Monthly Archives: June 2012

Perfect Pickler coupon!

The producers of the Perfect Pickler are so happy with our review of their product that they want to give you all (our loyal readers) a fantastic coupon!

The coupon code will give you $3.00 off the Perfect Pickler Mason Jar Kit. This is what we ordered and gives you everything to start pickling right away (besides the mason jar which I am sure you all have). This saves you all over 15%.  We hope this helps you all get a Perfect Pickler of your own.

Just enter the  code: “JMF” in the coupon code box on the right of the screen and it will give you a $3.00 discount to any purchase above $19.50. Also if you have already purchased a Perfect Pickler email billhettig@me.com and they will give you the $3.00 credit. The best part is that the code will be indefinitely so you can buy Perfect Picklers for friends and family.  I hope this gets you all excited about pickling and canning for the summer!

Perfect pickler

You know that summer is officially here when you have so many cucumbers that you need to start pickling them. We have done dill, sweet, bread and butter, and every other kind of pickled cucumber you can think of. You can imagine how excited we were to learn from our friend Lisa that there is an easy way to make homemade fermented pickles that is safe and reliable.

The Perfect Pickler is simple air lock that fits on to any wide mouth canning jar that allows gas to escape during the fermentation process. Fermented pickles are much like the ones you might find a deli counter in a giant wooden barrel and we knew we could not pass up the opportunity start making out own.

The recipes could not be easier for fermented pickles. It has the same ingredients as any normal pickle but you leave out the vinegar and you do not need to cook anything. The key is making the salt brine that the pickles will live in. The brine is salty enough that the only good lactic acid producing bacteria can survive. Fermented pickles are actually pro-biotic just like yogurt and other fermented foods.

The first step is to fit all of your flavoring and cucumbers into a jar. here I used dried chili, dill, and some of our very own garlic. Then you make a 5% brine solution (by weight) and fill the jar so that the cucumbers and flavoring are completely covered. I like to pack the jars really tight so that the cucumbers do not float up during the pickling process. If the cucumbers are exposed to any air during the pickling the will turn sour and not be good to eat.

The next step to attach the air lock lid and wait 3-4 days until the cucumbers have reached the desired level of pickling. Then you can remove the lid and store them in the fridge for 3-4 weeks. During the fermenting process the brine solution will turn a bit cloudy but this is fine it is just part of the natural process.

The air lock is a very nice extra. Traditionally people would make large batches of these sour pickles and just weigh down the pickles with a wood top and stones. This would keep the cucumbers in the brine and safely away from the air. This method still works but the air lock on the top of the ball jar allows for small batches and a bit of extra add security. It also allows for consistency because the pickling environment is sealed so each batch you make can taste nearly the same (if you use the same ingredients of course).

 

Recipe:

1/2 lb of small pickling cucumbers

4 cloves garlic

1 bunch of fresh dill

4 dried chili peppers

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

2 cups of water

2 1/2 table spoons salt

Use a 1 quart wide mouth ball jar and fit all of the cucumbers and spices into the jar. Make sure that the cucumbers have been in the jar in such a way that they can not move around or little ones can not float to the surface. Next mix the salt and the water together until the salt has completely dissolved.   Pour in the jar until all of the cucumber are completely covered. Place the air lock lid on the jar and store at room temperature away from direct sunlight for 3-4 days. Once the jar starts to cloud up you can remove a pickle and taste it. If you want it more sour allow it to go for another day or two and then test again. Once the pickles have reached the perfect taste for you. Remove the air lock lid and put on a more two piece canning lid and transfer the pickles to the refrigerator. You can leave them in the original brine or remove that brine and replace with fresh brine to completely arrest the fermentation process. They will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks.

 

2011 Stash Party Pinwheels quilt

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Riley thinks her quilt is done. Little does she know, this quilt is going to Texas with me very soon. Don’t worry, there are plenty of other quilts here for her napping pleasure!

Weekend Reading

Secretariat Given Preakness Record 39 Years Later from the New York Times.

Hebrew National hot dogs not kosher, lawsuit claims from Reuters.

Green Roofs in Big Cities Bring Relief From Above from The New York Times.

Hypochondria: The Impossible Illness from Psychology Today. Fascinating.

Papa from GQ Magazine. This is about the millions of dollars and legal mess left behind when James Brown died. Really interesting.

Cocaine Incorporated from The New York Times. How a Mexican drug cartel makes it’s billions.

Bath Salts: Deep in the Heart of America’s New Drug Nightmare from Spin. Yowza, this is terrifying.

What are you reading this weekend?

June ramblings

Knitting and Fibery stuff

There has been some knitting going on around here, though admittedly not the past week or so. I’m about halfway on one of the sleeves for DH’s birthday sweater (it should be noted that his birthday is in January).

We finished and presented the “fish mobile” aka One Fish Two Fish. Mom and baby both seem to like it!
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It was a joint project for somebody at work. More photos, the pattern link, etc. on my Ravelry project page. The actual fish pattern is for a cat toy, and we made the rest of it up.

I made a little shawl (Rav link), but I’m not sure what I think about it. I wish it were longer, shallower, and perhaps a different color. It’s too hot right now to give it much serious consideration.
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Made it to the Fiber Frolic earlier this month! I’ve missed the past two years because of funerals or memorial services. Double bonus for me this year: nobody in the family died, and I got to go hang with friends! I brought home some bamboo/cotton, and some plain bamboo tencel… secret project in progress.
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The best part of the day was hanging with some fibery friends, and seeing more of them there. We were all quite smitten by these angora bunny babies. And I want some of these rubber chicken earrings!
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Lucia is a cake making machine! She untangled the skein and wound it up in a center pull cake!
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And Sara fights like a girl. And she’s in love with a yarn colorway of the same name.

Around the gardens

That sounds so posh, no? How about around the yard…

Our peas are finally flowering, as are the peonies (mmmmm!) and roses. The iris are done (and didn’t put on a big show, except for the weedy purple siberians, which I adore). This might be the first year I really noticed how beautiful the pea flowers are.
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Peonies are just behind the peas… If you embiggen, you might see what is hiding up in back of the peonies… near where the roses are.
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It’s this guy! He served for years as a place to put bird food.
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Yowza!
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The roses are also quite lovely… I have no idea what the ones out back are. Likely some old fashioned thing.
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Out front we have a bank with Rugosa rose aka beach rose. They’re weedy, and they can be invasive in coastal situations, but they work pretty well in our yard.
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And on the other side of the yard, in the shade, the hosta are doing well.
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Even that gawdawful goutweed has a certain appeal on a hot day…
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Yesterday’s lunch

I was gifted some wonderful stainless lunch pails at Christmastime. I’ve been carrying my lunch in them, and for the past few weeks it has been salad. For quite a while I’ve had a thing for baby arugula, but lately it’s been the lettuce from the garden. And berries on the salad. And stinky cheese (gorgonzola is my favorite). And usually some bit of protein: eggs, nuts, leftover fish or chicken… numm numm!

It has been stinking hot here the past couple of days, and the AC wasn’t working at work. It was actually much cooler outside, so that’s where I headed for lunch.

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Crochet??????

And here’s what I did at lunch: worked on the beaded crochet bracelet! I strung the beads at breakfast, crocheted a bit here and there, and by the end of the day I was done! The instructional video at the link is really clear, even for me. But this suits my crochet skills, which are “chain”.
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I wanted it really long, and to wrap several times. Mission accomplished. And there are enough beads left on the string for another. And I have loads more beads. I see an obsession coming on…
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Other obsessions

Bras, but you know that, right? I gifted my two nieces (19 and 17) with a fitting and a nice bra. They were happy! Mom came too. We went to Bella Intimates in Rye, NH. It’s a beautiful little shop run by a lovely woman, Shelley.
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I feel like such a giant next to these girls (and mom)… height-wise and boob-wise.
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But it was all good. Shelley says she has a friend doing a photo shoot for a calendar, and wants us to be part of it! A multi-generational thing. Plans are for July 8. I forget what the calendar is for (I’m thinking breast cancer), but I’ll keep you posted.

And finally

Remember the Gilligan’s Island meeting props? I finally got around to making a small Bond set. These are for somebody who is switching jobs to another agency. I made his reversible.
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The Bonds are easy to name… but can you name the girls?? Two of these have the appropriate Bond girl on the flip side.
Dalton as BondFamke Janssen as Xenia Onatopp
Roger Moore as BondLois Chiles as Dr. Holly Goodhead
And of course, Sean Connery as Bond – and the best named Bond girl, Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore

Snippet Update …

Full size snippet pictures

Part 1 -

Steamship Authority – Vineyard Haven

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Island Theatre – Oak Bluffs

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Sweetheart house – Campground

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Edgartown Inn

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Bandstand – Ocean Park

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Whale’s tail – Edgartown harbor

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Newes From America Pub – Edgartown

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Part 2:

Oak Bluffs beach

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Field Gallery – W Tisbury

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Old Whaling Church – Edgartown
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Gay Head cliffs – Aquinnah
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Flying Horses – Oak Bluffs
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Katama General Store – Edgartown
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Tabernacle – Campground
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(Click on pictures to enlarge)


Front porch birds

We have had some fantastic guest living on our front porch for the last month. Right around shearing in May we had a family of Barn Swallows (our best guess) start making a nest on our front porch. We could watch them every evening fly acrobatically in and out collecting material for their nest (including some spare bits of wool and yarn).

We noticed last week the birds had become more territorial and loud when ever we step out. This is what clued us in that there may be some little babies up in the nest.

Sure enough there are 5 rather large baby birds crammed into that tiny nest. They poke their heads up in a rather comic struggle to get what ever the mother and father are bring from them to eat.

They sit very low and have little grumpy faces when no one in bringing them any food.

We know that they will soon fly off but we will enjoy their presence while we can and remember that the farm is a home for more than just the animals that we help to raise.

New Look …

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Gingerbread cottage – Campground – Martha’s Vineyard

Both pretty but one of them I like a little better !!

(Click here to visit MV Obsession)


The giant pea stalks

021 pea mountain

I’m pretty sure it won’t be long before I can climb my pea stalks up to the giant’s house to fetch a golden egg. Next time I pick peas I’m going to need a ladder to reach them! The pea fence I bought it woefully inadequate so next year I plan to get study bean towers instead. We’ve had several big harvests already and they show no signs of slowing down. I may need a pea-sitter when I leave for vacation.

Six Puppies. Or is it Seven?

We have been letting Lucy spend the day in the pasture, away from her puppies this week. It’s time for the puppies to be weaned and we figured Lulu would appreciate the time to herself. For the most part she does, but when evening comes, she climbs the little paddock fence and peers over the top of the Dutch door to gaze upon her offspring like a character from a tragic opera.

Last evening we let the pups out into the little paddock at the time when Lucy usually comes back to be with them and it was so endearing to watch their reunion. Lucy enjoys playing as much as the puppies and the seven of them raced and tumbled around the little paddock for half an hour, reveling in the company of each other.

My sister Carrie asked me to post a picture that showed how much smaller Gnocchi is than his litter mates. You can see here that he’s just on a different scale than the brothers. I do think he’s starting to catch up though.

The next pics are out of focus. Low light + wiggling puppies do not make for sharp pics! But even out of focus Gnocchi is the most adorable puffball.

I was trying to demonstrate that he is slightly smaller than a hen with these pics.

Neither Gnocchi or the hen would cooperate.