We wanted to finish canning tomato sauce for the year. I initially wanted to roast and can/process 100 quarts, but JJ is the pantry manager ( I abhor the thought of that job), and I was limited to one shelf. Not a tiny shelf, mind you. I agreed to the plan.
"Perhaps, if the pickling cucumbers look decent, we could pick some. After all, we have already eaten about 12 pints from the original 18 we canned just a few weeks ago."
YES, our first batch of pickles were that good!
Saturday morning, we got up at the usual work time and headed back out to our favorite You-pick, Davis Ranch in Sloughhouse, CA.
Gloves, check.
Flat-pack boxes, check.
Emigh (ACE) Hardware 5-gallon buckets with handles, check.
One mug of coffee each, check.
One must monitor one's liquid intake when working the fields!
Processed the first 60 pounds of tomatoes for the last round of sauce, and kept it limited to one roaster. The last round of sauce yielded 33 quarts, but we had a huge canner, the 20-quart roaster, and an 18-quart pan on the stovetop to feed the roaster as its contents reduced. WAY too many irons in the fire.
Wanted to visit with friends and were able to do that Saturday afternoon - not as long as we'd have liked, but hey - we did it!
We wake up early Sunday morning to get pickles going while the tomato sauce roasts.
We should process the pickles the same way our ancestors did. Let's try fermenting!
MMMKay. Sounds good to me!
Wake up Sunday morning.
We need crocks. 5-gallon crocks.
Cukes aging.
Let's go to JACKSON! The Biggest Little Kitchen Store always has everything! and they did, as usual. Crocks, but no weights or lids. Crocks, but no weights or lids. Beggars can't be choosers, lol!
I do studying online (in the car on a cell phone) for coursework to complete assignments after we get home.
Home by 1 p.m.
We should have had lunch by now. Skipped breakfast looking for crocks.
Processed the rest of the tomatoes (only 20 pounds, silly!) as we promised each other we would.
I have some homework and a mid-term for some college work.
We clean the crocks. They are so heavy, we had to decide where they are residing
forever!
Got the cucumbers scrubbed clean, rinsed a second time, and "taped" the YouTube segment. It's now about 5:30 p.m.
Started the coals for grilled hamburgers. YUM!
JJ gets a couple of minutes to watch the NFL. I get time for homework.
I get error messages from network that I can't connect...but JJ is watching football over the network.
I end up re-booting 7 times over five hours.
Watched football and saw a nail-biter between Green Bay and SF 49ers. Green Bay won at literally the last second. As Seahawks fans, we weren't disappointed, but the 'hawks sucked for the second week in a row, so...yeeeeaaah.
Put some testers in quart jars, cleaned the kitchen enough to start tomorrow, tried again to get homework completed, and here are we are. 11:24 p.m.
I promised myself I'd be all finished with weekend stuff and in bed by 9:30.
Tomorrow is a new day, and the beginning of a new week. Keep it real, everyone!
Be kind.
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