We are harvesting lots and lots of sweet corn from our garden. My husband Joe planted quite a bit the first week of July. He didn't think it would give us such a big crop.
We planted it in a part of the barnyard where the chickens always were before. We are wondering if the chicken manure is what gave it such a big boost. The ears are really big and nice. I have enough corn canned and frozen now to last us until next summer, so we have been sharing with others.
Also, last week I canned 24 pints of hot peppers. I was glad when that job was over with. I used rubber gloves as those peppers sure can make your hands burn!
I usually grow and can Serrano peppers. They seem to stay crisper than other varieties when you can them. I dice them and put them in jars and then I mix together 3 c. water, 3 c. white vinegar, 1 c. sugar and 1/4 c. salt and bring it to a boil. Then I pour the syrup over the hot peppers and tighten the lid. The jars will seal themselves from the heat. (Editor's note: This canning formula was provided for cultural insight. Proper home-canning procedures should be followed. The latest home-canning methods can be found at www.USDA.gov or by contacting your county extension agent.)
I like to can hot peppers each year because they get mushy if kept longer. I will use the peppers on homemade pizzas, in casseroles and diced with eggs and potatoes. I also put them out when we have church services if people want them on sandwiches.
Our garden is looking more and more empty and leaves are falling from the trees. It is easy to see that the autumn season is here.
We processed 21 more quarts of vegetable juice. I used tomatoes, carrots, celery, onions, hot peppers and green peppers in this batch. We also did 14 quarts for Emma and added extra hot peppers so hers was really spicy.
I still have some cabbage in the garden, and we are still getting some tomatoes, but they have slowed down. Green peppers and banana peppers are also still being harvested. The banana papers are what we like to stuff with cream cheese, cheddar cheese and wrap bacon around them and put on the grill.
I think soon the weather will bring an end to the canning for this season. It is so nice to go down to the basement and see all those jars filled with food.
Yesterday, we attended church services at the home of a family who just moved into our church district. This family moved in from a nearby community.
Since we were not far from Jacob and Emma's house we stopped in to spoil baby Marilyn again. Emma hasn't attended church since Marilyn's birth. Marilyn is 2 weeks old and is gaining some weight. She is such a sweet little angel. Some other families from the church also stopped in at Jacob's to meet baby Marilyn. Jacob served popcorn and punch to all.
Daughter Elizabeth and I want to help Emma with her laundry this week. Today it is rainy and windy and not a very good day to do our laundry. Lovina, 5, is ready and waiting for the bus to pick her up. She leaves around 10:45 a.m. and comes home with the other children around 3:30 p.m. Kevin, 4, has his own backpack that he puts on and pretends he is leaving for school. He seems so lost when she leaves.
Since pumpkins are also ready to harvest, a lot of Amish cooks around here like to make homemade pumpkin rolls. Try this recipe.
Homemade Pumpkin Roll
3 eggs
1 c. sugar
2/3 c. fresh pumpkin
3/4 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1 c. chopped nuts
Filling:
8 ozs. of cream cheese, softened
1 c. powdered sugar
4 T. oleo
1/2 t. vanilla
8 ozs. Cool Whip
Beat eggs for five minutes with a wooden spoon or for those with electricity, a mixer can be used. Add sugar and pumpkin. Beat well and add remaining ingredients.
Grease cookie sheet and pour ingredients onto pan. Cover with nuts. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and, while hot, transfer onto a towel that has been sprinkled generously with powdered sugar. Roll up. Unroll and spread with filling.
To make the filling, stir cream cheese, sugar, oleo, vanilla and Cool Whip until smooth. Reroll and refrigerate for at least one hour. Slice and serve.
Lovina Eicher is Old Order Amish. She hand-writes this column from her home in southern Michigan. Anyone with cultural or cooking questions can send them to: Lovina Eicher, The Amish Cook, P.O. Box 2144, Middletown, OH 45042. Read all of her columns online at www.record-eagle.com/amishcook.
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