Roasting peppers and sauerkraut cutter restored

I'm all "geeked out" over the fact that I got the sauerkraut cutter cleaned, refinished, and sharpened.  It is in beautiful shape again.  The pounder had some dry cracks in it, but I used the mineral oil/carnuba wax to penetrate and protect.  This is going to make the job of cutting cabbage and pounding it down so much easier than last year.  Take a gander at sauerkraut production 2012 and see how I improvised these tools last year.

As you can see, the cutter is essentially a four foot long mandolin.  The pounder has a nice long handle so I will not have to get inside my bucket so far to press the water from the cabbage.  The other exciting part is that I can use the same tools that were used for years by my own family.  There are lots of memories attached to this baby.  Now I just have to wait for the fall crop of cabbage, preferably after all the wedding plans are done so I can attend to the kraut.

I also got busy with peppers from the garden.  I roasted up a bunch and did some freezing and dehydrating.  I have two good batches of ancho peppers ready for a chili relenos casserole that I am planning on creating.  I also have dehydrated my jalapenos for making a smoky, hot powder that is good in so many thing.  I got some really hot peppers from a friend that I roasted and dehydrated, but he is getting those back as they are too hot for my taste.  

The other thing that I was able to get for a good price was a portable gas stove that I can do my canning on outside.  This will be a nice relief from the usual hot, steamy kitchen that I usually have in fall.  I have set up operations in the garage so I am ready to roll.  Now I just need the time and energy.