The fact that my husband is again off to Hawaii means once again I can enjoy a free schedule and alone time. Thus I finished the apples and peaches and have a freezer full of pie fillings. Next my energies were focused on filling ice cube trays with parmesan pesto to use up a lot of the basil. Then I filled the cookie sheets with leaves of Thai basil, licorice basil, and lemon basil and then put those trays into the freezer for about 20 minutes. Then working like Speedy Gonzales I placed the flat leaves into zip lock freezer bags for this winter's meals.
Finally, I have begun to fall behind on using the fresh tomatoes---and believe me, this year we have a very small harvest because my husband put in a fast garden. I dread the tons of tomatoes we will harvest next year when he really gets his game on. I had to preserve the plum tomatoes and so I made my version of tomato sauce---which means I am too lazy to remove the seeds---and I got about two quarts of garlic, basil tomato sauce which I froze. I might have been able to make more if I had been less sloppy!
One of the nicest things about retirement is that one can enjoy life's harvest at leisure. I do not have to cram all this cooking into a weekend along with doing the laundry and driving kids places and paying bills! I can actually slow down and smell the sauce and take my time in labeling the zip locks and plastic containers so that I know what in the world these gray freezer bags contain when snow is on the ground and I need something for dinner. I can actually take time to rearrange the freezer under the refrigerator and the chest freezer in the garage so that the older things are near the top. (We finally finished the last of the frozen crab from last year this summer!)
Yes, one of the things about getting old is that it tends to be all about food!
we are about ready to move to your area so you will feed us! but with my fat behind, all thos fruit pies would mean we would need a tow truck to move me around! winter at your house is going to be wonderful. omg, everything sounds and looks so fabulous!
ReplyDeletei am so jealous. we are so far north we still do not have ONE red tomato yet. they are all growing happily on the vine, but not one has turned red. summer here was cool and came in very late. i am hoping we will have a few red ones before the frost bites them all. all we have harvested is a variety of peppers. the squash and cucumbers are still growing, too.
:((
Tabor I am proud of you.
ReplyDeleteI have put up some tomatoes, basil and corn. Made some salsa. I am just pleased to have anything in this first year garden.
Cooking for one is a problem. Do have family dinner about once a month. Somedays do not feel like cooking at all.
Last night just a scrambled egg, bacon and sliced tomatoes.
Be happy that you have someone to share this bounty with.
Why is it that when I read, "I can actually slow down and smell the sauce," I actually can smell tomato sauce?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your thoughtful comments on my "Highway of Heroes"
post.
Bear((( )))
You're obviously a heck of a lot more organized in YOUR retirement than I am in MINE.
ReplyDeleteThough this 'off to Hawaii again' stuff does sound attractive...
Andale! Andale! Arriba! Arriba! Now, I am hungry.
ReplyDeleteOh I so agree - only a few busy weeks into my retirement - about feeling more relaxed, not having to cram it all into the weekend. So what, if the washing hasnt been done,or the lawn not mown, there is always tomorrow. And I have time to walk,and look around me, and just do nothing if I want to.Yayyyy!
ReplyDeleteMind you, I havent got around to ensuring time every day for blog reading and posting.
But I am a novice at this stuff ha ha.
Did you pass up a trip to Hawaii so you could cook?????
ReplyDeleteJust before we went away for vacation, the blackberries were out all along our dirt roads. My husband and I picked them on our early morning walks, and made them into pies for a full three weeks. I'm sorry we didn't freeze any of these. We were so proud of them, that we'd give them away to neighbors and friends almost as soon as they came out of the oven. We would always save one for ourselves out of each batch. They became addictive, even though full of seeds that stuck between the teeth.
ReplyDelete