Saving a Little Summer for the Winter Time

I’m going to say it and make it official…summer is coming to an end! Yup, whether you like it or not, fall is right around the corner. I like the fall. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. What’s not to love? You’ve got Halloween, the county fair, pumpkins, cider, apple pie, pumpkins, hay rides, pumpkins…did I mention I like pumpkins?

To get ready for all the cooler weather we’ll be getting in the next few months, my mom and I got together for our annual canning day. It’s the time when we take the sweetest tomatoes we can find and make them into my grandmother’s awesome spaghetti sauce. It is literally mouth watering when you smell the aroma of spices mixed with fresh garden tomatoes.

Look at these beauties!

And these peppers! Don’t they look tasty?

Of course you have to add onion too; so festive!

After scalding the tomatoes, we cut them into small pieces and saved as much delicious tomato juice as we could.

There’s my mom. Hi Mom! You can tell she really wanted me to take this picture. We have fun together though, me and my mom. I like canning with her because it gives us a connection to all the great ladies in our family who came before us. My grandmother canned, so did her mom, and so on…Plus it’s great to have some girl time every now and then.

Once all the tomatoes are sliced and diced, they go in the pot along with the peppers and onions. I can’t tell you any more than that, as this is a secret family recipe. We’re kind of like the Bush’s Baked Beans guys except not that famous and we don’t have a talking dog.

Here’s a look at the tomatoes and other ingredients in all their glory. Mmmm…sauce…

Once the sauce has cooked and tastes just right, it’s time to go in the can where it will live until it’s very cold and I have a hankering for a taste of summer. Looks good, doesn’t it?

Ta da! A nice jar of spaghetti sauce. I think we canned about 15 jars or so that day. A little side note though, my mom and step-dad are both big on canning. A few weeks before this they canned a couple dozen quarts of pickled beets (I say eww, others say yum on that one), and a couple dozen jars of corn relish.

For me, this spaghetti sauce is more than just a little bit of summer in the winter time, it also brings back fond memories of my grandmother and how good her house would smell when she was making us her famous spaghetti dinners. When my mom was a little girl and would complain about canning, my grandmother would tell her, “You’ll be happy when the snow flies.” And you know what? I think she’s right.

How Does your Garden Grow?

Hey there!

It’s that time of the year, isn’t it? When you go out to your garden to see what yummy vegetables are ready to be picked. With this being our first year, my husband and I weren’t sure what to expect. Our first round of pickin’ produced delicious kale, peas, and romaine lettuce.

It was a small amount, but it tasted great anyway. The next round of pickin’ will be even better because of this guy:

 This is a Big Boy tomato plant, and boy is it BIG! So far I’ve counted at least twenty tomatoes growing. Before the tomatoes came it was standing up right and taller than me (I’m 5’2), and now it’s laying down spilling into our neighbors yard.

I’m licking my lips waiting for these babies to turn red; there’s nothing better than a fresh tomato out of the garden. Am I right?

My youngest son calls this one Bob the Tomato from Veggie Tales. It was the first one we saw growing…hopefully it will be the first one we eat!

We also have broccoli that finally decided to grow along with cherry tomatoes, peppers, and watermelon that are looking good.

I’ve given up on the squash, even though the plant looks great, the vegetables only grow a certain size and then fall off. Our cucumbers are tiny, but maybe they will make it. Next year we will try a different spot for the squash and see what happens.

So, how is your garden growing?

Can We Talk Gardens?

Last summer was the first one we spent in our new house. We’ve been here now for about 1 1/2 years and I love it! The neighbors are awesome, it’s safe, and I truly feel at home here. All winter I’ve been thinking about what to do with the outside of our house. Last summer we planted flowers and bushes to spruce up the front, but the back and side yards were looking a little plain. I wanted to start a garden, so I added a few pots to the back of my deck and grew green peppers and lots of herbs. I was proud of my first little garden. This year I wanted to be a little more daring and try something a bit bigger.

A few weeks ago, my dream came true when my husband and one of his awesome co-workers built a new addition for our lovely estate. I’m talking about this fine specimen of a raised garden bed!

I lovingly refer to it as the garden outside my window. I get to stare at it all summer and watch the plants grow; and bang on the window when a squirrel, rabbit, or kid gets to close.

We were finally able to get dirt in the thing over Easter weekend, along with some extremely fresh cow poop compost (I scooped it up myself!) to give those veggies a little nutrient kick once they get in there. Ahhh…the perks of having an aunt and uncle who own a farm.

Next up, the veggies! What to plant….I’m thinking tomatoes are a must and maybe one more veggie just to keep it simple. I’ll keep posting as our little garden grows. I would love to hear advice/ ideas from you on how to make this project even more awesome!