FauxPas

I suspect Shelby does a lot of cleaning/prepping herself. She certainly knows how to butcher venison! She's not a girl who's afraid to dip her hands in some fish guts! Though I should probably let her speak for herself.

You don't grow Roma or plum tomatoes ever, Shelby? Not that there's anything wrong with that! I love your blossom of the day. And thank you so much for taking so many pics of the steps you follow for your various preps and canning. Love to see all the pics and really appreciate all the effort you are putting into this blog!!!

Get a good night's rest!

Ha, Okanagancook and rotuts, your posts made me smile! OC, your friend Bill does sound like a gravy lover! rotuts, you are welcome to join us next time I do gravy! It was a cooler day so I thought why not cook a whole chicken, because that will last us for several meals. Cooked it in the SteamBoy (Cuisinart steam oven). I used some pan scrapings/drippings and the carcass and some chicken stock and cooked it all for awhile and then strained and reheated. I might have added a tiny bit of flour but not much, and it was definitely a bit on the runny side. But delicious!

Haven't been taking many pics lately. Some meals were pretty simple, sometimes I just forgot or was in a hurry or lazy! We bought sushi at one of the grocery stores a couple of times. I roasted a chicken and we ate that for a few days. Made gravy with the carcass. And I finally got my Paderno spiralizer out of the box! It's been sitting in a cupboard for a few months, so it was about time. I'm not really sure how much use I will get out of it, to be honest. Though my husband really enjoyed these zoodles with a simple (fresh) tomato sauce. Usually he would decline any offer of zucchini, but he made a point of telling me that these were tasty. That was surprising!

Your dinner looked delicious. And your produce and your fields look lovely. I bet it would be easy to get lost in that corn! How warm is it there now? How early do you go out to do your picking? How do you store your pickling cukes until you are ready to pickle?

Love the peach samosa, though I might use a Prosecco or something. (Sorry, Ronnie) The peach jelly looks awesome. I don't think you have to be exact with things. If it thickens and tastes nice, it's a winner, right? What do you use for a jelly bag/tea towel holder? Looks like it's sturdy,whatever it is. Are you a Southpaw, Shelby? I noticed the way you hold the Thermapen in your left hand. I'm a southie and it drives me nuts that the Thermapen is so obviously designed for Northpaws, I was thinking of asking them if they make left-hander models! Also, I think you could use a cake cooling rack (or similar) in the bottom of the canning pot and use the big canning tongs to lower the smaller jars in, unless I am missing something, which I very well may be. Edited to add: Good job on the fishing! Happy to hear that the 'hoppers worked their magic. Chum, Chum, Chum.... I think I would like you. Big paws and clumsiness and all. Is he allowed in the house or would he eat your produce right off the counter?

Loved the grasshopper details! Very smart! But ... Bad Dog, Chum! You need to develop an appetite for weeds or even grasshoppers and leave those pickling cukes alone. Deryn, I don't know why that grill in the video looked bent - I don't think the one I gifted ever did that. I have not tried one myself (other than seeing one used at the cooking school) because I have an induction range. Shelby, what are your favourite uses for your canned peaches?

I like the way you roasted your chiles. It looks like it works well, but I thought I would mention ... ahem ... another cooking tool. Not that you probably need one. Santa Fe School of Cooking (a fun place to do courses, by the way!) has a cooking grill that they sell, designed for roasting veggies on stovetops. Not that you need it, but I bought one as a gift for friends with a gas grill and they really liked it. They call it the Santa Fe School of Cooking Grill. (surprise!) Here's a video and here's the online catalog - you might have to scroll down past the various pans to see it. I bet there are lots of alternatives, though - including some BBQ items. Your dinner looks delicious! Get lots of rest tonight!

Don't tell him that, though. He'll just get all swollen-headed and opinionated.

Mmmm. I think i can almost smell those chiles! Will be interesting to see how they get used, also. And I see there is a cherry tomato variety called 'Baby Boomer' - maybe you have some of those? They sound very tasty! http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/tomatoes/cherry/tomato-baby-boomer-hybrid-prod003439.html

Shelby, I was hoping that Newman the cat and maybe the other critters would make an appearance! Loved seeing Newman watching over those tomatoes on your counter. He's a very handsome cat. I was wondering if you have a favourite variety of cherry tomatoes? I adore your pantry storage. What do you do with all your pumpkins?

Stokes Seeds appears to carry them: http://www.stokeseeds.com/product.aspx?ProductID=39882&CategoryID=1&checkCookies=1

YAY!!!! A week in Kansas with Shelby! I'm so excited! So looking forward to the rest of the week!

Or cool the jars in an ice bath and then freeze the contents (I'd put the tomatoes in freezer bags, probably) if you don't want to re-process? But I'm probably not telling you anything that you didn't already know!

You can test the seals though and re-process the tomatoes with fresh lids if you have any concerns. http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/store/store_home_canned.html From National Center for Home Preservation:

Just curious, are you using a pressure canner or a regular water-bath canner? A jar broke on me some years ago, in a water bath canner. As I recall, I just started over with the unbroken jars. I was using a smaller canner because I think i was making chutney or something in 250 ml jars. I can't remember if I kept the other jars warm, but of course it would make sense to do so, if for no other reason than to reduce the shock when they go back in the hot water. I wouldn't keep on with the process, I don't think. I would want to start over, as you did. Good point about the seeds, I don't think they would work their way under the lid but can't say for sure. At the very least, I would mark those jars and try to use them first and inspect them carefully when opening them. How many jars did you have in the canner? Quart-sized?

I'd say that's a two glass (of wine) experience! I feel for ya, Shelby! I'm doing some searching for info, because I'm not sure about some details.

Thanks so much, caroled! We like it enough that I have probably made it about half a dozen times over the past few years. It's a fairly easy item to prepare and to make variations on it. My husband liked fresh ground pepper on top, also.

I like blueberry sauces with pork, but I think they would work great with duck also. I sauté some sliced onion in a pan, maybe add a bit of garlic. Add fresh blueberries and balsamic vinegar or port. I like it just like that, but nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon might work or a '5-spice' blend. Maybe some basil. Here are pics of this sauce with pork tenderloin over baby greens (mostly spinach, I think). I also added a few dried blueberries to this one after serving, as i just happened to have some around. I think I puréed this one with an immersion blender before plating.

Shelby, maybe he saw that recent tornado near you and it is an expression of tomato angst.

What are the greens?

Hahahaha! Good one, Kerry!

Got any interesting plans for that lovely cauliflower? And are you starting to work on cleaning out the fridge and pantry yet? Care to give us a list of 'leftovers' when you do and get suggestions? (Not that I am particularly good at that!!!)

I think skunks will eat almost anything. But I hear Québec frogs are especially fond of cuisses de grenouilles.