BrownStone Chinooks is devoted to fostering the excellent health and wonderful temperament of Chinook dogs. Hard-working Chinooks excel in many activities such as agility, obedience, back yard play, hiking, dog powered sports, search and rescue, and as service dogs. The affectionate Chinook is an excellent family dog matching its activity level to that of its companions - be it strenuous exercise or snuggling on the couch.

Friday, October 19, 2012

A Days Labor

The rains and frost have finally come. Time to get in the last of the harvest. This morning I pulled plants and picked a basket of tomatoes and about 40# of apples and pears to add to the 100+ pounds of fruit, pumpkins, beans and tomatoes waiting their processing turn in the mud room. The tomatoes still have a bit of ripening to do but the ones I left on the vine and covered with a bed sheet actually ripened better than the ones I had earlier brought in. Of course it is a lot easier to pick the last ones when they start to turn than daily go down to the garden to uncover and later re-cover the plants.I still have twenty, 100 year old pear and apple trees behind the house to pick. That will be ladder work. Speaking of work - Several hours went into these 5 1/2 jars of apple sauce. Pick; wash; peal; slice/chunk; vinegar bath;  cook down; add cinnamon  real vanilla  and a taste of brown sugar; smash until smooth; fill hot jars; put on lids; boil in a caner; hope the seal sets and you have not a lot of very tasty winter fruit...
and a lot of clean-up.
I also processed 20# of tomatoes. The dehydrator is full of drying pears and apples for snack time.