What are you canning/freezing right now?

[amysflock]

Yes, thewife, I am definintely interested in a rooster (Black Australorp sounds perfect), provided you all think he'll be ok in the big coop with my seven hens (some moulting).

The "big girls' coop" has two Black Australorps, an Easter Egger, a RIR, and three Red Stars. My little coop (started as the hospital, but now permanent housing) contains two Easter Eggers and two "little" black girls (I thought they were Black Australorps, but they're so much smaller - and the same age - so I wonder if they're not actually Black Sex Links). The rooster would go in the big coop, but would free range with everyone on the weekends.

Keep in mind I have ZERO rooster experience, so am open to any/all suggestions. Kitty, do you think putting saddles on would be enough protection. Also, most of my girls appear to be in some stage of moult right now...is that an ok time to introduce a rooster?

Thanks, all!!

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Yes, it should be enough. Just follow the recommended procedures for introducing an new bird.

Let's keep this thread about canning/freezing stuff.

 

[amysflock]

Sorry, will do!

FYI, I get to go up to a dear friend's house a few counties away tomorrow and can apple pie filling with her and her mom! This will be my very first "all-the-way-through" canning experience!

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Have fun! It's always good to get together with someone else and learn from them. Even if you are both novices, one will have a different idea than another. I helped my mom can but, she did the actually canning. When I got interested she was to far away to help me. I had a wonderful neighbor who worked with me and showed me the ropes.

 

[amysflock]

Success! I had a very fun day canning apple pie filling with an old friend and her mom. I had to leave for a family thing the next town over just as we were starting peaches, but they still gave me a quart to take home. We had left over syrup from the pie filling, so we ladled it into jars for serving over ice cream. (We didn't can those jars...1 is in the fridge, can I freeze the other two?)

Now I'm scouring the Ball book for my next "victims." I have some beets that I may make into pickled beets, and the little apple tree in the yard might donate to either apple sauce or apple butter. Yippee!

3 sealed quarts (1 didn't take so it's in the fridge, to become apple crisp today!), plus 3 pints, plus 1 qt of peaches.

Yummy!

A little bit of shrinkage, but not too bad.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Looks like a good days work! It sounds like you had fun.

 

[wynedot55]

seeing those canned peaches.makes me want a big old peach cobbler.

 

[allenacres]

Yum! Amyslflock those look delicious!

 

[allenacres]

Hubby and I canned some relish a few weeks ago. (old family recipe)
the ingredients, green tomatoes, bell peppers and onions, plus vinegar, sugar and I forget what else.

Hubby does the grinding for me. Its messy, so we do it in the barn.

ready to be cooked

mmmmmmmmmmm..

all done. I was much more successful this year on sealing.

and then I did some corn, first time. I used the sealing machine like Farmerkitty suggested.
I found a neat tip on line as I was having a hard time with the fluid in the corn not letting my bags seal when the vaccuum was doing its thing. AFter you fill the bags, stick them in the freezer, and then a few hours later do the vacuum seal. No more liquid begin sucked out to prevent the sealing process!

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Nice job! I also freeze things that may have some liquid in them before sealing. Works great!