Hawk Attack

We lost a hen this afternoon to a hawk ... likely a red-tailed or red-shouldered hawk.  It was a big one.  I was at the office at the time. My sister, Janet, had come by the house to eat some lunch.  She called me with the bad news.  She had heard the chickens squawking and making an extraordinary racket.  She ran out to the chicken yard in time to see the huge bird fly away.  The unlucky hen was mortally wounded.  Several chickens had taken refuge in the hen house.  The others were cowering in the corner of the chicken yard.

Hot Pepper Jelly

The peppers had to be harvested.  Freezing weather was threatening.  What to do with all those hot peppers?    Make jelly, of course!  I made one batch each of Jalapeño and "Cow Horn" hot pepper jelly.

The jalapeños were a gorgeous, shiny, dark green.  They made a lovely naturally green jelly.  The flavor, though, turned out to be disappointingly mild.  Still, tasty enough.

The Cow Horn peppers, on the other hand, made jelly that was perfectly caliente!  I used only the ripe, red peppers to make this second batch of jelly.  It cooked up into a clear, red-orange gel.  Very delicious with a pungent cheese atop your favorite whole-grain cracker.  I even ate it for breakfast a couple of mornings ... peanut butter and hot pepper jelly on a crispy, toasted, whole-wheat English muffin.  Don't knock it 'til you've tried it!

Here's the recipe I used, from the Ball Blue Book of Preserving:

Jalapeño Jelly
3/4 pound hot peppers
2 cups cider vinegar, divided
6 cups sugar
2 pouches liquid pectin

Wash peppers; drain.  Remove stems and seeds.  Puree peppers and 1 cup vinegar in a food processor or blender. Combine puree, 1 cup vinegar and sugar in a large saucepot.  Bring to a boil; boil 10 minutes, stirring constantly.  Stir in liquid pectin.  Return to a rolling boil.  Boil hard 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  Skim foam if necessary.  Ladle hot jelly into hot jars, leaving 1/4" headspace.  Adjust two-piece caps.  Process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.  Yield:  Six 1/2 pint jars

Note:  When cutting or seeding hot peppers, wear rubber gloves to prevent hands from being burned.  Take care not to rub your eyes, nose, mouth or other sensitive body parts with hands that are contaminated with hot pepper juice.  Don't clean the peppers under running water.  The "hotness" will be dispersed into the air, causing sneezing, coughing, runny nose, and much discomfort.  Put pepper waste directly into the compost bucket or trash can.  Wipe down counters and cutting boards with a paper towel that is then placed directly into the trash.

Cold Weather ... Here It Comes!

The predicted low for tonight is 35 degrees.  Tomorrow night?  29 degrees!

Late this afternoon I picked all the peppers, the pole beans, and the best of the remaining zinnias.  The expected freeze will finish everything off tomorrow night.  In the meantime, we have a lovely centerpiece on the kitchen table, a mess of green beans to cook up, and enough jalapeños to make a batch of hot pepper jelly.

I also installed the support system and placed row cover over the lettuce and spinach bed.  Everything's tucked in, nice and tidy, ready for winter to overtake the garden.