FarmerDenise's journal - full on harvest time = busy, busy, busy

[Blackbird]

Well I'm all better today, thank golly gosh! I was worried it might get worse and I'd end up sick and in bed. :/

do you have any recent photos of the goats to share with us Denise?

 

[FarmerDenise]

BB, I am glad you are feeling better. Those sinus headaches are miserable.
I have some pics of the goats I took about a month ago. I'll try and post them later.

Right now I just finished cleaning the kitchen in preparation for my kitchen projects for the day.

Just befor my NY trip I found some San Francisco sour dough starter at my favorite local chain. I bought two, thinking I would give one to mom and the other to a friend. Mom didn't want it, she said she just makes hers from scratch when she wants to bake, but she hasn't been baking much lately. So I brought it back with me. I am going to start that sour dough today. I actually came in here to get my glasses, so I could read the directions
I got a load of large canning jars in the dishwasher, so I can pressure can my minestrone soup. And I want to bake some bread today. We are out of bread and SO and I watched show the other day abuot How to make bread and it got both of us drooling. I figure I can whip up the bread dough, while watching the pressure gage on the pressure cooker.
Now I am off to get started......

 

[FarmerDenise]

So I got the sour dough started and packed in a bucket surrounded with a blanket to keep it warm.

Next in line was the canning of my huge pot of minestrone soup, that I spent all of yesterday preparing.

I got the jars in the dishwasher, the tops in a pot of boiling water the pressure canner ready and I lift the top of my soup pot and....

....that is an odd smell.....

...what is tha whie stuff on top?.....

I get a spoon and lift it off, it is slimy and stinky it had gone bad overnight. I even had it on simmer all night. the pot is too big to fit in the fridge. I guess the simmer was too low and my soup got moldy All that work down the drain. and no soup for dinner tonight. I am sooo bummed out

So then I thought, how to save the day. I thought, ok I got all the canning stuff ready, why not sauce up some tomatoes in the blender and can them as is. So I go out to pick tomatoes and it had started to rain again

I think I should just go back to bed, because so far my day sucks!

I am making myself some tea. I guess I'll start on the bread. At least that way we will have something nice for dinner. I just hope I have enough yeast

 

[TanksHill]

Carp!! That sucks. I am so sorry to hear you lost your soup. All that hard work. Sometimes life is just not fair.

I hope your bread turns out good!!

g

 

[Denim Deb]

What a shame. I have a bunch of stuff I picked b4 we got a freeze, and haven't had a chance to do a thing w/it. And, I know it's starting to go bad, too.

 

[murphysranch]

Aauugghhhh! That's horrible! I cannot fit my pots in my refrigerator, so I divide up what I've made into smaller bowls, then cock the lids and put them in the refrigerator, in multiple levels so that one spot is not too hot. I remove the mayo (commercially prepared mayo is shelf stable even when open), the mustard (also shelf stable), the butter, and anything else I can to make room for the various bowls. To keep product from spoiling, you must keep it at a min of 140 degrees or greater. I bet your range didn't keep it at that temp.

 

[FarmerDenise]

Our stove needs a major overhaul. It is a very unique stove and not easily replaced. Only two burners work in the first place. I usually put the tomato sauce on a different burner. this pot was so heavy, I wasn't up to moving it last night and didn't think that it would make a difference. Now I know better!!!

Oh well.

So I went to gather my ingredients for the bread. I looked for my yeast. I knew I had 1 more packet left, or I would have put it on the shopping list. Well I couldn't find my baggy that I keep all the baking packets in. I keep it on the top shelf next to the baking powder and it wasn't there!!! I looked around to see if it got knocked off the shelf. Nope, couldn't find my bag.

So I am standing at the counter, totally dejected, when SO walks in. "What's up! he asked sincerely. I go: "There is no yeast" He goes: "no-uhhh. Are you sure?" and walks into the pantry and starts looking around. He found a packet of yeast in with the packets of gravy and soup and stuff , then he found one of my other packets of tapioca for making tarts in another weird spot.
I was so happy. I think DSS got into the stuff for some obsurd reason (like maybe he needed a ziplock bag or he pulled out a box of mix and it fell down, and rather than putting it back where it was he just shoved it anywhere or whatever )

I have kept my baking packets in the same spot for more than 10 years! It is so frustrating when that kid messes with my stuff!!!

Anyhouw. I had SO help me decide what recipe to use. I am making a basic white bread and cinnamon rolls. I have whole wheat , but we decided for today to just go with the white flour. And we have both been dreaming about cinnamon rolls Our house is going to smell soooo good this evening.
We are going to have warm white bread with butter and homemade jam, and cinamon rolls for dinner. SO considered for a minute making pizza, but we both went: naaahhh. After that disappoinment with the soup, we both wanted to splurge on sweets tonight.
I promised to make more bread tomorrow. With healthier ingredients...

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

i've heard that soup disappointment is often cured with cinnamon rolls!

sorry about the sauce, ugh! after all that work!

well, onward and upward - right? hang in there baby, tomorrow will be here soon enough and you'll be having more of your fun rolls. yay!

 

[freemotion]

Sometimes you just have to have junk food. I'm eating chocolate right now in your honor.

 

[Denim Deb]

Sometimes you just have to have junk food. I'm eating chocolate right now in your honor.

Where's mine? I've had to cut way back on my chocolate consumption. It's just gotten too expensive.