Is is cold in your world? It has been danged cold here, in Central Alberta, Canada. So cold, that the Beast is pacing and panting and standing by the door, because Gremlynn refuses to take him out for a walk. Poor Wilbur! He has to make do with tossing his ball in the air himself, then chase after it! Gramma is only doing her chicken chores and shovelling what she has to. Master Wilbur is only allowed out for a few minutes at a time, much to his dismay. No outdoor shenanigans for us this week, Little Buddy!
It is so cold that when we are out, we can hear the slightest sounds from far away that you normally would never hear on a any other day. And the snow squeaks! This is a phenomenon that so many never get to experience, unless they happen to live in dry and cold climate such as ours. And the Sky is extra blue! It gets that way when it is super cold. Such a beautiful high contrast. The forecast is for this to continue over the weekend, then it should get back to bearable again and we can go for our daily walks. Wilbur sure is missing them, as am I.
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| This was taken at about 10 a.m. Papa reported that it was -39 C when he looked out at 7 a.m. But, hey, the sun is shining and the mosquitoes aren't biting! |
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| Might be a tad bit chilly in the chicken coop this morning! Actually, this only happens when there is a temperature extreme from inside to outside - currently a 25 degrees Celsius difference. |
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| No Chooks, I'm not opening it for you. You won't go out anyways. Actually, even at -39 C the coop was only -10 C. Today at -25 C outside, it is actually +2 C inside. The water wasn't even frozen this morning. The coop is well insulated, well ventilated, one heat lamp and deep litter. As long as they are dry and out of the wind, chickens don't seem bothered by the cold. Good thing because they ARE NOT coming into the house! |
So, exactly what does one do in the extreme cold when they need something to amuse them? Me? I hang out in the kitchen and my Studio, of course!
Since it is Citrus Season in warmer climes, I snagged some grapefruit and oranges and set about to make some marmalade. It had been years, but suddenly I am craving some. Perfect timing to make up a batch. Of course I couldn't find my old recipe that I used to use, years ago. After reading several versions from my vast cookbook collection, I decided to make up my own recipe. I am happy to say it is delicious! A bit stiff, so I won't cook it down so much the next time I make it. But definitely a Do Over. Production went as follows:
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| I began by washing up 6 nice sized oranges and 3 ruby red grapefruit. |
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| Then I zested the lot before peeling and dicing. I ended up with almost 8 cups of zest and cut up fruit. |
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| Water and sugar added. Let the simmering begin! |
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| Netted 6 beautiful half pints of glorious Orange & Grapefruit Marmalade! |
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| The recipe I developed for this batch. Maybe check for jell after about 30 minutes. Mine is a bit stiff, but delicious, none the less! |
I even shared a jar with our Saturday Morning Coffee Dates for them to take home. Papa is not a fan of the Marmalade, which leaves all the more for me!
Over the next few days I made up a batch of Dill Pickle Soup, baked up a batch of Sour Dough Bread and a batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies. I'll share these recipes in a future blog posting.
Still too cold to go outside. I went rummaging through the freezer looking for inspiration for supper on Monday, when I happened upon a bag of Chicken Backs and Necks. We harvest our own chickens so of the birds we part out, we keep the backs and necks back, for soup stock to be made a later date. It is a later date and darned cold outside. This is a perfect time for soup stock to simmer. Dug a little deeper and found a bag of "too big to eat" carrots and celery tops and tails. I keep these for soup stock - not nice enough to eat as a veggie, but perfect for stock.
6 pm and I am hauling out the Rival Roaster when Papa asks rather nonchalantly, "What are you doing now?" Chicken Soup Stock, was my reply. After well over 35 years of marriage, not much fazes him any more. So, frozen chicken backs went in, with the carrots, celery and a couple of onions I managed to scare up. This all Roasted for about an hour at 350 F. Papa then filled the roaster with water and threw in a dozen whole peppercorns. It was then brought it to a boil. After boiling for a few minutes, the roaster was turned down to 200 F and left it to simmer over night. The next morning after letting it cool down a bit, I strained it twice, then transferred the stock to a huge stock pot.
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| Roaster full of steaming simmered delicious Chicken Stock, ready to be strained. |
Since it was so blessedly cold, I put the whole shebang out onto the back deck, to let the fat rise to the top. Once solidified, I could scoop it off, then proceed with the canning. It's -30 C, this shouldn't take long. I checked the contents an hour later. Still hot. Spent some time in the studio loading a quilt onto the long arm. Waited a couple more hours before checking again. Still warm. Five hours later, figured surely it Had to be ready to remove the fat. Nope. What the heck is going on? I left that stock pot, out in -30 C weather for well over 6 hours! -30 degrees Celsius already! There were sheets of ice forming in the stock and the fat was sort of forming on top, but still very loose. When Papa got home, I complained that my fat had been outside all day and still wasn't hard. His comment? "That's what She said". I'm living with a freaking comedian! Sheesh
We discussed leaving it out over night, but we both knew I would be bringing in a 21 quart stock pot of frozen Chicken Stock-cicle, if I did. At 7 pm I hauled the pot in, ladled out the top couple of inches of slushy stock and loose fat, reheated that and put the whole thing in the fridge until morning. And low and behold! In the morning, the fat had risen to the top AND had solidified. If this isn't the derndest mystery ever!? Go figure?!
This was yesterday. It is still freaking cold outside. I proceeded to reheat the now clarified stock and get the pressure canner set up. In the end, I ended up with 20 Beautiful pints of golden chicken stock. It is delicious and was very much worth the effort.
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| 20 pints of clarified chicken stock fresh from the pressure canner. |
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| Loaded onto the long arm and quilting underway. It is tentatively called "Confetti on the Snow" after a suggestion from Sherryll S. I will make the final decision once it is finished and ready to be bound. |
One of my rulers is a wave that actually fits within the 1 1/2" finished squares perfectly. Wavy it is! I chose a Signature Brand variegated blue/navy thread and a navy 100% cotton wide backing by Northcott. The batting is Hobbs 80/20. (I carry all of these items for purchase in the Studio).
The quilt was loaded the long way, so I can quilt from the top to the bottom but still going horizontally. My wavy lines are centred between each "strip" and will travel up and down the quilt, like a spillway. The waves will look like ripples in the snow after the wind blows. Sherrill S. suggested that it looks like confetti on the snow. I have to agree with her very much, so much that I am considering naming the quilt this. I think it is a very suitable title for it - and the fact that I am going to get it finished during February 2019's week long plus cold snap, it becomes even more so!
Thanks for stopping by.
Enjoy your day and Keep Warm!
Gremlynn
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