To Can or Not to Can, that is the Question.

My girlfriend Melissa brought over a bunch of beans today.  I thought this was a nice gesture until I realized that slave labor is what she was after.   After crying and denial, and a mocha latte, we got to work, snapping and packing beans.  Then, when we ran out of beans, I decided we should do pickles.  After all, the canning stuff was out, might as well put it to work, since it will probably stay on my floor for the next week (or two, but who is counting.  Oh yeah, Farmer Ted is.)

After hours of intense concentration, and reading a few magazines, pizza delivery, and heavy gossip, our bounty was complete.  25 jars of summer harvest, to enjoy over the impending winter.  Then Melissa and I start to dream big..."Should we do salsa next time?"  I ask.  "How about spaghetti sauce?" she replies.  And so it begins.  Preserving Farmer Teds and DeTemple Farms harvest.  What a blessing to taste summer all year.  Of course, next time, we may have to whine over wine, instead of lattes.

Zucchini Explosion

Does anyone else have zucchinis coming out of their ears?  I don't know what to do with them.  Farmer Ted brings in a new bucket of produce every night and asks when we are going to eat his bounty.  I don't know if it is humanly possible to eat all the veggies he brings in.

So I grate it and freeze it.  I am hoping that they will still be good to cook with.  Zucchini bread, zucchini pancakes, zucchini casserole.  What else is there?

Here is one days bounty ready to be frozen.  I hope I have enough room in my freezer for the 1/2 of beef I bought.

But it is all worth it when you have delicious, warm zucchini bread on your counter.  I don't think these will last the day.  4 boys, remember?

Should I or Shouldn't I?

Sister:  You should start a blog.

Me:  Why?

Sister:  It's therapeutic.

uh-oh.