Right now I am tied to the kitchen while the apple butter cooks down.
Saturday we picked all of the apples that were on the Lodi tree. I
cut and removed the worm trails out of the smaller container. It had
about 16 pounds in it. Put it through the Mehu Lissa and I had about
7 cups of juice and 3.5 quarts of pulp after putting the remains
through a strainer. Remind me that I should only pick one tree at a
time.

I am sort of ad libbing my recipe which says to start with 16 apples.
I am keeping track of what I am using just in case I ever want to make
this much again. Tomorrow will probably be apple jelly. After I pull
more weeds in the tomato patch.

This has not been a good year for gardens. At first it was too cold
to set out the plants and then it has rained, and rained, and rained.
We have had 6.5" of rain this month and about the same last month. The
tomatoes are not very happy. The cukes are producing and the peppers
are just starting to fruit.

I hope to have time this week to go through the racks in the basement
and get rid of the old stuff. That will also free up jars if I have
anything to can this year.

Time to stir the apples again.

--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)

On 7/10/2013 12:21 PM, The Cook wrote:
> Right now I am tied to the kitchen while the apple butter cooks down.
> Saturday we picked all of the apples that were on the Lodi tree. I
> cut and removed the worm trails out of the smaller container. It had
> about 16 pounds in it. Put it through the Mehu Lissa and I had about
> 7 cups of juice and 3.5 quarts of pulp after putting the remains
> through a strainer. Remind me that I should only pick one tree at a
> time.
>
> I am sort of ad libbing my recipe which says to start with 16 apples.
> I am keeping track of what I am using just in case I ever want to make
> this much again. Tomorrow will probably be apple jelly. After I pull
> more weeds in the tomato patch.
I do that all the time when we get large batches of this or that. I
generally use the digital calculator and run the amounts up to what
seems proper. It's either that or a dozen small batches. Once took me a
week and a half to process 106 lbs of canning pears. Never made that
mistake again.
>
> This has not been a good year for gardens. At first it was too cold
> to set out the plants and then it has rained, and rained, and rained.
> We have had 6.5" of rain this month and about the same last month. The
> tomatoes are not very happy. The cukes are producing and the peppers
> are just starting to fruit.
Completely opposite here Susan, we're in a drought again. We had three
rain showers day before yesterday, no measurable amount in the rain
gauge. We're using expensive house water to keep the gardens and flower
beds going. If we wash something we save the water to put on the
gardens. It helps but is not enough to meet the requirements of our
water hungry gardens.
>
> I hope to have time this week to go through the racks in the basement
> and get rid of the old stuff. That will also free up jars if I have
> anything to can this year.
>
> Time to stir the apples again.
>
You need a flock of kids, grandkids, and great grandkids like us. Rarely
do we find a jar that has hit the three-year deadline. They have all
been well trained too, if we don't get the jars and rings back they
don't get any goodies. The whole crew is pretty good about it.

I'm glad someone is preserving something. We're putting away the last of
the blueberries today, in a container in the freezer. We may go to a
fruit farm and pick eight or ten lbs of figs soon. Our new fig tree had
six figs on it and the blasted mockingbirds ate them all at the peak of
ripeness. The only crop that is doing well now is summer squash and
crowder peas, the green beans have just been sitting there for a month,
going to rip them out tomorrow and replant with a different variety.

Your post gives us hope that we, too, can put something up soon.

George

On Wed, 10 Jul 2013 13:19:56 -0500, George Shirley >
wrote:

>On 7/10/2013 12:21 PM, The Cook wrote:
>> Right now I am tied to the kitchen while the apple butter cooks down.
>> Saturday we picked all of the apples that were on the Lodi tree. I
>> cut and removed the worm trails out of the smaller container. It had
>> about 16 pounds in it. Put it through the Mehu Lissa and I had about
>> 7 cups of juice and 3.5 quarts of pulp after putting the remains
>> through a strainer. Remind me that I should only pick one tree at a
>> time.
>>
>> I am sort of ad libbing my recipe which says to start with 16 apples.
>> I am keeping track of what I am using just in case I ever want to make
>> this much again. Tomorrow will probably be apple jelly. After I pull
>> more weeds in the tomato patch.
>I do that all the time when we get large batches of this or that. I
>generally use the digital calculator and run the amounts up to what
>seems proper. It's either that or a dozen small batches. Once took me a
>week and a half to process 106 lbs of canning pears. Never made that
>mistake again.
>>
>> This has not been a good year for gardens. At first it was too cold
>> to set out the plants and then it has rained, and rained, and rained.
>> We have had 6.5" of rain this month and about the same last month. The
>> tomatoes are not very happy. The cukes are producing and the peppers
>> are just starting to fruit.
>Completely opposite here Susan, we're in a drought again. We had three
>rain showers day before yesterday, no measurable amount in the rain
>gauge. We're using expensive house water to keep the gardens and flower
>beds going. If we wash something we save the water to put on the
>gardens. It helps but is not enough to meet the requirements of our
>water hungry gardens.
>>
>> I hope to have time this week to go through the racks in the basement
>> and get rid of the old stuff. That will also free up jars if I have
>> anything to can this year.
>>
>> Time to stir the apples again.
>>
>You need a flock of kids, grandkids, and great grandkids like us. Rarely
>do we find a jar that has hit the three-year deadline. They have all
>been well trained too, if we don't get the jars and rings back they
>don't get any goodies. The whole crew is pretty good about it.
>
>I'm glad someone is preserving something. We're putting away the last of
>the blueberries today, in a container in the freezer. We may go to a
>fruit farm and pick eight or ten lbs of figs soon. Our new fig tree had
>six figs on it and the blasted mockingbirds ate them all at the peak of
>ripeness. The only crop that is doing well now is summer squash and
>crowder peas, the green beans have just been sitting there for a month,
>going to rip them out tomorrow and replant with a different variety.
>
>Your post gives us hope that we, too, can put something up soon.
>
>George
>

12 pints of apple butter. Took all afternoon to cook down and I
stirred it every 10 minutes. All sealed!!! Today will be 1 batch of
apple jelly from the juice. Then start figuring out what to do with
the rest of the apples.

The two boys don't get here very often. If my daughter-in-law doesn't
get here I sometimes call her to see if there is anything she would
like. Younger son has started gardening and canning. I do like
having things canned or frozen to speed up fixing a meal. We also
frequently eat leftovers.
--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)

On 7/11/2013 6:08 AM, The Cook wrote:
> On Wed, 10 Jul 2013 13:19:56 -0500, George Shirley >
> wrote:
>
>> On 7/10/2013 12:21 PM, The Cook wrote:
>>> Right now I am tied to the kitchen while the apple butter cooks down.
>>> Saturday we picked all of the apples that were on the Lodi tree. I
>>> cut and removed the worm trails out of the smaller container. It had
>>> about 16 pounds in it. Put it through the Mehu Lissa and I had about
>>> 7 cups of juice and 3.5 quarts of pulp after putting the remains
>>> through a strainer. Remind me that I should only pick one tree at a
>>> time.
>>>
>>> I am sort of ad libbing my recipe which says to start with 16 apples.
>>> I am keeping track of what I am using just in case I ever want to make
>>> this much again. Tomorrow will probably be apple jelly. After I pull
>>> more weeds in the tomato patch.
>> I do that all the time when we get large batches of this or that. I
>> generally use the digital calculator and run the amounts up to what
>> seems proper. It's either that or a dozen small batches. Once took me a
>> week and a half to process 106 lbs of canning pears. Never made that
>> mistake again.
>>>
>>> This has not been a good year for gardens. At first it was too cold
>>> to set out the plants and then it has rained, and rained, and rained.
>>> We have had 6.5" of rain this month and about the same last month. The
>>> tomatoes are not very happy. The cukes are producing and the peppers
>>> are just starting to fruit.
>> Completely opposite here Susan, we're in a drought again. We had three
>> rain showers day before yesterday, no measurable amount in the rain
>> gauge. We're using expensive house water to keep the gardens and flower
>> beds going. If we wash something we save the water to put on the
>> gardens. It helps but is not enough to meet the requirements of our
>> water hungry gardens.
>>>
>>> I hope to have time this week to go through the racks in the basement
>>> and get rid of the old stuff. That will also free up jars if I have
>>> anything to can this year.
>>>
>>> Time to stir the apples again.
>>>
>> You need a flock of kids, grandkids, and great grandkids like us. Rarely
>> do we find a jar that has hit the three-year deadline. They have all
>> been well trained too, if we don't get the jars and rings back they
>> don't get any goodies. The whole crew is pretty good about it.
>>
>> I'm glad someone is preserving something. We're putting away the last of
>> the blueberries today, in a container in the freezer. We may go to a
>> fruit farm and pick eight or ten lbs of figs soon. Our new fig tree had
>> six figs on it and the blasted mockingbirds ate them all at the peak of
>> ripeness. The only crop that is doing well now is summer squash and
>> crowder peas, the green beans have just been sitting there for a month,
>> going to rip them out tomorrow and replant with a different variety.
>>
>> Your post gives us hope that we, too, can put something up soon.
>>
>> George
>>
>
> 12 pints of apple butter. Took all afternoon to cook down and I
> stirred it every 10 minutes. All sealed!!! Today will be 1 batch of
> apple jelly from the juice. Then start figuring out what to do with
> the rest of the apples.
>
> The two boys don't get here very often. If my daughter-in-law doesn't
> get here I sometimes call her to see if there is anything she would
> like. Younger son has started gardening and canning. I do like
> having things canned or frozen to speed up fixing a meal. We also
> frequently eat leftovers.
>
Our middle grandson, Ben, and his family live about two blocks south of
us on the same street. He started a small garden this spring, with
advice from his grandparents. He and I go fishing whenever our schedules
match up and he is a good worker whenever I need heavy lifting, etc. He
had iron poor anemia when he was a baby and, while in the States from
the Middle East, he and I bonded pretty tight. The anemia didn't last
long, the man is now thirty years of age and is 6'4" tall and weighs
around 250 lbs. This coming weekend we're building a gate for our back
fence so I can mow and weed eat the so-called green belt behind our
fence. Anything to keep the weeds from creeping through.

Our daughter and son have been gardening for years but they only eat the
fresh stuff and, occasionally, freeze some stuff. Both have vacuum
sealers, gifts from their parents and both helped us can and preserve
when they were young. Both are in good jobs, daughter as an elementary
school assistant principal, son as the purchasing manager for Texas
Children's Hospital. I think we hit our goals in raising our kids as
responsible, tax paying, voting citizens. We're really proud of both.

I'm happy to have lived this long (nearly 74 years old) and have such a
wonderful extended family. It's hard to believe that our eldest great
grand is now twelve years old and the youngest is seven months. Never
would have believed we would have 5 grands and 6 great grands when we
married 53 years ago. Life is truly good.

George, happy to have Miz Anne back from her trip to Maryland.

In article >,
The Cook > wrote:

> Right now I am tied to the kitchen while the apple butter cooks down.
> Saturday we picked all of the apples that were on the Lodi tree. I
> cut and removed the worm trails out of the smaller container. It had
> about 16 pounds in it. Put it through the Mehu Lissa and I had about
> 7 cups of juice and 3.5 quarts of pulp after putting the remains
> through a strainer. Remind me that I should only pick one tree at a
> time.
>
> I am sort of ad libbing my recipe which says to start with 16 apples.
> I am keeping track of what I am using just in case I ever want to make
> this much again. Tomorrow will probably be apple jelly. After I pull
> more weeds in the tomato patch.

>
> Time to stir the apples again.

Fruit butter recipes are easy, Susan, once you've got the pulp. Just
season to taste and either bake at about 300 deg in a shallow pan or put
it on the stove and watch it like a hawk with a timer set. Saves pain
of scorch.

I usually use about 1/2 the volume of sugar as there is pulp, and add
the seasonings near the end.

Good luck! I'm behind. My sister woke up dead and left a terrible
mess. SO unlike her!
--
Barb,
http://www.barbschaller.com, as of April 8, 2013.

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
....
> Good luck! I'm behind. My sister woke up dead and left a terrible
> mess. SO unlike her!

nothing i can say really makes much sense
as i don't know you personally other than
through this group, but anyways, i'm sorry
to hear about your sister and that it was
a mess unusual for her, but i'm quite sure
she didn't plan it that ways either. :-/


songbird

In article >,
songbird > wrote:

> Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> ...
> > Good luck! I'm behind. My sister woke up dead and left a terrible
> > mess. SO unlike her!
>
> nothing i can say really makes much sense
> as i don't know you personally other than
> through this group, but anyways, i'm sorry
> to hear about your sister and that it was
> a mess unusual for her, but i'm quite sure
> she didn't plan it that ways either. :-/
>
>
> songbird

And therein lies the lesson ‹ get your ducks in order before you think
it's important to do so.
--
Barb,
http://www.barbschaller.com, as of April 8, 2013.

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>songbird wrote:
>> Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>> ...
>> > Good luck! I'm behind. My sister woke up dead and left a terrible
>> > mess. SO unlike her!
>>
>> nothing i can say really makes much sense
>> as i don't know you personally other than
>> through this group, but anyways, i'm sorry
>> to hear about your sister and that it was
>> a mess unusual for her, but i'm quite sure
>> she didn't plan it that ways either. :-/
>
> And therein lies the lesson ‹ get your ducks in order before you think
> it's important to do so.

yeah, actually, it's on my list of things
to do the next few years as i rolled over
the big five oh. not that my situation is
complicated, but it would be nice of me to
get it set up so that if something happens
Ma would not have to deal with probate
court for anything.


songbird

On 8/22/2013 10:18 PM, Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> In article >,
> songbird > wrote:
>
>> Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>> ...
>>> Good luck! I'm behind. My sister woke up dead and left a terrible
>>> mess. SO unlike her!
>>
>> nothing i can say really makes much sense
>> as i don't know you personally other than
>> through this group, but anyways, i'm sorry
>> to hear about your sister and that it was
>> a mess unusual for her, but i'm quite sure
>> she didn't plan it that ways either. :-/
>>
>>
>> songbird
>
> And therein lies the lesson ‹ get your ducks in order before you think
> it's important to do so.
>
Not me, I'm going to leave a big mess behind. Hide the money, burn the
check book, bury the jewelry, whatever. I want everyone in the family to
be unhappy. <G>

Got about five lbs of yellow squash, sliced, cooked down somewhat, now
cooling on the counter. Will vacuum pack in two-cup batches for
casseroles this winter.

We're getting maybe three or four every couple of days. I don't remember
where we got the seed, probably Lowe's. This variety is three or four
inches long today and eight or ten by tomorrow with a little rain or
water. The joy of it is that the seeds are very immature and no problem
at all.

Our zucchini are the same way, picked one yesterday about nine inches
long, not a seed in it. Washed, trimmed ends, cut in spears, put through
the food processor to shred. Made a loaf of zuke bread with 1.5 cups,
put over three cups in the freezer in vacuum bags. Not getting a lot of
squash but just enough to make it easy to preserve and use.

We now have new floors, the nasty carpet and the sheet vinyl have gone
to recycling and the new ceramic tile and laminate flooring looks a lot
better and I think my allergies are easing off.

It is misting down a light rain today, supposed to do so for a couple of
days and I hope the weather folk are accurate today.

George

George Shirley wrote:
Barb wrote:
....
>> And therein lies the lesson €¹ get your ducks in order before you think
>> it's important to do so.
>>

> Not me, I'm going to leave a big mess behind. Hide the money, burn the
> check book, bury the jewelry, whatever. I want everyone in the family to
> be unhappy. <G>

hehe, thanks for the laugh George.


> Got about five lbs of yellow squash, sliced, cooked down somewhat, now
> cooling on the counter. Will vacuum pack in two-cup batches for
> casseroles this winter.
>
> We're getting maybe three or four every couple of days. I don't remember
> where we got the seed, probably Lowe's. This variety is three or four
> inches long today and eight or ten by tomorrow with a little rain or
> water. The joy of it is that the seeds are very immature and no problem
> at all.
>
> Our zucchini are the same way, picked one yesterday about nine inches
> long, not a seed in it. Washed, trimmed ends, cut in spears, put through
> the food processor to shred. Made a loaf of zuke bread with 1.5 cups,
> put over three cups in the freezer in vacuum bags. Not getting a lot of
> squash but just enough to make it easy to preserve and use.

it has been a good squash season. looks
like a nice harvest once the vines finish
off.


> We now have new floors, the nasty carpet and the sheet vinyl have gone
> to recycling and the new ceramic tile and laminate flooring looks a lot
> better and I think my allergies are easing off.

yeah, we have wood floors all around here and it
is the best. except if i have to stand at the sink
and do things for a while, then i have a nice thick
rug that i fold in half and stand on and that gives
the feet, knees and lower back a break.


> It is misting down a light rain today, supposed to do so for a couple of
> days and I hope the weather folk are accurate today.

they're sometimes close enough, but i'm
hoping the forecast for 92F on Tuesday is
wrong to the high side...


songbird