The End Is Near!!!

Well, as stated in the last post, we are rapidly approaching zero hour! It's a good thing too! My red Jeep, a.k.a. the "War Wagon," is starting to show her age. Sometimes, in the morning when I'm zooming up the 89, she shakes so violently over any cigaret butt and pebble in the road I actually get nervous. This is even more pronounced when you are doing around 90 mph. I usually have a good laugh and think, "This is what it must be like onboard a jumbo jet when it's going down." Fortunately, I make it to work every day in one piece.

Work... That's another thing. As with every seasonal job I've had, this point of the season is the most difficult. It's almost like living through a hostage crisis! No joke! The minutes seem like hours, and the days turn into weeks. My captors though are pretty nice people. The Tyler's have a great outlook on life, while keeping the workplace extremely interesting! I really appreciate this. Stress and calamity are where I thrive. I know it sounds weird, but so is working in a kitchen, so ha!

The kitchen at home is another story. I have a never ending list of projects. Over the last three days I have been consumed with extending the season on some amazing veggies. I paid a visit to Freedom and Unity Farm in Richmond Vermont to pick up some beets, turnips, kale, tomatoes and farm eggs.

First on the hit list was the eggs. Cidered eggs are the perfect snack food. The last time I had these was ten years ago. They are very easy to make! All you need is one dozen fresh eggs, apple cider, cider vinegar , salt and pickling spice.

Put the eggs in a heavy bottom pot and cover with cold water. Bring these up to a rapid boil for a minute or two. Cover the pot, kill the heat and let set for twelve minutes.

While the eggs are cooking, grab a small sauce pot and add 2.5 cups apple cider, 2.5 cups cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons salt, one clove of garlic and 1 tablespoon pickling spice. Bring these ingredients to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes.

Peel the eggs under running water. When you're finished, or haven't gone out of your mind, pack them into a pint jar.

It's OK if they don't all fit. I wound up eating one. Cover the eggs with the cooked brine and seal with the lid.

Let these sit in the refrigerator for two weeks before eating them. This gives the brine a chance to do it's magic.

I couldn't stop there. I had some amazing tomatoes that needed to be processed. Tomato Conserva is a lovely way to keep the tomatoes preserved for the winter. It's a snap! Take the stems off the tomatoes and slice in half or quarter.

Sprinkle about one teaspoon of salt onto the tomatoes. Let them sit on the counter for thirty minutes. While they are resting, preheat an oven to 300 degrees. Place them uncovered in the oven for one hour. At this point, remove the tomatoes and run them through a food mill. This presses the meat of the tomato through the mill, but reserves the seeds and skin.

Place the pulp back into the 300 degree oven for three hours. Occasionally stir the conserva to make sure it doesn't scorch.

Put the conserva in a small jar and let it set overnight. Now you have amazingly rich and flavorful tomato preserves.

Finally, there were a bunch of beets from FU Farm. Pickled beets are my favorite! I had around three pounds of beets. Cover them with cold water and bring to a boil.

After thirty minutes check the beets for doneness. You should be able to press a toothpick into the beet without any resistance. At this point peel the beets with a clean towel. When they are all peeled slice them to 1/4" thickness along with one onion.

Bring four cups of white vinegar, 1/2 cup of sugar, 12 cloves, one bay leaf and two cups water to a boil. Add the beets and onions and simmer for five minutes.

Pack the beets into jars and fill with the vinegar mixture 1/4" from the top. Process in a boiling water bath for 35 minutes.

Enjoy!!