Sunday, July 13, 2008

Gardening: Summer is officially here!

One of the things I vividly remember about summer as a child is eating tomato sandwiches. My dad had a huge garden, and we ate fresh tomato sandwiches a lot, or at least it seemed like it.

That's not a bad thing, though, because I love a fresh tomato sandwich. When I was pregnant with my son and couldn't keep much of anything else down, I was able to eat tomato sandwiches (most days). Two slices of fresh bread, some Miracle Whip, a tomato slice (or two) and some salt, and I have instant summer memories.

So you can guess how thrilled I was to see this beautiful red tomato waiting for me in the garden this morning, with the promise of many more within the next week or so. I looked forward to that tomato sandwich all morning! To top it all off, I ate it with a fresh-from-the-oven roll. It doesn't get any better than that. :)
And would you believe that I, the person who knows next to nothing about growing roses, managed to pick a $3 rose bush that's actually blooming within 2 months of planting? I love roses, and this was a most welcome sight, too! I only tried one rose bush this year. If all goes well, I might add more than one next year.

Today I also canned two pints of banana pepper rings. I know, most people don't can only two pints at a time, but I wasn't going to let that one-pound of banana peppers rot in my refrigerator until I could get enough to make five or six pints.

2 comments:

jemilyea said...

POST IDEA/CANNING: I'm always interested in seeing pictures of people's canning processes. My mom canned some when I was growing up, and I helped, but I've never done it all by myself. Do you use a large pot of boiling water (water bath?) or a pressure canner? I think Mama used both.

ROSES: Your rose is lovely. I enjoy looking at the catalog from David Austin roses. Someday...

Christa said...

I'm certainly no expert in canning, so I'm afraid to lead anyone in the wrong direction. :) This is actually my first time to can alone. As I get more confident, I might just do that!

I did use a water bath for this batch, but I have a pressure canner that will work for the foods that need to be done that way, too.

 
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