In the Kitchen: Canning Time

One of things keeping me busy these days is the gardens. Well, not so much the gardens as what is coming out of them. While I hate the summer heat, I love seeing the produce that provides food for us for the better part of the year.

It's high harvest time for our summer gardens. Tomatoes, corn, beans, squash, potatoes, onions, and so on have been making their way to the kitchen by the basketsful for the past few weeks.

Which means:

Vegetable soup, 16 quarts now completed. In the pot,

and in the jars.

Onions, dehydrated and stored. We're trying this method this year, as we seem to lose so many stored onions to rot. I've also tried freezing them, but it's difficult to keep them from smelling up the whole freezer. So we'll see how we do with the dried ones. This is about 2 bushels of mixed yellow, white and red onions--they sure take up a lot less room this way.

Pasta sauce, 16 quarts so far and I am hoping for more before the tomatoes give up. They looked so pretty in the pan prior to cooking down!

They've done well but the heat and humidity have made it touch-and-go as far as the various blights, etc that might attack. So far so good, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. We've had our best crops from the German Pink and the Cherokee Purple so far. We also planted Mortgage Lifter but have had only a few tomatoes from them so far.

Broccoli, about a dozen bags so far. The plants continue to produce although the flowerettes are getting smaller and smaller. Larry has taken good care of these plants and we're hoping they'll make it through to cooler weather and continue to produce.

Cabbage: we grew a half dozen heads of Late Flat Dutch, to make sauerkraut. When they were ready last week, we spent hours "butchering" them, as I call it, because they were so huge! We used 4 of them to make 8 quarts of kraut--there was a good bit of waste due to bug and slug damage--and the chickens enjoyed the last two because we were worn out with working on them. It would not have been so bad but we did those after putting up ten quarts of corn.

 

Corn has been excellent but now the raccoons have found the patch so we won't get much more. We have 20 quarts put up so I am satisfied. The first raccoon damage was only about 5 ears, but the next night they had a party out there. My friend John Rushing of western Virginia has a theory that the first coon goes home with sweet corn on his breath and the others smell it and make him bring them all back the next night! I think he's got something there. Larry was so determined to finish up the last wagonload that he worked under an umbrella in the rain.

I've also frozen 20 bags of shredded zucchini to add to soups, stews, chili, and to make zucchini bread. This is a new venture too, something I've not tried before but I am hoping this will turn out to be a good way to preserve the zucchini bounty.

I've tried freezing squash but don't like the texture when I've used them. I've also tried dehydrating them and pickling. The pickled zucchini is very good but we can only eat so much of it! So I am hoping this frozen puree will be worth the trouble. I also ground up zucchini and added it to pasta sauce which I canned. I think this is going to be great in casseroles this winter.

And lastly, we got a little bit of garlic this year. I want to focus on this more next year and perhaps figure out a better place to plant it. These were wildlings that had seeded themselves in my flowerbeds.

Our second planting is coming on: late beans, corn, squash, carrots and onions seem to be thriving. Pumkpins and melons are doing well too, but it will be September before we taste our first melon. Ah well.

We still need to plant the fall greens, and I hope we can get to that in the next week or so. We have the seeds ready, just waiting to get the potatoes dug and a few other things pulled out and the ground tilled.

Two things that are different this year: I have made no jam or jelly yet. We've frozen a lot of berries and have been eating them fresh, but with so much jam still in the cellar, we really just don't need any more. Kinda makes me sad because I love to make it, but it's just silly to make what we don't need. I have yet to put up any pickles, either. The first cucumber plants turned out to be those long burpless once and they have done terribly. The Chicago Picklers are just now starting to come on, so later this week I'm pretty sure I'll be pickling.

Overall it's been a good garden year, partly due to having a lot of rain, partly due to the horse manure Larry spread last winter and to the fact that he has mulched most of the garden this year. He has really become a good gardener and I leave it to him anymore because he really enjoys it and I can see it's good for him--he relaxed when he's messing around out there.

So what's going on in your garden? Good year or bad one? Surprises or disappointments? Do tell!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Apple Butter Day

We had a perfect day for our annual apple butter cooking. Cool, crisp enough to see your breath in the morning, then gradually so warm we took off our jackets, then cool again as clouds moved in. But the conversations kept us warm all day as we stirred, stoked the fire, and washed jars.

George ended up being the chief stirrer this year, although everyone took a turn.

Larry minded the fire and kept up a steady stream of orneriness all afternoon, and the grandkids were there to do anything asked.

Here's the crew: Larry, Hannah's boyfriend Jeremiah (who is so tall we had to ask him to sit down so he'd fit in the frame!), Hannah, Haley, Grace, and George.

This time Jeremiah volunteered to take the photo so I could be in the picture. That was nice. George kept the pot stirred so it didn't scorch while we messed around with pictures.

 The finished product, about 32 quarts of rich brown, spicy apple butter. Mmmmmm.

Cleanup time, covering over the fire, washing up the kettle, wiping down tables, etc, takes a little time.

At the end of the day, trick or treaters! What a fine time it was from beginning to end.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Home Work: Catching Up on the Homefront, and Getting Ready to Leave for Augusta

 This past week we've mostly stayed home, believe it or not, catching up on housework, gardens, and grass. Larry finished putting the plywood on the roof of the new back porch that is actually the front porch of the new log room we're slowly, slowly working on.

That room is on the five-year plan and we're on year three so we need to speed up progress to make our goal.

 

 The gardens are beginning to really come in. I canned more beans this week, and we cut the cabbages. I made dill pickles and we froze carrots and broccoli and harvested the onions, which are now spread out in the woodshed to dry. I weeded the flowerbeds and cut back things that were finished for the season. Today I am cutting basil and parsley to dry. The second planting of cucumbers is blooming and we should be making yet more pickles in a week or so. Tomatoes are beginning to come in and I hope they can hold off their biggest production for another week.

Larry finally had a chance to harvest some honey. It's darker than last years, but we like it much better. Last year's was so light it was almost flavorless.

The hive of Russian bees is really strong and he was able to get about a gallon of honey. The new hive of Italian bees is not as vigorous so we won't be taking any honey from them. I just hope they're strong enough to make it through the winter. Next bees we buy, we'll be getting Russians. They're a little more aggressive but seem better adapted to our climate.

A new skill! We broke a small window pane in the cellar top a couple years ago, and it's been one of those niggling "gotta fix that" things ever since. Larry picked up a glass cutting tool last weekend and using the glass from an old, picture I was planning to toss, he cut a new pane for the window. This is going to come in handy as I often do not buy furniture or pictures with broken glass since the cost of getting new glass cut today is pretty high. Now I can pick up pictures at Goodwill or yard sales and re-deploy the glass as needed. Today he is repainting the cellar top, and next week he'll do some other needed repairs on this little building. It's about 30 years old, and we've done little to it over the years, so it's time.

The fixed window is the bottom left pane. Proud of him for learning to cut glass!

I restocked all the booths this week, did a little picking and priced a few totes to be ready for when I return from Augusta. The booths are all doing well and sales are also good, which is nice. I finally got that pretty china cabinet painted and into the booth, and filled it with some nice china we found in March. I've been waiting to get this cabinet done so I could display it in there.

I also had time last Saturday to do some junking with my friend Nancy, and found some interesting things. She and her husband Don are visiting from Arizona and getting their cabin and land, only a few miles from me, ready to sell. We've had fun catching up--even though we're on Facebook, there is so much to tell when we're face to face. I hope we can get out to Arizona sometime to visit them. She tells me there's great thrift shops out there too!

Gong! I think this is a keeper; I really like it. I'm torn about selling the ceramic tree; it's lovely when it's lit up, and it even has a music box that plays O Christmas Tree.

We walked out to Don and Nancy's cabin yesterday evening, because I thought I might not have another chance to see them before I left for Augusta . I remember so well back in the mid-70's when Don was building it, and walking out the rough road with my young sons to help with construction. There used to be the best blackberries back there; we would pick gallons of them in no time at all. Good times, and good memories.

Their road is still just a bit too rough for my Toyota van, but the walk in was so pretty, and so quiet, and then we were at the cabin.

We sat by the fire and talked; what pleasure it is to be by the fire with friends.

Dark is coming earlier these days though, so we headed out before it was too dark to see those mudholes in the road.

We've been taking time in the mornings and evenings to have our meals out on the deck. It's a relaxing way to start the day, and the opportunities to do this will be gone soon enough.

Eggs, turkey bacon, fresh tomatoes (the one that looks kinda green is actually one of my favorites, Black Crim),wheat toast, grits, jam, and coffee this morning started our day right.

And all gone! Well, almost all, anyway.

I will be away all next week, teaching storytelling in Elkins, WV and so my major task the past week was getting everything pulled together for the class. Today I'm packing and doing last-minute tweaks on my plans. It's been good to dig into this class, deciding what I want to bring and what I want to cover. The participants will guide what we do by what they come wanting to learn. But I hope we will get into folklore, superstitions, history, family tales, story building, senses in storytelling, nature and ghost stories.That's a lot for a week!

So that's a quick look at what's going on here at our little place in the hills. I'll be posting when I can in the coming week, and wishing all of you could be with me for Old-Time Week at Augusta. It's sure to be a fine time in the mountains with music, singing, dancing and stories.


Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

The Scythe

photo from Wikipedia

A hand scythe came up at auction the other day. It was one of those grass scythes with the long curving wood handle. (A brush scythe would have had a shorter, thicker blade). As the auctioneer started the bidding, a man beside me said, "Boy I've swung one of those many a time."

Another man nodded. "My dad had us kids out all summer, sproutin' on the hillsides. Wore me out, I can tell you. Those things are heavier than they look."

I smiled, remembering my early days on this ridge. I had a scythe too, one of those wood-handled beauties that could put some muscles on a girl's arms. I had to learn to swing it right-handed because that's how most of them were made, for a right-handed swing. The swing had to be perfected too--swooping down and through the grass or brush and continuing the arc right up to shoulder height or thereabouts. Stopping the swing short meant losing the power of the speed and the quick cut. It was similar, I suppose to splitting wood with an axe--you swing as if you mean to bury that axe in the ground right up to the handle. The scythe required the same kind of force.

A year or two later I bought an aluminum handled scythe with a short, tough brush blade. It worked so much better for the filth, as it was called--that messy weed/small shrub/vines combination that grows along banks and ditches. I remember one year when I was cutting a ditchline in front of the house, and got into a yellow jacket's nest. I made for the house at top speed, shedding clothes as fast as I could. Those bees got inside my bib overalls and were hard at work as I stripped down. My sons watched me dancing in amazement, sure that I had lost my mind. I'd never gotten into a nest before and I gained a healthy respect for yellow jackets, I can tell you.

Young man sharpening a scythe, by Pekka Halonen 1891. From Wikipedia

As these thoughts passed through my mind at the auction I realized that those two men and I were part of probably the last generation (outside of the Amish) to have a personal connection to the scythe. In the late 1970's weedeaters with brushcutting blades became widely available and affordable, and the scythes were hung up in barns to gather dust. When I tell a story that includes the mention of a scythe, I have to throw in a quick definition for young audiences "You know, that long handled thing with the long blade that the Grim Reaper carries?" They know then what I am referring to; without the definition, they would not have a clue.


I still own a wood-handled scythe and even a replacement handle. I have one for sale, too, in my Marietta booth. I suppose men and maybe women of a certain age see it hanging there and recall the days when they were young and strong, swinging that heavy blade in a perfect arch on hot hillsides when life was simpler and a the swish of the scythe cleanly cutting grass was the only sound in the brilliant blueness of summer.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

The Care and Feeding of Kerosene Lamps

(My February column in Two Lane Livin' magazine)

We’ve all seen it: a movie with a frontier setting, people in a log cabin settling down for bed—and then someone will reach over to an oil lamp with a smoked-up chimney and turn it down as if turning off a light switch. End every time I see this I say the same thing: “They didn’t do their homework. That’s not how you put out a lamp. And why is the chimney so dirty? Don’t they ever trim the wicks on movie lamps?”

I didn’t grow up knowing about kerosene lamps. Although we lived in the country when I was very young, we moved to town when I was six and my only memory of using non-electric lights was during storms or at Halloween. But when I moved to our new house in West Virginia in 1976, which we built knowing there would be no electricity available, I developed a fast and intimate relationship with oil lamps, learning through trial and error how to care for them properly to get maximum light.

Our first lamps were the Aladdin type that required a delicate mantle. On first lighting the mantle turned to ash that glowed and gave out impressive brightness, but one false move and the mantle disintegrated and had to be replaced. With four little boys running around, there were many false moves. The Aladdins also used a surprising amount of kerosene, and it didn’t take long to realize that while they gave plenty of light, we would go broke trying to maintain three of them. So we turned to the old standby, the standard kerosene lamp. I bought five brand new ones with bright brass burners, white wicks and shiny chimneys.

The chimneys turned black at first lighting, and I learned my first lesson—keep the wick turned low, and keep it trimmed. Proper trimming requires sharp scissors and a steady hand to shape the edge of the cotton wick into a graceful arch. No loose threads should be left and the wick must be shaped right or the flame will be uneven and the result is those smoky chimneys seen in the movies. Trimming the wick often will assure a clean, even, bright burn; if a black hard crust forms on the edge of the wick, or if the wick is old and dirty from being too long in use the lamp will not produce as much light and the chimney will be smoky.

The grade of kerosene used makes a difference in how clean the lamp burns too. Low-grade kerosene produces a yellow flame, smokes a chimney quickly and has a strong odor; it will also stain a lamp if left in the bowl too long without being used . Cleaning the built-up yellow gunk out of the bowl of a lamp that has only an inch or inch and a half diameter opening is no easy job. The wick will soak up impurities in the kerosene and will produce a yellower flame and heavy odor because of the dirty fuel.

We ended up with twelve lamps to light our house. When I lit them at dusk the light looked feeble but then it seemed to make its way into all the corners and by full dark the house was filled with a golden glow.  Each week we refilled all of them, no matter how much fuel remained in the bowls. A full lamp burns better and brighter. All the wicks were trimmed, short wicks were replaced, and all the lamp bases were washed carefully on the outside while the chimneys got a good hot water and soap washing. We dried them with newspapers to produce a shine that made them look like new. Occasionally the gear that advanced the wick would wear out in one lamp or another and need to be replaced, and of course chimneys were broken from time to time.

When we finally hooked to the grid in 1989, all twelve of the original lamps were still in operation, and we still own most of them. As each of our sons bought their own homes, some of the lamps moved with them for use in emergencies.

I hope my sons remember the rules for care and feeding of their lamps and pass on that knowledge to their children. Such skills are becoming a thing of the past. Many Two Lane Livin’ readers are old hands at caring for kerosene lights, but if this is new information for you, remember to look at the kerosene lamps next time you watch an old movie. I bet you’ll say, “Look at that lamp! They don’t know anything about how to take care of a kerosene lamp!”

 Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

An Apple Butter Kind of Day

Actually, it really wasn't. It rained. It poured. And then it rained some more. But thanks to a good neighbor, we were still able to make our apple butter with the loan of a canopy that worked nicely to keep us dry as we stirred.

We made our apple butter in steps. We made the sauce in advance, some last week and some 3 weeks ago, and put it in the freezer until we could get a date set for the cooking down. We settled on this Saturday and of course the rain moved in as soon as it heard the news. But with Pam's canopy and a little ingenuity we moved ahead.

The canopy covered our work area nicely. We worried about sparks possibly flying up from the wood fire and burning holes in the canopy so we set the cooking up outside of the shelter; we took the top plexiglas off a porch table and used the base to create a shelter over the kettle, sliding a piece of tin over the cooking sauce whenever the rain started up, and moving it aside as each shower passed by.

The fire gave us fits for a while; we had the wood covered but it still was not easy to get a good hot fire for a little while. We leaned some tin against the side of the kettle for a while and that seemed to help the fire get its breath, and then we were really cooking. Daughter-in-law Sandy washed jars and she and granddaughter Grace provided support while we stirred and stirred and stirred.

Each year the color of the sauce is different, depending on the apples we use. This year we had a good crop of Red Delicious, so we used those, some Rome and some Grimes Golden. The color is lovely, a nice reddish brown; and the flavor? Well, every year we think it's the best we've ever made, but this year's batch truly is delicious.

We started with 15 gallons of sauce. I follow the way my neighbor Belva Simons taught me and cook it down to about half of what we started with. We cook the sauce until it is boiling good and beginning to turn color; streaks of a dark gold will begin to appear and the boil cannot be stirred down. Then we add the sugar, slowly so that the sauce doesn't stop boiling. When all the sugar is in (20-25 pounds for my kettle, depending again on the apples and their sweetness), we continue cooking until the apple butter passes the "slump test." I don't know if that's the right term for it, but it describes what we're looking for very well--butter that does not weep and that holds its shape when a spoonful is placed on a plate. The whole cooking time is usually between 4 and 5 hours. (Add another 4-5 hours to make enough applesauce to fill the kettle).

When it was done I hurried inside to heat up the chili I'd made earlier and whip up a batch of cornbread. Fresh apple butter on biscuits is good; on cornbread it's ambrosia. While I did that, the men cleaned up the kettle and put away the tables, tin, and other things we used. Today we relaxed. Two of the guys played golf; grandchildren and Larry watched a movie and I did laundry and visited with my daughter-in-law.

The house is empty now; our company went home with apple butter, cider, eggs, gourds, butternut squash, apples, brownies and lots of hugs. I am washing up linens and towels and missing the sounds of their voices and laughter already.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Peaches, Peaches, Peaches...and a Little Storytelling Office Work Too

It's what's happening in my kitchen this week. The peaches have outdone themselves in production, and I am literally swamped with them. So many that I may actually give away a whole treeful because I've got all I can handle and there is another tree just loaded to the breaking point.

So far, I've frozen, canned and made jam. Today I will can some more and maybe freeze a few more because I like the frozen ones better, actually than the canned ones. But after losing everything in the freezer last year, I'm hedging my bets.

The jam was a disappointment and I may try again with it too. It didn't set! I've never had 4 batches all fail; I used liquid pectin this time because someone gave me a few packs of it, and I am not happy with the result. Runny, runny--more syrup than jam. We can use it as it is but it's not what I like. It will be great on ice cream, of course, but we eat little ice cream so that will be a rare treat. Ah well. I've been fortunate over the years to have such good luck with my preserves so I shouldn't complain, right?

There are still plenty of peaches for me to work on:

These are small but delicious white freestone peaches from a tree at my son's house. We've picked these before and they are absolutely delightful, and pest-free. Many of our trees have some sort of worm in a lot of the peaches; that's on the to-do for next year: find out how to get rid of them.

 These larger peaches are yellow freestones from one of our trees. They're big but many have some sort of worm or other defect. I cut around and use what I can.

And these are...whoops! Yellow tomatoes, not peaches! We've had a bumper crop of yellow tomatoes this year--I think the greenhouse mislabeled a package because these were supposed to be Black Prince. No black tomatoes this year which made me sad because I fell in love with them last year.

Other preserving work ahead: more spaghetti sauce and more pickles. And wild cherry jelly! The wild cherries at my son's house are almost ripe and this is one of my favorite jams--the flavor is unbelievably good, very bright and clear. I missed the elderberries, sadly, because I was away from home when they were ready. They don't last long, the birds make sure of that. With the abundance of other fruit this year I'm okay with that.

This morning I am working on storytelling, designing brochures and postcards and getting an invoice and contract ready for an upcoming performance. Even though the calendar is quiet for a bit, there is still work to do to get the word out about what I do. I received an inquiry from a writers' group in Georgia about doing a presentation for them in May; they can't pay much but I'd love to do it. The trick will be to find enough other work to make the trip worthwhile. That means getting some publicity out there and finding some possible places to perform. I would love to do some house concerts; they're fun, informal and intimate. Perhaps I will find a few people willing to host one somewhere in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina or northern Georgia. If you are in any of those locations and interested in giving a house concert, do get in touch. It would be lovely to connect with more of my readers along the way.

Back to work!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Abundance in the Gardens, Abundance in Storytelling

 The gardens are booming right now. The new hens are already laying and apples, peaches and grapes are hanging heavy. ready to ripen in a few weeks. It feels like the garden of Eden here right now, with fresh fruit and vegetables there for the picking, flowers in bloom and beautiful, clear, dry weather for a change.

This is a fresh load of tomatoes picked by Larry this morning. Lots of pink ones in with the reds and yellows. I think we only planted 4 pink tomato plants, but they are sure doing well.

Today is salsa-making day. I have a few hours to spare from working on stories to do the salsa and make some dill pickles--the cucumbers are coming in with a vengeance now. The old vines revived when the weather cooled and the second planting is beginning to bear. Always, of course, the gardens peak when I will not be here to process the bounty. Such is life.

We eat tomatoes three meals a day at this time of year, and in between meals too. Sliced for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, sliced for dinner and eaten whole in between. Such richness!

This morning I prepared a country breakfast, complete with fried potatoes, bacon, eggs, tomatoes and fried apples. The apples were amazing. These were some golden delicious that had been around so long the skins were wrinkled--but they were still sound. I cored and sliced them, leaving the skins on. Then I heated oil in my cast iron skillet, added the apples and stirred them quickly to prevent them from sticking to the pan (that's important--hot oil and stirring to coat the apples with the oil). I let them cook a while, then added cinnamon, honey and vanilla. My oh my. I've never added vanilla before but you can bet I will always do so now. They are delicious.

The chickens are laying those little pullet eggs; they're small and dense with deep yellow yolks. I missed our good eggs and was impatient for these new hens to start laying. They obliged me by starting a full month before I was expecting them to. Good girls!

Back to the kitchen with me. Tomatoes are sitting in hot water so I can peel the skins and make salsa. Then I'll take a while to work on stories for the Inland Waterways Festival in Marietta, Ohio tomorrow, and then I'll start a batch of pickles. While those are sitting in salty ice water, I'll be packing for next week's trip to Elkins, WV to teach Appalachian storytelling for the Augusta Heritage Series. This will be a full, fun day--especially if my cousin Les in England calls and we can talk about my trip to England in September.


Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.