MISSOURI PEACHES ARE WONDERFUL

 Now that summer is here and the heat is

definitely here, there are an abundance of

 peaches available.  We drove over to the Amish

country in Clark and bought a whole case

 of peaches.  Actually, the peaches originally

 came from down in southeast Missouri.

I am so glad I saved my

home canning items and

quite a few jars.  

I decided to make some peach jam and pies and

still have plenty left over to just eat.

I also made a pie for ourselves

and one for our son's family.

Click here for the recipe.

I did add 2 Tb fruit pectin

to the pie and 1 Tb cornstarch.

I also increased the

 cinnamon to

2 Tb.

AMISH COUNTRY - CLARK, MISSOURI

 Today we decided to ride up to the Amish

Country and see what produce was

available and also just enjoy a ride.

We conserve driving right now with

the price of gas but it really wasn't

all that far. 

 See the lovely cockcomb

in this ladies garden.  I remember back

in 90's when Martha Stewart got us all

gluing cockscomb onto cones for those

Christmas mantel pieces.

My photos were taken 

from inside my

car so.....so some are a bit dull.

We had trouble remembering where we

had been before and the roads were

very dusty from lack or rain.

I imagine everyone having similar conversations as they ride along. 

 Like, "oh maybe we should move out

 on a farm and grow our own food" or

something like "think how much money

we would save if we did this".  Haha!

All the houses are large and plain

with white siding.

I wanted to find one particular place

where they had a lot of canning items

with preserves and pickles.

There were a lot of greenhouses

with tomatoes inside.

The auction house is where a lot

of local small vegetable stands

go to buy their produce to resell.

I could quickly see that lumber is

a very important part of their lives.

So here was my stash at home 

on the kitchen table. (they reuse

old jars)

MEYER LEMON MARMALADE

Last week I googled some meyer lemon marmalade recipes and read them over and over.  I was an avid canner back in the 70's and 80's so water bath canning is in my background.   As you may know, it really is relatively easy!  I have seen meyer lemons at our local grocery store for several months.  After reading a number of recipes, I settled on using 8 lemons to 4 cups of sugar and 4 cups of water....now how hard can that be?  The lemons I found were medium sized  so I would have used only 6 if they had been larger!

This recipe will make enough marmalade to fill  6 - 8 0z jelly jars.....

Ingredients: 8 medium meyer lemons which are sweeter than regular lemons, 4 cups water and 4 cups sugar

You will need a small water bath canner, 6 - 8 oz jelly jars, lids and screw bans and a candy thermometer

Another thing that I loved about this recipe is that if you work like I do - you can make this in 2 nights and spread the job out because the lemons soak in water 24 hours!  Wash the lemons and cut them into thin slices removing the seeds.  I found different uses for the seeds (many recipes call for putting them in cheesecloth to soak in the pot) but I just threw them away. The KIS method! I went ahead and chopped each lemon slice up here.  Using a good 5 quart non-reactive pot with a lid - soak the chopped lemons for 24 hours in the 4 cups of water. I sat mine on the stove - but no heat please!

Last night after work I brought the lemons in the water to a boil and simmered them for 45 minutes. Then I began to add the 4 cups of sugar to the pot over medium heat for another 30 minutes stirring often.  I turned the temperature up at the end and tested it with a candy thermometer to make sure it reached 220 degrees SO THAT IT WOULD THICKEN properly.  You don't want a runny marmalade!

Once it was nicely thickened, I poured it into my PREWASHED hot, dry jars using a funnel so as not to make a MESS!  Wiping the jars clean - putting on the lids and screw bands tight! Place in the canning pot with a metal holder and make sure all jars are covered with water at least 1".  YOU WILL BOIL THE JARS FOR 5 minutes!  Remove WITH   jar tongs carefully to cool! Place on a kitchen towel on the counter.

Like many of you, I find great pleasure in the POP - POP - POP as jars cool on a towel and the lids seal!  That occasional one that doesn't seal often can be pushed down with the finger later.

Now don't these look wonderful!  IF YOU HAVE A TEA ROOM and a commercial kitchen - you could sell these easily for $8.95 - 9.95 or you could sell them at the farmers market when made in your own kitchen!  Generally, prices are less at a farmers market than a retail shop.  The cost to make them was minimal- especially if you buy jelly jars on sale!  CANNING IS SO MUCH FUN - I LOVE IT!