Elderberries, beans, crabapples

Tuesday: the last full day before Pierce Co Fair starts. It was also a Monday, because on Monday we were too busy to Monday, due to baking for fair, and taking stuff to fair grounds for turn in, and decorating at the fair grounds. But Monday is the sort of thing that cannot be indefinitely delayed this side of paradise, so…

Our unreasonably ambitious to-do list.

No one wanted to pick raspberries. Or beans. Because you don’t need a ladder for them. Elderberries are fun to pick, because you get to use a ladder. The kids will totally ignore all the bunches within easy reach of the ground for the sake of climbing up to reach the highest possible bunches.

We got a basket of beans, some tomatoes, the first harvest of beets (5, just enough for supper), and two baskets of elderberries.

This was not a very clean picking, there were a lot of green berries in there, which would pose problems later, as you will see.

We also harvested a wheelbarrow of weeds for the cows and sheep, but they were out in the back of the pasture, nibbling grass and blackberries, so this tasty treat can wait until afternoon chores.

The crabapples need to be picked, but we already have enough on our plate so that can wait until tomorrow.

Seeds have turned yellow, but the texture has turned a little mealy. Not suitable for canning whole anymore. Next year we should pick them at the end of July. Also, we need to protect them aggressively from coddling moths.

Our purple plums are turning purple. Another week or two should do it!

Back at home, time to prep the elderberries. Last year we steam-juiced them stems and all. That’s probably a faster way to do it, and because of the heat there is no need to worry about the stems or unripe berries. The heat will neutralize the glycosides. On the other hand, some of the berries are going to go in cordial and I think the higher presence of green berries causes the juice to have a sharper, more acid flavor. So Evie and I went through and cleaned the berries.

It sounds tedious, but it wasn’t really too bad. We were listening to “The Fellowship of the Ring” on Audible, and it was a pleasant, quiet way to spend the morning.

Ellie was also present, snipping beans.

And staying as relaxed as possible while snipping them. That turned out to be another 7.5 quarts of beans, once Mommy got home and canned them.

This is what 9 Lbs of elderberries looks like.

First step was to make elderberry liqueur. One Lb honey.

One Lb elderberries (mash gently with wooden spoon).

Nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, ginger.

And everclear.

This gets put in the refrigerator for a few days. Or weeks. Or months. Really, as long as we don’t feel like straining it. It can’t really go bad. We just have to remember to shake it up every once in a while.

Then out with the trusty steam juicer, and the other 8 Lbs of berry go into that to steam for 90 minutes.

Meanwhile, we are still searching for the lost Ball Blue Book (not where it belonged, but Mommy later found it in the hall closet. Because children).

And to go with our braised pork roast… Everyone’s favorite from-scratch risotto! Seppi loves grating cheese, and it is a good job for his particular blend of energy, talents, and attention span.