Productivity
Jan. 28th, 2007 22:50![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
torquillI got up this morning after something like five hours of sleep (don't ask... it was biological in nature.) I showered, washed my hair, and went downstairs to start chopping apples and such.
By noon I had chopped a quart and a half of apples, diced 15 oz. of dried apricots, zested three lemons, minced the lemon peel and the candied orange peel from last week, and chopped the orange and lemon fruits. Whew. I broke to go get more apples and have some lunch.
After lunch I chopped the last two cups of apples and threw everything into a massive stockpot, setting it to simmer for an hour and a half. Then I dove into the cellar.
The mouseproofing is conclusively not ratproofing; I'll have to redo the entire thing this summer. After noting the holes, I hauled up several squash (which had been hiding in the aforementioned stockpot) and the fruitcakes, whose crock really needs to be cleaned. Nothing has touched them, though, which pleases me (the mold on the outside of the crock had worried me a bit). Then I tidied up a little down there.
I cracked one of the squash and retrieved the seeds, taking care to get all of them because this was the rare white zucchini that I'm trying to do a seed increase on. It had a lot of seeds; I washed them and set them to dry. I'll store each zuke's seeds separately, in case one managed to cross-pollinate despite my best efforts. I hope I got my Seed Saver's Exchange yearbook submission in by the deadline, so that I'll be listed this year... the zuke is one of two things I'm offering.
I finished cooking the mince and set it on the back of the stove for after dinner. We ate, I showed off my car, and I shifted all of my permanent stuff into my car while trying not to freeze. (It's cold out there.) I now have my maps, phone book, car shade, and mask, among other things. I need to put a water bottle in it too.
After the food had been cleared away, I set up my canning apparatus. I'm rusty -- I almost forgot a few items, and I had to wait for the lids to come up to temperature. While the canner built pressure, I washed all the stuff, and finally I was able to sit down. I made myself some tea, too. Ahhhhhh.
I did remember to take the weight off the canner before it cooled enough to create a vacuum inside, and all five jars sealed. The little bit left over tastes, as my mom put it, like mulled apple cider crossed with Constant Comment. Very much a "warm fire on a cold day" sort of taste. Yum.
I'll make sweet potato cornbread for dinner tomorrow, but for right now I'm thinking longingly of bed. Tomorrow will be the DMV and a much-needed Dr. J appointment. Freeway driving, woo!
By noon I had chopped a quart and a half of apples, diced 15 oz. of dried apricots, zested three lemons, minced the lemon peel and the candied orange peel from last week, and chopped the orange and lemon fruits. Whew. I broke to go get more apples and have some lunch.
After lunch I chopped the last two cups of apples and threw everything into a massive stockpot, setting it to simmer for an hour and a half. Then I dove into the cellar.
The mouseproofing is conclusively not ratproofing; I'll have to redo the entire thing this summer. After noting the holes, I hauled up several squash (which had been hiding in the aforementioned stockpot) and the fruitcakes, whose crock really needs to be cleaned. Nothing has touched them, though, which pleases me (the mold on the outside of the crock had worried me a bit). Then I tidied up a little down there.
I cracked one of the squash and retrieved the seeds, taking care to get all of them because this was the rare white zucchini that I'm trying to do a seed increase on. It had a lot of seeds; I washed them and set them to dry. I'll store each zuke's seeds separately, in case one managed to cross-pollinate despite my best efforts. I hope I got my Seed Saver's Exchange yearbook submission in by the deadline, so that I'll be listed this year... the zuke is one of two things I'm offering.
I finished cooking the mince and set it on the back of the stove for after dinner. We ate, I showed off my car, and I shifted all of my permanent stuff into my car while trying not to freeze. (It's cold out there.) I now have my maps, phone book, car shade, and mask, among other things. I need to put a water bottle in it too.
After the food had been cleared away, I set up my canning apparatus. I'm rusty -- I almost forgot a few items, and I had to wait for the lids to come up to temperature. While the canner built pressure, I washed all the stuff, and finally I was able to sit down. I made myself some tea, too. Ahhhhhh.
I did remember to take the weight off the canner before it cooled enough to create a vacuum inside, and all five jars sealed. The little bit left over tastes, as my mom put it, like mulled apple cider crossed with Constant Comment. Very much a "warm fire on a cold day" sort of taste. Yum.
I'll make sweet potato cornbread for dinner tomorrow, but for right now I'm thinking longingly of bed. Tomorrow will be the DMV and a much-needed Dr. J appointment. Freeway driving, woo!
