Apple Tree Reward

I started making applesauce at 9am this morning and I just finished, 13 hours and 45 minutes later.  Ask me if I'm tired and have an aching back!  The nice thing about it and believe it or not, it saves a lot of time........that would be the "Squeezo Strainer".  You cook your apples till good and tender (no peeling or coring is necessary), put them in the top of the Squeezo, turn the handle and walla...............

The applesauce squeezes through the little cylinder and all the seeds, stems, and peelings go out the other end.  Who ever came up with this little invention sure had an exceptional idea!

And finally, as you can see, I was rewarded with a lot of applesauce........57 quarts to be exact.  I had one more bottle but I didn't want to take the time to process it so I just put it in the fridge.  With the garden and apples trees producing the way they did, we have truly been blessed.

Sun in it's Glory

We have fires surrounding our area and they leave the sky a spectacular hue of oranges.  I can't get the photo's to take right but the sun is actually a bright orange.  The sun shows up white in the pictures and I don't know if that is a result of shooting right into the sun, or what. The sky is smoky and the mountains are blurry because of all the smoke in the area. It's pretty bad in the mornings but tends to clear out as the day goes on.

This is a photo I found on Google Images that shows how the sun really looks, only a tad bit lighter.  No matter how you look at it, it's something to behold.

A Stitch in Time

Friday I went to Pocatello and picked up this sweet, little machine.  My husband has been looking for a hand-crank, Singer, sewing machine.  He was searching Craig's List when this little beauty showed up.  On our way to the football game in Rockland, my friend and I stopped at Pocatello to look at the machine.  It was in very good condition so I purchased it.  I've tried sewing on it and it sews smoothly, making very neat stitches.  The lady I purchased it from belongs to a sewing guild and all they use for sewing is hand-crank and treadle sewing machines.  This could be a fun little toy but very useful when needed for actual sewing.  You never know..................

I'm Beet....Beat

Whew, what a day.  Canning is a very tiring job but when you look at what you've accomplished, it makes it a bit more meaningful.  Yesterday was my day for doing another batch of beets.  I bottled 12 quarts last week and another 13 quarts yesterday.  I do like the process of baking my beets instead of the messy boiling process.  After cutting off the tops, leaving 1-2 inches (leave the roots on) and washing them, I line them all up, soldier like, on my cookie sheets.  Put a little water in the pan, cover them with tin foil and bake them till tender.  After they have baked till tender, I put them in cold water and take the skins off.  After that, it's slice, bottle, process, and Wala..........done (after many hours).   

Although you can't tell from the picture because I shot into the light from the window, but there is nothing prettier than a bottle of pickled beets.....such a dark purplish/red color.  I even used the beet juice to touch up a white spot on a purplish/red dress I have.  Worked pretty good, too.

Just before putting the beets into the oven, I went out to the garden and got some lettuce, spinach, a potato, and an onion while my husband brought in some zucchini, tomatoes, and a cucumber.

This is where the good part comes in.  Two weeks ago, I purchased a new OXO Salad Spinner off E-bay.  I love E-bay....my shopping network.  Anyways, I love this spinner.  I don't know how I got along without it in the past.

You just put in a little lettuce, push the big black button on the top a few times and your lettuce is almost totally dry.  I'll tell you, if this little gadget broke tomorrow, I'd be on E-bay tomorrow purchasing another one....or I guess if I lived near a store, I'd head to Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Just that little bit of lettuce and spinach in the ice cream bucket gave me a 5 1/2" x 16 1/2" bowl full of salad greens.  I don't know what I am going to do when summer is over.  I love salads and I eat one most every single day......MMM-m-m-m!  That white thing laying by the side of my salad bowl is the top/lid to my salad spinner.  Thought I'd just add that to save the questions.

So, I started my day at 9am....bottled beets, made salad, and oh, forgot....I, with help from my husband, shelled another 5 gallon bucket of peas.  Alas, I finished at 9:45pm.  And yes, my feet and back were killing me but, it's all good.