Wednesday, October 10, 2012

30 Days On My Small Farm-Day 13 (Eat well this Winter)

There is no time of year that makes me feel more of a connection to my pioneer foremothers.
Shoring up for the winter and all.
My 5 cord of wood that I hope will get me through the winter is stacked.
And when my friend Suzanne came this morning to get her veggies and Jo just now, they both had the same message.
"It's coming Linda-they are calling for frost!"

My joy of...was that only yesterday?....was short lived.

Local food movement be damned, with your hype, gimmicks and marketing manoeuvres.  I eat my own food as much as I can and depend on it for the winter. I do it because...well.....it's obvious isn't it? I save money, we eat very well, and I like the food I grow. I like how I grow it too.

But please...scream at me if I start posting pictures of my meals.

Today was hitting the fields. More peppers picked and popped in the cooler. Some will be frozen for the winter, some will be preserved and tonight I am going to make the recipe you will find below for Stovetop Hot Pepper Jelly.


Finally time to get the squash in...



The walnuts keep falling too. I thought they were all down, but when the winds hit as they have today they keep coming down, seemingly from nowhere at all.


I'm still finding tomatoes and am glad to still have that summer taste.

Lots of the root crops will stay in the ground for a good time yet. They will be happy to get the frost.

Seeds for next years crop need to come in though.

cardoon

leeks

See 'em? Sesame seeds!
The greens are flourishing now. Chards, kales, mustard greens, broccoli love this weather and are better for it.  Their newly planted counterparts are growing well in the hoophouses, but are a good ways from maturity yet.
It will be a while before I need them though, and I'm debating if I'll put up some low tunnels over my gorgeous brassica patch outdoors. It is so lovely.

I digress.

On to the jelly recipe!
(from www.loveveggiesandyoga.com)



Stovetop Hot Pepper Jelly (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Nut-Free)
Makes about 1 1/2 cups jelly, depending on cooking time and how much volume you choose to reduce
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 small jalepeno peppers, diced
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups sugar
Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and cook mixture over medium-low heat until the mixture has reduced by half. (This took about 25 minutes for me, but in the future, I will stop cooking after about 20 minutes, since the jelly is quite thick. It’s hard to tell when it’s boiling and bubbling how thick it will be after it has been jarred and has cooled). Carefully pour the mixture into a glass jar or suitable container with a lid. I store my jelly in the refrigerator and surmise it will last for many weeks; use common sense.





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