I would just like to point out that it's raining again...still...always. I have had enough. I'm taking my boy and heading north to Buffalo where, I'm told, the sun has been shining and the temp has been topping out in the low 80s. This may be the first time in recorded history that someone goes to Buffalo to catch some sun - is that enough of an indication how just terribly awful the situation has become? We'll stay with my parents and my son will be able to play in their sandbox, swing on their gym and splash in their little pool (my parents are now better outfitted for children than they were when my sisters and I were young - such are the ways of grandparents). He will have the summer that he has, so far, been denied. My mom has promised a group effort on a large batch of strawberry jam - hopefully she can show me how to do it right.
Back in a week.
Big changes are afoot here at Hot Water Bath, big changes which are interfering mightily with my ability to do much canning of any kind. Not to be too mysterious or anything, but nothing will be revealed for a bit - I'll wait just enough time for me to regain control of the situation and pull myself together, then I'll be a little more forthcoming. In the meantime, I'm still thinking about what I'll make when the fog clears.
The garden has been confirmed as a complete non-starter this year and as far as I can tell the newly planted raspberry canes have also been completely overwhelmed by the horrific wet weather. (Did I mention that the weather in Charlottesville - and other places, I've been assured - sucks?) We had a very nice, if rather hot, day yesterday and rather than do any of the yard work that's been piling up around here we decided to enjoy ourselves instead, since we don't know when the next nice Saturday will arrive. We had dinner with friends passing through from Chatanooga to the Jersey Shore, which was just lovely, and arrived home just before a thunder storm of truly inspiring proportions. The house fairly shook with each rumble. "I want to see the thunder, mommy," my son repeats over and over in every storm. We're having trouble with that one.
And, no, I didn't make it to the Farmer's Market, mostly due to issues relating to the "big changes" references above. Soon I'll get there, I swear. And then - look out! - I'll be a blur with a canning kettle.
The garden has been confirmed as a complete non-starter this year and as far as I can tell the newly planted raspberry canes have also been completely overwhelmed by the horrific wet weather. (Did I mention that the weather in Charlottesville - and other places, I've been assured - sucks?) We had a very nice, if rather hot, day yesterday and rather than do any of the yard work that's been piling up around here we decided to enjoy ourselves instead, since we don't know when the next nice Saturday will arrive. We had dinner with friends passing through from Chatanooga to the Jersey Shore, which was just lovely, and arrived home just before a thunder storm of truly inspiring proportions. The house fairly shook with each rumble. "I want to see the thunder, mommy," my son repeats over and over in every storm. We're having trouble with that one.
And, no, I didn't make it to the Farmer's Market, mostly due to issues relating to the "big changes" references above. Soon I'll get there, I swear. And then - look out! - I'll be a blur with a canning kettle.
I am desparately seeking a recipe for mango pickle. We went for out for Indian the other day and neither my husband nor I could get enough of this amazing stuff - we put it on everything, no doubt causing our hosts to cringe. It was salty and hot and very, very orange (not to mention delicious). So now I'm craving it and although I could go back to the restaurant any time I want, I'd like to have some at home, too. So I'm hoping there's a recipe out there and that it's something I can process and store at home. Plus, it seems like it would be economical since it appeared to use the skin of the mango, which is something that I normally throw away (well, compost) when I make mango jam. An all-around winner of a condiment, I think. If I can't find a recipe on the Internet, I might try to make one up - Charlottesville has a store called Foods of All Nations which, if I recall correctly, carries a number of Indian product lines. Maybe I can buy a jar of something that seems similar and use it in replication efforts. Then, I'll just have to look into the acidity issue to make sure it can be canned safety. I can probably go to the cooperative extension for this. (As an aside, I once bought a jar of lime pickle, which was also good. I'd use it to top salt bagels smeared with cream cheese - a very good, if hellaciously salty, sandwich. I recommend it to salt fanatics everywhere, but don't tell your cardiologist that I told you about it. I'd just deny that I had anything to do with the idea.)
Janet Chadwick's "The Busy Person's Guide to Preserving Food" is disappointing. Maybe I've become so used to the very glamorous canning books that I've been reading that something as so nuts and bolts basic as this leaves me cold. Or maybe it's just unimaginative. Hard to say for sure, but in any case I'll be returning it to the library post haste. One strange thing I noticed is the Chadwick's consistent pushing of lots of specialized equipment. Something called, I think, a squeeze-it for tomatoes and something else for cherries. What a drag. Other books I read offer recipe after delicious recipe that require little specialty equipment (after the kettle, rack, jar lifter, etc.- all basic canning stuff). I don't believe you can substitute stuff for passion and I'm becoming deeply suspicious of canning books that require me to run out and purchase some new fangled thing so I can produce something as pedestrian as tomato puree.
In other disappointments, I saw today that rabbits and deer have pretty much decimated the garden. So it looks like lots of farmer's market buying for me, especially if I want to pickle stuff again this year, which I do. I knew, of course, that this could happen. We've been sharing our space with both the rabbits and the deer since we moved in. I don't want to drive them off the property (they were here first) so it looks like the garden will have to be fenced if we're to try again next year. We didn't get to it this year, since we moved in just at the start of the season, so instead of harvesting this summer I'll spend my time improving the soil and getting ready for next year. Delayed gratification is always frustrating, but doubly so when it means more steps between me and my mason jars.
Not that I mind the farmer's market. Quite the opposite, in fact. The Charlottesville Farmer's Market is really great - lots of local produce, coffee roasters, crafts, and so on. There is, however, a fly in the ointment (isn't there always?). The Commonwealth of Virginia has adopted new regulations that basically make it impossible for farm-based producers of a variety of foodstuffs to stay in business. You know how one of the great joys of shopping at farms and markets is the availability of micro-produced baked goods, canned produce, sausages or cheeses? The new Virginia regulations put an end to all of these wonders. Essentially, the new regs make farm-based producers subject to the same processing laws as mega-conglomerates - this is illogical for several reasons (not the least of which is that Mega Co. needs more regulation because the nature of its business means that the animals and produce involved are more subject to sanitary and health concerns - anytime you have thousands of cattle in one place, it's going to be harder to keep track of their health than it is for a farmer with, say, a couple dozen who can stay on top of it herself). The cost for complying with the regs is estimated at $50,000.00 - how much goat cheese, olive bread, country butter or peach jam do you have to sell to make this worthwhile? It's just one more step in the commodification of our food supply - drive the small, artisanal producers out of business and then it's all General Mills, all the time. There is no evidence of a public health issue to drive these changes.
I plan on calling Governer Mark Warner to let him know how unhappy I am about all of this. Apparently, the Governer can suspend the effective date of the regulations until after the 2004 legislative session so that legislators may review the action. Will you join me? (Even if you don't live in Virginia, you might spend money here on vacation or a business trip and as a potential visitor, don't you have an interest in having the best, most interesting experience possible? And don't you want to eat great food while you're here? Then there's the possibility that your state might try a similar trick!) Governer Warner can be reached at: 804-786-2211. You can also fax him at: 804-371-6351 or write to: The Honorable Mark R. Warner, P.O. Box 1475, Richmond, Virginia 23218. Be sure to spread the word!
In other disappointments, I saw today that rabbits and deer have pretty much decimated the garden. So it looks like lots of farmer's market buying for me, especially if I want to pickle stuff again this year, which I do. I knew, of course, that this could happen. We've been sharing our space with both the rabbits and the deer since we moved in. I don't want to drive them off the property (they were here first) so it looks like the garden will have to be fenced if we're to try again next year. We didn't get to it this year, since we moved in just at the start of the season, so instead of harvesting this summer I'll spend my time improving the soil and getting ready for next year. Delayed gratification is always frustrating, but doubly so when it means more steps between me and my mason jars.
Not that I mind the farmer's market. Quite the opposite, in fact. The Charlottesville Farmer's Market is really great - lots of local produce, coffee roasters, crafts, and so on. There is, however, a fly in the ointment (isn't there always?). The Commonwealth of Virginia has adopted new regulations that basically make it impossible for farm-based producers of a variety of foodstuffs to stay in business. You know how one of the great joys of shopping at farms and markets is the availability of micro-produced baked goods, canned produce, sausages or cheeses? The new Virginia regulations put an end to all of these wonders. Essentially, the new regs make farm-based producers subject to the same processing laws as mega-conglomerates - this is illogical for several reasons (not the least of which is that Mega Co. needs more regulation because the nature of its business means that the animals and produce involved are more subject to sanitary and health concerns - anytime you have thousands of cattle in one place, it's going to be harder to keep track of their health than it is for a farmer with, say, a couple dozen who can stay on top of it herself). The cost for complying with the regs is estimated at $50,000.00 - how much goat cheese, olive bread, country butter or peach jam do you have to sell to make this worthwhile? It's just one more step in the commodification of our food supply - drive the small, artisanal producers out of business and then it's all General Mills, all the time. There is no evidence of a public health issue to drive these changes.
I plan on calling Governer Mark Warner to let him know how unhappy I am about all of this. Apparently, the Governer can suspend the effective date of the regulations until after the 2004 legislative session so that legislators may review the action. Will you join me? (Even if you don't live in Virginia, you might spend money here on vacation or a business trip and as a potential visitor, don't you have an interest in having the best, most interesting experience possible? And don't you want to eat great food while you're here? Then there's the possibility that your state might try a similar trick!) Governer Warner can be reached at: 804-786-2211. You can also fax him at: 804-371-6351 or write to: The Honorable Mark R. Warner, P.O. Box 1475, Richmond, Virginia 23218. Be sure to spread the word!
I just bid on a lot of ginger altoids on ebay. I only have three boxes (uh, I mean tins) left. I'm not feeling well and simply cannot face any portion of the future without knowing I've got more of these incredible things around. They are the greatest cure for upset stomach that I've ever encountered. Then again, we've already been over my ginger obsession, so maybe I'm not the best judge of these things. I don't know if this bid makes me interesting or pathetic, but I don't care 'cause I'm currently the high bidder (actually, I'm the only bidder - hope it stays that way).
Third, I've installed one of those "referring page" thingies so that I can see where my four readers per month come from. Seems like it might be interesting. Or, maybe it'll just be depressing.
Finally, I'm curious about how Blogger and its advertisers work out the advertising I see at the top of the page. One blog I read regularly has ads for the Peace Corp and other worthy organizations. Mine always had adds for the purchase of canning supplies. I find this interesting mostly because I can't figure out how this is done. When I registered, did someone from Blogger read my first few posts and say, "Aha! A canning blog! Quick - get the mason jar retailers on the phone - have we got an advertising opportunity for them!" Or, did some automated system read the words "hot water bath" and "mason jar" and figure out which among Blogger's existing clients would make good candidates for the advertising on this page. Curious, indeed.
Third, I've installed one of those "referring page" thingies so that I can see where my four readers per month come from. Seems like it might be interesting. Or, maybe it'll just be depressing.
Finally, I'm curious about how Blogger and its advertisers work out the advertising I see at the top of the page. One blog I read regularly has ads for the Peace Corp and other worthy organizations. Mine always had adds for the purchase of canning supplies. I find this interesting mostly because I can't figure out how this is done. When I registered, did someone from Blogger read my first few posts and say, "Aha! A canning blog! Quick - get the mason jar retailers on the phone - have we got an advertising opportunity for them!" Or, did some automated system read the words "hot water bath" and "mason jar" and figure out which among Blogger's existing clients would make good candidates for the advertising on this page. Curious, indeed.
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