Once again this season fell short of expectations. In addition to one of the hives dying out after the installation of the new package the hive that we thought was going great gonzo was not so gonzo after all. After going through the supers it soon became apparent that they were picking and choosing which frames they were filling. They were doing some weird, weird comb building too. In one of the supers I had only 9 frames rather than the usual 10 as a result of a failed attempt to revive hive #1. I was expecting some burr comb to be built but I wasn’t expecting the little buggers to build a double wide frame on one side. They actually filled both sides of the frame normally and then put a whole new layer of comb over the side facing the empty space between the frame and the hive body. Piper and I had to scratch our heads a little to figure out how to extract that one. Piper was a huge help with the extraction process this year. I would say that she uncapped almost half the frames and even spun some out herself. She lasted longer at the sticky job than I did. I took the honey off in the morning of a 95 degree day so it was baking in the breeze way where we do the extracting. On the plus side it made the honey run like water the downside being, of course, being hot and sticky in a stifling room.

The final count was 5.25 gallons of what I think is the best honey that we’ve ever had. We’ll see what the judges say – we sold our quart on Monday.

6 1/2 liter and 8 pints pasta sauce

20 pints nectarine sauce (This was supposed to be canned nectarines, but it got a little soupy.  Is lovely in oatmeal!)

13 pints, 2 1/2 liters, and 1 quart peaches

Things I’ve learned:

Do not start canning at 4:00 pm.

It’s really nice to have the proper tools for the job.  I’m loving the 12 quart pot I bought with the strainer insert – no more removing fruit for skinning 1 at a time with a slotted spoon.  :-)  Now I just need to find a pair of canning tongs.  Removal with regular tongs is pretty precarious.

Only can one thing at a time.

Batches work well.  Do have the peaches, get them in the hot water bath, and continue on with the rest.

The dishwasher takes forever.

One simply cannot have enough jars!

Happy Day!

Apparently I’m going native. I’m losing my “R’s” and having them show up in the wrong places. The most horrific aspect of the New England accent is the tendency to say “dater” rather than “data”. For years I’ve mocked the “dater-ers” and now I’ve finally succumbed. Well, folks say acceptance is the first step to recovery.

Must.. Be… Strong…

It has been years since in a fit of road rage I let out a perfect Yooper “Pick a lane, eh!”

Holy Wah!

While we certainly can’t live out the winter, it’s a start. :-)
16 pints of salsa

7 cups peach butter

7 cups strawberry jam

6 1/2 liters nectarines (I used my beautiful new Weck jars)
5 pints green beans

7 quarts dill pickles

In the freezer… several gallons of strawberries and blueberries

I love harvest season.