Summer Harvest 2015 Preserved

It was so exciting to have space to garden this year for the first time since we got married. The first summer we were at camp, then we lived in an apartment and tried to garden in buckets on our shady porch. We got some nice spinach and swiss chard, but that was about it. Last year we moved over the summer. And then this year we had two large raised beds to fill with growing food. Not all of the food we preserved this summer was from our garden; we also had contributions from our parents, blackberry vines, and Joe's fruit trees, but the garden produced quite a bit.

Here's the list of the food we preserved this summer:

6 half pints of brandied cherries

1 gal of cherry wine

2 gal bags of frozen sugar peas

1 gal bag of frozen blueberries

5 1/2 half pints of sweet pickled beets

20 quarts of pickles

3 pints of pickled green beans

9 half pints of apricot jam

9 half pints of blackberry jam

1 gal blueberry wine

1 gal blackberry wine

3 bags of frozen blackberries

3 bags of frozen portions of pesto

3 bags of apples, sliced and portioned for pie

12 pints of pasta sauce

22 half pints of salsa

12 pints of tomato sauce

17 half pints of pizza sauce

23 4oz jars of pears

Raisins

Dried blueberries

Dried tomatoes

10 gal bags of frozen chopped tomatoes

6 half pints of green tomato salsa verde

12 1/2 half pints of cocktail sauce

13 pints of applesauce

Tomatoes portioned to make 1 gal of tomato wine

Dillseeds

Growing and preserving food makes me so happy. I love seeing all the jars filled with good things.

End of the Season Canning

 The green tomatoes that Gayle and I harvested from the garden when we removed the plants are ripening; all of the above were green when we picked them.

 My friend, Aubrianne, and her son, Amos, came over to help me put them to good use by making salsa. She cut the tomatoes while I got the rest of the ingredients ready. Amos kept us entertained and was adorable, as usual. When we put everything together, it was so nice to have it all prepped. I forget how much more smoothly canning tends to go with two people.

 Later in the day I decided to finish up my summer canning. I had apples in the freezer that were peeled, cut, and ready to become applesauce, as well as tomatoes that were prepped and portioned to make cocktail sauce. So I got those things going mid-afternoon and then, after being inspired by my canning book and a quick trip to the grocery store, I decided to also make a green tomato salsa verde. That was probably all a bit ambitious for one afternoon/evening, especially after getting up early that morning and wanting to go to bed early because I had to be at work at five the next morning, but Joshua was presenting a paper at a conference over Friday/Saturday, so I had to do something to keep myself occupied.

Anyway, I ended up finishing just after nine, which was later than I would have liked, but not too bad. And the results were quite satisfying.

Sweet Rolls, Moving, and Family

 Dave and Gayle came over to spend the last few days of their time in Oregon with us. We went down to the bakery together for sweet rolls one of the mornings.

 They really are large, and delicious.

 Here is one last view of the garden at the end of the season right before we tore it out.

Friday, September 11 was our last day renting from Joe. Dave and Gayle helped us clean the house and pull everything out of the garden so we could check out and turn in our keys. We were really grateful for all their help moving again and checking out of the old place. Gayle and I were serious about tearing out the garden.

And something a little more realistic :-)

We used grape leaves from the arbor and some of our freshly harvested tomatoes to make a Mediterranean feast for dinner. Dave and Gayle had to leave early the next morning. 

We Moved

We moved! We are still in the same area of Oregon, but renting a different house. This move was not as much work as our move last summer when we switched states, but it still took quite a bit of effort. We started the transition at the end of August and spent about a week gradually moving things from the old place to the new one. We were able to get most of it ourselves, thanks to the van, but Dave and Grandad brought their trucks over to get the last few big pieces of furniture. We got the main things unpacked as quickly as possible, but the rest of the boxes have been slower since I'm working and Joshua is getting ready for school to start and writing a paper. Still, we are feeling pretty settled now and have been enjoying our new home.

Canning Tuna

 At the beginning of September, Joshua and I were able to spend a few days over at the coast with Dave, Gayle, and Grandad. As usual, this meant enjoying time with family, lots of good food (including brownies and ice cream with freshly picked blackberries), and relaxing.

 This time it also meant a canning project! Grandad and I canned tuna together, which was a fun project.

 He packed the first batch of jars to show me how it's done, then I got to try the second round. It was pretty simple; you just fill the jars with tuna, add a little water and salt, wipe the rim, then put the lid on and they are ready to go.

 We used two pressure canners to get all the jars processed at once. I had never used a pressure canner before so that was interesting, particularly when the pressure gauge shot out of the one on the right. That startled me quite a bit, but nothing was hurt and we got it all fixed up and going again quickly. The tuna had to process for ninety minutes and while we had heat on the canners we sat outside to keep an eye on them. That was one of the best parts; relaxing and chatting with cold beverages.

Okra Flowers

The okra wins the prize for having the most attractive flowers in the garden this year. The plants aren't too big, but we have gotten some okra from them and it was good to eat.

Adventures in Cooking

We did some experimenting with food recently by making dolma with the grape leaves from the arbor and smoking fish. Grandad gave us a smoker that someone near him was getting rid of and it was exciting to try that out. It smelled so good while it was cooking. 

The fish and dolma both turned out well; although they could use a little work still. But it was fun to try some things that were different.

Summer Harvesting

 The tomatoes and apples are both in full swing now and we have tons of fruit. This, of course, is quite exciting, but also overwhelming to have both ripe at once. We are undaunted though and have been picking, eating, and canning all kinds of goodness.

Visit with the Nickells

Joshua and I headed over to Coos Bay last weekend to visit the Nickells on Sunday. Isaac, Heather, and the kids were up visiting Dennis and Diana, and we were happy to join in on the fun.

The boys found a fuzzy little friend.

 Fishing at the river by the house.

 Of course, Heather and I had to pick some blackberries.

 Then we made jam.

 We made two batches, which gave us seven pints of jam, plus smashed and measured berries for another batch so I could take them home and make jam again.

Isaac, Heather, and I went on an adventure to find some skewers to use for roasting hot dogs. We thought the bamboo would be a good choice.

 Joshua played football with the boys.

 Our bamboo skewers worked well for roasting hot dogs and we also had delicious corn on the cob grilled over the fire plus blueberry peach cobbler for dessert. It was a great time to visit with everyone and enjoy some time in the country; we wished we could have stayed longer, but we had to leave after dinner to get back for work the next morning.

Camping at Humbug Mountain

 Joshua and I met up with Bethany and Laura at Humbug Mountain State Park this week for a camping trip. We headed up after I got off work Wednesday and arrived around dinner time, then left Friday after an early dinner. It was a nice campground and a lot of fun to spend time with Bethany and Laura, particularly since we hadn't gotten to see them earlier in the summer when we were in California. 

The campground had beach access, so Thursday morning we walked over to look around. It was a beautiful beach and we were some of just a few people on it. 

There was a river that emptied into the ocean and split into lots of little streams as it ran down the sand. 

 It was low tide and we were able to find some sea anemones, starfish, and lots of muscles.

 It was great to be at the beach on a day that was warm enough to want to take off your shoes, roll up your pants, and walk in the water.

After lunch we went on a blackberry picking adventure.

 About to go through the tunnel.

Joshua and I were in charge of the meals, so of course we needed to have breakfast burritos.

Yum!

 It was also great to be able to have a fire both nights and Friday morning.

 After eating breakfast burritos, we headed up the Humbug Mountain Trail, which was about 6 miles round trip. It was a really pretty trail through the forest with lots of ferns and trees.

 There were some nice spots where we could see the ocean.

 Unfortunately, this was the top of the mountain. Yes, you can see the ocean through the trees, but it was a disappointing view. And there wasn't even a bench anymore. Good thing we enjoyed the rest of the hike and had coconut peanut butter bites to snack on at the top.

Back at our campsite, we had an early dinner then Joshua and I had to head back to the valley. I was so glad that the camping trip had worked out despite busy summer schedules and last minute planning. It was a very enjoyable time.