Salsa

I picked another half bucket of green tomatoes.  It's salsa time.  Then I added these blemished orange tomatoes.  Even if they ripen, they're never going to be as good eats as unblemished tomatoes.

After lots of chopping, I ended up with 17 pints of salsa.

Not quite as good as last year, but not bad.  The boy who likes to burn his face off, (#1), tells me there's no heat in this batch.  I'm thinking good, it might not burn my face off this year.  Except you know those jalapenos are going to spread their spice through those jars as they sit and wait, lol.

Meanwhile, #2 is grabbing tomatoes to go off the plant stand in the sunroom.  Who needs apples when you can munch on a tomato?

First Freeze

One last look inside the greenhouse.  It's been a good year.  Our first freeze was forecast for Thursday night, so Wednesday was a big day picking through the garden.

The last of the green tomatoes, more dry beans, a few cukes, my seed cuke, a handful of peppers, the last dill weed, all of the cabbages, a few more peas for seed, a lone broccoli head, and a few cobs of corn.  There are still beans out there, that I never got to, and might not, though I'd like to get them in for seed.  I picked another bucket of beets, though they'll be fine underground as well.  Carrots still need pulling as well, before I can set the turkeys loose in the garden.

Beet pickles, and one final jar of dills.

I'm canning the smaller heads of cabbage for lazy cabbage rolls this winter.  The larger heads will go in the freezer whole.  More salsa to be made, and horseradish to harvest.  Still plenty to do, even after the freeze.

Balogna Rolls and Bathroom Business

My grandmother used to make this recipe.  She may have invented it.  Her mother may have made it before her.  I don't really know.  Very filling, yummy, and easy.  And, it used to be cheap, lol.  Not so much these days.  But it is a family favourite.

Balogna Rolls

Lay out slices of balogna on a clean counter.  Break cheese slices into thirds and place one third in the center of each balogna.  Cover with yellow beans.  Fold ends of balogna over and stab through with toothpick to hold shape.

Combine equal parts cream of celery soup and milk in a glass baking pan.  Place balogna rolls into sauce.

Cover and bake 1 hour @ 350°F.  Uncover, continue baking until edges start to crisp (about half hour).  Serve with sauce over mashed potatoes.  Delish!

I tried out my cream of celery soup.  It's a keeper.  The consistency is a little runny, so I may add a bit of corn starch or flour to the next batch before baking, but it tastes great!

Still canning, and now painting, flooring, cursing lots.

We lost some of the bathroom floor tiles a while back, in front of the bath tub, and I tried patching them back together.  It didn't hold.  The press board underneath was falling apart.  While the floor does get a little wet when the kids bathe, it really didn't seem like enough to be causing so much damage. The folks at home hardware explained to hubby that the toilet is supposed to be raised with some thing-a-ma-jig when you put in a new floor, otherwise the condensation will go under the tiles.  We figured that's what was happening, because the toilet did not appear to be raised.

We decided to pull the tiles out, replace the damaged board and put in linoleum.   Oh, what a mess.  The tiles were put in before the sink cabinet, so Husband had to disconnect the pipes and pull the cabinet out.  Then as they worked toward the toilet, pulling tiles, Husband and the Bigs discovered black mold.  They pulled the toilet out.  Home hardware was right, the toilet had not been raised.  And the gasket was disintegrated.  And the tap at the back was dripping.  And we never noticed because all of that water was pooling in the press board, under the tiles.

The black mold seems to have just been on the press board, which they removed.  The real floor appears to be solid, although wet.  Some of the original linoleum tiles are still in place.

We're going to give it a few days to dry out completely and watch for more mold, before attempting to put in a new floor and reinstall the toilet.  I have no toilet!!  One bathroom in this house.  I'm going to borrow my parents chemical toilet for the time being.

But at least I can shower. (Hot water heater was out last week).

You know, after I remove the cabinet and all of the bathroom stuff from the tub.

High of 14°C, low of 0°C forecast for this week.

Rose Hips

We have a bumper crop of rosehips this year, with most plants baring dozens or more.  Usually we only get 3-5 rosehips per bush.  It makes for much easier picking.

Rosehips, rinsed and ready to boil.

Straining the juice.

I've got over 4 pints of syrop already! 

We really found the syrop was great to fight off colds last winter (loaded with vitamin C).  So there you have it- feed a cold PANCAKES!

Crab Apples

The Ontario government building in the city has about 12 of these beautiful crabapple trees planted around it.  I spotted them last year, but wasn't quite sure what to do with crabapples at the time.  I did some research, and then didn't have any other business in the city that would accommodate crabapple picking. 

I had nearly forgotten about them, until I needed to go to the government building one day.  I asked for permission to pick them, and once granted, we filled two and a half grocery bags.  I figure that's about two bushels.  We barely made a dent in the 'crop', and never used a ladder.  These were all picked off the lower branches.

Back at home, I started rinsing and trimming off the blossom ends and stems.  I found some interesting websites to help with the process.

Crabapple Schnapps

  Enjoy Crabapples All Year Long

•  Extracting Juice

•  Pectin Test for Jelly Making

•  Crabapple Juice Drink

•  Crabapple Syrup

•  Crabapple Jelly

•  Crabapple Sauce

•  Canned Whole Crabapples

   Crabapple (crab apple) recipes

   Spiced Crab Apples

    So far I've made juice, which is a bit too 'thick' for our liking.  Watering it down seemed to make it more bitter, so unfortunately I don't think I'll be canning any to drink.  I think it might make a nice blend with oranges, so if I can get a deal before I run out of crabapples, I might try that.

   I made and canned pectin, following Canning Granny's example, which took no effort whatsoever.  The juice passed the pectin test on the first attempt.

  
  I made crabapple sauce, although the boys preferred the second batch, with a bit more sugar, and some cinnamon.

  
  Today I'll be doing crabapple jelly, which is what I had planned to do initially, but got distracted by all of the possibilities.

  
  The skins, cores and seeds are going out to the turkeys, so hopefully they'll plant a few crabapple trees in their pen.  It would be so nice to have another source of free food so close to home!  I'll save a few seeds to plant on purpose next spring, too.  I might even be tempted to buy a crabapple tree.

   And there's still at least another bushel of crabapples left to go.  Not bad for urban foraging.

Breakfast of Champions

One nice thing about this time of year- it makes supplementing the turkeys diet very easy.

Three nice buckets of bean plants, a nice bucket full of weeds, radishes, and grass,

a few beats, some horse radish, and a couple of short corn stalks.  It's almost fun to rip plants up in the garden, knowing that they're continuing to feed us, even though the garden is done. 

And the goats like it too, although I wish they'd eat more raspberries.  The bushes in the turkey pen are threatening to take over every available space.

Lots of cool, rainy days right now.  High of 15°C, low of 1°C forecast for the week. 

Still canning beets, pulling beans, digging carrots.  I haven't started canning salsa yet.  Wouldn't you know it, most of those tomatoes I picked before the first frost are turning red in the sunroom.  The plants are still thriving outside, with the small tomatoes I left getting bigger and starting to turn as well.  It almost makes me think I should pick a few green ones earlier in the season and relieve the plants a bit early.

#1, #2, and #3 are all in school.  #4 is still home with me, and catching up quick now.  He was behind on almost everything, basically a late start because we didn't know his eyesight was so bad when he was little.  With just the two of us, mom's individual attention, and no distractions (except Casper, who is back to his old tricks, jumping the fence), he is cruising through his work books.  I'm pretty sure he'll be caught up to his age mates by the end of the year.

Frost Damage

Monday morning, after the frost, but before the sun.  Everything looks pretty much normal still.

A few hours later, once the sun has had a chance to warm things up.  It was a mild frost, only damaging the tops of delicate plants.  I could let these beans live on, until a harder frost kills them off, but I've had plenty of production this year.

One final picking, as I pull the plants up.  It's nice not having to bend over to pick the beans.  The plants are going to the turkey pen for fodder, the beans I sort and pull seeds from the largest ones, and freeze or eat the rest.

The hugelkultur beans are showing about the same rate of damages.  The height did not help them this time.

The squash outside are frazzled.

Inside the greenhouses, everything still looks good, strong and healthy.

Before and After- Perennial Bed Tomatoes

I picked off all the orange and larger tomatoes before the frost, but the plants still look pretty good. 

Even the salsa peppers made it through ok.  I do believe I have a microclimate here.

New room mates in the turkey pen.  No one is impressed.  In our efforts to keep Nanner and Sheila from getting knocked up this fall, we've moved them over here.  They don't like it.  They do like beans though, so it's a trade off.

And these two will be sad when the garden is done.  They've both inherited their grandpa's love of veggies.  Don't leave the veggie bucket on the floor.  They steal carrots!  lol.

Prep Work and the Frost

Just a mild frost.  You can just see the icy tinge in spots (the lighter green grass).  I don't think there should be too much damage, but it'll be hard to tell until the sun comes out and frazzles the leaves.

I picked 10 gallons of tomatoes yesterday, mostly green, and laid them out on the plant stand.  I wanted to make sure I had enough to make salsa if we did get a freeze.  There's still lots of smaller tomatoes if they make it.

Added to the seed collection:  green beans, more northern beans, purple beans, parsnips.

I hemmed and hawed about picking the Lady's Mantle.  It hasn't done well.  Then I looked at the marjoram- just about to flower, and oregano- almost ready to pick.  I decided to dig them out, along with the English Thyme.  Then I got a little carried away.

I dug out a salsa pepper from the perennial bed.  They're just starting to flower, and haven't produced any peppers yet.

Then I dug out the Medusa and Capiscum Anum,

and Creme Red from greenhouse #2.  I'm just not ready for the season to be over for them yet.  So I have a little bit of an indoor garden this fall.  I don't know how long they'll last for, but I figure it's worth finding out.  Next year I think I might leave some of the peppers in pots, so they'll be easier to bring in in the fall.

We filled a wheel barrow with mangel tops for the cows, goats and horses.  We'll keep doing that until all of the tops have been harvested, unless they're too damaged to be used.  The mangels are still in the ground, and they can stay there for another month or so, although the cold room is probably cool enough now to start winter storage.

The big squash is in the basement.  I couldn't find any smaller ones worth worrying about.  It seems the plant put all of it's energy into that one big one.

I harvested 8 cobs of corn from the greenhouse.  If the weather warms up a bit for another month, another dozen might ripen enough to harvest.  I think, if we have time before winter, I'd like to build a corn row greenhouse.  Maybe in the back field. 

The popcorn in the garden needs at least another month.  I pulled off one of the best cobs, but it's too tiny, and white.  At least the beasts will enjoy the stalks even if we don't get any popcorn.

I pulled three buckets of beets yesterday, so I have lots of tops to cut and cook today.

I picked two heads of lettuce, and three cabbages (a bit of overkill there).

Pulling the green bean plants for seed is yielding a bunch of smaller beans yet, as well as great feed for the turkeys and chickens. 

Still lots of work to do, and I'm quite pleased with this year's garden overall.

Preparing for Frost

Chives drying on the plant stand, roughly chopped.

Seeds drying:  yellow beans, peas, asparagus, northern beans.  They need a shake a couple of times a day.

The temperature here took a nose dive yesterday.  8°C right now, with a high of 15°C expected for the day.  A low of 4°C is forecast for Monday.  That's a scary temperature.  The first night we had 4° forecast last year, it actually dropped to -2°C.  So, let's just say, I have trust issues with the weatherman.

Today I will be picking tomatoes.  Not all of them yet, but a good bucket for salsa, along with anything that looks like it might ripen in the window.  I'll pull another batch of beets, for the greens, just in case, though I don't plan to can them today.  And of course, I'll get any cukes, squash, and peppers that are ready.  And I guess I'll harvest what I can of the Lady's Mantle.  I'm not sure if that poor plant did well enough to return next year.  The spring frost hit it hard, and it didn't do well in the summer heat either.  It's about the same size now as when I transplanted it.

#2 closed the side of the greenhouse yesterday.  If we're lucky and don't get a freeze, then the greenhouses should keep producing.  Time will tell.

The Lady Issues

 This is a long post, filled with more icky information than anyone probably ever wanted to know.  You've been warned.

When I was young, I was fairly regular, although a little longer cycle than most, at 32 days.  I've always been heavy the first couple days, and experienced flooding in the morning, or after sitting for long periods.  Cramps were always in my lower back.  Migraines through my late teens.

I delivered two healthy boys with a bit of laughing gas, and then had #3 at home, au naturel.  Back in hospital for #4, midwife was booked up, husband was in South Carolina, and I caved and took a shot of demerol.  All back labour pains.

It took about 8 months to recover from #4.  My hips just didn't seem to want to go back into place.  Contractions with every period.

He stopped breastfeeding at 16 months.  I didn't quite stop lactating.  Just a little, only noticeable before my period, a drop or two in the shower.

About 4 years ago, the breast swelling pre period was getting ridiculous.  I was sore and swollen two weeks before my cycle, and a week afterwards.  Cramping in my back was up to two weeks, and I was just a miserable person to be around.  And then those couple of drops in the shower took on a greenish tinge.

I didn't tell anyone at first.  And it got worse.  I had sharp stabbing pains in my milk ducts.  Like while breast feeding, how you feel your milk let down, but with an almost burning sensation.  And the 'milk' was dark green.  I started expressing up to a week before my period to relieve the swelling.

My periods got longer, 7-9 days.  Heavier, flooding all the time.  Closer together, sometimes within three weeks.  Clotting.  Cramping.  Bloating.  (I'd go from a size 10 to a 16 every month).  Days that my hips and back hurt so bad I could barely walk from my room, across the hall, to the bathroom.  And then I started having contractions.

Two years ago I saw a doctor.  He sent me for x-rays, ultrasounds, mammogram, CT scan, MRI of my pituitary gland.

I have some small cysts, both breast and uterus.  I have some 'spots' on my pituitary, but not enough to be concerned about.  I have a cyst on my kidney (unrelated and probably nothing to worry about, they just happened to notice it while they were poking around).  But no cancer, no endometriosis, nothing they could pinpoint and blame.

That took about 8 months, getting through all of the procedures.  And in that time, things kind of settled down for me.  Not great, but much better than it had been.  Less swelling, breast and hips, less bloating, less frequent periods.  By the time I got in to see the gynecologist, it wasn't too bad.

I'd never been good about keeping track of my cycles, had nothing written down, had no 'proof' of my condition.  He did a pap smear (normal) and told me to come back in three months, and track my periods.

The following three months were very mild.  Normal.  Not bad at all.  So, you know, I was 'fine'.  He told me my clots were just coagulated blood.  I was too young for menopause, so he wouldn't do a hysterectomy.

Two months later, I spent 8 hours on my hands and knees waiting for the contractions to stop.  When I finally passed the clots, they were hard little gobs.  I can't believe that's just coagulated blood. 

Since then, it kind of comes and goes.  Some months are ok, just a bit of cramping and bloating.  Some months I'm a wreck.  One month I missed, and I swear I wanted to throw a party.  Bring on the menopause!!!  The bad months are always accompanied by clots.  This month, a lump about two inches long, attached to a smaller gob by a tube about two inches long.  It looked like a tiny placenta.  (Husband had a vasectomy 9 years ago).

I never did get an answer from anyone about the green slime coming out of my milk ducts.  I did have a bladder infection a few months after the gyno visit though, and some heavy antibiotics.  It's returned to an occasional drop of creamy white 'milk'.  Internet research leads me to believe it's that same tonsilitus/sinusitus bacterium that's haunted me all my life.

I made some other changes.  For one thing, I started tracking my periods, almost fanatically.  I downloaded period calendar deluxe for my phone, and I swear it's the handiest thing ever. 

I started watching what I ate, and how I reacted to it.  MSG, which never seemed to bother me when I was younger, seemed to be smacking me upside the head, or rather, making me swell up like a beached whale.  Not too hard to pinpoint the culprit at home- I never denied my period cravings for salt and chocolate, and my salt of choice has always been sour cream and onion potato chips.  MSG to go.  I switched to plain chips for awhile, then cut out chips completely for about 6 months.  (It had been a bag a day habit every two weeks).  I fulfilled my salt cravings with home made pretzels, and once even just licked salt out of my hand, with no ill effects.  Summer came, too hot to bake, and I gave in to the potato chips again.  Now one bag will get me through my period salt cravings, always plain.  I just eat enough to calm the cravings and then put them away.

I started paying attention to bathroom issues.  I've always had bathroom issues, especially if I'm not at home.  But I started noticing that I get constipated every month when the swelling starts.  The back pain subsides when things start moving again after my period starts.  If I take a laxative, clean things out just before my period, I have less pain.

Dad suggested I start taking aspirin (blood thinner).  Just one.  The first few months I took two or three, and then I thought I was going to bleed to death from a cut on my finger.  Oops.  So just one, on the first day of my period, and it seems to be helping with the clots.

So probably now, 3 out of 4 periods are ok.  And then there's a bad one.  I just need to get through the bad ones.

My Last Attempt

...at plain, boring cucumber relish, for this year anyway.

I taste tested the sweet cucumber relish.  It was better than the dill pickle relish, but had an almost 'bread and butter pickle' taste.  I'm not a fan.

I taste tested the store bought jar in the fridge.  I can't say as I've ever eaten it straight before.  I can't say I'd ever want to again.  But it was definitely not even close to the desired results.

Back to the internets...  more recipes...  they're all the same, but different.  A little more celery here, a little less vinegar there.  Nothing really stood out to me.

Back to the fridge.  I read the label on my store bought jar over and over and over again.  Cucumbers are the main ingredient, followed by sugar, water, vinegar, salt, cornstarch, red peppers, and then the typical chemical concoction.

Back to the recipes.  I settled on this one, and then made a few adjustments.

I cut and deseeded a bucket of cucumbers, then ran them through my meat grinder.  12 Cups.
I had two green peppers in the fridge, so I ground them up, for just over 1 Cup.  I didn't have any red pepper, so I left it out.

I left out the onions.  There's no onion in the store bought version, and I don't like onions anyway.

I've had a bucket full of celery sitting on the table since the fair auction, so I was generous with it.  It's not on the store bought label either, but it is in every recipe I read online, and I like celery.  4 Cups, ground.

That gave me 17 cups of vegetation, versus 11.5 in the recipe, not quite double.    I'm Canadian- we like salt, and I have low blood pressure.  I doubled the salt,  1/2 cup.  Covered it with water, and left it sit for 4 hours.

 I doubled the sugar- 7 cups.  I left the vinegar as it was, 2 cups.  Doubled the celery seed, left the mustard seed.  That's a lot of sugar in just a little bit of liquid.  It took a while to dissolve, stirring constantly.

I strained and squeezed out the excess liquid from the veggies, then added them to the brine.  Simmered 10 minutes, then packed it into the jars.  Processed for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

This morning I taste tested it.  It's not bad.  A little too sweet, I might cut the sugar down to 6 cups next time.  The celery is a bit crunchy.  I think it needs to cook a few minutes longer next time. 

It'll definitely do.  This I can eat.  Plain, boring, cucumber relish.  Now to see if it'll keep.

Tinctures and Teas

I nearly missed the yarrow! Just a few days ago the ditch was full of it, but yesterday I had a hard time finding even one patch. Most of it's gone to seed already.

I made (started) yarrow tincture. 

Leaves and flowers from a couple of stems, crammed into a jar.

Covered with rum. Yum. I misunderstood the instructions when I went to the liquor store. I thought I had read 80% alcohol, and this Bacardi was the best I could find, at 75.5%. It was actually supposed to be 80 proof (40%). Oops.  It'll have some kick!  It'll need to be shaken a couple of times a day for the next six to eight weeks, and then strained to remove the herb.  Then just a few drops under the tongue.

Yarrow tincture is useful for healing urinary disorders and menstrual problems. It is also recommended for cardiovascular complaints.

This one is for me.  I have a history of urinary tract infections and lady issues.

Yarrow is used against colds, cramps, fevers, kidney disorders, toothaches, skin irritations, and hemorrhages, and to regulate menses, stimulate the flow of bile, and purify the blood. Medicinal tea is a good remedy for severe colds and flu, for stomach ulcers, amenorrhea, abdominal cramps, abscesses, trauma and bleeding, and to reduce inflammation.

To dry, I'm tying the herbs and hanging them in the sunroom window.  I hope it'll make a nice winter tea for coughs and colds.

 Yarrow tea: To 1 tsp. dried herb add 1 cup boiling water, steep for 10 min. sweeten to taste. Take at bedtime.

 Yarrow also has blood-clotting and antimicrobial benefits. Yarrow may be applied directly, or used in a salve or poultice for minor cuts and wounds.

If I can find another patch, I'd like to make another salve with yarrow and plantain.

My other herbs, so far:
 Mint (dried for tea):

• Relieve symptoms of indigestion, heartburn and irritable bowel syndrome by relaxing the muscles in and around the intestine.
• Act as a powerful antioxidant, protecting the body against the formation of cancerous cells.
• Inhibit the growth of many different types of bacteria and fungus.
• Ease and unblock the breathing and respiratory passages and airways.
• Relieves the symptoms of colds and flu.
• Mint can help with nasal allergies.
• It can relieve congestion, head colds and headaches.
• Act as a mild sedative and has calming properties.
• Relieve minor aches and pains such as muscle cramps and sprains.
• Combat bad breath.
• Provides a cooling sensation to the skin and can help to treat minor burns, itching and skin irritations.
• Mint is a very good cleanser for the blood.
• Mint tea can help clear up skin disorders such as acne. 

Raspberry Leaves (dried for tea):
 Raspberry tea has helped with painful menstruation and flow, and lessens an over-abundant period. At menopause the adrenals are geared to take over as the ovaries gradually cease functioning; many menopausal symptoms are caused by exhausted adrenals.
Diarrhea, thrush, sore throat, canker sores, dysentery, urinary complaint, cold and fever sufferers find red raspberry tea is a reliable remedy.

Pour one cup boiling water over a teaspoon of dried leaves and let it steep at least 15 minutes. Drink and heal. 

Thyme (tincture):  A recommended dose is 1/3 to 1 tsp., three times daily.

 Components of thyme act as expectorants that help expel mucus from the respiratory tract. They also have antibacterial activity, may be helpful in treating bronchitis and dry, hacking types of cough. It may also be useful for whooping cough in children. 

Thyme oil may also help combat several forms of fungal microorganisms, including  thrush and gastrointestinal or vaginal yeast infections. 

Tincture of thyme may also help relieve digestive complaints, including heartburn and gas. Thyme may also help with bad breath, or halitosis, because its components are active against some bacteria that live in the mouth.

Pennyroyal (tincture):  

Pennyroyal has been used to promote and regulate menstrual flow and ease painful menstruation. It is stimulating and could cause uterine contractions.  (Other sites say that it may be toxic and cause liver damage, especially if used habitually.  This one will be only for the really bad months when nothing else is helping and I want to die anyway).

Speedwell (tincture):  

People who suffer from rheumatism and gout should try the easily prepared Speedwell tincture  This tincture is used externally as a friction; internally 15 drops in water or tea are taken three times a day.

That one is for Husband, who suffers from gout.

 

Preserving the Bounty

A couple of harvest pics.  Beets have done well, with very little vole damage this year.  I'm thinning carrots, which have also done very well.  These were planted early, in last year's potato patch.

These beets are from the patch beside the corn.  They're even bigger, but some have a bumpy surface, potato scabs.  I'll have to add some pine needles to raise the acid levels next year.

Tomatoes are ripening now.  Cucumbers are still coming along nicely.  A few peppers every few days.

More pickles.  I lucked out and got a bunch of dill at the fair.  Exhibits are donated for an auction to raise money for next year's fair, and I bought the red ribbon dill.  I wish I knew who had entered it.  The stalks were about 7 feet high.  It's keeping well in the fridge in a jar of water.

 Yesterday's canning, 12 more jars of pickles, 10 more jars of beets.  I also started tinctures- thyme, speedwell, and pennyroyal.  I froze three bags of beet tops (to eat like spinach).

I need to buy more jars!  I buy more all the time, sometimes leaving the thrift stores with my trunk full.  I had about twice as many this year as I had last year, and I'm down to the last couple of boxes now.  Unbelievable.  What can I say?  It's been a good year in the garden.

We opened a jar of dill pickle relish.  Blech.  Husband likes it- it tastes like salsa to him.  All I taste is onion.  I'm going to try another batch and triple the cucumber.  All I want is a nice, boring, cucumber relish recipe, like you can buy in any store. 

Yarrow is growing in the ditch on our road, so today I'll go out and harvest some to dry.  I dried mint and raspberry leaves for tea, and I have a bunch or parsley drying now (from the fair).