Tomato and Other Garden Updates

I had to turn my to-do list into two lists - one for today and one for tomorrow.

My today list, just became today and tomorrow lists:

Friday:
Today's list:
-can tomato sauce - Reducing on the stove

 
-wash and dry dishes and put them away - Done
-pick, blanch and freeze Swiss chard - Done

-cut fresh basil to dry - Done

-cut fresh oregano to dry - Done
-freeze green peppers- Done
-make fridge salsa - Done

-wash, dry and put away more dishes - Done
-pick tomatoes - Done
-put laundry on the line - Done
-write
-write farmgirl penpal
-create template for sales receipts - Done
-some where in there, make dinner

Saturday:
-ship craft store order (my first order - YAY!)
-library returns and pickups
-can pear jam 

-can zucchini relish - if there is time

Without a list today, I would have forgotten to put the last load of towels on the clothesline.  Phew!  Normally, I don't use a list.  I just go with the garden flow - what's ripe gets processed, canned, picked, frozen.

It's about 86 degrees in the kitchen right now.  I had hoped to get as much of the canning done early, but it's the reducing of the sauce that takes more time.

I better get back to work.  I have a lot more to get done today, and it's almost time for school to be out.

It's hard work, but worth it.  The way I see it, why grow a garden and not utilize it?  I don't want to waste anything. Not after going through all the work to grow it.  Four trips to the compost and to the goats today also - Orion loves those leftovers (green pepper tops, tomatoes, Swiss chard stems etc.)

Got Tomatoes?

The day starts early when you grow a garden, harvest it, and process it into canning jars (or the freezer).  I was cutting up roma tomatoes before the last kiddo got on her bus this morning.  I think I chopped up over 200 this time.

I have two tables of beef sized tomatoes, a strainer of cherry tomatoes and more romas, a generous amount of pears that were gifted to us (maybe I'll make jam), 2 spaghetti squash, and a bunch more green peppers.  Oh, and some cayenne peppers too.

I'll be back with an update.  Today's heat index is to reach 105° here, and it's too hot to even wear an apron in the kitchen. 


Oh....I forgot, we have 2 watermelons and a cantaloupe to cut up too.  I want to dry the cantaloupe, but not in this heat.


Yesterday, the temperature soared above the 90's, and even the barn cats were looking like road kill.

Here is Aurora (Rorie) hanging out on the grass just next to our horseshoe shaped driveway.  It's not uncommon to see her stretched out like that in the middle of the drive, in the early evening.