Pressure Canning

The lot on which Mist Cottage sits, which is under 1/3 acre, seems large to us, we love it. Abutting our yard is a very large lot, four, perhaps five acres, mostly a well kept, empty lawn. Several dogs live there, they are pleasant dogs. The dogs use that spacious lawn as a huge toilet area. No one ever collects dog waste there, it is just left where it lands, indefinitely. The lawn is cut with a riding mower, and we stay indoors when it is being cut because the the mower will be creating billows of dog waste dust. We like our neighbours, and this has not caused us much inconvenience.

Today however, I watched in amazement, as a device that looked a little like a lawn mower, wandered in a seemingly random pattern around that large lawn. I suspect it was picking up dog waste. I think I would opt for the same solution were I to have that large a yard, and dogs!

We are still eating fresh produce from the garden. Tonight’s dinner included garden zucchini and tomatoes. I sauteed onion, added diced zucchini and tomatoes, and Italian spices, placed it all in a baking dish, sprinkled with a little grated cheddar, heated to melt the cheese, and it was delicious. That was the last of our zucchini for 2022. Last Friday’s dinner consisted of toasted tomato sandwiches, using our garden tomatoes. Still to be brought in are Winter Keeper cabbages, Swiss chard, celery, and kale. We also have kale in the dehydrator right now, it will be ready tomorrow to make into powder.

Although there are still a few big harvest projects to accomplish, the pace of preservation is now slower. So much so that I had a chance to setup the pressure canner, and can four jars of Chicken Pot Pie filling. I’ve been wanting to this for quite a while. Since I haven’t canned this before it was quite a bit of work. The first step was to do the research, as I developed the recipe. I knew what ingredients I wanted to use, so the canning guidelines for each was researched. If an ingredient had no USDA guidelines for canning, I eliminated it from the ingredient list. Then each of he ingredients was made ready, chopping onions, partially cooking the chicken, blanching the potatoes, and blanching the mixed vegetables. The broth from cooking the chicken and blanching the mixed vegetables was saved to use as the liquid for canning. The jars were processed for 90 minutes.

Chicken Pot Pie Filling
Some siphoning in my jars, the food is still safe, but over time there might be some oxidation. These jars won’t sit on the shelf long enough for that to happen!

The canned Chicken Pot Pie filling is a new recipe for us, so I wanted to try it right away. So on Monday that is what I made for dinner. It was delicious, the recipe is a winner for us. My recipe calls for baking the pie in the oven at 350F for 30 minutes, but our oven uses a huge amount of hydro, so I wanted to find a more energy efficient way of cooking. The Crockpot seemed to make sense, so it was used, on the high setting for two hours. That, it turns out, was far too long, but still an overall success. The cooking time will be shortened next time. New recipes always need to be tweaked until they work smoothly.

I’ve been a little surprised at how long my Covid symptoms are hanging on. It is irritating. Last week I suffered from nosebleeds, and thank goodness that has now stopped. I still tire easily, and frequently nap in the afternoons. I am able to go for a walk again without discomfort, a much appreciated improvement.

Ontario Hydro did not arrive to do the work in the time frame they setup, which has been a big disappointment. I’ve called them again today, and left a message in hopes of finding out when the “pre-work” will be done. “The work” cannot be done until the “pre-work” is done. It has been two weeks short of four months, since they were first contacted about getting this work done for our heating system.

Also, somehow, the report from the vascular surgeon has gone missing. It was sent to my Nurse Practitioner the first week of September, and her clinic says they don’t have it. I’ve had to make numerous telephone calls to both offices, it was sent to the Nurse Practitioner again last week, and still the Nurse Practitioner says they have not got the report. This is very frustrating, as some of the recommended treatments have to wait for this report. This is the second time that a medical report sent to my clinic has gone missing. The last time is was suddenly “found”, after several queries about it on my part.

I will just have to keep plugging along with all this following up on processes that aren’t working the way institutions say they are working.

The weather has been mild, and therefore lovely. We are enjoying donning our jackets, to sit out on the back porch as the sun goes down in a blaze of colour. Soon the winter weather will arrive, but until it does, we are drawn to the outdoors.

Worldly

Weather

Updated on Wed, Nov 2, 7:15 PM
8 °C
FEELS LIKE 7
Clear
Wind 5 SE km/h
Humidity 84 %
Visibility 26 km
Sunrise 7:45 AM
Wind gust 8 km/h
Pressure 102.6 kPa
Ceiling 9100 m
Sunset 5:56 PM

Quote

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”
Aristotle
384 BC – 322 BC



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Joan Lansberry

I hope you are all better soon and your doctors’ offices and the hydro gets their stuff sorted ASAP!

Teri

Sorry you appear to have long COVID, Maggie. Honestly though, you seem to be coming back more quickly than other of my internet friends. I feel especially sorry for one friend who has lost her taste and smell for better than 6 months, now. The only progress she’s had is now some one-time favorite foods now smell vile, rather than having no scent at all.

How frustrating, your hydro and NP interactions! Any chance that you can transfer your records yourself?

We have been having some amazing weather! Today and yesterday, we actually made it to 20C! We did have our first freeze a few days before that, though.

Last edited 1 year ago by Teri