The Spotting of the Green

Well, pickings have been slim around here in thrifting land. It's been a couple weeks since I found anything worth writing about. But with Spring around the corner, people must be doing some spring cleaning, and I actually found something good today!

I am thrilled to have finally found my first piece of lime Pyrex- a round cake pan. I know these aren't that uncommon, but I have never seen any! As a matter of fact, I haven't seen any solid color bakewear at all recently, and I would love to have a pie plate and square baker to go with it.

It's in absolutely mint condition- appears never to have been used. Quite a miracle, since Pyrex only made lime from 1952 to 1956. The best part was that for St. Patty's Day anything green in the store was 25% off, so I got this for $2.25!

I also found a green FireKing mug (38 cents with the St. Pat's discount), a red Hazel Atlas Moderntone creamer ($1.00), and the cutest tiny mason jar. I am tempted to go back and pick up a set of 6 milk glass mugs that were not Pyrex, but very similar to the Old Towne/Blue Onion pattern. Not identical, but close...very cute- so tempting. I also left behind a Green 403 mixing bowl and a 402 Square Flowers bowl. They weren't in the best of condition, and I'm trying to leave stuff like that for someone else!

Never Again, Sally Ann

I have used this space many times to malign my local Salvation Army thrift store. To me, it is like the Wal-Mart of thrift stores- huge, noisy, smelly and filled with junk no one wants. It makes even a die hard thrifter like me not want to go there- I almost always go somewhere else when I need a fix.

But lately, my two preferred thrift stores have not had much of anything vintage, much less clothing or Pyrex, the two things I buy most often. Such was the case yesterday when I made my weekly trip- I actually walked out of those stores with nothing. I can't remember the last time I did that.

So, I had some time to kill and thought I'd stop in at the Sally Ann, just for kicks. Well, darned if I didn't score. 

They had tons of Pyrex! Of course, I scooped up the only Butterprint, a 402 mixing bowl- and for only $2.49! I have almost completed my set of fridgies and Cinderella bowls in this pattern, but this is my first mixing bowl. I left a lot behind for someone else- a complete set of Forest Fancies casseroles with lids, a set of Town & Country Cinderella bowls, and a few others- I think maybe a Colonial Mist mixing bowl- as they are not patterns I particularly care for. (This is the same store where I found my turquoise 503 fridgie and my jadeite mixing bowl- why did I ever doubt it?)

I have also had good luck with blue Ball jars at this store in the past- every other thrift I go to prices the blue ones at $3-$5 each, which is a pass for me. I got this one for only 99 cents, so this was definitely a deal. And I use them all the time to store pantry staples- I was just thinking I could use another one.

The Tupperware ketchup & mustard dispensers were 25 cents each. Tupperware tends to sell well in my Etsy store so I definitely will list them.

But the most fun, and unexpected find of the day was a toy I remember from my childhood:

Remember Alphie the Robot? This version came out in 1983, when I was 8. 

I saw him on the shelf and had to bring him home for $3.99. I was hoping he would work and after a few tense moments because the batteries were in backwards, he came to life! My son, who will be 8 on Friday, really fell in love with him. I originally bought him to resell (thinking of Van over at Thrift Core) - because who doesn't want to buy back a cool robot toy from their childhood?- but have a feeling he may be sticking around for a while. He is so cute!

In case you don't remember, here is the original TV commercial from 1986:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=yhY0IUxCeM8

So, I want to take a moment and apologize for bashing my local Sally Ann, who has been so good to me of late. I'm sorry!!!!

Eagle Eye strikes again!

Yesterday my son Jayson (aka Eagle Eye) and I had dentist appointments to get fillings. He is only 7 years old and this was the first time for him- he didn't know what to expect- so I promised him we'd do something fun afterwards to help him get through it. It turned out that we both had such small cavities that we didn't even need novocaine and it was really quick and painless (and we have a great dentist!).

So what do we do when we need a little R&R (and have a lot more time to kill than we expected?) We went thrifting! He has really been bugging me lately to let him buy some things for resale- he's very motivated to make some money for himself and wants to do what I do (Yay!) Besides, he has a knack for picking out good stuff- he's got the eye...

This was the first thing we spotted when we walked in to the store- a fez! I've wanted one of these forever and this one was really nice. And it was only $5! Woo-hoo!

This was Eagle Eye's first pick of the day. It's a large dried blowfish. (Of course, he's a 7 year old boy!) On it's own, it's not worth a lot more than the $2.50 he paid for it, but we are going to put a light bulb in it and turn it into a tiki bar lamp. It should be worth a bit more after that!

This strong box caught both of our eyes. Me for the box and his for the contents... 

Yes, there were about 1000 pom poms, pipe cleaners and googly eyes in it (and now all over the floor...) Lots of kids craft projects, plus a cool new toolbox for mom for $4.50.

Of course, we found something for his collection of wood slice plaques. This one is huge (like 18-20" tall) and hand-painted.

 Since we had such good luck at the first store, we decided to try our luck at the local Sally Ann. I have written before about how this store can be hit-or-miss, and this time it was a hit.

Eagle Eye actually spotted this, and picked it up before I even got to it. He has no idea who Elsa Schiaparelli is, of course, and it's just pure talent, I guess, that made him pick it up :)

It is a stocking box, and there were stockings in it, but not Schiaparelli ones. And someone did write with a ball point pen "no heel or toe" on the box, but it's still worth the $1.50 we paid.

The stockings inside are NOS, and were a bonus- if they don't fit me, they're headed for my Etsy store, and the profits will go to Jayson. Curiously, these were stuck in with the housewares; my guess is that the employees had no idea what they had. (But Eagle Eye did!)

We also picked up this game of Risk for $1. It's a very early version and has great graphics. I've never played it, but I've been buying all the old board games I can find lately. They're cheap fun and make good decorative items as well.

I also snagged these blue mason jars for 99 cents each. One has the original zinc lid, too. 

I was excited to find them for this price- at the other thrift stores even regular clear mason jars are in the $2-$3 range, and blue ones-way more! I'm not sure why- you can still buy the clear ones new by the case in every grocery store for $7 a dozen. Do people really think that canning is so old-fashioned that even plain clear jars are 'antique'? I mean, I'll pay up to $2 for blue ones, but the clear ones, really? Anyway, that was our thrift adventure for the week- stay tuned for more treasures from Eagle Eye!

Make it from Scratch Monday: Rhubarb Jam

I have an abundance of rhubarb this year- every couple of weeks I cut about 10 pounds of it from our established patch at the cabin, plus I have a young plant here at the house that is producing a bit this year. I have used it fresh, frozen it, canned it- you name it, I have done it this year.

The one thing I did want to try was making rhubarb jam. I haven't bought supermarket jam in years; it is so easy to make your own. If you have never done any canning, this is probably the easiest way to start. Last summer I made peach jam and a bushel of peaches made close to a dozen pints, so I knew I would get plenty out of the rhubarb. Here's a tutorial on raspberry jam as well.

I was hoping to find a recipe that was a little different than straight rhubarb jam, so I looked to one of my fave food bloggers and found this one: http://www.foodinjars.com/2010/04/april-can-jam-rosemary-rhubarb-jam/ with rosemary and lemon zest. I love rosemary and always have some fresh on hand, so that sounded good to me.

Her yield was 3 half pints from 4 cups chopped rhubarb. Since my 10 pounds would yield substantially more than 4 cups, I had to increase the proportions. This can be very problematic with jams and jellies, because the larger the batch, the more difficult it is to get a good set. I was originally hoping to find a recipe without added pectin, but once I saw the proportions I figured I should add some to make sure.

I ended up with close to 12 cups chopped rhubarb, so added about 7 cups sugar (just thinking about it makes my teeth hurt, but rhubarb always needs a lot of sugar) one lemon's worth of zest, and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary.

Chop the rhubarb. Make sure you use only the stems, as the leaves of the plant are poisonous. 

Put the rhubarb in a stock pot with the sugar. Allow it to sit (without turning it on) for about half an hour until the sugar starts to liquefy.

Add rosemary sprigs and any other seasoning (I also threw in some whole coriander). 

Cook for 30-45 mins until the mixture begins to look like jam, but not real thick.

Add one envelope of pectin and stir while boiling for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add lemon zest.

Fill clean warm jars, leaving about a half inch of headspace. I removed the large sprigs of rosemary, but didn't go to any great lengths to remove the smaller bits. (My family will no doubt complain about "pine needles" in the jam, LOL)

Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes.

Remove from the water and listen for the seals to set. My yield was 5 pints, plus two smaller jars for gift giving.

I spread it on some fresh rosemary-olive oil sourdough bread I made the same day. I was really busy in the kitchen that day, but it was so worth it! The jam came out really well- the rosemary flavor is very subtle and the lemon zest very bright. If I make this again, I might use only half the lemon zest. Rhubarb has a very citrus-y flavor as it is, so I'm not sure it's even necessary to add the lemon.

Rummage Sale Goodness Pt. 1

Today was the big rummage sale at our local church. They have one twice a year, and I always get really good stuff. Today was no exception.

I'm going to break this up over 2 posts because it's kind of photo-heavy. Which means I got a ton of stuff! 

This year's theme was blue, apparently. 

I found another Hoosier jar! With a blue lid, a color I've never seen before. It was $6, which was highway robbery for a rummage sale, but try buying one cheaper anywhere else. And I always have a use for them. Same with the blue mason jars, which were 25 cents each (that's more like it!) The tablecloth was $1.50 and is not a size I can use, but I might take it to the cabin or sell it in my Etsy store. 

Someone must have had an old Hotpoint refrigerator. Guess what, so do I! 

I think the basket (which says "Left-Overs"- love that) will fit in mine also. How cool is that, to find accessories for your 1940 Hotpoint at a rummage sale. Each piece was 25 cents.

I actually went back later in the day for this aquarium. I thought about it all morning and realized it would be perfect for a terrarium. Thankfully it was still there. It's older than I thought it was- the bottom is slate! The bell was an impulse buy (25 cents) that I may live to regret. Those of you with young kids will know what I mean!

That's it for now- I'll be back after tomorrow's rummage sale with pt. 2!

Up to my eyeballs!

This is one of my favorite times of the year: canning season! The peppers, tomatoes and fruit are rolling in and it's time to get them put up for the cold months.

This is one day's bounty- and my sinks are true double sinks- 24 in square each. That is over 7 pounds of hot peppers, with a couple bell peppers mixed in.

We've had a lot of cherry tomatoes this year. While I love eating them, I don't can them. If I do anything, I'll dehydrate them and store them dried.

All those peppers! I only canned half of them and got all these jars of hot pepper relish. The other half went into the freezer. Peppers freeze really well- just cut them to the size you would normally use them fresh and put in a plastic bag. For bell peppers, I cut them into finger-length strips; the hots just get the tops trimmed off.

There are 3.5 quarts of crushed tomatoes there as well.

I had 12 pounds of peaches, so I made this peach jam (minus the cinnamon and added 2 T of vanilla extract). It was so good we ate almost a whole jar before it even got cool. Would be a great ice cream topping as well! I'm also quite pleased that all my jars sealed this week; I had been having some problems with sealing earlier in the year. I think it might have been a bad batch of lids.

 

I think there will be more tomato canning this week, but that's probably about it for now!

Make it from scratch Monday: Pickled Watermelon Rind

One of my tastiest childhood memories is of my Grandma's pickled watermelon rind. I remember eating it like candy. It was so tasty- sweet, syrupy and a little spicy, something that I have not had since she passed away. Surprisingly, with all my recent adventures in canning and preserving I have never tried making them until now. It's the perfect way to use up a part of the melon that you would ordinarily discard!

I couldn't find her recipe in my files, so I found this tutorial online which is just about right. It gets the flavor I'm after and as a bonus, it doesn't even need to be canned, although if I had a large batch I'm sure it could be done.

It requires more time than anything else. You probably have most of the ingredients on hand if you do much cooking.

I bought a 6 lb watermelon, and used the inside for watermelon and feta salad. I then cut the outer peel off the rind and followed the instructions given in the video.

First you cut the rind into cubes and mix it with 1 cup kosher or pickling salt. Let stand overnight.

Drain the water and rinse the cubes. Bring 8 cups cold water to a boil and add the cubes. Boil for 10 minutes and drain.

Make the syrup: combine 1/2 c water, 2 c white vinegar, 3 c sugar, a few cinnamon sticks, 1 tsp of whole cloves, 1/2 tsp whole allspice and 1/2 tsp of whole mustard seed (I substituted cardamom seed). Bring to a boil and turn off the heat. Let stand for 1 hour.

Add the watermelon rind cubes and simmer in the syrup for 2 hours. Pour into a clean glass jar and you're done! If you had a lot of jars, I'm sure you could can this for about 10 minutes, but I only got one jar out of it.

Sunday Outfit Post: Swirl (now with photo!)

This is my one and only Swirl dress. I bought it at a tiny little antique shop in Corning, NY that had a single rack of vintage dresses. It was marked, "Vintage housecoat, $9". I think I ran some of the customers over taking it to the register. (I also wish I had bought the 1950s taffeta evening dress they had for the same price, but it didn't quite fit me and I didn't have my etsy shop yet.)

It's a pink cotton seersucker with embroidered cherries on the top. I'm also wearing some white peeptoes that I had forgotten about until the other day when I was collecting some more stuff for the shop. Love it when that happens!

Behind me is my first canning project of the year- 8 quarts of rhubarb. I also made a rhubarb pie, but that was gone before I thought to take a picture of it. I had close to 25 pounds of rhubarb to do something with!

Make-it-from-Scratch Monday: Raspberry Jam

Whew! It's been quite a few hectic days around here at Chez QT! I've been putting still more stuff up on Etsy, so check out the link at right and spread the word- I'd love to get this thing really going and sell a lot of vintage goodies!

I've also been spending a lot of time in the kitchen. I just realized that with warmer weather approaching (eventually!) I need to empty my freezer of all the roasts and cold weather-type things. So it may surprise you to note that this week's cooking feature is a most un-seasonable raspberry jam.

But there's a story in this (as always). I sometimes shop at a local discount grocery, the type that sells dented cans and opened cases of this and that. They often get the castoffs from the big grocery stores around here, and sometimes the bargains really can't be beat, as long as you're willing to do a little work.

Case in point- a few weeks ago they had 1 pound boxes of California raspberries at 50 cents a piece. Yes, you read that correctly- they usually run about $4.99. Problem was, they were starting to turn moldy. But I scooped up about 6 pounds of the best boxes. Once I went through them, there were very few berries that were completely unsalvageable, and the rest went into the freezer for this project.

Sometimes when I make jam I do not have enough of one kind of berries (5 pounds of anything out of season can be $$) so I make a mixed batch with some strawberries, blueberries and cherries- the recipe is the same.

I also really like the Ball No Sugar Needed Fruit Pectin, because I do not have to add copius amounts of sugar to get it to jell. I follow a diabetic diet, so I love anything that does not require additional sugar. But if you like you could add some sugar- I would say no more than 1 cup would yield a sweeter jam.

Raspberry Jam

Ingredients:

about 5 pounds raspberries, crushed (about 8 cups)
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
1 package Ball No Sugar Needed Fruit Pectin
0 to 1 c. sugar according to your taste.

6 to 8 pint canning jars, bands and lids, sterilized and hot. I run my jars and bands through the dishwasher, at the same time my canner is heating up. I keep the clean lids in a cup of hot water I take out of the canner.

First, bring 2-3 gallons of water in your canner to a boil. This may take as long as an hour.

Meanwhile prepare the jam.

Crush the berries gently with a potato masher (I am using an antique wooden potato masher- it is a great tool for this job) in a large saucepan. Don't use a food processor or blender, as it breaks down the natural sugars in the berries and your jam will not set.

Add one cup of unsweetened apple juice and the package of fruit pectin and bring to a rolling boil.

Once the mixture is boiling begin to stir it continuously for 3 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and fill hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headroom.

Place lids and bands in place and tighten gently- just finger tight.

Place filled jars in the boiling water canner, making sure there is at least 2 inches of water covering them.

Boil for 10 minutes.  

Remove jars and place them on a cutting board or towel (not a cold counter top, or you risk some serious breakage!). Listen for the seals to pop. Allow the jam to stand at least 24 hours to set. (This is the hardest part! :)