The freezers are all full--not complaining though.

I was gifted a box of d'anjou pears and a box of granny smith apples--
about a bushel each. Been eating a bit of both, gave some away but,
still have quite a few left to work with.

Got some purple onions given to me as well--going to make onion
'jam'. The recipe I'll use sounds more like a type of relish than a
jam but, it sounds like something that would go just great on turkey
burgers.

Then, shopping at the grocery store on Tuesday, I got 12 pounds of
honeycrisp apples for just under $3. Couldn't pass that up--works out
to about 25¢ a pound--even though I already have all this fruit to
already deal with. : - )

Got home from work tonight--me and my Hun Bun cut up the first batch
of honeycrisps and put them in the crockpot to cook down. I am off
work tomorrow so, I will be ringing in the new year making apple
butter and pear butter. Also, my niece and nephew gave me an
immersion blender--going to try that out...

And, if the weather turns a bit cooler, I'll make some more chicken
soup--with matzo balls.

: - )

<snip> You are so lucky, apples are still very high priced around here
and no one I know has an apple tree. <snip>

Actually, the apples and pears are not from around here--Washington
state I believe. I don't know exactly how they got here, I only know
that I got them from a friend of a friend. I don't think they fell
off the back of a truck though--this friend is highly respected. :
- )

<snip> Tomorrow I will make whole berry cranberry muffins, she likes
those too. <snip>

I just made some of those right after Thanksgiving. They were really
good, used up leftover cranberry sauce. Hun Bun liked them and I took
a few to a friend--she liked them too.

<snip> Take a nap, work at the computer <snip>

I don't even want to think about work until Monday morning...

<snip> An early Happy New Year for all of you from the Shirley Clan.
<snip>

Happy New Year to all y'all. : - )

Mimi wrote:

> Then, shopping at the grocery store on Tuesday, I got 12 pounds of
> honeycrisp apples for just under $3. Couldn't pass that up--works out
> to about 25¢ a pound--even though I already have all this fruit to
> already deal with. : - )
>



Wow, you STOLE those! I have seen honeycrisps in Colorado for less than
$2.49/lb only once, when a new "Sprouts" opened and had fantastic sales
on everything for two weeks.

Enjoy!

gloria p

<snip> Wow, you STOLE those! *I have seen honeycrisps in Colorado for
less than $2.49/lb only once <snip>

They were "damaged". Really not that bad though, a few bumps &
bruises--not enough to scare me though. : - )

On 12/30/2010 10:55 PM, Mimi wrote:
> <snip> Wow, you STOLE those! I have seen honeycrisps in Colorado for
> less than $2.49/lb only once<snip>
>
> They were "damaged". Really not that bad though, a few bumps&
> bruises--not enough to scare me though. : - )
>

Aha! That answers the question. Our local Kroger often has fruit that is
"going off date" on sale for $1.00 a bag. Since I made friends with the
produce manager (and the butcher) years ago by giving them jellies and
jams I often get a call about flats of fruit going on sale and meat that
is going off date. Thrifty is as thrifty does and a bribe doesn't hurt
anything either. <G>

George Shirley wrote:
> On 12/30/2010 10:55 PM, Mimi wrote:
>> <snip> Wow, you STOLE those! I have seen honeycrisps in Colorado for
>> less than $2.49/lb only once<snip>
>>
>> They were "damaged". Really not that bad though, a few bumps&
>> bruises--not enough to scare me though. : - )
>>
>
> Aha! That answers the question. Our local Kroger often has fruit that is
> "going off date" on sale for $1.00 a bag. Since I made friends with the
> produce manager (and the butcher) years ago by giving them jellies and
> jams I often get a call about flats of fruit going on sale and meat that
> is going off date. Thrifty is as thrifty does and a bribe doesn't hurt
> anything either. <G>


WOOHOO, used meat AND used fruit, what a deal! ;-)

Happy New Year and a belated Happy Anniversary, George.

gloria p

On 12/31/2010 12:08 PM, gloria.p wrote:
> George Shirley wrote:
>> On 12/30/2010 10:55 PM, Mimi wrote:
>>> <snip> Wow, you STOLE those! I have seen honeycrisps in Colorado for
>>> less than $2.49/lb only once<snip>
>>>
>>> They were "damaged". Really not that bad though, a few bumps&
>>> bruises--not enough to scare me though. : - )
>>>
>>
>> Aha! That answers the question. Our local Kroger often has fruit that
>> is "going off date" on sale for $1.00 a bag. Since I made friends with
>> the produce manager (and the butcher) years ago by giving them jellies
>> and jams I often get a call about flats of fruit going on sale and
>> meat that is going off date. Thrifty is as thrifty does and a bribe
>> doesn't hurt anything either. <G>
>
>
> WOOHOO, used meat AND used fruit, what a deal! ;-)
>
> Happy New Year and a belated Happy Anniversary, George.
>
> gloria p

I just came back from Kroger, no used fruit, no used meat today, bummer.
Picked up the usual odds and sods. Blasted store was jam packed with
idiots, people running around buying snacks, beer, wine, and whiskey,
impolite, impatient, and noisy. It must be New Years Eve in Louisiana.

Saw three young men, I would say early twenties, had a grocery cart
loaded with beer, wine, whiskey, and salty snacks. Looked like they had
a head start on celebrating the New Year. I avoided them, no point in
getting in the path of a pack of celebratory folk.

I'm glad I finally got to old and unhealthy to drink, smoke, and chase
around half the night, life is much more peaceful nowadays. <G> Of
course I've been married to a woman that can shoot pretty good for fifty
years and that settles a man down considerably.

"George Shirley" > wrote in message
...
> On 12/31/2010 12:08 PM, gloria.p wrote:
>> George Shirley wrote:
>>> On 12/30/2010 10:55 PM, Mimi wrote:
>>>> <snip> Wow, you STOLE those! I have seen honeycrisps in Colorado for
>>>> less than $2.49/lb only once<snip>
>>>>
>>>> They were "damaged". Really not that bad though, a few bumps&
>>>> bruises--not enough to scare me though. : - )
>>>>
>>>
>>> Aha! That answers the question. Our local Kroger often has fruit that
>>> is "going off date" on sale for $1.00 a bag. Since I made friends with
>>> the produce manager (and the butcher) years ago by giving them jellies
>>> and jams I often get a call about flats of fruit going on sale and
>>> meat that is going off date. Thrifty is as thrifty does and a bribe
>>> doesn't hurt anything either. <G>
>>
>>
>> WOOHOO, used meat AND used fruit, what a deal! ;-)
>>
>> Happy New Year and a belated Happy Anniversary, George.
>>
>> gloria p
>
> I just came back from Kroger, no used fruit, no used meat today, bummer.
> Picked up the usual odds and sods. Blasted store was jam packed with
> idiots, people running around buying snacks, beer, wine, and whiskey,
> impolite, impatient, and noisy. It must be New Years Eve in Louisiana.
>
> Saw three young men, I would say early twenties, had a grocery cart loaded
> with beer, wine, whiskey, and salty snacks. Looked like they had a head
> start on celebrating the New Year. I avoided them, no point in getting in
> the path of a pack of celebratory folk.
>
> I'm glad I finally got to old and unhealthy to drink, smoke, and chase
> around half the night, life is much more peaceful nowadays. <G> Of course
> I've been married to a woman that can shoot pretty good for fifty years
> and that settles a man down considerably.

roflmaoooo Happy New Year to you and that hot shot Miz Anne,
George)))))))))))))


>

--
--
https://www.shop.helpforheroes.org.uk/

In article
>,
Mimi > wrote:

> I will be ringing in the new year making apple
> butter and pear butter.

Try the two together... I did some last year and it's yummy!

George Shirley wrote:

>
> I'm glad I finally got to old and unhealthy to drink, smoke, and chase
> around half the night, life is much more peaceful nowadays. <G> Of
> course I've been married to a woman that can shoot pretty good for fifty
> years and that settles a man down considerably.


When all the neighborhood's house parties moved to the casinos in
Central City and Blackhawk a few years ago (an hour away over icy
mountain roads filled with DUI candidates) we stopped going to NYE
parties. I have never liked big parties where most of the conversation
is designed to impress the onlookers, so I am quite happy. Drinking
heavily and chasing around are for the birds.

gloria p

<snip> Try the two together... I did some last year and it's yummy!
<snip>

I have done them together too!!! (Great minds think alike???) That
is usually the last batch or aka when I don't have enough of each to
merit doing them separately.
: - )

I saved most of the juice (what didn't go into the butter) last year
and made pear jelly with vanilla bean. I *loved* it. I probably
should have made a batch of vanilla bean pear butter but, I am
thinking the vanilla flavor might get lost in it???

The last batch came out of the canner this morning. I can rinse/dry
the finished jars and label them tomorrow when I get home from work.
Whew!!! Glad I am going back to work tomorrow...I worked harder at
home this weekend!!!

I really like how the honeycrisp apple butter came out. I saved all
the cores--they are in the freezer so I can cook them down later and
make jelly.

Next weekend: Need to work on the granny smith apples. They will
hold longer. I am keeping them in my cooler spare room. The pears
were at their peak so, they had to go first.

On 1/2/2011 4:05 PM, Mimi wrote:
> <snip> Try the two together... I did some last year and it's yummy!
> <snip>
>
> I have done them together too!!! (Great minds think alike???) That
> is usually the last batch or aka when I don't have enough of each to
> merit doing them separately.
> : - )
>
> I saved most of the juice (what didn't go into the butter) last year
> and made pear jelly with vanilla bean. I *loved* it. I probably
> should have made a batch of vanilla bean pear butter but, I am
> thinking the vanilla flavor might get lost in it???

That's the way I do when I make pear sauce, a favorite of ours and the
great grands. I steam the chopped pears for the juice then use the
steamed pears to make the pear sauce with either ginger, cloves, or
cinnamon, dependent upon my taste buds that day. My pear jelly comes out
at about the color of the pear skin. Since I use Kiefer (canning pears)
the color will depend upon the ripened stage of the pear, it varies from
a nice yellow to a rosy yellow as those specific pears tend to get a
reddish tinge to the skin the more ripe they are. I do love working with
pears, they're so easy to make various preserves from and have a very
small core unlike some varieties of apple.
>
> The last batch came out of the canner this morning. I can rinse/dry
> the finished jars and label them tomorrow when I get home from work.
> Whew!!! Glad I am going back to work tomorrow...I worked harder at
> home this weekend!!!
>
> I really like how the honeycrisp apple butter came out. I saved all
> the cores--they are in the freezer so I can cook them down later and
> make jelly.
>
> Next weekend: Need to work on the granny smith apples. They will
> hold longer. I am keeping them in my cooler spare room. The pears
> were at their peak so, they had to go first.

Always the best thing to do. We were saddened at the loss of our pear
tree last winter but I have salvaged two scions that came up from the
roots, luckily the Kiefer variety breeds true from the root or cuttings.