A quick peek into a my garden this morning. I tiptoed outside in my robe to capture these pictures on my phone and was surprised by the joyful sensation of cold morning dew covered grass on my bare feet that made me feel like a little girl again!

My shady corner within the spa enclosure.
The three baskets have grown together into one floral mass and the fushias continue to bloom, bloom, bloom!

I was pleased to note the smell of lots of flowers still lingers. The nights may be lengthening and getting pretty cool but it still looks like summer in the yard. I've been really good about watering and fertilizing my pots and baskets this year so they have repaid me in millions of blooms this year. The pots in front of the garage door have also grown into a solid mass of green and mixed blooms. The long boxes of African Daisies along the front walk have taken over the area under the livingroom window, and the front porch pots have never been so lush-you have to push through just to get to the door!


Green beans peeking through the lattace of the privacy screen.

With the faith of a child our toddler planted a seed.

I took a quick look around the back yard this morning as it's been several days since I've been outside to look at my gardens. I've been working in the kitchen lately, putting up the harvest. Yesterday's labor of love included 18 quarts and 9 nine pints of nectarines and they join the 10 quarts of Aizian-style Plum Sauce made the day before.

Now I'm heading back into the kitchen to process more Italian Prune Plums before heading to eastern Washington today to visit my sister in Carlton and help bring in the honey harvest. My daughters are joining us this year. It's going to be alot of fun!

Apricot Chutney

My own special recipe for Apricot Chutney...yum!

Tally to date: 7 quarts & 19 pints

How To Preserve A Husband

I have so much to share! I have been meaning to post more regularly but a trip to Albuquerque, the fall harvest, a trip to the Methow Valley (more specfically, the Big Red Barn in Carlton), more canning and a visit from my daughter have taken precedence.

Now, however, I found a gem I have to share from the back page of the New Revised Edition #29 Ball Blue Book: Easy Guide to Tasty, Thrifty Canning and Freezing, copyrighted 1972.

How To Preserve A Husband

Be careful in your selection.

Do not choose too young.

When selected, give your entire thoughts to preparation for domestic use.

Some wives insist upon keeping them in a pickle,

others are constantly getting them into hot water.

This may make them sour, hard, and sometimes bitter;

even poor varieties may be made sweet, tender and good,

by garnishing them with patience,

well sweetened with love and seasoned with kisses.

Wrap them in a mantel of charity.

Keep warm with a steady fire of domestic devotion

and serve with peaches and cream.

Thus prepared, they will keep for years.

I have to wonder if that was a nod to earlier versions of the Ball Blue Book, seeing as they've been publishing it since 1909! I would love to get my hands on one of the early, early editions to see what other advice is included along with the recipes for safe food preservation.

I love old cookbooks! But, just in case you are using an older version of the Ball Blue Book, the USDA published new standards for homecanning in 1988, so you should treat yourself to the 100th Anniversay Edition of the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving published in 2009.

And, in case you are wondering, the back page of this issue has a recipe for Peach-Walnut Shortcake. No more pearls of domestic wisedom. That's too bad, because I really got a good smile from the poem above!