This morning I got up and got busy. I had a roast out that needed to be cooked so I seasoned that, browned it in the Instant Pot, added a package of onion soup mix, a bit of water and cooked it. I was trying to decide if I wanted to add carrots and potatoes. Since I don’t have any fresh carrots here, just the ones I’ve canned, I grabbed a jar of those and thought . . heck, it’s a busy day, I’ll use canned potatoes too. I drained the potatoes, cooked them in the air fryer til the outside was crispy, and will add them to the gravy at the last minute. I may do the same thing with the carrots and see how they taste.
Then I packed 15 pints of potatoes to can, got the two electric canners going and when one finished, I added the last 5 jars and got those all done.
Then I was at a stopping spot so I stewed some apples with a bit of sugar and cinnamon, made breakfast burritos with scrambled eggs, pepper jack cheese, and sausage and we ate breakfast.
Then I made a batch of ice cream. It’s in the freezer chilling now. Once I pour it into the ice cream freezer and it gets a bit firm, I’ll add mashed bananas and we’ll have banana ice cream.
Next I went out and picked as many kousa dogwood berries as I could reach with the ladder. The birds are eating them all. Yesterday I looked out the window and there were three cardinals sitting on the fence and all three had a kousa berry in their mouths. I didn’t get enough to do anything with. There are more that aren’t ripe yet but I have a feeling I’ll be doing good to get enough to even make a cake.
Then I sliced up two trays of apples for the freeze dryer. Vince has been making milk kefir and had a lot of extra grains so I added some of those to one end of a tray full of apples. I had a tray of squash already frozen so I stuck that in this load. With one empty tray, I filled it with “dried” cherries I had purchased. They’re more like dehydrated but quite sticky so I’m not sure how well they will freeze dry but you never know til you try it.
The last thing I did was to go out and cut the rest of the elderberries. I thought there were very few left but cut that whole blue tub full. In the upstairs freezers, there are four of those white containers that are full of berries that have been separated from their stems.
These are in the other downstairs freezer. There are a lot of elderberries! These all came off two bushes and we have five more bushes that should start producing next year. I think, if those five bushes produce like these two have this year, we’re going to have way too many elderberries but I know they won’t be hard to get rid of. Most everyone I know here would be happy to have them.
Vince is outside . . maybe building more raised beds. I should go out and see what time he wants dinner because if I start cross stitching, I’m not going to want to stop. Oh, wait . . I will stop because there will be ice cream after dinner. 🙂
patti says
just curious about that roast. did you cook it in the instant pot? i was thinking so until you mentioned the canned potatoes and carrots – but i guess you could just add them at the end to heat thru. you’ve been really busy and productive while i’ve been enjoying a book and cool drink outside on the deck in our finally cooling down shade. easy dinner here too, leftover shredded beef for tostadas with corn on the cob. i just this year learned they can be frozen ON THE COB! did a quick experiment then hit the local market for 30 ears that are now in the freezer for when fresh aren’t available any longer.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
Yes, I cooked the roast in the Instant Pot. I browned the potatoes in the air fryer, then at the end, added them to the gravy. Same with the carrots.
I saw an article also this year about freezing with the husks still on. Is that what you did?
Allergy season has started here for me so I go out to tend to the garden and to take Oscar and Rita out but otherwise, til there’s a good hard freeze, my allergies are kicking my butt so I don’t stay outside much. Enjoy your time on the deck.
patti says
yes, that’s exactly what i did – froze the whole cob with the husks on. i also just learned about it and a local market gets THE best corn every summer and i wait for it. sadly tho it’s a short window and i’m not one to cut the kernals and freeze them so i just wait ’til the next year. but like you i heard about freezing them whole and i did an experiment with the 3 different ways i’d seen: 1) just plop them in the freezer, 2) cut off most of the bottom stem, pull off a few outer leaves if needed and put them in a plastic zip lock bag, and 3) put them in a paper bag, close tightly, and freeze.
about 5 days later i took them out to test and they cooked up (i use the microwave in the husk method – the main reason i wanted the husks on) identically, so my decision was based more on the method. i chose to the zip lock mostly so i could move them around easily, and not have to worry about frozen leaves being left behind scattered about the freezer. i can put 3 into a gallon bag easily filling it, and since we eat 2 at each meal it works out good. when the next batch comed in i’ll go get some more, i don’t want to be dragging corn out from the freezer until i can’t get fresh any longer. the corn comes into the market with some regularity so i’m always assured it has been picked that morning.
i hope you’re able to try it since you have more freezer space than i do, and now is the best time to get it – at least for me.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
Corn is pretty much history here but I may get some from the grocery store just to try it so I’ll know if we like it and then I’ll buy it at the farmers’ market next year. Thanks!
patti says
the main reason i want to freeze on the cob w/husks is because i cook it 4 min per ear in the microwave, cut off the shoulder end, then hold the silks and top of the husks in my fist, shaking the ear out the bottom. husked and de-silked in one fell swoop! like magic. we’re nearing our end of season, but it’s been weire since last fall. late on everything.
Rebecca says
..Or you could invoke Elton John and make elderberry wine! (Just kidding, I know you’re not a drinker). Alcoholic beverages alway seem to me to take a large amount of what could otherwise be food.