Pomegranates Galore!

I love pomegranates.  Their sweet, tart taste is fabulous.  I like them on salads, plain, and especially as jelly.  This year, I was able to pick up just over a dozen at a decent price from a local source.  Making them into jelly was a long, involved process, but it was worth it!

The first thing I did was quarter them and soak them in water.  I have been told that this helps to pop out the seeds easily.




The next step was setting up my work area.  I clipped some cheesecloth (doubled over once), to a large bowl and put my food mill on top.






As I got the seeds out of the bitter pith, I just dropped them into the food mill.  When I had a decent amount in the mill, I just cranked it for a while until all of the juice had drained down through the cheesecloth and into the bowl (the boys liked helping with this part).




The resulting juice, while not completely clear, was perfectly good for making jelly.




I set up my jelly making area just like normal.  Water bath canner on one burner, jelly pot on another; and the lids steaming in the back.  I had a cloth spread over the counter to make cleanup a breeze and put all my utensils on that.




The jelly didn't set as hard as most of my other jams and jellies this year, but it is still firm enough and it tastes great!

Giving Thanks

We had a belated Thanksgiving this year as Dave was sick over Thanksgiving weekend. The boys and I did go to Arizona and had a lovely time with my parents but Dave ended up staying at home and missing out on all the food (and good company!) We decided to do Thanksgiving at our house this last Sunday, Dec. 5th. We have been patiently waiting for our turkey at the farm to be ready for processing. Finally, the Monday before Thanksgiving, we were ready to process. There were 13 turkeys to be done and the majority of people waiting for the turkeys were on hand to help with processing. There was an area all set up at the farm that made it nice and easy to get it all done, and having so many people there was a great help. Many hands make light work! Dave and the boys were still camping so I went to the farm armed with a cooler, some trash bags, and a sharp knife. I really wish I had gotten some pictures of it before and after we cooked it, but I totally forgot. The best I have is some of the meat on a platter on our table. It was good though! I will definitely be buying another one next year. The dark meat really stood out, much darker than the meat from a commercial bird, and very flavorful.

The rest of our meal consisted of roasted brussels sprouts and broccoli, crescent rolls (I think the best I have made in many years), stuffing, mashed potatoes, the ubiquitous jellied cranberry sauce (I couldn't bring myself to give it up this year), and a pecan pie. Pretty much a normal Thanksgiving meal but I was mighty proud of that local, farm-raised bird from Amy's Farm .

The only picture I remembered to take of the turkey (a Bourbon Red):





Various other pictures.  It was the fifth night of Chanukah when we had our Thanksgiving so the boys are wearing their kippot and our chanukiot are all set up and ready to light.