Watermelon Pickles

This was a recipe that I have been wanting to try but was hesitant about. After all watermelon and pickles are two words that do generally go together. However, after trying it out I so wish I had done it much sooner.

This recipe was actually super easy. After removing the meat from the melon an the green outside, you simply cut the rind up in cubes and soak in salt water over night. Then you rinse and drain and cover with water and cook until tender. Remove from pot and set aside. Place 2 tbls of pickling spice in a spice bag, 7 c sugar, 2 cups vinegar, and slice 1 lemon thinly all into the pot. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 min. Then put rind into pickling solution and simmer until it is translucent. Then place in hot jars and process in boiling water canner for 10 min. It tastes awesome!!! and reminds me of baked apples. I will be making much more of this to be sure!

Winter On the Farm

Winter has arrived on Smith Farms. 

 

Recently we have started a greenhouse project.  This will be a useful addition to the farm. In years past we have contracted out the starting of young plants but with the completion of our own greenhouse we will be able to handle this on our own. 

The snow is beautiful but puts a halt on any outside work. We are thankful that we aren't getting as much snow as some have this winter.






Our Labrador, Maggie. Doesn't mind the snow and the cold.  It gives her the perfect place to play.  On the other hand, Bob takes the opportunity for R&R with Oscar.

Pickles

This has been an year for experimenting with pickle making for me. I've never attempted to make pickles before so I've been doing a lot of trial and error and trying out various recipes. The first pickles that I made are garlic pickles. Although they are pretty and turned out well, they certainly are sour. But, on the up side, there will be no vampires at this house cause they are powerful.

I've also tried pickling foods other than cucumbers. Here are the green tomatoes that I just pickled. The directions say to wait 4 to 6 weeks after processing before eating so the jury is still out as to how good they are. I have recently tried a recipe that at first glance looked to be rather complicated. However, after trying it I found that it not only made the best pickles I have ever eaten but it was also relatively easy to do. I found this recipe in the Ball Blue Book of Canning and I shall pass it on to you. I shall be honest, I didn't follow it down to the minute. I have to work so the pickles had to work around my schedule. Also, I didn't weigh and measure my cukes, I just used what I had and it all worked out.

 

 

 

Ingredients:
5 pounds of 3 to 4 inch cucumbers cut into 1 inch slices
1 1/2 C Ball Salt
4 Q plus 3 C water, divided
2 Q plus 1 C Vinegar, divided
4 to 5 C sugar, divided
2 TBLS Ball Mixed Pickling Spice

Directions:
Put cucumber slices in a clean pickling container. Dissolve salt in 4 Q water. Pour over cucumber slices. Weight cucumbers under brine. (I used a dinner plate for this) Cover container and let stand 36 hours in a cool place. (Mine ended up soaking 48 hours because I couldn't leave work in the middle of the day for pickles) Drain; rinse and drain thoroughly and discard brine. Pour 1 Q vinegar over cucumbers and add enough water to cover. Simmer 10 minutes. Drain, discarding liquid. Combine 2 C sugar, 5 C vinegar, and 3 C water in large pot. Tie spice in spice bg and add to vinegar mixture. Simmer 10 min. Pour over cucumbers and let stand for 24 hours. Drain, reserving liquid, add remaining 2 to 3 C sugar to pickling liquid according to taste (I used 2.5 C) bring to a boil and then pour over cucumbers. Cover and let stand for 24 hours. Remove spice bag and cucumbers. Discard bag. Bring pickling liquid to a boil. Pack pickles into hot jars, leaving 1/2 in headspace. Ladle hot liquid over pickles, leaving 1/2 in headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust 2 piece caps. Process 15 min in a boiling water canner.


Do you have a good recipe or any pickling hints to pass on? Feel free to leave them in the comments.

Peas and Cantaloupes

Finding time to post this time of year has been difficult. We are right in the middle of harvest time for our peas and cantaloupes. We have about 20 rows of purple hull peas that we have been picking and shelling, thank goodness for the automatic pea sheller. To date we have shelled 20 gallons of peas and aren't done yet. These we are selling for $4/lb and a gallon bag weighs 5 lbs. If you are looking for purple hull peas, shelled or unshelled, give us a call.

Our melons this year have done wonderfully. The cantaloupes we have produced are nearly as big as basketballs and taste great. Currently we are pulling anywhere from 200 to over 500 per day and are selling out nearly as fast as we can pick them. If you are in the market for cantaloupes give us a call.

Ratatouille

With all the fresh veggies coming out of the garden I've been trying to find new recipes. I had been wanting to try ratatouille since I saw the cartoon mouse make it years ago but being unfamiliar with eggplant I was a bit hesitant. After trying it I now can't believe I waited so long and decided to share this wonderful recipe.






Ingredients:


1 med-large eggplant


2-3 med size zucchini


2 bell peppers (any color)


1/3 c olive oil


2 can crushed tomatoes w Italian seasoning
salt to taste




Directions:


Dice eggplant and zucchini into one inch pieces.  Dice bell pepper into small pieces.


In large pan sauté eggplant a few min then add zucchini and  bell pepper. Cook til nearly done and then add tomatoes and salt.


Simmer til veggies are cook through. 




This recipe couldn't be simpler and is a wonderful side dish or as a meal on its own as it is so hearty. 

Harvesting

I really should have gotten a post up before now, but things have been so busy here on the farm. But since its pouring down rain and I'm out of spices for the batch of pickles I should be making, I thought I would catch up here a bit.

 

For the last few weeks we have been harvesting cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, and zucchini. This picture is just a very small sample showing the variety of our produce. I've been spending a lot of time preserving these foods for us to eat this coming fall and winter. The squash I have been freezing and have produced about 20 quarts of frozen squash so far. This still leaves us a lot to eat fresh.

Our cucumbers have been producing well and what's better to come from them than home made pickles.

 

 

Other things have been going on around the farm as well. Local farmers have been cutting wheat and with that comes the baling of straw.
In one weekend Bob baled and picked up over 200 bales of straw.

This will be used when the time comes to cut and ship watermelons

We will start cutting watermelons and cantaloupes later this week. Just in time for the 4th of July celebrations.


















The sweet corn is coming along well, but with this comes other issues. Look who we caught stealing our corn.



Our cat was not happy with this visitor. Not to worry, no raccoons were harmed in the making of this blog. He was released in a safe area.

Before long we will be picking corn and purple hull peas and with that will come more work and preserving. But all in all very much worth it. The fresh food from our garden will taste very good in the coming months as well as the savings on our grocery bill.

Update

Its been a tough spring here in Southeast Missouri. We have had an unusual amount of rain and this cause many problem. All this rain has made it not only difficult to get around the farm but its hard on the plants as well. However, the plants have persevered and are starting to produce.

The tomatoes are growing well and are loaded with green tomatoes and lots of blooms. Fried green tomatoes are on the menu tonight and I certainly look forward to that first ripe one.

 
 

Our squash has really taken off and is producing some really tastey veggies. The squash its producing appears to be a bit on the small side most likely because of so much rain and cooler nighttime temps. However, the flavor can't be beat and the small squash fries up well.

I can hardly wait to taste our first watermelons of the year. Our plants are starting to produce, we've found melons about the size of softballs as well as plants covered with smaller melons. We have a variety of types planted here at Smith Farms including sugar babies and yellow meats.
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The corn stalks are growing, and while most are taller than I am they still should be a bit taller. However, they are still doing well despite the smaller size (I can relate to this as I have a small stature) and are starting to show signs of tasseling. Won't be long now til we have ripe sweet corn.

All in all, despite the over abundance of rain, the crops are persevering and doing well. I will soon be posting pics of ripe melons, cantaloupes, and tomatoes as well as other veggies.