Bright Meadow Farms

Steam is rolling out from under the lid of my new boiling water bath canner. I sold the old one many garage sales ago, and since then I have been using my pressure canner for both pressure canning and boiling water bath canning. So today, under the theory that you should have the right tool for the job, I got a new canner. I had to go to five different stores to find it! I noticed a new warning on the label - do not use on glass-topped stoves. Good thing E had an old propane burner we hooked up outside.

I'm on the second batch of jars - first I had seven quarts of tomatoes, and now I have 5 pints of blackberry jam.

I picked the blackberries just a few hours ago. I missed the heaviest part of the crop but there are a few left, I picked about 3 pints today. The tomatoes were picked yesterday morning in Ohio (I couldn't let them just rot in the garden) and transported here to Michigan.

I checked the elderberries here while I was picking the blackberries - they are still green. Amazing difference in climate here in Southwest Michigan versus North Central Ohio, where I picked lots of ripe elderberries on August 6!

My CSA lady sent an email - she is not going to the farmer's market this weekend because it has been so dry, she doesn't have enough to bring to sell. I am glad I am not the only one without a crop to sell. I've been canning my excess produce instead of trying to sell a pint of this and a quart of that. Next year, knowing better what to expect, I plan to start new lettuce plants every 10 days without fail in the spring, same with beets and radishes. Forget the peas - they are just too much work.

Is it too early to get this guy into the Future Farmers of America?


Tomorrow I am going to the Michigan Fiber Fest in Allegan, Michigan. Hope to capture some good photos to share.