Saturday, August 22, 2020

Weekend Reading ~ August 22



Well, it's not been easy to find reading time this week. It seems like there's been something extra to do nearly every day. Friday afternoon, I made bread and butter pickles. I used the Mrs. Wages packet from Walmart, but everyone loves them. Why mess with perfection?

I also made some Candy Apple Syrup. I plan to add it to apple cider or juice this fall. It was supposed to be jelly, but I was distracted and put my sugar in too soon. I also made some Zucchini Bread Jam. It didn't set up as thick as I'd like. I think perhaps I needed to shred the zucchini smaller. Oh well, it still tastes terrific. There is something meditative about canning. It connects us to the past while taking care of our future.

Have you been canning or putting up food for winter?

Be blessed,
Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage
Seeking Canning Lids!

22 comments:

  1. Wow you have been busy with lots of homemade deliciousness. Have a good weekend. I hope you get some reading time!

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    1. Me, too. I've got an apple zucchini bread coming out of the oven in a few minutes. I threw a potato in the oven, too, so I'm enjoying it for lunch.

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  2. Yay you!

    We did 21 jars of meat over the last few weeks. I am so happy to have that on my shelves. I still want to do peaches but things keep getting in the way of getting it done and peach season is over soon.

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    1. Oh, I hope you can get some peaches done! Yum!
      It all takes me so much longer than I think it will. I picked and worked on zucchini today.

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  3. Candy Apple Syrup sounds fun too!

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    1. Yes, I look forward to adding it to apple 🍎cider this Fall.

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  4. MMmmmm lots of goodies. Sometimes I think the mishaps are better than what it should have been! I always use Mrs. Wages - the flavors are fantastic.
    Thanks my friend!!
    Blessings

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  5. Pickles are a job to make. I did make one quart of pickles that will keep three weeks in the refrigerator. Some for me to eat. My husband doesn't care for pickles. An easy recipe. But, I have been stewing tomatoes and freezing them in quart containers. Tomatoes were our best crop this year.

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    1. Our tomatoes didn't do well this year. By the time they were ripe, they were going bad in one way or another. I thought I was all caught up with cucumbers. When I went out to pick the zucchini this morning, I found more cucumbers! Ugh! I guess I'll be making more pickles.Blessings,Laura

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  6. You have been busy, it is my intention to start this week pickling and preserving. I enjoyed the posts you linked to.

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  7. Thank you for the mention Laura :) and you've certainly been busy !! I loved your closing lines 'There is something meditative about canning. It connects us to the past while taking care of our future.' That is so true. From my end of the world as we're ending our Winter and heading towards Spring we're enjoying eating the fruits of the last canning season - bottled plums and some rhubarb & apples which are complementing our bowls of porridge in the morning. This coming summer I hope to preserve some of our Figs, maybe a spicy relish. Each Summer for the past few years we've had a drought which means severe water restrictions. It meant we didn't get a Feijoa harvest this year and our citrus trees also suffered. This year I will have to try and amp up my 'hand held hoses' enthusiasm..sigh.

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    1. I'm so sorry things didn't go well because of the drought. Weather has been such a strange thing lately.Do you make soap all year round?Blessings,Laura

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  8. I love to can, although it's always a hot activity in the hottest part of the year. However, the last time or two that I've made preserves (not my first attempt, by any means), my preserves turned black!! I was afraid to eat it and threw it all out - my precious, handpicked strawberries. I would have rather eaten them fresh or at least frozen them. That was discouraging. Question: why are you seeking can lids? Are you just thrifty, or is there a shortage??

    Karen
    (Short Story Long)

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    1. There's most definitely a shortage. Buying can lids or even jars is like trying to buy toilet paper a few months ago!

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  9. You have been busy, we only freeze French beans, and roast tomatoes and bag them to freeze for winter. We gave up making anything more because we never get round to eat them as we're always trying to lose weight!
    Every Blessing.

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    1. Yes Christine. I understand about always trying to lose weight! Every bit counts!Hugs,Laura

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  10. Mrs. Wages has some really good mixes. I like her salsa one too as it makes great tasting salsa.

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  11. Hi Laura,

    Your canning sounds great! I have made pickles too. I had never heard of zucchini bread jam, but it sounds like a tasty idea, and a great way to use the seemingly never ending stream of zucchinis! : ) I was surprised at how sparse the canning sections of the big box stores have been this month. Thankfully, we live in an area with a large community of Mennonite and Amish people. There are several Mennonite owned stores near us and some how they have remained stocked in canning supplies.

    Sarah

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    1. Perhaps we should take a ride out to the Mennonite store about ten miles from here. They may have lids. It feels like my zucchini will never quit. Almost a quarter of my refrigerator freezer is shredded zucchini!

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Laura Lane
5 Year Cancer Survivor