Fall means so many things- back to school, crisp mornings, Friday night football games, and some beautiful new colors. At my house it also means its harvest time! We take whatever we can get and either can it or freeze it. We don’t do anything too crazy, but maybe some day I’ll get a little wild!

The craziest we got this year was picking some plums for plum jelly. Actually, a LOT of plums.  We have a beautiful little plum tree on the ranch, but after an unfortunate meeting with Grandpa, it doesn’t produce well… or like at all. A few years ago I got a few and was TICKLED to make plum jelly. Unfortunately my blonde hair got the better of me and I was so distracted that the juice scorched and was ruined! No plum jelly… Ever since then I have been dying to make some.

To my delight, there was a friend of a friend (I’ll spare you the details of the connections…) that has a plum tree and asked my mother-in-law and I to come pick them. She pretty well said to pick them all and then dig up the tree and bring it too! I got the feeling she wasn’t too thrilled to have the plum tree in her yard… So we did. We picked and picked and picked. And I might have even shook that little tree just to make the ones on the top come down. We went home with close to 18 gallons of plums! Needless to say, we stopped by the grocery store to stock up on jelly ingredients!

Have you done jelly before? I hadn’t before this little excursion. I usually stick to the tried and true strawberry freezer jam my family loves. I knew it was simple, but I didn’t realize just how simple. Before I share our jelly recipe there are two things you gotta know about this cook- first that you can find this recipe with your pectin… that’s all I did! And second- I don’t always follow the rules. Yes, sometimes it’s to my detriment, but for the most part it works out great!

Ready to “make” some plum jelly?

Step 1- Pick plums… duh… I don’t recommend doing it in the middle of a thunder storm.  There might be a crack and a flash all at once while your standing on an aluminum ladder under a tree… Probably not the best choice…

Step 2- Wash the plums… kinda self-explanatory.

Step 3- This is one of those times that I went my own way. I borrowed all the juicers of the valley (actually just from Grandma and mom-in-law) to do all the work for me. You just dump the plums in and as they heat up from the steam coming from the bottom, they release their juice. Awesome. Another way to do it (if you don’t have a juicer) is to cook the plums with some water and put the cooked fruit in some cheese cloth. And then squeeeeeze the fruit to get the juice out and let it drip for a while to get the last bits. I don’t really have the patience for that…

Step 4- Now that you have your delectable plum juice you can get to work on the jelly. Now, the instructions in your pectin packet will tell you NOT to double the recipe. I’m not giving you permission to break the rules, but just know that I did and it turned out fine, every time. If you are going to double it, get a big pot. Like maybe your canning pot. If not you will boil over and have a sticky mess. Learned that one from experience… Measure 5 1\2 cups of juice, pour into your pot and combine with one package of pectin powder. Bring the juice and pectin to a roaring boil (I know it is really a rolling boil, but doesn’t it sound like it is roaring?) while stirring all the time.

Small side note- you know how the saying goes that a watched pot never boils? How are ever supposed to get to boiling if you have to stir constantly? Ok, back to the jelly…

Step 5- Add 6 ½ cups of sugar to the juice and return to boiling. Still stirring, but maybe with your eyes closed so you don’t watch the pot…. Ok, not funny, I know…. Boil for two minutes and head to your jars to start filling them up… promptly. If you wait long, the jelly will begin to set a little. Scrape off the foam from the top of the jelly and then pour into the jars, leaving ¼ inch head space.

After filling all the jars, wipe the tops, put on hot lids and rings, and place in water boiler canner. Once the water has reached boiling temperatures, process for 5 minutes.

And Ta da! You have fresh plum jelly. Delicious, fresh plum jelly. In fact, you might want to go make some fresh bread to enjoy your delightful jelly (and not feel guilty eating the jelly straight from the jar!).

Fresh Plum Jelly

5 ½ C. Fresh plum juice

1 Pkg. (1 ¾ oz.) Powdered fruit pectin

6 ½ C. Sugar

Collect 5 ½ cups of plum juice from the plums, approximately 5 pounds. Combine juice and sugar in a large pot and bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Add sugar and return to boil while stirring. Boil for 2 minutes. Immediately remove from heat and spoon of froth. Pour jelly into prepared sterile jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Clean off rims and adjust lids and rings. Place in hog water bath canner and cover with water. Bring to a boil and process for 5 minutes. Yields 6 pints.

 

Hi! I’m Allison. I’m a busy wife and mom of two, living life on the ranch in Holbrook, Idaho where our family raises Black Angus cattle. Growing up on a ranch, I always knew that I wanted to live this life and raise my family on the foundation of country living and hard work.  Whenever I can, I gather my kids and my camera to head out to work with my husband. At the end of the day, there is nothing more than spending time with my family and sharing our ranch lifestyle. Come and see more of me at The Idaho Rancher’s Wife!

A friend and I were comparing this year’s fair week and its highs and lows. I was posting the kid’s fair pictures when I realized how many years our family has counted the last week of July as “fair week.” Through the tears of record books to stepped on toes, fair week just blended into the ranch’s schedule. . .like calving, branding, turn-out and gathering.

Fair Week 2011 was probably a highlight of all the fairs since we started this in 2000. We celebrated our oldest daughter’s last year, middle daughter’s sixth year and son’s first year. The kids worked together, laughed together and cried together. They continued traditions and started new ones. These pictures tell the story of why we believe in 4-H, FFA and “fair week.”

~ Julie

Julie and her family own a cow-calf, yearling operation and custom feedlot in southwest Idaho. She and her husband were raised on livestock ranches and their industry roots run deep. Their children have been very active and involved in the ranch and feedlot, and are developing their own herds of quality cattle.

The sun began to peek up over the hill that sits behind our house, and through Mattson’s bedroom window. He jumped up out of bed, with a smile on his face. This was the day that Mattson had worked all summer for—the 4-H horse show! As he catches his horse, I load the truck with the necessities—water, sunscreen, and of course, a comfy lawn chair that I can take a short, much needed nap in when the excitement of a horse show is too much to bare. As I look in the tack room of the trailer, I am pleased and proud of the organization Mattson has on display. Bridles hung neatly, saddle clean and oiled, floor swept and the water bucket and grain ready for reward for a job well done. I can learn a thing or two about his idea of being tidy and neat.

We pull into the arena, parked our truck and trailer next to the neighborhood girl and unload a blue roan gelding who is truly a part of our family. He goes by the name “Cody.” The sun blazing down on us all, I paint the hooves, brush the main and tail and pin the back number on Mattson’s freshly ironed shirt. The new halter is put on and they begin to show in their first class. Calm and collected, in all his classes, he shows his horse like a true champion. He teaching us the importance of having fun, having confidence, and being proud of who he is and what he has. I can learn a thing or two about his discipline and confidence to tackle everyday life.

As the day goes on it continues to get longer, hotter and dustier. Patience is tested, horses are ridden in patterns and parents are smiling as their child rides out of the arena with a red, white or blue ribbon. I remind Mattson to hold his reins steady, sit deep in the saddle, and make sure his horse picks up his correct lead. He reassures me with a smile and a wink, and tells me to relax. I once again am more nervous than he is.  

His favorite event has finally come—Team Sorting! Mattson is a member of the team who won the county fair and went on to win the State Fair last year. The cows are placed in the lower end of the arena. Mattson and his team members ride in, cinches tightened, and horses’ ears perked up. The team consists of three ranch raised cow kids who have sorted a cow or two before in their time. They begin to ride toward the cows, getting them sorted in order, one by one, with a total of 5. After the dust is settled, and the numbers are tallied, their team is the county fair champion once again. Mattson congratulates his team and the other teams as well. They are excited to compete at state once again. I can learn a thing or two about his sportsmanship in 4-H as well as life itself.

Now we get ready for State Fair……

~ Jayme

Jayme Thompson lives in Shelley, Idaho, with her husband Matt, and their three sons, Jackson, Mattson and Dawson. She was daddy’s little cowgirl being raised horseback on the family cattle ranch in Mackay, Idaho. Matt and Jayme have known each other since their early junior rodeo days. They are both 4th generation ranchers and have a cow-calf and horse operation. Jayme drives school bus, and helps Matt on the ranch in addition to chauffeuring kids. Matt is a custom saddle maker and a video representative for Western Video Market on the side.

Jayme also blogs at Cavvy Savvy, where this post first appeared.

 

Today was the last day of the fair and my last day with Charlie. Charlie was the 55th steer to sell at the sale. He acted better than he did any other day at the fair. I was nervous that Charlie would go crazy because of all of the noises of the auctioneer and the people.

He sold for a really good price to South Hills Land and Farming. With the money I earned, first I have to pay my grandpa for buying Charlie and for the hay he ate. Then I have to pay my parents for the grain that they bought. The rest of the money is for savings for college or a church mission.

That afternoon, when it was getting close to time to put Charlie on the truck, I started feeling sad. Then I started lightly crying and I stayed with Charlie the whole time until he was ready to go. When I was with him, he kept scratching his head on me up and down, up and down. He tore a hole in my shirt, but I didn’t care. After the man said it was

time to put him on the truck, I cried in my mom’s arms for ten minutes. I started crying again that night. Then I had an idea: maybe if I sleep with my shirt with the hole in it, it will make me feel better. So I did and I’m going to do that every night.

But I’m glad that Charlie is going to help feed America beef!

Even though it was really sad to get rid of him, I’m glad I raised a steer for the fair. I learned responsibility and I got to get dirty all the time, which I found out was super fun. I also discovered that I really, really, really like cows and now they’re my first favorite animal.

My seven top favorite things at the fair were:

• Showing a steer (of course).
• Eating the fair food. I liked the donuts and elephant ears best.
• Working in the 4-H food booth.
• Riding my first carnival ride. My favorite was the ferris wheel.
• Looking at all of the other animals
• The entertainment (the monkey show was my favorite).
• Working and playing with friends and making a few new friends.
• Seeing some of my family.

I hope you liked reading about my first fair and that you learned some fair things too. Come to the Twin Falls County Fair! We’ll see you there next year maybe!

Today was a big day for Charlie and me because it was the quality show.  The quality show at the fair is about your steer and how much meat he will probably have and if he’s finished or not.

I have to get up really early because we need to get to the fair to feed Charlie before we get him ready for the show.  While he is outside eating, we clean out his stall.  Then we have to give Charlie a bath.  He doesn’t like this very much at the fair.  I don’t know why because he really liked getting washed at home.

After we wash him, then we blow his hair dry.  Then we put some really strong hairspray on his legs and spray some oil on his body to make him shine.  Then he is ready to go to the show.

There are 130 steers at our fair so the show takes all day long.  I was in the 4th class to go in the show ring.  I was nervous because when we were waiting for our class to start, Charlie wouldn’t stand still and had lots of energy.

When it was my turn, first I led Charlie in the show ring and stayed in a straight line in the front with the other steers so the judge could look at them.  Then we walked around in a circle and stopped in the back of the show ring.  Then the judge put all of us in line in the order he liked them best and then he told us about why he liked a steer or why he didn’t.

Charlie weighed 1218 pounds and he probably needed about 30 more pounds so I got 5th place in my class.  The judge said that at first he though Charlie would be a top contender but he needed a little more muscle.  A girl in my 4-H club told me, “Think of it this way, you got first place of the second half.”

I was kind of mad at Charlie because whenever I stopped him, he wouldn’t stay there.  My legs were shaking when I was in the show ring, but I didn’t let go of his halter and kept good hold of him.

After the show, we washed and scrubbed him again to get all of the hairspray and oil out of his hair.

A couple hours later, Charlie was laying down and I tried sitting with him and he liked it so then I started singing songs to him.  Then I thought, “Why not make up a special imaginary land for us to live and our own language.”  Charlie told me not to tell you what it was called.  How he told me no was by head butting me when I asked him.

This morning, I was a little mad at Charlie because he wouldn’t stay still during the show but I was only mad for a little while.  Then he let me sit with him for a long time in the afternoon and I remembered how much I like him.