Cabin Crafted

Tag: apples

  • A Fruitless Year

    The mountain climate was very unkind this year to any garden and orchard production for putting by for the winter. Just as the plum, apples, peach, and pears began to bloom, we had a killing frost. As a result, there were no peaches, no plums, a pear tree died, the other produced nothing and between the 4 apples, there were no more than 2 dozen tiny misshapen apples. The fig looked great this year and had dozens of figs, but before any could ripen, we had an early frost two nights in a row. The only fruit from the orchard was about a gallon of Muscadine grapes that did produce after fermentation, about a quart of nice wine vinegar.

    The peas blew down in a heavy spring storm and never produced any peas. The greenbeans did come up and though I picked from them a few times, both a medical emergency and bean beetles took out the rest and the second planting got eaten to the ground by the rabbits that got through the fence. The season was not kind to the tomatoes this year and the only peppers that did produce were the jalapenos and Aneheims. About 3 1/2 gallons of Jalapenos were pickled and the ones picked just before the frost are ripening in the house with hopes of fermenting some to hot sauce. We did get pumpkins and gourds, the pumpkins are smaller sugar pie pumpkins tat will be used for holiday pies and maybe a batch of pumpkin soup.

    Pre frost harvest

    With the household medical issues, walks have mostly been kept close to home. Fortunately we live on 30 acres that are not flat, so a good walk can be gotten by walking the perimeter and the view from the south edge always amazes me.

    Cools days, chilly nights are the norm now. It was the week of Fall on the Frontier at the museum where I volunteer as a pioneer fiber producer/spinner. We had 4th graders for the week, groups of about 60-65 kids per day and it is always a pleasure to dress up in Revolutionary War era clothing and teach the children about flax, hemp, and wool growing and processing, along with the history of the oldest building in the village, the loom house since 1830. The building itself built in 1769 as a home, later the clerks office, finally the loom house.

    I know I have been absent for a while and likely will be again.

  • Rainy Autumn Afternoons

    are perfect for processing a half bushel of apples.  The apples peeled and cored, some chopped fine for applesauce, another 7 1/2 pints canned, others chopped for Apple Cranberry Chutney, 4 pints, 4 pounds pared and sliced and frozen for pies or cobblers during the holiday or when guests arrive.  Again I am thankful that I discovered the Peeler/corer tool, but it still took quite a while to prep all the apples and prepare the recipes for canning.

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    Apple Cranberry Chutney

    After trying Marisa McClellan’s Green Tomato Chutney in her book food in jars it seemed that apples would be perfect for a chutney.  After looking at various recipes, I created my own that turned a beautiful red color from the blush pink of the Rome Apples and the red skins of the cranberries.

    Apple Cranberry Chutney

    • 2 qts.  mixed apples, pared, cored, chopped
    • 1 c yellow onion chopped
    • 1 c Cranberries, fresh or frozen
    • 1 c Yellow seedless raisens
    • 1 Tbs. ground cinnamon
    • 1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
    • 1 tsp pickling salt
    • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
    • 3 whole star anise
    • 5-6 whole cloves
    • 1 Pt. Raw Cider Vinegar
    • 1 1/2 c Brown Sugar

    Place the cloves in a muslin bag or tea ball.  Add all ingredients to a large non reactive pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and cook until reduced by half and thickened 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring frequently.  Remove the spice bag and the star anise.

    Ladle into clean hot pint jars, wipe rims, add hot lids and bands.  Water bath process for 15 minutes or pressure can at 11 PSI for 10 minutes.  Allow to cool, wipe and label jars.  Enjoy with roast meat or served over Neufchatel or goat cheese on crackers or baguette slices.

     Tomorrow, I harvest radishes, turnips, tomatillos, and peppers then cover as much of the remaining garden as I can with sheets and hope that we don’t really get a frost this early in October.  Many of the radishes and turnips will become Kimchee, the Tomatillos and peppers will become salsa and hot sauce.  This may be the end of the season for us or we may get lucky and have a few more weeks.

    Tomorrow will also be a day to make a batch of Sauerkraut.  I see Roast Pork or chops with sauerkraut and chutney in our future.

  • It Can’t Be Over

    Warm weather and garden season that is.  When I arrived home from last week’s wanderings, the woods were beginning to wear jewels.  I had seen a bit of the dark red Poison Ivy climbing the trees and the barest hints of color elsewhere, but by this week’s end there is much more color on the mountainsides.

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    The Maple aka, the Tick tree as you can’t walk beneath it without acquiring at least one.
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    The photo doesn’t show nearly the color the eye sees.
    So I conceded and pulled out the fall banner and mini banner, the fall wreath, tablecloth, napkins and kitchen towels.  With no kids in the house and no Trick or Treaters come this far, I only put a few decorations out, a real pumpkin on the porch, a resin one on the front table, a ceramic ghost and ceramic lighted jack-o-lantern on the bookshelves.

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    The table set with a large dried bottle gourd, a smaller gourd I painted at Garden Club years ago and a Burgess Buttercup squash from the garden.
    So I have conceded, sort of, but I’m not ready for the early frost/potential hard freeze predicted for our region on Saturday night.  Today and tomorrow, I will harvest Tomatillos and peppers, drape a sheet over the peppers tomorrow eve in hopes that we either miss the frost or only have a short light one.  Sunday I may be able to find all of the Buttercup squash, Seminole Pumpkins and sweet potatoes, but I’m just not ready yet.

    This is when I wish I had a portable hoophouse that could be put over the two beds that are still providing, hoping to extend their season by a few weeks.  Maybe next year.

    Today as the rain comes in, I will can applesauce and apple slices.  Yesterday I started the cider vinegar. Tomorrow, we will bundle up and go buy meat for the freezer, leaving space for the 15 chickens that will be processed next weekend.