July 11, 2018 Picking & Canning Pie Cherries

A gift from JB's nephew.
So funny!

My 15 lbs of pitted cherries with my
wrinkled fingers from pitting them.

Monday 7/9. Just when we thought the propane generator was all fixed, it wouldn't start this morning.  JB thought he might need to adjust the propane flow a bit.

After dishes, laundry & brunch, I was on my way down in Miss Kitty to get the mail.  I visited with Mrs. Gridder, then drove up to Elsie's to visit and pick pie cherries.  She and her two grandsons helped me pick and I ended up bringing about fifteen pounds of them home!  Then spent two hours pitting them.  No, I don't have a cherry pitter, I just squeezed each one out by hand, but both Elsie and I had tried to pick as many as possible by pulling them off the pit.

Our high today was 82, but with a nice breeze, so it didn't seem so hot.

Tuesday 7/10. It was 58 and partly cloudy this morning.  I got right to work and by 11:30 had eight pints of cherry pie filling in the canner outside on our propane 3-burner camping stove.  Much better than heating up the house for 45 minutes.  Also did dishes and laundry by then.

It's been two years since I canned pie filling and I forgot that you must rapidly stir as you add the sure gel to the juice and sugar or it gets lumpy.  So, as happened the first time I ever made it, I had to dump the first batch and make another (this before I added the cherries).

The recipe called for ten pounds of cherries, but I could only get about seven pounds in the pot to make the pie filling.  Even then I had about the equivalent of two jars worth of filling left over.  I put it in the fridge and will make two coffee cakes in the next couple days.  

Then I got out my juicer and steamed juice from all the leftover cherries and ended up with a little more than 1-1/2 quarts.  Will see if the chickens like the cherries that were left in the steamer.

JB worked on the generator and adjusted the propane flow a bit.  Now the generator seems to be starting up okay.

A very productive day.  And a very windy day with a high of 74.

Wednesday 7/11. It is 56 with clear skies this morning.  We are in for a hot spell for the rest of the week.

Thought for the day: Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it.  If it keeps moving, regulate it.  And if it stops moving, subsidize it.  Ronald Reagan