Gathering Wild Berries

It's THAT time of year again....the wild berries are coming on...

These are native Saskatoon berry bushes, we have quite a few of them on our property. They bake up into wonderful pies, fruit crisps, jams and jellies, etc.

We spent a bit of time yesterday picking.....

ended up with 7 1/2 pounds! Today, we'll go to the other side of our property and pick over there. If we can end up with 20 pounds, the Gman wants to make wine.

I want more than 20 pounds, so I can freeze some whole berries to use in pies over the winter!

We also have native blueberries (low bush) and native strawberries as well. It's amazing what edible foods you can find by foraging around on your land!

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Garden Harvest

We're having the same heat wave the rest of the West is having....altho I do think we don't have it quite as bad as some places on Vancouver Island....here's the temp at 6:30 this evening.....

Dang it's hot...we stay in the house all afternoon, it is simply too hot to work outside much.

Pretty much the whole province is under Extreme Fire Alert. It is sooo very dry out there, it's kinda scary! Forest fires are reported on the news every night....and Kelowna area had a large fire last week....

The Gman cut a bunch of lovage today, so I sat at the table and snipped and snipped and snipped....I have the time and am still not up to full speed, so it makes me feel like I am contributing something, lol!

I'll leave the leaves in the shallow basket for at least 10 days or so....stir it every day and store the leaves in canning jars for winter time use.

We luvs us some lovage! It has a taste quite like celery, and we add it to winter time soups and stews.....yummy stuff!

Here's a basket full of harvested veggies that Gman's Mama and Papa will take home with them. They are planning on leaving around 8am tomorrow morning, in an attempt to beat some of the heat. Still, it will be about an 9 hour trip home, and part of that will be spent waiting in the ferry lineup.

So, in the basket, we have a couple heads of lettuce, turnips, onion, and a head of cabbage.

And a few garden pics....everything is overgrown and overrun with weeds....the Gman is doing his best to get things harvested. I can't weed yet, as it's too hard on my arm...oh well...c'est la vie! Right???

That grass around the Berry Bed is pretty darn long, lol!

Animal Garden....

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What To Try if Your Jar Didn't Seal

This happened to us yesterday, and I thought maybe if someone reads this blog, who is new to canning, the info may help them....so thought I would post about it.

Yesterday, after the canned apricots came out and sat on the counter, one of the seals did not seal. How could we tell?

Hard to tell from the pics, but I'll try to explain. When you take the jars out, it's important to Leave them Alone on your counter for 24 hours. Sometimes it takes awhile to hear the tell tale ping of the jar sealing.

Who has time to sit there and listen for 7 or 8 jars to ping? Not me....so I just leave them alone for one day and then check them.

You can tap on the lids....you'll hear the different hollow sound of a seal that didn't seal, if ya know what I mean. It sounds....well, hollow.

You can also give each seal a bit of a press down....if it doesn't move, it is sealed. If it moves, then give it the tapping test....

So there's the one jar that didn't seal (on the far left) .Because I moved on to pickling beets today, I added it to that canner full.

Now, this is important. The beets have to be in the hot water bath for 35 minutes. The apricots had to be in for 25 minutes.

So, when there was 10 minutes left on the timer, I knew that that one jar of apricots had been in there for 25 minutes, so I took it out. Then I let the beets continue for another 10....right?

In this case, the jar of apricots still did not seal. OK...well, now I'm going to just stick it in the fridge and we will eat it up within 2 weeks. If it had sealed, then it should sit on the counter for 24 hours, then get put in the pantry.

It is Really Important to let those jars sit undisturbed...don't be tempted to move them, tip them, push on the seals...nothing! Don't do it - you could disturb a seal in the midst of sealing itself down on the lid of the jar.

EDITED: Ooops, thank you Anon for pointing out a crucial detail I hadn't put in the original post!

In order to re-seal a jar, you need to remove the lid and clean the rim of the jar very well. Place a new lid on the jar, tighten down the ring like usual, then process.

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It's All About Apricots!!

A friend of ours was on a road trip the other day, and she picked up 40 lbs of apricots for us....

So yesterday, Gman's Mama and the Gman started with making some jam....

The recipe:

1 kg apricots (around 25 medium)

1 1/2 cups water

5 cups sugar, approx.

Halve apricots and discard the stones. Combine apricots and water in large saucepan, bring to boil. Simmer, covered for about 15 minutes or until apricots are soft.

Measure fruit mixture, and allow 1 cup sugar for each cup of fruit mixture.

Return fruit mixture and sugar to pan, stir over heat, without boiling, until sugar is dissolved.

Then bring to boil, boil uncovered, without stirring for 15 minutes or until the jam sets. Pour into hot sterilized jars and seal.

Makes about 5 cups.

While the mixture is boiling, it's important to discuss how many batches to do! What other possibilities are there for using some of the fruit?

Ladle the jam into the hot sterilized jars (canning funnels are the cat's meow!!).

Wipe the rim of each jar with a paper towel, then put the seal on top. Add a ring.

Let the jars sit, Undisturbed, for 24 hours.


Add to your pantry and feel satisfied!

(That one that is half full? It's going into the fridge for fresh eating)

So today, Gman's Mama and I did another batch of jam, plus 7 jars of apricots sliced into quarters, to have for desserts.

Gman made a sugar syrup, and placed the apricot pieces in the syrup to simmer for 2 minutes. Then he filled the jars, topped them up with the sugar syrup, leaving half an inch headroom.

We processed them in the water bath canner for 25 minutes (25 instead of 20, because of our altitude. If you are more than 1000 feet above sea level, you will have to make altitude adjustments!)

After that, Gman and his Papa got started on a batch of apricot wine. They removed the pits, and dropped the apricots into a primary fermenter. The Gman will add cold water, and sprinkle 1 pkg of wine yeast on top. Then it will get set aside for a few days to start working.

This will use up all the apricots we have left...except just a few for fresh eating!

It's been All About Apricots around this place!!!

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Camping.....and Fishing!!

We got home late yesterday afternoon from a Wonderful couple of days away....talk about relaxing!

We had da Wolf, a little campfire....

Our setup....right beside the water. There was one other couple camping there....and one small group camping up the hill and around the corner - we didn't even hear them!

A Beautiful view

even a little dock for the little boat

Some potatoes on the barbeque....followed later by some nice thick juicy steaks

the Gman went out fishing....I stayed on shore, relaxing in the lawn chair, reading....and reading

The view

Catch of the Day!

The total catch for the trip. We gave 2 small trout to the friends who watched our animals while we were gone.

We ate 2 more with the Gman's parents, who arrived late yesterday. The other 3 went in the freezer. We're still working on getting a canner full of trout!

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Making a Sign

Hmmmm, what's he up to?

Concentrating hard, it looks like

Apparently, we're going into business!!!

He started work on this before I got sick...now he's putting the finishing touches on.

The idea will be to hang the large sign from a post, then using cup hooks, we can attach and take off the individual veggie signs, according to what we have available.

I like it! He's done a simply gorgeous job on it!

This morning, we are headed out camping for a couple of days....the Gman will do some fishing, I'll be hanging out in the lawn chair, with da Wolf by my side!

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Processing the Last of the Meat Birds....and Drying Spinach

The Gman has handled the last of the meat birds for the last time this year...and boy, is he happy about that!

He parted out the last 4 birds....so we'll have lots of freezer packs of breasts, drumsticks, thighs and wings.

As well, we put the 4 carcasses in the freezer. When we have time, we'll turn them into chicken broth and can them up....

Beautiful size on the breasts....

The Spinach is really starting to bolt. We'll toss those in for the laying hens, they love da Spinach. I picked most of the leaves from the plants that haven't yet started to turn....

and here they sit, all over the house, lol. Figured we might as well dry them. After they are done, we'll store them in canning jars and use them in soups, stews and such over the wintertime....

ooops, excuse the pic, should have turned it around....

And....two orders yesterday for salad greens....1 lb bags each, plus some extra lettuce and broccoli.

Chard, beet greens, a wee bit of spinach, lettuce and collards here in the basket waiting for a quick rinse....

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Becoming Pain Free and Life's an Itch!

You now what happened to me this morning? I woke up....(yes, i know, that happens every morning I am still alive).

But this time....I woke up and for the first time since July 6, I had no pain. I mean ZERO pain...none, nada, zilch.

Dang, that felt good! So good in fact, I just lay there for about 20 minutes. Still as could be...didn't move a muscle, cuz I didn't want to move and wreck the moment, so to speak.

I just lay there and revelled in the fact that I wasn't sore. Eventually, of course, I had to make a move...and then those familiar twinges started in again.

But...dayummmm, that felt good! It was also the third night in a row that I slept right thru...weeeeee!

Things are looking up!

Another way I can tell I am beginning to feel better is that I am itchy....my chest is so itchy I can barely stand it. That's a good thing of course, it means my incision is healing....

I'm also getting bored. I have read probably 15 books, and am getting sick of reading. Getting bored....a sure sign that I am beginning to feel better! Sphere: Related Content

Harvesting, Help Arrives and Finishing the Meat Birds

Yesterday's contribution to our dinner....a gorgeous head of lettuce and a nice zuccini, the first one to grace our dinner plates this year!

Yesterday morning, a friend arrived to help out for a bit....she worked in the Animal Garden, thinning rutabagas.....very nice of her to offer!!

And....the last of the Meat Birds! Can you hear the Gman yelling Yahooooooo? Well, he is!

And we're so glad it's over with...I was able to help him with the first couple of batches he butchered, but after that he was unfortunately on his own....and it's been a Big Job!!!!

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Trimming Tomatoes

Wow! Did our tomatoes ever need a trim job! A LOT to do around here, and a lot harder for just one poor guy to try and get things done....

Gman climbed around inside Greenhouse #1 yesterday.....you can see the plants on the left needed a good trim!

There...that looks better!

And here's that greenhouse finished.....he stripped off all the leaves Below the first set of flowers....this will direct the energy into setting fruit and hopefully getting it to ripen.

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Pathology Test Results - Weeeeeeeee!!!!

O Happy Day!!! Late yesterday, my family doctor phoned with the test results....

It's looking pretty darn good!!!! And...We're both pretty relieved!

The lymph node tests came back Negative

The tissue associated with the Tumour came back Negative

Breast Tissue they tested came back Negative


The Only concern MAY (and I say may, because my doctor wants me to talk to my surgeon, who knows more) be that there was not much of a "clear margin" around the tumour.

This is because of how close the tumour was to the skin surface, and also where the tumour was on the breast (up high, think 12 O'clock)

I have a message in to the Surgeon, and he will be calling me on Monday. Also, I will still be seeing a chemo/radiation oncologist in Kelowna. The referral has been made and I am waiting for the phone call.

But.....we're relieved....my Wonderful Sons are relieved, our parents are relieved, friends are relieved....you know what I mean????

Even tho I am not quite "out of the woods yet", I'm relieved!!!!

I'll have a better idea on Monday, until then, I don't want to worry about it....AT ALL! Sphere: Related Content

In The Greenhouse

A few greenhouse veggie pics from a couple of days ago....

Tomatoes just starting to form.....

Corn looking nice and bushy!

Tassels on the corn....yippeee! We've been shaking the stalks, hoping for good pollination....

Pumpkin hopefully just starting to form

Squash....these might be Butternut or Table Gold...or it could be Zuccini, as I did stick a couple of them in the Greenhouse....this is what u get when u don't stick a name marker in, lol!!

The squash is Very Slow to get going...oh, well...

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