pair one for a swap:

pair 2: for a sister for x-mas:

pair 3: for Mom for x-mas convertible mittens

pair 4: for step dad x-mas

pair 5: for the youngest spawn

pair 6: a test knit of a new construction of a top down keeping for me

I have another pair of cabled ones in red tones near completion and plans on a few more pairs..all for me

I”m back it’s a new year and I have been a baaaaddd blogger. i really struggled with some serious depression this past fall and holiday time. Seems grief has a way of sneaking up on you. One pro to all that lethargic couch sitting was I knitted like a freak. I made so much shit between sept and dec it blows my mind. I knitted a gift for nearly every close friend and family member. Obviously i want to share but figure I would break it up into types of knitting so Happy Fucking new Year and lets get the last year of our Mayan calender ROCKIN!!!

I did want to shout out to my peeps a Happy Holiday season. I hope that everyone is warm, safe and content this weekend.  Most of you know what a softie I am on the inside willing to help others blah blah etc…I feel I have drifted from my initial bend towards volunteering the last 5 years and am making an effort to be thankful for what i do have by giving what I can back. Money not really but I’ve begun donating blood, knitting for charity and will be spending my Turkey time cooking for the local community center that provides over 1200 meals to seniors and those with out tomorrow.

Of course my punk kids will not let a food focused holiday slip past with out getting their dues so Saturday I will be cooking my growing citizens.

A close friend has a smoker and we are planning on making sausage this fall and building a hanging/drying cage in his basement. mmmmm I’m so geeked to make sausage been so long, we may build a cold smoker ans well. I used to make cold smoke seafood sausage way back in my culinary youngness.

I am looking for some deer hunters who may want to donate meat and get sausage back…..

I wonder if anyone else has any food fun they want to try this fall/winter. cheese or mushrooms anyone?

It’s been a rough summer with my father’s passing and traveling back and forth to Alabama to settle his estate. Ive had crazy tooth infections, troubled teens and a road trip to hell and back. Short story is 3 tows, 5 breakdowns and 98 degree southern fun. Obviously my blogging has taken a hit. My laptop is currently being worked on so Im not going to up load an pics as of yet. I have been the last 3 weeks canning like mad. Its the season to put food by and I really enjoy it.

I hadn’t planned on doing as much as I have so far but it my eldest who got me rolling. By asking if I was going to make corn relish and pickled green beans this year. Being the dotting mother of course I had to obliged. Last few years I’ve made refrigerator style dill pickles and both family and friends say they are the best pickles they have ever had. I then started thinking I should try some fruit canning as I haven’t done much. I don’t have a pressure canner so I stuck to researching hot water canning. If you’re new to canning do not be afraid. This site is a good recourse online or I love the book Putting Food By.

So far I have done corn relish, pickles (not really canned more of a live fermented item), pickled green beans, brandied peaches, peach ginger jam, nectarine-blackberry jam, peach blueberry jam and am planning on doing pears in thyme syrup and some type of liquor pear. Hopefully I can scout out a pressure canner so I can do my vanilla applesauce and other items for the winter.

The brandied peaches I am a bit nervous about as they sit for a few months to age and always think of the scene from Holiday Inn when the canned peaches explode. I once made cherry wine with my sister we let in ferment in our parents basement, needless to say most of them exploded and shot across the basement. We did end up with one bottle which we consumed quickly. It was a huge mess and there are still souvenirs on the concrete wall from that experiment.

Once I can upload my pics I’ll get them posted.

Best Garlic Dill Pickles

The easiest method for the pickles I do is here. I make my own pickling spice and have used this method for slices, quarter, halves and whole pickles. I use whole garlic cloves, fresh red cayenne pepper, dill and occasionally Ill add some lemon grass if its lying around. I do use 5% acidity apple cider vinegar for my pickling. I have read that these can freeze wonderfully in the jar and still be crisp once defrosted. I plan on trying once my new batch is done.

Lemony Pickled Green Beans

I wanted to give the green beans more depth so I added fresh lemon grass cut into strips about 1 inch per pint jar. I also add either red pepper flakes or fresh red hot pepper. Ive done them with dill and fresh thyme, just depends on your preference. Even thought I have been doing for years, I always check my pickling brine ratios I used this for reference this year and I think I loaned my book out:(

Corn Relish

Being in the Midwest our growing season is pretty short so farmers markets are abundant here in the summer. I hit them weekly and try to plan to can a thing or 2 so I will have some summer when we are under 12 inches of snow.  I use Mirai corn from the farmers market it is some of the sweetest Ive ever had. I have a simple ratio I use for my corn relish it’s equal cups of corn and vegetables. This year I used celery, green tomatoes, red and green peppers and sweet onions. I of course did not write my recipe down, bad bad me. If you want to cheat and use frozen corn this is a good recipe. I borrowed the below from southernangels site (she is making me soooo hungry). I have to keep some secret to my canning. Best part is designing your own methods and recipes.

8 c. raw corn, cut from cob
3 c. chopped onions
1/2 c. chopped green pepper
1/2 c. sweet red pepper, chopped
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. white corn syrup
7 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. dry mustard
3 c. cider vinegar

Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Cover and boil for 15 minutes, stirring often. Pour into clean hot pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch headroom. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Remove jars, complete seals if necessary. Yields 4 to 5 pints.

Brandied Peaches

This is an old school item. I imagine being in Paris smoking cigarettes, sipping Champagne and then brandied peaches are served for dessert with clotted cream…Must be the romantic in me. It was this NY Times article that inspired me. I have no idea how these will turn out, they look petty and have been sitting for a few weeks. I used this recipe and only time will tell……I’ll update when I try them.

Jams

I’ve never canned jam, but I thought this year I would give it a try. Seems my youngest has become obsessed with jam production and wants enough to last the school year. Fine by me. I’m following a basic stone fruit ratio for a pectin free jam.

6 cup cut  fruit

3 cup sweetener

4 tbl. acid (usually lemon juice)

Combine all ingredients and bring to a slow boil and stir and simmer for 30-40 min. If it looks medium thickness and broken down enough add any spices and then ladle into hot jelly jars, put on hot lids and rings, tighten lightly and process in water bath for 10 minutes. Remove, tighten lids and allow to cool undistributed.

Notes:

-Jam will thicken as it cools

-If you desire a more consistent less chunky jam, then chop fruit small or process in food processor

-A larger batch will require more cooking time and lots of stirring

-when adding berries they add more liquid when cook down and less volume. A double batch of the recipe of just peaches yielded 5 pints a batch of nectarines and berries yielded 4 pints.

-any sweetener can be used sugar, honey, agave, stevia etc….for some type of sugar is needed for the canning process for sugar free recipe please research online.

Some variations:

Peach Ginger: add one inch of chopped/grated fresh ginger to ingredients at start of cooking or 1 tsp dry at end of cooking.

Nectarine Blackberry-2:1 nectarine:berries, I use lime juice for the acid, and added ground cinnamon at the end

Peach Blueberry: 2:1, lime juice, fresh ginger, grated nutmeg at finish

other possible ingredients are any herbs, jalapeno, brown sugar, orange juice and lemon juice, a blend with mango or pineapple

Remember when in doubt throw it out, never eat from a canned item that the lid pops when pushed or that looks or smells questionable. Wrap it up and toss away so no animal can access either.

Make sure to label and date all your items as well. Canned items make great gifts for holidays etc along with fresh bread or cookies.

I love theater but can rarely afford to go on any consistent basis. If you are in the same boat I suggest you keep an eye on Oracle Theater. To quote their site: “We envision programming that reshapes American performance, bringing that theatre into the community so people from every segment of society can participate in the revitalization of American .”  Oracle is a not for profit and every seat is FREE. Yes they appreciate sponsorships and monetary donations, but they want everyone to have and opportunity to enjoy community based theater.

I am hoping to check out the current run of Radio Goggles, 3 shorts done old skool radio program style. Seeing how I am currently in a radio script writing contest, I figured this would get me in the mood.  I am looking forward to a summer of affordable entertainment and good times.

I was raised with out organized religion. My parents had been raised Catholic, my mother by Dominican nuns and she never went back to the church once she left her small farm town in rural Michigan. My father still goes to church and believes in god with a big G. My mother has gone the Mother nature- Buddhist route. Both parents left it up to us to choose. The trapping and ritual of Catholicism have always fascinated me. I went to 2 years of Catholic high school with nuns in full penguin mode and the convent on site.  It gave me insight into the church and their methods, but it was more clinical and never rang true for me.

Easter has always been a celebration of Spring and birthdays for my family. There are 8 April birthdays off the top of my head. I always thought of it as the candy midpoint towards Halloween. Usually by March all Halloween/x-mas/v-day candy was gone or tossed. Easter was an oasis before the long stretch of summer.

I knew people who celebrated with large dinners and church. We used to live across a large Catholic church in Chicago and I would enjoy hearing the bells and people gawking at everyone in their “Sunday best” heading to service. Easter seemed to be one of the big must go church times by the turns outs.

This morning when seeing my neighbors going to church, I was surprised to see them dressed so casual. shorts, gym shoes and baseball caps. The mom was in jeans and tennies as well. I was drawn to wonder what has changed for the faithful? I realize we have become a more relaxed society but I am surprised that showing respect to your savior is approached as casually as grocery shopping.

I guess it hand in hand with people glues to electronic devices and the lack of manners I witness. My sons often come home shocked  by how their friends speak to their parents or their cavalier attitude towards money and things. What happened? These parents tend to a bit older than I but why havent they instilled respect into their kids.

My sons know that please and thank you are to be used when speaking with any adult, they will help adult woman with groceries and open doors. They do chores and would never tell me no. When teens are questioning the parenting of their peers and their peers attitudes, perhaps we are on a very dangerous slippery slope.

On the upside they both will go far and succeed in part due to their manners, respect of others and ability to follow through on their responsibilities. The current mid 20′s employment pool is lacking in the similar sense of respect and etiquette in general.

In a way it seems just that even the church cannot prevent change in their followers. But it saddens me that we are losing sight of how our appearance and attitude shows respect to our beliefs, ideas, system or even people.