Of Tea & Labels

Okay dear friends.

Time for something pleasant.

I know coffee gets all the glory,

but tea really is a lovely drink.

It seems I'm always trying new teas.

My favorite tea was "lemon blossom" 

which was discontinued several years ago now.

Since then, I've stuck with mint tea but have searched

for a new favorite tea that I actually really enjoy and look forward to.

There are some pretty spendy teas out there!

Many of them don't taste like they should be spendy at all.

Well, I finally found not just a tea, but several

that I really savor.

Each one I've tried, I've loved!

Where?  

Hummingbird Tea

I think I've tried six or seven of their teas and

have purchased six of them so far. . . 

and there's another I want to try - citrus chill.

I am not connected with them and I don't get any payment from them

for saying these things.

I just really like their teas and appreciate finding them.

Of all their teas I've tried, I would describe them

as "whole flavors."

So often it seems like there is something missing (like flavor).

These taste complete.

So like I said, I've ended up with half dozen different teas.

I've had these bailor jars for ages.

I purchased them at a dollar store long ago,

and they've come in handy.

I decided they would be good for the teas.

I think they are as pleasing to look at as to drink - 

well, almost.

Many of you might have figured out by now 

that I'm more about function than about fashion.

I like things to look nice,

but when it comes down to it, it has to function

and be as usable as ever.

Weeeeellll. . . . story time 

Some time back, I purchased some attractive

reusable labels to give as a gift.

They were actually for my mom who loves lavender.

The labels are good quality and very pretty.

My mom loved them.

Where did I get these great labels?

I knew you'd ask.

Mistress of the House

(Again not affiliated)

But wait, that's not the end of the story.

So Jes has a way of making things beautiful.

She takes those extra steps and it shows.

When I received the labels for my mom,

there were also a few extras in the form of samples.

Those teas above in the bailor jars needed labels

and they were handy so I wrote 

the name of the tea and put them on the jars.

I used a fine point permanent marker.

If I ever want to change them,

a quick spritz with hairspray wipes it clean.

Hairspray also works for getting permanent marker out of jeans.

Don't ask me how I know that.

Anyways, those little samples worked!

I like that they are a nice quality unlike the little paper stickers.

End story: I ordered some for me and some more for Christmas gifts.

My family is to the point in life that we really don't need "things."

So we try to give smaller things that can be used or consumed.

These are perfect!

I am having so much fun using them.

They are both functional and beautiful.

Pantry stocking this time of year can be wearing.

I am still working on the tail end of tomatoes

and will be dehydrating greens and cidering some apples

within the next week.

It's pretty easy, for me at least, to just get the stuff canned

or jarred and not label it (for shame!)

I know - that's bad.

These are certainly handy and if I'm sipping tea

while I'm canning or prepping foods,

it makes for a much nicer time.

I've been on the go quite a bit lately,

but I wanted to post something nice.

These are the items that came to mind first.

They are things I am grateful for~

I hope you enjoy them.

 

The Summer Kitchen

 One of the unexpected perks we discovered once I finally got to see our “new” home was the way the original garage and the newer garage were joined.  The wall between the two structures was not removed.  The newer larger garage would obviously be used for its intended purpose, and will house Vern, our 1948 Ford 8N tractor (more on him another time.) 

The small original garage then became an easy choice for the summer kitchen.  I had a makeshift set-up in the shop at the old place, but did a lot of going back and forth between the house and shop.  This gets to be the real deal!  I do a tremendous amount of food preservation, soap making, and candle dipping, as well as daily cooking.  The old saying (since we are in the vintage era here) “Make hay while the sun shines,” holds true for people food as well as hay for stock. Canning season is typically during the hottest months of the year.  It is so nice to be able to have the stove going and not heat up the house.  Or dehydrators going.  Or the mess corn makes.  Or…

(The "before" shot)

In case you aren’t picking up on it, I am over the moon excited!

Here, let me show you~

It has two windows both of which are broken.  The one over the sink was missing a large shard and had a scrap of cardboard propped over it, not even secured, just kinda sitting there - Classy I know.  MrLB was walking out behind the building to check the roof (which leaked but is now fixed) and noticed the shard on the ground.  Without saying anything, he got gasket maker and applied it to the edges of the shard and put it back in place.  I was cleaning inside when he came in and took the cardboard from the window and said, “There.”  I was amazed.  He’s just so sweet.

I still have my old pantry shelves which now house canning pots and empty jars.  I might change things up a bit as I use it and get the space figured out, but am just smitten with it all at the moment.  

I have the igloo set up by the sink for water since there’s no water to the building.  There is a large bucket under the drain of the old concrete sink to catch the water which will work well so I can water plants with it.  

Next is the hutch I recently acquired and cleaned up.  It will house pretty much what it did in the mountain house other than my herbs and spices.  My bowls aren’t out here yet as there was a bit of a mouse problem so we had to get that under control before I store things like that out here.
I haven't seen any "evidence" of the little rascals for nearly a month now.
I'm sure it will be on-going, but at least now maybe we can have a bit better control over the situation. 

Next is the harvest table.  I had this at the old place too, but honestly, it was usually covered with junk.  It’s an old library table about 7 feet long, and I love it!  It is a perfect height for me.  I am rather vertically challenged :-)  Standard kitchen counters are high for me and when working at them all day, my neck and shoulders get tired/sore.  It’s right next to the stove so I can move heavy canning pots to and from or have a handy work surface when dipping candles, etc. The cauldron fits under it which makes use of that space as well.

A couple other tidbits are the old yellow table and chairs so we can sit to shell peas or string beans or whatever the task at hand is (a cup of tea?)  The cushions actually go to our outdoor furniture, but rather than figuring out just where to store them for winter, I just put them on the chairs. 

And at the moment, I have the clothes line set up in here though it's easy to move outside if I want to.  We get more wind here which sounds like it would be great for drying clothes, but it's often dusty as well so this works out well.
  I've just brought the clothes trees out and will cover them, but
that would be unsightly for the photo.
The shelves will go in the house eventually, but for now they are just sitting there reminding me that I have more to do.

And in this corner which is actually a bit embarrassing at the moment, is where I will put my potting/gardening bench - against the same wall as the freezers.

The fabric on the hutch.

Last but not least, is the guard bunny.  Hucklebunny Hideaway is right out the door so she can be sure to help “recycle” any veggie leaves or goodies that become available.

The funny thing about all this is that when we figured out this space would be the summer kitchen, I hopped online for ideas on how to set it up.  If you do a search for “Summer Kitchen,” you will either see the Hollywood pool-party version or a fireplace in a historical cabin - no happy in between for practical use.  I do realize we are not exactly main stream in our ways, but I would have thought there would be a few.  I realize it looks rather rudimentary, but I assure you it all gets scrubbed before food is processed.  I would love to know if any of you have a summer kitchen or if you set up a temporary one for canning 
(or other specific tasks.)  
I've been busy amending soil that doesn't appear to have seen a spade
 for a decade or more.
Nearly everything is planted.  There are a few more things to get in the ground tomorrow then it will just be whatever progressive planting I decide upon.
I pulled out first radishes today so it won't be long, and I will be putting this space through a real workout.

Hope you are enjoying spring.

Total Garden Decimation!

This is so difficult to even write.

Last Sunday, we were called out of town for the day.

It wasn't an emergency or anything bad, just circumstance.

We did as we have been doing for the past several weeks

as far as the lambs are concerned.

Needless to say, they got loose and found the garden while we were away.

It wasn't entirely their fault or ours.

It's just what happened.

I am guessing they got their heads into the tomato trellises

and from there the rodeo was on.

The bird bath was tipped over and is broken on one side.

We had been enjoying salads nearly every day.

The beans were just ready to pick.

And the tomatoes were just coming on strong.

The lettuce, kale, chard, spinach, beet tops, and carrot tops

have all been mown.

The beans are destroyed.

There are a few that we might be able to pick and eat for a meal,

but not enough to can.

I am hoping that maybe the beets and carrots will still grow.

I will admit I cried a little that night.

We both work away from home full time.

We have poured a lot of sweat and time into those four plots.

They might not be fancy or valuable to others,

but for us, it is a large part of our winter food supply.

To many, I'm sure I sound completely ridiculous.

Yes, we could just go to the store and buy food.

But our food is "real" food we believe in.

It doesn't support Monsanto, require astronomical amounts of fossil fuel to transport, or involve foreign slave labor, and it is as organic as can be.

We amend the soil each spring with the compost we have made

 from the previous year.

We believe in this food so much we are willing to sacrifice

evening and weekend hours of our lives tending it.

In addition, there is money lost - not a lot, but some.

The real money lost will be that spent at farmers market purchasing

the things that were growing right out our back door.

(Our farmers market doesn't even have one organic booth
 but is semi-local at least.)

It's really not about the money though.

It's about believing.

When you work hard towards something only to have it trampled upon,

it hurts.

I have no doubt others have stories far worse.

We are not in harms way, we have a house to shelter us, and

for all our blessings I am extremely grateful.

But I cannot lie in saying I can't wait for butcher day.

I did right the tomato trellises, and get the tomatoes upright.

I added composted chicken poo around their bases and watered it in

with a really good soak.

They didn't actually eat those so I will remain hopeful.

I also found some organic green bean seeds and planted those.

I don't know if they will have time to grow,

but I had to try.

I still believe in our real food.

                                                        

We love these 3 cup jars, especially for things like green beans

that don't can as compact as things like corn or peas.

It's the perfect amount for the two of us. 

Using Your Stores (Pantry)

There are a couple of important things to remember

about your home food supply

that seem to be a hang-up for some folks.

Thing number 1:

The first is knowing how much and of what your family eats.

To help my meager little pea-brain,

I made labels that I showed you here.

Peas will be the first thing due to harvest and can.

You can see on the shelf, we still have quite a few left.

Last year was a good pea year.

The year prior wasn't as much so.

If we have a few jars left over, I'm okay with that.

It will be a comfort to know if this year they don't produce as well

that we will still have plenty.

I had to buy tomato sauce:(

This year I'm planting more canning tomatoes in hopes to remedy that.

Also, we've eaten more corn than usual, because it taste sooo good!

Wow, that was a good box of corn.

Thing number 2:

You might notice all the empty jars.

As we eat the food, I put the jars back where they were - only empty.

This acts like a place holder,

but what it really means is we are eating our food!

I can't believe how many people 'stock up'

but don't eat their stock pile.

I guess that means it's just for decoration ???

Weather it is food purchased from a store 

or you have preserved your own store,

food really only last so long.

Go ahead and use it.

If you find that it's been on your shelf for a while and nobody in the house

is interested in eating it,

ask a neighbor if they would like it.

Our neighbors love it when I do that,

though I've become pretty good at declining things we don't eat

so don't have much in that realm any more.

Pantry space is just too valuable.

So with those 2 things in mind,

what's on your shelf :?)

The Messy Truth about Canning Corn

It is always amazing how you see pictures online

like this. . .
just the end result of the day's labor

without seeing all that goes into it.

Many folks prefer to freeze corn, which I admit tastes pretty darned good.
Freezer space will become precious to us here within the next couple months.
So, we prefer to have it canned.
It still has the delicious flavor of 'real corn'
not like the tin-can flavor of what is bought in the store.
This was our first batch of the year.
Mr. LB must have thought I would be bored - hardy ha ha.
He brought home 42 ears 'for me.'
We ended up eating 2 off the cob and 2 were rotten
so from 38 ears, we yielded 19 pints which may not sound like much
unless you are the one to do it.
Here's how it went.

Have jars and lids out and ready.
You'll need a pint jar for every two ears (or quart for 4 ears.)
I like to get everything I'll need out before I start,
so you might read through completely then gather items before beginning.

First set up for huskin' the corn.

Never mind the junk in the background.  I'll fill you in on that soon.

One basket for husks and one for corn.

Before you clean your corn, put a large pot about half full of water on to boil.

Proceed to clean the corn.  

If you can do this outside, fabulous.

An outdoor kitchen is on our someday list, but for now it's in the kitchen.

 Once the corn is cleaned and the water is boiling,

blanch the corn for 3 min.

This is to boil it for 3 min. then remove it.

I did this in batches since it wouldn't all fit in the pot at the same time,

and I was doing it alone 

so I wouldn't have been able to keep up with 2 pots going.

Once one batch is out of the water,

I put the next in and take the hot corn over to the table where I have

my little de-cobbing set up.

I have a 1"X2" about 3 feet long with 2 nails stuck in it.

I just call this my corn stick and you can probably tell,

I've used it for a few years now.

If at some point, it wears out, it is easy enough to make another.

I set this over a large cauldron or bowl.

I am vertically challenged so I set it on a chair rather than the table. 

Here's where it really starts getting messy.

I have an old towel over the table just because 

I'm setting a bowl of hot corn on it.

Using a nifty little tool available in most marts,

I remove the corn from the cob.

It's so much easier than using a knife.

It does take both hands.
Just start at the top and slightly turn as you press down. 

 I keep the basket of husks handy so I can just throw
the cobs in there.

Working quickly and in rounds as one batch comes out of the water

and another goes in, you can get one batch de-cobbed before

the next is ready to come out of the water.

We end up with a bunch of corn and a floor that looks like this . . .

I wasn't trying for this or being careless.

Some of those little kernels are just rebels and go flying.

The corn milk also squirts here and there.

We'll come back to this, but for now there is corn to can.

Fill jars up to about 1 inch below rim.

Add 1/2 tsp. of sea salt if you so desire.  (1 tsp. for a qt.)

Add very hot water up to 1 inch below rim and seal with lid and rim.

Follow directions for your pressure canner, but mine is to process for 55 min.

This gives me plenty of time to wash up the caldron, bowls, tools, chair, 

and even mop the floor.

After processing, removing the jars from the pressure canner, 

and letting them cool on the counter, they can go on the shelf.

And now we've come full circle to the picture usually shown~

the pretty jars of food resting nicely on a pantry shelf

awaiting the perfect meal.

 It may seem like a bit of work, but Mr. LB is probably sick of hearing
how much better this taste than store bought:)
In other words: it's so worth it.

Until next time
Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

Oh, Summertime

We are in the deepest phase of summer.

Though ours began with triple digits for nearly a month,

these August days bring about a different air.

Of course, this year every thing has been dried hard

and even the ground is a harsh shade of brown.

But nature is persistent.

Elderberries are coming on.

Wheat harvest is finishing up.

Gardens are producing full force.

And we,

we roll through the days

picking and canning green beans,

pulling carrots,

eating salad nearly everyday,

and moving with a certain ease and urgency.

We know what needs doing next 

and prepare for it as we work through the task at hand.

There is plenty to keep us busy,

and we are fully aware of the reward

our labor will bring come winter. 

Come winter, we'll rest.

For now,

we keep moving.

Children are savoring their last days of summer break.

Families are taking one more camping trip.

And we are 'putting by.'

We are doing.

This is the good life.

Until next time,
Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

It Begins with Peas

From now until late fall,

the pressure canner will be a constant part of the kitchen decor.

Peas are the first crop to harvest.

They are also one of the easiest things to can.

To can peas:

Fill the jar with fresh peas to 1 inch below rim,

add 1/2 tsp sea salt,

fill jar with warm/hot water to 1 inch below rim,

make sure rims are clean,

secure lid - just finger tight

place in pressure canner w/ water (follow canner instructions,)

bring up to pressure (often 11# but 12# here)

let 'cook' at that pressure for 40 min.

Note: check your canner chart for elevation / pressure requirements.

The peas start out a bright green.

After they are canned,

they become a bit darker.

Once they cool, the "water" in the jar will solidify slightly.

This is pea oil.

Peas are a bean so produce an oil.

When I heat the peas to eat, I leave this in the pan.

We add no color enhancers or chemicals to our foods.

(Yes, technically salt is a chemical.  I know.  But we can pronounce it:)

The first time I canned peas,

I called a friend, because I thought I did something wrong

when I saw the pea oil.

She was kind and didn't even laugh at me.

This has been our evening entertainment for the past couple evenings.

One of my goals this year is to keep better track of how much we preserve.
I have a hard bound cheapo notebook
that I have began keeping a log with the dates as well.
This will help us to know how much we eat each year
as well as when we need to be ready next year.

Until next time,
Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

A Pantry Idea

It might just be that I need visual reminders

but...

one of the things about gardening,

canning, and preserving the harvest in general

is knowing how much food we need 

to get through until next year's harvest season.

This is one of those ideas born out of necessity.

I was running out of room in the boxes

under the spare room bed.

That's when the lightbulb flashed above my head

just like in the old cartoons.

Every year, I have to rearrange the pantry shelves.

As we use up one thing,

it's easy to put something else in it's place.

Now, as we use a jar of something,

I have begun putting the empty jar back in it's place.

It's like a reservation for next year.

Also, my not so pretty at the moment - labels

tell me how many jars of given products we use.

I must have issues with rifling through pages to find

what we need during the long days of harvest/canning.

This last year, I feared we would run a little short on a couple things

so there are a couple of store bought cans still in the works.

Of course, the home grown veggies are better

so those foreign cans remain.

(I try to use them up in soups etc.)

Also, that can of 'No Salt Added' is awful.

I grabbed two of them by mistake.

As we narrow in on the actual number of pints and quarts

we use, I will make pretty little labels.

The number can change depending upon your situation

and stage of life:

new little family members,

becoming empty nesters,

an extra adult in the house for a period of time, etc.

I like knowing our consumption for planning reasons,

but I sure don't want more paperwork.

This was what I came up with.

I had the above written and couldn't handle it.
 I was off and playing with labels.
I printed them, cut them, then used clear mailing tape
rather than contact paper (which I didn't have) to cover them.
I can write the number of jars on the label.
If I discover it changes, I can wipe it off with a little alcohol or hair spray
and write the new number.

      

If you have a working system,

leave a comment to let us know.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution

so the more ideas the better.

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches