Home and Harvest - Friday Update

Well...

Despite the heat, very little rain and me (I'm probably the biggest problem in my garden), I have harvested 133.13 pounds from my garden since March 8. 

This week, after giving a bag of veggies to my neighbor, I canned 2 quarts of 'sweet gherkins'. I have not been brave enough yet to taste them. I'm letting them sit for a bit. But I am hopeful.

I also canned 3 quarts of tomato sauce, juiced 24 pounds of white peaches and made plum syrup from my small Toka plum harvest. 

Now about those peaches...

The tree was labeled 'Contender', which is a late season, yellow peach. These are definitely white peaches. Sigh. And my Elberta peach tree bit the dust this season. Bigger sigh. So in my winter/early spring chore list goes at least 2 new peach trees planted in the yard. 

The peach 'juice' was further strained into a less pulp-filled liquid. I made a pint of peach syrup. The peach juice and syrup will go to flavoring my water I am supposed to be drinking daily. However, I have a huge container of peach puree left over. 

And even though I said I wouldn't make any jam or jelly this year because I have enough for the whole neighborhood for the next 10 years, I am thinking about using it to make a peach puree jam. Looking at pictures online and the descriptions, I think it will be more of the consistency of apple butter. So I'll start with a small batch and go from there. 

In the meantime, I'm hiding from the heat and humidity and hoping the storm system which is forecast for the weekend will bring me some afternoon rain. And I'll start pulling seeds for a fall garden.