Apples and zucchini, oh my!!! Well I am going to admit it is Summer now!!! We had our first 90 degree day for the year yesterday!!! We reached 96!!! I have a lot of apples right now and the zucchini is coming on, taking up counter space! soon in buckets!! LOL (Dang I missed "National sneak a zucchini onto you neighbors porch day") LOL LOL Hubby and I picked 6 grocery bags of apples off of the tree in the front yard. I think they may be Gravenstines, but I dont remember for sure. Tart like a Granny Smith, but much softer and clearer skin. I put the apple pealer, corer, slicer to good use. Whomever invented this little machine is a Saint!!! LOL LOL
I processed a lot of apples! Still have two bags!!!
Hubby and I canned apple pie filling! Cant wait to see how it turned out. We had one jar break, so only got six quarts. It takes two quarts to make a 9" pie the recipe says.
Hubby had to buy a new water bath canner, as the one we have is older than the hills! LOL
OH the plethora of zucchini!! LOL I love it in everything, scrambles eggs, zucchini bread, just sliced with blue cheese dressing and sunflower seeds on it is my favorite, at the moment!
I prefer to pick them the size of the smaller one at the bottom, but they have a way of getting away from you! And hiding when you pick! LOL The small size is a perfect single serving, salad size.
Made two Zucchini bread loaves, but that took a meager 2 cups of shredded squash! I really wish Zucchini would can well, I tried it, but its most suitable pureed as a soup base, its so soft.
And I am waiting for the Apple Butter to reduce down! Its almost ready and then I will can it up!
Maybe I will make more when I see how much this batch does. It took 4lbs of apples.
Until next time!!!
Oh my! I just loved this post. Reading about your produce and how you harvest it, prepare it, can it is so interesting to me.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had paid attention to my grandmother canning veggies and fruit when I was a little girl. I have no idea what to do and wish I had someone to walk me through. I made tons of freezer jam when my peach tree and apple trees went crazy a couple years ago. This year the drought, winds and late freeze did the blossoms in and we got no fruit at all.
Oh yea...and the apple/peeler/corer is a genious contraption. Saves so much time and labor, doesn't it :)
But pretty soon here I'm going to be getting quite the harvest of zukes and, besides pawning some off on neighbors and friends, I want to try some new ways to eat them.
Can you pickle zukes like cucumbers and squash?
~Lisa
Thank Lisa, to tell the truth my Hubby does most of the canning in our house! LOL This is the first time that I have really done it! I still have one more batch of Apple Pie filling to do, Hubby has been on swing shift working 12 hr shifts so he hasnt been able to help me. I would love to have some of those peaches you had! They looked sooooo yummy!!!!
ReplyDeleteAll you need to learn how to can is a "Ball, Blue Book" it has all the recipes for pressure, water bath and freezer canning.
Canning is very labor and time intensive, but the rewards are great!!!
I am now starting to pick beans too! Have to can some more of those!
unfortunatly zucchini dont can well, they just turn to mush. I have thought about trying to blanch and freeze some and see if they turn out.
We were lucky enough to inherit two pressure canners and a water bath canner, hubby had to have a new one this year though!
Anything with meat product in it needs to be pressure canned. Most vegies and fruits can be water bath canned. Its all in the temperature!