Short armed, pickin', purple berry eater...

The berries are in full swing here.  I went out and picked, first, in the chicken yard, then in back of our  pole barn. 

The chickens were curious, as they usually are, when I am in the yard.  Then... I dropped a berry.  The race was on!  They do know what those are!  I made a point of picking (and tossing) a few berries as I went along.  I dropped a couple, too, that I hadn't intended to, but they didn't last long enough to worry about...  I use a #10 coffee can for picking, and it was nearly half full by the time I finished in the chicken area.  The chickens would have been quite happy to have me continue to pick, if I had kept up with the random tossing of fresh berries.

I went to the pole barn, and worked there.  I might bug Husband, depending on how much I get finished, that I would like a ladder.  I was able to finish off my can, but there were some lovely berries, just much higher than what I could reach.  I took the full can in, and started mashing berries for jelly/syrup.  Husband had been cleaning out the freezer for me, I have found that my hands just ache after I clean the freezer.  I use big mitts, but that makes it very hard to pick things up.  I had been asking Husband if he could get some of the jelly out of the freezer, when he picks up a big juice container I had in there. 

What's this?

I laughed.  It's berry juice I didn't get to last year.  So, I have two big bowls of berry juice.  One will be jelly, the other, blackberry syrup.  I really enjoy maple syrup, but this is a close second.  And it goes over ice cream well, too...

And the chickens?  They were given the "sludge" (the seeds and skins, etc., that were left after I mashed the berries), and they nearly were climbing over one another to get at the stuff!  I have to skim the top of the berry juice, and they will, once again, have a fine bit of feasting...

And boy, does it make the next time I clean the chicken house unique...

Applesauce, for lazy people...

I love applesauce. 

Husband and I have a very different definition of that, however.  He likes the stuff that is finely done up, with no lumps.  I call that baby food, myself.  I like having it with a bit more cinnamon, and with chunks of apple.  He says that isn't applesauce, it's stewed apples.  He prefers that as a topping for ice cream, when hot from the stove. 

But, since I am making the stuff, I generally make the "stewed" kind.  I can't stand for long periods, and it was getting harder and harder to make the stuff, as the recipe called for stirring constantly, over a medium high heat. 

Now, remember, I have to pick and clean, then slice and prepare, before I ever venture into the cook part...  Not a poor little me thing, more of a I need to know my limits thing.  So, for my birthday, Mom and Dad picked up a mechanical peeler for me, so I can do more apples... (this thing attaches to the front of my mixer.  I haven't tried it, sounds so strange, but they make gobs of stuff for this machine...) 

And now I have found a crock pot recipe for applesauce.  I put the apples, sugar, and cinnamon in, start, and check on it occasionally, to stir.  And so I will be doing that, because last years turned out well.  I might even let it cook down to Husband's preferred consistency.  I have talked to Mom about borrowing her crock pot again. 

There is only one downside to making this stuff, for me.  I love applesauce, and the smell makes me hungry.  Let's just say, I find it hard to avoid sampling... Several times.  But I know it cooks down well, and if I would start early in the day, I *might* be able to make a couple batches in all the crock pots I can scare up. 

I guess I can be glad we have several outlets and lots of counter space!