Butchering and canning chicken, bottling beer

We got an early start this morning with the chicken butchering. Didn't take long to finish off the last 9 left from yesterday. I got them all cut up, vacuum packed the meat that was going to the freezer and got the stock started. I had about 15 lbs of chicken backs, wing tips, and other bony pieces and fat. I put that in the pressure canner with about 2 cups of celery stalks roughly chopped, 3 medium onions, and about 2 cups of carrots, then added a little bit of salt and pepper and a splash of vinegar and water to almost cover. Then pressure cooked all this for about 2 hours. Strained the stock into a kettle. Luna loves the left over cooked chicken. I had skinned the thighs and legs and deboned the thighs,and put them in the jars. Ladled the stock over the chicken and filled 5 more jars of just stock with the 7 quarts of chicken. Processed this for 90 minutes at 10 lb pressure. So now  I have a good supply of canned chicken and stock. So I have been outside or in the summer kitchen all day long. I am so glad they put an air conditioner in my lil summer kitchen or the heat would be unbearable in there. The heat and humidity here has been terrible. Then we got a pretty good storm this evening too. I had  my laptop out there and could surf the net and wait on things to can.
The guys went to Richmond today to pick up a free washer that Jason found on freecycle and brought it home. I had them stop at walmart and pick up some more canning jars for me. I had them get 10 dozen regular quarts and 5 dozen wide mouth quarts. I don't have many jars left that are empty for some reason. So now I will sure have enough jars for canning green beans and tomato products. The10 dozen pints I bought  a couple weeks ago will be used to can corn and other jams and jellies. I had also ask them to see if Lowes had any 100 lb propane cylinders in stock and they did, so they got 2 of those. One will be used for propane for my summer kitchen and 1 for a propane heater for back up heat here in the house. Cause we know its no fun waking up with the power off and it near zero outside with total electric heat. A bigger tank will be better for the summer kitchen, wont be as likely to run out in the middle of canning something that requires a long pressure canning time. It would sure suck to get within a few minutes of being done with, say a meat, and run out and lose pressure below 10 lb and have to start the counting over again.
It was time this evening to bottle the beer that we had started brewing a couple weeks ago. So Rodger and Jason set about doing that. I think it is kinda cool to make you own beer.

 
This was our first batch so we will let you know later how it turns out. It has to sit in the bottles for 2 weeks before you drink it for it to be at its best. We shall see. But no matter, they wanted to go ahead and start another batch. So the brew tank is on the counter doing its thing.
Till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella

I dont do mornings, its been a long day

I am not nor ever will be a morning person. When I say I am doing something in the "morning" you bout bet I mean not before 10 am. But I was forced outta bed this morning by someone dragging my leg off the side of the bed. Yeah I had to get up early and get started butchering chickens in order to be done so we could attend a cousins wedding. So with lots of grunting and moaning I rolled out and tried to get some coffee down hoping to be more alert and get in gear. My belly did not want or need coffee at 8 am, so it didn't keep it. That is not the way to start a day of butchering. But finally I got moving in the right direction and got all my ducks in a row. All be it a sluggish start for me, we got 12 butchered today, just Rodger and I. It went really fast once we developed a method to the madness. Only took about 2 hours to get those done. Then got them in the summer kitchen, which is so nice to keep the mess outta the house. Washed the breast and vacuum packed those for the freezer. I did leave about 6 of them whole to do on the rotisserie and got those vacuum packed as well. Then I take the skin off the legs and thighs and debone the thighs to be canned after I make a good rich stock from the back and other bony pieces. I did manage to get the stock cooked down and ready to strain before stopping to take a shower so we could go to the wedding. The wedding was really pretty, the bride is a 1st cousins daughter on hubby's side. And such a beautiful bride. A really cute couple. And I wish Cara and Derek a long happy life together. I did take many pictures so I could forward those on to Rob and Amoy as they didn't get to be there.
We got home and I got started in on finishing up the chicken and stock and getting that all canned before I have to do the rest of the chickens tomorrow. So as I type this I am sitting in the summer kitchen waiting on the canner to be done.I will have 6quarts of chicken and 5 of chicken stock when they are finished. The canned chicken makes the absolute best chicken noodle soup and chicken and dumplings. Goes down really well on cold days. OK I'm about done with this project and will be off to bed soon. So till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella

Garden seed rip-off

I am so mad at the seed companies this year. I ordered my seeds from Shumway like I have been doing for several years. Up till now they have been good and true to variety. Not this year. First it was the sweet corn, the Golden Bantam that turned out to be anything but Golden Bantam. Now I am really mad about the tomatoes. I started mostly Rutgers, the few that are getting ripe are not anything like the Rutger that I remember growing up. The tomatoes are small and it is not the plants. The plants are healthy and have lots of blooms, just really small tomatoes. I am thinking I will be buying tomato products at the store unless the tomatoes improve and I really don't see that happening. I had this same problem a few years ago with white half runner beans. White half runner beans will get big enough to have a good sized bean inside them and the hulls will still be tender. Not the last ones I ordered from Shumway. OK enough of my rant.
Tomorrow is chicken killing day. So I have lots to do. Not to mention we have to stop by noon and get ready to attend a wedding. Then back home to finish canning the chicken.
I got 12 more pints of Paul's sweet lime pickles canned up today. This time I added a few cinnamon sticks in the pickling solution. Rodger likes them with the cinnamon flavor. I normally make 14 day pickles for him. These are much easier to make so hopefully this will keep him happy.
I haven't done a lot today other than try to keep my chickens from getting too hot. The heat was worse today that it has been all summer in my opinion. I pretty much stayed in and did get the house cleaned so it wouldn't get condemned.
I got to talk to Rob today for a bit. He will be finished with his internship on August 19th. He has invited me to come with Amoy to Nevada and take the road trip back home with them. I'm kinda excited about a road trip. The general plan is for Amoy and I to fly to Las Vegas and Rob pick us up there. The go south east thru Flagstaff Arizona and maybe to Roswell New Mexico just because. Then thru Texas and not sure where from there. It should be a fun trip. Don't think Rob is going to be permanently working in Nevada so this trip probably wont come around again in this lifetime. So I think we should make the best of it.
So till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella

Different ways to do things

As I get older I learn that there are more ways to do things than people to do them. And most people choose what ever method their ancestors used or what ever worked for their location. OK I not chasin my tail here. I picked up a magazine that I have had for about 28 years. Yep I kept them because they are "Home Canning" magazine. They have lots of really good canning recipes in them, all be it they are from 1982. I was reading in one of them today about preserving butter without the benefit of refrigeration. And it is really simple to do.
Butter can be preserved by storing it in a container covered in salt water. Make a brine of salt and water strong enough to float a fresh egg in. Make sure the egg is fresh because an old egg will float in plain water. Boil the salt water for about 5 minutes and let it cool. Allow to stand over night then strain being careful not to disturb the sediment in the bottom of the pot. Place the fresh sweet cream butter (sweet butter keeps better than salted) in a crock or like container. Cover with the brine solution. So you have chunks of butter submerged in salt water. Use a weight if necessary to keep the butter under the brine, cover the container tightly and store in a cool place. Stored by this method, butter will stay fresh up to 6 months. Good info to have in the event you lose power for an extended period of time and have a good supply of butter on hand.  Butter can also be clarified and put in canning jars while it is still hot and it will seal. Clarified butter is the best for frying. Not to mention the wonderful flavor it give to the dish. Of course the USDA would frown on this method but this is what folks did long before there was a USDA or refrigeration. Don't know why but I find this kind of knowledge interesting.
Maybe I been out in the heat too long. I finished shelling the PEPH peas this morning and got those canned up. The second batch of Paul's sweet lime pickles are in the pickling solution waiting to be canned tomorrow morning. Then it will be off to the garden to pick more cukes and peas to do later. Saturday will be butchering day. I haven't been off the farm all week and I do need to get out of here and buy some more canning jars before I run out. Am thinking this would be a good time to clone me. I got enough things to keep 5 of me busy for days on end. And if one of me don't clean the house it is gonna get condemned. Not to mention the siding outside that hasn't been washed all year. And the list goes on. So till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella

Making pickles

Well today I finished the sweet lime pickles from yesterday. And oh my are they good. They are so crisp, more crisp than a Vlasic pickle if you can believe that. The recipe came from Paul in Kansas who posted the recipe on a forum that I frequent. So here is the recipe as Paul posted it.

Here's the pickle recipe that you asked for. It is a really good recipe. I only use sliced cucumbers for it.

Soak the following for 24 hours:
7 lb cucumbers
2 gallons water
2 cups lime
Rinse. Let set 3 hours draining.

Mix the following:
2 qts vinegar
4 ½ lbs sugar
1 T salt
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp cloves
Pour over cucumbers.
Let set 12 hours.

Bring to boil and simmer slowly for 40 minutes.

Pack in hot jars and seal.

(No pressure or hot water bath needed.

I hope you enjoy it. I know this recipe is at least 100 years old. It came from my great-grandmother that died in her 90's in 1944.

NE Kansas - 100% off-grid since May 1998.

Visit my blog at:

http://cedarshillfarm.com
"Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, Or do without"

 

 

 

Yeah I know, I know it says to simmer them for 40 minutes and you are thinking this will make them soft. Well I am here to tell you it wont. I kept mine hot enough to see a few bubbles occasionally and they were like super crisp when I put them in jars. Just trust me and try em!
I went to the garden this evening and picked more PEPH peas and will get those shelled and canned tomorrow. It was cuke pickin day too so I started another batch of the pickles from the recipe above. Earlier today I tossed another bag of grapes in the freezer till I get time to make juice and jelly. Not much else happening here on the farm.
So till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella

Little bits of this and that

I haven't got a lot done today, just bits of this and that. Slept in this morning and got a late start on the day. But I did need to take care of the pickles that I started last evening. They are sweet lime pickles. The gentleman who posted the recipe on a forum that I frequent says they don't get soft. Well I can see that they might not as they are like lil chunks of ice after sitting in lime water over night. They are in the pickling solution now and will be finished tomorrow morning. I will let ya know and get permission to post his recipe for ya here.
I had some tomatoes that needed to be made into something but not enough to warrant getting the squeezo strainer dirty, so I just cooked em after they were washed and cut up and made some quick juice. Just 2 quarts but that's a start. An ya know, every kitchen should have a food mill. Well I used to own one and wore it out and never bought another one. They are great for small batches of juice and such. It is a big job to get the squeezo strainer out and set it up to make 2 quarts of juice. I love my squeezo don't get me wrong. But it was too much for the task at hand today. So I went to Amazon and ordered me a food mill, a hand crank lil fellow that will make quick work of a few tomatoes at a time.That will beat all to heck trying to force tomato pulp thru a strainer. Ask me how I know!
I have been trying to get things out of my freezer that can be vacuum packed and stored in the cellar. Today I took all the shuck beans or leather britches as some folks call em out. Ran them for a bit in the dehydrator to get any moisture out and then vacuum sealed them for storage. Also have been doing the same thing with cornmeal. I have a pillowcase full of bags of frozen blackberries that I am going to thaw out and make into wine soon. Not real sure what is in the big freezer than can be moved, will find that out tomorrow.
Some of my grapes were getting ripe, which I thought was kinda early, so I cut those yesterday and put them in a zip top bag and toss them in the freezer till I have enough to make jelly and then I will use those. To me it is easier to freeze the grapes a few at a time than to make a big mess making juice to freeze a lil at a time.
Now what do ya do with ground cherries? Dunno, but I will find some use for em. I picked about a quart of em this evening. Will let ya know what I decide to make with em.
So till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella

More canning, less jars

I think today the harsh reality set in for me. I have been canning and making pickles and using jars that I had. Then it hit me, damn I ain't gonna have enough jars to even can tomatoes and green beans in if I don't stop or buy more jars.I just bought 10 more dozen pint jars this past week for canning corn and such. That doesn't include the other probably 10 dozen that I have bought in lots of 3 or 4 over the past couple months. So in my infinite wisdom (insert sarcasm here) I decided to count the jars that I still have empty to give me an idea of how many I need to buy. Well crap I don't have but about 150 empty quart jars. That may sound like a lot but I would like to have at least that many canned with green beans. So I am thinking I need to get at least another 10 dozen or so quarts at minimum. I am not done with pickles yet, not much more than started on corn, haven't canned any green beans so far. Well thas cause the beans are not ready yet. And still have yet to can the first tomatoes. Bottom line is I need a shitload more jars.
But with all that being said I made 3 more quarts of bread and butter pickles this evening and started some lime sweet pickles. I will let ya know how the lime ones turn out, this is the first time making them. I had some bread and butter pickle mix left after canning the cukes with it and I had a dishpan full of sliced onions. I like the sliced onions out of the bread and butter pickles so decided to make a few pints of just the sliced onions with the bread and butter flavored liquid. Those onions are the best on a burger, an I don't even like burgers.
I got the pink eye purple hull peas canned today that I shelled out last night while sitting in the summer kitchen waiting on the pressure canner to do its thing, finally ended all that nonsense at about 3 am this morning. The cellar is looking mighty fine about now.
My body needs some sleep and a lil rest so I can start over in the morning, so till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella