Busy Saturday

With temps predicted to be in the 40s again today we were up early to clean the gutters before the sun rose above the trees and started heating up the roof. At 6:30am when we went out to get started it was already 26 degrees. The breeze was cool-ish, but alas didn't stay that way for long.

By 9am we'd finished what we wanted to do outside and retreated inside. I spent much of the remainder of the day in and out of the kitchen. Jerry bought me 20kg of sauce tomatoes (seconds) at the fruit and veg market on Friday, and they needed to be processed. I also had 2kg each of peaches, nectarines and plums to do something with. Yesterday I salted about a kg of courgettes (zucchini) to make pickled courgette so I had to make the spiced vinegar for that too.

Yes, it is mental to be in the kitchen on a day like today, but alas, it had to be done. Luckily there is an openable skylight in the kitchen so I could let some of the hot air out earlier in the day.

By the end of the day I had:

• canned 8 1 litre jars of chopped tomatoes,
  
• canned 8 jars (about 5L) of tomato stock (just the cooking water for the tomatoes with bits of pulp - great for using in casseroles etc...waste not, want not!)
• made 5 jars of plum jam
• roasted and pureed about 4 kg of tomatoes - will probably turn that into tomato paste tomorrow
• finished off the pickled courgettes - 3 jars
  
• a loaf of sourdough rye bread rising to go in the oven later
  

And I'll be doing it all again tomorrow, as there's another 10kg of tomatoes, and the peaches and nectarines to do something with! But right now I think I have earned my glass of wine and a nice sit down with a good book!

Beanz Meanz....no Heinz!

Inspired by Blubird over on ALS I decided it was time to can some beans.

First some overnight soaking, then I followed John Gross's method from Food Preserving at Home (boil 2 mins then soak again for an hour, then reheat). Then it was time to pack the jars, and pop them in the canner. I used Borlotti beans, and kidney beans. In 2 of the borlotti bean jars I popped a small piece of home cured bacon. Yum.

The canner is a bit of a beast - and the big warning labels aren't exactly comforting for first time users!!!

After about 1hr 45mins the whole process was finished, and voila 8 jars of 'canned' beans.

Bottling / Canning update

Today was going to be a scorcher, so I got in early and did a couple of batches of tomatoes, and tomato stock in the canner. They can go on the rapidly finning shelves in the pantry. Up to 56 jars of tomatoes now!


Then there are the jams, chutneys and pickles spread over the pantry and the linen cupboard. There's also a shelf of home dried fruits, tomatoes, courgettes and chillis.


Thanks to a windfall of bottles (over 50!!) from one of Jerry's colleagues, my bottle storage area is full again, so I still have plenty of opportunity to fill up the pantry shelves.