Where we will be tomorrow at Deep Creek High School and Some Little Shamrocks for ya

Hello and a HUGE Happy Friday.....TGIF! I love Fridays and get so excited to see some of my customers tomorrow. You guys really make me sooo happy I have been hearing good things and them telling me they came here just for me......which is really AWESOME!! Last weekend at Hickory High it was wonderful to see so many of my customers and all the great people I met too. I even got invited to some upcoming events and looking forward to those shows.....HAPPY HAPPY Dance!!! 

So if you can they are calling for even more rain tomorrow. I know........its like a mud fest hear on the farm. Thank goodness I got my Muck boot!! Really don't know what I would do without them. 

If ya can stop by tomorrow to see me that would be super duper!!! 

This week was yet a crazy one....low temps in the 20's again at night which is really hard on my little greenhouse, I do have seeds coming up....YAY! 

We drove to Raleigh to pick up our ABC Producers  and Special Events License for the Mead. 

I made several items this week....more roll-ons which I know you want more and more types I did do one more....one with wintergreen and the sweet birch and birch tar....and some peppermint....this one is my relief on as you asked for... so you got it! 

We had another baby goat born this week another Oberhasli boy which Colten has named Dumbo. 

We extracted more honey. Which as I type Bruce is actually doing more right now.  Colby helped too. 

I made more of the salves that I have been out of. 

Plus made cheese Sunday and Tuesday......

Milk goats

clean and take care of the boys....as ALWAYS a BUSY LIFE!!! LOL! 

I also had a colonoscopy and an endoscopy which I had to start prep for on Monday night and the test was Thursday at 2pm soooo all I can say I was in need of food after that! 

Had to order more soap boxes too, which now they have went up again. I need more jars too for canning but they have all went up more than a dollar a case. Almost two dollars....

Geezz! Sigh! 

Filling the roller balls

Our Mead (of course you see my watercolor art) wink! 

Bruce giving Colby and explanation of how the honey is released from the extractor. 

The gray box on the table is the uncapping tank. 

We still have even more boxes to extract thankfully ur of our friends loaned us the large extractor which holds ten frames at a time, this extractor only holds four frames. 

The honey coming out of the extractor 

A video of some of my beekeeping pics

Next week we will be at the Daffodil Festival in Gloucester Virginia which is a huge event and we are excited to go. You can view their Facebook page on the Daffodil Festival for exact times, etc. 

We will be at the Smithfield Farmers Market on the 30th of March. I know my customers will be so excited to see us. 

I told you I would show you some Little Shamrocks 

(last year) 

Skylar two years ago

One of my favorites Skylar with Boomer last year, we lost him not long after this pic. He had Lyme disease. 

Skybear at Walmart last year in what she calls our twin coats. 

My little sweet granbaby. 

The art work on the Mead bottle from my watercolor journal

Every year I make Irish Soda Bread which the boys love 

And of course a corned beef 

Usually cabbage but this year I did more sauerkraut  

This is the Sauerkraut 

Well have a wonderful weekend and Have an EXCELLENT HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY 

Top 'O The Mornin' to ya! 

      Dawn Gallop

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Recipe for Making Strawberry Jam and Canning the Yummy Goodness

Hello everyone and welcome.  I will be teaching a class at Wine and Cake Hobbies tonight March 7, 2017 in Norfolk Virginia. I am making this post to help the students or anyone else along the way.

The finished pint jars for my families use only.

 

I have been canning since I was a girl with my grandma Grace who is now in her 90's.

Although I didn't quit know why or what I was doing then I just remember standing at the sink and stove with her, and her telling me over and over you will hear a "ping" when the jars start sealing. I also loved eating everything she canned. My favorite was pear preserves......oh my!!! I asked for that every time and Welch's Grape Juice when I was at her house. To start with the basics of jar preparations please see this post

Canning Tomatoes 

this will help to prepare your jars for canning. I use Ball canning jars most of the time as we buy a pallet full at a time. The Ball website is wonderful and has great recipes and instruction.

 

 

Here I am going through the strawberries to see if there are any that aren't in great shape such as a moldy one of really yucky one (you will know)

Wash them well moving them around to get all the strawberries and allow to drain

Too much water on strawberries and cause them to water downed tasting so try not to soak them, I have had ones that had so much sand and dirt on them I had to resort to that but do so briefly.

 

 

Let me also remind you to always wear some kind of covering on your head and an apron. I just love my Grateful Dead one my mom got me.....Thanks MOM!

 

 

Begin by capping the strawberries I use a tool I have had for many years and you can still find them on Ebay or other sites search from strawberry huller, strawberry capper, or even tomato huller.

Once capped you will need to use a bowl of a 13x9 dish to smash the strawberries with a potato smasher. You don't have to puree them just create juice and break them down some. I like mine "chunky"

 

 

You can see I don't completely pulp them

 

More smashing of the strawberries

 

Here you want to have 5 cups of mashed strawberries usually as reference its takes about 8 cups of whole strawberries to make the 5 cups of mashed berries. I always have so many that when its strawberry time I could can jam until I had 100's of jars so I always have more than enough.

 

Have your seven cups of sugar already measured out so once your strawberries are boiling you can have that ready to pour in the pot when its time.

 

Begin warming the strawberries on the stove top

add in your pectin (I use pectin in bulk) but whatever pectin you use read the instructions some pectin's are added at different times and have different directions, SO PLEASE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS of the PECTIN YOU are Using!!

 

 

Add three tablespoons of lemon juice

add your pectin I use one box of pectin

 

mix together the pectin and the lemon juice and begin to bring to a boil once you have a boil that cant be stirred down add your sugar

 

Add sugar in (*the seven cups already measured out) into the pot, bring to a full rolling boil that cant be stirred down and once you are there set your timer for one full minute. Then your jam is done.

 

Some don't want to use pectin and if that is the case you can carry your jam to a temp of 220 degrees Fahrenheit. This is only if you are not adding the pectin. Strawberries are very low in pectin and the older they get the less pectin there is.

 

These are the flats and rings in water that is approx. 180 degrees you don't need to boil them, just bring them to a temp of approx. 180 degrees and then keep them around that temp until ready to use.

 

Now you can skim off any white foam that has occurred while stirring I usually use a rubber spatula that is high temp safe and NSF. The canning funnel and the ladle can be purchased thru Ball

 or look at your local canning supply store.

You can begin now spooning in the jam with your ladle and your canning funnel. If you note the clear spatula in the jar that is to remove air bubbles, if you don't have one of these you can use a long knife such as a cake icing spreader that is narrow. I have that one for many years. Ball has a green one now to purchase.

Here I am wiping the rim of the jars with very hot water to insure there is no drippings and anything on the lid to keep the flats from sealing.

 

 

Place your flats and rings on the wiped jars and tighten as you would normally

 

Place the jars in the warmed waterbath canner and once all jars are in make sure the water comes 1" above the jar lids. Begin to increase the temperature and once it comes to a rolling boil begin timing for 10 minutes.

 

Once it boils I turn the stovetop down some and place the lid on the pot and vent a little to make sure the water is always boiling. Time for 10 minutes and once the timer is up time again for 5 minutes then remove the jars from the canner and place on a dry towel on the counter top. Allow them to cool on the counter until completely cooled. They will begin sealing some right away and others can take longer. If it does not seal you can use right way or try to water bath again. I usually have them all seal but every once in awhile there is always one that doesn't, we usually just eat that one. My boys don't mind. LOL!

Finished!!

 

Me making the jam.

 

Recipe

8 cups of whole strawberries

mashed to make 5 cups

1 box of pectin see above foe instructions

3 Tablespoons of lemon juice

7 cups of sugar

see above for directions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A year in review....working to make the market

Market to market is how we have spent pretty much our entire year. I work all week to have stuff for the market. During the summer I worked every Wednesday up until the week school started back. That had me baking on Monday and Tuesday for the Wednesday markets and Thursday and Friday for the Saturdays market. I love being outside but instead I was in the kitchen all summer.... which don't get me wrong I love love love to be baking and canning..... I have been cooking since I was seven on my own so 

It just comes naturally. I know you think seven seriously??? Yes I was a latchkey kid and my mother divorced when I was five so she worked all the time. She climbed the ladder to success back in a day when women were not so called bosses or "in charge" of an office. We're talking 1970-1977 ish time frame. I was seven in 1975. Going back to my story so cooking is definitely my thing but boy did I miss being outside all day in that 90 to 100 degree temperature. I would go collect the eggs or get Colten too. I would jams and jellies whenever I had fruits. I would get peaches by the bushels and spend half a day blanching and pealing them to can or for peach preserves. I loved every minute of it. I grew tons of veggies too and I was lucky enough to have Colten to help and boy did he help. I kept telling him he was learning life skills. Probably not what a 13 year old wants to hear.!! When I would plant he would help by digging the holes and or watering.

I grew gourds for fun. Which has always been bunches of fun!!

These are some of my raised beds, I had in early spring. I grew lots of veggies for the market. My veggies are organic no chemicals, no pesticides, just lots of love and care. This is what I call the kitchen garden.

I got a new tractor from John Deere last October for my 28th year wedding anniversary. Which was November eighth. Here I am getting my education to drive such an excellent piece of equipment. I now could go from raised beds to no limits farming.

Here is when we harvested the May peas. Dusty and Colten my two biggest helpers. I plant these every year in February usually Valentine's Day. Well I did this year too and not a good idea as in the past. With all the freezing low temperatures we had this winter they actually froze. At first when they were not coming up I thought okay did the chickens dig them up and eat them? No I dug them up to find they were froze and turned to nothing under the ground. Basically a gooshy mess. So I started over immediately.

I made homemade soap as much as I could as often as I could. I switched to 15lb molds that Bruce made to increase my pouring amounts. Which makes it more difficult to pour now.

Here you can see the 15 lb mold. I was trying to keep up with everything else and  pouring late at night mostly. I pour all the soap in my craft kitchen on the third floor of my house.

Bruce and I tended to the bees. Which I love!!

On a Sunday morning in my pjs tending to the bees and looking for the queen.

Hello!! Beautiful beautiful beautiful bees!

About every couple of days we picked tomatoes for the market and for me to can for the winter. We had a very successful and blessed season.

I canned more than a 100 quart jars for soups and sauces and salsas this winter. Oh yeah and of course tomato pudding which is my husbands favorite!

Here are my pattypan squash and tomatoes at the markets.

On a Friday morning getting ready for the
Market. Here Skylar helped me and Colten pick tomatoes. All tomatoes are organic no pesticides no chemicals just lots of love and care. I use marigolds to keep bugs out of the tomatoes.

I always have fresh eggs at the markets. On average we collect around 130 eggs a day. I use a lot in baking and just for us to eat. My chickens are on pasture free ranged fed a non-gmo feed (which cost way more than conventional feed) I try to stay away from gmos and want what I eat to also be non-gmos. My chicken are beautiful and roam everywhere. You are what you eat.....so its a good idea to feed your chickens the non-gmo feed.

Chickens everywhere!

We have raised all the chickens from tiny chicks.

Egg collecting.

Of course I have the t-shirt of girls on grass. Get yours HERE the money supports ethical farming

Fruit and fruit galore from figs to apples to peaches to grapes to strawberries. I have literally spent a year in fruits. However I have spent many years but on a small scale. I know for a fact we had over 600lbs of figs this year alone. Gosh I have no idea how many blackberries, blueberries. It's unbelievable!!!

Strawberry picking.

Of course I canned as much as a factory, okay well maybe not as much but it seriously felt like it.

Don't get me wrong I love to can but I honestly have canned so much and like everyday or close to everyday. Here are the figs in Fig preserves. Talk about YUM! 

#yumminessinajar 

It has been a very busy year but with lots of rewarding work!! That I have greatly enjoyed. I am so thankful so very very thankful for all who have believed in me and supported me. I am ever so thankful and appreciative of this! 

This has to be one of my biggest sellers my hot pepper jam. Which I have customs who buy 15 jars a month to put on all their goods. It's not just a yummy cream cheese spread but a yumminess for all foods. I usually make about 70 jars a month. Thank goodness I had an amazing year of peppers. I even sold vinegar bottles full of peppers.

Just a few of them. I seriously did a lot of these and my customers love them. I have ones who buy them and pull the peppers out to eat. Wow those are brave souls! 

When time would allow I would paint my hand painted canvas bags for the soaps. Which these are big sellers. It just makes a great gift!!! I enjoy painting them more than you can ever imagine!! I look forward to this and it makes me sooooo overjoyed when customers buy them.

Breads and more breads I will bake around sixty loaves of bread on a Friday along with the pies. Which my pecan pie recipe is HERE you will need to scroll to the bottom of the page to see the recipe. Thank you for supporting me on my baked goods and telling me the rave reviews on them it just makes me plain happy!

Let me tell you about the John Deere Gator I had the notion that I needed and to my surprise Bruce made it happen. I was hauling everything by hand from feed, to veggies, to straw and I said you know I really could use a gator well he got one. Let me tell I felt lazy at first but when your work is never done on the farm.... One could really use it! It has made duties so much easier from hauling the heavy coolers to and from the fridges. Yes I'm ashamed to say we have six full size refrigerators and six huge freezers. They are not in one place so putting things requires a lot of caring. This gator has been a back saver and a true help for all of us. I am truly thankful for it!!

Here is one of my famous pecan pies you can find the recipe HERE.

Of course when you are making as much jams and jellies as I do you need a lot of supplies and jars are the biggest need of them all! Bruce has made a lot of trips for me to relinquish supplies. Here is when we went to get a truck load of jars. There are 100 cases in the back of my FJ Cruiser.

I made beard oil this year too which is just amazing!!

Some more pics of the garden, this year.

More garden pics oh my makes me want to have fresh squash blossoms...yum!

This one was actually taken today. We love making Chinese stir frys and today we had that for dinner. Cooper helped me pick the Bok Choy we planted in early  September. Look out how beautiful they are. I love this pic of Cooper. It makes me so happy to get them involved and teach them how to grow and raise your own food. Once again I tell them "life skills".

Cooper and I picked the collards look how big and lovely they are. I have a country ham soaking now so the ham hock will be good in the collards. Not for me but I do how to make them for Bruce.

We picked huge amounts of blueberries of course we do every year, but wanted to show you. I also have other post of blueberries you can view HERE.

Cody boxing soap trust me this is not what any of the boys want to do. 

Boxing eggs. That is a huge job in its self. Colten, Bruce and I do this on a daily basis.

I made homemade vanilla this year. I started this back in January so it would be ready for this Christmas. I have only a few left now so if you want one you better get up with me ASAP.

Packing soap up for the market each week. Usually Cody does this but a lot of times I have got to the market and not have the soap I needed so now after he packs I go back and pack what I do need.

I hope you enjoyed a wee bit of a look into this past year of how and what I do to prepare for the market. Being on a farm your work is never done but it makes me happy to know what we are eating and feeding our animals and knowing what we sell is pure goodness! I thank everyone who has supported our farm and knowing that you are getting the BEST we can provide. Truly #Madewithlove!!! Thank you and I am thankful for YOU!

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Cyber Hugs,

Dawn Gallop 

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