Tomato mania.......

I have spent much of this week making homemade tomato sauce made from organic tomatoes from my friend Cathy who along with her husband have an organic farm. I was able to get a bushel of the gorgeous tomatoes a couple of days ago and went on a spree of canning. Making a seasoned tomato sauce and then also a recipe for a tomato and basil sauce that everyone here loves. So I need to make enough for everyone to be able to share in. I love the whole process and certainly love having the use of these in winter, but I must admit it is alot of work. I have been working at my job and trying to fit all this in to a busy schedule and we are also getting ready to go on a holiday abroad. My kitchen has been a like a processing center all week it seems. Canning supplies and tomatoes everywhere. It is all quite frenetic this week but I do love seeing those jars all sealed and ready for the pantry. It's so satisfying to me. I feel quite proud of it all........

Here's a pic of my finished product for today..........

..........there's more canning set to go for tomorrow....so g'nite all

the color green ........

I was out to the farm of my friend Cathy the other day. I was there to pick up my bushel of organic tomatoes so that I could make some sauces for winter. She also gave me this beautiful tomato that was the most amazing color green with stripes on the outside. It was absolutely gorgeous!....if a tomato can be gorgeous, and I think it can be......I'm sure the tomato already knows that ;)

Check out the color!

 I made myself a tasty sandwich with that tomato and it was delicious to be sure! It was my first green tomato experience and it was lovely......here....have a virtual bite!

back for a minute or two

My goodness, where has the summer gone.......It's has been a while since I have done any writing. Summer has been a busy one with lots going on and its going to stay that way for the next few days too. Right up to the time that we leave for our holidays it will be busy with preserving and canning our bountiful harvest from the garden and the garden of others (from the local Farmers' Market). I might have timed the holiday wrong in terms of what I am trying to get done, but it will be SO worth it come winter time and I can just go to the root cellar and grab a jar of 'something' and make a meal.

from this..........

apple butter....

I will get back on track with my blog and let everyone know what has been going on in my life over the past few months..........until then here's a pic of all that I have been up to lately.

quotation...........

"What is the use of a house if you don't have a decent planet to put it on?"

   Henry David Thoreau

for the love of antiques......

On the weekend Jim and I took a Sunday drive to the Aberfoyle outdoor antique market. We had only been there once before but we knew it was a place that we would love to go again given our love for all things antique. Off we went on one of the hottest days of the year and we packed a picnic lunch to enjoy together. We were not disappointed with all that we saw and our eyes beheld a feast of all things old. These tiny shoes spoke to me in terms of who they may have been worn by and what their life story may have held. I couldn't resist taking this photo......

what small child wore these shoes?

It was so very, very hot out and we were looking for shade to stand in at every opportunity. Taking cold water breaks just to keep us from vanquishing in the heat. But on we forged determined to see all that we came to see. And we were not let down. Of course I saw so much that I loved, but I remained frugal in my purchases and only bought one item. That's pretty good for me!

lunch time :)

We made sure we wandered well and didn't miss any of the displays. There is just so much to see. We took time for our little picnic lunch and that was delightful! It gave us a chance to nourish ourselves and also cool off under the covered picnic area. I LOVE picnics! 

may I have a spoon please sir?

We managed to check out all the areas and even in the heat we were there for 4 hours! I think we would maybe love to go again on a cooler day maybe in the fall. There just might be a little something that might want to live out a part of its life story with me at our house.

jars for filling......

Our day was wonderful in many ways. A great time spent together, time amid so many lovely old things, a great picnic to enjoy and a summer memory on one of the hottest days of the year.

I look forward to our next visit........

my city garden........

I'm not a gardener. I know little about it. As a child I grew up with a garden and really took no interest in it. It was just something that my parents did. When I married I moved to the city and never wanted to go back to the country.....ever. Things change though.....and I've changed. Now, I would love to move back to the country, but until that happens I am a city living  'gardener' with a small vegetable patch. I guess I'm coming of age. I have to smile when I write that only because I'm not really sure what that means. I don't consider myself old, but sometimes my ability to embrace a good thing takes a while. Although I have to go easy on myself because I have not had a yard in the city that was able to have a vegetable garden and that was a choice I made. My yard is a perfect picture of beautiful and graceful landscaping and that in itself is very important to me. It is my 'zen' space that feeds my soul. But aahh...... a 'food' garden is a different thing. I have had a passion about good food and cooking for a long, long time and understand the need for us to take care of ourselves in terms of good nutrition. My body knows when it is given good food and performs better with it. My body can 'feel' good food not unlike it can 'feel' bad food. With my involvement in the Community Garden project I am now able to have a small plot of land and grow some of my own food. It is turning out to be more than I ever expected. I am smitten with every bit of it. The small amounts of food that I have already brought home to my table have delighted not only my palette, but also my soul. I tasted our romaine lettuce and it was nothing like the 'store' variety. Last week I brought home the first kohlrabi and to me it was like biting into butter, it was so very tender. I made tasty, tasty pesto last weekend and the color of it was the most divine thing I have seen lately. There is so much to taste and see and smell and experience!! I am truly enjoying the garden more than I would have ever thought. I knew it would be a beneficial experience, but it has turned out to be so much more. 

from garden to table..........



homemade is good...........



You bet!!...........salad caesar style straight from the garden! Oh...how delicious it was!!