Friday, September 24, 2010

Look out Squirrels

Here is my little hickory nut hunter.

The squirrels beat us to most of them,
but we are lucky to have friends who have very mature hickory trees that allowed us to pick.


This was the result to picking for only about a half an hour.
The process:
-husk the outer shell(usually green or brownish)
-rinse off the inside shell
-put them in a bucket full of water and throw out the ones that float to the top
-Allow "the keepers" to dry outside for 48-72 hours(like the picture above)

-Put in a bowl until your big strong husband will crack them for you:)
(Most instructions say to use a hammer with a brick, but we used an industrial old fashion hand cracker)
-Hickory nuts are very similar to the walnut shape
so you may need picks to get any remainder nut pieces out
(Just make sure you don't have any shell left stuck on the nut- it would crack a tooth!)

-Store the hickory nuts in a freezer-safe container and freeze until use
-Enjoy!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

The Harvest



My first ever "big garden"- it was 22"X28" 
I'm hoping next year to be double. 
 I definitely learned from this experience and
can't wait to implement my new knowledge next year.

 I always thought that these looked so complicated to make until I tried it.
If you can braid hair, you can make onion braids.

My all purpose sauce, which the whole family loves!

I'm definitely still a novice when it comes to canning, but I'm always in search of new recipes.
I can't wait to taste the new canning recipes I tried this year:
-pickles
-dilly beans
-sweet pickle relish
-bruscetta
-applesauce(I've only ever made fresh)
-eggplant and roasted pepper in olive oil