Treating to Prevent Browning

Whether you’re canning, drying, or freezing your seasonal produce, you’ve probably come across a line in the directions that tell you to “pre-treat to prevent browning.” Have you ever wondered how that pre-treater actually works, or why the produce browns to begin with? Probably not, but I needed something to write about today, and this is what came to me. Feel free to nap. I won’t notice.

Enzymes

In light-colored fruits such as apples and peaches, an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase can turn the cut fruit to an unappetizing shade of brown within minutes when exposed to the air. Basically, the enzyme combines with air to start the process of decomposition. I told you it was unappetizing. Anyway, this process is called oxidation and needs an anti-oxidant to deactivate the enzyme and stop the oxidation process causing the browning. Even though canned foods that are processed in airtight jars are no longer exposed to the air, the ugly enzyme is still active and reacts with any oxygen still left in the fruit, which is why you still need to treat fruit that will be stored in airtight containers.

Browning Prevention Solutions

Dipping cut fruit in an acidic solution or cooking it deactivates the polyphenol oxidase enzyme. However, some of these solutions as well as cooking the fruit can change the flavor unfavorably. Also, remember that time is your friend. Although some solutions work with just a quick dip of the fruit, some take ten minutes or more to work.

Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) – Ascorbic acid is probably the most effective acid for preventing browning, and it isn’t known for adding any off flavors. Ascorbic acid is available as a powder in many canning or freezing sections of you favorite big box store or as Vitamin C tablets in the vitamin section of your favorite pharmacy or natural food store.

Applications: sprinkle powder directly on the fruit or crush tablets into a fine powder and toss with cut fruit, coating the cut ends well. Or dissolve 1 tablespoon or 6 crushed tablets in 1 gallon of water. Soak fruit in the solution at least 15 minutes. Drain fruit before using. Does not need to be rinsed.

Citric Acid – Citric acid is not quite as effective as ascorbic acid, but it’ll get the job done without leaving any off flavors behind. It is available as a powder at many drugstores or in the specialty food section of large supermarkets. Citric acid is also used in both cheesemaking and winemaking and readily available in ships specializing in cheesemaking or winemaking supplies.

Application: Dissolve 1 tablespoon of citric acid powder in 1 gallon of water. Soak cut fruit for at least 15 minutes. Drain fruit before using. Does not need to be rinsed.

Ascorbic/Citric Acid Blends – Blends of ascorbic and citric acid are readily available at most stores that offer other canning ingredients like pectin. These blends are very effective at preventing browning and do not need leave behind off flavors; however, they may also contain other ingredients besides ascorbic and citric acids like dextrose (sugar).

Application: Use of these blends varies according to the manufacturer, but, for the most part, you can sprinkle these powders directly on the cut edges of the fruit or mix 1 tablespoon of powder with 1 gallon of water and soak fruit for at least 15 minutes. Drain fruit before using. Does not need to be rinsed.

Lemon or Lime Juice – Lemon and Lime juice contain both ascorbic and citric acid, but are not as effective as the powdered ascorbic acid and may add their own flavors to the fruit.

Application: Toss cut fruit with undiluted lemon or lime juice, coating the cut edges completely. Or mix 2 tablespoons of lemon juice with 2 quarts of water and soak fruit for 15 minutes. Drain well before using. Does not need to be rinsed but may leave behind lemon or lime flavor.

Salted Water – The salt will disrupt oxidation but will also leave behind a bit of a salty flavor.

Application: Dip cut fruit in salty water for 10 seconds. I do not have a salt-to-water ratio for this one, just the University of Missouri’s information that it’ll work. Drain. If you try this experiment, let me know if rinsing made a difference.

Ginger Ale – Ok, this one was an unexpected find and a pretty interesting idea. Obviously, the soda will leave behind a flavor, but I don’t think it would be unpleasant.

Application: Soak cut fruit in undiluted ginger ale for at least 10 minutes. Since all of the other solutions require 15 minutes of soaking, I’d probably do the same here just to be on the safe side. Drain. Does not need to be rinsed.

Blanching – Cooking deactivates enzymes but also changes flavor and texture of the fruit or vegetable. Blanching is used more often for preserving vegetables than for preserving fruit.

Application: Drop fruit into boiling water for 2 minutes. Then drop immediately in ice water to stop the cooking process.

Fruits and Vegetables

Most light-colored fruits will call for pre-treating when preserving, but a few vegetables are helped with a little pre-treating, too. Some of the most commonly treated fruits are apples, peaches, nectarines, bananas, pears, and apricots, and mushrooms and potatoes are a couple of vegetables that really benefit from being treated before canning or dehydrating.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you found this information helpful during this busy season of canning, freezing, and drying, especially when your usual solution isn’t available or working as well as you’d hoped. Until I did all of this research, I just reached for the pre-treater on the grocery shelves. I had no idea it also contained sugar! I think it’s time to make a change. By the way, all of this information was gathered from the Universities of Illinois, Missouri, and Alabama and Clemson University Cooperative Extensions. I am always amazed at the wonderful information readily available at the extension office!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

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Menu Paln Monday 8/26

As I’m writing this, my feet are up, Sherlock Holmes 2 is playing on the television, four bunnies are in crates on the floor, and Tropical Storm Isaac is threatening to blow in two days of rain at about 35 miles per hour. Even though the worst of the storm will most likely pass us by, these things have been known to take sudden, unexpected turns. You can bet we’ll be praying for everyone in Isaac’s path!

Unfortunately, the threat of a hurricane or tropical storm is nothing compared to the real problems of the RNC in town. I don’t mind have the Republican National Convention in neighboring Tampa. Increase revenue to the area might offset the inconveniences caused by all of the closed areas and roads. However, I’m not looking forward to the potential problems caused by protesters. Our papers are full of FBI investigations into rumors of protesters closing bridges and burdening homeless shelters. Already, a few have been arrested for minor disturbances like carrying a full-sized machete strapped to the leg at an event and defacing private property. It’s going to be a long week. It’s time like this that I am grateful that I don’t have to be anywhere this week!

Anyway, we’re as ready for the storm as possible. Hubby even figured out a way to protect our okra from blowing over! I’ll have to post a picture of his brilliance tomorrow. With a few metal stakes and a bit of construction fencing, the okra should still be standing come Wednesday. Yay!! Hopefully, the young corn, bean, and zucchini seedlings won’t float away either.

I pray you have a blessed week with less stress because you created a menu plan!

Don’t forget to stop by Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas! If you’re looking for some new recipe resources, check out this Recipe Index Round Up.

Menu Plan for Week of 08/20/2012

Breakfast 

Fruit, granola, yogurt, smoothies.

Lunch

Lunch of the week – Salads, wraps or leftovers

Fruit of the week – Apples, watermelon, pears

Dinner

Monday – Beans, cornbread, tossed salad

Tuesday – Caribbean chicken over coconut rice, salad

Wednesday – Drunk chicken, green beans, tossed salad

Thursday – Big salads, garlic bread  

Friday – Jared’s Cooking Lesson: Grilled Sausage Sandwiches, tossed salad (Jared has had to miss his cooking lesson the last couple of weeks. Hopefully, nothing will get in the way this week!)

Saturday – Chicken and endive soup, tossed salad

Sunday – Fried chicken, smashed garlic taters, tossed salad

                                                             

Snacks – Crackers and peanut butter, fruit, yogurt, carrot and celery sticks, or popcorn.

Thank you for stopping by!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

Drying Peaches

Peaches have been exceptionally yummy this year, even if they have been a bit pricier than usual. Thankfully, I still ended up with three baskets, overflowing with sweet, juicy peaches! We now have a few jars of peach jam and peach salsa, one gallon-sized bag of frozen, peaches, and 35 pints of sliced peaches in very light syrup. We also enjoyed a triple batch of peach cobbler and still had some left just for snacking.

The peaches have been lasting nicely in the refrigerator. However, we did pick up a handful that started to turn almost overnight. There weren’t enough to can, and I even though I have one bag in the freezer, I’m really trying to lean more towards shelf-stable food preservation. Increased occurrences of power grid failures globally have me a little more cautious of my dependence on electricity for food storage. So, to salvage those bruised peaches with minimal waste, I dried them.

Drying Peaches

Peel and pit peaches. You can quickly peel soft peaches by placing them in a pot of boiling water for about 2 minutes, followed immediately by submerging them in an ice bath. The peels should slip right off. When I have harder peaches or just a few to peel, I just use a sharp paring knife.

I’ve found that when peeling peaches with a knife, I can go faster if I cut around the pit by following the indented line around the peach. Look at the stem end. See that indention pointing you in the right direction? Just follow that around the peach, with your blade resting against the pit inside. By following this line, when you twist the peach apart, the pit is lying flat and easy to remove. My daughter accidentally sliced open a peach the other way, and the sideways pit was very difficult to remove.

Once you’ve peeled and pitted your peaches, slice into ¼-inch slices and treat to prevent browning.

Lay the peaches out on mesh trays, and dry at 125°F to 140°F for 8-10 hours, or until all moisture has been removed, but the peaches are still pliable.

Store in an airtight container such as a canning jar or zipper-seal plastic storage bag. 

Oven Directions: If you are lucky enough to have an oven that can be set at a very low temperature, 125°F to 140°F, you can use your oven as your dehydrator. Cookie sheets or cooling racks work very well as drying racks. An advantage to using your oven for drying is that you already own the oven, so there’s nothing extra to buy. Unfortunately, using your oven also means tying up your oven for 8 to 10 hours, and your oven will use more electricity than a dehydrator. If you use your oven, try to dry your peaches overnight so that your dehydrating doesn’t interfere with your daily cooking.

Thanks for stopping by! Dried peaches are wonderful snacks all by themselves, but they are also a wonderful addition to granola, trail mix, and oatmeal cookies or reconstituted and made into a flavorful cobbler.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

The Morris Tribe's Homesteading Blog Carnival 
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Menu Plan Monday 8/20

The side room is completely clean, both the school side and the sewing side. Yay!! I have several projects that simply had to be set aside because I couldn’t get to the things I needed, like thread. It’s amazing how easily things just get dumped into unseen rooms when we’re in a hurry!

We also started planting the fall garden this past weekend. Another Yay!! The corn, green beans, and zucchini seeds are in the ground. Unfortunately, we do not have the broccoli seedlings that were also supposed to be planted. I am grateful that the broccoli can be planted continuously from now until March. I think I’ll manage to have seedling somewhere in that time…at least I hope I will!

I pray you have a blessed week with less stress because you created a menu plan!

Don’t forget to stop by Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas! If you’re looking for some new recipe resources, check out this Recipe Index Round Up.

Menu Plan for Week of 08/20/2012

Breakfast 

Fruit, granola, yogurt, smoothies.

Lunch

Lunch of the week – Salads, wraps or leftovers

Fruit of the week – Apples, watermelon, peaches

Dinner

Monday – Chicken fingers, pierogies, corn, tossed salad, cheesecake (Colleen’s choice of birthday dinner)

Tuesday – Roast chicken, smashed turnips and taters, carrots, salad

Wednesday – Steak and cheese sandwiches, French fries, tossed salad

Thursday – Big salads, garlic bread  

Friday – Jared’s Cooking Lesson: Grilled Sausage Sandwiches, tossed salad

Saturday – Buffalo chicken wraps, tossed salad

Sunday – Fried chicken, rice pilaf, tossed salad

                                                             

Snacks – Crackers and peanut butter, fruit, yogurt, carrot and celery sticks, or popcorn.

Thank you for stopping by!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

Putting Up Peaches

The end of summer means we are nearing the end of yummy summer fruits like peaches and plums and nectarines, oh my! The end of a season also means that certain produce prices should be dropping a bit. Hopefully, they’ll drop by more than just a bit, especially peaches.

If you’ve manages to score a case or three of peaches, or you’re extremely blessed to have a peach tree or two in your backyard, dust off the canner and the dehydrator and line your pantry shelves with the beautiful colors of canned peaches, peach jam, peach salsa, peach BBQ sauce, and dried peaches.

I’ve been canning for a long time and tended to steer toward the more interesting recipes instead of the more practical ones. Unfortunately, one family can only use so many jars of jam and salsa, even though we give away a significant amount as gifts. I needed to do a little less foo-foo canning and a lot more practical canning. Although putting up sliced peaches in very light syrup isn’t check-out-this-cool recipe exciting, my effort will be appreciated later by my family when seasonal fruits are limited or non-existent.

Peaches in Very Light Syrup

Quantity: An average of 17 ½ pounds of peaches is needed per canner load of 7 quarts and 11 pounds for a canner load of 9 pints.

Preparing the fruit: You can use one of two methods for peeling your peaches, depending on the softness of your fruit. For very ripe, soft peaches, dip the fruit in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds, until skins loosen or crack. Transfer the peaches quickly to an ice water bath to stop the cooking process and to cool them for easier handling. The skins should slip right off. Simply peel harder fruits with a knife or peeler.

Cut peaches in half and remove the pits. Slice if desired. To prevent darkened or discolored fruit, keep fruit in ascorbic acid or citric acid solution.

Very Light Syrup: In a large, stainless steel saucepan, dissolve ¾ cup of sugar in 6 ½ cups of water. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Keep hot until needed, but do not boil. Continued boiling will reduce your syrup, making in more concentrated than originally intended.

Hot Pack: Place drained fruit in syrup and bring to a boil. Fill jars with hot fruit and cooking liquid, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if necessary. Wipe rims and adjust lids. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 20 minutes fro pints and 25 minutes for quarts. . Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars. Cool and store in a cool, dark place.

Raw Pack: Fill jars with raw fruit, cut side down. Add hot syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if necessary. Wipe rims and adjust lids. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 20 minutes fro pints and 25 minutes for quarts. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars. Cool and store in a cool, dark place.

Low- and No-Sugar options

If you are watching your sugar intake, you have several options you can use instead of the sugar syrup. You can replace up to half of the sugar with honey or replace all of the sugar with sucralose (Splenda ®). You can also eliminate the sugar altogether and use plain water or unsweetened juice. Just remember that the sugar helps the peaches retain their color and shape and enhances the flavor. Eliminating it entirely may change the taste and appearance of the final product over time.

Thanks for stopping by! Today’s canning adventure definitely won’t be going to the fair or be included in any Christmas gift baskets, but it will come in handy in a couple of months when our fruit choices have dwindled significantly. Like I said before, this is practical canning. Although these peaches won’t be winning any Best in Show ribbon, they fill my pantry efficiently and feed my family well. Yeah, I’m okay with that.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

The Morris Tribe's Homesteading Blog Carnival 
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Shared on Dandelion House's Farm Girl Friday  
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Guide to Simple Syrups for Canning Fruit

Most fruits are canned in a sugar syrup, or simple syrup. The syrup works as a preservative, helping the fruit maintain its shape and color over time. If you’re watching your sugar intake, you can put up fruit using several no-sugar alternatives, such as unsweetened juice or water, with only a small change in processing.

Simple Syrup

To create a simple syrup for canning, choose the desired sweetness from the chart below. Choose a lighter syrup for sweet fruits and a heavier syrup for tart or sour fruits.

Combine the sugar and water in a large, stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Reduce the heat, and keep warm until needed. Be careful not to boil or simmer the syrup down.

This sugar syrup can be used with either the hot pack or raw pack methods of canning fruit.

Type of Syrup	Sugar	Water	Approx. % Sugar
Very Light	3/4 cup	6 1/2 cups	10
Light	1 1/2 cups	5 3/4 cups	20
Medium	2 1/4 cups	5 1/4 cups	30
Heavy	3 1/4 cups	5 cups	40
Very Heavy	4 1/4 cups	4 1/4 cups	50

Honey

To reduce the amount of white sugar used, you can replace up to half the sugar with a mild-tasting honey. Remember, using honey may change the flavor a bit, but it might be a change you like.

Artificial Sweeteners

Most artificial sweeteners cannot handle the heat of the canner and may produce bitter or off flavors in your preserves. Sucralose, also known as Splenda®, can handle the heat and leaves the least noticeable flavor change. Substitute equal amounts of sucralose for the sugar in the syrup recipes above. Always taste test before making too much! You can always add more sweetener, but you cannot take it away once added.

Unsweetened Liquids

Unsweetened apple, pineapple,or  white grapes juices or juice from the fruit itself make wonderful packing liquids for putting up your fruit. Even plain water can be used. Remember, when canning with unsweetened juices or water the final product will have less flavor and the color and shape of the fruit will not hold up as long. Also, you must use the hot pack processing method instead of the raw pack.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope this little guide about canning with different sweeteners will help your end of season canning fun! Personally, I use the very light syrup just about every time I put up fruit. The fruit itself is often sweet enough on its own, but I do like that the syrup adds to the fruit’s shelf stability and longevity.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

The Morris Tribe's Homesteading Blog Carnival 
The Prairie Homestead's Barn Hop
Frugal by Choice's Mostly Homemade Monday
Frugally Sustainable's Frugal Ways, Sustainable Days 
Raising Homemaker's Wednesday Link Up
We are THAT Family's Works for me Wednesday 
GNOWFGLINS Simple Lives Thursday  
Shared on Dandelion House's Farm Girl Friday  
Little House in the Suburbs 
Growing Home's Teach Me Tuesday

Grape Jam

Our son came home with a big bag of grapes the other day. Evidently, while hanging out with a friend, the family went grape picking and took Jared with them. Very cool!

He brought home about 4 pounds of muscadine grapes. Muscadines, or scuppernongs, are an acquired taste as a table grape. These round grapes have thick, tough skins and plenty of large seeds. However, they are one of the juiciest grape varieties, used primarily in juice and wine making, and grow well in the South. I still haven't ventured into grape growing. I did finally decide where the vines would go, but I'd have to convince my hubby and my neighbors that my choice of location is a good idea.

The four pounds of grapes Jared brought home was just enough to make a gallon of wine, but since our thirteen-year-old son picked them, I decided to make something he could enjoy, too: Grape Jam.

The difference between jam and jelly is the fruit. If you notice at the store, jellies are clear, but jams have bits of fruit in them. I don’t have the patience for jelly made from fruit. Cooking the fruit down and then letting it drain overnight takes too long for me. I made apple jelly once because it was the only thing I could do with these very tiny apples, but I’m not in a hurry to do it again. Besides, all the good stuff is in the flesh and pulp!

Anyway, this recipe is best suited for a thick-skinned seeded grape like muscadines or Concords. Table grapes such as a Thompson seedless also make a nice jam, but the skins are a lot thinner so you don’t need the food mill or strainer. Don’t make yourself crazy trying to find muscadines for this recipe. As always, learn what grows best locally, and work with that. If it has seeds and thick skins, run it through the food mill. If it doesn’t, just cook it down, and enjoy!

Grape Jam

4 cups sugar, separated

1 package or 3 tablespoons low-sugar powdered pectin

4 pounds cleaned, stemmed grapes

1 cup water

½ teaspoon butter

Prepare canner jars and lids.

Measure sugar into a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix ¼ cup of the measured sugar with the pectin. Set aside.

Place grapes and water in a large, stainless steel stock pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Skins should appear loose or falling off the fruit.

Working in batches, transfer the grapes and liquid to a Food Mill, using a medium or fine sieve. Choose the largest size possible that allows fruit to pass through but not seeds. Extract all of the liquid and pulp possible. Discard the skins and seeds left behind in the food mill. If you don’t have a food mill, press the grapes through a sieve with the back of a large spoon or ladle.

Transfer milled fruit to a large, clean, stainless steel stock pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Add pectin-sugar mixture, stirring very well to dissolve the pectin. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Add butter. Add sugar all at once, stirring constantly. Return to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off foam.

Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center the lid on the jar, and twist ring onto jar until tight. Be careful not to over tighten.

Place jars in water bath canner. Jars must be completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove lid, and wait 5 minutes. Remove jars, cool, and store.

Note:

Pectin is a natural thickener. It is found in the skins and flesh of many fruits like apples and pears. However, most pectin needs sugar to work. Even jam and jelly recipes that don’t use pectin, use a lot of sugar. I switched years ago to low-sugar pectin to save on the sugar. Make sure you use low-sugar pectin with this recipe. If you have to use regular pectin, double the amount of sugar in the recipe.

This jam can be made without pectin. Simply double the sugar, bring to a rolling boil, and cook for about 20 to 25 minutes. Yep, that’s a lot of sugar!

For a no-sugar variety, use Pomonas Universal Pectin for best results. Pomona Pectin uses an entirely different chemical reaction than the more commonly found pectin, and is the better pectin for a no-sugar or honey-sweetened jam.

Thanks for stopping by! Have you checked the farms in your area for the latest harvest and u-pick opportunities? Picking your own produce might be little more work, but the quality and freshness can’t be beat, and there’s just something so satisfying about hand-picking what you feed your family. Besides, u-pick fruits and veggies are usually a fraction of the cost of produce at the store, and who doesn’t love a good bargain! Check out the Pick Your Own website for U-Pick farms in your area.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

The Morris Tribe's Homesteading Blog Carnival 
The Prairie Homestead's Barn Hop
Frugal by Choice's Mostly Homemade Monday
Frugally Sustainable's Frugal Ways, Sustainable Days 
Raising Homemaker's Wednesday Link Up
We are THAT Family's Works for me Wednesday 
GNOWFGLINS Simple Lives Thursday  
Shared on Dandelion House's Farm Girl Friday  
Little House in the Suburbs 
Growing Home's Teach Me Tuesday

Dehydrating Cherries

Evidently, the cherry crop this year was an extra good one. The cherries have been plentiful, delicious, and cheap! So cheap that I’ve been able to pick up extra for dehydrating, and I may even attempt this Cherry Chipotle BBQ sauce recipe I found or a gallon or two of cherry wine. 

Have you ever had dried cherries? They really are yummy but awfully expensive. I’ve seen them two to three times more expensive than either raisins or dried cranberries. However, with the recent drop in the price of fresh cherries, dehydrating a few pounds is now a bit more economical.

Dehydrating Cherries

Prepare cherries for the dehydrator by removing the stems, slicing, and pitting. If you’re like me and don’t have a cherry pitter, steaming the cherries over boiling water for 2 minutes loosens the pit for easier removal.

Slice the cherry in half around the pit. Twist the halves apart and remove the pit. Spread the halves out on your mesh-covered dehydrator tray.

Depending on your dehydrator, cherries take about 8 to 12 hours to dry to a nice chewy, raisin-like consistency. I think I had my heat up a bit too much, and mine came out darker than intended, but still delicious. Ideally, the heat setting should be between 125°F and 140°F when drying fruit.

Dried cherries are a wonderful addition to granola or trail mix, oatmeal cookies, a tossed salad, or just as a snack by themselves.

Thanks for stopping by! Don’t forget to look around your produce stand for the deals on produce in season, and buy a little extra to put up for later. You’ll really appreciate the efforts you put in now when you have the food on your shelf later.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

The Morris Tribe's Homesteading Blog Carnival 
The Prairie Homestead's Barn Hop
Frugal by Choice's Mostly Homemade Monday
Frugally Sustainable's Frugal Ways, Sustainable Days 
Raising Homemaker's Wednesday Link Up
We are THAT Family's Works for me Wednesday 
GNOWFGLINS Simple Lives Thursday  
Shared on Dandelion House's Farm Girl Friday  
Little House in the Suburbs 
Growing Home's Teach Me Tuesday

Menu Plan Monday 8/13

Even though we homeschool all year around, August is usually a bit light on certain subjects like history and science. We spend the time maintaining and improving math and English, choosing our curriculum for the upcoming year, and cleaning out the school room. Boy, what a chore it was this time! We really let the room get out of control. However, with Jared’s help, the room was emptied and scrubbed, the furniture rearranged and everything put back in proper order. So much better. Now I just need to attack the sewing side of the room.

On top of all of the cleaning, I’ve finally been able to take advantage of the seasonal fruits piled high at the produce stand. I’d still like to put up another couple of baskets of peaches and a gallon of plum wine, but I’m pretty happy with what I’ve put up so far.

Here we’re happily anticipating fall and all of its interesting activities, including planting the fall garden. How about you? Are you looking forward to the end of a long hot summer and the return of a more regular routine or do you with this were the summer that never ends?

I pray you have a blessed week with less stress because you created a menu plan!

Don’t forget to stop by Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas! If you’re looking for some new recipe resources, check out this Recipe Index Round Up.

Menu Plan for Week of 08/13/2012

Breakfast 

Fruit, granola, yogurt, smoothies.

Lunch

Lunch of the week – Salads, wraps or leftovers

Fruit of the week – Apples, watermelon, cherries, peaches, plums

Dinner

Monday – Bean pattie pitas, tossed salad

Tuesday – Grilled chicken sandwiches, salad

Wednesday – Baked Penne with Sausage, Tomatoes, Spinach and Ricotta, tossed salad

Thursday – Big salads, garlic bread  

Friday – Potluck dinner for 4-H (I’m taking a big pan of baked mac and cheese)

Saturday – Pizza, tossed salad

Sunday – Chicken soup, tossed salad

                                                             

Snacks – Crackers and peanut butter, fruit, yogurt, carrot and celery sticks, or popcorn.

Thank you for stopping by!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

Growing Sweet Potatoes

Back in June, I planted sweet potato slips in my front yard. 

Jared and I diligently cared for the tender young plants, protecting them each day from the harsh afternoon sun.

So, the question now is was the extra work and smirks from my neighbors and mail carrier worthwhile? What do you think?

Yep, the vines grew quickly and completely invaded the front yard, exactly like I wanted. Those vines look so much prettier than the struggling grass and weed patch that used to be there.

So far, I’ve seen very little evidence of any pests or disease attacking the vines. After checking four different extension websites, I’ve come to the conclusion that sweet potatoes have very few enemies. Yay!! However, for best results in the long term, several extensions recommended planting a corn crop next season. Hmm, although we love corn, and we’re planting a nice patch of it in the backyard this season, I’m not sure how my neighbors and the city will feel about corn in my front yard, and I’m not sure I’m brave enough to find out!

Anyway, I did find a reddish-brown discoloration on a few of the leaves, which could be either a nutrient deficiency, water deficiency, or a fungus. Regular doses of compost tea, our daily summer rains, and a spritz or two of Neem stopped the discoloration from spreading.

In another month or so, I should be able to start harvesting mature sweet potatoes. Unfortunately, there are no visible signs above the soil to indicate when the tubers are ready for picking! The leaves may or may not turn a little yellow. The vine may or may not shoot up a pretty flower. Growing sweet potatoes is turning out to be a rather easy endeavor. Harvesting, on the other hand, might be a bit more challenging!

While I’m waiting for my sweet potatoes to mature, I’m amassing all the sweet potato recipes I can. Sweet potato fries. Sweet potato pie. Mashed sweet potatoes. Stuffed baked sweet potatoes. Sweet potato cake drizzled with a Tennessee Whiskey Sauce. Let the experiments begin!!

Thanks for stopping by! Sweet potatoes like a good 120 days of nice hot weather. It’s a little late to plant them now, even here in Florida. However, you might want to put them on your wish list for your next warm-weather growing season. They really are lovely. Even if I don’t harvest a single sweet potato, I’ve accomplished one goal: eliminating the grass and weeds from my front garden. No more mowing!! Yay! And it looks so pretty. By the way, my neighbors and mail carrier are no longer snickering about my eccentric gardening practicing. Now, they’re asking how to do it themselves!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

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Creating a Garden Plan

Many of my friends are excitedly anticipating planting their very first vegetable gardens this year. For those of you who don’t know, I live in Florida. We do things a little differently here in Florida…especially when it comes to gardening. When the rest of the country is harvesting, we’re planting. When the rest of the country is planting, we’re harvesting. When the rest of the country is lying fallow, we’re growing and vice versa. About the only other areas that have a similar growing season are parts of Louisiana, Texas, and California.

Typically, we spend our summer amending the soil, browsing seed catalogs, and planning the fall garden and planting schedule. We learned a long time ago that you have to have a plan. I cannot tell you how many planting dates we’ve missed or how many times we ran out of space because we didn’t write anything down! If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!

Although I believe completely in creating an organized garden plan, I am not a perfectionist. I do not use a fancy computer program or website. I use two pieces of notebook paper. This year, hubby and I splurged and actually used a piece of graph paper for our garden map. Yeah, only the best for us!

Anyway, creating your garden plan doesn’t have to be complicated or overwhelming. If you keep it simple, you won’t spend all of your time planning with no time left over for doing!

Steps to Creating a Garden Plan

Measure your site. Is your garden one large bed like mine or several raised beds like the neighbor’s? Will everything be in one place or in different beds around the yard? Whatever space you’ve chosen, measure it!

Sketch your site plan on paper…to scale. This is probably the most complicated step in planning your garden, but it really is important. If possible, do not use a scale smaller the ½”=1’. A 1”=1’ scale would be better. Anything smaller makes spacing your plants and rows difficult.

Make a wish list of plants you want to grow. If you’re not sure what you want to grow, think about the fruits and vegetables your family likes to eat and start there. Remember that most fruits are perennials and need a more permanent place in the yard than temporary vegetable garden beds. Use seed catalogs and online seed companies for ideas, too.

Place your wish list of plants on your garden map. Be careful of spacing! This is where drawing your plan to scale really comes in handy. Mark exactly where each crop will be planted. Check your county or state extension websites, seed catalogs, seed packets, and other online sources for spacing information…and use it! Improperly spaced plants, especially plants spaced too close together, do not produce well. You might think squeezing an extra plant or two in will mean more veggies in the end, but that’s not usually the case. If plants are too close, they’ll compete with each other for food and water, and the lack of airflow creates a breeding ground for pests and diseases. Spacing is important!

Record plant dates. Once you’ve fit everything you can into your garden plan, look back at your list. If it didn’t make it into the garden plan, get it off the list. Find your planting zone on the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map and check a reliable, local source for the planting times of each crop. Many gardening resources do not take into account regional difference. You county and state extension websites are your friends! Mark your plant dates next to each item left on your list.

Grab your calendar. Transfer those planting dates to your calendar and commit to planting on time. If you’re looking at a busy schedule and cannot possible dedicate an entire day to planting, prep the garden ahead of time and take several days to plant. My husband and I have penciled in this weekend for getting the first seeds in the ground. However, the garden is already well-tilled. One quick pass with the tiller, and we’ll be ready to plant. Break the job up into smaller chunks, but be sure to write it all down! Write down on the calendar what get’s planted and when. If you are starting your own transplants, be sure to back those plant dates up about 8 weeks to give those seedlings time to grow strong enough for the garden.

Make changes. After you’ve planted your garden, be sure to note any last minute changes you made in real life on your garden plan. Perhaps you only planned on 6 broccoli plants but could only find 9-plant packs. Since all of your friends detest broccoli, you decided to move things around a bit and added them to you garden. Note those changes on your plan. Yes, I know you already planted everything, but it is important. Trust me.

Save your garden plan in a safe spot. Everything is planted and growing nicely. You even know what is coming up in each row without referring back to your map. Do not throw away your map! Save it in a safe spot so you can look at it next year. Even a small garden will benefit from crop rotation, but you’ll need to know where everything was planted. Do not rely on your memory!

After a few seasons, you’ll really start to understand why I’m emphatic about not relying on your memory. Everything starts to blend together into one long growing season! I finally started an index card file for extra notes on each crop from year to year, including what kind of pests we battled and how we defeated them, crop yields, varieties, weather, etc. With so many crop varieties, pesticide, and gardening techniques out there, it’s important to know what has worked for you, and what hasn’t.

Thank you for stopping by! If you are in Zones 8, 9, 10, or 11, it time to get planning and planting! If you are on the tail end of your gardening season, you might want to bookmark this page and come back in February when you’re planning your Spring garden!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

The Morris Tribe's Homesteading Blog Carnival 
The Prairie Homestead's Barn Hop
Frugal by Choice's Mostly Homemade Monday
Frugally Sustainable's Frugal Ways, Sustainable Days 
The Modest Mom's Monday Link Up 
Raising Homemaker's Wednesday Link Up
We are THAT Family's Works for me Wednesday 
GNOWFGLINS Simple Lives Thursday 
Shared on Dandelion House's Farm Girl Friday  
Little House in the Suburbs 
Growing Home's Teach Me Tuesday

Menu Plan Monday 8/06

The summer is quickly coming to an end, and so is the supply of awesome summer fruits likes peaches, plums, and cherries. Hopefully, I’ll be able to find some good deals on these fruits so I can put up a nice supply of fruits, jams, and salsas before the end of the season.

Thankfully, I found some delicious cherries for a great price. After devouring as many as I possible could, I filled a couple trays in the dehydrator with what was left. Dried cherries, Yum!!

Are you taking advantage of the plentiful summer fruits? Putting up a 25-pound box of peaches can seem intimidating, but the options are plentiful. Canning, dehydrating, and freezing can make short work of those peaches, and they’ll taste so wonderfully fresh even a couple of months from now when peaches are no longer available.

So, are you putting up seasonal fruits to enjoy in the off season??

I pray you have a blessed week with less stress because you created a menu plan!

Don’t forget to stop by Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas! If you’re looking for some new recipe resources, check out this Recipe Index Round Up.

Menu Plan for Week of 08/06/2012

Breakfast 

Fruit, granola, yogurt, smoothies.

Lunch

Lunch of the week – Salads, wraps or leftovers

Fruit of the week – Apples, watermelon, cherries, peaches, plums

Dinner

Monday – Chicken and dumplings, tossed salad

Tuesday – Kielbasa and potato skillet, salad

Wednesday – Baked Penne with Sausage, Tomatoes, Spinach and Ricotta, tossed salad

Thursday – Big salads, garlic bread  

Friday – Jared’s Cooking Lesson: Grilled sausage sandwiches, tossed salad

Saturday – Chicken and Vegetables in Teriyaki Sauce over Rice, tossed salad

Sunday – Minestrone Soup, tossed salad

                                                             

Snacks – Crackers and peanut butter, fruit, yogurt, carrot and celery sticks, or popcorn.

Thank you for stopping by!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty