Dill Pickles!

Word of the Day

Tellum - The complete opposite of a mullet; Short in the back, long in the front.

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BW Babe and I went to the Barron County Market yesterday. Very nice. We didn't have to wait until Saturday to buy produce from the Farmers' Market in the city. I wanted to buy some pickling cucumbers and some dill so I could make more of my Spicy Dill Pickles. I thought, last year, that I'd make a life-time supply of dill pickles but, apparently, my dill pickles were a "HIT". I'm down to four jars here at The Lake, and a similar amount in Arizona. DD Daughter requested more and HTP's brother loves them. I love them too. So, I needed to make more. #1 DIL's Dad commented, when I said that I made another 23 quarts of my dill pickles today, that I made a life-time supply. I made a similar amount last summer. Am I going to have to go through this every year? Who eats this many dill pickles? Oh well, I bought a bit more than a 1/2 bushel of the smaller cucumbers at the market yesterday and ended up with 23 quarts of my own Spicy Dill Pickles. I always add a bit of heat to my dill pickles. You can't find that on the shelf at your local grocery store. I also bought 50# of sugar at the market. Hey! It ended up costing 45 cents per pound....no limit. I have paid less but only at the opening of a new grocery store. That doesn't happen too often.

My life here continues as normal. I end up watering all the plants every other day. I pick tomatoes EVERY day. I've canned six quarts of seeded and diced tomatoes. I have 1 1/2 quarts of raw tomato juice in the fridge for the best Bloody Marys that you've ever tasted.

I'm not a vegetarian but I've been eating mainly vegetari1an meals lately. I made an awesome Zucchini and Potato Bake that I jazzed up using onion, mushroom, and tomatoes...no meat. I've made some awesome little appetizer pizzas using zucchini as the crust. And tonight, I enjoyed some guacamole with corn chips. Yummy!

It's Friday! Not that it makes much difference when I'm not cued into the working day schedule but....I am working. The weekenders have returned to The Lake. After all, it is Labor Day Weekend. #1 Son and #1 DIL are having a special event in the city for all their friends. I won't be doing anything special but I remember weekends, celebrating similar events here at The Lake. I was thinking about that. What will I be doing this weekend? I'll be bottling my summer wines this weekend. And? I'll be canning more tomatoes.

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Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.

Epicurus (341 BC - 270 BC)

Tomatoes!

Word of the Day

Tworp - Describing one who is a twerp and a dork or dweeb.

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Happy Belated Birthday to HTP! So much doings this weeks. I sent a HUGE tub of popcorn to HTP for his birthday. Not nearly enough but we'll celebrate his birthday again when I get back to Arizona in October.

Meanwhile, the tomatoes are indeed ripening with the heat and humidity that has returned to The Lake. I've been picking every day and have gifted boxes of tomatoes to my folks and to BW Babe and JC. I'll be canning...probably tomorrow. There's no way that I can eat all these wonderful tomatoes by myself.

I did cook up a batch of oven-fried green tomatoes and ripe tomatoes and some oven-fried summer squash this morning. No, I didn't eat it all. I saved some of the oven-fried summer squash for tonight's dinner. I'm thinking about making an Italian-style meal, using the oven-fried squash as a base, topped with spaghetti sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese with fresh basil on top. Mini-Margarita pizzas without the high carb crust.

With all the heat, I decided to get an early start this morning on watering all the plants, picking the ripe tomatoes, and picking the pole beans. The pole beans have grown so tall that I have to use my 6-foot step stool to get to them. I ended up with enough beans for a meal AND enough to pickle. Three pints of Spicy Dilled Green Beans. I love pickled beans. Even with my early start, I ended up "glowing" all over the place, having to shower and change clothes before I could continue with my day. Thank goodness for air-conditioning. Today was certainly the day for it as The Lake remains under a heat advisory.

On Thursday, BW Babe and JC brought Toby over for me to dog-sit again. Kylee and Toby spent a great deal of time while Toby was here playing but I had to stow away Kylee's more fragile toys after Toby decapitated one and spread fluff all over the living room. After that little incident, they ended up playing with the Kong-style toys. BW and JC picked Toby up on Saturday night....and I got two bottles of wine out of it. They really didn't need to bring a gift. Toby is a nice boy and a perfect guest.

Friday, I had my mammogram....not my idea of fun times but necessary. Though there is no history of breast cancer in my family, I don't like taking chances. As it is, I've had to have a needle biopsy which was NOT fun due to a questionable dense spot on a past mammogram. The result was negative but they still need to keep an eye on the area. It's been several years since then but I still feel uneasy until the results come in every year.

I've started to think about my return trip to Arizona with only a bit more than a month remaining of my time here at The Lake. There's a lot that needs doing between now and departure day. But, I'd rather not think about that right now. My cold is better but is tiring me out faster than I'd like. Things that I wanted to do this summer are going to have to wait until next year. Right now, I've got wine that needs to be bottled, more jam and jelly to make, tomatoes to can, and, and, and... I'm not ready to make hotel reservations...not yet.

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Random Quote of the Day

Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.

Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)

Mystery Bird

Word of the Day

Tubarine - A margarine tub.

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Happy Belated Birthday to Ms. En. I didn't forget. I sent a present. She'll be starting school this fall. I'm looking forward to seeing her in October. Happy Birthday to my nephew, Mr. Lego Man. I got to talk to him for a bit on the phone this afternoon. Family is important and I don't get to connect with family nearly enough.

#1 Son and #1 DIL left early yesterday morning because #1 Son had to leave for a business trip on Sunday afternoon...again. While they were here, they picked the raspberries and cooked every single meal so I didn't have to do diddley. Nice...since I didn't really feel up to doing much of anything (still have my cold). They also rescued a tiny bird that banged into one of my windows. Poor thing. I'm not sure what kind of bird it was but I'm pretty sure it wasn't a female goldfinch. Regardless, it eventually recovered and flew away into the woods.

After my company left, I racked the wine. In two weeks I'll be bottling. I'm not sure if #1 Son and #1 DIL will be there to help me but, I've done the bottling on my own before...I can do it again.

Life goes on here at The Lake. I spent over an hour watering plants, a chore that needs repeating every other day...and sometimes every day. My tomatoes are just starting to ripen. I hate to start thinking about leaving here but...it is what it is. I'm glad to see the tomatoes ripen. Hopefully, I'll be canning tomato juice (V-8) and diced tomatoes soon. Whatever tomatoes remain "green" I'll have to make into Green Tomato Salsa and Piccalilli Relish. It seems like I need to buy some pickling cucumbers at the Farmer's Market too. DD Daughter tells me that she loves my spicy dill pickles and, apparently, HTP's brother likes them too. I "thought" I'd made LOTS of dill pickles last summer but, shockingly, most of what I made is gone. Eaten and gifted. I need to buy more Pickle Crisp too.

I'm making oven-fried eggplant for dinner tonight. I'm not sure how it'll turn out...it's an experiment using Shake and Bake for chicken. Smells good.

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Random Quote of the Day

I've grown to realize the joy that comes from little victories is preferable to the fun that comes from ease and the pursuit of pleasure.

Lawana Blackwell, The Courtship of the Vicar's Daughter, 1998

Fun on the Deck

Word of the Day

Tractionate - The act by which a creature without apparent feet will move from place to place, such as with a snail; this only applies to creatures that can move across walls and/or upside down. Note: Snakes don't tractionate - they slither.

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No sooner than my friends arrived on Saturday, I succumbed to a cold, gifted to me either by my sister, BW Babe, or Ma. At this point, it doesn't make a difference. Nasty stuff. However, with the help of added supplements, LOTS of water, plenty of anti-viral tissues, and cutting back on too many strenuous activities, I muscled on and my friends were VERY understanding.

While my friends were here (BFF1, Mr. Fix-it, and Le Chimiste), we took some short hikes, enjoyed spending a great deal of time out on the deck, picked raspberries and watched three Transformer DVD's that BFF1 and Mr. Fix-it's daughter, Le Chimiste hadn't seen before. And then, of course, we had to all go out and watch the Perseus meteor shower on the last night while they were here. It was a bit cold but the bugs stayed away due to the new Stinger (a bug zapper) that Mr. Fix-it installed for me out on the deck. Works great...along with the tennis racket-like bug zapper that takes out even the biggest bumble bee. Fun times. We got a few giggles out of that little toy.

While Mr. Fix-it was here, he took on lots of the To Do items from my list. After I purchased a new chain for our chain-saw and more oil and gas, he easily took care of the huge oak tree (double trunk). It had fallen this spring and while not actually blocking my driveway, would have given the snowplow people an excuse not to plow my driveway this coming winter. Then, he put up two new shelves in the garage and then helped move almost everything that remained sitting on the floor (bushel baskets, coolers, gardening supplies, etc.) onto the shelves and off the floor. Nice! My garage is looking WONDERFUL! He found a plug to cover the hole in the control panel of the boat left by the repair people because I was afraid the mice would find it too tempting. And, he installed The Stingerwhere it should take care of invading mosquitoes out on my deck. We didn't get too much of a chance to give it a workout but I didn't notice any mosquitoes while we were out watching the meteor shower. That's a good sign...right?

My friends left on Tuesday morning and I'll miss them. I gave Le Chimiste some preserved lemons and a Moroccan Chicken recipe that she seems eager to try and she gave me some stinky cheese that is incredibly tasty...despite the smell. I know I'll be seeing BFF1 and Mr. Fix-it this fall when I get back to Arizona, but I'm not sure when I'll be seeing Le Chimiste again. I hope she'll keep in touch.

With the departure of my friends, it's back to reality here. Reality with a cold. Laundry still needs doing. Garbage doesn't take itself out. Mail doesn't come hand-delivered to my door. Plants need to be watered. Bird-feeders need filling. And, Kylee keeps shedding. I did make myself a bit of home cure for my cold and I can feel the cold germs dying as I write this. There's nothing like Hot and Sour Soup when it comes to curing the common cold and even the uncommon cold. I made a huge batch of Hot and Sour Chicken Soup yesterday which I'll be enjoying for the next few days. Yum! I'm feeling better already. I took care of a small HOA problem for my folks' home in Nevada that is being rented out and I ordered propane for the tank out back. They already came out and delivered it.

And now? I'd better get downstairs and remake the beds with the sheets I washed yesterday. #1 Son and #1 DIL are coming this weekend.

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Random Quote of the Day

There is no need to go to India or anywhere else to find peace. You will find that deep place of silence right in your room, your garden or even your bathtub.

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Word of the Day

Twinkidue - The residue on the inside of the wrapper that every junk food addict eventually gets to.

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I'm looking forward to having one of my best friends and her husband and daughter here at The Lake for a few days. I've been cleaning and prepping for days. Plus, I've had all the other daily stuff that needs doing on my To Do List. All the beds have clean sheets on them. All the bathrooms are clean and have CLEAN towels. I've got possible menus dancing about in my brain. In the meantime....

I made two loaves of 9-Grain bread. I went shopping...grocery shopping...with the goal of tempting the most demanding pallet. I even went out and bought the sweetest of sweet corn and the juiciest and best of vine-ripened tomatoes. I've got prime ribeye steaks thawing...but....also....bratwurst. There's nothing like grilled bratwurst with sweet onions and sauerkraut. So many options. And...BW Babe and JC offered their pontoon boat for an evening ride out on the lake. Appetizer night.

And then, today...I ran out to dust my tomato plants and water the plants on the upper deck. It's amazing how much water container and Earthboxes need this time of year, even with the cooler temperatures. Plus...I needed to do some "wining". Clarification. I needed to add the stabilizer and special "stuff" to the wine that I've been making to clarify the end product. It won't be long now before I'll be bottling.

Meanwhile, BW Babe called me this morning. We're part of the "Oreo Generation"...which isn't all that big of a deal...at this point... but, on occasion, issues come up that need attention. "Hello, we're from the government and we're here to..." ACK!!! God Bless America! Somehow, my Dad's Social Security check went missing. BW Babe and Me to the rescue. Thankfully, we didn't have to drive all the way to Superior, Wisconsin to take care of the problem. Thankfully, my folks moved to an assisted living facility that is serviced by a Social Security office...closer to home. Such would not be the case if they still lived here at The Lake. Thankfully, both my folks are still able to communicate (off and on) and we were able to add BW Babe onto their SS account so she could take over maintenance of their SS account...just in case...in the future. All this took over three HOURS but...it could have been worse. The guy who eventually helped us when our number was called wasn't too nasty and short with us. So...it's this bad at the Social Security office...and don't get me started with the DMV office....and BW Babe sat on hold waiting to have someone help her with my folks' Medicare problems for several hours...so....add on to this Obamacare? I don't want to even think about it.

I have a package waiting for me at the post office here at The Lake but I didn't get back home in time after "a day in the city" to collect it. I'll have to check the mail tomorrow morning before my guests arrive and pick up the local free newspaper, The Early Bird. I have a long To Do List before everyone gets here tomorrow afternoon. *sigh* The house was vacuumed yesterday but Stan came and mowed and now I managed to spread grass-clippings EVERYWHERE and Kylee felt the need to spread more shedding fur so...I'll be vacuuming again tomorrow morning. It'll all get done but I know my friends don't care if it gets done or not so...that's what good friends do...or don't. I can't wait to see them tomorrow and share special Lake-Time with them.

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Random Quote of the Day

Don't be discouraged by a failure. It can be a positive experience. Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, inasmuch as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points out some form of error which we shall afterwards carefully avoid.

John Keats (1795 - 1821)

Jelly !

 

Word of the Day

Tripendicular - Akin to, or the disorienting view one has while falling or moving as in an arc, or in a direction other than just horizontal or vertical.

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One of the most difficult parts of making jam and jelly is the prep work. I dug through my supply of jelly jars in the basement, hauling all of what I had upstairs (28 jars), washed them, removing labels, and sterilized the bunch. I set out my ladle, my funnel, my spoons, my bowls, collected more sugar from my stash, found my recipes, got the lids sterilizing in a small pot, got my timer set and at hand, and got the rings and the pectin in reach along with a clean dish rag for wiping off the rims....oh...and butter so that I wouldn't end up with too much foam. Ready, set, go...

After making two batches of Prickly Gooseberry Jelly, it became obvious that I didn't have enough jelly jars for the five batches of jelly I planned to make, having already used up twelve jelly jars. I figured that I'd need at least two more jars. I called BW Babe and she told me that she indeed had a dozen jelly jars that she could give me if I would replenish her supply when I got the chance (I'm going shopping on Wednesday...it's on the list).

Upon returning home with the jelly jars that BW Babe gave me, I noted that it looked a bit like rain. I decided that it would be a good idea to pick the raspberries while the picking was good. The remaining three batches of jelly would have to wait. Actually, I would have loved to postpone the picking until tomorrow but, rain and raspberries don't mix. I could just imagine the smashed and moldy fruit on the bushes. Besides, it's supposed to rain on Monday AND Tuesday too so... Thankfully, it looks like the season has peaked. I only ended up with two buckets of berries which I'll take care of tomorrow.

Back to jelly making. In total, I ended up with twelve jars of Prickly Gooseberry Jelly, six jars of Black Currant Jelly, and twelve jars of Raspberry Jelly. Plus...I had enough leftovers for sample jars of each to enjoy. I brought BW Babe a small sample jar of the gooseberry jelly to try. There's always that little bit leftover that doesn't fit into a sealable jar.

My kitchen is once again clean. I'd have made myself some dinner but exhaustion set in so I made do with some chips and the guacamole that I made the other day. There are days like this that you just don't have enough remaining energy to eat....not a bad thing if you need to lose weight.

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Random Quote of the Day

Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.

Theodore Roosevelt (1858 - 1919), Speech in New York, September 7, 1903

Juicing

Word of the Day

Tinger - A taste that is pleasantly sweet and sour like that of an orange.

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I started my morning with a project in mind. Juicing. But, before I could juice, I had to go down to the basement and bring my steam-juicer and the steam-juicer that Sarge loaned me upstairs. Sarge's steam-juicer was...not in tip-top condition. It looked like the hose had been chewed. I fixed it, removing the chewed part. As for the rest of the juicer, for some reason it was full of dents...even the lid. I fixed that...as well as I could, knocking out the dents in the strainer pan with a rounded rock and in the lid with the judicious use of a pliers. The clamp which clamps the hose so that juice doesn't flow when you don't want it to flow was....what the heck? I had to use my clamp as a model so I could figure out "what the heck"...using two pliers. I fixed it. I'm glad that she loaned me her steam-juicer because I really NEEDED it today and...I feel good that I was able to fix it so she'll be able to use it when I return it. As for my steam-juicer...it was fine. OK...two juicers, ready and useable.

I cleaned three trays of raspberries, saving the best ones for dessert and had one steam-juicer full of the remaining berries. I picked my black currants, mourning the loss of my red currants from some mystery disease...or old age. I ordered five new plants from Burpee's and I'll plant them as soon as I dig out the old ones. Another project for my friend's husband? I knew that I had enough black currants for one batch of currant jelly but I also knew that the woods are full of wild gooseberries...ripe for the picking?

After hiking the woods, I ended up with two buckets of gooseberries. Nice! It looked like the guy that mows my lawn got to some of my bushes before me but, he doesn't know my woods. Two buckets of gooseberries were plenty for me to try my hand at making gooseberry jelly so I wasn't upset with him, especially since I told him that he was welcome to harvest what he wanted.

I set up the juicers, one with raspberries and one with the black currants. The black currants only yielded on quart of juice (as I thought) and I added the gooseberries to that juicer, keeping the pulp of the black currants in the juicer to lend color to the gooseberry juice.

The raspberries yielded three and a half quarts of juice, some of which I'll make into jelly, some that I'll add to other raspberries to make a jam with half the normal amount of seeds. As I said, the black currants only yielded one quart which I'll make into one batch of jelly. As for the gooseberries, so far I have two quarts of juice and...the juicer is still working so...three quarts? I'll make jelly from some of it and add some of the juice to liven up whatever blackberry jam that I make later this season.

OK...by this time, you're probably wondering what the heck I plan to do with all this jam and jelly. HTP and I can't possibly consume all that I make. Not to worry, I never have any problems finding welcome homes for my jam and jelly. DD Daughter and her family, Sarge and her family, #1 Son and #1 DIL and her family, my folks, BW Babe and JC and their family, AND my friends. I'm lucky to have enough left for HTP and me after I'm done gifting. But before that, I'm running out of the special low sugar pectin that I use. I discovered that it costs a lot less if I order it online so...done and did. I'm set for pectin for the rest of the season...I hope.

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Random Quote of the Day

Strive for excellence, not perfection.

H. Jackson Brown Jr., O Magazine, December 2003

RASPBERRIES
Four Minus One Equals Three

Word of the Day

Transvert - A psychological type that alternates between introversion and extraversion and combines features of both types.

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I picked the boat up from the repair place in Hayward yesterday. It's fixed. Now, I have bruises that I didn't have before that event. Actually, towing the boat from Hayward to The Lake wasn't that big a deal...aside from the hour that it takes to drive to Hayward and the hour driving back. The problems came about when I unhitched the boat and tried to muscle the boat around so that it would be lined up and easy (easier) to push into the garage for storage. That bugger boat is HUGE and HEAVY. Patting myself on the back, I did manage it but ended up getting stung by a wasp for my troubles. No...I didn't push it into the garage all by my lonesome. I'm not that strong.

BW Babe and JC returned early from their trip to The Big City so JC helped me muscle the boat into the garage when they came to pick up Toby. It was LOTS easier to move the boat with the added help. The help deserved the wine and the beer that I served. The boat is going to stay in the garage now until next season. I consulted with #1 Son and #1 DIL and they don't think that they'll be visiting here at The Lake for more than two more weekends....hardly worth the expense of launching the boat and having it winterized. To be a bit girly...I must say that the new throttle looks nice. However, I'm going to have to figure out what to do with the hole that remains from the old throttle. My friend's husband likes to figure this sort of thing out so I'll add it to the To Do List that he wanted me to make for him. They'll be here next weekend.

I picked FIVE full buckets of raspberries today. The humidity, despite lower temperatures, makes berry picking a VERY tiring activity. I ended up having to divide the project into five sessions, separated by a short time to dry off and re-hydrate. It took me lots longer today than I was expecting. The currants didn't get picked and they won't get picked today. I'm just too tired. I called BW Babe and told her that she could have one of the trays of raspberries that I picked. JC came right over and picked it up. Five buckets of berries fill four large trays. I'll have to get busy cleaning my three remaining trays...I'll get right on it....later....maybe tomorrow. I plan to bring my steam-juicer up from the basement and juice the raspberries, the currants, and...eventually, the gooseberries (when I find the time to get out and pick).

Berry-picking wasn't the only thing that I did today. I fertilized and watered my tomato plants on the lower deck and watered all the plants on the upper deck AND picked some more beans and my very first large ripe tomato. I'm pleased that I only had to pick off four green tomatoes with blossom end rot and dispose of them. I think those already had the problem before I treated the tomatoes with the hydrated lime. None of the newer ones on those plants are showing signs of the disease. There is some blight but not as much as I had last year. I'm hoping that fertilizing will boost the plants' strength enough to battle the problem...along with my dusting. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to enjoying lots of ripe tomatoes this year.

I'm going to nosh on guacamole (BW gave me a couple of avocados that really needed using) and ceviche (also from BW Babe). I'm just too tired and hot to make too much for dinner tonight.

Random Quote of the Day

Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities.

Frank Lloyd Wright (1869 - 1959)