Last year I stopped using all GMO products. That included beet sugar. Most of the sugar that is bought at the store is made from GMO sugar beets. Cane sugar is different from beet sugar and I have had to learn how to use it successfully. It is sweeter and cooks up a bit differently.
Jam is pretty easy, you put the fruit in the pan, you put about double the amount of sugar in with it and you cook it down until it is thickens up when cooled. You know that frothy air bubbles that come to the top of jam? I have learned how to deal with this. I use my handy dandy food blender and I blend it into the jam. It breaks the air bubbles down so your jam is clear. A neat trick I learned a few years back and I wanted to share it with you.
I also made my usual batch of focaccia bread. I make these with herbs and I am told they are good. I finally got smart and bought a $5 used bread machine so I can make “no knead breads”. I learned about these on the internet…What a stupid statement, of course the machine kneads the breads so they aren’t really “No Knead”…and you still have to get them out of the pan and make a floury mess in order to shape them before putting them in the oven.
I really look forward to selling my produce. While I don’t particularly mind making jams and bread (that we don’t eat) I much prefer selling produce…the work is different and more satisfying to me.
After spending most of the day in the kitchen, I went outside to water my seedlings. I am beginning to feel a bit more hopeful as I see the seedlings coming up and the thistles turning brown! The weather has been too cool again so I am feeling not too far behind toward the close of this week.
Hubby is out hunting bunnies of all sizes this evening. Usually we let the small ones grow up a bit before harvesting them but he is going to be heading south soon and by the time he gets back we will have too many almost grown ones by then eating down everything!
And speaking of hunting! We are going to declare a greater war upon the Starlings. Not only do they make a mess in places they are not wanted, they are cruel and nasty birds. They will rob the nest of other birds and kill their babies. It is not a pleasant sight or sound to listen to watch these nasty birds carry baby birds off and drop them in the field just to kill them! And it is almost like once they get started on their killing sprees they won’t stop until they rob all the robin and sparrow nests. {Update: One down and several more to go...}
On the bird front, we have hummers and gold finches again this year. We think the gold finches might have found their feeder. Mid-kid said we had two or three pairs of finches last year. My kids learned their birding skills from a dear older couple back when they were much much younger. I am thankful that this couple included my children in their lives and imparted their wisdom to them. Mid-kid in particular has continued to be a birder, not of the avid sort but of the day to day kind.
Well, I hear that its supper time and the great hunter just came in looking for it.