Outdoor Jam Session

This spring season was our first spring at the new homestead, and we were ecstatic to see the yard filled with blooming fruit trees.  There are three full-size apples, planted 50-60 years ago by some foresightful soul, one sour cherry tree that is sending forth its offspring like small alien cherry bush satellites around the mother ship, and a perimeter of wild plums, probably originally started by accident when a plum-eating squirrel got nabbed by a hawk and dropped his fruit (squirrels are only useful when they die, some would say).  There are also a number of crab apples in the neighborhood, the harvest of which the neighbors are more than happy to donate to anyone willing to spend the time picking the darn things.

Fast forward to August, and weve got piles of apples, crab apples, and plums practically begging to be put into jams, crisps, and the like.  And we were only too happy to oblige.  The only problem is that Colorado Augusts are typically high-temperature affairs, rendering indoor canning an enjoyable event only for sadistic, nonparticipating observers.  Thus, we built some infrastructure to move the operation outdoors, where steam can escape, the kitchen can spread out, and were surrounded by the sweet melodies of avian soloists (including our own rooster, who has been perfecting his crowing technique all day long for several weeks now).  And, with the help of our garden kitchen and Dakota rocket silo, were happy to report that these jam sessions were a resounding success!

Look at all those plums!  Tasty little buggers, too.

Conjoined plums.  These two are kind of like trophy bucks with locked antlers.  Fortunately, we were able to come along and rescue them both.

One more example of the bounty--plums and a few of the neighbors crab apples.  Katie says, "Yay! we finally found a use for those awkward baskets, and they even made the blog!"

Heres a panorama of all our essentials for the outdoor jam session: garden kitchen, Dakota rocket silo, wheelbarrow full of wood, pile full of the same wood split into sticks, and lawn chairs in the shade.  This kitchen is approximately 500 times larger than our indoor one.  Note that the chimney is now four cinder blocks tall instead of the original two.  We added on to give a better draft and more comfortable working height.

With outdoor jamming, its especially important to make like the French and mise en place.  That is, make sure all the jars, lemon juice, pectin, sweetener, jar lids, magic magnetic wand for the jar lids, jar bands, and extra-clean jar wiping rag are in place before you start.  Otherwise youll be running gassers back and forth to the house.  For more tips, check out this post.  She pretty much nails it.

Once everything is in place and the fire is roaring, our first step is to simmer the canning jar lids in a pot of water.

Then we switch to the fruit.  Our order of operations is to clean and pit/core the fruit inside, then bring outside and cook until soft, then bring inside and puree with the stick blender, then bring back out and turn into jam.  It sounds like a lot of running, but it wasnt too bad.  Better than having a hot, steamy house!  We could have saved some running with a long extension cord (so we could do the pureeing outside).  Also, dont forget to smear the pot with dish soap so the soot comes off!

One thing worth noting is that the fire needs frequent stoking.  Either that, or Katie is trying to open a portal to the underworld.  Also, dont forget to make cave drawings on your chimney with some of the charcoal you produce.  Here we have a caveman on a horse, chasing a chicken.  If the longest-lasting outcome of this project is a confused anthropologist 500 years from now, it will still be a success!

Later in the day we switched from plums to apples.  Even later, we mixed them.  We found out that any ratio of plums and apples turns out pretty good.

A successful batch of apple-plum jam (or plumple, if you will).  The jars will get flipped back over in a few minutes.  Make sure to count out the right number of lids!

 
Have you done any outdoor canning?    What was your setup?  What did you can?  Let us know in the comments section below! 


NOTE: Its now easier to leave comments on the blog--for some reason we had a setting checked that only allowed folks with Google IDs to leave a comment.  Why the default setting is so elitist we have no idea, but rest assured it should be fixed now.


A Recipe (using Pomona pectin): Spiced Plumple Jam

4 cups apple and/or plum puree in any ratio.  Multiple types of apples gives a more varied apple flavor.
2 teaspoons calcium water
0.25 cups lemon juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
0.5 teaspoon each allspice, cloves, and nutmeg
2 teaspoons pectin powder
1 cup sugar

Cook cored/pitted apples and/or plums until soft, then puree.  Measure out 4 cups of puree and add calcium water, lemon juice, and spices.  (Lemon juice and spices are optional--the jam is great without them, too.)  Bring to boil, stirring frequently. (Frequent stirring is especially important on the Dakota rocket silo.)  Meanwhile, mix the pectin powder and sugar and stir well.  When the puree mixture comes to a boil that does not stop when slowly stirred, add sugar-pectin mix and stir vigorously to dissolve.  Return to boil and remove from heat.  Pour into hot jars, wipe rim with clean damp cloth, and seal.  Process by hot water bath according to directions for your elevation.  (We usually go with the inversion method because weve had good luck with it and its easier.  Food safety experts will tell you its not as reliable as the water bath method.  So do what you like, but be warned: your mileage may vary.  If you find a jar in the pantry that has come unsealed, dont eat it, even if Katies not around.)

Planning for 2012 Outdoor Season

The 2011 outdoor season is complete! I’m happy to say that it went much smoother than 2010, when I had a few mechanical and design errors that significantly handicapped the growing. As a result, I learned a lot more this year about the plants. Of course, I also discovered that my new design still needs some improvements.

 

My half-barrel system provided adequate depth for the plants to establish deep roots, insulated from the summer heat, and my very conservative growbed to tank volume ratio of 1:2 provided ample nutrients to the roots.

 

With only one pump and three barrel-halves, I connected all the barrels via PVC pipe with one siphon at the opposite end from which the water entered the barrels. Unfortunately, the piping connecting the barrels was 1 to 1.5 inches above the bottom of the barrel half. This meant that only the barrel with the siphon could drain completely – the others would have standing water below the connecting pipes.

 

Once the cucumber and squash roots reached the standing water, they plants began to weaken. This culminated in root rot that brought the once thriving plants to an early demise.

 

Additionally, I found that my mechanical timers did not keep reliable time. I had set the pump flow for 15 minutes, which would provide enough water to just start the siphon. Unfortunately, I frequently found that the timer cut short, so the siphon didn’t start, leaving the roots soaking for far too long. To circumvent this, I kept the pump running continuously. With no time for the roots and shale to dry out between cycles, it probably exacerbated the root rot problem.

 

To avoid these problems next year, I plan to do the following:

• Put a drain in the bottom of each barrel
• Connect the drains to a single siphon outside the barrels
• Pump water in through the bottom of the siphon system. If the timer cuts short, water can drain back to the tank through the pump

 

Planned System Design Outdoor Season 2012

 

Planned Siphon System Design for Outdoor Season 2012

I will also swap out the fish pond for an IBC tote to take up less space. Additionally, I may move the location of the aquaponics, as it only gets full sun between 9am and 3pm.

 

Outdoor Season Update

This summers growing has been progressing steadily. Ive harvested the basil a few times, and the cucumbers and squash now have fruit beginning. The cukes and squash have had flowers for at least three weeks, but until recently all the flowers were male - that means no fruit. I thought the lettuce might grow well under the shade of other plants, but so far theyve just stayed small and dormant. Bell peppers have produced a few fruits but few new flowers. Nitrate levels in the water have remained very high (~80ppm) and Ive put some Maxicrop plus Iron in as well. I started up the tank with pure ammonia, so I think there was a lack of some trace nutrients, including iron..

Grow beds on 7-26-2011

Squash (foreground), Lettuce, & Jalapeños (background)

Cucumbers (foreground), Peppers (mid), & Lettuce (background)

Basil (R) with Small Hot Peppers (L)