Isn't it pleasing when the word "rant" is in a blog post title? ;)
First, here's an EXCELLENT post on the Winter Food Swap this past weekend. Valerie is a great writer and took some amazing photographs.
Show her some love and leave some comments :)
Showing posts with label Preserves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Preserves. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Friday, September 16, 2011
Farm Meats, Charcuterie, Cold Storage, Hunting
I placed an order for pig this wk, just in time for the fall rush to get GOOD QUALITY meat in the freezer.
We ordered from Country Quality Meats, a shop just by Bon Accord that my farmer, Nelson of Rose Ridge Land and Cattle, does all his beef through (the BEST all beef pepperoni! I slice it real thin and put it on top of pizza to crisp up. YUM!)
The service there is great and since I've already tasted their work through Nelson's products I know what I'm getting.
The bags and bags and BAGS of rescued apples that currently fill my freezer are being turned into applesauce this wknd. With the crabs being used for crabapple jelly and rose hip jelly (still need apple to set the jelly, naturally anyways)
Meaning, rm in my freezer! Unfortuately, it won't last long. I still have farm chickens that we butchered this summer in my mom's freezer and my sister is taking the cow to butcher this wknd, meaning Octoberish I'll need to make more rm. Plus, my 2/3 of a hog.
Eep! I need another freezer...
Anyways, I'm currently devouring "Charcuterie" by Ruhlman and Polcyn (got my order from Chapters in the mail today!). I really really REALLY want to make homemade kielbasa for a family holiday this yr!
Maybe if I really get my act together I can do some for Thanksgiving... But a more realistic goal would be Christmas.
Especially since my mother's coldrm should be reaching a good temp now... I want to try my hand at aged cheese. I have succeeded in doing fresh cheese, but to be able to serve my own cheddar with homemade sausage and preserves and home-dried local fruits... wouldn't that just be amazing?
Well, I think so!
And it's decided that we're going to rearrange our rental townhouse basement --
(yes, they really don't care what we do to the place as long as it's in one piece and adds to the "value" of the house. they've stopped putting money into them because in 10-15-20yrs they'll be torn down to make way for an LRT line)
-- so Zac's tools and workbench will be where my photography studio (portable studio) is and then we're going to put in a modest coldrm with an even more modest "curing closet" on the side.
I need just enough space to hold potatoes, jars of preserves, etc in the coldroom. And then a closet big enough to hang a rack of charcuterie and a shelf for cheeses. With room for a coldair humidifier, temp and humidty gauges, cuz i'm a big novice and super nervous about messing something up O_o *eep!*
I'm so excited for everything it's hard to keep it all in! :D
I renewed my WIN card today too. Online. It was sweet!
I've been nagging my man (that would be the elusive Zac) to get his firearms licesense and go out with the guys or my sister hunting, and he took the firearms course, and then didn't do his paperwork. That was 2 summers ago.
So, I made the decision that I would start hunting. I'm already willing to clean and butcher it all myself (even though the biggest thing I've ever cleaned and butchered is a chicken), why not hunt it myself too?
Alberta Hunter Education offers a course online (you'd have to take the test in person... somewhere. probably a library. that's where I'll have to take my FoodSafety Course final, when I'm finished the online modules that is), so I would probably do that and then phone up one of the 1/2dz firearms instructors in my hometown area and do that one day/wknd.
So, next fall. I'm hoping to be ready for next fall. *fingers crossed*
We ordered from Country Quality Meats, a shop just by Bon Accord that my farmer, Nelson of Rose Ridge Land and Cattle, does all his beef through (the BEST all beef pepperoni! I slice it real thin and put it on top of pizza to crisp up. YUM!)
The service there is great and since I've already tasted their work through Nelson's products I know what I'm getting.
The bags and bags and BAGS of rescued apples that currently fill my freezer are being turned into applesauce this wknd. With the crabs being used for crabapple jelly and rose hip jelly (still need apple to set the jelly, naturally anyways)
Meaning, rm in my freezer! Unfortuately, it won't last long. I still have farm chickens that we butchered this summer in my mom's freezer and my sister is taking the cow to butcher this wknd, meaning Octoberish I'll need to make more rm. Plus, my 2/3 of a hog.
Eep! I need another freezer...
Anyways, I'm currently devouring "Charcuterie" by Ruhlman and Polcyn (got my order from Chapters in the mail today!). I really really REALLY want to make homemade kielbasa for a family holiday this yr!
Maybe if I really get my act together I can do some for Thanksgiving... But a more realistic goal would be Christmas.
Especially since my mother's coldrm should be reaching a good temp now... I want to try my hand at aged cheese. I have succeeded in doing fresh cheese, but to be able to serve my own cheddar with homemade sausage and preserves and home-dried local fruits... wouldn't that just be amazing?
Well, I think so!
And it's decided that we're going to rearrange our rental townhouse basement --
(yes, they really don't care what we do to the place as long as it's in one piece and adds to the "value" of the house. they've stopped putting money into them because in 10-15-20yrs they'll be torn down to make way for an LRT line)
-- so Zac's tools and workbench will be where my photography studio (portable studio) is and then we're going to put in a modest coldrm with an even more modest "curing closet" on the side.
I need just enough space to hold potatoes, jars of preserves, etc in the coldroom. And then a closet big enough to hang a rack of charcuterie and a shelf for cheeses. With room for a coldair humidifier, temp and humidty gauges, cuz i'm a big novice and super nervous about messing something up O_o *eep!*
I'm so excited for everything it's hard to keep it all in! :D
I renewed my WIN card today too. Online. It was sweet!
I've been nagging my man (that would be the elusive Zac) to get his firearms licesense and go out with the guys or my sister hunting, and he took the firearms course, and then didn't do his paperwork. That was 2 summers ago.
So, I made the decision that I would start hunting. I'm already willing to clean and butcher it all myself (even though the biggest thing I've ever cleaned and butchered is a chicken), why not hunt it myself too?
Alberta Hunter Education offers a course online (you'd have to take the test in person... somewhere. probably a library. that's where I'll have to take my FoodSafety Course final, when I'm finished the online modules that is), so I would probably do that and then phone up one of the 1/2dz firearms instructors in my hometown area and do that one day/wknd.
So, next fall. I'm hoping to be ready for next fall. *fingers crossed*
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Rosehip Jelly
Here's a link to make Rose Hip Jelly.
Now, my parents acreage always has lots of rose hips so this will be something excellent to try :)
Monday, September 5, 2011
Day at the Acreage
Today, being the day after Londyn's FIRST BIRTHDAY!, we went out to Grannie and Papa's at the last minute to do some gardening and food-stuffs.
We picked blueberries at Kathy's farm (my mom's friend. my mom being Grannie :) ). My sister Kristy and her son and our Aunt and Baba and Gido (Grandma and Grandpa for non-ukrainian types) came too for the last haul of the season.
Kristy brought up a couple BIG bags of corn from her trip to southern alberta earlier this wknd and Grannie and I made MY FAVORITE! corn relish and then frozen the rest of the blanched kernals.
From the apples Zac's grandma gave us and the sweet yellow plums from our friend Vala we made apple-plum sauce. Canned that for my little Londyn. She LOVES! applesauce :D
Now we're going through the process of doing a pig order for the fall through Country Quality Meats (Bon Accord). My good friend Nelson of Rose Ridge Land and Cattle gets his beef done there as well as all the smokies and jerky and sausages (and now weiners too! very good on the bbq :) ). He gave them a glowing revue and the pork that goes into his mixed meat sausages comes from the farmer's they deal with. All his products are BEYOND! excellent, so there's no reason to doubt the quality of the meats :)
I'm taking him a jar of my FAVORITE! corn relish for his sound advice :)
We picked blueberries at Kathy's farm (my mom's friend. my mom being Grannie :) ). My sister Kristy and her son and our Aunt and Baba and Gido (Grandma and Grandpa for non-ukrainian types) came too for the last haul of the season.
Kristy brought up a couple BIG bags of corn from her trip to southern alberta earlier this wknd and Grannie and I made MY FAVORITE! corn relish and then frozen the rest of the blanched kernals.
From the apples Zac's grandma gave us and the sweet yellow plums from our friend Vala we made apple-plum sauce. Canned that for my little Londyn. She LOVES! applesauce :D
Now we're going through the process of doing a pig order for the fall through Country Quality Meats (Bon Accord). My good friend Nelson of Rose Ridge Land and Cattle gets his beef done there as well as all the smokies and jerky and sausages (and now weiners too! very good on the bbq :) ). He gave them a glowing revue and the pork that goes into his mixed meat sausages comes from the farmer's they deal with. All his products are BEYOND! excellent, so there's no reason to doubt the quality of the meats :)
I'm taking him a jar of my FAVORITE! corn relish for his sound advice :)
Friday, September 2, 2011
berry-good!
one more thing on a list of things i need to start doing...
also known as Creme-de-Cassis
U-Pick farms beware! I'm on the hunt for fruits and berries of all sorts :)
oh, and a gouda recipe i need to save. once it starts to cool off a bit, my mom's home wil become a cheese lab :)
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Freezing Your Summer Bounty!
Let's face it, some of us are no good at canning... but we have a FREEZER and know how to use it!
Here are some awesome tips and recipes from my lovely sister :)
Blanch before freezing:
*Basil - Use the blanched basil to make pesto and freeze the pesto, blanching helps the basil not to oxidize
Pesto:
Course salt and ground pepper
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
3 cups packed, fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 freshly grated parmesan cheese
*Tomatoes
Slide skin off the blanched tomatoes, freeze whole, halved or quatered on a sheet pan.
Use for making sauces, soups through out the winter
No Blanching Required:
Freeze these items in a single layer on a cookie sheet for easy use:
Smoothies, pies, baking. Fruit holds their shape and juices
Blueberries
Strawberries
Raspberries
Cherries
Peaches (sliced)
Much less work involved and they'll keep you satisfied all winter! :D
Here are some awesome tips and recipes from my lovely sister :)
Blanch before freezing:
*Basil - Use the blanched basil to make pesto and freeze the pesto, blanching helps the basil not to oxidize
Pesto:
Course salt and ground pepper
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
3 cups packed, fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 freshly grated parmesan cheese
*Tomatoes
Slide skin off the blanched tomatoes, freeze whole, halved or quatered on a sheet pan.
Use for making sauces, soups through out the winter
No Blanching Required:
Freeze these items in a single layer on a cookie sheet for easy use:
Smoothies, pies, baking. Fruit holds their shape and juices
Blueberries
Strawberries
Raspberries
Cherries
Peaches (sliced)
Much less work involved and they'll keep you satisfied all winter! :D
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