Working hard, and hardly working

I've had a productive few weeks, while still managing to put off way too many things that need to get done. Turns out being injured means you prioritize...but for me that means the things I always put off just keep getting put off for longer and longer.

*sigh* I'm going to have to pull up my socks and just get the darn laundry done! ....Wednesday.

Anyways, catching up.

The community garden plot is coming along really well so far. I've gotten almost all the planting done! So far the plot has (* next to seedlings I started):

-Zucchini*
-Cucumber* (although it may die it was perking up as of the last time I was over there...fingers crossed. I did plant 2 new seeds in hopes that if the original kicked the bucket the new ones would germinate. I could potentially end up with 4 cucumber plants sharing the spot. Yeep!)
-Patti pan squash (a kind of zucchini)*
-Hubbard Squash*
-Sugar Pumpkin*
-3 Bloody Butcher tomatoes*
-2 Black Krim tomatoes*
-1 Cherry tomato*
-1 Lemon Boy tomato (yay free seedlings! :) )
-2 Jalapeno peppers*
-2 Bell peppers* (these seedlings were poor to start and are decidedly behind the two best jalapenos)
-6 Brussel sprouts
-4 Asparagus (which won't be harvest-able for at least a year)
-6 green leaf lettuce (which just would NOT start from seed for me...:( )
-6 bright lights chard (ish...there were definitely a few extra plants in there but I certainly won't be complaining! I LOVE chard!)
-10 corn stalks (very experimental...I'm excited to see if it'll work)
-4 celery (I'm interested to see how these store-bought starts compare to my home seeded survivor. I planted 2 store bought right near my home grown one in my home garden so I can compare)
-Walla walla onion sets (I'm planting a single row all around the perimeter of my garden in homes of dissuading pests...between that and the marigold I still need to get in I'm hoping it'll discourage many of the bugs)
-Yellow onion bulbs
-seeded sprouting broccoli (probably too late, but we'll see Maybe I'll get a late crop)
-seeded lettuce, 2 varieties
 
Garden pictures!

Corn
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The back of the plot.
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Left to right: Rhubarb (came with the plot, I have two BIG ones), asparagus, hubbard squash, sugar pumpkin, zucchini. The cucumber is sort of in between the rows.
Tomatoes, then peppers.

The whole plot, just after the first bunch of planting (forgive the sad-looking plants, there was more weeding and soil prep than I'd thought so the starts had to sit in the sun while we worked.)
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Artsy shot of the broccoli starts - courtesy of my sister who took the pics
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I still have to seed carrots, radishes, and beets. I'm planning to line the path in the middle of the garden with rows, as a sort of growing border. I'll do either 2-3 carrots/radishes, or 1 beet. Hopefully I'll get that done this weekend coming up. Then all I have left is mulching around the larger plants and down the walkway! Hopefully that will minimize my weeding and also improve the soil for next year.

All in all I'm counting the seed starting adventure as a success!

Notes for next year:

-Plant fewer tomatoes!
-Plant tomatoes later!
-Plant fewer squash - then the ones I plant will have more room under the light and more attention (besides, I prefer zucchini and cucumbers anyways!)

Strawberries on sale!

 

I found an amazing sale on strawberries at the local grocery store, $6 for a flat! Since we're almost out of low-sugar jam, and there's a recipe I've been dying to try for months now I got two flats.

Last night I made strawberry kiwi no-pectin jam. This is a method I used last year as well, and the results are amazing. Super flavorful, not too sweet, and much more natural than other options. It's also really versatile, you can do just about anything with it. 

I originally read about it on Erica's blog Northwest Edible, one of my favorite blogs to follow. Specifically, I've loved Erica's can-o-rama posts (totally doing my own can-o-rama this year!). I took the basic method for low sugar, no pectin jam she has, and I have plans to try some of her wet and dry 'zing' ideas later this year.

Strawberry Kiwi Jam

 

*Note: I did double the recipe, and it lengthens the boiling time needed. You need to boil the fruit until a spoon pulled through the center leaves a trail that slowly fills in. It makes a softer set of jam than you might be used to, but I really prefer it.

2 cups cut strawberries (you can hull yours if you like, I think it's too much of a pain)

1 cup cut kiwis

1 1/4 cup sugar (I used 1 1/2 cups total in my double batch and it tastes perfect. Sweeten it to your own tastes.)

Juice from 1/2 a lemon (for the acidity...do NOT mess with this or it will affect the safety of your finished product. Fresh lemon is the best choice)

Combine your cut fruit and sugar in a bowl, then stir until it's quite syrupy.

Put the fruit mix into a wide saucepan (for more surface area to boil off the moisture quickly), and boil for 8-10 minutes stirring regularly.

As the jam is cooking down have your boiling water bath pot ready. Boil the jars, set the rings aside, and use a smaller pot for the lids. Don't boil your lids, put them in once the water has boiled and the heat is turned down.

To check if the jam is ready there are a few tests you can do; the one I mentioned above with the stirring spoon, a sheet test, or a plate test. See below for more info.

When you're satisfied with the set of your jam remove it from the heat and ladle it into the jars, leaving a 1/4 inch of head space.

Run a knife, or other flat utensil, along the inside of the jar to remove air bubbles, wipe the rim, then lid and band the jars. (My double batch made nearly three pint jars - since you can't process a 'near pint' that one is ours for eating immediately and went right into the fridge.)

Process in the boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Due to our altitude I processed mine for 20, so make sure to check here for your required processing times.

I tested some last night on toast and it was wonderful. I'm looking forward to repeating the process later this week with plain strawberry jam for our cupboard.

Testing the set of your jam

Plate test

The plate test is quite simple. I've used it before with good success.

As your jam is cooking place a small plate in the freezer, by the time you're ready to test your jam the plate should be well chilled.

To test the jam, remove it from the heat (or it will keep cooking as you test and could pass the level of set you want!), spoon a dollop of jam onto the plate. Wait a minute or so, then run your finger through the jam. If it makes a clean line that doesn't re-form you've got a pretty good set. You're ready to jar up the jam.

Sheet test

This is a bit trickier, and requires some practice. As the jam cooks use a spoon to get a dollop of jam. Tilt the spoon and let the jam slowly fall back into the pot. You're looking for it to fall in one smooth sheet, rather than as drips and dribbles.

I have used this method, but it's not as simple as a plate test and can be tricky.

I typically use a mix of the three methods outlines in this post, along with a taste test ;) (clean spoon of course!) to determine when it's at the texture I like. Remember that hot jam from the pot is runnier than it will be once set and cooled, so if you only do the sheet test keep that in mind.

Happy jamming :D