Chick,Chick,Chick peas

We have gone through a fair few tins of chick peas and four bean mix over the years, so when I recently saw a quick method of canning  chick peas and beans recently I was keen to give it a go.
I owe credit for the info to a fellow called Ben Scholes on one of my canning sites I belong to, and the recipe was just called "Ben's Beans ".
I started with just one jar, slipped into a canner load of raw packed lamb chunks.as they are processed for the same time.
When I opened the jar we were very impressed as the  ratio of beans to liquid was perfect and the texture of the peas was just right.
So I decided that I would do a whole canner load of chick peas.I used  packets of dried chick peas that I purchased at a  middle eastern shop down in our local shopping centre that sells lot's of interesting bits and pieces.

I started by rinsing off the chick peas in a strainer under running water and then placed 1/2 cup of the dried chick peas into each pint(or 1 cupful per quart).

Next I filled the the pre-washed  jars with plain water  leaving about 1 inch headspace.

I then  wiped all the jar  rims with paper towel dipped in white vinegar, and applied the lids that had been previously simmered in water for a few minutes to soften the seals.  I then added the rings and screwed just  until finger tight.

I also added 1 jar of 4 bean mix as well so i could see how they would process too.

I then placed them all in my pressure canner and processed them at 10lbs pressure for 75 minutes for pints(or 90 minutes for quarts)

After the processing time was complete I turned off the stove and let the canner  drop back down in pressure and after it returned to zero I removed the weight,and when all steam had completely ceased I removed the canner lid .
I then removed all the jars and placed on a towel on the table to cool for 24 hours.

The next day I removed all the rings, checked my seals were intact and washed the jars and stored my rings for future use.I then stored the chick peas away for future use.
I had also on a previous load of  lamb stock processed some lima beans in the same way, but forgot that stock is processed at a shorter time than beans, so the beans really hadn't been done correctly so I refrigerated those and used them straight away.
I made "pantry stew" the next day, with jars of,lamb chunks,tomatoes,carrots,corn,stock,and the lima beans, It was really delicious.

We had unexpected quests turn up that weekend also  and I was quickly able to make up a 4 bean salad with the jars of beans, a  pint of canned corn, and a few other bits, and it was  great too.

Tonight I am cooking a small piece of pork and instead of the usual baked vegetables, my husband requested  that we have a chick pea salad and coleslaw, suits me just fine.

These beans will be so handy to us for quick salads and ways to stretch a soup or stew if extras turn up, I am certain that I will can many more jars of them in the future. Every time I can meat and I haven't a full load I will just slip a few of these in.
I must away now as it is close to our dinner time and I have that roast to check,
Until we meet again,
Cheers,
Jane.

Family gatherings,Aussie bush style.

My husbands large family likes to gather together, and as he was originally one of 11 and now one of 10 surviving siblings the numbers are quickly growing over the years. We tend to use any excuse that we can to get them  together,especially significant  birthdays and celebrations.
Last year at the end of September was one of those times, one brother was reaching his 60th milestone and another his 50th, so we combined the two celebrations and got together next door(where the 60 year old lives) and overflowed to our place.
We were lucky a neighbour  raised a few pigs and we were able to select a a nice one to go onto the spit.

My husband and his brother butchered the pig and we hung it in a cool room for a couple of days before the party.They also did a  lamb to put on a    spit   another day over the weekend and a second lamb just all cut up  into chops to use on the barbeque for the weekend, as we had quite a crowd to feed..They had also  put about 8 chickens on the spit  the day before and chilled them..

The roast pork was superb,and along with hot vegies and salads and beautiful desserts it was a wonderful feast.One of  my husbands brothers prides himself as the best "pig on the spit" cook.
There was not a single piece of pork left, all the bones and the head were even stripped that night.
There is just something extra special about a spit roast.

We got a group photo, late in the afternoon but many more arrived later as darkness fell.

The photo above is my husband and his brothers and sisters. It's rare these days to get all 10 together let alone get a photograph of them together. This is them ranging  from left(youngest) to Right (oldest) Rough looking bunch(lol) but mostly they are all good mates and have a great time when they are together. I think the family did it fairly hard in their early years( and what big family didn't  in the 40's,50's and 60's), Their parents would have been very proud of all of them. All hard working, decent  good family people.
So a wonderful weekend was had by all, took us all the next week to recover from all the preparations,celebrations and clean ups. We were exhausted.
The following week as we were leaving to return to the coast, just not far from our house (about a kilometre) we saw this little fur ball crossing the road and climb up into a nearby tree. We stopped to have a look and see what we found. A beautiful koala. We have  often have heard their growling  mating noises in the night in the distance from our house  but have never came across one so close to home.So i thought I would share it with you.

We thought it was beautiful. I had grown up in that area and when I asked my mum, she said she had never seen one around there in roughly 50 years, so we were honoured.
So back in the car and back to the rat race...
So until we meet again,
Stay safe,
Cheers,
Jane from Aus.