Sunday, August 5, 2012

This Weekends Wrap Up

So what did we do this weekend? I started early and cut up a pound of mushrooms that I got marked down and got them in the dehydrator. I also started two more quarts of yogurt. Phil and I had put up all the fence beams yesterday and today he worked on putting on all of the pallet slats. I feel so lucky that he didn't need my help with that because it is hot, humid and miserable outside and the mosquitoes are loving me when I am out there. I really can't get a good picture of it but it goes from the house up the hill and over to the greenhouse. He did not have quite enough slats and I have put some wire over the unfinished part with some pots against it so the ducks can still go out all day until he can get some more pallets.
The ducks are definitely loving their freedom though Romeo is not real impressed with the fact that he can't go over in the woods.
I spread another bag of grass seed just as a storm was coming over us and, of course, it spit drops at us and passed on.
I, then, went to my good friend's house down the road who has a tiny garden that produces more than mine does (though she does have full sun and a couple of boys to tend it). She sent me home with some goodies that I helped her pick!
Felt that I had to do something today with all those hot peppers even though it was after 4:00 p.m. because the next time I will have time to do something with them will be next weekend and I would rather have them fresh. I saved the jalapenos. I may make poppers with them.  I strung up some of the pretty red ones to dry and grind up to make red pepper with later. They are pretty hanging there by the garlic.
With most the rest of the green ones and a few red I made hot pepper relish. I haven't made it before but found out what my friend puts in hers and between her recommendations and the Internet I have some hot pepper relish.

 Here is the recipe:

Hot Pepper Relish

Approx. a quart of hot peppers
2 large onions
2 Tbsp. salt
2 cups sugar
2 cups white vinegar

Cut off the stems of the peppers (if you are like me and you're not going to wear gloves-and I'm not- don't touch the cut end of the pepper, don't touch the metal part of your knife, and for Heaven's sake don't touch your FACE, EVER, while cutting these!) and toss them in the food processor. I am sure you can chop them up by hand but even I will use my noisy food processor for these. Cut your two onions in pieces and put them in there as well. Sprinkle the salt on top. Turn it on and run it until everything is chopped up. Leave it sit for 2 hours. After the 2 hours is over, put the vinegar and sugar in a pan and turn on the heat, mix it until the sugar is dissolved. Add your pepper/onion mixture. Bring to a boil. Turn it down and simmer uncovered, stirring frequently, for approx. 45 minutes.  Place in your canning jars (I used half-pints) leaving approx. 1/4 inch head space. Adjust caps. Boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

For supper I had another package of mushrooms and cut up the pork tenderloin and just cooked them together. It looked and smelled so yummy while cooking that I took a picture. I had homemade macaroni and cheese with that and green peas.
The rest of the day was spent running to the incubator, running to the incubator, running to the incubator and I am still running- waiting for that last duckling to hatch. You'll all have to wait until tomorrow for a picture as I want them all in the brooder together.

16 comments:

  1. I've peppers coming out my ears and this relish looks great! As I was reading your post I was hoping you would list the recipe 8-D Thank you! Love that fence, great idea repurposing the pallets

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    1. Well, my whole house still smells like hot pepper this morning and I think it did my sinus infection a world of good by helping it drain, lol, but I do think the relish is going to be good.
      I love the pallet fence. It is so pretty around the back yard.

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  2. That fence sure is looking good - and the length of it will soon rival the Great Wall of China! I hope Phil has a good source of supply for those pallets.
    The Pork tenderloin with mishrooms dish is just my kind of thing. I bet it was delicious.

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    1. No Great Wall of China, it can only go to the greenhouse but I was thinking how nice one of these fences would look around the garden. Don't quite have the courage to broach that subject with Phil yet though, lol.

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  3. That relish looks great. I am sitting here eating burger from Mc Donals and wish if only I had a hot relish like that to spice this burger up a bit... Thanks for sharing the recipe. I dont have jalepinos in my garden at the moment but I do have birds eye variety but I am willing to give it a try nevertheless.

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    1. The relish wasn't made with the jalapenos. I am not sure what kind of hot pepper she had since I only have ever grown jalapenos. I would imagine some kind of chili pepper.
      Oh and by the way, nothing is gonna fix that McDonald's crap you were eating, lol.

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  4. Do you have just a kiddie pool for your ducks or do they have access to a pond or stream also? I was wondering because if we kept ducks, they wouldn't have access to water other than a kiddie pool or tub, and hubby thinks it would be a ton of work to deal with cleaning it out daily. Thanks.

    I'm wishing for a smell-o-vision computer screen as I'm looking at your photo of the cooking pork...

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    1. I have the kiddie pool and the black "thing" for pools for them. I just dump them each day and fill them back up but it isn't necessary to have a pool at all for ducks or so I have heard but I think it is better to have as natural an environment as possible for them so I have pools for them. It is fun to watch them splashing and swimming around anyway. I would love to have a more permanent pool with a drain--maybe someday.

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    2. Thanks! I've heard that ducks need the water to mate only, but like you, I'd rather have water for them all the time. :)

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  5. Love the pepper relish - I'm guessing those are Serrano's. The fence looks super!

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  6. The fence looks great, so does the pork tenderloin and mushrooms!

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  7. Hi Becky,great looking fence and the pork and mushrooms look yummy.

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  8. What a busy weekend! Thanks for the recipe for hot pepper relish. I have a jalapeno plant that's producing like crazy. I picked the first few peppers this week and made pickled peppers with them.

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  9. thanks for the recipe Becky I have an abundance of hot peppers I think my husband and daughter just might like this relish. Going to give it a try.

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  10. I LOVE the fence! What a great use of pallets. I'm now inspired to tackle the stack we have in the barn.

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