organized chaos!

 Yes, that's exactly how I would describe the state of the kitchen right now!

If you were to pop in for a visit, you would find every flat surface filled with canning jars, buckets of tomatoes and peppers, a water bath canner bubbling away, a jam & jelly maker whirring, stacks of jar lids, paper towels, spoons, pickling salt, lemon juice, vinegar, and oodles of other things. I even brought in an extra table (remember this one? ) I love this table and need to find a way to squeeze it in the kitchen. Oh, and no, I will not be sharing pictures of the organized chaos.

Since my oven was built in 1950, I hesitate to have her on for the hours and hours that it takes to water bath and preserve food. Last year I picked up the Ball Fresh Tech Electric Water Bath Canner (here) and I absolutely love it. It does take the water a bit of time to boil, but while the water's heating up, I can sterilize my jars inside. I also have the Ball Jam & Jelly Maker (here) and I love it as well...it tackles the constant stirring so I can step away from the stove and focus on something else.  The only con is the recipes are tailored for the maker, and the yield is small: about 4, 8-oz. jars. It cools 30 minutes between batches though, and I've found that works just fine for me...I can prep another bit of jam to go in and the 30 minutes goes by quickly. I haven't tinkered with doubling recipes, but that could be on the winter to-do list. And so, if you're thinking about either one, I can highly recommend them both.

Well, this is a quick visit to say hi - tomorrow I'll be corralling the clutter in the kitchen and making Firecracker Pepper Jam. In the meantime, since I'm not sharing kitchen pictures (trust me, it's better this way), I'll leave you with some photos from the farm as well as some of the surrounding farms.

Plus, a quote and artwork by two of my favorite people...

Art credit: Susan Branch
https://susanbranch.com/

a quick catch-up...

This is the time of year that has a busyness all its own, and can only mean one thing: harvest time! This week the days will be spent in the kitchen prepping, canning, and freezing tomatoes and peppers.

If you're like me, and you find yourself with oodles of tomatoes, here's an Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce recipe I use that is quick, and so easy, just click: here.

And because I always seem to need tomato sauce for chili, I'm keeping it super-simple this year:  I'm just cutting the stem end off of tomatoes, quartering, and then tossing the quarters in the blender - no peeling!  After they're blended, I put them in the slow cooker, add some salt to taste, and let simmer several hours until they've thickened into a nice sauce. Truly, it couldn't be easier!

I had some baked goods left from the "not shop, shop" a couple of weeks ago, so I called a friend that loves old-fashioned bartering as much as I do...

A visit to her farm found us catching up, which is always great, while seeing all the sweet farm animals she has.

Meet Ferdinand!

His mom, Annie, shares her wonderful milk with us...which became the best chocolate ice cream.

My friend also sent us home with butter, cream, homemade mozzarella, dozens of eggs, and cabbage...what a blessing to be able to trade goods!

The cabbage was put into fermentation jars to become sauerkraut...it's a favorite of mine, but I've never made it before, so I'm anxious to see how it comes out. 

She has the prettiest views from her farm...

and the drive there, is beautiful as well.

This is what the blue, super moon looked like from our little corner of the world...well, as best as it could be captured with my phone...it was truly gorgeous as we were driving home at dusk.

And lastly, this was a view my daughter captured on our travels. It felt so vintage and classic Heartland to me, I wanted it to be black & white:

Thanks for visiting...wherever you find yourselves, have a great week!

looking at the small things...

It was 47 degrees one morning when Bailey and I first went outside, and in the evening I can now hear crickets...a sign that Fall is on its way! 

Along with cooler temperatures and the songs of crickets, something else I notice this time of year are spider webs...lots of intricate and, to me, beautiful ones.

I thought I'd share these snapshots with you...my son noticed this early in the morning; hopefully, you can see the long trail, as it's somewhat hidden in the leaves.

It had to be 40-50 feet long! We can only imagine the little gal or fella who made this took a leap of faith from high in the tree, and swinging on the breeze, landed in this spot. 

And from the looks of the tangled knots, they wanted to know it was secure!

I'll start you at what I'm guessing was the end of the adventure, as that's what we noticed first:

And not that I'm crazy about spiders, but this was another instance of accidently discovering the small things. 

I thought the flowers were so pretty with the morning dew on them, so I began to zoom in closer...

Another little gal or fella snoozing in the flower fold...with the drop of water, it just made me smile.

the not shop, shop!

Funny title for a post, but that's what the kids call it!  

If you've been reading this blog awhile, you may recall a post here about a milkhouse on the farm. For a long while I've been thinking it could make a nice little spot for customers to pick up Cottage Foods...baked goods, jams, honey, breads...items our state doesn't require a commercial kitchen for bakers to sell. 

I can't open a shop, but I can have people stop by to pick up their cottage foods...that's why it's the "not shop, shop!"

And so finally, after ages of plotting & planning, on August 5, I had an open house.  I invited friends & neighbors to visit and sample baked goods, then give me an opinion on what they liked and thought would be best sellers. We had a grand time!  

Last week, was my first official day open...just for 3 hours in the afternoon, once the farmers' market on the town square closes at 12, my hope is people will swing by to see what's for sale here.

And so I turned the sign to "OPEN" and surprise, I had some neighbors, friends & people who were just driving by stopped in...yay, off to a good start!

Anyway, I thought you might like to see a few pictures of how the milkhouse looked before and then after improvements were made.  Yes, it was in really rough shape when I began...built in the 1950's and honestly, neglected for years (low priority, I admit). 

Visit YouTube™ for a song that was constantly going through my mind as I tried to keep thinking about and working toward the end, just click here: 

Panic! at the Disco, High Hopes  

BEFORE...

I swept, dusted, scraped paint, washed windows, filled cracks in the cement block, stained the floor, and then finally the fun stuff began. I had our local hardware store match paint so it would be the original color, then I pulled out spare items to decorate with...some goodies had been given as gifts over the years, others I found for a song at a mercantile shop, while still others were hiding in the barn just waiting to be dusted off. 

There's no electricity (yet - fingers crossed, someday!) so I have battery-operated twinkle lights in minnow buckets hanging from the ceiling, and twinkle lights in the old kerosene stove and the antique potbelly stove (which couldn't be installed because, hmmm, it was old, with no UL rating, so it isn't seen as safe for indoor use).

AFTER!

If you want to see what's happening at the "not shop" from time to time, you can click here -

Thanks for taking my little before & after tour!

August on the farm...

August? How can it be August already? 

My daughter just returned from a 7-week intensive at a ballet company where she was also an RA and it's so good to have her back...as the kids say, "The balance has been restored!"  

She double-majored in Dance and Psychology...so proud of her hard work! She graduated Summa Cum Laude in Dance and Magna Cum Laude in Psychology.  I love that she's chasing her dream as she enters her 2nd year as an apprentice with a ballet company.

 

My son goes back to college in just a couple of weeks...I'm losing my partner in crime when it comes to hot & spicy foods! A couple of nights ago we decided to use some of the garden's oodles of jalapenos to make poppers, and then last night, he whipped up some spicy Mexican Street Corn, he's quite the chef...it was delicious!

Oh yes, time does fly...

so, so grateful...these kids have the sweetest hearts and are a laugh a minute, and I can say without hesitation...I would walk through fire for them.

Sharing a few more photos from the farm...August's heat is hard on the flowers and garden, best to enjoy them while we can. 

blackberries are loving this weather

this is a Ruby Slippers hydrangea that my son gave me 2 years ago,
I love how it changes from this,

to this!

blue skies,

blooming flowers.

 

and buzzing bees.

That's a peek at August from my corner of the Midwest...hope all is well where you are, thanks for stopping by. 

"Above all, 
be the heroine
of your own life."

-Nora Ephron