One of the benefits of living where we do is the peace, quiet and solitude that can be found by simply walking out our back screen door. Today is one of those days I'd like to "can" so that when I feel stressed I can recall this wonderful feeling of contentment. There is a mist covering the high spots of our valley below the farm and all I can hear when I step outside is the twittering of birds around our feeder.
The flowers hanging from the pavilion are giving up the last of their colorful blooms as August begins to fade into September.
And I noticed that the oak trees are getting ready to drop their steady supply of acorns. A few trees have leaves that have started to turn yellow. Wow, is Fall really that close?
Yesterday Joel and I double-teamed the tomato picking in the garden and we managed to pick on just one side of the garden before the rains started. The crazy thing is, we brought in 56 lbs. of tomatoes! Yes! I know....and you should see the green tomatoes yet to ripen.
That meant that today was "let's cook the tomatoes" day. They all got a quick wash in the sink and cored. Then I brought out my trusty gadget that separates the pulp from the seeds and skins. It sure makes quick work of prepping the tomatoes for the cook pot.
The two largest pots have sauce simmering in them and the small pot in the front has paste tomatoes cooking down into a thick tomato paste. Later today it will all get canned and processed for use later this winter. I wonder how many lbs. of tomatoes are on the other side of the garden waiting for us?
Even though picking, cleaning, cooking and canning all this produce means hours in the kitchen most days, I have to say that I am loving every single minute of it! This has been a dream of mine for years and now it is my reality. It brings me a feeling of deep satisfaction to grow these organic veggies that I know are nutrient dense because of the variety of plants we grew and the soil in which we have grown them.
Yesterday I also went out and dug up another 20 lbs. of potatoes. Those needed to be canned in the pressure canner because they are so low in acid. Now all I have to do to make mashed potatoes is open up a jar and heat and mash! And potato salad only requires that the potatoes get drained and mayonnaise added. It's worth the work up front to make meals so much easier to prepare the rest of the year. I kept thinking I'd have the potatoes done by the time the tomatoes needed to be dealt with, but the constant rain kept me from digging them up. Now I guess I'll be working on both at the same time.
Every once in a while a girl has to take a break and love on her favorite puppy, Molly. I still can't believe how much I've grown attached to a dog. A Dog! I know! Who knew there was a dog person hiding somewhere deep inside me?
Ok, time to get back in the kitchen,
Debbie
