The tomatoes are dwindling down. I’ll probably only get a few more batches of tomato juice before the canning tomatoes are gone. It makes me a little sad.
Last nights inspiration got us 7 quarts and 1 pint of tomato juice.
What makes me happy is tonight is the start of the football season. Redskins vs. Falcons preseason game.
Go Skins!
Till next time,
Lori
DISCLAIMER: This is my salsa recipe, it has not been tested by the National Center for Home Food Preservation or the FDA. I have been using this recipe and canning salsa in this manner for years with no negative side effects. However if you are concerned about the acid level of your tomatoes then please follow a different recipe that uses vinegar or lemon juice.
It’s that time of year when I spend most of my time putting stuff into mason jars. Seems like I’m always putting something in a jar.
I’m really not bragging on myself but I’ve been told that I make some pretty good salsa. And I’ve been asked for the recipe many times.
So here it is….
Of course the amounts you use of each ingredient will be determined by how much salsa you want to make, and also by your preferred taste. For instance perhaps you like more cilantro or garlic than I do.
The pictures above are the amount of ingredients I use to “put up” about 15 pints of salsa.
You’ll see at the top of the picture a bowl with yellow tomatoes in it. I do not use yellow tomatoes in my salsa, they just happened to be sitting there.
I think the key to this salsa recipe is chopping all the ingredients together in the food processor, instead of chopping each ingredient separately and then mixing them together.
Also, a key ingredient is cumin. Cumin has a nice earthy flavor to it, but keep in mind that a little goes a long way and you can always add more, but you can’t take it out once its in.
I do cook the salsa before I jar it. I bring it to a healthy bubble in the pot and then put the hot salsa in the jars and water bath it for 30 minutes.
Of course this salsa is wonderful fresh too and so easy to make.
So far I’ve put up 68 pints of salsa this year. That sounds like a lot, but honestly I need about 30 more to have enough for the year because it also makes a great gift.
Till next time,
Lori
This is what you do when a friend gives you a lovely gallon of fresh picked grapes.
This was my first time at making grape jelly, and now I know what all the fuss is about. This grape jelly taste nothing like what you would buy in the store. This grape jelly taste like a grape. It has a fresh quality to it with just a hint of tartness in the background. It’s sweet alright that’s for sure, with 13 cups of sugar in it, it ought to be.
I know I know, everybody is cutting out white sugar because it has apparently become the new poison.
Well, not me. Moderation is what I say, because now that I’ve tasted this grape jelly, I don’t want to imagine life without it and I can’t wait to smear it all over a warm buttery biscuit or a slice of warm homemade honey wheat bread. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
I used my food mill to juice the grapes, but for some reason my food mill just would not cooperate with these grapes. By the time I decided to give up my kitchen looked like a crime scene. I had grape juice all over me, all over the counters, all over the floor, all over everything.
Mother said those should be the pictures I post because it would make for a good laugh. Shouldn’t be too hard to do, because more often than not I’m making some kind of mess in the kitchen. 🙂
So this is what I did.
Grape Jelly
This netted me 16 (8 ounce) jars of jelly.
I highly recommend setting one jar aside for immediate consumption.
As a matter of fact I highly recommend a celebratory peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a glass of ice cold fresh milk when your done.
Well, speaking of the sweetest gift…
The only thing that could’ve made this jelly better is my beautiful granddaughter making it with me. My punkin butt loves her some purple gravy.
Meet my punkin and peanut. Now that really is the sweetest gift!
Thank you to our friend for gifting us the lovely grapes, they will keep on giving all through the winter.
Till next time,
Lori
July has been busier than a humming-bird on crack. I can’t believe the month is about over already. We’ve been very busy on our little homestead with gardening, feeding, canning, cleaning, building, clearing and all the other ings it takes to have a homestead.
The gardens are coming in strong. The cucumbers have been a good harvest too. I’ve put up 24 pints of bread and butter pickles.
We finished up with the spring green beans and ended up with six gallons in the freezer. The Z Man has planted more green beans for me to can, but we aren’t sure how well they are going to do. Between the rabbits and the heat, they aren’t looking too great.
The sweet potatoes and the butternut squash are looking great! Cant wait for those.
The pigs are growing and the chickens are doing fine, but none of us like this heat.
Our tomatoes are finally coming in and I canned 8 quarts of tomato juice last weekend. Perfect timing too as this week I opened my last jar from last years crop.
This weekend I’ll be canning salsa.
The Z Man’s pumpkins are really amazing this year! Is it bad that I am ready for fall, football and pumpkin everything?
It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!!!
We’ve had some really strong storms lately, but some don’t seem to mind….
It’s true, rain is a good thing…. it keeps everything growing and green.
We are so blessed… Thank you God for loving us.
And thank you to the Z Man for all of his beautiful photography.
I hope y’all are having a wonderful summer.
Till next time,
Lori
Z Life Homestead 