Delectable Violet Jelly

 I am republishing this post for ABCWednesday, because in my opinion, it is a perfect V post for ABCWednesday:)  Visit ABCWednesday for more blogs highlighting the letter U.  Many thanks to the founder, Mrs. Denise Nesbitt, and to Roger for taking over from her.

Violets...dainty little blooms that come up in early spring and if you happen upon a field of them, it looks like a purple blanket.  Who knew these delicate beauties would be the basis for a unique yet common breakfast spread...jelly!  With a subtle flavor that I can only describe as violety, it's smooth, soft and absolute deliciousness.  Violet jelly is the very first jelly I ever made (I came across the original recipe on Blind Pig and The Acorn) and it was the perfect introduction to the craft of canning fruit...pretty easy, all things considered.  The hardest part is picking all the flowers you need (you only want the purple ones).

Delectable Violet Jelly

Ingredients:

Violet tea:
2 cups of violet flowers (no stems or leaves) and 2 cups boiling water

Jelly:
2 cups violet tea
4 tbsp Myers lemon juice with zest and pulp
3.5 tbsp Ball pectin or 3 tbsp + 1 tsp + 1/2 tsp (this amount of pectin will result in a softer consistency that will still spread with a knife but the jelly could not stand on it's own, if you like a firmer jelly, increase the pectin)
4 cups sugar

Directions: 


Make the tea the day before:
Clean the freshly harvested violet flowers with water and put them into a glass bowl (I like glass because it's non-reactive).

Boil 2 cups of water and pour it over the flowers, mixing to saturate them all.  Cover with a plate or lid and let stand overnight.

 Strain the mixture the next day...see how the violet color has seeped from the flowers to the water?

This is what your violet tea will look like...a deep violet color...beautiful!

The next day, in preparation for making the jelly, first sterilized your jars, lids and rings (put them in boiling water for about 10 minutes; keep them in the warm water until you are ready to pour the jelly into them). 

Once they've been sterilized, use tongs to stand them up in a second pot with a little water in the bottom, keeping the heat on medium low (this keeps your jars clean and warm, ready for the boiling mixture, and preventing the glass jars from breaking; it also makes clean up of any drips a little easier).

Now make the jelly.
Pour the violet tea, pectin, and lemon juice into a large pot and bring it to a boil.  Watch as you pour the lemon into it, the color changes from violet to a fuchsia...

Once the mixture is boiling, add the sugar (I like to use a whisk to make sure everything gets blended as quickly as possible).

Stir the mixture and bring it to a rolling boil (meaning it doesn't stop boiling even though you're whisking it).  Keep it at that rolling boil for 1 minute.

Now ladle the hot jelly into the jars.

Use tongs or a rag to move the jars from the pot, careful not to drip water into the filled jars.  Wipe the rims clean with a clean, damp cloth, then place the lid on top and screw on the ring (twist until it won't twist any more but don't over tighten it).


Have a few cake cooling racks and towels set on a table.  Place the jars upside down on the cooling racks for 5 minutes, then turn them right side up.  You will begin to hear a delightful little popping sound as the jars seal.

Of course, you can use a hot water bath, but I have found it unnecessary when following this method.

The recipe will make 4 8oz. jars of jelly.  I decided to make 2 batches; with the first I followed the recipe exactly.  I doubled the recipe for the second batch (I know, it's not typically recommended, but I was using a huge pot, which allowed everything to come to a boil at almost the same rate as the first batch) and the consistency was just like the first batch, so I think doubling the recipe worked out just fine.  

In total, I ended up with 12-8oz. jars, 2-4oz. jars and 1 10oz. jar of violet jelly.  Enough for toast, PB&J (this jelly makes the best PB&J, in my opinion), and sharing for the next year!


Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

Shared on Homestead Barn Hop and  Flour Me With Love...check them out for more interesting posts!

To Every Season

I'll begin with what I think is a really cool picture, taken today while we were out hunting violets (oh yes, violet jelly in the making, come back tomorrow for the details).  This photo was actually an "accident", meaning I kept snapping quickly without in order to looking capture what I could as this bee busily sucked nectar from a plum tree, and this is one of the shots I got (all I did was crop it a little).  It's a perfect into to my post today, being we are entering the season of bumble bees...

I recently rediscovered that I had posted pictures of our cabin and our mountains on my blogs home page (well, the only page right now, but I am considering a few updates, more about that another time) on April 6, 2012, just after we began our 1st year here.  It's been on the sidebar all along, though I have to admit that I don't usually see it (some of the impetus behind my thought process for a few blog updates).  When I did actually look at the picture, I thought "gosh, how different...not only the cabin but spring was much further along at this time last year.  This is last year...

...this is today, April 12, 2013...what a difference.  Today still looks like winter compared to last year.  And then we have the deck, and the driveway...WOW!  I was actually amazed and surprised at the differences; I'm so glad I took that picture a year ago!

This is our mountain view 4.6.12...the big branch in the upper left corner is now gone, taken down by Mountain Man with a bow and a rope chain last July or so...and you can see the green of the trees...

...this is today, not much green at all (which lets me see more of my mountains) and I love that the branch is gone.

While this post makes me think of the song, Turn! Turn! Turn! by The Birds (click on the link if you'd like to listen, I love this song and this line in particular..."a time for peace, I swear it's not too late"...), my motivation was really about every season having it's own time and purpose...no season ever being exactly the same as the last or the next.  Makes life interesting! 

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

Lying In Wait

I'm getting the evil eye...

...you see, Fluffy is mostly an indoor cat.  But we let her out now and again...you know, she needs fresh air, sunshine & exercise too!  We've always watched her closely as she hung around the bird feeders, stalking the little innocents chowing on seeds.  But now Fluffy is getting dangerously (for the birds) smarter.  She's figured out that there are some birds who peck at the ground in search of their grub near the ramp leading to the porch.  And if she conceals herself on the steps under that very ramp, her ability to execute a surprise attack is greatly enhanced.  When I tried to get her to move out from there, this is the look I got.  I have always considered Fluffy a clever cat and love her affectionate nature.  Now I know she's a huntress, lying in wait.  Time for a leash?

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

Nature's Little Delights

It's been one of those days that has been busy, but not back breaking...happy day for that!  Besides taking care of a few of our regular but slightly neglected indoor chores, we spent some time today designing our garden planting plan.  There are so many things to consider, including how much space everything needs to grow properly, what was planted where last year (crop rotation ensures the grounds nutrients aren't stripped), what the reach of the sun's rays will be over the next 6 months, and I'm sure other things that I don't recall right now.  We aren't ready to put anything else in the ground yet, but we are getting there.

The rest of the day was filled with nature's little delights....I thought I'd share some.  Spring is everywhere!   

This cute little bunny stayed put on the edge of the woods for the longest time, seemingly unaffected by my presence.  I love his coloring!

This is the same nest I shared with you back in December.  The fresh forsythia flowers are making this empty nest look like a very cozy home for some lucky bird!

This fox was strolling around the cabin early this morning; we've never seen a fox "in person", just images captured with our critter cam, so this was a pretty exciting moment!  The fox was in a hurry though, it never stopped moving!

We were also really happy to see this black snake near the cabin.  This is the first time we've seen one in over a year (we used to have 2 that literally hung around the cabin, but we didn't see any during our 1st year of log cabin life!) and they are very good snakes to have around...they eat all the bad snakes!

My first blue jay this season...such vivid coloring...welcome to the cabin blue!

My last little delight for the day is that Mountain Man has gone into town this evening and I am here by myself.  Can you believe that I have never (I'm not exaggerating) been here at the cabin in the evening by myself?!  So I am signing off to go and enjoy the solitude of the evening as a storm begins to roll in over the mountains...let there be thunder and rain!

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

Manure, Muscles & Murphy's

Yesterday, I promised I would tell you about our very meaningful and productive day working with manure.  Not any manure, but composted horse manure from the Paso Fino Elegante farm, where the horses receive only the finest feed, thus producing quality manure.  Some of you may be thinking, come on, sh** is sh**, but really, it's not.  The best part about this particular manure is it won't take any nitrogen from the soil as things grow, because of the particular feed they eat and it is already decomposed, so it's perfect for a vegetable garden.

While at the Paso Fino farm, we visited with the owners Mario & Kathy for a bit, and then filled the trailer with the manure.  I also got a few photos of some pretty wildflowers growing about the edges of their farm...I don't know their names though, if you do, please share:)

I have two of this one because of the different angles...

Once we left there, we went to pick up a large mechanical tiller/cultivator.  Originally, we had decided we were going to apply the "no till" method of gardening that we learned about from Simple Tips for Better Garden Soil and Ruth Stouts System.  However, after some additional discussions with ol' timer's who have gardened this mountain soil for years, and felling those huge trees that landed right on the garden sending monstrous limbs deep into the plot, we decided that tilling the garden this year made the most sense.

Our first step was to spread the manure all over the garden.  Mountain Man stood in the trailer (yes, in the sh**) and shoveled it from there.  I filled the wheelbarrow and brought it to the far end of the plot, spreading it where Johny couldn't reach.

 Once we covered the entire plot...

...it was time to cultivate the land.  We were pleasantly surprised at how quickly we learned to to manage the machine and in no time we had the entire garden tilled.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it was easy...we actually had to hold the tiller in place to get it to churn deep into the ground, or it would just roll right along, gingerly massaging the top of the soil and not digging in.  But overall, it was much more efficient than we had anticipated. 

In fact, because it worked so well, I suggested we go ahead and expand the garden a bit (originally 25'x30' or so).  If we could till a little further on each side of the garden, we'd be adding at least 100' of garden space.  "OK" says Mountain Man with an understanding that this would be a good thing.  Of course, tilling those sections wasn't nearly as easy, because it was full of rocks that had never been removed...so the marvelous machine did a little more skipping/jumping as it ran into the rocks, which required a great deal of muscle to get it back on track.   

But it worked pretty well.  So you guessed it, I suggested we add another whole section (I mean, we had the tiller, and we were already out there, and it had taken much less time than we had expected)...another "OK" but with less enthusiasm...so I said I'd do it.  Unfortunately, it meant we had to move a couple of the logs that were sitting in that particular space, and by now our we were getting tired, so rolling those logs was accompanied by a lot of grunting.  But roll 'em we did, and back to tilling I went.  There were lots of rocks and roots, because we had never done anything at all to this area, but that machine was my hero and made pulp out of the roots and mushed up the earth.  We now have an additional 15'x12' garden space...just beautiful! 

This is now the garden; you can see the tilled area in the middle with the straw churned up, and then darker soil around the entire garden and then in the top center of the picture.

Our plan is to plant the majority of our seeds into the garden area that we have been nurturing with manure, straw and winter rye since last October.  The new areas will be planted by amending the soil with planting mix and Black Kow (a bagged cow manure), and sowing only those seeds that don't require a deep growing medium, and that we have also planted in the nurtured garden area.  This will be a real-life experiment so we can see what, if any, difference the soil types make.  Of course, we will have much more sun this season, which will effect the entire garden, so we will have to keep that in mind as we compare productivity.  

Today, we planted the rest of our seed potatoes (in addition to what we planted in our raised beds in the yard). We planted red, Yukon gold and Murphy's (white) in two rows, some of each in the nurtured plot area and some in the newly tilled area (where we amended with soil and Kow)...another experiment to evaluate the planting medium.  This is the plot...the left is the nurtured row, the right is the newly cultivated and amended row.  The sticks are to help us know where we planted for now; the one laying perpendicular in the middle is the halfway mark where we changed what was planted where.

 And this is the finished planting of potatoes...

Between yesterday and today, I'm pooped (pun intended again, LOL!).  But there is something magnificently gratifying about preparing and planting a garden! 

If you hadn't guessed it yet, today ABCWednesday highlights 'M'...I've had many magical moments because of my participation in ABCWednesday...in particular, my new blog mates:)

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

Our First Dandlelion Salad of the Season

Today has been one of those days...going from dawn to dusk, accomplishing much and expending a great deal of energy.  I have much I want to share about today, but it will have to wait until tomorrow, as my muscles are sore and my body is tired and my brain is lagging.

I would like to share one of my photos from our adventures today...beautiful dew drops on a blade of grass that I happened upon while collecting horse manure, but again, I will share more about that tomorrow. 

After a long working day, it was really exciting to have our very first fresh dandelion salad this evening (the only fresh part of our dinner because the accompaniment was leftover pieces of pizza that I reheated...that might give you some indication of how pooped [ha ha, pun intended, today was all about manure] I am this evening!).  This is one of our very favorite greens...a little bitter, full of early spring tenderness right now, and the buds and flowers add a lovely crunchy texture...just add a little balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, salt & pepper, and voila...deliciousness!   

I should add that you don't want to pick dandelions that have been sprayed with weed killer, but if you've never tried these delightful greens, I highly recommend them.  A very healthy and delightful choice!

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

Wildflowers, Potatoes & Snakes

There is no doubt spring is here.  Somehow, it puts a light in my fire and makes me want to be busy and accomplish things...which means Johny has to accomplish things.  I'm not saying we are slugs during the winter, but there definitely is something to be said for the energy spring evokes!

While walking to the mailbox, I came across a couple new wildflowers, making me smile (seeing 'the first' of anything in a season brings me great joy).

This is Bloodroot, a plant that emits a very red juice from it's stem, has some medicinal value, but using great caution is a wise approach.  For me, it is a bright and lively flower that indicates spring is here. 

I believe this is a Sundrop, though it is just opening up so I can't be absolutely sure.  So bright, so cheerful, so springy!

Now for the spring motivated tasks...there were two "to-do's"...

...Planting potatoes...we had our seed potatoes, and decided to plant them in the 3 raised beds already existing in the yard for a couple reasons...1 - we had no luck with planting other things there; the sun isn't consistent enough during the spring and summer, and 2 - potatoes don't require full sun, and they grow into the straw, so they don't need a deep tilled area to grow in...the raised beds seem to be a perfect spot. 

I won't take you through all the details, but here are a few things that are important.  Of course we weeded, then supplemented the earth with additional soil (we kept the fallen leaves in the box for compost).  Then we planted each seed potato, eye up, 12" apart, and covered it with a little of the dirt/soil. 

We then covered everything with 6" of straw (not hay, which still has seeds) and watered everything a little.

So we have 3 raised beds of potatoes (you can see them if you look closely; you also see some blueberry bushes and our fire pit for burning yard stuff we can't use in the wood burning stove and a row of cans for Johny to shoot at).  We still have more seed potatoes to plant, but that is tomorrow's to-do.

When I was walking to the mailbox, I came across this little garter snake sunning itself on the road.  At first I wondered if it was dangerous, but I do believe it's just a harmless snake enjoying life in the mountains!

The second task for today was getting the next hand rail installed on the deck, which Johny worked at much of the day.  Slowly but surely, this deck rail will be finished!  A part of me is a little concerned about using all these different types of wood, which end up with a different skip/peel look, but in the end, I believe it will all blend together.

Yesterday, I shared a picture of a wild plant that I wasn't sure about.  I've since learned it is Mullein, which has some medicinal properties, but I don't know enough about it to share.  As it matures, it grows a tall stalk with lovely yellow flowers, which is why it was hard to identify at this young stage.

I'll close by sharing that it is such a lovely spring evening, we have the windows open and I no longer have my sweatshirt and sweatpants on and no fire needed in the stove!

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise