Hereford Farm Market is tomorrow! 9:00 to noon. We’ll be there with fresh cut zinnias, home-harvested honey, fruit jams, smoky-spicy applesauce, and artisan suncatchers.
If you buy honey, flowers, or a suncatcher, you get $2.00 off one of our homemade jams AND zinnias are $1.00 each (min $5.00 purchase; the jar is included).
Tomorrow may be the last day I sell flowers at HFM this year, so if you want a Windtree Bee cottage bouquet, don’t wait to stop by our table!! 😀
Mandi’s back too, and she’ll have her adorable knitted pumpkins available. Look for our “Hats & Honey” banner, across from the Contented Rooster at HFM tomorrow — 17004 York Road, Parkton, Maryland.
Are you grilling for Labor Day?Make homemade honey BBQ sauce with Windtree Bee honey!
Strawberries mean the start of summer and watermelons mean the end. By Labor Day, watermelons are everywhere. One year, we tried to grow them without success. I haven’t wanted to give up prime garden space to try again but maybe someday.
Earlier this week, I bought three huge watermelons and got to work making this week’s offerings: watermelon lemonade jelly and cinnamon watermelon rind pickles. Wow! It was a lot of work — but worth it. After all, capturing summer in a jar is no easy feat! 😀
Gorgeous, summery red watermelon
Separating flesh from rind
Using food mill to puree
straining the puree for the jelly
Finally! All of the rinds are peeled!
Cinnamon, spice & everything nice
Is there anything more summery than a watermelon??
Even though making the watermelon recipes took two days (the rinds have to brine overnight), it was fun! And I was able to use the food mill that my mother-in-law gave me earlier this summer for my birthday. (When I first heard of food mills, I was skeptical. It reminded me of the old hand-crank beaters that everyone used to make whipped cream with. But, unlike a manual whipped cream beater, no one has come up with a way to improve what a food mill does, which is separate large seeds and pulp when pureeing. Food processors and electric blenders puree everything together, which is gross if you have bitter seeds or too much pulp.)
What else am I bringing tomorrow?
Classic BBQ Spice Rub: I’ve offered this before, back in June for Father’s Day. Use it to season rib racks, flank steaks, or anything else you want to grill.
How to use the jelly and pickles
Watermelon Lemonade Jelly: In addition to your morning toast, use this to flavor cakes, cupcakes, or other baked goods. Can also be used as a flavoring for vodka cocktails (which is how I used it after two days of chopping, peeling, hand-cranking, and processing!)
Watermelon Lemonade Cocktails
Put 2-3 tablespoons of Windtree Bee Watermelon Lemonade Jelly in a rocks glass. Heat in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Watch it and remove it as soon as it turns to liquid. (Don’t overheat.) Fill the glass halfway with sparkling water. Add a shot of vodka (citrus flavors work well). Stir, add ice & enjoy!!
Cinnamon Watermelon Rind Pickles: these turned out fantastic! They are delicious paired with chicken salad or pork chops. They would also be perfect on a charcuterie board, especially if you are looking for something different and hard to find.
We’ll be at the Hereford Farm Market, 17004 York Road, in Parkton, Maryland, from 9:00 a.m. until noon tomorrow. Look for us at the “Hats & Honey” table beside The Contented Rooster.
Windtree Bee 