesterday...RIP Max....
sending our love to the Fabert-Plumb family!!!

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we got 1/2 inch of rain last night...not the 3 inches they said would fall,

but we will take it!!! Nice cool day 70 degrees as a high!!!

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it is SATURDAY....let the crazy baking, garden, canning, planting,

chicken coop cleaning, grilling, mowing, sewing day begin.......

7:00am....having toast and jelly for breakfast...then turning the rest of the bread into croutons...

8:00am....12 lbs of cucumbers are picked and washed  - 2 months after I canned the first batch,

we will be putting up the last batch for 2012.....10 pints of Bread & Butter...

10:00am....worked in the garden weeding a bit and picking some of the long red cayenne,

hot red cherry & jalapeno peppers...the Cayenne's will be strung up to dry and then put

in the blender to become crush red pepper mix for pizzas and such......the

jalapenos will be added to the salsa that we will make soon.

11:00am....22 lbs of roma tomatoes picked....and a basket of cherry tomatoes

will be turned into tomato paste....we have never done this before...very excited...

12:00 noon.....all the tomatoes are washed and Ross will blanch them to start the tomato

paste.....this process takes quite a bit so i am off to clean the chicken coop.

1:00pm...all the bad is out of the coop.....getting the straw from the loft in the barn

a clean coop....Love It!!!

2:00pm..... the 3rd batch of lettuce and 2nd batch of cabbage that the grandkids planted

on August 3rd is ready to go into the garden....

cool thing about the garden is that we planted it 105 days ago and today

I am still putting plants into it.....it really does produce from June to October....

that is saying something for Michigan!!!

3:00pm......Ross is keeping an eye on the tomato paste....constantly stirring as it reduces...

he cut the Cayenne peppers and strung them up.....

I got all cleaned up so i could work in the kitchen again and this is what I

had to look forward too....pans....pots....and more pans....lol

4:00pm......started the grill for an early dinner of steaks, potatoes and salad...

watching the Air Force vs Michigan football game while we eat.....the back of the

 Air Force jerseys say either FREEDOM or SERVICE....LOVE IT!!!!

6:00pm....Tomato Paste is still reducing.....Ross jumped on the mower to go cut the back 2 fields

and I am off to the office to make a slide show for the announcements at church tomorrow and

 embroider a blanket for a couple at church....

8:00pm......the Tomato Paste has been going for 8 hours... when we started it was at the

2 rivet points at the top of this pan....you can see how much it had to reduce....

Tomato Paste : yields 15 half pints

12 quart stock pot full of pureed tomato

2 large Red Peppers

4 bay leaves (these will be removed before canning)

2 tsp canning salt

1 tsp pressed garlic 

add all ingredients to the tomatoes....stirring constantly to let the tomatoes reduce to a thick

consistency...this took 8 hours......can in half pint jars...put 1 tsp lemon juice in each jar

before placing the lid/ring on it......place in a pressure cooker at 15lbs for 15 minutes

9:00pm ..... the jars of Tomato paste are cooling on the wire racks....

folding some laundry, putting the dishes away and then off to bed.

so that was an hour by hour look at a typical Saturday at the farm during canning

season.....we understand how truly Blessed we are for everything the

Lord has entrusted to us....

Pleasant Dreams!!!