This is the time of year when I look back and remember long, leisurely days of knitting in front of the fire…a mug of tea, fuzzy slippers, and snow falling gently outside the window. And I wonder… “Will we ever get back to those days again?” 

I’m sure we will…eventually. At least we didn’t have to wrangle that drain snake yesterday. I am not sure I had another day in me to mess with that thing and still walk upright. I hit the ground running yesterday. I mixed up some bread dough and fed the starter again. I set it aside in the fridge for the time being. It will grow slower and actually develop a nicer flavor if you do that from time to time. It saves you from having to feed it every day.

I turned the bread dough every thirty minutes. You don’t knead sourdough bread…you lift and fold the dough every thirty minutes for about three or four hours to incorporate and support the rise from the wild yeasts. They aren’t as strong as commercial yeast. In between the turns, I emptied the dehydrator and used the kitchen shears to cut the dehydrated tomatoes into julienne strips. Then I packed them into sterilized jars and covered them with olive oil to preserve them. A whole bucket of tomatoes shrank down to two pint jars…but oh, the flavor that is packed into those two little jars will add a little sunshine to dishes in the coming year. They can’t be beat!

Once the tomatoes were done, I turned my attention to the smoked pork that was still warming in crockpots. I ran the jars through the dishwasher earlier and they were still steaming hot. I packed the jars, put in a teaspoon of pickling salt and topped it off with hot broth, sealed the jar, and set them one at a time in the simmering water of the pressure canner. Once filled, I placed the lid on and let the water boil without the pressure cock. I placed it on 10 pounds and as soon as it jiggled, I set the timer for ninety minutes. 

By then, the bread dough was ready to be worked and formed into two round loaves. Once they were wrapped in flour sack dishtowels and placed in crocks, I took them out to the refrigerator in the garage to rise overnight and I’ll bake them this morning. 

The timer went off for the canner and I turned off the heat. Once the canner cooled and the pressure was equalized, I removed the pressure cock and the lid and let the canner rest for another thirty minutes to acclimate. Two pork picnics produced another seven quarts of smoked pulled pork that’s unbelievably good. I had two quarts and two pints of broth left over that I used in the jars of pork. I didn’t want to throw that way, so as soon as the canner was emptied, I processed them for thirty minutes. Now, when I smoke pork the next time, my broth will be ready made.

When I made that vegetable beef soup in the spring, I couldn’t find the pressure canner so I ended up freezing it. I’ve decided to bring it in from the freezer in the garage and cook it up again and can it this time. I have a huge tin of mixed veggies I want to put in it. I have enough tomatoes ready to make a batch of spaghetti sauce, too. That should just about finish up my available canning jars.

I love looking over the bounty I’ve created for our winter eating. These things will be so nice to have when that snowed-in leisure time returns and I can have a day of knitting in front of the fire. It sounds delightful right about now, doesn’t it?

❤️

“Try your best to live quietly, to mind your own business, and to work hard, just as we taught you to do. Then you will be respected by people who are not followers of the Lord, and you won’t have to depend on anyone.”

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 CEV