A weekend's work

Since I seem to have gone on a jam making binge this weekend, in spite of working both days, I thought I would share the final tally:

8 jars (8oz) of peach jam
12 jars of strawberry jam
11 jars of blackberry jam

Clearly a year's supply!

I will be giving a few to family and co-workers, but maybe not the peach. As the peaches came from my tree, and it is done for the year, I cannot just make more until next years harvest! So maybe special exceptions only!

Still, a good experience!

And since I had the stuff out, after work I decided to make...

Strawberry Jam!

I get moods I guess.
;)

Peach Jam!

So a little time spent in researching, a few dollars in supplies, and a little patience, and I turned the last of the peaches from my tree into eight jars of peach jam!

This is my first attempt at it, so I am especially excited to taste the results! I have to wait until the jars cool, so that if one does not seal properly, that is the sample jar! It was a bit of an effort to learn how to make and preserve jam, but I am glad that I did. Now I am ready for next year!

Last chore of the weekend: feeding the tree that feeds me!

I used a Miracle Grow garden fertilizer to give my peach tree some extra nutrition! It's my way of thanking it for the yummy fruit.
:)

After working calculating pensions all day, it was nice to do something more relaxed yet still productive!

First fruits

Just now I checked my tree and found I had quite a few peaches that were ripe or nearly so.

I removed a few that were close so there would less crowding on the branches and less weight on the limbs.

I think I will enjoy some good peaches this year. It was definately worth the effort to fight off the bugs!

:)

French chicken stew

For dinner tonight, I made a chicken stew with celery, onions, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms and garlic with some spices!

I cooked it my cast iron Dutch Oven, and it is delicious!
:)

Nearly harvest time

In fact, I had the first ripe one last night!

It was AMAZING!

I resprayed this morning for bugs, and I think I will get a good crop!

Knock wood!
:)

I am excited!

Rust removal and pan seasoning

So how to deal with a new french iron pan with significant rust? Here's what I did:

I removed the rust with vinegar and some effort

Then I put in some potato peels and water and cooked for 15 minutes.

Then I discarded the skins and water and wiped it down and heated some oil in it.

Then wiped it down and it was ready to go: a rust free, seasoned, iron pan!

:)

Cleaning the stove: part 2

This morning I got up early and finished cleaning the trim rings and drip pans, covered the pans in aluminum foil, and put it all back together.

Ironically, I also got burner covers, so you cannot actually see all my hard work.
:)

But I'll know... and now, so will you!

Cleaning the stove: part 1

My stove is in need of maintenance. I decided to clean the rangetop, the drip pans and the little trim rings.

Ok a lot of work, but it is better now.

I decided to soak the pans and trim overnight, so can't finish tonight!

:)