Pineapple Jam without Pectin

I have had this pineapple in the fridge for a long time and I have so much other fruit to eat; consequently, something had to be done with the pineapple.  Since I've been on a roll in the kitchen most of the summer, why not make pineapple jam?  I'll give it a try.  It's better than a juicy pineapple ending up on the compost pile.

I removed the green top by simply twisting it.  Sometimes it comes off very easy using this method but mostly I end up using a sharp knife.  I proceeded to cut the fruit lengthwise, making slits crosswise and finally cutting the chunks away from its skin.

Pineapple Jam

The chunks needed to be chopped into even smaller pieces.  I did not want the chunks to be too big in the finished jam.  One pineapple makes four (4) cups of juicy chunks.

I added two cups of sugar to the pineapple chunks and let it come to a boil, stirring often.  Some recipes call for a cup of water.  I did not add any water.  I let the fruit simmer for about 40 minutes, not forgetting to stir often to keep the fruit from sticking to the pot.

When the jam was ready, it thickened and turned to a darker color.  It had cooked "down."  It yielded a scant two cups of golden delicious pineapple jam.  Wow!  Was this yummy or what?  It was a sweet jam.

As usual, I sealed my one jar with hot wax for use later and the rest was eaten.  I now believe that I am through jamming, at least for a while.

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West Virginia Pear Jam without Pectin

I am still resisting going out into the garden to do some serious work after a long summer hiatus.  I did go out early yesterday morning to clear some sweet potato vine from the fringe of the woods.  My feet got wet; my garden gloves got soaking wet; and the sweat was running down my back.  The humidity was higher than the temperature.  Dark clouds were nearing and so was the thunder.  The sun was still shining but it was time to go inside.

Orr's Farm Market

We expanded our recent trip to include the 1,000 acre Orr's Farm Market in West Virginia, just a few miles north of Winchester VA and off I-81.

This is one huge farm providing fruits and vegetables for the local community since 1954. Tourists have also found their way to the Farm. This time peaches, plums, apples, and pears were ready for harvesting.

The farm is situated in the valley between the Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountains. It is fantastic to see such an abundance of fruit in one place.  The fruit and vegetables are picked for you but berries are available for your own picking.

Pear Jam

Today I removed the seeds from five (5) medium sized pears and finely chopped the pears to measure four (4) cups.  I preferred to leave the skin on the pears.

I combined the chopped pears with two (2) cups of sugar and let it come to a boil, stirring often.  Once the sugar was dissolved, I let it simmer for about 40 minutes. I kept on stirring often while simmering.

It is easy to double this recipe or even triple it. Adding some cinnamon pieces and a few whole cloves will give the jam an interesting taste.

Finally,I poured the hot jam into clean jars and sealed the them with hot wax.


There is no doubt that I have left a bit of myself in the mountains of Wild Wonderful West Virginia with its kind people, beautiful scenery, flora and fauna.

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Have a great weekend.

Back to the Garden and a Hawk

Today my husband took the newly repaired lawn mower and cut down the butter bean wines.  They were no longer producing.  I dug around the furrow with the shovel, pulling up the roots, and added mulch from the compost pile.  For the time being, the compost will keep the top soil from blowing away and if it rains, the compost will keep the dirt in place.

I was feeling a twinge  for neglecting the Back Forty and the Park; consequently, I decided to go out and remedy the neglect.  I pulled on my garden gloves and ventured out to where the cedar trees are being overtaking by a diverse fauna.

Red shouldered hawk

I bent down down on my knees and started to pull the weeds only to get up to follow the Virginia Creeper to see how far up the cedar tree it went.  Oh, my gosh!

I found myself staring, eye to eye, at a red shouldered hawk.  The hawk wasn't particularly big; it must have been the male.  I understand that the female is the larger of the two. Whoa!  Big Boy!  Let me go in and get the camera, forget about this weeding, and hawk you stay put.  Sure enough, he did.  This is the best picture.

What a wing spread!  The hawks mate for life and come back to the same location.  They feed on mice, snakes, frogs, and other small critters.  They provide such an ecological balance to the Back Forty so they are most welcome.  This hawk has visited the Back Forty many times in the last few weeks. Hopefully he will stay now that he knows this is a wildlife sanctuary.

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Remembering September 11th

The sky was clear blue and the sun was shining so brightly on this very day in 2001.  The air was crisp with a hint of autumn.  It was a perfect day.  I was day dreaming as I rode the shuttle by the Pentagon.

It wasn't a dream that the World Trade Center complex had been hit.  It was no dream that the Pentagon had been hit.  It was no dream that a plane went down in a field in Shanksville, PA.

Let us not forget.

Virginia is for Apple Lovers

My husband and I recently stayed in Winchester VA and we had a breathtaking view  of the setting sun over the hazy blue mountains.  We have earned many blisters walking the Appalachian Trail in Virginia.  Did I say that Virginia is for lovers?  Does that include hikers?  Yes, indeed.

Virginia has the mountains and the beaches.  Last weekend there was an exciting NASCAR Race but a bit controversial.  How about the college football game between Oregon State and University of Virginia?  It did not go well for the Cavaliers.

In Winchester, there was a quiet remembrance of one of Virginia's best known and best loved country singer--Patsy Cline.  She was born 8 Sept 1932 and died in a plane crash on 5 Mar 1963.  A bell tower has been erected in her memory at the Shenandoah Memorial Park in Winchester.  The bell plays hymns daily at 6.00 p.m, the hour of her death.

Virginia is also known for its apples and you can still pick your own.  I have made too much jam this season, but I still have room in the freezer for some apples.

To prepare a syrup for the apples, heat 4 cups of water with 2.5 cups of sugar.  When the sugar s dissolved, add 1/2 ascorbic acid powder and stir.  Remove from heat and let the syrup cool.

In the meantime, slice about 3 pounds of apples and remove the core.  I prefer the Gala apples and I do not remove the skin. The Gala apples are firm and have a nice color.

Finally, pack the apples with the syrup in plastic containers or in zip lock bags and put in the freezer where they could last until next season.

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Grandparents Day

Last year, our son invited us to celebrate Grandparents Day with kindergarteners, including our granddaughter, at their school.  I have never seen so many 5-year olds in one place and furthermore I have never seen so many grandparents coming from near and far to attend a thirty minute visit.

The children had only been in kindergarten for a few weeks and they came bursting in to the cafeteria in such an orderly manner, mind you, stretching their necks, eyes darting and scanning the room for their grandmothers and grandfathers.  I was also craning my neck to see my granddaughter in a sea of kids.

Margareta

The tables were decorated with place mats created by the gifted kids and I received a handmade card with a picture that so truly depicted the essence of me.  But such are the children:  directly to the point--their brains have not mastered censorship yet.  There is no telling what will happen on the upcoming Grandparents Day.

When my granddaughter was visiting last summer, we spent time in the garden harvesting carrots, beans, and onions.  She was most interested in making that excursion to the Back Forty to see what we could find.  She must have told her art teacher about her grandmother and the garden because the following text was glued onto the card albeit upside down.




Some \time ago, my granddaughter and I waited patiently in a line when I told her that we were also taking in the sunshine with the very important vitamin D that is so good for our health and well being.  Ever since, she has talked about sunshine and vitamin D and just to check, I wanted to know how she got that information.  "You," she said.  Some things stick with the kids while other things are best forgotten.

The teachers, aides, and volunteers had gone all out to make Grandparents Day a celebration.  They had decked out two, or was it three? long tables with fruits, cakes, cookies, crackers and cheese, along with other delicious finger foods.  There was plenty of coffee, tea, and juice to drink.  Flowers, plates and napkins were also so nicely color coordinated and displayed. It was a feast for the eyes and the palette.

Granddaddy, the tractor cat, and I are making plans for the upcoming trip to celebrate another Grandparents Day with the children at the Green Ridge and we are indeed looking forward to this very important event.

If you are a grandparent, I hope that you will spend some time with your grandchildren

You are such a necessary part to the children's growth and well being.

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Playful Armadillos

When my husband and I were sitting at the old picnic table working on the low boarder fence, we heard this heavy trampling in the woods.  We couldn't see anything or anybody but on further investigation, we saw a full gown nine-band armadillo digging around the thicket of bushes.

It reminded us about the three young armadillos that came to play in the water from the irrigation system.  They scurried around in the water and can you believe this:  they rolled, yes, rolled around and over on their backs in the water spray.  They were like little children frolicking in the backyard.

Playful Armadillo

I rushed in to get the camera and the long lens.  "Use the long lens!  Use the long lens!" I urged my husband.  Why?  I didn't want themarmadillos to come charging at him.  I didn't need to worry.  The armadillos continued to play and didn't pay us any attention.  They even ran between my husband's legs!  They finally disappeared into the woods on Back Forty and we have not seen them again.

Armadillos means "little armored one" in Spanish.  The little armored one is a tenacious digger looking for grubs and insects, ants and termites.  Although they leave holes in the lawn, they are welcome to forage in my yard.  I consider them as aerating the lawn.

Nine banded armadillo

The armadillo tend to jump straight up in the air when surprised and consequently often collide with the undercarriage or fenders of passing cars according to Wikipedia.  When the armadillos are frighten, they tend to roll up into a ball or hide out in their burrows along creeks and streams.

The following information is from Texas Park and Wildlife:  Breeding occurs in July; the embryo remains dormant until November; and four (I thought it was three) young ones are born in a burrow in March.  They are always the same sex and identical quadruplets (triplets) developed from the same egg.

We still see an occasional armadillo around the property.  One stays around the shed and thick brush by the scenic creek and one has made a burrow in an outside corner of the house.  It might be the same one that is roaming.

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