Success?

Maybe.

Maybe it isn't a disaster like last time.


Canned Apple Pie Filling

I got the recipe from Christaface who posted a photo of her canned apple pie filling on Flickr.

In addition using a different recipe, here's what I changed from last time:

• 1" headspace for the apples, 3/4" headspace after adding the liquid.
  
• Used Granny Smith apples in addition to the home grown apples I received from a co-worker (thanks Debra!)
  
• Cut thicker apple slices--1/12's.
  
• Processed for 20 minutes instead of 30 minutes.

I had one casualty, a jar broke while I was lowering it into the water bath. I suspect it was a combination of a couple of things--the jar and its contents had cooled too much between filling and placing them in the hot water, and that jar probably had a defect. It made a sickening "pop" sound as its contents emptied into the pot. 1 quart, gone.

Anyway, I didn't need to process the jars 3 times like last time and none of the jars were oozing after processing which is a good sign. I'll check the seals tomorrow. If nothing else, these will make a better tastier crisp/cobbler/pie than the last batch.

HKF

It's Hand Knit Friday. What hand knits do you have on today?

I was talking with someone at the weaving studio about knitting machines and knitting and dyeing sock blanks. That prompted me to pull out my Dye-o-rama socks with yarn dyed using the Machine Knitting to Dye For technique for Hand Knit Friday.


Dye-o-rama Socks
Project details on Ravelry

Going to Nancy's web site reminded me that her technique works for weaving as well. Machine Knitting to Weave For. The possibilities are endless!

More from the loom

I played around with different weaving patterns and settled on 4 for my class project, placemats.


Weaving Sampler

A thinner thread was chosen for the hem and I wove an inch of tabby. After that came the main pattern in a slightly lighter color than the sampler above.


1st Placemat
Project details on Ravelry

After 3 hours I almost finished the first mat which I think it pretty good output for a beginner on a table loom (no treadles, harnesses controlled by hand operated levers).

I'll complete this mat tonight and get the second one started.

HKF

It's Hand Knit Friday! What hand knits do you have on today?

I'm wearing

A Step Above #3
Project details on Ravelry

Will anyone dance this time?

The Roger Steen Band

We'll be at The Quarter Note in Sunnyvale this Saturday night, playing and singing for 2 hours. The longer set is going to be nice--last time it seemed like we just got started and our time was up.

Come on out, have a beer, enjoy the music, and maybe dance a little. Just a little. Come on, don't be shy.

The Roger Steen Band
September 19, 8:00-10:00PM
The Quarter Note
1214 Apollo Way
Sunnyvale, CA 94085
1-408-732-2110
21 & over, $8
It's a nice local bar off Lawrence Expressway. RSB plays first--we'll be off the stage by ~10:30PM.

Listen to RSB songs on Myspace
RSB on Facebook

Wheeeee-ving!

My Beginning Weaving class at Custom Handweavers started this week. Hannelore has a Leclerc table loom, so I'm learning on the same loom that I have at home. Bonus! (one word)

There are plenty of things I've learned from books and videos, but I'm really glad that I'm learning how to weave from an experienced weaver. Not only am I happy about learning from Hannelore's years of experience, but she also has equipment that I don't have yet, like a warping board, raddle, and long lease sticks.

Wednesday and Friday were all about the warp. Warping board, raddle, and lease sticks were all part of the process to get the 4-ply cotton (1600 yds/lb) onto the back beam.


Warp is on, heddles are ready

The heddles were threaded from right to left in a 4-3-2-1 pattern.


1/3 of heddles threaded


Heddles are threaded

Sett = 15 per inch


Sleying the reed


Sleying the reed


Sleyed (is that a word?)

Inch-wide bundles were tied to the front rod.


Tied to the front rod

Today I started weaving. Wheeeee!


Wheeeee-ving!!

HKF

It's Hand Knit Friday! What hand knits do you have on today?

I'm wearing

Blueberry Waffle Socks
Project details on Ravelry

Things were going so well

I've been processing jars of jam and marmalade without any issues. I really thought that I had this canning thing down pat--just follow the recipe and everything works like magic, right?

Not exactly.

My luck took a detour yesterday.

Let's back up. My friend Debra has a apple tree in her front yard and offered to give me as many as I could use, so I went by and picked up a bag.


Apples from Debra

Aren't they pretty? That's only about a 3rd of what she gave me, and they're tasty, just a little tart, and firm. Perfect for cooking.

So I embarked on a canning adventure, Apple Pie in a Jar.

I picked a bunch of lemons and got a big bowl of lemon water ready, then went to work with my trusty paring knife. Peeling, peeling, coring, coring, slicing, and slicing 5 quarts of apples. That's a lot of apples! The lemon water kept them from turning brown and soon I had the quart jars filled and ready for the syrup.

The syrup was so easy to make--just dump the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a saucepan and cook until thick. Filling the jars wasn't too bad--it took some maneuvering with a chopstick to get the syrup into the nooks and crannies, but it wasn't difficult.

But this is when I realized that an important instruction was missing from the recipe. Headspace. How much space to leave at the top of the jar. I looked up a similar recipe in a book and it said 1/2".

Let me tell you, 1/2" isn't enough. When I opened the canner after processing, syrup was oozing out of the jars and into the water.

Here are the jars after the first processing--notice the pools of syrup in the baking sheet.


Apple Pie in a Jar - FAIL

I had 7 more lids, enough for one more try. The jars process for 30 min, so the apples were going to be overcooked, but I had no choice. Headspace was doubled to 1". I opened the canning pot after the second try and again with the oozing. WTF?

At that point I was frustrated and defeated. Almost. Darn it, I had to get this right! Off to the store for more lids.

For attempt #3, I left 2" of headspace. I haven't seen a recipe that calls for that much room, but clearly 1" wasn't enough. I scooped out apples and sauce from each jar. The apples were VERY soft. Ugh. Would they even resemble apple slices after another 30 min of processing?

Here are the jars after the final 30 min of canning. Notice the difference in the apples--they're so overcooked.


Apple Pie in a Jar - overcooked

Today I checked the seals and 3 of the jars have evidence of oozing. Unbelievable. Maybe it's because the apples are so overcooked. There's a lot of air in area where the apples are and all of the syrup is at the bottom. I don't know. Well, no more processing, they'll have to get eaten sooner rather than later.

I took one jar and dumped it into a baking dish and topped it with a mixture of flour, brown sugar, oats, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a dash of ground cloves (topping based on the Sunny Apple Crisp recipe). 35 minutes at 350 degrees and voila, Apple Crisp.


Apple Crisp a la mode

Although it would be better if the apples weren't overcooked, this tastes really good and was oh so quick to make (not counting the hours of work yesterday). Besides, ice cream makes everything better.

This wasn't a great experience, but I'd like to try the recipe again. The end product would be really good if I could get it right the first time. For now, I'm putting the canning pot away.

HKF

It's Hand Knit Friday! What hand knits do you have on today?

I'm wearing cotton-wool socks.

Primavera socks
Project details on Ravelry

Thinking of Halloween

Not me, but others are. How can I tell? Downloads of the Team Zissou pattern are on the rise.



Team Zissou pattern [PDF]
Inspired by the 2004 movie, “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou”, this 1x1 ribbed hat starts with a tubular cast-on and has a fold up cuff. The optional badge has an embroidered design as seen on the hat worn by Ned Plimpton (Owen Wilson) in the movie.


Ravelry page