Wednesday, August 27, 2008


Blue Skies...
shinin' on me. Nothing but blue skies can I see... Well, that and a great big garden. Been up to our elbows in produce from the garden and apple trees(it's too humble to be called an orchard.) But my, the apples it has produced! We have canned 100 quarts of apple pie filling! And there are still plenty of apples on the tree. But reason says that there will be no more room for all the jars I am accumulating! Still I march on, canning like there will be 7 years of famine. Feel like Joseph and his time in Egypt! Aunt isobel asked where I put all the jars- good question. When I figure it out, I'll let you know. I have shelves in my laundry room. Shelves in the kitchen. Maybe I'll put a few dozen jars under my bed. The master bath closet has some extra shelves...The cellar might be an option... but it is damp down there... It's a challenge, to be sure.
Monday we canned 98 quarts of apple pie filling and green beans. I have officially called an end to the apple pie filling- now I am giving apples away. Wished you lived closer. These are great apples- no worms and beautifully large. My posse joined me for the day- Teresa, Rose, and SarahFran. They were so much fun to can with- to do anything with, actually. We cranked up Patsy Cline and were all swaying to the music...I go out walking, after midnight.... We had an absolute blast. But wow! I was completely whipped by 10pm when I took the last canner out!
That is the back of sweet Bekah's head. She flies through her rows of green beans- she loves canning. Yesterday she picked a bushel and almost singlehandedly snapped them all- with some help from Eva. She just scoots along the row and all I see is the back of her head as she moves faster than me! There will be a lot more green beans to can and tomatoes too. Julia, I'll try to post about canning tomatoes in the next few days, K? back to the kitchen...

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yum! You are making me hungry just reading :o) And what a pretty, sweet picture of your daughter with the beautiful scenery behind her :o)

Isobel said...

I take my hat off to you Nina. I canned 12 quarts of peach pie filling today and I am whipped. I plan to get some apples at the orchard and do some apple pie filling. A few years ago, I gave away a lot of jars. I am hoping I still have a few stored away upstairs so that I don't have to go buy jars.

Donna said...

hey, save some of those tomatoes for me to eat!! Love you!

Julia said...

All this talking about canning, makes me remember my childhood. I helped my mother can beans, peaches, applesauce, jams, jellies and much more. My job was usaully preparing the jars. Ahh, those were some fun times.

You are amazing girl!!! Canning, quilting, crocheting and singing, is there anything that you can't do? :~)
I'll bet your house is always a fun place to be.

Darcie said...

Heavens! What sweet smells and sounds coming from you home!

Reminds me of growing up...when my family swapped gardent duties with our widow neighbor lady. We'd work sun-up to sun-down...and she'd fall back into her kitchen chair and exclaim "I'm pooped!" And we'd all giggle...because we knew that that comment was coming, sooner or later.

Love you Bekah-sized bushels! ;-)

I'm counting down the days!!!!!

Darcie said...

Ooops...where's that secretary of mine? Should have been GARDEN...not gardent. ;-)

Hugs...

Ye Merrie Quilter said...

I so envy your garden space and apple trees...we hardly have enough back yard for a swing set. Darn city living. I'm hoping in a few years we can find a place down the hill a bit and get an acre for gardens, trees, and space for running about. Hubby went and got some cukes for pickling from the local farmers, and I've put up about 30 jars that he *just can't wait* to open! Mid-October, I told him... I did finish a quilt top--pics on the blog.
Back to school time!!
Karen