October 8, 2012

Watermelon Jelly...

Look what I made today:

 4 cups chopped up watermelon (inside)
 3 1/2 cups sugar
 3 tablespoons lemon juice
 1 package of dry no-sugar pectin
 
Step 1 -Wash, cut, dice and Puree the watermelon!Place diced watermelon in a blender or food processor. You’ll need 2 cups of blended watermelon in total. Pour the 2 cups of blended watermelon into a large pot.
Step 2 - Add lemon juiceAdd the 3 Tablespoons of lemon juice to the pot!

Step 3 - Mix the dry pectin with about 1/4 cup of sugar In a small bowl, mix the dry pectin with about ¼ cup of sugar. Keep this separate from the rest of the sugar.

Notes about pectin: I usually add about 20% more pectin or else the jam is runnier than I like.

Step 4 - Mix the watermelon juice with the pectin and cook to a full boilStir the pectin into the watermelon juice and put the mix in a big pot on the stove over medium to high heat (stir often enough to prevent burning). It should take about 5 to 10 minutes to get it to a full boil (the kind that cannot be stirred away).
Step 5 - Add the remaining sugar and bring to a boilWhen the berry-pectin mix has reached a full boil, add the rest of the sugar and then bring it back to a boil and boil hard for 1 minute.
Step 6 - Testing for "jell" (thickness)I keep a metal tablespoon sitting in a glass jar of water, then take a half spoonful of the mix and let it cool to room temperature on the spoon. If it thickens up to the consistency I like, then I know the jam is ready. If not, I mix in a little more pectin (about 1/4 to 1/2 of another package) and bring it to a boil again for 1 minute.
Step 7 - Fill the sterilized jars and put the lid and rings onFill them to within 1/4 inch of the top, wipe any spilled jam off the top, seat the lid and tighten the ring around them. Then put them into the boiling water canner!
Step 8 - Process the jars in the boiling water bathKeep the jars covered with at least 1 inch of water. In general, boil them for 10 minutes.

Step 9 - Remove and cool the jars - Done!Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight) you can then remove the rings if you like. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed put the jar in the refrigerator right away. Once cooled, they're ready to store. I find they last up to 12 months. But after about 6 to 8 months, they get darker in color and start to get runny. They still are safe to eat, but the flavor and texture aren't as good.


September 30, 2012

Handmade....


~Peg’s 2012 Handmades~

Canned-
1.       Strawberry Syrup
2.       Peach Jam
3.       Bread and Butter Pickles
4.       Dill Pickles
5.       Sweet  Potato Butter
6.       Applesauce
7.       Pumpkin Pie Spice
8.    Spaghetti Sauce

Froze-
1.       Strawberries
2.       Sliced Green and Yellow Peppers
3.       Cooked and Scooped Sweet Potatoes
4.       Peach Jam
5.       Oatmeal Caramel Bars
6.    Onions


Larder Swap-
1.       Chocolate Sauce-3 to swap/1 for us
2.       Chai Tea Mix- 3 to swap/ several for us
3.       Orange Blossom Rice- 3 to swap/1 for us
4.       Granola-3 to swap/ several for us
5.       Bread and Butter Pickles-3 to swap/several for us
6.       Gardener’s Hand Scrub- 3 to swap/1 for us
7.    Peanut Butter-Chocolate Cupcake in a Jar-3 to swap/several for us


Other-
*Kombucha- Brewed and Bottled 9/12: 3- Blueberry Vanilla/ 3- Ginger Lemon
*Knit/Crochet- a plethora of items
*Reuse Craft- Junkin' Punkins









July 30, 2012

Lazy Blogger....

I have been such a lazy blogger for a few months now. I put this app on my Android, so now I have no excuses.

Blogger for Android:


April 7, 2012

Spring planting...

Seedlings in a DIY 'green house'...(a plastic container from Hefty, turned upside down....genious!).


 Waiting for Garden frames to go in to be able to sow these seeds directly into the ground.

April 3, 2012

Cramming 12 days into one on my blog post...

Not sure why I have neglected to blog lately. Maybe because I write down most things on Facebook, eh?
So....here's a few photos to store on this blog from the last 12 days or so....


World Autism Awareness Day was yesterday...

Going to paint my desk/table this Shabby Chic/Distressed Pink...


Brig took some awesome photos of Porter, blowing bubbles yesterday...

Today I made this dessert, minus the toppings....

I'm making this for supper tonight:: Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas...

got this Cord Manager the other day....

this delightful lazy susan for our corner cabinet arrived this morning...

found something useful for James to make for the Garden...

I made this felted ring...

The score I got at the VaHUL (virginia Homesteaders League Food Swap/Lunch...

last night's supper...quiche....

last weeks Homemade Granola, nom, nom...

I joined the Virginia Urban Homesteaders League. This is what we did last Saturday. We made homemade mozzerella cheese and fed baby goats on Nana's Farm. FUN!!! — at Nana's Dreams Farm and Apiary..

Lots of giggles with Handmade Ryan Gossling......


I ordered 20 skeins of Sock (100gr skeins) and 20 Skeins of Merino Worsted Weight yarn for the Dye Lab to get started again...

taught Carsy how to take out the greens from a Strawberry....

KNIT...a BUNCH.....

had a plethora of dirty dishes to do daily....


enjoyed the nice weather...

played with the pugs...


organized my pantry....

And...I'm sure I drank a load of coffee too....

and did more things, just not in my mind at the moment....

March 20, 2012

PMan...


yesterday he was dehydrated and needed a trip to the ER.


2 bags of fliud later and we found out he has a bad sinus infection...only. whew!


today...he's a happier boy!

March 17, 2012

Being a Geek is Good....

Cameron just got his acceptance letter into the Science and Medicince Academy at Deep Creek High!

a busy Saturday around here...

James is cleaning out the garage!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

March 15, 2012

Spring is here....


Just a few of my Garden Supplies I got today...to start seedlings indoors.

I also joined a gardening site called: folia. Folia is the best garden organizer software on the web!!!


Designed from the ground up to help make you a more efficient and better gardener, we make getting organized in the garden a snap, whilst also giving you the ability to showcase your garden, show off your beautiful plants and communicate with other growers in your area and around the world.




“ Folia provides a user-friendly dashboard tool to help users know what plants are being sown and harvested, as well as weather forecasts, seed organizing, and photo organizing so that your garden can grow at its best. ” Planet Green / Discovery Channel
“ Plant geeks will think they've died and gone to that great garden in the sky...seems like a cool way to keep garden records - much cooler and easier than using my tattered spiral notebook. ” Garden Rant