Ratatouille

Ratatouille is a mixture of end of summer vegetables from the garden. I made a batch last week and it was so good I decided to make another large batch and can it up. It is great warmed up and served on pasta, brown rice or couscous. Sometimes I add sweet Italian sausage to it but I really like it as a meatless meal. Freshly shredded parmesan cheese really tops it off well. I purchase shredded parmesan cheese at Costco and keep it in the freezer. A handful mixed into the ratatouille so that it melts to me is a perfect dinner. Make some flakey biscuits and you will have a meal fit for the finest guests!

Ratatouille

1 medium onion chopped
2 medium bell peppers cubed
1 medium zucchini cubed
2 medium tomatoes cut into chunks
4 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. each basil, marjoram
½ tsp oregano
Dash of ground rosemary
1 cup red wine
½ cup tomato juice
2 tbs tomato paste
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
¼ cup olive oil
Freshly chopped parsley

Heat olive oil in large heavy cooking pot. Crush the garlic into the oil. Add bay leaf and onion, salt lightly. Sauté over medium heat until onion begins to turn transparent.

Add eggplant, wine and tomato juice. Stop and have a taste of the wine to be sure it is alright. Add herbs. Stir to mix well, then cover and simmer 10-15 minutes. Add salt and pepper, tomatoes and tomato paste. Mix well. Continue to stew until all vegetables are tender. Just before serving mix in parsley.

Now don’t be limited by this great recipe from The Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen. Add more of any vegetables and just add more liquid to be sure it all stews. Use what you have in the garden. Last batch I made was huge and I added a half a bottle of wine! Maybe that is why it was sooooooo good.

Today’s batch is huge. I used a variety of veggies and even added two cans of diced tomatoes to the garden tomatoes I picked. The result is a flavorful mixture of veggies, wine and herbs. I pressure canned it in quart jars for 75 minutes at 11 pounds pressure.

Fall Canning Supplies

Dropped by the local Safeway store on corner of Yelm Highway, Lacey,WA today and found they did not have any canning jars. What are they thinking? I located the Produce Manager and had a chat with him. In a very serious manner told me that canning season is over because the local strawberry, raspberry farm called Spooners is closed for the season! Yikes and this was the Produce Manager.

Time for some canning 101. We had a chat about canning tomatoes, salsa, pickles, beets, green beans, peaches and so forth. I told him it is late summer that now the produce is ready for canning. The local produce vendors are beginning to sell boxes of produce and home gardener's are harvesting their own produce. All canning supplies are needed this time of year and it is frustrating to go to the store and find the shelves empty and to be told they will not be restocked.

I told him when folks are canning they might go to the local store for things like garlic, peppers, herbs, onions, sugar, splenda, fruit juice, vinegar, extra lids, pectin of all kinds and other ingredients last minute if they happen to run out. I don't know how many times I have had to get one more quart of vinegar when canning large batches of pickled items. Even the best thought out planning can leave one item short. It would benefit the big grocery stores to carry jars at a reasonable price through till later in September.

So I am appealing to each of you to speak to your local store's manager and pass on the word. Supply and demand will prevail. I also you suggest you tell them what price you like to find them at so they can keep in line with the other vendors.

I will do a survey of the local stores today and post the results.

I find it best to stock up when jars are on sale in the off season. I have ordered online but the shipping is high and usually ended up not saved any real money. I have put in large orders for the community before but you have to be willing to upfront the money for the delivery, have a delivery place accessible to a forklift out of the elements and then be willing to deal with all the folks coming at odd times for pickup. My experience was that some don't show up and expect you to wait with their goods and sometimes payment was difficult. I choose not to take on this task again and leave it up to someone else.

There is a local Thurston County company that puts in an order once a year. You can locate them at http://transitiontechnologies.tripod.com/id24.html . They gather orders till they reach the $2500 minimum limit to order from Ball then place the order. They do not have jars usually on hand for purchase. Place an order for next year and tell them Abby sent you! I ordered a case of regular and wide mouth lids last year and won't need any lids for a very long time! Nice to know I won't run out and have to dash from store to store looking for them!!!!

Canners unite and get the local stores we frequent to provide us with the goods we need. They just need a few phone calls or chats with the Manager and they will hear the canning message. Leave me a comment and let me know what you find out or if you have other suggestions. I love to read comments!

Freezing Broccoli and Cauliflower

Today was the day to harvest the rest of the broccoli and cauliflower. We have had several meals already but I noticed the broccoli was trying to flower. Just so you know you can eat broccoli when it has flowered and remember the stalks can be cut thinly and used steamed or cooked in stir fry.

We went out to the garden in a soft rain and cut the broccoli and cauliflower from the heavy stalks. After washing well in the sink, the bounty was trimmed and inspected for bugs. The cauliflower did not grow into large heads this year but that is fine. It has a nice purple blush. The broccoli grew very well this year.

Most vegetables need to be heated by a process called blanching before they can be packaged for freezing. Blanching involves scalding the vegetables in boiling water for a few minutes to slow down the enzyme action and retard the spoiling process. This preserves the vegetable’s color, flavor texture and nutritive value. Always look up blanching times a cookbook or check http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/freeze/blanching.html


The stainless steel stockpot with colander was put on the stove to boil water. We processed the cauliflower first. It was blanched for three minutes in a rolling boil then put carefully into cold water to stop the cooking. Next it sat in the colander for a few minutes to drain excess water. Last it was put in two serving sizes into Foodsaver bags and sealed. The broccoli was blanched for four minutes.

The USDA sites states, “Freezing to 0 °F inactivates any microbes -- bacteria, yeasts and molds - - present in food. Once thawed, however, these microbes can again become active, multiplying under the right conditions to levels that can lead to foodborne illness. Since they will then grow at about the same rate as microorganisms on fresh food, you must handle thawed items as you would any perishable food.” So when cooking frozen food remember to cook it thoroughly.

All in all we have four double servings of cauliflower and eight double servings of broccoli for the winter from six plants of each vegetable. I also froze a few bags of blanched broccoli stems.

I am sure next year when I add to the garden I will plant even more and plan on leaving one plant to go to seed.

Purple Fingers

We picked two gallons of blackberries yesterday. I have to admit picking blackberries is one of my favorite things to do. They are juicy, abundant and so available all over the Pacific Northwest. Everywhere you look you can see the vines and canes trailing and weaving themselves into impenetrable thickets. Some think of them as invasive and troublesome but I look for them everywhere and am always happy to see them.

My neighbor who is an excellent from scratch cook brought us over a couple of pieces of blackberry apple pie last evening. It was a fitting dessert to end a fine day. Even Mister T my little dachshund had a few bites and was smiling.

For the next couple of weeks I will have purple fingers. The juice from the berries is difficult to get out of my cuticles but I don’t mind at all. I always have my picking supplies in the car and stop when I see an especially good batch on the rural roads where thickets and brambles grow. I do not pick on busy roads to avoid pesticides and heavy metals and will walk along the edge of a field to pick. My pruning shears are such a big help to cut my way into the hedge and cut back some of the canes and prickly leaves. The thorns are very sharp and it seems I always come away with some scratches and snags in my clothing. Why is it that the biggest juiciest berries always seem to be beyond reach?

My favorite blackberry dessert is my version of blackberry cobbler. I use a Pyrex deep baking dish. Four cups of berries are mixed with a third of a cup of brown sugar or Splendid (amount of sugar will depend on how sweet the berries are). Top off with a few dots of butter. Then in a separate bowl mix one cup of oatmeal, one tablespoon of flour, one quarter cup of brown sugar and melted butter into a crumbly topping. Spread the topping on top of the berries and bake uncovered for 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven. I like the taste of the oatmeal and will often have some for breakfast the next morning.

Canning Equipment Collection

I was filling out a form the other day that asked if I had any hobbies and realized that these days canning is my hobby. In the past I have gone through a gamut of hobbies including sewing, embroidery, braided rugs, quilting, painting, stenciling, bead making, birdhouses, crafts of all sorts, gardening, cake decorating and on and on. Once I have throughly experienced a hobby, I own it and move on to learn something new.

There have also been periods of time when I collected things like cow themed items, birdhouses, folk art, cook and craft books. During the time I collected cow things, I was living in a rented house in a rural area. My kitchen was completely decked out with cow towels, framed pictures, tiles, salt and pepper shakers, dishes and lots of other collectables. Of course I thought it was just beautiful. One night I woke up to the house shaking. I thought I was experiencing my first Pacific Northwest earthquake. I laid in bed (not necessarily the correct thing to do in an earthquake I now know) and waited for it to pass. Next thing I knew my housemate came running in yelling, "what is going on?". We ran out to the kitchen in the dark and looked into the night through the sliding glass door out to the porch. All we could see was a sea of black and white. The house kept moving. Outside was a herd of local Holstein cows that had broken through a fence and found my backyard garden for a midnight snack. My friend and I huddled in the kitchen watching the cows rubbing against the house and shaking it. They were huge. Seemed like we watched them for quite a while and then we heard whistling. The farmer must have received a phone call from a neighbor, had gotten up, dressed and was coming up the road on his tractor loaded with bales of hay. Those cows took their sweet time responding to the farmer and each one of them made sure to leave me a present while they ate my entire garden. One by one through the yard they ambled to the street and followed the tractor back to the farm happily chewing my vegetables.

Next morning my yard was a mess decorated with a truckload of free manure and a ruined garden. I marched into the house and took down all the cow items and packed them away. I have never bought another cow themed item since.

These days I am collecting more practical items. Everywhere I go I look for canning equipment. Now being the Frugal Fraulein I am not looking for new full priced items but bargain or free items. If you are not a yard sale addict you might not be appreciate the thrill of the hunt on Saturday mornings. Getting up early, equipped with a mugs of fresh coffee, Tim and I venture out on the quest through the unknown to find treasures. Sometimes I scan through websites or post free wanted ads and people actually call me to give canning items that are cluttering up their garages or items they inherited from Grandma that they don't know what to do with. Each item has a history and has logged hours of work lovingly preparing food for a family. Here are some of my finds and keep in mind I have just begun and never spend more than a couple of dollars on anything and free is my ultimate goal. I am finding have multiple items is making canning easier as well.

Lifters are the easiest to find. I now can't imagine canning without a couple of them standing by. Usually I find they cost ten cents at yard and estate sales.

Funnels come in glass, aluminum and plastic. The first canning funnels were made of glass and are collectors items. I am on the hunt to find one. I have seen them on EBay running around fifteen dollars. I will find one out there somewhere.

Some people are choosing not to use anything made of aluminium for health reasons and the same story goes for plastic. I have not become that fanatical and figure the few seconds the food passes through either the aluminum or plastic funnel is out weighed by the final product. I do not use any aluminum pans to cook with at all any more. I am looking for a stainless steel funnel and an antique glass funnel. Too bad Pyrex doesn't make glass ones.

Timers are really turning my eye these days. I love the older ones because they usually have large numbers and are easy to read. I like having one for each canning pot and not having to do math to figure out when to take out jars at the correct time. My friends are thinking of me when they yard sale and are picking them up and turning them over to my collection as well.

Dippers and straining spoons. There are so many designs out there. My favorite it the large one that was given to me by a very dear friend who is a chef for the stars. I use it when I dip fruit in boiling water to loosen the skins. One home I visited had a collection of restaurant equipment for sale. I scored industrial spoons and huge stainless steel bowls and a colander. Now I can not imagine canning without those bowls and colander. The usual kitchen colanders just don't hold the quantities that the industrial monsters can. When you are canning cases at a time big is beautiful.

Pressure canning weights are really hard to find. I suppose it is because they are small. Often I see old pressure cookers and canners but they are missing the weights. Without the correct weight they are useless unless you want to use the heavy duty pot for cooking or as a planter in the garden. Therefore I always pick them up when I see them.

Antique lids and rings are getting harder to find. Most are made from zinc and have porcelain on the inside. Warning. I would never use these to actually can with. I only use them in the kitchen for dry goods and I have used a couple to make canning jars lamps. There are fixtures out there that are easily available to make lamps that can hold collections of things, dried beans, Lego's or other small objects in keeping with a room theme.

Now certainly none of my collection is large and impressive enough to bring to the county fair. Have you seen the displays of collections usually in the Grange buildings? I have to admit I have wondered what possessed people to spend so much effort collecting Mickey Mouse or Star War memorbilia but now I am guilty of the same obsessiveness. Do you have a collection of canning items that you could tell us about. Please leave a comment and tell us about them. Oh and if you have a glass funnel you would be willing to spare, I know a really good home that would love to have it!!!!!

Time Bank Canning Class

This week I joined a Time Bank. What is a Time Bank you may ask? It is an opportunity for people within a community to share talent, skills and some times just an extra pair of hands in exchange for the same. The basic concept is we all have skills and value.

I offered to give a beginners canning class. I usually charge $50 per person for a six hour class in which I provide all the supplies. For the Time Bank I offered a two hour class, I would provide all the equipment and conduct the class at my home. The Time Bank members who participated gave me in exchange 2 hours of banked time and $5 to cover the costs of the produce and propane. I now have 14 hours of time in my account!

Six people attended. Some had canned a little and some had more experience. They all had hands on practice and put up 24 pints of peaches canned in fruit juice. I rattled on with canning information and instructions while we all pitched in and canned together. The class ended up with a shared bottle of wine and a toast to peaches. I believe it was a win win situation for all. My costs were covered, I met new people who have different skills to offer me or will help me with some projects and they took home the canned peaches and a head swimming with canning lore.

It was such a good time I believe we will offer another class on pressure canning, making pickles or canning one pot meals at some time in the future. Hopefully someone else in the Time Bank will offer other classes and we can learn from each other.

Have any of you heard of Time Banks in your areas? I am interested in your stories and experience.

Yakima Connection Fruit Stand Aug 24th

Just came back from my favorite produce stand, Yakima Connection on the corner of Carpenter Road and Mullen Road in Lacey. Garrett is beginning to get in lugs of fruit for canning. The produce comes in several times a week directly from farms in Yakima so it is fresh fresh fresh!

Bartlett Pears $12.98 for 20 lbs......thats .64/lb

Canning Tomatoes $12.98 for 26 lbs.....thats .50/lb

Peaches $18.95 for 20 lbs......thats .94/lb

Nectarines $18.95 for 20 lbs......thats .94/lb

Tuesday they are getting in a load of local sweet corn from Monroe, Washington. Garrett pulled back the husks of a piece and gave it to me to taste. It is sweet and could be eaten without cooking! Yummy. We have been eatting more corn than ever before this summer because it has been so good. I have not brought one ear home that was not delicious

Organic produce can be ordered. With a two day minimum notice, Garrett can have the organic produce waiting for you! Call him at 360-561-0523 or stop by and make an order.

I picked up 20 lbs of peaches and they are huge, ripe and ready for a canning class tonight! I might have to snag one before the students come.......shhhh don't tell.

Grow Up!

This year in the garden I built some tellises to maximize my limited growing space. It was an experiment. Previous years I have grown green beans up of course but I wanted to try something else.

The biggest success is the Hubbard squash. The squash seem to love climbing up the trellis and have been able to support themselves just fine. The Hubbard squash are really getting large and show no signs of breaking off. I have some old panty hose ready to make a sling if necessary to support the squash.

The cucumbers have also been happy and productive. I planted two plants from the nursery and then planted some seeds. The seeds came right up and with a little help began to climb the chicken wire. It has been easier to find the cukes and pick them.

The beans were attacked by deer and did not do so well this year. With all the veggies I have in the garden, Bambi seemed the think the beans were the most delectable. There were three kinds planted and all three varieties never had a chance to grow more than a foot high. The little dears would jump the fence early morning and have a breakfast of champions. Since I have not found a deterrent that works with deer other than building a 10 foot electric fence I have to live with them.

I tried building a trellis with one inch pvc pipe which I supported by fitting it onto rebar that was pounded into the ground. I then cut chicken wire and secured it to the pipe with plastic ties. Easy to build but I found it was not as sturdy as I had hoped. Maybe I needed longer rebar.

The other trellis was built using 1x2's and 1x4's to make a frame. I stapled the chicken wire to the wood and nailed the trellis to the sides of the garden box. These frames have worked for the cucumbers and I would repeat this method. I am not a great carpenter but I do get a kick out of trying to create something from scraps I find or come by.

So if you have not tried growing up before, give it a try next summer! You will have more produce grown in a smaller space.

Oh, one more tip. My friend Peggy saw the topsy turvy commercials on TV and wanted to try growing tomatoes upside down. She didn't want to buy the gadgets so she acquired some plastic tubs at a local grocery store, cut a two inch hole in the bottom with an electric knife, planted tomato plants by sticking the tip of the plant through the hole and pulled out till she reached the base of the plant where the leaves began, filled the pots with garden soil and compost and hung the containers. She hung the pots in full sun and watered from the top. Behold the tomatoes flourished growing upside down reaching for the ground! What a clever way to grow produce with limited space. This method would be great on apartment patios. She didn't grow up she growed down!!!!

Old Mother Hubbard

Old Mother Hubbard went to the garden today with Luke and Haylee to see what was ripe. We found the hubbard squash really getting big. They are now bigger than the kid's heads. The broccoli is ready to be picked, lots of zucchini, yellow squash, green peppers and tomatoes. Looking around we also found many green beans, beets, cucumbers and greens.

This week Tim cooked his favorite dinner - corned beef and cabbage! He used one of our cabbages and it was delicious. I can see what my weekend will be all about - figuring out what to can, freeze and dehydrate and cooking up some fresh veggies.

One thing I like to make this time of year is zucchini quiche. I cut it into lunch portions and freeze them. They are great to take to work for lunch and warm up in the microwave.

Canning Tips

My friend Peggy invited me to an LDS women's night where they were going to demonstrate canning dried beans. I was thrilled to be included and very happy of the graciousness of the group to allow someone to join them. The hostess, Judith, did a great job and it is clear she has lots of canning experience and lives what she teaches. She also dries many plants and herbs and makes tinctures for her family.

Here are some of Judith's tips:

1. After canning jars have been cleaned and steralized, place them open end down to reduce the amount of dust that can get in the jars. It seems Washington has the highest amount of botulism in the ground in the country. Always wash produce carefully.

2. When using a new box of canning jars she throws away the lids if they are stuck on the jars. Boxes are stored in hot warehouses and the lids can soften enough to secure to the jars. These lids when pulled off might not seal when canning. It is not safe to reuse lids.

3. Save plastic mayonaise jar lids. They screw on canning jars and are good for storing leftovers.

4. Do not use aluminum Victoria Strainers when processing tomatoes. Aluminum will change tomato flavor. The plastic ones are fine.

5. A good trick to prevent lemon seeds from getting into the bowl while squeezing out juice is to put lemon half inside a clean twoel and squeeze. Seeds are trapped in the towel. Judith saw this trick used by a waiter while on vacation in France.

6. To reduce gas when eatting beans chew fennel seeds before dinner. More natural than Beano and much less costly!

7. Swishing your mouth with a tea infusion made from White Oak will improve peridontal disease and make those 4 and 5 gum space scores go to 2 and 3's. Will save money on dental bills too...cha ching cha ching.

8. This is a bean masher from Mexico. I had never seen one and certainly would like to have one

9. Do you know why garbanzo beans are sometimes called chick peas? If you do please leave a momment. I will give you the answer later! Let's see how many people know the answer to this question. (I admit I did not know and had wondered what the difference was between garbanzo beans and chick peas)

Heat Canning Heat

We have hit the mother load of heating solutions for canning! Finally a heater that boils water in the canner in 8 minutes and reduces the amount of fuel used. Tim says it's the cat's meow!

I enjoy canning outside on the patio. My kitchen is a small galley kitchen. I have perpetual hot flashes so canning outside is a great solution. We have a nine foot wodden table that was once a two tiered table used by a store for display. Tim cut it in two and the higher table is moved to the patio in canning season. It is the perfect height so that my back is comfortable and long enough to hold loads of cooling racks. The lower table lives in my garden and I use it for a planting table.

Last season we saw a new turkey fryer at a yard sale in the box and bought it for $25. There was a wrought iron stand, huge pot, lid, thermometer and regulator. Then we found just a stand with regulator for $10. Do you know the feeling when you can't get the money out of your pocket fast enough with a straight face at a yard sale? That is how I felt.

We have tried two and three burner wrought iron propane stoves but the breeze seemed to blow out the flame too easily. Tim made a wind shield out of metal flashing but still they were not suffient. I found the three burner stove was the best when I put a canner on each end and let them share the middle burner. The two burner stove was just not sized right to hold two large canners. Then we tried a a stainless steel two burner stove that also used propane. This variety did not create enough heat to keep the pressure canner at a consistant temperature and maintain pressure. Pretty stove but didn't work for canning. The last two stoves were a coleman camping stove which proved ok for one hot water canner but not good for the pressure cooker and a fancy alcohol stove made for marine use. The marine stove had to have added alcohol poured into it for long canning sessions and I was uncomfortable with that process.

So the turkey fryer has won the contest to date. I love being outside and having the steam and heat escape away from the house. The prep work is done inside on the kitchen table and any necessary cooking is done on the stove. I can now have two to four canning pots going at once to maximize my time and productivity. If I have a huge batch to do I get out the three burner stove and get two more canners going. When I do low acid foods I use two to three pressure canners.

These cookers are made to be sturdy and withstand the weight of a full size turkey and pot of oil. Both the hot water canner and the pressure canner fits perfectly. The only downside is there can be some black soot from the propane on the bottom of the pots if the heat is on high. The soot comes off easily with soap and water but this is an added step when time to put away the canners.

If you have found a great heating source for canning please leave a comment. Thanks! What did you can this week?

Up to My Neck In Nectarines

I have been incredibly busy with nectarines and spending 12 hour shifts with a lovely lady on her final journey in this lifetime. While it is an honor to serve her, I have been pressed by my own thoughts and limitations. It has been time to put my needs aside and put someone else's first. Each day is a challenge and I am grateful for every moment.

Now to the nectarines. I told you I bought six cases of the little jewels. My home smells like nectarines, my clothes are covered with nectarines and my kitchen is sticky with nectarine juice. It is all wonderful. I wonder if anyone has developed a nectarine perfume. I know it smells heavenly. With Tim's help we canned 14 quarts and 38 pints of the sweet smelling fruit and experimented with many variations of nectarine jam.

I used sugar, sugar and Splenda mixed, Splenda and no sugar at all. All set up just fine and are delicious. One batch even has blueberries mixed in and that batch is my favorite. Now I have jam for my friends with diets and diabetes and just plain discerning taste buds.

I have to admit I lost some of the fruit to mold. It was crushing to see it in the bottom of the boxes but the dear sweet lady needed my attention more than the canning pot. Sometimes a decision has to be made and I am sure my choice was the right one. One day in the future I will open a jar of nectarine jam and see her loving face.

Blue Blue Blue ...Berries

Picked 10 pounds of big plump blueberries this weekend with our 12 year old guest from Massachusetts, Nikki. She was a huge help and had fun to boot. I think she ate almost as many as she had in her bucket but that is part of the fun. The weather was perfect as it was an overcast day with a bit of a breeze. It was lots cooler than last week when the temperature was in the upper 90’s and sunny at the blueberry farm. I prefer a cooler day for sure.

Today I made up 11 ½ pints of blueberry jam. I used the recipe from the Blue Ball Canning Book. I did have a mishap with the pan I choose and had to transfer the boiling mixture to a larger pot to finish cooking. I thought the pan was large enough but when the berries began to burst and let out their juice the volume expanded and wanted to boil over onto the stove. Lesson learned to make sure your cooking pan is deep enough. I have a small size stock pot and that worked out just fine.

There are still many berries left that I will freeze in two cup batches just right for pancakes or muffins. To freeze blueberries I first wash them in the colander. I then spread them out on cookie sheets and sort through for bits of stem, leaves, wizened berries and bugs. I don’t like bugs in my muffins. Next I pop them in the freezer for a few hours and when they are frozen like little blue rocks I measure them out and store them in freezer Ziploc bags that are labeled with the date and amount in the bag.

This has been a great year for blueberries in the Pacific Northwest.

Some blueberry information you might find interesting. Reader beware subjects might be sensitive. Berries, despite their diminutive size, can be powerful sources of phytochemicals. One such phytochemical is a compound called ellagic acid which is believed to help prevent cellular changes that can lead to cancer. They also contain flavonoids, tannins, phenolic acid and lignans which may help keep you cancer free through a variety of mechanisms, including their antioxidant power. Blueberries produce phenolic compounds which can limit colon cancer cells ability to multiply and also tripper these renegade cells to die. Blueberries have vitamin C and are high in fiber.

Did you ever wonder why high fiber foods are supposedly good for us. Well it seems the insoluble fiber which is incredibly absorbent draws rivers of water into the intestine, which makes stools heavier. Heavy stools travel through the intestine faster, which means that you’re less likely to become constipated. Now you really did want to know that didn’t you? Think I will go make a blueberry smoothie.

Yakima Connection Fruit Stand

Yakima Connection is on the corner of Mullen Road and Carpenter Road in Lacey, Washington. Garret, the proprietor, brings farm fresh produce from across the Cascade Mountains in Yakima to our neighborhood at great prices. The corn has been fabulous this year and we have been enjoying it almost every evening.

This week they had boxes of nectarines for $8.99. Boxes are about 26 pounds so the nectarines were .36 a pound! I bought up 5 cases to can and make jam then called some good local networkers to get the word out. I also called a friend from the LDS church who is my canning buddy.

Tim came home and tasted the nectarines and said he is going back to buy more cases! Guess I know what I will be doing this week.

If you are in the area, I highly recommend stopping by and trying out their produce. Garrett will take orders for canning of regional produce. He is going to be my supplier this year rather than driving to the Farmer's Market. His prices are lower and I will save on gas and time. Sounds like a win-win for the Frugal Fraulein.

Saturday's Canning Class

Space is still available in Saturday August 15th Beginning Canning Class featuring hot water bath canning! See details in August 3rd blog entry or call 360-705-9818

August Canning Classes

Time to begin the canning classes and get ready to can the fall harvest.

Learn to do the Can Can and take a Beginning Canning Class. Learn the hot water bath method of canning and learn to can high acid foods like fruit, tomatoes, relish, pickles, jams, jellies and preserves from The Frugal Fraulein. Hands on class. All equipment supplied. Students will take home jars of canned items. We will can at least two items.

Paid pre-registration required, no refunds. Bring bag lunch, beverages (lemonade provided), apron and a sense of humor. Saturday August 15th 9-3 Call 360-705-9818 for details

Advanced Canning Class covers pressure canning. Learn to can low acid foods like vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, one pot meals. All equipment supplied Students will take home jars of canned items. We will can at least two items.

Paid pre-registration required, no refunds. Bring bag lunch, beverages (lemonade provided), apron and a sense of humor. Saturday August 22nd 9-3 Call 360-705-9818 for details

Ultimate Private Canning Class. One on one canning instruction in your kitchen using your equipment to can your product or meat items. Consultation prior to class to review necessary equipment and discuss plans for the day. Frugal Fraulein (No that is not me in the picture!) will spend 8 hours with you learning both hot water bath and pressure canning and passing on tips and canning wisdom. Have the whole family there and learn to can as a family team. $195/day

Frugal Tips

I collect canning rings. When I see them at yard sales I pick them up. Friends bring me bags of them. It is all good in my book. I used to keep them in a white 5 gallon bucket but found it was time consuming when I had to find just small or large rings. I now keep them separated on rope. I hang them in the garage when not in use and off the pantry door knob when I am canning. Hanging helps dry them out after washing and reduces rust. Hanging is a good thing.

White buckets are the food storers friend. I have used all sorts of buckets from expensive food grade buckets, hardware store colored buckets to used buckets from dubious origin. I used to pick up a 100 buckets at a time from a man who dealt with a large bakery. I would take them home and clean them with bleach and water and share with friends. Cost was low but labor time was high. I also found the seals were often compromised if they had been pried open. I now only use new food grade buckets and screw top lids. Prying lids off with a lid lifter is for the birds. I have tried every lid lifter made and some handmade for me and have not found one that is truly friendly. I have a fair grip but calling for help every time I needed to open a bucket did not work for me. I have to admit more than once I went and bought a new bag of rice rather than fight the lid. That is not what a prepared person should be doing!

When I buy food in bulk I store it in buckets in the garage and keep #10 jars in the pantry for every day use. The jars come from restaurants and a local hospital kitchen. It is great not to have to run to the store every time the jar is empty. I keep a scoop or jar in the bucket to make transfer easy. I purchase my bulk food at a restaurant supply store or occasionally Costco and save lots of money and most importantly I rarely run out of anything.

A word of caution. Just because you store food in buckets it does not mean it is safe from bugs or critters. Bugs can come in the food and already be infested. When I buy food for long term storage I use oxygen absorbers. I have tried packing with nitrogen, dry ice and/or bay leaves and I like oxygen absorbers the best.

This year my garage hosted another family of residents. Rats! Not mice but real rats. I was mortified when I saw the "doodles". We pulled out all the things stored in the garage (I will not admit to you what I had out there or you would have to be killed) and found two nests. We were able to kill a few of them on the spot and a couple got a way. They had come in from the crawl space and gnawed a hole through the wall behind the freezer. I live on the edge of a green belt near a lake and recently work began on a development. We think they got displaced from their home and moved to the neighborhood.

What surprised me is that they ate through buckets and plastic tubs. Rats have to gnaw to wear down their teeth as they grow. So they were not necessarily looking for food but just to gnaw. I had three tubs with camping gear and cooking pots and they chewed through those tubs. The tubs were the closest to their nests. What an eye opener!

I purchased two electronic gadgets that emit a frequency vermin do not tolerate, snap traps, sticky traps and poison. I do not like poison due because I am afraid Mister T will get to it. We covered the hole with metal flashing and finally Mister T did some recognisance periodically to frighten them off. Mister T did finally catch one and I was so proud of him. So hopefully I have won the battle and they know they are no longer welcome.

We have not seen any evidence of their return but will now be vigilant in keeping an eye out for them and making sure no easily accessible food is available.

Heat Wave is Over!

Thank goodness the heat wave is over! One day the news reported it was 115 in my town and my mother's thermometer read 120! We found spraying ourselves with water and sitting in front of the fan was the best idea. Had to do the same with the dachshunds and we kept giving them water and ice cubes to lick. An eye opening experience for us here in the Pacific Northwest. Most homes do not have air conditioners and I bet there was a run on them this week.



This morning it is cool and overcast. Good day to finish processing the giant zucchinis that grew in the heat wave. The small zucchini in the picture are not mutants but a ball zucchini I am trying this summer. I think I like the regular ones better that is probably because I am not used to this variation. I keep looking at them thinking they are acorn squash!


Yesterday I baked six loaves of quick bread and froze them. Today baked 14 jars of zucchini quick bread and will be making zucchini hot dog relish. Might not be pretty but sure does taste good. I also want to go and pick more blueberries this weekend. We will see what I get accomplished since I have a few days of housework to catch up on and want to enjoy the cool weather.


I was reading my new friend Serina's blog entry on aprons last night in cannin and jammin. I had to laugh because I had an apron experience yesterday. Towards the end of the day my mother dropped by and tooted the horn for me to come outside. She said she had gone to the store and the red peppers I had asked for were $1.50 a piece and she would not buy them (good for her - I am rubbing off on her). She said she would take me to the farm stand down the street. There is a new stand called Yakima Produce on the corner of Mullen and Carpenter Road in Lacey. I jumped into her car without thinking. The farm stand had huge peppers at 6/$1 which was perfect for relish. When I went up to the counter the very friendly woman said," You must really want those peppers". I was stumped why she would say that and then looked down. I still had my well used baking apron on! I told her I had been baking zucchini bread all day and that I canned and taught canning lessons. Before I knew it I was asked to give them a poster and business cards and they would spread the word!


I also spoke to her about the end of the day produce that they throw away. Being as frugal as I am I am not too proud to sort through a box of produce that might have a blemish or wrinkle cut them out and use them. They are now going to call me when they get a box and since they are so close it will be easy to run over and pick it up. Win win they have less trash to attract critters and I have a surprise box full of wonderful produce to be creative with. The Frugal Fraulein at it again.

By the way, this stand gets produce fresh daily from the other side of the Cascade Mountains. The owners are very friendly and helpful and have promised to carry case lots when the produce is less expensive for canners. This is a great service and a convienient place to shop with lots of parking. If you buy a big load of produce they even help you to the car with it. Now that is service! Stop by if you are in the Lacey/Olympia area and say hello. Tell them the Frugal Fraulein sent you!