You see before you 4 more quarts of pasta sauce, 5 more pints of salsa and 6 pints of plain ol' tomatoes.
As for the plain ol' tomatoes, I've always done them by first blanching and skinning, then cooking for five minutes before packing them into hot jars for processing. With my new roasting method, it's so much easier. I simply roasted them in a 425° oven for 15 minutes (I used the "convection roast" setting), then plucked off their skins with tongs. They were already hot from roasting, and so I packed them into jars where they stood. It's important to note that each pint jar also had one tablespoon of bottled lemon juice to raise the acidity. Tomatoes are right on the border between safe and unsafe in terms of their pH levels, and so the lemon juice puts the acidity over the top. Then, I used the reserved tomato juice produced while they roasted...
to top off each jar and fill in any gaps between the tomatoes before processing them. Canning is very gratifying, but it is also a lot of work. This newly-discovered technique of roasting for skinning is the most exciting thing to come to my kitchen in years.
So...want to see the pantry shelves again? There isn't much new on this shelf. Keep in mind that I gave Erik and Mae two boxes of canned goods over the weekend.
To the right, I added some Spicy Plum Barbecue Sauce...so good...and I was happy to use the plums for something besides jam.
But here's the work of the past week. Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes. From left to right, plain ol' tomatoes, pasta sauce, and salsa. We were hanging onto life by a thread for lack of salsa. Now we're some pretty peppy people prepared to party. (Awesome alliteration.)
When the manicanning was finished yesterday, I spent some time sitting. There might have been a nap. And then I sewed the binding onto the Welcome Home mini quilt.
Then I took it into the living room to get it ready for hand sewing. It was going along fine with the binding clips when an obstacle appeared.
Hey...this works great for a lap quilt!
With some encouragement, we moved the whole thing to the floor for a picture.
Hey, Smitty, did you see the new quilt mom made fur us?
Let's just take a look here, Sadie. Every quilt must pass the snuggle-ability test befur it can be used.
I shall purrform it right now. Please observe carefully.
Hm...soft, smooth, no pokies.
What do you think, Smitty?
It is purrnounced acceptable. Please purrceed with finishing it.
It's a pretty disappointing morning here at the Three Cats Ranch. A drizzle is falling. Smitty is taking cover in his place for all things requiring cover. It works well for rain, but it also works well for heat. He likes to lie here on the hottest days of summer, under the shade of the Japanese maple. It has the added advantage of keeping the deck cool so he can cool off his tummy furs. Today, it's making a dry place for him to plant his rump.
Today I'm getting a much-anticipated pedicure. It was postponed twice because of being inundated with apples or tomatoes for canning. Nothing is standing between my feet and my pedicure today. (I think there's a pun there, but something is off about it.) It's also a CSA pick-up day, but otherwise...relaxation R us. Right now, I'm going to get started on hand-stitching that binding.
We've been watching the progress of Hurricane Florence. Be safe, my Carolina friends.
7 comments:
Florence is a bit of a tyrant. My sister lives on the shore in southern Virginia, and they're battening down the hatches. I am always struck by how handsome a cat Smitty is! Love the quilty (near) finish for the kitties. Your jars all lined up are so impressive! What a great bounty you've reaped! :)
For a minute there I thought your post title was alluding to a fresh manicure right before canning, something I thought only a 1950s homemaker might indulge in. Then I learned the real truth about your state of mind at the moment! Yes you Can!
While we're grateful that Florence has missed Florida, we have friends in the Carolinas too, so we are watching closely. All those jars on those shelves is a happy sight indeed! Good job, Barbara. I hope you are patting yourself on the back while you rest today. I haven't had a pedi in a long time. The person who did them for me quit, so I need to find someone new. Love that stripey binding on the kitty-approved quilt!
I sit here reading your blog posts each day and feel out of breath just doing that. Do you ever just sit and do absolutely NOTHING? You remind me of my Mom, although you would be much younger than she would be now. When she was alive, she canned things all summer long, played in her garden daily caring for all her flowers and then to the garden for weeding daily. Then it was off to Garden Club, which she started in the town where I grew up. She was constantly moving. Yet, she was always there when my brothers and I got home from school and always had supper on the table when Dad arrived home from his job.
Reading your blog recently, and again today make me jealous. The one thing I always looked forward to each year was her plum jam. I LOVED that more than any other she made. And you're trying to figure out other things to use the plums for. If it were me, there could not be enough made of plum jam. LOL I wonder if you could do something with plums and strawberries as a jam? That sounds like it might be a good combination maybe.
Your cats are so cute. I love reading about their escapades and helpfulness they always have for you.
Have fun with the pedicure. At least I know you MUST sit and relax while doing that, so have fun.
Vicki
I can tell the kitties love the quilt!
With Smitty on the quilt it is easier to see the size, or lack there of, of that mini quilt. The furbabies will certainly enjoy it!
Wow, you've done a lot of canning this year! So are you done or is there some odds and ends to finish up? The kitty cuddle quilt looks great and it's already Smitty approved. Hope you got to put your feet up a bit this week and admire your pretty feet (and maybe the back of your eyelids a bit too).
Post a Comment