Summer in Full Swing!

Summer is running away with my sanity, I think. I still haven't recovered from waking every day at dawn on the canoe trip, so I'm lacking sleep.  There are so many events, activities, plans, and parties that I can barely keep up with myself.  In fact, I'm writing this post on OSU campus in a short break from my volunteer role as an orientation coordinator for the 4-H International Program.

Next week looks to be a little calmer so I hope to post more camping reflections, recipes, and a garden update.  For now, here's a list of homesteading related newsbytes:

• Columbus Food Adventures launches tonight!  I'm so proud of fellow blogger Bethia Woolf for creating this food tour business to showcase Columbus' great food scene.  When life slows down (when will that ever be??) I can't wait to join one of the tours.
• My Clint Eastwood plum tomatos are coming in like crazy.  Fortunately my palate isn't tired of them yet so I'm eating them fresh, sliced, and as toppings for anything I can think of.
• We've also recently harvested several perisian pickling cucumbers, a zucchini, lots of herbs, kale, broccoli, and carrots.  This is a great time of year to be a gardener!!
• I haven't tasted any of the other tomato varieties yet because a certain four birds keep pecking at them before they ripen. 
• We're building some chicken wire fences around tomato beds this weekend.  Can you say UGLY?
• I'm taking a beekeeping class from the Franklin Park Conservatory starting the first week of August.  Our plan is to gather supplies and confidence this winter and add a hive of bees to the backyard in early spring.
• Next Tuesday is kid's day at the Pearl Alley Market.  I'll be there with Lil and maybe some friends to check out the summer vegs and the special kids events: juggler, balloon art, COSI, and more!
• Speaking of markets, I'm going to the 15th and High Market as soon as I finish this list.  I'm excited!
• Alex's birthday is on Monday.  His present from me is something that will be useful to both of us in the kitchen and I really can't wait for him to open it.
• I'm making a blueberry pie for his birthday dinner on Saturday.  I've never made a blueberry pie before.  Pie crust I have down; suggestions for a great filling recipe are welcome!
• Lil videorecorded and narrated another chicken video.  It's long but very cute (once you get past her kicking at them!) if you want to check out the backyard birds on youtube.
• If you have even more time, here's the Flickr set of my best 300 pictures from the Canada canoe trip.
• Local Matters has two Food Educator job openings listed here and here.  I volunteered with their Food is Elementary program and the curriculum is exceptional.  If you want to make a difference in the health and lives of children, I encourage you to apply.
• I'm hosting lots of events in August.  Learn to can,  join me at the Goodale Park Music series, check out The Hill's Market Kids Day August 21, and send your child to Kids Cook Dinner or Food Art camp with me!

I feel better getting all that out there and now I'm off the market.  Have a great one!

What's Left in the Larder

Today we ate our last winter squash harvested over six months ago.  It was bitter and I'm sad about that.

I wondered exactly what is left in our larder.  Here's the count as of March 9, 2010:

8.5 quarts applesauce

10 half pints tomato paste

3 quarts tomato sauce

12 quarts whole tomatoes

2 half pints ketchup

3 quarts barbeque sauce

3 pints honey strawberry jam

1 pint peach jam

2 bags frozen blueberries (maybe a pound each?)

8 2-cup portions of frozen pumpkin puree

handful of dried tomatoes

As we deplete our larder, we are relying on purchasing produce more than ever.  I try to find fresh vegetables at farmer's markets and Clintonville Cooperative, our local natural foods store.  Their selection of produce is getting slim and I can't wait to see more green house grown produce available soon!

How are your preserves holding up?

'Easy' Tomato Sauce

One of the more difficult parts of most tomato sauce recipes is blanching the tomatos.  Removing the skin has to be done in small batches and then you are left with slippery juicy innards to chop.  Not to mention that one more pot of boiling water on the stove means more chances to burn oneself. Sometimes when we make sauce, like when we made pepper tomato sauce last week, we skip the skinning.  The resulting sauce has a meatier texture than sauce made with blanched tomatos.  It's a fair trade in my book at the end of a long canning season.

The 'easy' routine is:

Chop tomatos and other ingredients roughly

Stew until soft

Blend until smooth

Simmer until thick

Can or freeze

Viola!

Time in the Garden

Many garden novices seem to be overwhelmed at the time investment in gardening.  I can tell you it doesn't take that much time, but I finally realized I need to quantify it. So last week, I recorded every moment spent in the garden.  I chose mid-August because it is a typically busy time - weeding, watering, planting, and harvesting all call out for attention.   If any time is busier, it might be spring, when beds need to be turned over.

Thursday: 15 minutes harvest + 20 minutes water peach trees (15 minutes idle)

Friday: 75 minutes harvest, tie up tomatoes, remove squash plants, plant beets, water

Saturday: 15 minutes harvest

Sunday: idle

Monday: idle

Tuesday: 45 minutes harvest, disassemble potato box and water

Wednesday: 15 minutes harvest

The grand total is 185 minutes, or 3 hours 5 minutes.  Keep in mind that our garden is ~105 square feet raised beds and ~60 square feet in-ground beds.  Beginning gardeners would likely start with less square footage and therefore could expect to spend less time weekly.

Many people already spend a few hours sitting on the patio or in the backyard during the week.  Imagine adding just a little activity to your routine and being rewarded with tasty produce!

Work in Quarts and Pints

I put in six hours at the kitchen today.  My work was measured in quarts and pints; four and twenty one, respectively. It started with these fifty pounds of organic tomatoes from Green Edge Gardens.  (Daughter pictured above is only thirty eight pounds.)

Then my friend Sarah and I chopped and sauced.  Thank you Sarah not only for your help but for bringing your sons to entertain Lillian.

Next was the canning.

And finally, pints and quarts of chopped tomatos and tomato sauce to put up for the winter.

I will not lie: canning tomatos is hella more work than jam.  Like jam, the results are outrageously more delicious than what you can buy from the store.  In mid-winter all the work seems to be worth it.  At least that's what I remember from last year.