Preschool Carrots

I have to admit that, for the last year or so, I've had a hard time coming up with blog posts. Or maybe it's not that I don't have things to write about but rather I don't think my stories are that interesting. But I was talking to my mom this morning on my drive to my foot doctor and as I was filling her in on the latest goings on in southwest Kansas she would say, "I thought I'd see a blog post on that" or "I saw so and so last night and she was telling me how she keeps up with your blog". So and so happens to be someone I haven't probably seen in 15 years! Maybe it's time then to start posting , what I think, are some of my more boring stories. First up....pulling carrots.

Yahoo has started preschool this year and she loves it! Every morning she's excited to get up and go and every afternoon she rattles on about what she did that day at school. I love this preschool too. It's through the public school so I'm not paying tuition like I did with the boys in Illinois. She goes a half day every day and best of all it's only two blocks from our front door. Her teacher is young and only in her second year and she's great! Mrs. Lang is so energetic and open to all kinds of new things. I thought the preschoolers and their teacher may like to take a "field trip" to my garden so on Monday they came down to to visit me. I think teachers and schools should use as many resources in their community as possible and I'm all for volunteering my space and skills! 

Their class has 8 girls and 3 boys, poor boys! They were so quiet standing there as I talked, well all but Yahoo. We talked about how plants start as seeds and what they need to grow. They searched out my tomatoes and zucchini and helped me pick them. Then we looked at the carrots and talked about how some plants grow under ground while some grow where you can see them. The highlight for the kids was when each got to grab a handful of carrot stems and pull. Don't worry, I moistened the soil up really well for them to make picking much easier. Once pulled they counted how many they picked, usually four or five a piece. They all wanted to pick more!!! (Wish I could have taken pics but I kind of had my hands full and dirty.) We didn't have time to clean the carrots they picked but I sent some carrots I had picked earlier with Mrs. Lang that they could have for a snack. 

I was more than happy to share my garden with them and see them so excited about growing things. Later that day when I picked up the kids, not only do I get Yahoo but I walk three others to their day care which is our neighbor, they talked all about my garden and so I asked them if they enjoyed the carrots. A couple had no qualms telling me they didn't like my carrots at all. Got to love their honesty! 

Maybe this spring Mrs. Lang would be interested in bringing them all down to plant some seeds! Wouldn't THAT be fun! 

Bountiful is thy harvest! RELISH in it!

My garden is doing really well this summer. It's amazing what a bit of rain and some cool weather will do for growing plants! The last two summers were practically 3 months straight 100 degree and higher days with no rain. This summer however, we've actually had rain! Nothing like back home in Indiana but we've had a few inches of rian this summer. The cool temps have been nice too. We've even had some days down into the 80's! 

My carrot patch is doing well. I've been able to pick some carrots every few days. There isn't anything better than fresh veggies from the garden and I just love the smell of garden carrots. 

A couple little eggplants, some zucchini and some kale. My biggest garden blessing however has been cucumbers! Last week I picked two dozen in the span of two days. Every summer when y cucumbers first come on Yip, Yap and Yahoo have no problem eating any cucumber I pick but inevitably, as the summer goes by their willingness to eat all the cucumbers dwindles. This morning I found myself with a refrigerator full of cucumbers which means it was time to do some canning! 

I decided it was time for relish. 

I ground up my veggies in my food processor. Do you know how painful it is to grind up 12 onions?  Lots of tears in my kitchen this mornin'! 

The veggies were ground up and a bit of salt stirred in and then allowed to sit for an hour. Then I drained the juice off. I had a huge bowl of ground cukes and I found it easiest to place my cutting board over my bowl of veggies. 

After adding some vinegar and spices we set the relish to boil. I had to break it up into two batches! Whew, that's a lot of relish! 

I ended up with 15 pints of relish AND 11 pints of dill pickles. I think it might be wise not to plant cucumbers next year. Someone better remind me of that come May!

My relish recipe was one I received from a dear friend from back home in Indiana. 

Jenine's Relish

2 quarts ground cucumbers and/or zucchini

12 small onions, ground (about 1 qt)

4 peppers

2 1/2 t. salt

Grind up all veggies and add salt and mix together. Allow to sit for 1 hour. Drain the juice then add the following; 

3 cups of sugar

1 1/2 t. cinnamon

1 t. tumeric

2 t. celery seed

2 cups vinegar 

Bring relish to a boil. Ladle into hot jars then allow to self seal. 

*I know that it's not recommended to allow jars to self seal when canning but when I get a recipe from someone who's been canning for longer than I've been alive well, I tend to trust them. If Jenine told me to allow jars to self seal I trust I won't die!*

I've even had so many cucumbers that I've given lots and LOTS away. A friend of mine took a bag full then brought me this the next day. 

Fresh Cucumber Salad

7 cups unpeeled pickling cucumbers sliced thin (about 7 large dills)
1 cup sliced onions
1 cup sliced bell peppers
1 T salt
1 cup white vinegar
2 cups sugar
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp mustard seed

Mix cucumbers, onions, peppers and salt; set a side
Put vinegar, sugar, celery seed and mustard seed in a pot and bring to a boil
Remove from heat and let cool for one hour
Pour mixture over cucumbers
Put in jars and store in refrigerator
Will keep up to 2 months

Makes 2 quart jars

Yes, I've had a blessed garden this year. Now, if only I could say that my tomatoes were blessed as well. They've been hammered by blight! Half of them have died and half of those that survived aren't producing tomatoes. *sigh* maybe next year my tomatoes will be better. 

THE. Tomato. Soup. The only recipe you'll ever need.

That's how I feel after I make my Gr. Grandma Brown's tomato soup. 
I just. don't. want. to. share.

My Great Grandma Brown's Tomato Soup. 
Ah! 
It's my ultimate comfort food. 

It's the only tomato soup I grew up eating. The stuff from the grocery store just tastes vile! This is sooo much better but the last few years it's been tough to get enough tomato juice to can enough to last a whole year. I've tried substituting store bought juice for the juice I get from my own tomatoes but it just isn't the same. 

I've blogged about making Running Soup a few times in the past, about once a year if I get a chance to make any. I've made it in big batches and in small batches. 

If I have a chance I'll always make a BIG BIG batch! 

Now THAT is a lot of soup! 

I ended up with 14 quarts today! Not too shabby considering I've scrimped and saved tomato juice all summer long. 

Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches for dinner tonight!! Nothing better on a cold windy day like we have in SW Kansas today. 

Now for the dishes. 

I don't even mind the pile either because it just means that I have my tomato soup! 

Great Grandma's Tomato Soup

7-9 qts. of tomato juice

2 bunches of celery

6 onions

3 green peppers

10 or so large carrots (or a couple bags of baby carrots)

1 t black pepper

2 sticks of butter (not margarine)

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. flour

1/4 c. salt

Chop and puree all veggies and add to tomato juice. Boil for 30 minutes. Pull out a few cups of juice and allow to cool. Blend the remaining ingredients into the cool juice with a blender then return to hot soup. Cook 15 more minutes.

While soup is place canning jars and lids upside down in a few inches of boiling water to sterilize. Fill jars, one at a time, with hot soup. Wipe rims and fasten lid and ring. Sit on counter to allow it to self seal. Leave jars sit for 24 hours before moving. 

Note: The open kettle method of canning isn't FDA approved but my family has been doing it this way for at least four generations and none of us have died yet from eating this soup! This is the way I learned to can this soup, it's always worked for me and I'm not changing now.