A Parcel from the Homestead
I had to restrain myself from jumping and squealing when the mailman rang my bell this morning to deliver a parcel from my parents back in Ontario on Lawless Lane Farm. Well, I restrained myself long enough to take the heavy package from his hands, say thanks, and let him go on his merry way delivering mail… then I squealed once the door was shut.
I opened the box and what did I find – a nature spirit card with a letter from my mom, a gorgeous cookbook from my Mom’s trip to Scotland in September called Maw Broon’s But an’ Ben Cookbook, a fruitcake made with my great grandmother’s recipe well-soaked in brandy, and the lovely results of my mom’s canning this fall which consisted of zucchini relish, zucchini pineapple marmalade, my great aunt Peggy’s famous green tomato chutney, and my mom’s famous apple jelly made from the heirloom apples from the farm’s orchard. Thanks mom!
I usually also get maple syrup which my dad harvests every winter from his Sugar Maples and Yellow Birches in the old growth forest half of his 82 acres, but I’m well stocked up on jars of it from my visit last winter. He boils it outside in the snow over a woodstove. You can probably tell without my saying it, but my parents are regulars at their local farmer’s market. My mom was finally able to send me some pictures as they only have dial-up internet which hates image files and videos. So I’ve also added some Lawless Lane Farm pictures of my dad with his trusty dog at his heels and of their baby Dexter cows, aren’t they just the cutest?!
November 9, 2009 at 4:18 pm
My mouth is watering! I’ve never heard of zucchini pineapple marmelade, but it sounds divine.
I love to can, but only make a few tried and true things.
–Trothwy
November 9, 2009 at 5:14 pm
My first canning attempt was a failure… for some reason I thought the freezer jam method would work for ordinary canning… but it’s so worth it to learn because you can use canning to store just about anything! My mom cans green beans, baked beans, carrots, mixed veg, salsas, pasta sauce, pie fillings, jams, jellies, and on and on. Plus they make excellent Yule gifts! This week I hope to attempt some homemade salsas using ingredients from our garden.
Slainte!
Sarah
November 9, 2009 at 5:42 pm
THE CUTEST! Very cool stuff. I see where you get some of your tendencies. Nice.
November 10, 2009 at 9:18 am
Hehehe, you don’t know the half of it. Check out my mom’s site: Slow Cloth Annie
November 10, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Fantastic gift box, Sarah! Your family is so dang cool!
I love to can myself (that should read “I, myself, love the practice of canning food,” not “I enjoy putting myself into jars and boiling for 45 minutes to an hour until I develop an airtight seal”…I think you get what I mean). At any rate, canning is loads of fun. I’m also doing homemade gifts this year, including jars of apple butter, homemade salsa (not for the faint of heart), pepper jelly (a Southern staple), and possibly some pickles (I just figured out that I can use Four Thieves Vinegar to make some awesome pickles with a little kick). I’ll be eager to hear how your canning goes! Keep us all posted!