Canning makes me think of my mom

Life has been VERY busy lately.  Not only is school back in session, the garden is still producing volumes of food that needs to be set aside for winter consumption.  I have been canning peaches, pears, salsa, spaghetti sauce, syrups, pickles and applesauce. Also freezing various foods.  Add in meetings and general household / child related things and I feel like I never sit down! Don't forget the 3 children, one in school, one starting preschool and one ALMOST walking! Don't get me wrong, I get a great feeling of satisfaction seeing all the food I have ready for winter consumption. 

I have been thinking about my mom a lot lately. I know how to can and preserve food because she "made" me do the work with her (to a teenager it was making me do it, not always seeing the benefit).  I miss my mom right now. I want to call her and tell her all that I am doing. I know she would be proud. I wish that she was down here canning and doing child care right a long beside me. Then I think, is she was still alive she wouldn't be down here with me, she would be busy at her own house doing the same thing!   On days when I feel tired and don't really want to can another item, I think, I only have 1 box of peaches to can, my mom canned 6 (!) boxes of peaches. If she could do it, so can I!  I don't feel the need to be my mother, but it gives me strength for the days when I am exhausted to think about her and what she accomplished. 

I often think about the Proverbs 31 woman when I think of my mom. We used that set of verses at her funeral.  So industrious! I miss her, and wish I could tell her thank you for the wisdom and skills she taught me. At the time I NEVER thought I would want to use them. Now I am very grateful for the things she made me do. I look forward to heaven when I will be with her again and we can sit down and visit about all the things I am missing with her now. Come quickly Lord Jesus!

Almond Peach Smoothie

Generally the blender I have does a fine job for my smoothies. Today, I wish I had a Vita-mix.  This smoothie had a good taste, but the flecks of almond were a bit to chunky for me.  I don't believe I will be getting a Vita-mix anytime soon, so I would have to find a different way to puree my almonds.  Maybe in my handheld blender or the milling blade on my Baby Bullet....hmmm.

On a plus side, I just got my boxes of peaches and pear from our fruit order!!! Can't wait to use this fresh fruit in my smoothies.  Any suggestions out there for a good peach or pear smoothie?

Almond Peach Smoothie

1/2 C raw whole almonds

1/2 C almond milk

Heat up the almonds and almond milk (microwave or stove) to help soften the almonds.

In the blender add the almond / milk 

1 Banana

Blend on high to puree the almonds

1/2 fresh peach ( I left the skin on, more fiber. And since I already knew if was going to be chunky the skin wasn't going to make a difference.)

1 T ground flax seed

1 T wheat germ

1 T Hemp Seed

2 T raw quick oats

enough almond milk to make 4 cups

Strawberry Peach Kale Smoothie

Recently I made Kale chips for the first time. So simple and delicious. I wanted my oldest to try them and I told him they were Dino Chips.  Saying anything is dino related usually peaks his interest. He ate them and LIKED them and has asked for me to make more! I love when kids surprise me!
Today I added Kale to my smoothie.  Kale is a thicker leaf than spinach and took more blending. Even then, next time I will steam it really quick to help soften it first.  Kale also has a stronger flavor than spinach.

Strawberry Peach Kale Smoothie

1 banana

1 stem of kale, remove the leaf from the steam

7 whole strawberries, frozen thawed

1/2 large peach

enough almond milk to make 4 cups

Blend the banana and kale together until kale is fine puree. Add other ingredients and blend.

I didn't add all the grains today, but certainly you could.

Mostly Green, Blue Smoothie

Yesterday was another busy day. I converted two bags of apples into 35 pints of applesauce. The apples were so sweet that for 7 pints I only needed 1 cup of sugar.  Lots of work, but so worth the good food set up for winter!

Today's smoothie is a green smoothie.  A good way to get veggies into a diet.  Drinking smoothies has really made me look at food differently. Don't judge the taste of something solely on the look including the color. Today's smoothie is a funky greenish color, but it tastes delicious!

Mostly Green, Blue Smoothie

1 large handful of spinach

1 banana

1 ripe plum, pitted and skin off

1 cup blueberries

1 T wheat germ

1 T ground flax seed

1 T raw hemp seed

2 T raw quick oats

enough almond milk to make 4 cups

Blend and enjoy.

I have found for a mid line blender, I get the best blend of the greens if I blend the banana, with the greens, and a splash of milk.  If I add the spinach last I have ended up with chunks of spinach that I didn't like chewing. I should note that a high end blender purees everything and does yield a smoother textured smoothie. I don't mind my mid line blender or the texture I get.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa / Stawberry Basil Smoothie

Yesterday was a productive day.  I was up at 7, so not an extremely early start, but by 2:00 pm I had several things accomplished.  I started by making 8 pts of

Black Bean and Corn Salsa.

8 cups tomatoes, peeled, chopped and drained (I use canned diced tomatoes)
2 1/2 cups onions, chopped (I use sweet onions)
1 1/2 cups green peppers
1 cup jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 cubanelle pepper, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon Corriander
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 cup canning salt (if you don't have canning salt, you can use sea salt)
1/3 cup vinegar

4 T Sugar

17 oz  tomato paste
2 cup cooked black beans
2 cups frozen corn or canned or fresh

2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes

 

1. Slip skin of tomatoes

2. pulse in a food processor

3. De-seed and remove membranes all pepper and pulse / dice in a food processor

4. Dice onions in a food processor

5. Add all ingredients except corn, beans, chopped fresh tomatoes, and tomato puree. Simmer with the lid off for 1.5 hrs.

6. Add the corn, beans, fresh tomatoes, and tomato puree. Cook for 10 min, until corn is mostly cooked. Watch so tomato puree doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

7. Can in prepared hot jars and process via water bath or steam for 10 mins, 5 additional minutes for every 1000 ft above sea level.

After all that I picked 2 gallons of green beans and made 3 pts of pickled green beans.  I also gave a couple bags of green beans to the neighbors.

We enjoyed an afternoon as a family at the Pioneer Heritage Days.

After supper we went to a friends and picked 2 bags of apples.  I am processing them for applesauce today. Also picked a large bag of basil.

I made pesto to freeze last night. I also made basil mush to freeze and use to throw into a soup pot for flavor. 

Because I picked basil last night I thought I would try a unique smoothie

Strawberry Basil Smoothie

Found a recipe for that here.  I didn't add as much sugar. I also didn't make enough for my husband. He would not appreciate this one. It is pretty good, but not a regular smoothie.

Stone Fruit Smoothie

Stone fruit are in season! I love a good peach.  So I blended a couple together for this delicious smoothie. I have also come across a new addition to the smoothie. Hemp seed.  Hemp seed is nutty (think sunflower seed) in taste and a health benefit in many ways. Check it out here. There is also another smoothie recipe there.

Stone Fruit Smoothie

1 black plum (pitted, the skin came of easy on this one)

1 Prunacot (hybrid plum / apricot yum. Also pitted, left the skin on)

1/2 a large peach (pitted skin off)

1 banana

1Tground flax

1 T wheat germ

2 T raw quick oats

1 T raw hemp seed

Blend with enough almond milk to make 4 cups. This doesn't have a thick consistency to the smoothie, but still yummy!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Creamy, yummy and a great way to get a vegetable into a smoothie.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

2 cups pureed pumpkin (homemade from last years jack-o-lanterns, mine is runnier than the stuff you get in a can)

1/2 cup honey greek yogurt

1 banana

2 T oatmeal

1T ground flax

1 T Wheat Germ

dash of cinnamon and nutmeg

 Enough milk to make the 4 cup mark.

Add the main ingredients and blend.  Then add the milk and pulse a couple times.

I should note that any of my smoothies could be made with any type of milk.  Depending on what I bought that week, almond or soy, will depend on what I make my smoothie with. Cows milk would work just fine as well.