Category: Preserving

Be Prepared, Farmhouse Living, Preserving, SFH Skills

What Farmhouse Food Skills are important to you now?

Now is the time to sharpen your farmhouse food skills. Why? The harvest is coming in. Tomatoes, okra, green beans, jalapeno peppers, and many types of herbs. The seasonal clock is ticking. It’s time to prepare for winter.

For a practical man like me, and for a practical woman like Miss Blondie, that means it’s time to get to work. That’s just what we did, and that’s what we’re continuing to do.

Scale & Scope

As I’ve told you before, and as I often have to remind myself, Serendipity Farmhouse is just that. Even with its vast 1.203 acres, It’s still just a farmhouse. It’s in no way a farm. There might be enough land to support a small homestead, but Miss Blondie, Mr. Monte, and I don’t see that as our goal. Nope, we just want to lead a quiet, practical life, doing what we can and loving what we do.

It’s all a matter of scale and scope. In our case, we’re definitely a small-scale operation. We’re not looking to be entirely self-sustaining or self-reliant. And, when it comes to scope, we only grow the things we want to grow. We look to our local rural community for other things we need. We go to Reality Farm for beef, milk, and eggs. For the vegetables we don’t grow ourselves, we get them at our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

20 Farmhouse Food Skills & Techniques

So, considering our scale and scope, we may have more or less work to do than you do when preparing for winter. Nevertheless, over the last two weeks, we’ve had just about all the work we can handle. Consequently, there was no time to write posts or make videos. It was the Autumn crunch.

farmhouse food skills

In just one week, we could see just how many farmhouse foods kills were needed to handle our small-scale operation. We have a personal list of 20 essential farmhouse food skills and techniques. Miss Blondie and I used 14 of them to complete one week’s worth winter food preparation tasks.

We’ve broken that group of 20 skills and techniques down into five basic groups or categories. Let’s take a look at them now and see which skills came into play during the week of 15 September.

farmhouse food skills

Food Acquisition

Here at Serendipity Farmhouse, we have a general food acquisition plan. Because SFH is not a farm or homestead, we acquire the majority of our standard provisions from commercial outlets including Sam’s Club, Aldi, and Walmart.

We have the great blessing to live in an Oasis of Fresh Food. So, we obtain a large portion of our fresh vegetables, fruit, meat and dairy locally. Our main sources are: our local Consumer Supported Agriculture (CSA), Reality Farm, and other local sources.

Of course our own vegetable gardens provide an abundance of our favorite vegetables and herbs. And we’re also learning how to forage for berries and other things. So you see, our food acquisition plan ensures a sustainable and diverse food supply. Of course, if the need arose, we would also include hunting and fishing in our plan.

During the week of 15 September, we focused on harvesting food from our gardens, obtaining vegetables from our CSA, and using goat milk from Reality Farm.

Food Processing

These are the techniques involved in transforming raw ingredients into usable food products, which may include cleaning, chopping, grinding, cooking, and combining ingredients. This category includes more advanced techniques like making cheese and yogurt.

Preserving Techniques

Methods employed to extend the shelf life of food, such as canning, pickling, fermenting, drying, and smoking, to prevent spoilage and maintain nutritional value are preserving techniques.

Food Storage

Food storage includes Strategies for storing food safely and effectively to maintain freshness and prevent spoilage, including refrigeration, freezing, root cellaring, and using airtight or vacuum sealed containers.

Cooking

Cooking is the art and science of preparing food through various methods such as baking, boiling, frying, grilling, and steaming, focusing on flavor development and nutritional preservation. Cooking from scratch and using seasonal ingredients make this a creative art.

Don’t Forget Your Wood Stove

As I said earlier, the seasonal clock is ticking. It’s time to prepare for winter. So, don’t forget to make sure your wood stove and chimney are cleaned and ready for use. Also make sure you have an adequate supply of firewood stored away where it is dry and accessible.

If there’s an ice storm or other winter weather problem, you might lose your power. But don’t worry. If your wood stove is working it will provide the heat you need and can provide an emergency cook stove to use until the power comes back. – It’s happened to us, and the wood stove was there to keep us warm.

Following is the first in a series videos that will examine four farmhouse food skill categories in detail.

ferment tomatoes
Preserved Foods, Preserving, Recipe

How to Ferment Ripe or Green Tomatoes Our Way

You have too many ripe tomatoes in mid-season and a ton of leftover green tomatoes at end-of-season. What do you do? – There’s no need to panic and there’s no need for waste. Just ferment those tomatoes the way we do. Extend the enjoyment of the fruits of your labor for months to come.

ferment tomatoes
Ferment those End-of-season Green Tomatoes
ferment green tomatoes

Hi! Chef Blondie here.

As you can see, I was originally going to show you how we ferment our end-of-season green tomatoes here at Serendipity Farmhouse. Then, I realized we ferment our excess ripe tomatoes in just the same way.

That’s when I decided to let all of you in on an SFH Tomato Twofer. – Here’s our mise en place. So, let’s get started and talk about fermenting both ripe and green tomatoes.

ferment tomatoes
Ripe Cherry Tomatoes
ferment tomatoes
Green Tomatoes

Lacto-Fermentation – Science or Art?

Is fermenting vegetables a science or is it an art? My hubby thinks of it as a science. That means he’s constantly researching and trying to perfect salt-to-water ratios for brine. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. After all, the Lacto-fermentation process relies on the mysterious chemistry performed by Lactobacillus bacteria as they convert sugars in the vegetables into lactic acid.

For me, Lacto-fermentation is more of an art. People have been fermenting vegetables for thousands of years without understanding the chemistry behind the process. Once we stumbled across the basic steps those many years ago, we’ve used the process to our own advantage for preserving food and developing new and interesting flavors to delight our palettes.

You have full control!

Hubby and I have worked together to improve our fermenting skills. And we both agree there are two points in the process where you can influence and control the outcome. We call the first the Flavor Creation Point, and the second is the Flavor Perfection Point.

Flavor Creation Point

Do you like the flavor of specific herbs or garlic? Our herb garden is filled with our favorite herbs such as dill weed and thyme. Every year we also grow our own hardneck garlic and hot peppers. So, when it comes time to can and ferment our tomatoes, those herbs and our garlic become the ingredients we use to create the flavors we love.

ferment tomatoes
ferment tomatoes
ferment tomatoes
ferment tomatoes
ferment tomatoes

When the ripe or green tomatoes go into the mason jar, so do the herbs, garlic, and other desired ingredients. It’s our time for flavor creation and experimentation. After all, that’s what the Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen is all about!

Flavor Perfection Point

When canning tomatoes, you don’t know what your product is going to taste like until you take off the lid weeks or months later. – Not so with fermenting. No, this is a process where you have much greater control. But to exercise that control, you have to learn how to use the two most important tools simple farmhouse cooks or experienced test kitchen chefs have at their command.

If you haven’t guessed what those tools are, the two most important tools for fermenting success are your nose and your tongue. That’s right! You can sample your fermented tomatoes throughout the entire fermentation period. You get to determine whether those tomatoes are sour or tangy enough. Have the herbal flavors permeated the entire tomato or not? – It’s up to you!

As early as four days into the process, you can say, “That’s perfect!” Or you can say, “No. It needs a few days more.” – Ultimately, you are the one who can say, “I’ve reached the point of perfection!”

We here at the SFH Test Kitchen have taken command of what happens to our excess and end-of-season tomatoes. – Use our recipe and/or do your own research – and you can take command too!

Happy Fermenting!!

Tomato Lacto-Fermentation Resources

We’ve saved my dear Hubby’s technical research for inclusion here at the end of this post. We didn’t want to bore you or weigh you down with tedious facts. But, if you’re interested in Lacto-fermentation and the type of equipment that works best with the process, it’s good to have starting points for your own research. Here’s some of what he’s found.

Safety

As with any type of food preservation, health safety is paramount. In the case of Lacto-fermenation, ensuring that products remain submerged in the brine is essential. For a good review of safety tips, read these articles:

Equipment

The truth is you don’t have to go out and buy any special equipment for fermenting. However, we’ve found glass fermenting weights and silicone fermenting lids to be quite reliable tools to ensure fermenting success and safety.

fermenting tomatoes

Here are links to:

Masontops Pickle Pipes – Waterless Airlock Fermentation Lids – Wide Mouth Mason Jar Fermenter Cap

Fermentation Glass Weights with Easy Grip Handle for Wide Mouth Mason Jars.

Brine for Fermenting

For fermenting vegetables, the recommended amount of salt to use in 1 quart of water is between 1-3 tablespoons. We used 2 tablespoons of sea salt per quart of water to ferment our tomatoes.  Remember, the exact amount of salt required will vary depending on the vegetable being fermented and personal preferences.

If you want a more precise measurement, you can use a brine calculator to determine the accurate salt to water ratio and make a perfect brine for fermenting vegetables. A brine calculator can be found here. The calculator enables you to make a brine solution accurately using the correct proportions of salt and water.

This is a re-issue of our November 2023 post How to Ferment Ripe or Green Tomatoes Our Way. The first video below is how to respond to a farmhouse tomato emergency. It’s short and we immediately cut to the chase so we can respond to our emergency. The second video provides more detailed explanations.

Pickled the old-fashioned way, through lacto-fermentation, ripe or green tomatoes are fermented slowly along with your choice of garlic, herbs, and hot peppers. The result is a tangy good flavor highlighted by a variety of herbal accents and with a spicy upbeat.
Jacques's tomato soup
Jacques Pepin, Preserving, Recipe, Soups & Salads, Test Kitchen

How to use your frozen tomatoes

You stored away your bumper crop and now you’re wondering how to use your frozen tomatoes. You’re also wondering what to serve on a chilly day. This is where Chef Blondie and the amazing Jacques Pépin come to your rescue. Tonight the menu will include Jacques’s Velvet Tomato Soup made from your very own frozen tomatoes.

So, read the general instructions below. They will enable you to make any type of tomato soup you like. They will also help you to use frozen tomatoes in any number of other dishes from chili to stew.

The YouTube video and the attached, printable recipe will show you how to make Jacques’s fantastic Velvet Tomato soup à la Jacques Pépin.

Jacques's tomato soup

And remember: Happy Cooking!!!!

How to use Frozen Tomatoes for Tomato Soup

Frozen tomatoes can be an excellent ingredient for making delicious and flavorful tomato soup. Here’s how you can incorporate them into your soup recipes.

Jacques's tomato soup

Thawing and Preparation

The first step is to thaw the frozen tomatoes. You can do this by placing them in the refrigerator overnight or running them under warm water for a few minutes until they soften.

Once thawed, the skins should easily slip off. If not, you can make a small slit in the skin and peel it off.

Adding to the Soup

After peeling and removing any blemishes or cores, you can add the thawed tomatoes directly to your soup pot. Chop or crush them if you prefer a smoother texture. Some recipes recommend adding a teaspoon of sugar or a splash of balsamic vinegar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.

Cooking and Seasoning

When making tomato soup with frozen tomatoes, it’s essential to simmer the soup for a longer time, around 30-40 minutes, to allow the flavors to meld and the tomatoes to break down. This extended cooking time also helps to evaporate any excess liquid released by the thawed tomatoes, resulting in a thicker, more concentrated soup.

You can enhance the flavor of your soup by sautéing aromatics like onions, garlic, and herbs before adding the tomatoes and broth. Adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and your preferred herbs and spices.

Blending and Finishing Touches

Jacques's tomato soup

For a smooth, velvety texture, you can use an immersion blender or a regular blender to purée the soup once it has finished cooking. If using a regular blender, be cautious of hot liquids and work in batches.

Finally, you can add a splash of cream, a dollop of pesto, or garnish with croutons or grated cheese for a delightful finishing touch.

Jacques's tomato soup

By following these simple steps, you can create a rich, flavorful tomato soup using frozen tomatoes, ensuring that none of their freshness goes to waste. And that’s how to use your frozen tomatoes.

Resources

Jacques's tomato soup

The recipe used here was adapted from Jacques Pepin’s Velvet Tomato recipe on p. 54 of Jacques Pepin Heart and Soul in the Kitchen. Over his lengthy career, Jacques has used several variations of this recipe.

Other sources used in preparing this post and recipe:

You're wondering how to use your frozen tomatoes. You're also wondering what to serve on a chilly day. This is where Chef Blondie and the amazing Jacques Pepin come to your rescue. Tonight the menu will include Jacques's Velvet Tomato Soup made from your very own frozen tomatoes. We use a combination of ripe frozen tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and concentrated tomato paste. Of course, fresh ripe tomatoes work just fine.
Preserved Foods, Preserving, Recipe

How to Ferment Ripe or Green Tomatoes Our Way

You have too many ripe tomatoes in mid-season and a ton of leftover green tomatoes at end-of-season. What do you do? – There’s no need to panic and there’s no need for waste. Just ferment those tomatoes the way we do. Extend the enjoyment of the fruits of your labor for months to come.

ferment tomatoes
Ferment those End-of-season Green Tomatoes
ferment green tomatoes

Hi! Chef Blondie here.

As you can see, I was originally going to show you how we ferment our end-of-season green tomatoes here at Serendipity Farmhouse. Then, I realized we ferment our excess ripe tomatoes in just the same way.

That’s when I decided to let all of you in on an SFH Tomato Twofer. – Here’s our mise en place. So, let’s get started and talk about fermenting both ripe and green tomatoes.

ferment tomatoes
Ripe Cherry Tomatoes
ferment tomatoes
Green Tomatoes

Lacto-Fermentation – Science or Art?

Is fermenting vegetables a science or is it an art? My hubby thinks of it as a science. That means he’s constantly researching and trying to perfect salt-to-water ratios for brine. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. After all, the Lacto-fermentation process relies on the mysterious chemistry performed by Lactobacillus bacteria as they convert sugars in the vegetables into lactic acid.

For me, Lacto-fermentation is more of an art. People have been fermenting vegetables for thousands of years without understanding the chemistry behind the process. Once we stumbled across the basic steps those many years ago, we’ve used the process to our own advantage for preserving food and developing new and interesting flavors to delight our palettes.

You have full control!

Hubby and I have worked together to improve our fermenting skills. And we both agree there are two points in the process where you can influence and control the outcome. We call the first the Flavor Creation Point, and the second is the Flavor Perfection Point.

Flavor Creation Point

Do you like the flavor of specific herbs or garlic? Our herb garden is filled with our favorite herbs such as dill weed and thyme. Every year we also grow our own hardneck garlic and hot peppers. So, when it comes time to can and ferment our tomatoes, those herbs and our garlic become the ingredients we use to create the flavors we love.

ferment tomatoes
ferment tomatoes
ferment tomatoes
ferment tomatoes
ferment tomatoes

When the ripe or green tomatoes go into the mason jar, so do the herbs, garlic, and other desired ingredients. It’s our time for flavor creation and experimentation. After all, that’s what the Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen is all about!

Flavor Perfection Point

When canning tomatoes, you don’t know what your product is going to taste like until you take off the lid weeks or months later. – Not so with fermenting. No, this is a process where you have much greater control. But to exercise that control, you have to learn how to use the two most important tools simple farmhouse cooks or experienced test kitchen chefs have at their command.

If you haven’t guessed what those tools are, the two most important tools for fermenting success are your nose and your tongue. That’s right! You can sample your fermented tomatoes throughout the entire fermentation period. You get to determine whether those tomatoes are sour or tangy enough. Have the herbal flavors permeated the entire tomato or not? – It’s up to you!

As early as four days into the process, you can say, “That’s perfect!” Or you can say, “No. It needs a few days more.” – Ultimately, you are the one who can say, “I’ve reached the point of perfection!”

We here at the SFH Test Kitchen have taken command of what happens to our excess and end-of-season tomatoes. – Use our recipe and/or do your own research – and you can take command too!

Happy Fermenting!!

Tomato Lacto-Fermentation Resources

We’ve saved my dear Hubby’s technical research for inclusion here at the end of this post. We didn’t want to bore you or weigh you down with tedious facts. But, if you’re interested in Lacto-fermentation and the type of equipment that works best with the process, it’s good to have starting points for your own research. Here’s some of what he’s found.

Safety

As with any type of food preservation, health safety is paramount. In the case of Lacto-fermenation, ensuring that products remain submerged in the brine is essential. For a good review of safety tips, read these articles:

Equipment

The truth is you don’t have to go out and buy any special equipment for fermenting. However, we’ve found glass fermenting weights and silicone fermenting lids to be quite reliable tools to ensure fermenting success and safety.

fermenting tomatoes

Here are links to:

Masontops Pickle Pipes – Waterless Airlock Fermentation Lids – Wide Mouth Mason Jar Fermenter Cap

Fermentation Glass Weights with Easy Grip Handle for Wide Mouth Mason Jars.

Brine for Fermenting

For fermenting vegetables, the recommended amount of salt to use in 1 quart of water is between 1-3 tablespoons. We used 2 tablespoons of sea salt per quart of water to ferment our tomatoes.  Remember, the exact amount of salt required will vary depending on the vegetable being fermented and personal preferences.

If you want a more precise measurement, you can use a brine calculator to determine the accurate salt to water ratio and make a perfect brine for fermenting vegetables. A brine calculator can be found here. The calculator enables you to make a brine solution accurately using the correct proportions of salt and water.

Pickled the old-fashioned way, through lacto-fermentation, ripe or green tomatoes are fermented slowly along with your choice of garlic, herbs, and hot peppers. The result is a tangy good flavor highlighted by a variety of herbal accents and with a spicy upbeat.
homemade salsa
Persnickety Pierre, Preserved Foods, Preserving, Recipe, SFH Food Talk & Recipes, Test Kitchen

Serendipity Farmhouse Homemade Salsa – Pierre’s Challenge

Why settle for second best when you can have your very own homemade salsa? Chef Blondie has known the answer to that question for years. In her Test Kitchen, she demands that you never, ever settle for second best. And that is why I challenged her to show me that she could devise a homemade salsa mix recipe that would satisfy the palate and bring joy to a family gathering.

homemade salsa

As you may remember in the post How to Make Serendipity Farmhouse Salsa Mix, Chef Blondie accepted my challenge. She allowed me to observe the soon-to-be-world-famous SFH Test Kitchen Staff in action. I recorded how they assembled and combined the ingredients for the salsa mix. Then, I observed the preparation and canning of the salsa. Finally on July 30th, I participated in the debut family taste test. – In all respects, Chef Blondie surpassed my expectations!

Making this Salsa Recipe Your Own

Dear Reader, it is up to you to make this recipe your own. If you enjoy salsa with chips, use it in taco salad, or combine it with any number of Tex-Mex recipes, then you should print this recipe and start using it right away.

Remember, this recipe is based on a mix of ingredients. You can change ingredient measurements to suit your individual tastes. That is what Chef Blondie has done. – If it worked for her, it certainly can work for you.

Please note that the recipe provided here contains four separate sets of instructions. The first set is the most important. It describes how to prepare the salsa itself using the Farmhouse Salsa Mix and a few other ingredients.

The next three sets of instructions explain three different ways of storing the salsa: in the refrigerator, in the freezer, and long-term storage by processing and canning. – The choice of methods is yours.

1. Level of the homemade salsa challenge

Because the Farmhouse Salsa Mix is already prepared and ready to go, the challenge on preparation day is minimal. Yes, you must scald, skin, core, and chop the tomatoes. And yes, you may have to mince some garlic, but these are but minor tasks.

2. Selection of good-quality salsa ingredients

It’s up to you to source good tomatoes. They can be fresh, frozen, or canned. In fact, when the Test Kitchen conducted this test, Chef Blondie used both fresh and frozen tomatoes.

homemade salsa

3. Use of cooking and canning techniques

The Test Kitchen Staff is renowned for their adherence to the best kitchen practices. Cleanliness and technique are the watchwords for all when they conduct a test. On this test day, the staff was doubly aware of their practices because they knew I, Persnickety Pierre, had my eye on them. – Their every move was the epitome of high culinary art.

4. Development of superior salsa taste and flavor

There is only one way to be sure that you have developed superior salsa taste and flavor – hold an open and honest taste test. And so, a taste test was held in the kitchen of Daughter #2. (You might recall that she received two Persnickety Pierre’s Paw of Excellence Awards – See the post here.) The official judges were Daughter #2 and Son-in-Law #2. I also tasted the salsa, but I recused myself because of my close association with the SFH Test Kitchen.

5. Presentation of homemade salsa & the judges’ decision

Immediately upon our arrival, Daughter #2 quickly set a tasting table. She was quite wise in using cup-shaped chips. They are perfect for getting just the right amount of salsa with each chip. – Then the kitchen went totally silent. The tasting had begun.

I dare not attempt to repeat the compliments or describe the sounds which happy tasting judges make when they encounter a salsa that truly matches their high expectations. Let me merely state two things. First neither official judge had anything but praise for the salsa. Next, when Chef Blondie said the she would take the salsa jar and remaining contents home with her, both of the judges quickly and quite adamantly said that the salsa would stay with them.

So, there you have it! Chef Blondie accepted my challenge. And because she did, two happy tasting judges, the entire SFH TK Staff, and I, Pierre LeChat, are much happier people now.

Why settle for second best when you can have your very own homemade salsa? In the Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen, we never, ever settle for second best. This salsa shows what can be done when you follow that rule.
Preserving, SFH Food Talk & Recipes, SFH Skills, Test Kitchen

SFH-TK SKills – Herbs

Hi! Blondie here with a mix of garden and food talk.

In this post we will discuss how the soon-to-be-world-famous Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen (SFH-TK) is mastering herb skills. So, come join me on the back porch and let’s talk about what’s going on.

Although Mr. Monte would probably disagree, my dear Hubby is greatly underrated when it comes to practical skills and  long-range planning. – – Well, come to think of it, sometimes Monte’s low opinion concerning Fuzzy’s skills is spot-on. – – Whatever. This year, Hubby did have some good ideas relating to herbs and spices that have led to improvements for the SFH-TK.

I guess his long-range plan began to come into focus this time last year when he decided to give me a set of herb and spice bottles for Christmas. When I opened the rather large box containing the 48 little bottles, all I managed to say was, “Just what am I supposed to do with these?” He merely answered, “You’ll see.” – – And so I did in early March when Hubby installed two sets of herb and spice storage racks, one set for the kitchen and one for the pantry. (See the item Bringing Order to a Real Mess in the post Spring is Here! (Meteorologically speaking))

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The next step in his plan was to improve our ability to grow herbs by preparing an entirely new herb garden in SFH Vegetable Garden #2. (See the item Part I – The Herb Garden Gardens in the post Feast Day Garden Talk)

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Throughout the growing season, Hubby could be found gazing into his crystal ball (his computer and the Internet) looking for the best information sources needed to complete his master plan. That’s when he started collecting articles, items, and notes from places like the National Center for Home Food Preservation. From these resources he learned how to dry herbs. A big part of his master plan was to dehydrate some of our new crops of Rosemary, Sage, Oregano, and Tarragon and to become self-sufficient in these frequently used herbs. He thought this would be possible because all four herbs are perennials and we won’t have plant any new ones for some time. His newfound knowledge highlighted distinctions between the various types of herbs that would help him in selecting the best combinations of dehydrating times and temperatures. For example, he learned:

Less Tender Herbs —  Include rosemary, sage, thyme, summer savory and parsley – these are easier to dry

Tender-Leaf Herbs — Include basil, oregano, tarragon, lemon balm and the mints – these have a high moisture content and will mold if not dried quickly

When the pressure from the main growing season subsided, Hubby had the time to pursue the task of perfecting his SFH-TK herb dehydrating skills. For a period of two weeks, every day was filled with either picking, dehydrating, or storing our herbs. Although he learned that it is better to store some herbs whole, that is not ground, he did experiment with grinding herbs using a make-do mortar and pestle. Here are pictures of the process and the results. Sometime in the future, I’ll let Hubby go into more detail. – – For now, however, let’s just say Hubby actually had a plan that worked.

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Don’t Rest on Your Laurels, Hubby

Hubby was a bit overly proud of his new dehydrating skills. Consequently, Mr. Monte and I had to bring him down a peg or two. So, I took the opportunity to tell him that it was time to replace my special flashing light display on the back porch. Reluctantly, he set up the step ladder, climbed to dizzying and dangerous heights (for him) and proceeded to install the new lights. — Fortunately, there were no accidents and surprisingly the lights worked the first night.

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First Fire of the Season

First fire of the year – November 13

Now it’s getting a bit cold out here on the porch. It’s time to go back inside and warm up. I’ve asked Hubby to light a fire in our trusty old wood stove. While he’s doing that I’ll make some hot chocolate for the two of us.

Once again, it was the best harvest ever! – No, we’re not preppers; we’re not homesteaders; and we’re not farmers. We’re just a happily married couple living rural life in a practical way. – It’s all a great blessing.

SFH Gardens – By the Numbers

The extensive and highly productive vegetable gardens here at SFH have been blessed with a most abundant harvest. For now, the following links will catch you up with what has been planted, harvested, and preserved since our last report:

SFH 2022 Plantings

SFH 2022 Harvest

SFH 2022 Preserving

SFH WX Station Report – Monthly: 

SFH WX 2022-11-01 through 11-30

 

Preserving, Seasons

Last Things & Lasting Things

Autumn surrounds us now. It’s only natural to pause and reflect during this time of year. What is Autumn’s meaning and message? We all seek after the ‘truth’ in this season, but all too often it seems to be hidden or distorted. We hear some say they have ‘their truth’ and you have ‘your truth’. Because words mean something, we here at Serendipity Farmhouse reject that notion. Truth cannot be two different things at one time. Instead, we seek after truth by way of perspective – the proper perspective. And what might that proper perspective be?

V. Requiescant in pace. R. Amen

The Last Four Things are death, judgment, heaven, hell. On November 2nd each year, this point is made abundantly clear on the Feast of All Souls. The sequence “Dies Irae” reminds us of the “Day of wrath and doom impending.” – This is not only truth, this is inescapable truth. This is the proper perspective that leads us here at SFH to say “Pray, Prepare, Preserve.” That is because, as have gone the souls before us, so too shall we go.

Off to Fetch the Mail

For dearest Wife and me these days, a walk to the mailbox is not just a walk. It is an Autumn adventure. There’s so much to see and enjoy along the way.

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The Harvest Blessings Continue

Another first for Serendipity Farmhouse this year will be preserving our own Tarragon. We will use it in a variety of recipes, including salad dressings, sauces, and fish and chicken dishes. This herb is commonly used in French cooking. So, we will have to consult with Julia Child when making our next menu.

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SFH is under attack!

Recently, my beautiful Spouse declared to the Facebook world:

SFH is under attack!
We have a nasty racoon that keeps leaving his scat on our front porch by the door. –
We have cleaned and it keeps coming back.
Anyone have some solutions?

Guided by the nearly infallible words of wisdom offered by Mr. Monte, the SFH Chief of Security, the porch was cleared, cleaned, and sanitized – twice. Every square inch was sprayed with Repels-All liquid; the entire perimeter was covered with Repels-All granules; packets of mothballs were strategically fastened to porch furniture; and mothballs were also wedged under the door jam. A close viewing of this photo will reveal some of our countermeasures.

We Continue …

Although the “Day of wrath and doom impending” is ever foremost in our thoughts, we must continue. We must continue to mark the passage of time with hopeful prayer; continue to prepare for whatever may come; and preserve all that is good.

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Garden Talk, Pray, Prepare, Preserve, Preserving

Report to St. Isidore – 2022

Dear St. Isidore,

Most of our readers know that May 15th is your feast day. With that in mind, I submitted my Spring planting report to you in our post Feast Day Garden Talk. I suspect, however, that few of our readers know that, at one time, your feast was also celebrated on October 25th. The two dates are both appropriate, each in its own way, as being representative of the gentle cycle of life we live here at Serendipity Farmhouse. May 15th can readily be seen as the beginning of our farming year, and October 25th coincides so well with the end of the harvest.

So, Hubby and I have decided that it is quite fitting to submit our harvest and food preserving report to you as soon as possible after the 25th. We ask that you please accept this report, which highlights the successes of our stewardship and humbly records some of our dismal failures.

Bottom Line Up Front:

The harvest for 2022 will go down in history as the best year yet for the vegetable and herb gardens proudly cultivated here on the vast 1.203 acres of the Serendipity Farmhouse estate. As you will see in the tables at the end of this post, the totals for our two specialty crops, okra and tomatoes, far exceeded all expectations. This is the first time that we have ever been able to have extra produce to use in experiments testing out different methods of preserving.

Highlights

Big Okra Plants & Big Okra Totals: As you know Hubby added two new boxes to Vegetable Garden #2. He filled each with new garden soil and prepared half of one box specifically for okra. Over the years, we’ve come to agree with this statement made on the Southern States website: “Okra can grow from three to six feet tall.” One of the plants we bought from our local CSA, Waterpenny Farm, however, decided to reach a little higher than the average plant. That magnificent plant measured in at a fantastic 10 feet 3 inches from its base. It’s easy to see why our final okra totals were so high.

Varieties are the Spice of Life: The two new boxes finally gave us the room to compete twelve different varieties of tomatoes in a single season. For the first time, we were able compare quality and quantity to assist us in deciding the best varieties for cooking, salad making, canning, and freezing. In our table of harvest totals you will see which varieties we’ve decided will make a return appearance in the SFH gardens next year.

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Experiments in Food Preserving: With extra produce and array of new fresh herbs on hand, we were free to try a number experiments. All but one went quite well. Three of the more interesting experiments gave us: Dehydrated Okra, a most tasty snack; Pickled Dilly Beans, a great side for a light meal; and Tomato Jam, excellent on top of a toasted bagel with cream cheese.

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Lowlights

Not all that is planned well works out well: We planted quite a few beet seeds. But whatever we did in the planting and soil preparation obviously was not the right thing. For all of our effort all we received in turn was a single scrawny beet.

Likewise, we were really hot on the idea of fermenting. Our big mistake, however, was thinking that we should start with okra. After buying special equipment for fermenting and reading tens of articles, we decided to go ahead with a full quart jar of some of our finest okra. Now the world knows that if okra is not prepared properly, it can be quite slimy. Take it from us, fermenting okra increases the slime factor by several orders of magnitude. The best way to describe the results of this experiment gone wrong is to watch the 1958 American science fiction horror film “The Blob”.

Summary

That concludes the narrative part of our our report, St. Isidore. It was the best year ever. We’ve learned from our successes. We’ve learned from our failures. We’ve tried to be good stewards of what God has bestowed on Serendipity. The fruits of these labors constantly bring us joy.

The following two sections summarize the SFH 2022 Planting and Preserving season. You will find the full reports here and here.

2022 SFH Harvest Totals

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2022 SFH Preserving Totals

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Persnickety Pierre, Preserving, Recipe, SFH Food Talk & Recipes

Windfall Okra

C’est une situation très grave. The final piece of the renovation of the soon-to-be-world-famous Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen was to have taken place yesterday. But that did not happen. Non, instead, two days ago the vendor called to inform us that the new electric stove had not yet arrived at the warehouse. The delivery date is now uncertain, but certainly no sooner than this coming Wednesday. – – There was indeed a mood of great disappointment amongst the members of the highly dedicated SFH TK staff.

But I, the indomitable Pierre LeChat, was able to restore the spirits of the staff and renew their sense of mission. And I was able to do that with the help of recourse to the SFH TK secret ingredient – ‘serendipity‘. In this case it was the ‘serendipity‘ of ‘Windfall Okra’. – And you might ask, just what is ‘Windfall Okra’?

Mon amis, in this case, ‘Windfall Okra’ is the unexpected ringing of the telephone with the news of a serendipitous event. And that event was that a class at the Rappahannock County High School had planted okra earlier this year and the okra was ready for harvest – ready for harvest, but no one really knew what to do with that harvest. The caller, however, knew that the SFH TK was always willing to take in any stray or unwanted harvest and turn it into a gastronomic delight. (Perhaps this blog should refer to itself as a “Homeless Harvest Rescue Site”.)

Within minutes, the homeless harvest found itself in the safety and security of the caring hands of the Test Kitchen staff. I immediately devised a plan to transform this abandoned okra into a gourmet snack – it would soon become crunchy pickled okra for snacks and dinner side dishes. (See the recipe we used below.)

It will be a week or so before we perform a taste test. We suspect that this will be a test with mixed results. Pourquoi? The poor abandoned okra pods we received were somewhat past their prime (6-7 inches). When okra pods grow beyond 3-4 inches in length, they tend to become stringy and fibrous. We anticipate that some of our crunchy, pickled okra will be well beyond crunchy. If that is the case, then we will let the neighborhood dogs use them for chewing exercise. I, for one, am quite hopeful though that ‘serendipity‘ will continue to prevail, and that at least some pickled okra will become the tasty and crunchy delight for which we hope.

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This is a crunchy dill-style, vinegar-based pickled okra recipe. It is a refrigerator pickle to preserve a summer harvest without canning. It is based on a recipe by John Amato in The Culinary Garden.
For step-by-step instructions refer to the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NIyVdJHQ6M
 
Faith, Family, & Country, Garden Talk, Preserving, SFH Food Talk & Recipes

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit

The sun rose a little over an hour ago. Here at Serendipity Farmhouse this is our time for prayer and reflection. On this great national holiday, my mind comes naturally to these words.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

This year, the meaning of these words has been restored and renewed – at least in part. Here are two shining examples:

Life Prevails

Liberty Triumphs

As the sun continues to rise, there remains a quiet and peaceful calm. My beautiful Spouse has declared “holiday routine” for the entire SFH staff. For all of us, today will provide a special opportunity to enjoy that third enumerated right which the Declaration states was endowed by our Creator –

“the pursuit of Happiness”

Pierre LeChat has buried himself in a pile of cookbooks looking for new recipes for the soon-to-be-world-famous, recently renovated SFH Test Kitchen. The ever-vigilant Mr. Monte has made his morning security rounds and is taking a well-deserved nap. In a short while, Blondie and I will start preparations for today’s holiday Feast. And that feast, as it is every year on this day, will be festive, filling, and flavorful. Behold! Here is the traditional SFH 4th of July menu.

Although today will be relaxed and restful, the latter part of June and the first few days of July were filled with a multitude of chores related to completion of the SFH TK renovation. There has been organizing, cleaning, ordering a new stove, and preparing for the 2022 preserving and canning season. In fact, the harvest has already begun. So far, we have picked over two pounds of green beans, several jalapeno peppers and tomatoes, and the first pods of okra.

Because our green bean harvest is the largest ever, we have had a chance to freeze the surplus beans (three bags so far). We’ve never done that before, but it turned out to be quite simple. We used freezing advice provided at the National Center for Home Food Preservation website. For green beans, we used the instructions listed here.

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The SFH TK renovation, although not complete, is already making life better here. Several years ago, we had to store away our Breville juicer and have not had the opportunity to partake of the wonderful “green juice” we used to make. The art of juicing was introduced to our daily routine by our friends Rob and Carol Hoffman. Now that we have easy access to the juicer, and because many vegetables are available to us from our local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm, we have once again been able to make “green juice” a morning standard.

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Neither the Declaration of Independence nor our Creator gives us a right to “Happiness”. Rather we are endowed with the right of “pursuit of Happiness”. Here at SFH, we always try to remember that distinction. Sometimes, things other than “Happiness” come our way. For example, when we came home one day last week, we found that a storm had caused some destruction to our vast SFH gardens and arboreal treasures. Compared to what happened to our neighbors’ house two weeks ago, when a large Maple tree crushed a portion of their roof, the damage we had was entirely insignificant. – –

It’s at times like this, that our “Liberty” and the right to pray when and where we want becomes so important. In other countries, that is not the case. We must remember that the rights we celebrate today were won for us by brave men who were inspired by “divine Providence” to say:

“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

Happy 4th of July!!!