i have to say...

what i have been up to...

...baking bread.  it's been a while and my kids are happy about it!

...organizing. is anyone else in the mood to get rid of stuff and get things in order?

...planning my sewing classes.  my first one is on monday.  

...working towards my black belt in karate.  exercise and eating right are on the agenda again!

...sewing with friends.  i have lucked out lately and have had lots time to sew and solve the world's problems together.  that's how it works, you know!

...thinking about whether or not i want to plant a garden this year. is it really time to think about this?  seed catalogs are coming soon!

what about you?  what have you been up to?

47 quarts of pickles

Yes, my friends and I made 47 quarts of pickles yesterday!  

Crazy, I know!

We split the the jars between us so I came home with 20.  It's the perfect number to get our family through the whole year.  I don't actually water-bath mine since we like them crisp (like Claussen), so we have a refrigerator in the garage pretty much devoted to pickles.

The pickle-fridge is now stocked!

This is the first of this year's canning adventures.  Next up is tomato soup, veggie soup and salsa. The soups are especially nice to eat in the middle of winter when fresh produce is in short supply.

I love that fall is coming, but it's sad to say goodbye to summer.  It's been a fun one, but I sure look forward to leaves changing colors and cooler days.  Fresh-picked apples are something to look forward to also!

I wish you the loveliest of days!

 

it's snowing outside...

...but I am dreaming of flowers.  :)

 

guess what i did yesterday?

I made 75 jars of pickles. 

With a whole lot of help from my friends. 

There were 4 of us, 3 boxes of cucumbers, 3 gallons of vinegar, bunches of garlic and peppers, and a giant bundle of dill. 

Once we found the momentum, things progressed quickly.

We split them up and now we wait for them to get tasty.

2 months!

In reality, we will open one today, just to check.

And it's gonna be oh-so-good!

***Here is my recipe in case you are interested.  I don't water-bath my jars.  I simply put everything in the jar and then place it in the fridge.  This keeps the pickles crisp.  They keep for one full year.

a few little things...

You can't beat the taste of a tomato fresh from the garden! It's so fun to see tons of tomatoes getting ready to ripen, and ready to be eaten!

This week has been super hectic!  I have been buried under piles of fabric.  My sale was a huge success and now I just need to get it all packaged and shipped.  This is my way of saying "see you next week!" when life slows down to a more managable pace.

On thing I must tell you is that my oldest daughter and her hubs are moving back to Colorado this weekend.  They will live a couple of hours from us, which feels like next door to me.  Her stint on a Marine base in California was too far for this mommy!  Can't wait to see my girl and her guy!

See you all next week!

our berry small harvest

This year's berry harvest is small, but it is our first!  We planted the raspberry bushes this year and really didn't expect anything, so these few berries are a sweet surprise. 

The thought of picking enough to make a pie or a few jars of jam is  simply perfect.

I can't wait until that happens!

how are things growin'?

Just fine, thank you!

After last year's gardening disaster, it is wonderful to go out and see what is coming along.  I considered not planting a garden at all this year, but in spring when everyone was talking about plants and harvests and canning, I just couldn't help myself.  This year I planted about half of what I tried last year, but every bit of it is growing!

In a few weeks I am going to have tons of lovely tomatoes to deal with, which is great since the basil will need something to pair up with:

The cherry tomato plant is bursting with an amazing amount of fruit:

A couple of canteloupes are hiding among the leaves too:

It's so fun to see things growing!

How about you?  How is your garden growin'?

winning the battle

It appears that I am winning the battle with our neighborhood gang of deer.  Roses are popping up and they aren't being eaten. 

It's been a while since I have been able to say that!

Just in case you are interested, the recipe for the deer repellant can be found in this post.  The recipe is quick and inexpensive and it works. 

You can't beat that!

***Don't forget to comment on the giveaway post  (winner will be announced tomorrow), and make note of the change I had to make to the Sew-Along supply list.  Sorry for the hassle!

i am armed and dangerous

Springtime is so full of possibility!

That is probably why it  is my favorite season.  Flowers that want to grow, kids that are ready to play and a calendar that has lots of free space on it, all make me smile!

Last year I was foiled by our neighborhood gang of deer that stalk our house.  They ruined my rose bushes by repeatedly eating the buds just before they opened fully.  If this has never happened to you while you are waiting on 4 bushes loaded with rose buds, you don't know the meaning of the phrase "ticked off".

This year is going to be different---I mean it!

I bought a sprayer and it is now filled with homemade deer repellent.  I have sprayed all of our freshly planted flowers and the rose bushes.  If you drive by my house early in the morning you will find me spraying again.  This will be my routine all the way through fall.  I consider myself armed and dangerous.

Armed with a sprayer and homemade repellent.

And ready to win my battle with the deer.

That's another possibility I am looking forward to!

In case you are interested, here is the repellent recipe:

1 gallon of water

1 cup of milk

1 egg

1 T dish liquid

1 T oil

Mix it all together and spray on everything.  Simple!

Recipe courtesy of my friend Erin.  :)

i learned a little bit about planting tomatoes

 
Which is good since last year my garden was a huge failure! 

I considered not doing one at all this year, but when the season rolled around and people started talking about garden plans, I couldn't help myself.  The garden will be planted, but on a small scale. 

This is my learning year.

Yesterday I attended a workshop on growing heirloom tomatoes and I learned so much.  Lots of new techniques to try.  I had planned on planting 6 tomato plants, but after the class, 4 more heirloom varieties will be added to make a total of 10.  The heirloom varieties are wonderful for shorter season gardens since many of them originate in places like Russia, Czechoslovakia, and Germany, where the weather can be chilly.  Some have growing rates as short as 55-60 days!

Here are some of the tomato-growing tips I learned in the class:

***plant tomato plants to the depth of half the length of the stem to encourage a strong stem and plant

***if the temps are 80-90 degrees, water deeply every 5-6 days.  over 100 degrees, every 4 days.

***tomatoes are heavy feeders and they require fertilization once per month

***planting tomatoes next to basil makes for tastier fruit.

***after a hail storm you can encourage the plant to grow by taking a broom as gently brushing the tops of the plants for a few minutes over a few days. 

***if you use a sprinkler to water your tomatoes, water in the morning.  tomatoes don't like water droplets on their leaves and AM watering helps them to dry up quicker.

***try to avoid letting tomato plants droop to the ground since that is where they will pick up diseases.

***after labor day you can cut your watering to once a week to encourage the plants to ripen the fruit quickly before a freeze comes.

***right before the last freeze you can pull the entire plant up out of the ground--roots and all--and hang it upside down from a hook in a shed or basement.  you will be picking vine-ripened tomatoes through thanksgiving.

Well, this is pretty much my tomato plan.  Last year I think I harvested no more than 15 tomatoes from 12 plants.  Not good!  This year I hope to be canning like crazy and even giving some away.

We will see!

Happy planting!