Fall Harvest

While we have been harvesting some over the summer, things really pick up in the fall. 

To start with, we are trying something called a Tigger Melon (a plant Peter brought home, because Tiggar is a favorite of mine).  When its ripe, this melon is yellow an orange. 

 When you cut into it the flesh is white, and it smells a bit like honey due. The flavor is good, but very mild 

 We also did well with sweet peppers this year.  We have these purple ones, although they disappointingly lose color when cooked. 

 We also got quite a few green ones, and some good summer squash.

 Our tomatoes are coming in strong.  I expect we will get quite a few more rounds, but for now we can make some sauce for winter. 

One of our hives did quite well this year, although the other didn't.

We took 50 lbs for ourselves, and redistributed 25 lbs to the second hive. 

It's still early, but we are getting ready for winter. 

Making Sugar, To Show I Can

As many people know, growing and harvesting sugar cane is a difficult and costly process.  Because of this, most sugar in the US is actually made from sugar beets.  In fact, until quite recently a significant amount of the land around where I live was used to grow sugar beets.  Sugar beets are white, long and somewhat less tasty than the red beets. 

 

While you can eat them in the same manner as beets, they are jut not as good.  Additionally, I like knowing how to do things, even if actually doing them is not efficient.  Therefore, I am making my own sugar.

 

To start with, clean and cut the tops off the beets.  Then, put them in a food processer to cut into fine pieces.  Put them in a pot of water to boil for one hour.

 

Then poor the mixture through a cheese draining bag into another pot.  I let mine sit overnight to drain out a much liquid as possible. 

 

In the morning  I ran the liquid through a bag again, and started the several hour process of boiling it down.

Remember to watch this carefully, you are essentially boiling sugar water and it can expand suddenly.  This process is slow, so in theory you can work remotely while you do it, if you can get the remote login to work. 

This process will take quite a long time.  In the end the liquid should form a thick honey textured syrup.  This syrup can be boiled down to sugar, but I chose to leave it and just have molasses. 

 

Now that I have proven to myself that I can, I must admit that unless you have a burning desire (read crazy desire) to someday serve a full meal and dessert while telling your guest that the entity of your meal is from the yard (and you have some issues with honey) this is just not worth it.  But its nice to know how!