8.13.2009

Just Peachy

I have been sweating buckets in my kitchen the past three days. Between my broken refrigerator and the 86 degree air temp (seriously, I measured it) I have been racing against time to claim those 17 lbs of peaches for the good cause of canning and not rotting.

But, in the heat of it all (yes! pun!) I came up with a new idea, too! I have been try to figure out how to finance future trips back to West Virginia (which will definitely be happening). SO, here what I came up with. Every time I go, I can pick up a ton of fresh produce and then the week after that, can it all and sell that, throwing the profits back into the WV piggy bank. Certain expenses like buying a car might not get paid for in preserves, but gas money, meal money, etc. could certainly get partially covered.

Additionally, I can design the "packaging" to explain why I am selling it in the first place, and explain more about MTR. Wham! Two birds, one stone.

So as of now, I am open for business, specializing in small batch canning from local farmers, my own garden, and stands and you-pick-it farms in the areas I am traveling to. If you have a request for a particular type of jam, preserve, marmalade, juice, etc. file it into comments, but if I make it you DO have to buy at least two jars.

Current inventory is as follows. All half pint jars. $7-9 (anyone want to refresh me on Paypal?)
3 Peach Butter Sauce
3 Spiced Peach Butter Sauce
4 Peach Jam (no sugar added)
1 Peach Cashew Jam (no sugar added)


I am hoping to get to the cherry tomatoes in my garden this weekend as well as put up some rhubarb from the market before we are totally and completely past rhubarb season.


A note on the actual story telling front. I am starting to make my way through a list of names from all over the state. Rebekah over and Christians for the Mountains was especially helpful in that. I am also tossing around an idea about the WV ex-pats peppering the country.

More to come. Buy Jam.

8.11.2009

finally, some movement.

Check out my new project over at Seeking the Hollows.

17 pounds heavier upon return

So I made it back!  I am not in a ditch or some where off the side of a mountain.

I got to a certain point in my trip where it was time to focus on a lot of other things, and the travel-blog sort of took a back seat.  But, now I am back and going through a lot of processing of what I saw, and heard, and learned already even.  I am not ready to articulate it yet, you'll just have to keep checking back.

At the end of the day (week?), it was an amazing trip.  God is good, and He is very faithful.

I am doing another type of processing as well.  I bought 17 pounds of peaches at one of those pick your own farms on my way back since I had the truck.  Tonight was my first adventure into canning, and it smelled delicious at least.  Peach butter, and then a spiced peach butter, and then a bit of an experiment with spiced basil peach butter.  I am thinking about keeping this up and using the funds to off set future trips.  Let me know if you want to buy a jar!