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Tag Archives: harvest

mid summer delight ~ peach rosemary jam

07 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by home, garden, life in a note to my readers, artisan products, environment, harvest, Lifestyle, preserving, summer, sustainable lifestyle, WordPress

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Tags

artisan jams and chutneys, Blue Chair Jam Cookbook, harvest, harvest season, herb, jam, peaches, preserves, soulful experience, summer, yellow peaches

Mid Summer Yellow Peaches

mid summer yellow peaches beg to be blanched and preserved

the peeling process after a quick blanch

the peeling process after a quick blanch

Squeeze lovely juice from peels

squeeze lovely juice from peels

Six pounds of prepared peaches ready for preserving

six pounds of prepared peaches ready for preserving

Simmer, simmer, boil and bubble

simmer, simmer, boil and bubble

Resting peaches with foam that is skimmed off then mash pulp and simmer again to set point or 220 F, adding six sprigs of fresh rosemary

resting peaches present foam that is skimmed off then remaining pulp is mashed and simmered again to set point or 220 F, adding six sprigs of fresh rosemary during the last five minutes

Completed Peach Rosemary jam

rosemary removed, jars filled and ready for lids and time in the oven to seal. This jam is pure heaven on just about anything!

This harvest season I give a nod to the Blue Chair Jam Cookbook for shifting my preserve process.
Most recipes are fruit, sugar, lemon, and time allowing simple ingredients to marry.
Rosemary was my addition here, as this herb kisses this fruit with a goodness we remember.

Have you tried your hand at preserves?
I promise it is a rewarding, soulful experience.
Currently on the prowl for figs—my concord grapes will soon ripen and they too will be transformed.

Update on fig prowl: My fruit prince surprised me with 15# of brown turkeys Saturday—he has connections.  So last Sunday I prepared the most elegant fig jam with fennel/gin infusion. Need I say more? Yes, for lunch today I had French Roquefort with fresh figs! She is dead and in heaven….

Copyright © 2013 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

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the glory of harvest

29 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by home, garden, life in Back Yard Birds, blessings, Bluebirds, environment, farmer's market, garden, Lifestyle, mission, Poetry, season, summer, sustainable lifestyle

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Tags

blessings, Central Virginia, harvest, jam, summer

This time of year there is a subtle shift…the sun is in a different location.
Gardeners spend so much time planning for spring, that summer slips right in.
Time for harvest, time for county fairs, time for blissful naps in the hammock.

time to crack the jam cookbooks

time to crack the jam cookbooks

This morning as I guided my little wheelbarrow around the gardens
before the sun rose,
before the dew dried,
I noticed how swollen the grapes;
how fragrant the lambs ear as I trimmed off spent blossoms,
how quiet the landscape before bees awaken.
The gentle burble of the Bluebird’s call,
the racking squawk of Mary Mockingbird,
and how different from the low coo of the Robin;
I catch myself thinking of fall!
And harvest!
And bounty!
And preserves!

plump local plums ready for jam

plump local plums ready for jam

the path to righteousness

the path to righteousness

local, just picked blackberries called for immediate attention on Sunday

local, just picked blackberries called for immediate attention on Sunday

whirling divine

whirling divine

the last five cups went into this blackberry cobbler

the last five cups went into this blackberry cobbler

Swallowtail Cottage is filled with heavenly aromas
as the process begins…

freshly capped jars ready for market

freshly capped jars ready for market

plum jam ready for lables

plum jam ready for labels

a dosing dove sits just outside my kitchen door, perhaps enjoying the aromas

a dozing dove sits just outside my kitchen door, perhaps enjoying the aromas

peaches, nectarines, and plums, oh my!

peaches, nectarines, and plums, oh my!

same beekeeper, just left jar is summer honey and right jar is spring honey.

same beekeeper; the jar on the left is summer honey and the jar on the right is spring honey. Either way divine!

Sending blessings for a wonderful harvest season.

Copyright © 2013 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

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embrace this day

11 Thursday Oct 2012

Posted by home, garden, life in farmer's market, garden, healthy food, home, life, Lifestyle, mission, Monarch butterflies, photography, quick recipes, sustainable lifestyle, Virginia

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Tags

farmer's market, harvest, healthy meals, Ichi Ke Jiro persimmon, Monarch butterflies, October, photography, quick meals, vegetarian, Virginia

I feel giddy, as if I were in love for the first time.

I am beguiled by October. Yes, the month of October is a time to celebrate—and feel the flush of Mother Nature’s boundless beauty. I embrace her, crave her, and revel in her. The planet shifts, shadows elongate, high humidity and biting insects depart, and temperatures top out at 70 degrees F— yes I am in love again.

At home, the garden is bursting with colors of fall. As many plants begin their decent into dormancy, others like this ‘Muhlenbergia capillaris’ explode with riotous hue. This is the only pink that I tolerate in my gardens, as this display epitomizes fall in my world — life is intoxicating!

Monarch season was extremely challenging this year, as the oleander aphid ravaged the host plants (tropical milkweed) forcing me to raise most monarch larvae indoors, multiplying my daily chores ten-fold. The monarch’s predatory wasp also took a high toll on the larvae, leaving dozens dead. However, ninety monarch beauties successfully emerged and flew from my terrace over the past month, hopefully to find safe haven in a warm climate, where they may overwinter. Nearly one-hundred others went Fed-Ex to southern states where they will live out their lives in a lush botanic gardens and educate visitors.

The farmer’s market is brimming with large, leafy vegetables, root crops, and loads of pumpkins. Therefore my daily lunch plate is full of steamed kale and red garnet sweet potatoes, splashed with olive oil, sea salt, black pepper and garnished with sliced almonds. Six minutes are all one needs to provide a healthy, farm fresh meal.

Another tasty mid-day meal came from the remaining bit of basil pesto left in the food processor following a massive harvest. I tossed in a peeled avocado, a splash of olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. After a brief spin, the fluffy dip was quickly consumed with crusty crackers.

A third fast meal came from a friend who dropped off assorted tomatoes, eggplant, and squash. I quickly sliced, diced, and cubed the lot, added fresh okra from the garden and voila! a beautiful medley of healthy goodness. A quick saute in olive oil, then covered and steamed until tender, a half tube of tomato paste, seasoned with sea salt and black pepper finished this dish! Topped with grated cheese and toasted breadcrumbs, made this a memorable, quick, healthy meal. Try it!

Remember the Ichi Ke Jiro persimmon blog from this spring? Well, twenty-five fruit formed, despite the July wind storm that claimed half of the tree, and they are amazing. Ever had one? The fruit is unlike native persimmons. One fills my hand, is eaten while hard, and has none of the tannic aftertaste of the native. In fact, this fruit tastes like a firm melon! What I do not eat, will be introduced at market this Saturday and boggle curious shoppers. Looking forward to the dialogue!

PS There is still nothing like a power snack of the hard-boiled egg. I always have some in the fridge, ready to peel when I need a boost. Better to have a snack like this on hand rather than eat a carb or a handful of chocolate!

Remember to roll your mouse over the images to read captions. Click on images if you wish to enlarge.

Copyright © 2012 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

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