Love Ya, Peach.....

Anyone who knows Cupcake will appreciate the title, but we also canned peaches this weekend. We found peaches on sale for less than a dollar a pound at the local Wade's store, so we bought two baskets full, all white peaches. At least they were supposed to be, we found a half dozen or so yellow peaches in the bunch, but we didn't complain.

Pop's garden is kicking this year.

 It is by far the prettiest garden around, which is a good thing, because our garden got stunted early in the season, and has yet to produce anything but collards, peas, onions and strawberries/rhubarb. With the call of Ball and Kerr in the air, we were getting the itch to start canning. Pop shared some of his beans and squash with us, so can we did. First off, squash relish. We take fresh squash, and grate it, then we took a few onions from our garden and grated them into the squash.

After the grating, we sprinkle canning salt on the mixture and let set overnight in the fridge to draw out moisture. Then we whip up a syrup made with sugar, vinegar and pickling spice. After it gets happy on the stove, we fill our jars and water bath for fifteen minutes.

We put up six half pints, two jelly jars and a decorative jar with the first batch of squash. We did another batch on Sunday, five more pints.
Cupcake is still getting herbs from her herb garden on the back deck, we dont believe we will have to purchase basil or oregano ever again.

Big Man went "old school" on meat this weekend. He has been working on smoking every kind of dead animal he can get his hands on, but before the smoker came along, he was a master of the grill, and he worked his magic on a couple of ribeye steaks.

It was so good, he got a new shirt to wear when he's doing his thing with dead animals.

Big Man is confused about why he can only wear it at the house.......
We went all out Sunday morning. After our family breakfast we cleaned up the kitchen and got to canning. We canned green beans in the pressure cooker, another batch of squash relish, and 16 quarts of peaches. We are a well oiled machine when we get things to can.

We also found a neat gadget this past week. An electric fly swatter. If you didn't know, chickens attract flies. Well, the hen house does anyway. This swatter does not mash the fly against the wall/table/shoe, or whatever you catch the thing landing on like old school swatters. This one you swing near the fly, and when it takes off you catch it in mid air, with a hearty ZAP that brings a smile to anyone's face.

Big Man is convinced it is also a good tool for keeping rogue wives in line, and for some reason, that makes Cupcake laugh out loud?
We ended out week with chicken wing Sunday.
K&K