Monday, August 22, 2011

Read at your own risk

Caution, reading this blog may be injurious to your health. The author assumes no liability.

I realized I didn't make it clear what I meant by "canning cantaloupe" - unlike most fruit, cantaloupe cannot simply be canned in syrup and then processed in a hot water bath. I won't go into the specifics, but basically it is not acidic enough and would need to be processed in a pressure canner. Since cantaloupe is so soft, that would turn it into mush, so there is no effective way to can cantaloupes.


What I am canning is cantaloupe preserves (like jam). We are planning on eating it straight from the jar, or using it as a topping for ice cream. Because of the addition of lemon juice, the pH is right for water bath processing. 

If you would like to preserve cantaloupe pieces/balls, the best way would be to pack them in syrup and freeze them (allowing extra head space for expansion during freezing).

Just didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea by reading my blog. Here is some more great info on this subject.

Today, Sunday of all days, all 24 lbs of peaches that I bought on Friday decided to turn ripe. I had no room in the fridges to hold them over until tomorrow, and I knew that another 24 h at room temperature would turn them into moldy balls of mush. So between the morning and evening services, I started the cantaloupe preserves (they have to soak in the honey for 8+ hours) and canned all the peaches. 

Now, at almost midnight, I am going to finish processing the cantaloupe preserves, and keep myself awake between batches with chores and the internet. Not necessarily in that order. 

In other news, we ended up with a puppy today. She is very cute and sweet and smart, and we all just fell for her hook, line, and sinker. Between her (no name yet, my husband wants to pick but is lacking inspiration) and the cantaloupes this is shaping up to be a short night. 

In other news, I MUST get my garden in this week.

Wish me luck. *** YAWN *** 

P.S.: Speaking of luck: The winner of the boardgame giveaway will be announced later Monday. We are going to have Becky draw a name out of a hat. She is just the person for a job like that! :)

11 comments:

  1. Awww, you should post some picture of the new puppy when she gets a name :)
    That's a lot of canning!
    We were tired after just 12 qt. of beans...haha. We could only pressure cook 7 qt. at a time so it took a while.

    Well, hope you got a little bit of sleep! :)

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  2. Sounds like my Sunday afternoon. I was given a box of corn Saturday and 1/2 box of green chilis Thursday so I spent the afternoon getting corn and green chilis ready to freeze.

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  3. Ah, a puppy! I'm so jealous. They're a handful but oh so worth it. I'd love to see pictures... That is, after you've finished preserving 24lbs of peaches and doing household chores/cooking/laundry for 8 people ;)

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  4. New puppy and new garden? I see this ending well... lol.

    I need more room in my freezers! :D

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  5. Alright, I understand. Best way to use fresh, organic cantaloupe is to have a family of eight to eat them!

    Congratulations on the puppy, the children must be over the moon about it! We had a dog 'fall into our hands' so to speak, and she is the most loving creature you could ever meet. (We named her Morgen, as she would always wake us up in the morgen...German-English name pun, what can I say?)

    I hope you got a Baltic amber bracelet for both your wrists, they must ache after all that canning, ouch! But isn't it so worth it in the winter doldrums?

    God Bless you, Dad, and the six,

    Mindy

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  6. your so productive! but i agree, a new puppy and garden do not mix well! lol

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  7. Please be a responsible pet owner this time. Don't leave it outside 24/7 like you did with the other dog. It gets too hot in AZ and it is not fair to the animal for it to suffer like that. What happened to your other dog?

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  8. Denise, we got sick of the last dog and dropped her off at the pound because the kids wanted to have a puppy to play with instead.



    Just kidding, take a breath. Our first dog is alive and well, and still living outdoors 24/7 because she is a watchdog. I was unaware of the fact that you are a veterinarian? Wow! Well, our vet, who has actually seen and assessed our dog, said it was fine for her to live outdoors day and night, summer and winter, so long as she had water and shelter. In the winter, we let her sleep/stay indoors when it gets cold outside.

    Since you like to play 20 questions, here's one for you: What happened to your husband? Did you, by any chance, get sick of him and drop him off at the pound, so to speak? You know, because humans are MORE important that animals - I just wanted to make sure you are being a responsible wife?

    Has anyone ever told you that you are an annoying nag? Maybe your husband turned himself in at the pound?

    Can you go play somewhere else now?

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  9. I doubt that a reputable vet would approve of leaving a dog outside in the Arizona heat 24/7. That is just plain cruel.

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  10. On blogs can you block people like on Fbook?? Or do you just not want to? I'm more familiar with Fbook, I don't know as much about blogs. All this new technology!! :) And I remember when my parents had just a straight, no-frills, rotary phone......Seriously, though, how does blocking work on blogs? Can anyone tell me, thanks.

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  11. I grew up in Phoenix and our dog lived outside. It was a black collie. My mother would wet him on the really hot days. He lived my entire childhood, so I can assure you that the heat won't kill a dog that has water. I've got a 40 pound turkey that has lived through 2 summers so far. Not to mention the 14 chickens, although my egg production has dropped off.

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