Let it Rain!

   These couple of days of much needed rain have given me a break from the gardens and a few hours to catch up on some inside chores. I even spent Sunday afternoon in my sewing/craft room planning this year's Christmas presents to be made.
   My beets have all been just about harvested, maybe a dozen left in the ground to mature some more before pulling them out. They have been tender and sweet and my husband and I have really been enjoying them. One got away from me and became a giant. I don't know how I missed pulling this one up sooner, but now it is way past the suggested eating size of "slightly larger than a golf ball", as stated on the seed packet. It is now the size of a large turnip and probably pretty tough to eat. You can see from the picture next to the quarter it is past it's prime, but a gigantic root crop just the same.

 

 

   My gardening nemesis, the Japanese beetle, arrived in full force in July doing devastating damage to my roses and fruit trees. Oh, how I hate them! I don't use any pesticides in my gardens and the beetle traps you hang in trees seem to import more Japanese beetles to the property. My grandfather used to pick each and every beetle off of his roses, in his extensive rose garden, and throw them in a glass jar with kerosene in it. Well, I guess that killed them! There are so many Japanese beetles here this year it would be a nine to five job for me to hand pick them off. One lucky break this year has been no sighting of tomato hornworms. Those I do pick off by hand to save the tomato crop.

Another rose ruined. 

 

   I hope everyone is enjoying this rainy day, I know the gardens are! Maybe not the animals that are confined to the barn, look at the faces on the sheep who were summoned to the barn when  a thunderstorm was approaching yesterday.



The Ups and Downs of a Farm

   Last week was a stressful week for me. When I went out to the barn last Tuesday morning for morning chores I was greeted by one of our silver laced Wyandotte chickens savagely killed. Feathers were all over the ground and her head was totally gone. This is nothing anyone wants to see at 6 a.m. to start their day. She was one of our young chickens who was being kept in a large dog crate with her little flock at night, because they haven't yet learned to go into the chicken coop with the older chickens at sunset. Whatever got her tried to pull her through the spaces of the wire cage, pretty successfully. The rest of these little chickens are now living in the chicken coop with the big chickens at night courtesy of me chasing them and personally putting them in the coop each night. What a workout! I hope they get the idea of going in on their own soon.
   To further add to my stress Annabelle, our then 2 week old calf, needed to be dehorned. A job I hate. All dairy calves should be dehorned so as not to injure themselves by getting their horns caught on something, injuring other animals on the farm, and especially their handlers. Although a simple process if done at a very early age ( it involves shaving a spot where you can feel the horn buds coming in and then applying a caustic paste to the area the size of a quarter) it does really burn the poor calf for about an hour after applying the paste. After that they forget about it and the result is no horns. Annabelle was a wonderful patient with hardly any complaints. She held up better than I did. I actually didn't sleep well the night before, anticipating the deed. How silly!
   This week seems to be going much better, all the animals are happy and healthy. The gardens are doing beautifully with sunny days and weekly rain showers. We have even enjoyed our first beets and are still picking strawberries. The cut flowers are abundant, with different varieties coming on each week. Homegrown rewards for all the hard work of gardening!

At 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Annabelle drinks one 1/2 gallon bottle of raw milk from a local farm

And oh how she loves that bottle of milk

She also loves grass and clover

Our new barn star

Strawberry Time

   Saturday morning my husband and I had our weekly ritual of hitting a couple of yard sales, coffee and a decadent Danish at King Arthur Flour's café, and then on to the Norwich farmer's market. The farmer's market did not disappoint since I went for local strawberries for making jam, and strawberries they had at nearly every vendor.
   Sunday morning it was jam time! I started at 7:30 a.m. and was totally done by 9:30 a.m. The most time consuming part was of course clean up. The filled and canned jars must sit for two weeks before trying them, to allow for addition time to complete the jelling process, but so far all looks well.
   The recipe is simple and I encourage anyone who would like to try canning to make strawberry jam as their first attempt at canning. So here we go!

 You will need, in addition to a stove, measuring cup, spoons and pots the following items:

a colander
strawberry huller ( a sharp paring knife works fine)
potato masher
jar funnel
jar lifter
bubble remover/headspace measure ( also not mandatory, a butter knife slid along the side of the jar will remove air bubbles)
water bath canner with jar rack
canning jars
jar lids
screw bands

1. Wash jars, lids, and screw bands in hot soapy water, rinse. Place jars in your canner filled 2/3 with water, bring to a simmer. Let jars sit in hot canner water until ready to use. Place lids in a small saucepan of water and simmer ( do not boil lids).
2. Wash strawberries and drain in colander. Pat dry on paper towels. Hull strawberries, then crush strawberries with potato masher one layer at a time. Measure out 5 1/3 cups crushed strawberries and place in saucepan. Slowly add 6 Tablespoons of Ball brand "Real Fruit Classic Pectin". Bring mixture to a full rolling boil. (a boil which cannot be stirred down) Then add 4 cups of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return to a hard boil and boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
3. This recipe yields 8 jars of jam 8 ounces each. Ladle jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace, use bubble remover to remove any air along sides of jar. Wipe rims with clean damp cloth and position lids on jars. Apply screw bands and adjust to just fingertip tight. Do not over tighten.
4. Place filled jars back into jar rack in canner with 1 to 2 inches of water covering tops. Place lid on canner and when it comes to a boil, begin timing and boil for ten minutes. Then turn off heat and remove lid. Let jars sit in canner for 5 additional minutes before removing.
5. Place jars on table or countertop and check seal in 24 hours. Pushing on the center of lid should not yield any flexing for a tight seal. Tighten screw bands and store in a dry, dark cupboard for up to 1 year. Refrigerate your jam after opening the jar.

It's a real indulgence to have a bit of summer in a jar on a cold day in January!  

jar funnel, magnetic lid lifter, bubble remover/headspace measure, jar lifter, potato masher, and strawberry huller

the completed jam