Experiments

This was the year for us to experiment with canning and gardening. This spring I made strawberry pie from strawberries we grew.Earlier in the summer we picked apricots from our tree. Last year it didn't produce so we were very happy to have lots of fruit. I made jam for the first time in my life. Aaron's dad, who cans tons of fruits and vegetables every year, called to see how it was going. I told him it was the worst experience of my life. Lots of people had told me jam was easy to make and it was not. I was up to my elbows in apricots. Every pot in my kitchen was dirty and I was exhausted. He asked me how much I had made. I told him 6 pints. I could tell, even over the phone, that he was trying really hard to stifle a laugh and think of something positive to say after my little rant. Anyway, the next day went better and I a successfully made jam that Aaron proceeded to give some away to our neighbors. I pointed out that we probably shouldn't give out my "experiments" to people who have canned their entire lives.

We also made some salsa. We didn't make a lot since Aaron is the only one that eats a lot of salsa. Even after living in Texas for 10 years, I'm still learning to appreciate salsa. Luckily, we put some lime juice in it because we found out after we were finished that without vinegar or lime juice there isn't enough acid in the salsa and you could get botulism and die. I think it will be fine but I am considering increasing Aaron's life insurance just in case.

We picked elderberries for making jelly and syrup later. A friend told me that elderberries are a good cold remedy. I looked online for a cough syrup recipe. All I could find were recipes with Vodka or some other form of alcohol in it. I wonder if it is the elderberries or the alcohol that helps the cold. Vanessa loved helping us rinse the berries. (If you notice this was before the haircutting incident.)
We picked some chokecherries at my in-laws. They are very bitter tasting berries but, with enough sugar added, it make great syrup, jam, and pie.I really wanted to make some jalapeno jelly. A friend in Texas taught me how to use jalapeno jelly but, it is hard to find up here. I experimented. I thought the first batch was really spicy so I made the second batch mild. In reality the first batch was mild, and the second batch was sugar jelly with a hint of pepper. The third batch was good. I used straight jalapeno peppers and boiled it with the seeds. It sounds like the story of the three bears. The first was too hot, the second was too cold, and the third was just right.
Aaron pickled some peppers. Again, which only he will eat. We did some grape juice from our grapes. Now, that we know how to take care of them better we are hoping to have a full on vineyard next year. We need to try to get our cherry trees healthy and maybe they would actually produce fruit. We are also expanding our garden so we can experiment even further.