I Canned Peaches

Don't they look pretty in the sun?

I canned a lug of peaches and got 18 pints.(I gave
 one away.) A lug is 22 lbs of fruit, in a box.

These peaches are from the north slope area in Colorado.   
Some weren't ripe so they will be eaten
and frozen for smoothies.

 Peaches before they got canned. The green bowl is water with lemon juice in it. I didn't have any Fruit Fresh and I've found lemon juice
works just as well as a substitute.

Here is my new pressure cooker. It worked well canning the peaches. I read and reread the directions before using it.

We're looking forward  to yummy fresh tasting peaches till this time next year.

Happy Canning Everyone!

If any of you are preserving food, send me a photo and I'll post it!

Hypertufa Drying Rack

  I needed a place to dry the tufa containers that was sturdy and out of the way. Once again I turned to my free wood and got busy making this rack. It didn't take long to make, just a couple hours. It's against the fence so it's out of the way and very sturdy.

I've made a few new pieces, a window box and several large bowls. I colored the cement brown but I think this got soaked off in part of the curing process. I've learned to soak new pieces for several days and then let them air dry for a couple weeks. Apparently not the stained pieces, I’ll have to hose them off daily.

This bowl was made with 2 different batches. You can see the stripe of the darker color at the top. I just pulled this one out of the water today. It'll be interesting to see what it looks like when it's dry.

I've been doing exciting projects. Made a gate, my first. It turned out ok I think. More on that after I hang it.
Bob, my husband, and I made a Solar Box Cooker.  We're now in the midst of working out the details. I redesigned it a bit today and will finish tomorrow, so more on that to come as well!

It' Time to Freeze Sweet Bell Peppers

  Sweet, Bell Peppers were on sale at our local King Soopers last week. I bought 8 of each color and froze most of them. I washed them up, sliced them and put them in Ziploc bags. One pepper of each color, (red yellow and orange) in each bag is just enough for a meal for us. 

We eat them in fajitas and I cut them up further for pasta sauce. I did cube one bag for other recipes. One of our favorite ways to use these peppers is to make shish kabobs. We add chicken, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, onion and pineapple pieces to these already colorful peppers. We feel healthy when we eat this!

  I used the new Ziploc bags that come with a little pump/vacuum. The pump fits over a circle on the bag and sucks the air out. They work great! The plastic seems to be stronger and more suitable for freezing. What I like most about them is that they keep the seal. Other bags I’ve used don’t hold the seal, letting unwanted air into the bag causing freezer burn and unpleasant tastes. These new bags state they are for one use only but I’ve reused them and they’re holding up fine. Still holding a seal.

   These new bags are more expensive than store brand freezer bags. I’ll be using some of them this fall. If they could offer 50 of them for a cheaper price I would use them exclusively. That’s how much I like them.

 

Strawberries from the freezer and still has a seal.

Broccoli from the freezer. Still holding it's seal.

I’ve taken a couple photos of other produce I’ve frozen in these new bags. Out of the freezer and they still have a good seal! Finally a good freezer bag!