Category: Preserving

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.

Serendipity Farmhouse Salsa

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.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Cuisine American
Servings 5 pints

Ingredients
  

  • 6 lbs. fresh tomatoes (about 18 medium) - substitute frozen or canned tomatoes; 6 cans (14.5 oz each) petite diced regular or low sodium tomatoes, undrained
  • 3.8 oz Serendipity Farmhouse Salsa Mix mild, medium, or hot depending on which option was selected when preparing the salsa mix
  • ½ cup White Distilled Vinegar (5% acidity) or cider vinegar (5% acidity)

Instructions
 

  • Wash tomatoes. Scald for 3 minutes in boiling water
  • Dip into cold water.
  • Cut out cores. Remove skins. Chop tomatoes coarsely. This should yield about 10 cups tomatoes. If using canned tomatoes, do not drain liquid.
  • Combine tomatoes, white distilled vinegar and Serendipity Farmhouse Salsa Mix in a large non-reactive saucepan. Do not use aluminum.
  • Bring mixture to a boil. Stir occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Your Serendipity Farmhouse Salsa is ready!

Immediate Use Instructions

  • Pour into containers and let cool. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving. Store covered in refrigerator up to 1 week.

Freezing Instructions

  • Pour into freeze-safe containers and let cool. Store covered in freezer up to 1 year. Store thawed product in refrigerator up to 1 week.

Canning Instructions

  • Prepare home canning jars and lids according to manufacturer's instructions for sterilized jars.
  • Pour hot salsa into clean hot pint canning jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe rip and cap each jar as it is filled.
  • Process jars for 40 minutes* in boiling water bath canner. Turn off heat, carefully remove canner lid, and let jars stand for 5 minutes in canner.
    *Processing time listed is for altitudes less than 1000 feet. At altitudes of 1000 feet or more, increase processing time 1 minute for each 1000 feet of altitude.
  • Remove jars. Let jars sit undisturbed to cool at room temperature for 12-24 hours.
  • Test jars for airtight seals according to manufacturer's directions. If jars do not completely seal, refrigerate and consume within 1 week. Use shelf-stable product within 1 year.

Notes

SERVING SUGGESTION - Persnickety Pierre says: "Serendipity Farmhouse Salsa is not intended for the solitary soul. Rather, it is for that festive occasion when family and friends are gathered together. - That it was why it won my challenge!"
homemade salsa
Keyword Serendipity Farmhouse Salsa
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

ItemQTYMeasureFirstLastComments
Asparagus22Spears17-Apr05-MayPerennial
Basil11Bunches12-May13-SepNext year
Beets1Beet15-Jul15-Jul
Dill5Bunches03-Jun11-SepNext year
Garlic Heads32Heads29-Jun29-JunNext year
Garlic Scapes32Scapes31-May31-MayNext year
Green Beans438Pods20-Jun24-SepNext year
Kale2Bunches12-May23-MayNext year
Lettuce1Bunch27-Oct27-Oct
Okra, Green578Pods28-Jun19-OctNext year
Okra, Purple23Pods07-Jul07-JulRCHS
Oregano1Bunch27-Oct27-OctNext year
Parsley8Bunches12-May08-AugNext year
Peppers, Habanero59Peppers25-Jul24-Sep
Peppers, Jalapeno217Peppers20-Jun25-OctNext year
Romaine2Bunches12-May23-MayNext year
Rosemary1Bunch27-Oct27-OctPerennial
Sage2Bunches30-Aug11-Sep
Tarragon1Bunch27-Oct27-Oct
Thyme1Bunch16-Aug16-Aug
Tomato, Better Boy47Tomatoes15-Jul18-SepNext year
Tomato, Better Bush24Tomatoes13-Jul25-Sep
Tomato, Big Beef32Tomatoes20-Jul25-SepNext year
Tomato, Celebrity25Tomatoes12-Jul23-AugNext year
Tomato, Early Girl28Tomatoes06-Jul25-SepNext year
Tomato, German Queen9Tomatoes18-Aug03-Sep
Tomato, Husky Cherry381Tomatoes08-Jul25-SepNext year
Tomato, Mr. Stripey14Tomatoes28-Jul25-Sep
Tomato, Pink Brandywine8Tomatoes13-Aug29-Aug
Tomato, Roma61Tomatoes17-Jul25-SepNext year
Tomato, Super Sweet Cherry1106Tomatoes24-Jun05-OctNext year
Tomato, Zebra17Tomatoes28-Jul17-Sep

2022 SFH Preserving Totals

ItemQuantityType of Preservation
Dill Seeds1 packetStoring
Green Beans3 8-ounce bagsFreezing
Green Beans4 pint jarsPickling
Habanero Peppers2 pint & 1 1/4 jarsDehydrating
Jalapeno Peppers, Pickled9 half pint jarsCanning
Okra2 pint jarsDehydrating
Okra1 quart jarFermenting
Okra10 bagsFreezing
Okra, Pickled8 pint jarsCanning
Okra, Pickled1 quart jarRefrigerated
Oregano1/2 pint jarsDehydrating
Pasta Sauce6 pint jarsCanning
Sage1 pint jarDehydrating
Salsa24 pint jarsCanning
Tomato Jam5 1/2-pint jarsCanning
Tomatoes16+ lbs.Freezing

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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Crunchy Pickled Okra

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
Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

Ingredients for Mason Jar

  • 4-6 sprigs fresh dill Note #1
  • 12 oz 1 QT washed and trimmed okra
  • 2 large cloves garlic
  • 1 small hot pepper Serrano or Fresno - Note #2

Brine Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon whole coriander seed Note #3
  • 1 Tablespoon whole black peppercorns Note #3
  • 1 3/4 Cups white distilled vinegar
  • 3/4 Cup water
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 4 teaspoons pickling salt - Add same time as sugar
  • 2 dried bay leaves

Notes

Note #1 - Our homegrown dill was at a perfect stage for use.
Note #2 - All we had available was a small homegrown jalapeno. We sliced it lengthwise and removed the seeds to avoid excess heat.
Note #3 - We had no coriander seeds, so we resorted to using mrs. wages Mixed Pickling Spice 

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!!!

 

Mr. Monte, Preserving, SFH Food Talk & Recipes

Garlic & Hackers

Garlic

There is a day dreaded by every caretaker of God’s greatest gift to the practice of the culinary arts. And that day came most unfortunately to Serendipity Farmhouse late in December 2021. That was the day when Blondie walked into our well-stocked pantry and let out a most terrible and mournful shriek. Despite the pain caused by four broken ribs, I dashed for the pantry at a full run. – There must be something dreadfully wrong. – And there was!

Yes, it was worse than I could have ever imagined. The wondrous pantry of the soon-to-be-world-famous SFH Test Kitchen had become something worse than the “bog of eternal stench” from the movie Labyrinth. The smell was beyond description by any words from any language devised by man – it was the smell of decomposing garlic.

If you read our post SFH Journal: 2020-06-30 through 07-05 – Happy 4th of July!! you will be instantly aware of the tender love and care that we lavish upon our yearly harvest of garlic. We take every precaution to ensure that our precious crop is dried and stored to ensure freshness from the first to the last clove of the year. So, how could it be that our crop could be going bad this early. – – The answer was, and this makes me most proud to say, it was not our crop that was going bad. No, we had done everything correctly. Our crop was still good. But this year we had purchased a large number of garlic heads from the CSA across the road from us as a backup to our supply. Apparently, they had not dried or stored their crop with as much care as we had. It was their garlic that was causing the obnoxious odor in our pantry.

Upon close inspection, we determined that only some of the heads were beyond salvaging. The remainder needed to be either consumed immediately or preserved in some way. So, we searched for various alternatives for preserving. That is when we the read the post Storing Garlic in Wine or Vinegar and Refrigerating on the Garlic Blog. – – We decided to give it a try. We also decided to do the same with the remainder of our own crop. After all, this is the SFH Test Kitchen! We are always ready to try something new if it looks like it has promise.

Below are some pictures from our latest experiment. We will post results on how well this technique works in the coming weeks.

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&

Hackers

Self-respecting bloggers never want to admit that a blog they run has been hacked. Yet here I am with no alternative other than to say that the SFH blog was hacked by a very cunning, devious, and malicious hacker.

I came to this realization this week when I saw that a post entitled Access Granted to 黑客猫 had been published from our site. I knew that I hadn’t posted anything. When asked, Blondie said that she hadn’t put out anything. But there it was, Access Granted to 黑客猫. I quickly checked out our site statistics and found that there had been 23,417 views of that particular post.

However, when I tried to open the post to read it myself, there was no post. All that was there on my screen was just this picture providing indisputable proof that we had been hacked.

I really don’t know what to make of it. Somehow though, there is something about this photo that seems vaguely familiar to me. I just wish I could figure out what is. – – If anyone has any ideas about this, please let me know.

 

Making Do, Preserving, SFH Journal, SFH Weather

SFH Journal: 2021-08-02 through 08-15 – Back in Business (Almost)

The featured picture is a couple of years old, but it definitely conveys the sense of joy one feels when important, labor-saving equipment is operating as it should. Late this week, after a very long and painful absence, my cherished lawn tractor was returned to its rightful place here at Serendipity Farmhouse. While it was in the “hospital” suffering from an ailment that took over three weeks to diagnose, yours truly was mowing the somewhat less than verdant lawns of the vast SFH Estate with a push mower. To give you an idea of what that was like, consider that eight of the first fifteen days of August were in the 90’s and, during that same period, the average humidity was 82%.

Now that the lawn tractor has returned, I am a much happier man. You might well ask, what was it that caused the lawn tractor to cease functioning? Well, dear Readers, it turns out that the electronic control module, with its embedded computer chip, had its brains scrambled. Consequently, the lawn tractor was almost fatally infected with – Complete Operational loss of Vital and Indispensable Data – i.e., COVID.

If you recall, we listed a rash of problems that beset SFH almost like a plague of locusts in our post SFH Journal: 2021-07-05 through 07-25: Upson Downsof Life Re-Revisited. Now that the lawn tractor has returned, we have resolved almost all of our problems. One problem remains however as a distressing reminder of how we can feel the loss of a modern day convenience. Our 21-year-old dishwasher has neither been repaired nor replaced. The whole affair is a nasty mess reminiscent of the movie Catch-22. I will refrain from boring you with the details, but I will let you know that dear and wondrous Wife is not happy with her dishpan hands and she has discussed the matter with me on numerous occasions. Needless to say, I’ve been on the telephone attempting to untangle this mess.

Canning has been underway for a few weeks now. If you click here, you can see what we’ve put away thus far.

SFH Gardens – By the Numbers

  The following links will catch you up with what has been planted, harvested, and preserved since our last Journal post:

SFH 2021 Plantings

SFH 2021 Harvest

SFH 2021 Preserving

SFH WX Station Report – Weekly: 

SFH WX 2021-08-02 through 08-08

SFH WX 2021-08-09 through 08-15

Preserving, SFH Journal

SFH Journal: 2021-07-05 through 07-25: Upson Downsof Life Re-Revisited

Dear Reader: If you have the time, please refer to the opening section of our post SFH Journal: 2020-04-06 through 04-12 – Upson’s Life Revisited. You will find there how I finally came to resign myself to the vagaries of reality and all that they entail:

Many years have passed since I met Upson and worked with Mr. Unlucky. More and more I realize I have become much like them. The day will bring what it brings. It is the best I can hope to get. And, in the end, the best is good enough for me.

And why should I bring this up with you on this particular day? – Well, dear Reader, the last two weeks have forced me to remember my own words and to live by them as I have resolved. Here are but a few misfortunes and calamities that have beset Serendipity Farmhouse in recent days:

  • The 21-year-old dishwasher in the soon to be world-famous SFH test kitchen decided it was time to retire. Repair parts appear to be unavailable. It will likely be replaced by our home warranty service – but that replacement date remains unknown.
  • Cell phones used by my dearest Spouse and me, came to an untimely end this past week. Both had to be replaced.
  • The once reliable lawn tractor I use to mow the vast 1.203 acres of the prestigious SFH Estate died and is now sitting in a repair facility. So far, there is no diagnosis or prognosis. Meanwhile, the finely manicured lawns of SFH are turning into meadows suitable for grazing.
  • Just prior to grilling four beautiful lamb chops, our barely one-year old grill decided to malfunction. For a week it could not be used. Fortunately, I found a way to fix the problem.
  • Worst of all and most troubling to us, our esteemed SFH Chief of Security has been diagnosed with a rare and potentially serious malady afflicting his left ear. This will mean that Mr. Monte will have to travel many miles to see a veterinary specialist and likely undergo surgery. – You can be certain this is not to Mr. Monte’s liking.

Nevertheless, with trust in God, we here at SFH continue to say: The day will bring what it brings. It is the best I can hope to get. And, in the end, the best is good enough for me.

SFH Simple Salsa

We planted three weeks past our normal target date this year out of an overabundance of caution with regard to late freezes. (I detest the phrase “an overabundance of caution”, yet I use it here to castigate myself for my surrender to fear and lack of boldness in carrying out my agrarian duties.) Consequently, our harvest is coming in late. This last Friday, we finally harvested the six pounds of tomatoes needed to can our first six pints of of world-renowned Serendipity Farmhouse Salsa.

While many of our friends and family members prefer our extra spicy salsa, made with a variety of hot peppers from our garden, there are some that have a more sensitive palate. This year we decided that our first batch of salsa would be more mild. Of course our secret blend of spices would remain in our modified recipe, but the hot peppers would be saved for our second batch of salsa. Therefore, the first batch of salsa would bear the name – SFH Simple Salsa.

No doubt you have seen many of our pictures of salsa preparation. And, if it weren’t for the fact that this year’s tomatoes are coming from the garden without blemish, I would not include pictures in this post. Nevertheless, Mr. Monte and Blondie agree these Roma, Big Boy, Better boy, and Bush Goliath tomatoes just have to be seen as they are transformed from garden beauties to magnificent salsa.

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SFH Gardens by the Numbers

  The following links will catch you up with what has been planted and what has been harvested since our last Journal post:

SFH 2021 Plantings

SFH 2021 Harvest

SFH 2020 Preserving

SFH WX Station Report – Weekly: 

SFH WX 2021-06-28 through 07-11

SFH WX 2021-07-12 through 07-18

SFH WX 2021-07-19 through 07-25

 

 

Critters, Mr. Monte, Preserving, SFH Journal

SFH Journal: 2020-08-31 through 09-13 – New Hire

IMG_20200826_194012872_editedHi! Mr. Monte here!

To all my followers and ardent fans, as another sign of my dedication to duty and fervent desire to maintain security, good order, and peaceful tranquility here at Serendipity Farmhouse, in my capacity as SFH Chief of Security, I have taken on a new member to join the SFH Security Department. Our new hire, Rusty the Rat Snake comes with an impressive resume. He is adept at controlling destructive rodents and other pesky critters, especially subterranean dwellers.

Rusty rounds out our Security Department with his ability to identify and engage security threats at ground level and below. Meanwhile, Lightning, our broad-winged hawk, has secured the skies over SFH and Bronto the bear has ensured the integrity of our perimeter areas. Now, with no further ado, here is the official SFH Security Department staff picture for 2020.

SFH Chief of Security
Avian and Rodent Control
Parimeter Patrol
General Critter Control

Harvest and Preserving

Old Fuzz Face is our official SFH statistician. He maintains the planting, harvest and preserving tables. Because he’s currently tied up with other pressing matters, all I intend to do at this point is give you the latest preserving table. When he gets a chance he will tell you about the end of the tomato season and other changes as we move into Autumn. You will see from the table that, even though Blondie and Fuzzy were engaged in the great 2020 Birthday Bash, they still found time to harvest and preserve the bounty.

Date: Month/DayItemQuantityType of PreservationComments
08-04Okra4 pint jarsPickling
08-06Salsa6 pint jarsCanningHowlin' Coyote
1 Jalapeno, 1 Serrano, 1 Cayenne
08-13Banana Peppers1 1/2 pint jarPickling
08-13Jalapeno Pepper Mix3 1/2 pint jarsPicklingJalapeno, serrano, cayenne peppers
08/14Salsa6 pint jarsCanningSome Like It Hot
1 Jalapeno, 1 large Salsa, 2 Serrano, 2 Cayenne
08-18Popcorn7 quart jarsDry Canning
08-19Pasta Sauce5 pint jarsCanning1 clove garlic, dried basil
08-20Okra4 pint jarsPickling
08-23Salsa6 pint jarsCanningMax Karl's Bad
1 Habanero, 2 Jalapeno, 2 Cayenne
09-01Okra3 bagsFreezing
09-07Okra4 pint jarsPickling
09-07Banana Peppers1 1/2 pint jarPickling
09-07Jalapeno Pepper Mix3 1/2 pint jarsPicklingJalapeno, serrano, cayenne peppers

SFH by the Numbers

Canning season continues. The following links will catch you up with what’s come out of our gardens and what has gone into mason jars since our last Journal post.:

SFH 2020 Plantings

SFH 2020 Harvest

SFH 2020 Preserving

SFH WX Station Report – Weekly: 

SFH WX 2020-08-31 through 09-06

SFH WX 2020-09-07 through 09-13