Farmers Market on August 16th!

Well, it's Tuesday, August 19th and I finally have a breathing moment to write about this past weekend, the second weekend in a row of canning. I went to the Farmers Market on a beautiful day and purchased my supplies for canning cucumber relish, plum preserves, chow-chow relish, and my own personal recipe Tchoupitoulas relish! You can bet it was a busy weekend of visiting the horses, canning, freezing and dehydrating. I dehydrated peaches and cherries. I froze cabbage, pesto, corn, eggplant, blackberries and blueberries. And I canned those four recipes. So far, I have canned 8 products -- dilly beans, cherries, freezer slaw, okra, cucumber relish, plum preserves, chow-chow relish and Tchoupitoulas relish. I have only 4 things left to can -- tomatoes, peaches, salsa, and raspberry jam. And I've got freezing and dehydrating left to do, of course. So, though I just came off two ridiculously busy weekends and days of processing my winter food, I am now at the apex. I am working through my garden and working through my winter list! It's wonderful!

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Farmers Market and Canning Season!

Hello. It's 5:15am on August 14th. Today is the day that Joe Jacoby has his retirement reception and art gallery opening. I am excited, but nervous. I couldn't sleep, so thought I would write an entry about last weekend.

I have been traveling for the past 3 weekends leading up to last weekend -- Las Vegas for Anita's retirement, Lexington for Barbie and Tom's Kentucky Gold Classic, Boston for the ASAs. So, it was so nice to be at home. I went to Farmers Market and bought so many blackberries, blueberries, cherries, and peaches. And I bought so many green beans and okra and corn and carrots and on and on. And I began my second annual canning, freezing, and dehydrating extravaganza -- or frenzy -- which is what it feels like when it first starts. I canned cherries, okra, dilly beans and freezer slaw. I started to make cucumber relish with the thousands of pounds of cucumbers I have, but I kind of goofed up the recipe, so will have to do that this coming weekend instead. I dehydrated cherries and peaches, and I froze carrots, corn, eggplant, blackberries, and blueberries.

I am not going to go quite so crazy in the coming weekends. I have things I want to put up and I don't want to shop at Krogers for produce for certain. I definitely want to can tons of tomatoes because that's been the most wonderful treat and make my world famous chow-chow relish and can lots of cucumber relish. I have stuff to can for at least the next 6 weeks, and freeze too. But I want it to be fun and relaxed rather than wild!

My garden is full tilt. I'll have way more cucumbers, eggplant and cabbage than I'll need. But each year is a wonderful learning adventure. I hope to some day have another Laurel Wreath Farm, so that I can expand my garden further. So that I can grow my own carrots and pole beans, for example. But I am very happy that I am growing a second garden and cannot for a second year! Namaste.





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Farmers Market in January!

Here is my beloved Farmers Market in January! Inside that Open side is a place brimful of happy, nice people with organic hoop grown winter vegetables, wax candles, honey, coffee, etc. It's wonderful. And behind this building is my lady who sells me antiobiotic-free Amish chicken and cheese. Namaste, Toledo Farmers Market!