I still had pears in the fridge that I hadn't canned so today was the day.
I canned 30 pints of pears TODAY! Yes, I'm tired. But, I also did other things. Vince went out and cut the okra so I rinsed it, cut it up and filled two trays for the freeze dryer. I filled one tray with sliced pears and filled one tray with pear peelings. The peelings will get crispy and are a bit tart but they're really good for snacking. I also like to put them in the blender, make a powder and add it to overnight oats. It gives them a pear flavor and thickens the oats a bit more.
At some point in the middle of all this, Vince said "Are we eating lunch today?" Hmmm . . I had broccoli, chicken and barley in the freezer so I grabbed a block of that out of the freezer, defrosted it, baked it and cooked some of the okra I had already sliced. Lunch . . DONE in about 15 minutes.
Then I made (still not baked) a loaf of the Sourdough Wonder Bread Copy Cat Bread. I made the stiff starter last night so I should have started the bread early this morning but it was after 3 before I got back to the bread so it may be a bit slow rising. It's 8 p.m. . . I'll try to get it in the oven by 9 or 10 tonight. Just not enough hours in my day.
Chad, Nicole and Roxie (the youngest Corgi) camped last night on a river south of here. Addie spent the night with a friend. They all met up today and the two families went down the river . . kayaks, canoes . . I think some were in kayaks, some in canoes . . not even sure but Chad, Nicole, Addie and Roxie came by here for a while. They had stopped and bought hamburgers and sat out on our deck to eat them. Vince was watching football so I sat out and visited with them. I never get to spend enough time with them.
Hoping to get a little cross stitching done tonight . . both dogs are asleep on my lap. I should be able to stitch a few hours! Hope I don't forget about the bread! :)
Those pears look divine! I wish I had been able to find pears to put up. That’s a great idea , adding pear powder to oats. I’d say you had a very productive day! To top it off you were able to spend time with/family & hopefully stitch.
ReplyDeleteWe are so lucky to live where there are many orchards. Some of those pears were so, so big. My hands ache when I have to peel small pears - the bigger ones are much easier on my hands. Yes, it was a good day. I had the pears all done before Chad and his family arrived so I was happy to sit out on the deck with them for a couple of hours.
DeleteJudy, my mother would dry pear peelings or peach peelings. In those ancient times, it was dried in the hot Texas sun on metal sheets and covered with cheesecloth or a old sheet worn very thin. In the winter, Momma would take boil the dried peelings in water with sugar and spices until it was like a very thick puree. Then she would make half moon hand pies filled with it. They were wonderful like an extra bit of summer on a cold dismal day. When you mentioned drying peelings, that memory flood my mind and I could just smell them cooking. Thanks for a great reminder.
ReplyDeleteThe pies sound really good! Maybe I'll save some of my peelings and try that. I love little hand pies! Thanks for sharing your memory!!
DeleteYour ambition amazes me. I never can anymore. Soooo much work.
ReplyDeleteIt is a lot of work but I love having meals in jars. Today I'm opening a jar of canned chicken and a jar of Eggplant Salsa to go over the chicken; sweet potatoes are baking in the oven. I'll make a salad and dinner will be quick with little mess to clean up. Also, I love having "fresh" fruit out of season. We don't go to the store often enough to keep fruit from one visit to the next so freeze drying strawberries, apples and pears or having apples, pears, peaches, etc. in jars is worth it for now. There will come a time, probably sooner rather than later, when I stop doing it. I'm not even sure I can live in a house without lots of jars of home canned food but I guess I'll find out . . some day.
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