Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Homemade Barbecue Sauce ~ Taste Testing



(early morning, before the sunrise, cup of coffee in a snowflake coffee cup I got from Mom)

While I've been busy canning and gardening, the spiders have been busy - webs all over the inside and outside of our home.  I  have been busy and knocking them all down.   I'm still preserving with tomatoes. 

This morning's sunrise was beautiful.  It slowly turned into a gray sky today, and rain is in the forecast.  Actually they are telling us to expect strong thunderstorms starting around noon. 


Above are the ingredients for what's in Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Barbecue Sauce - one my family prefers.  Notice the first ingredient is "High Fructose Corn Syrup" then again at the end they list more "Corn Syrup" and then "sugar?"   And look at the amount of sodium!  Yikes! 





I canned our first ever Barbecue sauce.  The recipe I used calls for "lightly" packed brown sugar, and that's it.  The lighting makes it look different in the picture.  It is actually a darker color.

I'm still so thrilled with our tomato harvest this year.  I used the Ball Blue Book recipe.  I canned it in 1/2 pints, because that is the only size jar (other than quarts) that I have left to can with this season.  I've successfully filled most of them back up.





The garden is nearing it's end.  We still have more potatoes and carrots to dig up, although I did get some dug up a few nights ago.  I discovered the watermelons (Ali Baba, heirloom) did not mature.  We were gone too much during the time they needed watered, and the kids had enough responsibilities that I just forgot about it.   I'll plant them again next season.  Also, I think the weeds prevented the pollination of the bees, and that was another problem. By the time we got back from SC, it was time to preserve, so weeding was not completed as it should have been.  That particular area is covered in weeds right now.

I cut some basil and more rosemary to dry for winter as well. Yesterday I finally got chives cut to put up for winter.



With a roasted chicken, I decided it was time to taste the corn relish, the onion-blueberry jam, and the barbeque sauce.  My plate is kind of messy, but I wanted to try all of them.  The results?

Savory Onion-blueberry jam (published in a Country Woman magazine and online with Taste of Home):  Good.  Not an awesomely delicious rating, but good.  Since I emailed the magazine last, they have changed the name (now "Savory Blueberry-Onion Jam") and made it so you can't access the recipe online, without registering with them.  I have not heard back about if the recipe is correct, or the yield is correct or what.  I don't think we'll make it again, as the flavor is not that particularly good. Odd, since it was a winner in a contest too.  Now, if they email me and tell me there are errors on the ingredients, then the taste would change.  Hubby and I brain-stormed ideas to use this jam - with eggs, in soups, mixed in other veggies etc.

Corn Relish:  Delicious.  Sweet and spicy, and would be very good on fish.  We'll be making this again for sure.

Barbecue sauce:  Delicious.  Everyone liked it, and I caught Hubby smothering his potatoes with it, ha ha!  We'll definitely be making this again.  The recipe calls for Mace or Nutmeg - we used Mace (I use it in my homemade chewy granola bars, so I have it on hand).




I got a few keychains finished (crocheted).  I just need to crochet matching bookmarks to go with them.
 


The roses we recently planted are blooming.  It's been nice to view them from the kitchen window, where I work most days.  I can see them from several windows in the house too.   I see a few critters crawling on the petals, but will wait until the rain stops to deal with those.

Over the past few days I've managed to get my bathroom in order, but the tub still needs a good scrubbing.  The floor mopped too.  This season of the year seems to keep me from getting all the work done in one complete day.  Since I only have to chop up 10 lbs. of tomatoes today, I should have a bit time to catch up with indoor work.  Then again, I might be dealing with too dogs who hate thunderstorms.  Poor things.  Which reminds me, I better find their thundershirts before the storms arrive.

10 comments:

Mama Pea said...

I just have to throw up my hands and laugh at all you get done in a day's time, Kristina! You're obviously running on Energizer batteries.

That store-bought, bottled BBQ sauce may taste good, but criminey! There's nothing in the ingredients that is good for us. So glad your homemade sauce was a winner. You're doing so much toward feeding your family right and keeping them healthy. You go, girl!

EMMA said...

It's a very busy time of year isn't it!! your food looks delicious, shame about the blueberry onion jam, the combination of the two certainly sounded interesting.

Sandra said...

My husband would love if I made barbecue sauce!! Will hav to check out recipe.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Mama Pea, let's just say I am sleeping pretty good at night now. I'm so exhausted by nightfall, ha ha!

Emma, if I ever hear back from the magazine, I'll post an update.

Sandra, everyone here gave the sauce two thumbs up.

Susan said...

Another great reason to can your own - and another recipe to try! I like canning things in half-pint jars, since it's just me. There is just enough. Glad you reviewed the savory blueberry jam. I had been thinking about making it, but will hold off in case you get an update. I am running out of jars and counter space!

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

Lots of rewards from all of your hard work! I love Sweet Baby Ray's too and sad to read the ingredient list.

The crocheted key-chains are the sweetest!

Liz said...

I am getting ready to make that same BBQ sauce this weekend. Glad you give it a good review! We had those storms today. Lots and lots of rain!

Bethany Carson said...

The rose looks beautiful! Mine finished blooming a couple months ago, so it is nice to see one again. Dinner looks delicious...why am I getting a craving for chicken?! Also, looks like a beautiful sunrise!

Sam I Am...... said...

You are amazing! All that good stuff for your family. We're expecting storms too. They had tornadoes up your way too didn't they? Stay safe! I hope you have weather radio.
Yum on that plateful!

Mary said...

My experience with a bad recipe was for a sauce that included something called, pomegranite molassas about 4 years ago... the recipe called for boiling down pomegranite juice til it was close to a syrupy stage. What a disaster, and to top it off, the sauce was nasty. Glad to read how well the corn relish and barbecue sauce turned out. I'm a fairly new reader, and am really enjoying reading your articles.