Honestly, it is nice to have a break from the constant food production. It is still there, but far more emphasized on the consumption side.
I processed down the sauerkraut. I did it all sweet Bavarian style which meant the addition of sugar and fennel. For your puritans of the fermented foods out there, well, it is what it is. I canned it all and the enzymes are largely destroyed. The upside is that even the baby enjoys eating the stuff out of hand and honestly, it tastes fantastic.
So this is what the sauerkraut looked like once I removed the weight and plate from the top. I then removed the top leaves, packed the kraut underneath, some sugar and chopped fennel seeds into a huge stock pot, and brought it all to a boil.
The kraut went into sterilized quart jars in the same fashion that 500 some odd jars before had gone, topped off with enough liquid to seal them off and they then spent 20 minutes in a hot water bath canner.
And this is what the jars look like in the canner.
So, for the moment, until I think of something else, that is the end of the year’s food preservation.
Bunny still shows no aversion to the cold or snow. If you cannot find her inside, it is because she is outside somewhere hopping about in the snow.
Piper is still working on her deer parts. Here she has a deer pelvis, while cuddled up with her bunny.
Even when not gnawing on a deer carcass part, she is still with her bunny. It is what it is.
We are still harvesting fresh kale out of the garden. I just run it under water after cutting it off of the plants and it is as if I had harvested it fresh in the fall, except that now after frosts and being frozen solid with winter cold it is sweeter and more tender. Wish I had started growing this stuff earlier in our endeavors as it is a fantastic all-weather green vegetable.
Kids went on a sort-of sleigh ride at their grandparent’s assisted living home. Claire was the only one who wanted her photo with the horses afterwards, but they all enjoyed the ride.
Violet is really cute in a monster winter hat.
We went to Choo Choo Bob’s ( http://choochoobobs.com/store/ ) and the kids got their picture taken with engineer Paul….
played with trains….
had photo taken wtih Santa, his wife, and elves….
and the reason we really went, which was to see Grandma Dell Medcraft playing the wife of Santa <grin>
Then it was off to an impromptu dinner with Rudy and Rita of ham and scalloped potatoes, followed by playing with Mardi Gras beads and home for homework.
So, once again, not a lot to do with gardening, and a lot to do with the season we are in, and photos of cute kids and animals.
Merry Christmas everyone. Not sure that there will be another post for a few more weeks. We will see. There is the possibility we will be killing and butchering a pig about a month from now, and if that is the case, we will photo and blog that as well.
