Goodbye two thousand and nine

I’m a bit late on the new year’s post and the Rose Bowl is partly to blame. This year it pit the team of my childhood -Ohio State- against the team of my current hometown -Oregon. I offended fans from both teams by saying I was having trouble knowing who to cheer for, but in the end I had to represent the midwest. It’s hard to counter twenty-some years of indoctrination and besides, there’s something fun about being the only Buckeye in a house full of Duck fans (ME vs. THEM!!). Especially when your team wins.

I’m not a diehard fan by any means (I don’t know all of the players names, I understand rules but not strategy) but I really, honestly enjoy watching football. Read and I got so worked up watching the game that we came home, flopped on the bed in our fan gear, and fell asleep for the evening. 

I had fun reading the new year’s themed posts on my blogroll, like this photo montage from dooce.com, an impressive “year of making” from Artsy Craftsy Babe, and craft highlights from Elsie Marley. Outside of the craft sites, you must read the 2009 recap from passiveaggressivenotes.com.

In my own little world, 2009 was a big year. I moved across the neighborhood, started this blog with Bethany, said goodbye to friends who moved across the country, learned how to use my spinning wheel, got hired on a permanent basis at work, lost my grandfather, got engaged, and traveled across the Atlantic. You never know what a year will bring, and 2010 promises to deal out some extra big adventures. But before I can welcome in the new it feels right to say goodbye to the old, so here are some images from 2009:

winter sunset over the Pacific

 

convincing Sam to ride in the bike basket

 

new milestone: a handknit sweater good enough to wear outside the house

 

canned Oregon peaches

 

swimming in the river to beat the heat

 

pre-Rose Bowl, when I'm an Oregon fan

 

first skein of hand-dyed & hand-spun yarn

 

Venice just before dawn

 

hometown church on christmas eve

No-canning-needed quick dill pickles

 

Best pickles!!!These pickles are AWESOME (as you can see from my gratuitous use of exclamation points on the recipe card). The friend who shared her recipe calls them refrigerator pickles. Since you don’t process them in boiling water (i.e. can them) you have to keep them in the fridge, but that’s what makes them so crispy. I’ve made these with my friends for the past few years (pickling is always more fun with a friend) and they earn high marks from pickle-lovers.

First, find yourself a few pounds of pickling cucumbers. These are small varieties especially made for pickling – I’ve had better luck finding them at farmers markets than the grocery store.  If you grow your own cukes and want to pickle them, make sure to only use the ones that are small, firm, and darker green. Last summer I grew “asian cucumbers” and they worked beautifully too- they were very dense and had small seed cavities. Wash your cukes and set them aside. Next, bring to boil in a big pot:
4.5 cups water
4 cups white vinegar
6 tablespoons canning salt

Repeat: "I am the SPICE MASTER"

I have found that most very very good recipes (i.e. my gramma’s baked beans) contain moments of imprecise-ness. Here is where this recipe allows for personal interpretations. You’ll need some faith in your ability to estimate the spice ratios. You can do it!

In each (previously washed) canning jar, put approximately:
2 bay leaves
big sprig of fresh dill
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1-3 dried chili peppers
a couple cloves of fresh garlic
a pinch each of whole coriander and whole allspice

Pack each jar with baby cucumbers. I like to keep them whole, but I've also tried halving or quartering them.

Fill with vinegar/salt solution

Wait a few weeks

Fill each jar nearly to the top with boiling vinegar/salt solution. Put the lid on, put them in the fridge, and wait a week or so. From what I’ve read online you’re only supposed to keep the jars around for a few months. If you and yours love dill pickles then it’s no concern because they’ll be gone much sooner. Since I’m the only dill-pickle-eater in my house sometimes it takes me a while to eat through them. In case you’re in the same situation, I can assure you that I’ve eaten them 6-8 months later with no ill effects (if anything, they tasted even better!).

Color Week – Goldenrod

Halfway through color week and there are so many great photos from fellow participants. 

Making apple butter

This photo was taken in my uncle’s goldenrod-insulated pole barn and it documents my favorite fall activity – canning a GIANT vat’s worth of apple butter with my extended family. Gramma and Grampa have been doing this forever, and now my generation of cousins is learning the process.

Gramps checks how far it's cooked down

Everyone brings their dogs. And snacks. And beer. Gallons of diced apples are cooked down with gallons of cider, and then you add an amount of sugar that no dentist would approve of. It takes about a half-day worth of stirring (hence the beer…sometimes with a game of euchre). Then in the words of my gramma, once the boiling bubbles make this noise – “bloOOP bl0OOp” –  it’s ready to can (classic gramma recipe instruction). One vat makes about 33 quarts.