Lesson 2 in Canning: Peach Jelly

One of my favorite fruits of summer is the peach.  I hit the jack-pot when I bought my house because there is a peach tree in the back yard.  Last summer, I had more peaches than I knew what to do with.  We had a lot of peach cobbler last summer and fall, but I also turned a lot of the peaches into juice and froze it.  I am glad I did that!  This summer was terrible (perhaps due to the crazy plague of locusts), and my tree did not have a single peach on it. 

Since my sister has been demanding peach jelly from me for a year, I thawed out some juice and got to work.  Jelly is an awesome way to preserve the sweetness of summer fruits to enjoy all year long.  One swipe of this jelly on a piece of toast in the dead of winter will bring all the thoughts of summer and sun right back. 

Peach Jelly Recipe

Ingredients:

3 cups peach juice (about 3 pounds of ripe peaches and 1/2 cup water)

5 cups of sugar

1/2 cup bottled lemon juice

1 box powdered pectin

Directions:

To Prepare Juice: Wash and slice or chop fully ripe peaches.  Do not pit or peel.  Crush fruit.  Place crushed fruit and 1/2 cup water in saucepan.  Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Extract juice (I usually squish the peaches through a mesh strainer for this).

To Make Jelly: Measure sugar and set aside.  Measure prepared juice, powdered pectin, and lemon juice into a large sauce pan.  Bring to a full boil over high heat, stirring occasionally.  At once, stir in sugar.  Bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.  Boil for one minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat, quickly skim off foam.  Pour jelly immediately into hot, sterile canning jars, leaving less than one inch space from rim.  Wipe jar rims and adjust lids.  Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. 

And be sure to send a jar of it to your sister!

The Awesome Girl's Guide to Easy Canning

While fresh food from the garden is delicious and great, it unfortunately does not last forever.  Thankfully, someone in the 1800's put his brain to use and discovered canning!  Even though food preservation has been around for years and years (just ask your grandma), many younger people are showing an interest in it.  This might be tied into the organic trend or because it is simply awesome! 

The canning process is relatively easy and uniform with just a few tweaks depending on what you are actually preserving.  So get yourself a big ol' pot and can something by using the steps below!

1. No matter what you are canning, you will need some basic supplies.  Large stock pot, glass mason jars, lids and rings, tongs, and a glass of wine (to sip while you wait for the water to boil).  Also, a sweet polka dot apron might come in handy.
2. Fill the stock pot with water and get it on the burner.  While you are waiting for the water to boil, prepare your food (tomatoes, apples, or what have you).  Because you are dealing with food, you will need to sterilize your jars and lids.  I usually put them in the boiling water for about five minutes.  Putting the lids in the boiling water will also help to make the rubber portion a little tacky, which helps the lid to seal onto the jar.
3. Take the jars out and put in your food.  You want to get a good seal between the jar and lid, so be sure to wipe off the rim of the jar.  Set the lid on the jar and screw on a ring. 
4. Some stock pots come with a metal rack that is used to lower the filled jars into the boiling water.  Don't fret if you don't have this.  You can use tongs!  Either way, lower the jars into the boiling water.  Be sure that there is at least one inch of water covering the jars. 
5. Now, sit back with your glass of wine for about ten minutes while the water boils.  Depending on what you are canning, this time may be different.  Once the time is up, remove the jars from the water and set them on a counter at room temperature.  The urge will be there to touch them, but leave the jars alone! 
6. The best part is yet to come.  As the jars and their contents cool, the change in temperature creates a vacuum, which pulls the center of the lid in, sealing the jar.  If you listen, you can hear a distinct "POP!" when the lid indents.  This tells you that the jar has sealed and is safe to move to it's storage location.  If you press on the center of the lid and it presses in, the jar has not sealed and you will need to boil it again. 

Look for more posts on canning specific foods! 

Tomatotopia

I might be deconstructing my house little by little, but the garden lives on!  The zucchini production has slowed down, but I am still harvesting one or two a week and just as many yellow squash.  Unfortunately, squash bugs invaded, and only a few brave plants were able to withstand their attacks. 

Tomatoes, however, are another story.  For approximately three weeks, the tomato plants were only producing one tomato a week.  I was certain that I had done something wrong, and that they were a lost cause.  I did not factor in that it was very early for tomatoes to even begin to ripen.  And then it happened...Tomatotopia.  I quickly realized that my wimpy mixing bowl was not going to suffice.  I went back into the house, picked up a laundry basket, and went back out to the garden.  Keep in mind that my neighbors are already not particularly fond of me and my garden endeavors, but on this occassion, they seemed especially confused and concerned. 

I started harvesting tomatoes, and by the time I was done, I had picked 68.  In one day!  Over the course of the next week, I went out to the garden four more times and ended up with a grand total of 236 tomatoes in a one week period.  Instantly, a new rule was instituted in my house: Everyone must eat at least one tomato at every meal. 

Right now, when I open my refrigerator, all I see are tomatoes.  I have been slowly working on turning some of them into sauce and other various creations, but I think that this coming weekend will be full of canning tomatoes!  Keep an eye out for more posts on that...and perhaps even a video if you're lucky.

Project #3- Why walls are like snowflakes

I have realized that no two walls are alike, no matter how similar they may appear on the outside.  In my grand remodel, my plan was to open a doorway between the kitchen and living room and to remove the wall between the kitchen and dining room.  The progress on the doorway between the kitchen and living room has been great!  There were two outlets that needed moved, but that was not a big deal. 

I recently began work on removing the wall between the kitchen and dining room.  I used a similar method for removing the drywall, but instead of a hatchet I used fists and feet this time.  Unfortunately, the results were not as good.  After several holes had been punched/kicked in the drywall, the following was revealed...

That is correct.  That is a giant metal pipe behind the drywall.  Some detective skills revealed that it is attached to the hot water heater in the basement, and that it runs completely through our house and out the roof!  My favorite search engine informs me that this is used to vent harmful carbon monoxide gas out of the house.  It also tells me to never attempt moving it unless I want to die in my sleep from carbon monoxide poisoning.  Do they really have to be so dramatic?  I say yes, because until I read that, I was still considering moving it. 

For now, my plan to eliminate the wall between the kitchen and dining room has been altered.  Removing a wall sounds simple enough, but you never know what will be inside!  Could be nothing...or it could be certain death!  And that, my friends, is why walls are like snowflakes.

Project #2- I think this wall would be better as a door

As is common in older houses, my house has a separate kitchen, dining room, and living room.  Unfortunately, that is not my style.  A more modern look is the great room, open floor plan concept.  While I may not be able to fully achieve this without my second story becoming one with my first story, there are definitely some things I can do to open up the space. 

This picture is taken in the kitchen, looking out into the breakfast nook.  As you can imagine, this area was not used for dining, as evidenced by the elliptical.  On the other side of that wall, is my living room.  I thought it would be so much better if that wall was a doorway instead.  So...

...I got to work.  Yes, that is a hatchet.  I am sure there are other, more appropriate tools for this job, but this one seemed to work well.  Until...





...I thought for sure I smashed through to the other side.  Eventually, I will need to smash through to the other side, but now is not the time.  Luckily, I did well and ended up with an opening about 7-feet tall. 

I promise, this will be awesome when it is completely done, and you will want to do the same thing in your kitchen.  Now, what to do about that wiring.  

 

Project #1-Get rid of the popcorn

Since my house was built about 30 years ago, it is a given that it has popcorn-style ceilings.  I have no idea why anyone ever thought popcorn ceilings were a good idea, but whoever invented them is most certainly my worst enemy right now. 

Luckily, I am not the one actually doing the work on this one.  We hired someone to do this for us, and believe me, it is worth it.  The method they are using is to scrape off all of the popcorn, prime the exposed drywall, texturize the ceiling, and then paint it.  It seems relatively easy.  What's the worst thing about this project?  The fact that the entire first floor is covered in a quarter inch layer of white dust.  While the contractors did put up sheets of plastic to keep the dust to its designated room, it doesn't appear to have helped.  The coffee maker had to be moved to the upstairs bathroom, the stove cannot be used, and I am pretty sure that is not flour in my blender!

The contractors assured me that they would clean everything up once they were finished, but I am skeptical.  I anticipate the ceilings on the first floor should be complete within another week, and then on to the next project!

Construction: According to Pandora

My husband and I have lived in our current house for a little over a year.  We have a history of remodeling every house we live in, and this one will be no exception.  After putting up with the green "faux-marble" laminate counter tops, abnormally shaped pantry, and awkward flow of traffic through the first floor for the past year, we have finally given in. 

Historically, we begin with one small project which quickly snowballs into a full-on remodel.  In our first house, replacing one interior door turned into replacing all of the interior doors; painting the bedrooms; re-carpeting the stairs; painting the stairway, dining room, and living room; installing new flooring in the living room and dining room; and installing new light fixtures.  Let's just say, our motto has become "Go big or go home!" 

Our renovation on our current house has begun, and I will be occasionally posting on the progress.  Please keep in mind that I know very little about construction so the way that we do something might NOT be the "right" way. But it will most likely be entertaining!