Busy weekends and Fall has officially arrived

 Wow, today is the Fall Equinox!  

The leaves are not turning yet but the garden is definitely in transition.  The final tomatoes are hanging by a thread and the beans just look tired.  Digging the last of the potatoes for winter storage today.  Potatoes were bumped back due to rain.  Raspberries are on!  I am picking a large bowl everyday now.  Breakfast is raspberries with a bit of yogurt and drizzle of maple syrup.  Accompanied by a warm cup of lemon and ginger tea.  The warm felt good on my hands this morning.

Butch had a sailing race this weekend, so I made a few snacks for the voyage; cinnamon buns for breakfast and mini corn muffins with little hot dogs tucked inside, honey mustard on the side for dipping.  Not exactly my idea of gourmet cuisine, but apparently hungry sailors will eat just about anything.  

This gave me a weekend of uninterrupted kitchen time!  As it rained every day it was time well spent. 

Peppers are really coming in from the garden right now.

from left to right:  red pepper spread, pickled peppers and candied jalepeno peppers. 

Red pepper spread is a favorite every year.  It's great on everything from a crackers and cheese to pizza sauce. 

Recipe: Roasted Red Pepper Spread

That same day it was time to make ginger beer.  A Fall favorite! 

Time to rotate the vanilla extract.  I keep a five year running supply. 

The end of the first day..... 

Sunday is always a bit of a slow down and it was again. 

Canned 12 jars of marinated mushrooms, another favorite! 

Recipe:  marinated mushrooms

Cabbage is coming in too, so time for sauerkraut! 

The last of the tomatoes are coming in and I really don't have room in the freezer or space on the shelf for one more jar of tomatoes.  Time to dehydrate!  I cook my tomatoes down, run through a food mill and spread them on a dehydrator tray.  They are done when I can snap the sheets into small pieces and store the pieces in a vacuum sealed jar.  I turn them into a fine powder with a coffee mill. Add a little water to the powder you have a delicious tomato paste that can thicken pasta sauce or be turned into pizza sauce.  It's great to have a jar on hand. 

Also time to put dinner size portions of pork loin and cod in the freezer. 

I paid $14.68 for the pork loin and made 10 meals out it.   That's $1.47 per meal! 

the cod was bit more pricey but I can a manhattan based chowder.  I keep 6 jars on the shelf.  I add clams and fish after the jar is opened.  The cod was $23.48,  I broke it down to 6 packages costing $3.91 a meal.   

Canning recipe for Manhattan Clam Chowder base: page 3

And finally put the years laundry detergent together! 

I have been using this for quite a few years now and it works great! 

The cost savings is fantastic too!  

Monday morning I had a chance to run into Cleveland and breakfast with a dear friend I had not seen in two years.  It is so wonderful to make time for friends and just sit for an hour or two and share time together.  Then since I was in the city I had time to do a bit of hunting and gathering. 

My bounty was squirreled away in the basement and freezers.  Everything labeled and dated.  Stock rotated in the basement.  After a day of running up and down the basement stairs I realize I need to build new shelving in the basement.  BUT...... after canning season!  I am almost done with the big push of canning and then it's time to put a few gardens to bed and concentrate on inside projects long overdue but for a few minutes it's time for a rest. 

Canning recipe for Manhattan Clam Chowder base: