To Everything A Season

There is typically a somewhat predictable flow of seasons.

I don't just mean seasons on a calendar though they play a significant roll in what happens with the other seasons. 

So what on earth do I mean by that?

Well, "typically" we are finished up with wood burning season about April,

and we begin wood gathering season.

This year has been a little off.

We still had a fire burning into May. 

After our extreme winter which came complete with avalanches,

we were ready for spring.

But we weren't able to go get wood.

They made our road what they termed as "passable" but only to the last occupied house about 3 miles up the road.

Beyond that, the avalanches stayed to thaw as Mother Nature determined.

Mother Nature was apparently in no great hurry.

That meant we had to wait to get wood.  We have about 2/3 of what we need.

We are hoping to get another load soon as it is now fire season,

and they could shut down the forests at any given moment.

The other off bit is last year I was canning peas the end of June.

This year they ran about 3 weeks later.

That doesn't sound like a great deal of time, but if you think about the work load and how much you can do in 3 weeks, it might make a little more sense.

We've also had our first picking of green beans 

so I've been canning those as well.

My M-I-L gave me 9 (yep 9!) boxes of apricots.

I luuuuv dried apricots.

This year, I'm storing them in canning jars 

so they don't need to go in the freezer.

I did have to purchase the jar sealers, but they work pretty quickly,

and are a nifty thing to have and use.

I thought I was on my last round of dehydrators when my mom gave me another box so I'm still at it.

At one point I had 4 dehydrators going to get them all done before they spoiled.

Salmon season didn't really happen this year.

They decided not to open the majority of the rivers in our area

which means no stock pile of fish.

We still have several jars from last year so we'll use those sparingly.

Between Mr. LB and myself, we did draw all six tags, which if we can fill most of them come hunting season will save us quite a bit on beef.

(Tags: bear, deer, elk)

I have yet to get an elk so that's not something to bank on.

I've already heard that we are supposed to have another hard winter.

Our seasons seem to be stumbling over each other rather than pacing themselves so slow-pokes like me can keep up.

(I like to plant a few wax beans to throw in - adds a bit of a jewel to the jars.)

I now have peas done, we'll be picking another batch of green beans in a day or two, and once again think I am finishing up apricots.

Hopefully, I can get these things finished up then move onto corn

which is already on - early.

We've been running from one end of the day to the other, and our kitchen is a flurry of big bowls, canners, and various implements.  

The nice part is that our pantry shelves are beginning 

to look a little less anemic and at night, I almost literally fall into bed.
Aside from our seasons tumbling down upon us,
we are well.
And thankful mind you, that we have the provisions, skills, and ability
to do as we are doing.
We don't take that for granted.

                                                      

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