Canning

I am a huge fan of serendipity.  There's just something about it that I don't even know quite how to put into words.  Somehow it makes me feel comforted, driven; like maybe there really is real purpose to the things we do.  Even the little things.

Last year I was gifted a jar of green tomato relish that was purchased from a lady Up North at a garage sale.  It was one of the best things I've ever tasted.  Seriously.  I've wanted more ever since.  I even thought it would be fun to make.  Fast forward to this fall.  I attended a Fall Harvest Swap through our local homeschool group.  One of my friends made salsa and green tomato relish as her swap gift.  She even included the recipe.  I was so excited when I saw that it was green tomato relish!  This was my opportunity to get the recipe.  Never did I imagine that I would end up with her trade item as mine.  I found myself with a sample jar AND the recipe.  BONUS!

This past weekend, the hubby and I took the kids to a local, family owned orchard.  The best kind, right?  We enjoyed fresh donuts and cider, picked apples, and even took a hay ride.  The kids loved it, and it was a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  We even ran into the fellow homeschooling friends that recommended the orchard.  Plus, all of their apples were considered seconds this year, so I was able to get a bushel for $8.  Bonus, again!

It had been about five years or more since I last did any canning.  My last experience was when I learned that you must not ignore the advice of wearing gloves when processing jalapenos for salsa.  Yes, I still insist upon learning some things the hard way.  Anyway, I dug out all of my canning gear on Monday.  I never did find my canning rack, so I just made do without one.  The kids and I had a wonderful time making applesauce with the $8 bushel of apples, and green tomato relish with our abundant harvest of green tomatoes that we planted this year.  I planted late, so we just picked them the end of last week.  

It made for a long day Tuesday, but the kids loved the process.  They learned a lot about history, where our food comes from, and being self-sufficient.  We sampled the relish that night, and it is amazing.  This experience canning was important for me.  I planned our next school year around the growing season.  We are gong to put up as much food as possible as it comes into season.  By doing this small project, 49 jars total, I was able to see that I can do it.  Canning is hard work, and it is time consuming, but there is no greater reward than feeding your family good food that you worked to provide them.  I got 49 jars of food for $8 and about six hours of my time.  Not bad!  Granted, I did already have the canning supplies, so there was no investment financially there.  (Double bonus - They were all gifted to me!)

If you never have canned before, it really is worth the effort.  The key is to be prepared, have all your supplies set up, and the time set aside.  Make sure you have all of your ingredients before hand, and that you have read the entire recipe.  The relish I made requires part of the ingredients to sit 12 hours before you actually make the recipe.  So, I did it the night before, and just let it sit overnight until I was ready to actually do the canning.  I made the mistake of thinking I had all of the ingredients, and then finding out that I didn't.  Fortunately, it was easy enough to pause the recipe and have the hubby grab the ingredients on his way home.  It all worked out, but it did remind me the importance of checking ahead of time just to be certain.

I am so glad I grew up helping my grandma, aunt, and mom can food.  It still is nothing to talk to my 80 year old grandma and have her say, "I put up 60 quarts of pears yesterday."  Of course, she says it off hand like it was nothing.  Let me tell you it's something.  Real work goes into putting up our own food, but doing so is its own reward.  There is everything to be gained, and nothing to be lost.  Now is the perfect time to look online to see what is in season when in your area.  Sustainable Table has a nice Seasonal Food Guide.  You just select your state, and they provide you with a list of in season items as well as information about the food and even some recipes.

The next thing we plan to put up is pumpkin puree.  We will be freezing that.  The big item on my wishlist is a pressure canner.  I hope to have one before spring so that I can preserve low acid foods like carrots and green beans and such.  It is my goal to can as much as possible so that our food stores are not reliant on electricity to last.  However, in the meantime I will be freezing some things as we go along.  Fresh pumpkin is wonderful, and it is so versatile.  It's also affordable and easy to process.  Another bonus!

Cooking with Kids

I love to cook, and I love to cook with kids.  There is a small, in stature and number, audience watching me almost anytime I do anything in the kitchen, especially cook.  My oldest granddaughter was parked on the kitchen counter beside the stove just as soon as she could sit upright.  Everyone thought I was crazy, but she loved it.  She could stir a pot.  They understand so much more than we generally give them credit for, and she never did burn herself.

Harmony at 3 years in her rightful spot on the counter.

Now that she and her sister live with us, and we reentered the homeschooling circle, there is plenty of time spent in the kitchen together.  Recently she learned how to make her own egg over medium just like Papa likes it.  She is very proud!  Her younger sister is a constant presence and has no fear of anything cooking related.  I do have to watch her a little more closely, though.  She is much more bold and is the type of person that cannot just take your word for something, like a hot stove; she has to find out for herself.  So, I cannot say that she's never been burned, but she has survived just fine.

This is where you find Annabella when I'm cooking now.

I love the layout of the kitchen in our new home.  The open counter with the built-in oven allows for me to be on one side of the counter or stove with the kids on the other.  It's like our own little hands on cooking school.  It really works well for including them in all aspects of the process without interfering with my cooking space.

So much can be learned in the kitchen.  A lot happens in cooking.  Math is the most obvious, but there is science, art, history, and creativity as well as character building aspects like self-confidence and hospitality.  Then, there's the opportunity to learn good health, preparedness, and self-sufficiency.  Not to mention meal planning and learning what is and is not a good deal in the grocery store.

Over the next year we will be doing a lot of learning in the kitchen.  There's the whole wheat free adventure we're stepping out on, and we plan to add learning to exist without sugar in our cooking as well.  Then there's the gardening we will be doing which will hopefully produce enough produce for opportunities in drying, freezing, and canning.

Harmony in the kitchen today.

I'm great one on one in the kitchen.  My new goal is to learn how to work with three kids in the kitchen at once since that's my new audience participation number.  I lack experience in that department despite the fact that we are currently raising kids number 8, 9, and 10.  I managed to potty train two at once this time around, so one would think I could figure out how to cook with three at once.

Avery gets in the kitchen now and then as well.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

My heritage is a little more than Irish, however it is predominantly Irish and the only culture I was raised with. My great grandparents on my father's side came directly from Ireland. My grandfather was a judge, my uncle is a lawyer, and my dad was a cop. Can you get more Irish than that? Too funny!

It seems St. Patrick's Day has become quite a strong tradition within my immediate family. The holiday has become right along the line of Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas with my kids. They truly look forward to it as a time to gather and share a meal. It kind of surprised me.

Last year, I didn't really invite anyone over. I just planned my meal as to just include those of us still living in our family home and invited a couple over that we have grown close with over the years. I honestly thought that the kids would just celebrate on their own if they chose to. Well, I was wrong.

Our second oldest called and wanted to know if we were having dinner. Of course I was, so she came over with our oldest grandchild. Then, two other of the older kids called. They didn't end up coming over, but they were looking for the traditional meal as well.

Needless to say, I just planned the meal to include everyone this year, and it was a big hit. However, it is VERY time consuming and costly. I think we are going to have to rethink how we do it next year. I will have to teach these kids how to make some of the food so I am not tending to everything. It really is a lot of work.

I hope those of you that celebrate have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day. Our celebration was held on Sunday, so we are enjoying the leftovers for lunch today. If you never have studied it out, the history associated with St. Patrick's Day is very interesting and a worthwhile venture.

Connecting Asia to Europe

Istanbul is located at Europe and Asia, the only city in the world that straddles two continents. An international team of engineers began the Marmaray Tunnel Project in the spring of 2004. This is a 3 billion dollar rail system that ties in 47 miles of commuter line with existing networks.

The main part of the project is a 1.2 mile tunnel that is being forged under the Bosporus Strait. Engineers discovered the remains of a Roman built harbor dating back to the 4th Century A.D. in Yenikaupa two miles away from the tunnel site in 2005.

This project involves a team of 750 people and thousands of artifacts. The discovery of the Roman harbor remains was a thrill to archaeologists. However, it has derailed the engineers bringing the project to a halt.

There are several theories as to the reason for the burial of the ancient Roman harbor. One theory is that it is merely covered in 700 years of river silt. The theory receiving more attention is that the covering of the harbor was due to a catastrophic natural disaster. Supporting this theory is the belief that the 15 ships discovered are thought to have sunk at the same time. The cause is believed to have been a tsunami resulting from an earth quake under the sea.

The idea that this area was so dramatically effected by a tsunami, and that it is located so closely to a fault line, has caused the engineers to rethink safety precautions. It is considered unlikely that the submerged tunnel would be effected by a tsunami, however there is concern about the seaside stations. They are being placed 15 feet above sea level and equipped with attached flood gates that operate automatically. History continues to inform engineers on crucial decisions involving this project.

Please visit National Geographic Explorer to view a video on this topic. For a blast from the past watch the video for Istanbul (not Constantinople) by They Might Be Giants.