Figs and Muscadines!

Aaaaah! Free Food!!
These came from the 'secret garden'
I found this spring. I have the owner's permission
to use the gardens as I will. Oh Joy!
Green Ischia figs and muscadines!

It took some internet digging to find the variety of fig.
The bright red insides are the give away.
They are gross raw though, but
all figs are. I am a cooked/dried fig kind of girl, I guess.
Note to self.. next time chop them finer.

Sure are pretty though.

And cooking down the muscadines!
Oh, if you could have smelled my house!
These are a different muscadine than I am used to.
They are darker and sweeter without the 'tang'
of wine I am accustomed to working with.
More like a Concord grape really.
And I haven't even tapped the haul yet.
It was just too hot to pick that day.
It will be much cooler
this coming week and much nicer to pick in.
Plus, the cooler nights will act to sweeten them even further.


And some of the finished product to line my shelves with.
I had some on cornbread this morning..
wonderful! Fig on one half of the wedge and muscadine on the other.
Decadence and plenty!


Sure will be good when the cold winds blow this winter!
I love putting food by, I really do.
Is there anything more satisfying than seeing the
shelves in the pantry bending with plenty?
I just don't think so...

Preserving Perfection...

Rhubarb.
Rhubarb is perfection.


I cleaned out and cleaned up the rhubarb
bed this week while I was home to the mountains.
There has been a lot of rain and the weeds
and rhubarb were out of hand.

See, all better.
And I decided to make preserves instead
of just freezing it this time.
The preserves last longer than the frozen.
I tend to eat too much if I turn
it into rhubarb cobbler.
With the preserves I can have a little on the biscuit
many times over.


Rhubarb is pretty stuff.
I chopped it and set it to cook down
I ended up having to use my
hand blender on this batch.
The stalks were a bit old and very stringy.
When I would stick the spoon in to stir
it would become entangled.
So, I made rhubarb goo instead.

I washed and sterilized the jars,
filled them and into my water bath canner.



I love my old water bath canner.
I think it is from the 40's.
I got it at the thrift store for $4!
Woo Hoo!!
I love the rack inside too.
It makes taking the jars in and out
so much easier.


Isn't that a lovely sight?

Sitting and cooling.
One didn't seal
and it lives in my fridge
ready to use.
I need to make biscuits.