Canning Relish

Last week I was super busy and I made a lot of things. I'm pretty sure this was done on Saturday, but my memory needs an upgrade. HA HA! No, seriously...
Sweet Relish was surprisingly easy.  I cut up all the onions, bell peppers, and cucumbers and added the pickling salt (1/4 Cup for a single batch) to the, stirred it up and let them sit for 2 hours. The cutting up of all the veggies was the longest and tiring part. The rest was easy and pretty simple. I also made a double batch because I wanted to get a few pints to my awesome neighbors who give us produce all the time. Plus they had us over for a beer and gave us pickles.
A single batch is 6 medium cucumbers(6 Cups  chopped) 3 bell peppers (3 Cups chopped) and 6 medium onions (3 Cups chopped.)

Of course you want to start with clean, sterilized, hot jars. This is my pressure canner that my DH got me for Christmas a few years ago. (Before he was my husband even!) I use it as my water bath canner too. :) 

After the soaking period, I rinsed all the salt off the mixture and made the pickling mixture. 

For a single batch it is:

3 Cups Sugar

2 Cups ACV (see my endorsement below)

2.5 tsps celery seed

2.5 tsps mustard seed

0.5 tsps tumeric

Bring this to a boil and then add the rinsed veggie mix and bring to a boil again. Let cook until it is the desired consistency. I made mine a little runnier than I wanted it and next time I think I'll let it cook longer and start the relish before I get the jars going. 

When you are ready ladle hot relish into clean hot jars. Wipe rims, adjust lids, boiling water canner process for 10 minutes. I let mine go double time since I did pints and the recipe called for half-pints. Just to be sure. I always like to leave it in longer to make sure to kill everything in the jar rather than risk my families health. Plus, if it cooks a little more what does it really matter right? I doubled the recipe, but I didn't have a large enough pot so I cooked them separately until I had boiled out enough of the juice to put them together. It turned out pretty well this way. Although I think I'll make just a single batch of it next time. This makes 7 half-pints, but I doubled it and made 7 pints-2 of which went to my neighbor. 

So, sweet relish is done and I'm going to try my hand at catsup so I can use up these tomatoes on my counter. 

This is the kind of ACV that I like. It is good and good for you. I try to use it in everything that I make. Until I start making my own I suppose. But, my apple trees are not producing quite yet. Maybe a few more years before they are producing, so until then. This is my endorsement for ACV. I even drink it when I feel sick. Better than gatorade and less sugar too.  Although it was MUCH cheaper down south. I think the cost to truck it up here is the biggest hiccup. When I find a good health food store I'll buy it by the gallon and save a little bit. 

This is the finished product. It looks so pretty in the jars. I would be ok giving this as gifts for people who liked it on their hot dogs or something. Maybe a thought for next year??


And surprise...my DH made bread for me! He is really good at it. Actually better than I am, and he made honey wheat! YUMMY.  It's good straight out of the oven or warm with butter, toasted with jam or as a sandwich. I think we will make our own from now on. Easy and better for us plus no preservatives. That really is my favorite part. I hate the thought of putting that junk into my body.

He wants me to add that the recipe can be found here.

Thanks for canning with me (again!)

-Dinie

Canning Salsa

My garden is a piddly little thing this year, but I have amazing neighbors. They have given me so many cucumbers and tomatoes this year. I have made spaghetti sauce and pickles previously.

Now I've done salsa. Our church is having a festival on the 6th of September and we're having a salsa booth. Basically, people are bringing their salsa and their recipes to the church and it will be put out to sample. If someone wants the recipe for one, they can buy it on a card for a quarter. All proceeds are going to the youth group mission trip. So, I feel like it is a good cause.

Here is my recipe for free. (Although if you want to send me money, I can pass it on to the church as well.)

I didn't have enough to make a whole batch, but I made what I could. I also (of course) added some spiciness to it with those thai peppers that I bought from the Hamoung lady at the farmer's market. They are at this point dried and ready to add some kick to my recipes. :)


Chunky Homemade Salsa by Dinie

7 lbs Tomatoes (I used cherry, but any juicy kind works)
3 Bell Peppers, Chopped
7-10 jalapeño peppers
4 Thai Peppers, Dried and powdered
2 cups Onion coarsely chopped(1 Medium Onion)
1/4 Cup Dried Parsley or 1/2 Cup Fresh Parsley (I suppose you could use cilantro, but I hate the stuff)
5 cloves or 5 TBSP minced garlic
1/2 Cup ACV
5 TBSP Lime Juice
1 TBSP Sugar/honey/stevia
1 TSP Salt
1 TSP Ground black pepper


Wash all produce. (Mine came from the garden so it was dirty, yet had no chemicals like in the store.)
If you are using large tomatoes they need to be peeled. I like the cherries because this step is not necessary.  Chop coarsely measure 14 Cups and set to boiling in a large pot. (You can drain your tomatoes if you do not like it runny. I do, so I didn't)
Simmer for about 45 mins to an hour until thickened to desired consistency and stir frequently.

While tomatoes are boiling, chop peppers and onion. After the tomatoes come to a boil add all ingredients to pot. Return to a boil and remove from heat.

Ladle hot salsa into hot, clean jars with 1/2 headspace. Wipe rims and adjust lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 35 minutes. Remove and cool. Makes 4 pints.  (or as I did, 1 quart and 2 pints.)

I made a jar of pickles while I waited on my salsa to boil again.
And in the morning I made (sorry no picture, it was gone before I even thought to take a picture.) fried green tomatoes on a bed of grits topped with my homemade salsa and an egg on the side. It was fantastic!

Tomorrow I plan on making my DH some sweet relish with what is left of the cucumbers. I'll let you know how that goes as well.

TA-TA for now.

-Dinie

Berries and Berries

Great News!

I have found Raspberries and Blackberries growing wild on the property.  Thus, saving us money on having to buy them. Which is the whole point of homesteading for us. Well, that and eating better and eliminating the chemicals, GMOs, and pesticides from our food.  I know that seems like a lot, but we just want healthy food that isn't bad for us or the planet.

I'm trying to figure out how to make it easier to get to them and to get a better yield from them.

I need to have some type of wire or string so that the blackberries can lean against something. I weeded a small patch of them this morning and it was exhausting. (I also found the poison ivy that was hiding in there, even though I was wearing gloves.) I also picked a lot of them out there and at a big chunk of them. The Blackberries are my favorite. So, I think I am going to concentrate on them more for now. Plus, I'm familiar with those types of fruit from the south.  These blackberries are so big and juicy! I gave some that  I potted up to my neighbor down the street. She has been bringing me produce from her garden so it felt good to be able to give her something too. Even though I know she isn't giving me stuff to get anything, I still like to be able to return the favor. 

The raspberries I'm not sure about, I've never had them growing anywhere on previous property that I've seen. The raspberries are small and don't taste as good. Plus, there is(are?) goldenrods growing interspersed between  them all  and really the set up would be good if the poplars we not in the way.
It goes Blackberries, poplars, goldenrod (That I want to mow down) and then the raspberries with some golden rod interspersed. This is going away from the house in the back. They have a constant souce of water in the low area that holds water for most of the year. I may water them a little bit if it doesn't rain as much, but for now they seem to be doing very well.

Maybe after I get some things to support them and get the other plants out of there and some more sunlight they will get bigger and do better. Oh, and of course some rabbit berries as fertilizer would go a long way I'm sure.

I made a blackberry pie. This is the berries in some sugar and lemon juice.  Also, you can just see some of the tomatoes that I grew this year in the top left corner. 

The pie is mostly gone...but this is what is left. It was GOOOD.

Slaughtering our 1st rabbit *graphic pictures*

*Disclaimer* 

This post is about using animals as meat. If you have a problem with that or the pictures of that technique, you should not read this post. Thanks.

A few nights ago we slaughtered our first rabbit. We had too many bucks and this one was not particularly easy to deal with anyways. So, he went first. He managed to scratch me a few times when I picked him up and that doesn't work for me. I also cut myself trying to slit his fur open, but I digress. Here is his last living picture. Yeah, he was cute. I am going to be tanning his hide to keep for craft projects.

With my trusty DH by my side and in control of the camera we got started. I don't have a specialized spot to slaughter yet so we used a tree with a bungee cord on it. Necessity is after all the mother of invention is it not? It worked out ok until I tried to pull the fur off the meat. It was just too jumpy because of the bungee cord. I really need something that will hold it still for me better.
Here you see the rabbit being held up by the bungee. I had yet to really start, but it is somewhat effective.

I'm making a weird face here, but I was trying to concentrate on what I was doing. Plus, I was working on separating the anus from the rabbit. Not a pleasant job in an of itself, but nobody wants it left attached. 

The fur and skin really just slips off the rabbit. You do of course have to tug at it, but don't worry about it ripping or anything. Make sure you cut the forelegs so that you can get the fur off at the end though. 

Next I split the belly open to remove the offal. That string thing sticking out there is the large intestine, full of fecal matter. And I stopped food for 24 hours previous. But this rabbit was well cared for and fed on a schedule so I wasn't surprised that he was still full of poop.

Here is a few more pictures of that process. I was separating the liver and organ meats that we can use from the intestines that we didn't want to keep. 

 

And all the while, Krunchee was looking on. I think he was waiting to get his part of the 'kill.' In the wild dogs eat as a pack and the pack leader eats first. That's me, so he thinks that after I'm done I'll leave it to him to finish up. (He did get a few pieces too)

 

This is the rabbit's liver. For a small animal it is pretty large. I kept this, the heart and the kidneys for later. I froze them for now, until I can get some more organ meats to add to it. The liver is in-between the belly and the heart cavity. 

The other picture is busting into the pericardium to get to the heart and lungs. I gave the lungs to the dogs at this point and before you saw that's gross-dog's in the wild eat raw meat that they kill. This was a treat to them. I'm looking into switching to raw food for them anyways. It's what their bodies were made to eat. Kibble is cooked and harder on their systems. Not to mention, who can really trust what is in them anymore?

This is the finished rabbit meat. He dressed out to 2.2 lbs. I did not weigh him live.

All in all I think we did a pretty good job. 

The rabbit sustained our bodies so that we can continue to live. That is a noble purpose, for the noble rabbit. We thank God for the life that we took and the meat that was provided for us.  As well as the wisdom to be good stewards of what He has given us. 

Thoughts for next time.

We didn't have anything to kill the rabbit with so I used a couple branches of the tree and placed its neck inside and pulled up. It was effective, but my DH was worried that I was hurting the rabbit. I touched his eyeball and confirmed that he was in fact dead. But he seemed to think that I could do this a better way. I would love to have a kill board to use in a designated slaughter space. 

I know that some people use a broomstick, but I've never done that method either and I would worry about torturing the rabbit. That is not necessary to do and I do not think it is humane.  With a kill board it is instantaneous and obvious when the rabbit is dead. 

This blogger makes his own rabbit kill board. I may have to make one of these. (Disclaimer-his pictures are explicit as well. If you choose to follow the link be aware that we are discussing rabbit as a food here.) He even sells rabbit boards in his area. I'm not sure where he is, but I think we will just make one to use on our homestead. (No offense Mike!) 

We are working on making a slaughter area for all the animals that we are going to have here at the Silver Fox Homestead. It is going to need electricity and a water source and some way to hold up these implements. It's in the works for next year. 

Until then, I guess I'm using the tree. 

This is a shot of what I made for dinner out of the rabbit. I fried the legs and made some gravy from the drippings and served it with rice and corn. Very Southern of me, I know. 

My DH was happy with it though. :) And so was I.  He was a little chewy to fry so next time we will be making a stew from what is left of him. 

Homestead Planning and new rabbits.

Hello Friends,

Today I want to go over what are planning for next year. This year has been a little slow for us and we didn't have the money to go too many ventures up and going. Just getting the house in order took time and money for us. But it is coming a long nicely.  I know that normally winter is for planning, but I wanted to discuss the animals that we are hoping to have next year.

I've been looking into the chickens and goats more lately. I found that most if not all of my neighbors have chickens. I can hear them crowing all during the day. I can hear cows from down the street and sometimes I hear and see a horse or two. I really love living in the country. The air is pure and most days the sky is clear and blue. Today is a little overcast, but that's ok.

My nearest neighbors (You can just see their house in the picture of my garden) have silver laced wyandotte chickens and they sell those at Runnings in town. Now I have to decide if I want to order the goldens or just get the silvers. The goldens must be ordered online. Althuogh, I've been looking more and more at a dual purpose heritage breed. Such as the Dominique. They aren't beautifully colored like some, but they have great personalities, tolerate the cold and lay the large brown eggs. I'm almost talking myself into it here. LOL. Plus, they have hawking pattern so I could free range them without too much worry.

I also found a grain elevator in another town closer to me that sells chickens for cheaper than Runnings. So, Runnings is out of the running for Chickens in the spring. HA HA HA.Even though I may have to order them online to get the Dominiques.

Also, DH and I have been discussing enlarging my garden for next year. We did get some produce from the garden this year and it is still going into the fall. However we want to be able to get more for the amount of work that I am putting into it. We have a strange shape planned for next year, but it may be ok. We have trees in the way and he doesn't want to remove them yet. I do because they are just box elder trees and will eventually block the shade. For now, I have acquiesced to his request of not chopping any more trees down this year. (Personally, I think he and I are both tired of clearing and burning trees and shrubs.) This is a picture of what we currently have. It's from the back of the house looking toward our dirt road so you can see the little box elder trees we're debating about.

We have the rabbits and that is going well. I am planning to slaughter one in a week or so and will probably do a post on that as well. I'm planning a slaughter station/house for sometime next year after we get chickens as well. Rabbits do not require much at all. My doe should be kindling this week sometime and I am excited to see how many she has and what colors we can get. I'm really hoping for a chocolate dutch bunny. (Sounds a lot like a piece of candy doesn't it?) I am actually expecting blue and black though.
My silver Fox Rabbits are going to be coming home with me in about a week as well and I'm excited about that. The lady sent me a few pictures and here they are in their old home. I'll get new ones of course, but they are still small in these.

This is the senior doe. She will kindle first for me I hope. 

This is a junior doe and she will not come into her breeding until after the ones that the sr doe has are ready to butcher. She should do nicely for me. Plus she is young enough to get used to my schedule. 

This is a blue baby boy. He's bigger now, obviously, but wasn't he cute? This is an example of the blue color that I am going to be trying to breed. 

The buck on the left (or maybe it is the back) is going to be our buck. I am still on a waiting list to get another buck from a different breeder to have some more genetic diversity. You can see the difference between the black and the blue in this picture.

I've been thinking about trying to look into sustainable feeding practices for the rabbits I currently have. I'm not sure how this would work out in the winter time, but I don't like depending on a big box store for food for my food. If you know what I mean here. I hope to get to this and tell you more about it later.  

We have been planning a chicken coop for the spring and will probably get a run attached to it after we obtain the chicks. I have thought about ducks, but with chickens I'm not entirely sure yet. What would the point be really? I want to be able to grow all our own meat for the year and I am still trying to figure out how much we need and what varieties we want. We do not eat a lot of pork, because DH doesn't care for it too much. But, being a southern girl I like it at times and I would like to butcher at least 1 hog a year. That would give us enough pork for the whole year I think. My Mom and step father usually do at least 2-3 a year, but they eat more meat than we do. I can make 1lb of sausage last for 6 meals for 2 people. So, maybe just a few feeder pigs every few years or so would work out for us. But then, that's not sustainable is it? And that is something that I am striving towards as well.

I'm excited to have geese in the spring as well. I'm thinking of forgoing the turkey for goose. I like the flavor of goose better anyways, and it's not so dry. (Unless my DH relays his need for turkey I doubt we will have any. Although if he does I can just shoot some wild ones around here.) Have you seen a goose egg? I could scramble one and have breakfast for DH and me both. I doubt we will get too many of them, but it will be a nice change once in awhile.

Bees are on the list for us. I have requested a bee hive be built in the "man cave/shop" and he has agreed that we need them and a bat house to eat the mosquitos. We live on land with a swampy area so we really feel that it would help us to not get carried off or get the malaria either.

We have entertained the idea of raising tillapia in the shop/man cave as well, but do not know how much space that would require and what the heating requirements on that are gong to be either. When the temperature gets down to -40 I don't want my fish to freeze, even if they are inside. They need to be at least 60F at all times. I found a resource that says that you can breed them inside in a 55 gallon tank. Which I would have to put in my basement. but to grow them out you need a larger tank. And that is the point that I get stuck on. Maybe sometime in the future I can build a larger barn and have it heated as well.

We have decided on Kinder Goats and I am thinking 1-2 years on that investment. Milk and meat plus a free comedy show everyday!

So in having these animals I will get all this. Plus, fertilizer for the garden.

• Chickens- meat and eggs
• Geese-meat and occasionally eggs
• Rabbits- meat and fur
• Goats-meat and milk and possibly leather later
• Pigs (just a few and not every year)-meat
• Bees-Honey and wax (and mead) 
• Cows- still thinking about doing a beef steer every few years or so.