After The Rain

After The Rain, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

A good day to try out some of the features on my new Canon G11 camera, gray and overcast, after almost a week of steady rain the streams are swollen and running fast. First time I've ever tried anything other then fully automatic or macro photos. The little camera still amazes me and there are lots of features that I haven't tried yet. If you would like to see more of theses just click on the photo and that will take you to my flickr account where there are a few more.

My Brother called me shortly after I put the photos up wanting to know if I help the man get out of the stream in this photo. I hadn't even noticed the strange rock until he drew it to my attention.

Last of the fall colour - Acer palmatum ( Bloodgood Japanese Maple )

Last of the fall colour - Acer palmatum ( Bloodgood Japanese Maple ), originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

What a miserable week weather wise it snowed last Sunday and has rained every day since, lots of wind too. Most of the fall colour is on the ground and the trees are bare until next spring. My Japanese Maple Bloodgood is always appreciated at this time of year it keeps it's leaves for a week or two after all the native trees have shed theirs. According to the forecast we might see a bit of sun this Wednesday and Thursday should be a clear sunny day. Adding to all this fun we set the clocks back an hour today so it is dark by late afternoon, I don't understand why we let them do this to us I don't Know anyone who is in favour of it.

Sauerkraut started

Sauerkraut started, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

The Sauerkraut is in the picklemiester and the fermentation process is underway. A process which should take four to five weeks, after which it can be put in the refrigerator and kept for months as you use it up.

The last of the harvest

A compilation of several short video clips taken over the last three weeks as I harvested and preserved my garden produce as well as a look at my new little chicken coop all ready for my hens when they arrive next summer and a short clip of my indoor cucumbers.

Wild Cranberry Preserve

I use this as a guideline then measure my cranberries and add sugar and water according to the amount of cranberries. This year I put the cooked berries through a kitchen mill to remove the skins, most years I don't bother.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups (625mL) cranberries (fresh or frozen)
3/4 cup (175mL) sugar
3/4 cup (175mL) water

Get Cooking!

1. Combine cranberries with sugar and water in a large saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 to 10 minutes until cranberries pop and sauce starts to thicken.
3. Pour sauce into a bowl and chill. Serve cold. Sauce will thicken on cooling.

Wild Blueberry Jam

BLUEBERRY JAM
Printed from COOKS.COM

4 c. prepared fruit (about 1 1/2 qts. ripe berries)
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 box powdered fruit pectin
5 c. (2 1/4 lbs.) sugar

First, prepare the fruit. Crush completely about 1 1/2 quarts fully ripe blueberries. Measure 4 cups into a very large saucepan. Add lemon juice.

Then make the jam. Add powdered pectin to fruit in saucepan and mix well. Bring to a hard boil over high heat, stirring constantly. At once stir in sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil and boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and skim off foam with metal spoon. Then alternately stir and skim for 5 minutes to cool slightly and to prevent floating fruit. Ladle quickly into glasses. Cover with paraffin.

Male Cardinal

Male Cardinal, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

I don't think I've ever had one of these at my feeders before. We used to get them over on the North Road where I grew up and my Mother had them where she lived in Welshpool, but I think this is a first for me. There are at least two males here at first I thought I was only seeing one bird but I just saw two at the same time one at the feeder and one not far away trying to eat rose hips off one of my rose bushes.

Turkeys in the snow

Turkeys in the snow, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Met this guy on the roadside in East Machias October 31, 2010 first snow of the season, there were at least four of them in the group.

Wild Blackberry Jelly

Wild Blackberry Jelly, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

BLACKBERRY JELLY
Printed from COOKS.COM

4-6 quarts blackberries
7 1/2 c. sugar
2 (3 oz.) pkgs. liquid fruit pectin

Press enough blackberries through a sieve to extract 4 cups juice. Combine 4 cups juice and sugar in a Dutch oven; bring to a rolling boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add fruit pectin, and bring to a boil; continue boiling 1 minute, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and skim off foam with a metal spoon.

Quickly pour jelly into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/2" headspace. Seal with a 1/8" layer of paraffin and cover with lids. Yield: about 7 half pints.

Le Coop

Le Coop, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Just finished putting together my new mini Chicken Coop. I knew the dimensions before I ordered it but things always seem smaller when you actually see them. I couldn't condemn a half dozen hens to a life in this little thing but it will do for the young birds when they first arrive next summer. I will need to build a small coop before next winter though. Now that I've seen this I have an idea though, I think I will take it to the Library with a few hens in it for the Children to see at the annual Library Gala in August.

Wild Crab Apple Jelly

Today I'm making wild crab apple jelly .


By The Canadian Living Test Kitchen


Tested Till Perfect

This clear stunning jelly will range from coral to red depending on the apples. Serve with savouries such as roast pork or p?, or pair with cream cheese for a delicious toast topping.

This recipe makes 16 serving(s)

Nutritional information available online.
Ingredients

6 6lb lb(2.7 kg) (2.7 kg) crab apples
4-1/2 4-1/2cups cups(1.125 L) (1.125 L) granulated sugar

Preparation:
Remove both stem and blossom ends from crab apples. Do not peel or core. In large Dutch oven, bring crab apples and 6 cups (1.5 L) water to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until softened. Using potato masher, crush crab apples; cook for 5 minutes longer.

Wet and wring out jelly bag; suspend on frame over large measuring cup or bowl. Fill with crab apples; let drip, without squeezing bag, for about 2 hours or until juice measures 6-1/2 cups (1.625 L), adding up to 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) water if necessary.

In large clean Dutch oven, bring juice with sugar to full rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly; boil for 15 to 18 minutes or until gel stage. (See Gel Stage Test, below) Remove from heat; skim off foam.

Using funnel, fill hot 1-cup (250 mL) canning jars, leaving 1/4-inch (5 mm) headspace. Cover with prepared lids. Screw on bands until resistance is met; increase to fingertip tight. Boil in boiling water canner for 10 minutes. (See Canning Basics)
Additional Information:

* Gel Stage Test:
• Remove jelly from heat while doing test.
• Chill two or three small plates in freezer.
• Place 1 tsp (5 mL) hot jelly or jam on plate and freeze for 1 minute.
• Remove from freezer. Surface should wrinkle when edge is pushed with finger.
• If surface doesn't wrinkle, continue cooking and repeat test every few minutes.


Source: Canadian Living Magazine: July 2008

Centerville area walk October 24, 2010

Centerville area walk October 24, 2010, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Lovely walk yesterday with the Pathfinders walking group. We walked through the Blueberry Barrens to Centerville Maine. The barrens are always so beautiful this time of year a carpet of rich colours. There are a few more photos on my flickr site if you would like to see them just click on this photo and that should take you there.

Herring Cove Beach

Herring Cove Beach, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

A beautiful day for a nice long walk on Herring Cove Beach, also the only safe place to walk during the Deer Hunting Season.

As I walked along the beach there was a huge flock of mostly immature Herring Gulls that would lift and fly a little further up the beach and then repeat the process when I got too close again.



Eventually they got tired of the game and moved off shore with another large flock that seemed to be mostly adult birds.



That lasted only a short while and someone gave the order and the entire flock lifted and left the area, not a gull left behind.



I will never understand how such a large group can be so organized.

Carrot Harvest

Carrot Harvest, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Continuing on with the fall harvest from my Square Foot Garden yesterday I harvested the remaining carrots sliced them, steam blanched them and they are in the freezer ready for several winter meals. Next on the agenda will be the Brussels Sprouts and Kale and the last thing will be the cabbages turned into sauerkraut.

Fried Dough

Fried Dough, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

I had a great hankering for some Campobello comfort food. So I mixed up a small batch of bread dough and made fried dough. I guess the batch wasn't as small as I thought it was I had fried dough three time and used the last of it for a pizza crust last night. I've been surprised by the number of questions that the photo has generated on flickr. I don't know if it helps or not but the closest thing I can compare it to is a Beaver Tail, but maybe you have to be Canadian to know what that is.

Constructing a Square Foot Garden Raised Bed, planting garlic and this years first frost

Time to get the garlic planted but first I had to build another raised bed for my square foot garden and fill it with the soil-less mix from the grow bags in my greenhouse and add composted manure. We had our first frost of the season last night so I also took a look at it.





I love my new Canon G11 especially the excellent macro features. I was out early this morning on my hands and knees in the frosty grass to get this picture.

The year without fall colour

The two photos are of the same tree taken exactly one year apart the left hand photo was taken October 13, 2010 and the one of the right October 13, 2009. There just isn't any colour this year.

An autumn hike in the park land on Campobello Island

A beautiful fall day so I decided to do a 15km hike in the park land on the southern end of Campobello Island.

Late fall look at the garden and harvesting shell beans