The Color Purple

Over this past week my daughters & I canned up 54 quarts of Concord grape juice out in the backyard over two separate canning secessions.

We used the old time recipe of 1 part sugar to 2 parts grapes, fill with boiling water, then Water Bath.

This is the math along with a lesson learned in shopping farmer's markets.

The first peck I bought cost me $12 from Farmer High & Mighty. Total yield was around 29 qt. (one broke due to operator error).

Had I walked down the full length of the market I would have discovered that Farmer John was selling a peck for $8.

Normally all the vendor's prices are the same be it peppers or peaches. I had worked the night before so that is the lame excuse I'm gonna go with, " Don't shop when your tired & defenseless against natures bounty ". Needless to say when I needed grapes a few days later I visited Farmer John's stand. Lesson learned.

So the second grape purchase ran around $12 for a half bushel. He gave me a buck off since DH was talking apples to him, as in we are in need 5 bushels of mixed cull apples nothing windfall for cider making.

So all totaled Concord grapes ran me $24 for one peck & half a bushel.

Sugar was .99 for a 5 lbs. store brand bought last year during mega mart's holiday baking sales. Used 2 bags of sugar altogether. Total $2.00.

Lids bought for $1 per dozen used 54 so $4.40 ish.

Total was $30.40 for 54 quarts (makes a qt. & 1/2 juice) so .56 cents per quart which really is a qt. & a half when diluted with water.

Have no clue what nearly 65 gallons of Concord Grape juice runs retail.

Factor in the luxury of having it on hand in the pantry.

Since jars are all paid for & my fuel was free (firewood) those weren't factored into the math.

So aren't those quarts a pretty shape of purple?

~~ Pelenaka ~~

File this under," Life in a museum - homesteading skills/green living/ability to tell future children a when I was young tale"
Not every teenager can say his Mom is soo whacked that she makes him use a scrub board & hand cranked clothes wringer to wash his socks. Lucky Son lucky. In my day I had to lug dirty laundry up hill both ways to a Laundromat.
This actually started as a way to prove a point. Something about generating too much laundry and if we didn't have an automatic clothes washer. Ended up as a skills lesson in the vain of " if you didn't have modern conveniences".

** No child was hurt in the making of this PSA **

Utilizing child labor opportunties a.k.a. the making of the sauce

Hauled outta bed early on a Saturday to a local upick farm, then made to live like a migrant worker for a few hours, all topped off an endless afternoon of prepping & cranking ...

many hands make light work.

Wait til apple picking (foraging/bartering) season is on.

Ah prego prego prego no ragu ragu ragu.

Try Ball, Kerr, Golden Harvest, American Harvest, Benadin, and Perfect Mason to name a few.

Thank you Becca, & Sam,for the effort you both put forth that day!

Free is good

This is a volunteer tomato plant that just sprung up in the back of the celery bed perhaps from restaurant compost findings. Don't remember planting anything that resembles or tastes like this tom. Last year there was zukes here or cukes, or no wait it was actually celeriac bought under the impression it was celery.

I really should appoint a child as my garden book keeper.

Seed saving as it is a pretty tasty and very hardy variety. Doubt it's an heirloom.

Directly in front of the fence is my 2 or 3 y.o. rhubarb plants. Scattered amongst the veggies are marigolds and nasturtiums for bug control.

The Right Tool for the Right Job

This is my non-electric multi use table saw.

With a variety of attachments this one man operation can saw, sand, sharpen, polish, grind, and paint a wide assortment of projects that fill any woman's honey-do list.

Regular general care includes but not limited to back rubs, foot rubs, sweet nothings, and good meals served with a kiss.

Thank you my husband, you are my blessing.

~~ pelenaka ~~

Off to the side @ a tag sale

behind more than a few piles of books and boxes was an old cider press. The press screw frozen in place, wooden portions badly rotted but for the most part complete.

If the price was right might @ the very least might make a cute garden ornament. Besides I have faith in my can do man.

So long story short I piled it into my purse sized car last fall.

After about a week of daily fiddling with it the screw began turning. He's good, very very good.

Now almost a year later it's no garden decoration !

The frame is laminated fir, painted with krylon oil based enamel. Strong yet less weight than the original design. The metal portions scrubbed, sanded, and painted with H2O also by krylon.

Basket & both trays are oak, hand rubbed with food grade oil. The bands on the basket are aluminum with stainless steel fasteners. Unable to reuse the original bands too far gone.

The pressing plate is made from food grade cutting board.

Basket holds 1/2 bushel of chopped fruit. Simply line the basket with a loose weave cotton cloth boiled for 10 minutes then place coarsely chopped apples in. Sit a pitcher underneath the tray for a just reward of fresh apple cider.

1st $300 takes it in time for apple picking season here in Western New York.