...and the #1 reason I want a WhisperMill....
because this clearly isn't working LOL!
Of course Loch had to chime in today with all the technical mumbo jumbo... Finn didn't care about any of that...
Anyone seen a tomato around here? Look really hard...
I have 2 tomatoes that may be ready tomorrow! This is the Fourth of July tomato, and true to its name, they will be here by then. They are about plum sized, and always the first to ripen here.
Peppers!
Jimmy Nardello Sweet Italian Frying Pepper
Jalapeno Gigante
Italian Pepperoncini (hot/sweet)
Sigaretta de Bergamo (sweet/hot)
Speaking of a mill purchase, some of you may remember I mentioned that the mill was not in the budget right now, but a pressure canner was next on my list of homesteading supplies. The steam canner isn't cutting it since I have a ceramic glass cooktop and it can't be used there. I end up having to use the water bath canner in the backyard, far from the kitchen, not ideal. The pressure canner CAN be used on my cooktop, and can be used to can everything from meat to high acid foods. I was planning to post a question to all you canners out there who use them, but Mama Pea beat me to it! So head over to Mama Pea's blog A Homegrown Journal and chime into the discussion about your experiences with a pressure canner, lots of inquiring minds want to know!
Ooh, I never got my Jimmy Nardello seeds planted in time (they sprouted and tried to grow in paper towels, bad pepper mamma) - so I am thrilled to see yours. Have you grown them before?
ReplyDeleteWell if I have someone who liked to smash wheat with a rock, I would love it. I love my Grainmaker, but sometimes I am just too tired to hand crank it. So enter one kid with a rock and I am back in business.
ReplyDeleteOh my those tomatoes and peppers look good. I just found a local source for organic grains. Now I need me a mill too!
ReplyDeleteI've never pressure canned anything so can't be of any help with that but I'm interested to hear the info people post on it. That may be a future purchase for me too. I have a list and it gets longer by the day! LOL
Kelly, this is my first time growing them, they sure are pretty!
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Jane, I can't yet make the decision about the hand crank or electric, but since it's not yet in the budget, I have time to think LOL... I'm hoping I can get the boys to crank it for me as they build up their muscles :)
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Sparkless, the list can get crazy can't it?!
I have a flat cook top also but just use a flat bottom stock pot to can. I laced some canning lids together to line the bottom so the jars are elevated and it works like a charm.
ReplyDeleteSee! You can save the money and then buy the whispermill!
Ribbit
I laughed out loud at Finn making "flour!" I had to call Papa Pea in to see that and, as the retired third grade teacher, he was VERY impressed with Loch's explanation of wheat.
ReplyDeleteI hope some of the readers you have that I don't will comment on their preference for a pressure canner. Never hurts to hear more opinions!
My lord, I tried teaching the whole grain flour vs. white flour to my 9th graders a couple years ago when we were doing a unit on nutrition...I wanted to pull my hair out! I even showed them a video from How it's Made...they still didn't seem to understand. Loch's got it DOWN!!! Whoohoo!
ReplyDeletebtw, I love your boys' names!!! Very cute.
Ribbit, necessity is the mother of invention, right?!
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Mama Pea, can't wait to tell Loch that in the morning, he thinks Papa Pea is a bottomless pot of knowledge LOL... seriously he is always saying " I want to talk to Papa Pea" about this or that :)
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Katrina, that's hilarious! Seriously though, I got him a book from the library the other day entitled "The Science of a Loaf of Bread", it looks like it's geared towards the 4th-6th grade set, but after all his talk I picked it up and it's quite interesting for adults as well :) It has everything from grain and fermentation of yeast to oven combustion, taste, and how a body processes grain, I'm thinking of buying it for MY bookshelf LOL
Awww, send the little bugger north. Loch can follow Papa Pea around all day and the two of them could chatter to their heart's content!
ReplyDeleteThe retired school teacher misses nothing about school . . . except the interaction with the kids so I know he'd be ready and willing for conversation, learning, and fun educational sessions with Loch.
Wow, I am seriously impressed with Loch! That is just awesome. And a bit scarey in that I am sure at some point in our youth, we knew all those things too. Amazing what your brain can dump out. You got a wonderful mill already with Finn :) Hey whatever makes'em happy! And here you've been buying toys (or other) and all you needed was a rock!
ReplyDeleteGreat looking peppers yet again this year!
Boy, I learned something from your kids today! Who said you can't learn anything from the interweb.
ReplyDeleteI wonder now long it would take Finn to make a cup of flour with that method. :)
Oh, your peppers look amazing, Erin. I likes like you'll have another freezer full this year.
Once I owned a Dimant mill, and I sold it, and I STILL regret it. Those pepperoncini look yummy!
ReplyDeletetomorrow you will be posting that some one took 2 of your tomatoes [ well I was hungry for a BLT] Your Loch reminds me of my Anthony-only his subject would be baseball-knows it inside and out and especially the MN twins. He got a signed bat at the game last week. He knows other subjects well too,but around here it draws out a big argument because Anthony can recite all the states and capitals and he is only7.while his cousin Nick doesn't who, is 11.
ReplyDeleteYou are seriously making my mouth water today! Everything looks awesome, Erin! The boys look like they're having fun - Finn at least. Those boys are pretty amazing!
ReplyDeleteLove the videos of your kids. Children are so amazing!
ReplyDeleteLucky you to have some almost ripe tomatoes and pepperocinis!! I can't wait for mine. We are all out of pepperocinis and I'm really addicted to them!
APG, what's kind of funny it they type of stuff he'll rattle off - he wouldn't know that there are bases involved in baseball, but he can tell you about plaque building up in your arteries LOL!
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Thomas, he's still working haha, I'll have him send you 1/4 cup of flour, should be ready in time for Christmas :)
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Stefaneener, that's how it works, there's a few things I regret getting rid of for sure, like my old skool washer and dryer and fridge for starters, at least they worked!
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Judy, Anthony would get along with Loch pretty well!
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Patty, looks are deceiving, Finn is also the one who throws the worst tantrums LOL
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Robin, this is my first year growing pepperoncinis, I love them but one time we went to a salad bar place and Finn kept stealing them all off my plate so I figured at least that's one vegetable he'll eat!