A Little Salsa...

I danced in the kitchen again yesterday. The last of my frozen tomatoes became salsa. I have my electric water bath canner set up on the porch, so even though the temperature has dropped outdoors, I won't have to worry about steaming up the kitchen. 

All my pints (and one half pint) fit into the canner in one batch, so after a 40 minute bubble bath, they were all finished. I started to remove them, but one of the jars started to siphon, so they all stayed in the water until it cooled down late day. The one that siphoned didn't seal, but everything else did.

Before bed, I removed the rings, cleaned the jars and labeled them. Final step was to line them up like little pretty soldiers in the pantry. I went to bed with a smile on my face.

I did take time to rest during the day, and iced my knee on another time-out. I have physical therapy this morning and didn't want to backslide. I'm feeling pretty good right now, but I'll take my pain killer just in case I get a tougher workout from Nicole than what I usually do with Jenna. It's Jenna's birthday today so she took the day off. I won't see her on Monday either as the clinic is closed for the holiday. I'm down to twice a week now, so I won't have PT again until next Friday. I'll keep working on my exercised, and hopefully I'll have made some more progress by the time I do see her.

I'd better get rolling. I don't want to be late for my appointment, and the sooner I get to my session, the sooner I can get back home to do something fun. What, you ask? I haven't decided yet.

What do you have planned for this holiday weekend? I'll be back here tomorrow.

My Weekend...

Brynwood Needleworks - Ellie's Birthday Party

  We had such a lovely Sunday, celebrating my great-niece's 1st Birthday in the park. Friends and family (of a socially acceptable size) gathered on a beautiful day.  

This little Birthday Girl is my sister, Diana's great-granddaughter, so there were four generations represented. Great food (and CAKE!) was enjoyed by all, and this aunty loved every minute of it.

Brynwood Needleworks - Salsa!!

 

I managed to make a batch of salsa over the weekend, too. I decided not to go to the Farmer's Market on Saturday, because appointments today and tomorrow would mean that I couldn't get to them before Wednesday. I'll get to the mid-week Market, or drive up to the vendor's home turf to get what I need, if I don't want to wait until next weekend.

I'm caught up for now, so I won't have to worry about loose ends as we embark on a new week. Tag will be here tomorrow, so I'll be taking the day off. I'll be back on Wednesday to let you know how the week is shaping up.

Happy Monday!!

Filling The Pantry...

Liljegren's Hickory Hill Farm Canning

 

Yesterday ended with an additional ten pints of Zucchini & Pepper Relish and six more pints of Salsa. Handsome and I are going to the Farmer's Market this morning, and who knows what goodness will come home with us? 

I hope you have a great weekend, friends!

Salsa and Stitchery...

Tomato Salsa From Our Farm Tomatoes

Our harvested tomatoes became salsa yesterday. There are more tomatoes to come, but they're not ripe enough yet to pick. This is our grandson's favorite, so there will definitely be more salsa! Soon.

Primitive Gatherings "Twilight Garden" Block 8 & Week 8 "Freebie"

 

I'm so far behind on my Primitive Gatherings "Twilight Garden" blocks, that it's going to take a concerted effort to catch up. I've finished preparing three weeks' worth, so I have five kits to get to now. I'm also behind on my "Freebie" kits...arghhh! I'll definitely work on those soon, too.  

Today, however, I'm doing my civic duty. I was called last weekend to see if I could help paint the inside (only two rooms, plus two bathrooms) at our town hall. There are more of us working, so I was happy to help. Hopefully, we'll get it all done in one day. I've got other fish to fry, if you know what I mean.

I hope you're enjoying your summer. I pray for the victims of the fires out west, and for their safety. Seeing the images hurts my heart. 

 

I'd love to know what you're working on, too. Feel free to send me an email to let me know. (link in my sidebar.) I can then respond directly!

 

One For The "Win" Column...

Sweet Basil Jelly

I'm writing this post at the end of the day on Thursday. I had a loooong, productive day.

I'm going to share photos, and "stats", but few(er) words. I'm good tired. 

This Sweet Basic Jelly is tasty!

Use it any time you'd use mint jelly, or pour it out over a brick of cream cheese for a

sweet/savory appetizer, served with your favorite crackers. That's how we'll try it here.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam

 I haven't canned strawberry jam in forever!

This is the Strawberry-Rhubarb version. mmm mmm

Salsa (Ole'!!)

I purchased seven pounds of tomatoes on Wednesday. This is what I made with them.

Salsa. Now, where did I put those tortilla chips? I'd better wait at least until it cools, right?

More Pickles

  I saw pickling cucumbers at the farmer's market on Wednesday, and couldn't resist.  This is just a portion of the pickles I made. Grrrrr. They're floating. I really dislike it when they float! If I'd packed them any harder, I would have broken the jars.  Frustrating, even though they'll be just as tasty either way.   Here are my totals for today: 6.5 half pint jars of Sweet Basil Jelly 14.5 half pint jars of Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam  9 half pints of Salsa 2 quarts and 10 pints of Pickles (bread & butter and dill)
I still have strawberries left, so I'll make Strawberry Jam today. I also want to make some Lavender Jelly, so I'll see if I can get that done, too.

All in all, I'd say that yesterday goes into the "Win" column, and all these jars are going into the pantry! (giggling)