Moolie - Happy Thanksgiving :)

[Dawn419]

Hey lady!

Just finished playing catch-up with you and you've been super busy! I thoroughly enjoy reading about/seeing all the projects you've been into and thank you for shring them with us!

We've got about another month or so before our first frost here ( ), but the weatherman is threatening us with a low of 43F on Tuesday night.

 

[moolie]

Hi Dawn!

Turns out we've still only had that one night of frost, although the temps have gone down pretty close a couple of times since that night. My poor corn.

This weekend was super busy but we managed to glean 3 bins of crab apples from a neighbor's tree and we are in the process of saucing them all down for canning. This neighbor has only lived here for a couple of years and we noticed last fall that they didn't use their crab apples--just let them fall/rot/get eaten by the birds. So yesterday when they were looking all lovely and ripe we asked if they would mind if we picked them--and that we'd be happy to give them some applesauce in return. They told us to please take them, makes less mess on the front lawn, and no need to give them anything in return--they were just happy someone wanted them.

So I sent the girls over with some bins and they came back with about 30 lbs! And they only got the bottom half of the tree that they could reach, there's still more that we could likely get with our small ladder.

Gotta get through these first before we pick more though, as crab apples don't keep. I've made 3 gallons of lovely sauce so far and it looks like we've barely made a dent in what the girls picked--the house smells lovely (ran the crock pot overnight too) and I think we're going to smell like apples for a couple more days, lol!

Here's a recipe I posted in frustratedearthmother's journal, just keeping track of it here in my journal for myself--I have really found this online journal super useful for keeping track of our progress and when we did things over the past year, and also for remembering where I've shared recipes:

Moolie's Oma's Potato Salad

Boil 8-10 large Yukon gold potatoes till just tender, let cool, then cube/slice small into large bowl.

Add: 2 cooled chopped hard boiled eggs, LOTS of green onions sliced thin (including the small bulb at the bottom), chopped celery, radishes, green pepper (if desired), and toss together.

Mix in 2 large spoonfuls of mayo (some like it saucier, some like it drier, so do this to taste) and 2 tbsp of prepared yellow mustard, mix well.

Garnish with a generous sprinkle of paprika (smoked Hungarian is nice), some more thinly sliced green onions, and a sliced hard boiled egg.

Enjoy!

 

[Denim Deb]

Good score on the crab apples.

 

[moolie]

29 pints of crab apple sauce so far, still have a third of the crab apples left to process... and we'll be heading back over the neighbor's yard again later today with our small ladder to get more of the higher crab apples so that will mean even more canning. But we love apple sauce, and we really love free

Apple sauce for school lunches, apple sauce loaf, apple oatmeal, apple pancakes, apple coffee cake, apple sauce with pork roast, apple muffins, apple sauce with brownies, apple sauce with cheese, hubs' Grandma's Applesauce Cookies, apple smoothies... YUM

 

[moolie]

Photo time since I haven't posted any pictures for a while...

I forgot to take a photo of the total take of crab apples, but here's a photo that I took yesterday morning while I was in the midst of my apple sauce project, aren't they beautiful?

I never peel crab apples, just wash/quarter/into the pot to cook down, run through food mill for apple sauce--so my apple sauce is a lovely shade of pink!

Also, this was my first go with my new Tattler lids--I got some money for my recent birthday and decided to splurge I love all my reusable Gem glass lids and have got so used to using them for my Gem jars that I wanted something similar for my regular mouth and wide mouth jars, so I bought the "sampler set" of 3 dozen of each.

Every time I do anything in the kitchen at the moment I am surrounded by ripening tomatoes, it hampers progress a bit but they do smell lovely:

 

[Corn Woman]

Wow beautiful crab apples and lovely applesauce Moolie. Way to go! I haven't had frost yet but it 's just around the corner. I am pretty much in the garden or kitchen when not at work trying like crazy to put up as much as possible while the weather is still nice but the rapidly changing leaves tell me hurry up. I do love all of the full jars.

 

[moolie]

Thanks

We've literally only had the one frosty night so far. Daytimes have been high 70s and sunny, nights have been around 45-50.

Picking more crab apples from the neighbor's tree tomorrow--the girls only got about a third of what's on the tree so there's still lots left, and the neighbors just let them drop last year (their first year in the house) so told us to take as many as we want so they don't mess up their yard. So I'll be juicing/jellying and making apple butter this week!

I hit the farmer's market today to pick up fruit to can up some Fruit Cocktail--got good prices on peaches, pears, cherries and grapes, and then picked up a pineapple from the natural foods grocery on my way home. The pears need a couple of days to soften up so I think I'll be canning up Fruit Cocktail on Monday or Tuesday. Also got some more apricots and some plums for jam

 

[Corn Woman]

Very nice. I have tomato soup on the stove and will can that after work and then it's plumcot jam using the hybrid fruit, they ripen later in our zone 5 and have a beautiful red interior. You have me driving by homes looking for crab apples now. I saw some where I bank but the tree produces the small nickle size fruit so maybe jelly? There was a rush on canning jars in our area and the stores have been wiped out totally. I am so glad I have an addiction ( healthy obsession) with them so I have plenty . Just another day in the kitchen however I do love it.

 

[moolie]

Mmm, love Tomato Soup! I love a day in the kitchen as well--makes me feel organized and I feel just plain good when I've got a lot accomplished in a day.

Never heard of plumcots though, or do you mean jam made from plums and apricots? Never had that either, but sounds yummy

A few people around here have the really tiny crabapples but I've never had them--I think jelly is really all you can do with them because they are so small.

Totally hear you on feeling a bit smug/secure about having lots of jars ready to go, I've been into Canadian Tire (local hardware/general store chain) and the local Co-op grocery store in the last week and noticed big displays of jars and canning supplies and it feels really good to have everything in place for whenever I want to can something.

 

[moolie]

Can't believe it's been almost a month since I posted to my journal, but there it is. Crazy busy month at work, plus we had out of town company twice (parents and family friends), and then there's all the regular every day stuff like cleaning out the gardens and canning up and freezing the dregs that has kept me busy. Also did a bit of freezer cooking last week which feels good, nothing like an easy dinner after a busy day.

Mostly organized for the coming cold weather now, just need to get the big deck pots into the greenhouse for the winter now. Garden beds are all cleaned out and ready for spring other than adding some manure in February or March to melt in as the snow melts down. Hard to think about snow, but I'm sure it is coming--we've had a couple of wet flurries (mostly rain) that tell me winter is on its way.

Spent yesterday and today doing a little "fall cleaning" inside the house, clearing out the kids' and hubs' and my wardrobes of things that are worn beyond use or that the kids have outgrown. Took some of the girls' hand-me-downs to a friend who has slightly younger girls, and some books that were taking up space to the used book shop--got $75 credit (they don't pay cash, but we don't mind the credit because we love our used book shop!)

Most of the canning has been put away, but I still have some jars of tomatoes that need a home that isn't on my kitchen counter top. Feels like we are bulging at the seams with good things to take us through winter