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

Zakuszka

Zakuszka, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

I cut the following recipe in half and added some hot green chillies. I also used half red and half green peppers. I think another time I would use all read, this makes it have a nicer appearance and it is supposed to be red.

1 Liter Sunflower oil
1 Kg Onion (chopped) (2.2 lbs)
1 Kg Carrots (peeled and shredded) (2.2 lbs)
5 Kg Red Pepper (cored and chopped in blender) (11 lbs)
2 Kg Eggplant (roasted, peeled and chopped in blender) (4.4 lbs)
2 Kg Mushroom (each chopped to 6-8 pieces) (4.4 lbs)
1 Liter Crushed Tomato (canned)
5-6 Bay Leafs
6 Tbs Sea Salt
1 Tbs Ground Black Pepper

1) Prick the skin of eggplants with fork and start to BBQ (or grill in oven) till skin turns black. Let it cool in a plastic bag, it will be easier to peel

2) Chop onion and wash carrots, red peppers, mushrooms

3) In a large pot pour in the sunflower oil and sauté the onion

4) Peel and shred carrots then add to pot (stirring it regularly)

5) Chop mushrooms (don’t chop it too small) then add to pot

6) Core red pepper, cut it to 3-4 inches pieces (make sure there is no seed left) then chop it coarsely in a food processor and add to pot

7) Peel the eggplants, chop it in food processor and add to pot

8) Add crushed tomatoes, bay leafs, salt and black pepper

Cook for 1 hour after it started to boil on very low temperature till oil comes to the surface.
Remove bay leafs.
Pour into hot sterilized jars leaving 1/4 inch (6 mm) head-space. Wipe jar rims thoroughly with a clean damp cloth. Seal and process in boiling water bath for 8 minutes.
Makes around 40 (250 ml) or 20 (500 ml) jars.

My new chicken coop

My new chicken coop, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

You don't have to be crazy to be me but I find that it helps. Just ordered this on eBay yesterday. Should arrive in a week or two and I hope to get it put together before winter sets in. In the spring I will buy a few day old chicks. I haven't had hens in many years now but I looking forward to having my own little backyard flock again. Great deal on eBay if anyone is interested, $299.00 plus shipping or best offer. I offered full price with free shipping and my offer was accepted.

The Link to the eBay item.

Quince Jelly

Quince Jelly, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

This is more or less the method that I use. I don't use wax and I use a bit more sugar. The resulting jelly is still a bit tart, that's what I like about it it is sweet and tart all the same time. I find it easier once I convert the measurements to metric for each 250ml of juice I add 200g of sugar.

Quince Jelly
Ingredients

* 3 1/2 lbs of quince, washed, stems removed, cored, quartered (leave skin on)
* 7 cups water
* Enough sugar to add almost a cup of sugar (about 7/8 cup) for every cup of juice (about 4 cups)

Equipment needed

* 1 wide 6 or 8-quart pan (Stainless steel or copper with stainless steel lining)
* Cheesecloth
* Metal strainer (2)
* Potato masher
* Parafin (if sealing with parafin, otherwise use lidded canning jars)
* Canning jars
* Candy thermometer

Method
First Stage of Cooking

1 Put quince pieces in a large stockpot with a thick bottom and add water (if you are eyeballing it, put in enough water to cover the pieces of quince by about an inch.)

2 Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, until the quince pieces are soft.

3 With a potato masher, mash the quince to the consistency of slightly runny applesauce. Add more water if necessary. If the mash is too thick, you won't get enough juice out of it.

4 To strain the juice from the pulp, place a metal strainer over a pot. Drape 2 layers of cheesecloth over the strainer. (Can skip the cheesecloth if you are using a fine mesh strainer). Ladle the pulp into the cheesecloth. You may need to have two strainers set up this way. Let the pulp strain for 3 to 4 hours. If you aren't getting enough juice out of the pulp, you may need to mix more water into the mash.
Measure the juice and add sugar

5 Measure the amount of juice you have. Should be about 4 to 5 cups. Pour into a thick-bottomed pot on the stove and bring to a boil. Measure out the sugar - a little less than a cup for every cup of juice. Add sugar to the juice.
Second stage of cooking

6 Bring to a boil, initially stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved, so that the sugar does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Insert a candy thermometer to monitor the jelly temperature.

7 As the jelly cooks, skim off the foam that comes to the surface with a spoon.

8 As the jelly is boiling, in a separate pan, melt some parafin wax for a seal and sterilize jars for canning.

9 As the temperature rises above the boiling point of water (212°F), you will notice the consistency of the jelly/juice begins to change. When the temperature is approximately 8 degrees higher than boiling point at your altitude (anywhere from 220°F to 222°F at sea level) the jelly is ready to pour into jars.

Note that candy thermometers aren't always the most reliable indicators of whether or not a jelly is done. Another way to test is put a half teaspoonful of the jelly on a chilled (in the freezer) plate. Allow the jelly to cool a few seconds, then push it with your fingertip. If it wrinkles up, it's ready.

Canning

10 There are several ways to sterilize your jars for canning. You can run them through a short cycle on your dishwasher. You can place them in a large pot (12 quart) of water on top of a steaming rack (so they don't touch the bottom of the pan), and bring the water to a boil for 10 minutes. Or you can rinse out the jars, dry them, and place them, without lids, in a 200°F oven for 10 minutes.

11 Use a large ladle to pour the jelly into the sterilized jars to 5/8 inch from the top rim of the jar. Pour in enough melted parafin to add a 1/4 inch layer of wax. The parafin will float to the top, cool, and harden forming a seal over the jelly as it cools. (If you aren't using parafin, use canning jars with canning lids. Sterilize the lids by letting them sit in just boiled hot water for a few minutes. You will hear a popping noise as a vacuum seal is created as the jars of jelly cool.)

Makes 4-6 cups of jelly.

Simply Recipes simplyrecipes.com

Hot and Sweet Pepper Jelly

Hot and Sweet Pepper Jelly, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Been watching my Chile Peppers grow all summer with plans to make hot pepper jelly yesterday I bought the other ingredients and this morning went out to the garden to pick my peppers only to discover there were only a few small ones left all of the large ones were gone, somehow I don't think that thief had four legs. What kind of an animal would eat Cayenne Peppers. Made the jelly with what I had but it sure won't be as hot as I wanted it to be.


Submitted By: ranger1

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Ready In: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
Servings: 48
"Enjoy this spicy treat on crackers with cream cheese. It also makes a festive holiday appetizer."
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups finely chopped red bell
peppers
1 1/4 cups finely chopped green bell
peppers

1/4 cup finely chopped jalapeno peppers
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 (1.75 ounce) package powdered pectin
5 cups white sugar
Directions:
1. Sterilize 6 (8 ounce) canning jars and lids according to manufacturer's instructions. Heat water in a hot water canner.
2. Place red bell peppers, green bell peppers, and jalapeno peppers in a large saucepan over high heat. Mix in vinegar and fruit pectin. Stirring constantly, bring mixture to a full rolling boil. Quickly stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil, and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and skim off any foam.
3. Quickly ladle jelly into sterile jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of the tops. Cover with flat lids, and screw on bands tightly.
4. Place jars in rack, and slowly lower jars into canner. The water should cover the jars completely, and should be hot but not boiling. Bring water to a boil, and process for 5 minutes.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2010 Allrecipes.com Printed from Allrecipes.com 9/22/2010

Indoor Vegetable Growing Contest

One of my YouTube contacts is running a contest to see who can grow the best vegetables indoors and I've been having some fun with it. The contest ends October 31st and so far I have posted these three videos, showing my efforts.

Recorded August 4, 2010



Recorded September 1, 2010




Recorded September 20, 2010




Recorded September 30, 2010




Recorded October 15, 2010

Last SFG Update for summer 2010 beets, carrots, brussels sprouts, cabbage and rutabaga.

The last of my weekly updates for this year from the square foot garden. I will continue to do an occasional video from the garden through out the fall, as I harvest some of the late crops and preserve them for winter use.

Cooking on my homemade Hobo Stove

My latest fascination has been Hobo Stoves. Lots of videos on YouTube showing how to make them so of course I had to give it a try. In St. Stephen this morning and had Breakfast at Carmen's Diner I asked the waitress if they ever had anything come in large cans and within a few minutes she was back with a large can that used to have diced tomatoes in it. So I was off to the races. Shortly after I got back home I had made my first Hobo Stove and was busy cooking dinner on it.