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August 23, 2012

First Pickling Day of the Year

It took all day, but we got lots done!
First, we tackled the beets! Picked,
cooked, peeled, cut and packed away...
11 pints (OK, 7 pints & 1 quart) of
beets were pickled! Yes, you are
seeing yellow beets!
 
Pete found some seeds for yellow beets and
had to try them this season! They have the
same flavor... not sure what the benefits are
if there are any. Maybe, it's that they
won't stain everything they touch!
 
 
 Then we moved on to the cucumbers!
 
 
 Using a favorite old family recipe,
we put frech grape leaves & fresh picked
dill into the jars before the cucs go in...
(washed & cut up of course!)
 
 
I ALWAYS invert the jars after adding the
hot brine to the jars. I think it helps with the
sealing process.... maybe it does, maybe
it doesn't, but it is what my mom always
did, therefore I do it too!
Tradition, ya know!
 

 
18 quarts all ready for the fall!!
I'm hoping there will be LOTS more
before the season is over!
 
FROM here, we picked corn... and
when I say 'we' I honestly mean, Pete!
He picked & shucked the corn....
I had the pots all ready for blanching
and another one all set up for the
ICE COLD water afterwards!
 
We cut the kernels of corn off the
now cold ears and freeze them in
the vacuum Ziploc bags!!
 
47 ears produced 32 cups
of bagged corn!
 
(I guess I was too tired to take
any pictures of the corn process!)

3 comments:

Kathi Linz said...

You should be tired after all that. I scooped up the day's end cucumbers at the farmers' market last Friday and put up 6 1/2 quarts. With what I still had from last year, that should cover me until another season.

Kathi Linz said...

I checked wikipedia for the coloring of beets. It looks like all the colors are good for you.

Red or purple coloring
The color of red/purple beetroot is due to a variety of betalain pigments. The composition of different betalain pigments can vary, giving breeds of beetroot which are yellow or other colors in addition to the familiar deep red. Some of the betalains in beets are betanin, isobetanin, probetanin, and neobetanin (the red to violet ones are known collectively as betacyanin). Other pigments contained in beet are indicaxanthin and vulgaxanthins (yellow to orange pigments known as betaxanthins). Indicaxanthin has been shown as a powerful protective antioxidant for thalassemia, as well as prevents the breakdown of alpha-tocopherol (Vitamin E).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beet#Red_or_purple_coloring

Melanie said...

Oh Wow Kathi... THANKS!! :) I thought they had to be good for us, but never knew 'how good'!!

Glad you got to do some canning too!! I keep telling Pete the garden can shrink a little... but it just keeps getting bigger! :) More winter squash and trying potatoes this year in addition to all the other veggies!