Lemons

Lemons, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

I recently bought an Apple Time Capsule 2TB WIFI Harddrive\Rotor to go with my new MacBook to keep a safe backup incase anything should go wrong with the computer. Now that it is installed and working I have transferred all of my older digital photographs to the new computer so they will be saved too. In the process I've been looking at photos that I haven't seen in a few years and having fun reworking some of them. Let me know what you think.

The Very First Egg October 12, 2011

One of the girls, not sure which one, laid the first egg this morning and she laid it in the nest box next to the ceramic nest eggs. Amazing how they understand what to do even for the very first egg.

Confessions of a Gageteer - Gadget Video # 1

This video is the first in a series of short videos talking about my collection of gadgets. They are being produced at the request of one of my subscribers JaxRL have a look at her channel she says we are kindred spirits when it comes to collecting gadgets.

http://www.youtube.com/user/JaxRL

Large wasp nest high in an Ash Tree ill omen for winter...

Large wasp nest high in an Ash Tree ill omen for winter..., originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

The legend says that if the wasps build a large nest very high up in a tree then we are in for a bad winter with lots of snow. If that is true this is going to be a horrible winter. I think this was the largest wasp nest that I have ever seen and it was at the very top of a Mountain Ash Tree.

Hot Pepper Jelly

These recipes are quoted from allrecipes.com the free online cook book a great source for whatever you want to cook.

The cups and ounces version:

Hot Pepper Jelly
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.

Metric version:

Ingredients:
390 g finely chopped red bell
peppers
185 g finely chopped green bell
peppers
20 g finely chopped jalapeno
peppers
235 ml apple cider vinegar
50 g powdered pectin
1000 g 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.
Category:
Howto & Style
Tags:
hot pepper jelly chilli black pearl capsicum annum chili peppers Chili pepper red Fruit preserves eating
License:
Standard YouTube License

Hoop House Survives The First Hard Frost

A look at what happened in the gardens and inside the hoop house after the first hard frost of the autumn on October 7, 2011.

Canning Pumpkin Sweet Apples

My beautiful heirloom Pumpkin Sweet Apple Tree is loaded with fruit again this year. Following a recipe posted by Ivan & Magda when they canned Pears grown on their farm in Poland, with some adjustments for my tastes I canned some of the apples. Have a look at Ivan's and Magda's channel all of their videos are very interesting:

http://www.youtube.com/user/ivankinsman

Of course I also couldn't resist the chance to show off my little flock of chickens 19 weeks old now and getting very close to egg laying time.

Soon they will be on the ground.

Soon they will be on the ground., originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

First hard frost this morning but it warmed up nicely as the day went on and the forecast is for Indian Summer for the next week wonderful warm above seasonal temperatures and no risk of frost. Beautiful day for a walk today to enjoy some of the beautiful Autumn colours before it all disappears.

Fantastic Freaks From Farmington

Fantastic Freaks From Farmington, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Seen at Southern Head today. We have had a visit from the Fantastic Freaks of Farmington, who ever they are LOL.

Dehydrating Tomatoes

Lots of ripe tomatoes now in the hoop house I have already canned some and I'm eating as many of the fresh ones as I can but it isn't possible to keep up with them so I though I would try dehydrating some to use in sauces and soups this winter.

Making Sauerkraut

It's time to start the Sauerkraut. The whole process from beginning to end takes about two months but the only part that takes any effort is the few hours that you spend shredding, salting and packing the cabbage into the fermenting container. I use a picklemeister which makes the process much easier and there is a much less chance that anything will go wrong with your kraut.

If you liked the looks of the pickles at the start of this video then have a look at the video below which explains the process of making the best pickles you will every eat.

Time Lapse Heirloom Tomato Ripening

Time Lapse Heirloom Tomato Ripening, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Took this time lapse video of Buckbee's New Heirloom Tomato ripening in the hoop house over the past couple of weeks with my Plant Cam.

Un petit goût de l'Acadie

Un petit goût de l'Acadie, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

I'm leading the Pathfinders Sunday walk today and the walk leader usually brings a snack and juice to share for after the walk so I decided to make Un petit goût de l'Acadie - A little taste of Acadia. It is a traditional Acadian Flat Bread called Ployes, very popular with the Acadians of Northern New Brunswick and Maine . A very healthy item made with Buckwheat Flour no fat no eggs no milk and grilled on a hot cast iron griddle without any oil or fat. Very healthy that is until I made my desert version spread with your choice of Cassis, Raspberry Jam or Nutella.

Tigger Melon

Tigger Melon, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Tigger Melons eventually ripen to have yellow & orange* stripes, averaging about a pound in weight, and growing to about the size of a baseball.

The name "Tigger" is in honor of the cartoon character of the same name, who bears the orange coloration that the mature melons have.

They are a very fragrant melon with a white, seedy flesh, but bland in taste, somewhat similar to cucumbers. They are quite seedy as well, and can be rather bitter-tasting, given certain conditions. They're a fun melon to grow, and make a great decoration, but if you're looking for food produce, you might want to keep looking.

Growing info
90 days. Heirloom variety. Does well in dry conditions. Plant in the spring after the soil has warmed up, directly in the ground, in hills 12" apart with rows spaced 36". [External Reference]
Some say that they produce much more abundantly when grown on a trellis. Quoted from GardenWiki.org

The Mill Pond

The Mill Pond, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Yesterday was a cloudy but mild first full day of Autumn and a great day for a hike and some photography. I love the light and the reflections that occur on cloudy days, the very best for picture taking. I took a three hour hike and passed by Mill Cove at about the half way point and took these two HDR photos on the Mill Pond. If you don't know what an HDR photo is let me explain a bit about these two pictures of the Mill Pond. Each of these photos is actually three pictures of the same shot each taken at a different exposure and later spliced together using Photomarix software package. If you want to try this for yourself there is a free version of the software available for you to try just google Photomatix and download it, with the free software there will be a watermark on each of the photos that you process using the program.

End of the first month in the hoop house. Video # 200 !!

It's been am month since I transplanted tiny seedlings int the raised bed in the hoop house and I've been harvesting food from there for almost two weeks now. I'm starting a free seed exchange of open pollinate seed and will do a video soon to launch the website but if you would like to have a look at it while it is under construction this is the link:

http://freeopenpollinatedseed.blogspot.com

Nest Eggs

Nest Eggs, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Don't get all excited they're ceramic. They serve two purposes first they let the hens know that the nest boxes are a good place to put their eggs when the time comes and secondly they are very hard so when they peck at them they learn that eggs are hard nasty things and it hurts if you peck them, so when they lay their own they won't even think of pecking one, hopefully. If all goes well the first eggs should be arriving in the next 3 or 4 weeks.

Progress in the Hoop House

Progress in the Hoop House, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Same raised bed in the Hoop House. The lower photo was taken on August 22nd and the top photo was taken today September 16th. What a difference 25 days made.

Fishing can be very colourful

Fishing can be very colourful, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Still having fun with the new HDR software and my camera. It was a beautiful day for photography yesterday.

Mont Saint Michel

Mont Saint Michel, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Got my new MacBook Pro today and the first thing I did was buy the HDR program so I could finish the photos that I took last spring. Love the MacBook.