Winter is Coming. . .

Hi everyone,

So today we started "putting food by" for the winter, as well as stacking wood for the winter to burn in our new wood stove(!!!).  Our friends Garet and Carolyn picked up 30lbs of tomatoes from the local farm stand that were considered "seconds," although we couldn't figure out why they were "seconds" they were so beautiful.  So we had a lovely day of old fashioned gender prescribed farm  chores.  Carolyn and my Mom and I spent the the morning in the kitchen while the boys stacked wood.  Canning turns out to be not so hard, actually.  Here's what we did:

First you need to sterilize your jars in boiling water, and get your tools together, which include a large canning pot, jar grabbers, citric acid (so as to not get botulism), knives and cutting boards.  Not to mention your tomatoes, and any herbs you want to include in your jars.  Here you can see we used a little basil and garlic:

   

Then you need to peel your tomatoes, because canned tomato peels are yucky.  To make this job easier we dipped the tomatoes in a pot of boiling water, and then into cold water, and the peels just slip right off.

Then you have to core and chunk up your tomatoes so they fit nicely into your jars.  Once you squeezed as many tomatoes into your jar as you could, you then fill in the cracks with water, stir the tomatoes around a little to push out any air bubbles, and add 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid powder to each jar.  Then you screw the lids on, but don't tighten them down all the way to allow air to escape when the contents to expand in the hot water.  These jars below are ready to go in the boiling water.

 

And here they are going in.  And they stay in there for 45 minutes once the water comes back to a boil.

And when they come out you let them cool off slowly at room temperature on dish towels, and you can hear their lids pop as they seal.  Then you tighten down their lids and you are all done.  We made 21 quarts of tomatoes from the 30lbs we started with.  

 

It was a very lovely and domestic way to spend a beautiful September Sunday.  We really feel quite rural, and we'll be super glad to have these yummy tomatoes to make spaghetti with in freezing freezing February! 

Today's Harvest

Here's my and TH's half of what we harvested today.  (The other half goes to my parents)  The big round Zucchini is called an 8 Ball Zucchini.  And then there's Gentry yellow squash, and Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans. 

We get about this much produce to eat every day!  And there's lots more out there, including turnips, potatoes, onions, lettuce, and carrots.  It's about time to start getting creative with how to put things up for the winter.  If anybody has any ideas, we're taking suggestions!

Patio Beautification Plan

This has been my 1st chance to have a real go at flower growing, and it has been really fun.  Although I swear you could spend your whole life dead heading nasturtiums and petunias!  I really wanted to grow morning glories up our patio wall, and after a very slow start, I think success has been achieved!

This spring we installed a propane tank for a gas stove, which was a little unsightly on the corner of our patio, so I instituted a Propane Tank Beautification Plan, or the PTBP.  I think it looks a little better, although something has been eating my Sweet Peas since this photo was taken.  Dratted nature.

And here's a quick glimpse of the full effect.  *Please also note that we have replaced the screen door (please see previous posts), much to Olivia's disapproval!

Thanks Jennifer!!

Our friend Jennifer from Odette New York and her husband Steve just sent us these super cute booties for our upcoming Vermont winter baby!  Thanks Jenni and Steve, we love them!  

They are made of boiled wool and will be really warm on the Bean's toes.  And they have these really cute velcro straps that make them look like little high-tops!

And along with these fuzzy little creatures arrived this beautiful and also adorable new necklace for me!  It's a little pea pod in rose gold vermeil, and I love it!  Double thanks Jenni!

To see more of Jennifer's creations go check out www.odetteny.com, or for her stylish insights you can link to her blog from campestral's home page. 

Back from the Beach

As most of you knew, we spent the last week in Cape Cod.  This was the 3rd year we've spent in Truro, and surprisingly we just discovered how to find downtown Truro! It's easy, just follow Truro Center Road, but if you blink you'll miss it.  As with all vacations, it was sad it came to an end. 

All in all it was a great time. We soaked up some sun and ate well (TH singlehandedly wiped out the Northeastern seaboard's population of wild Striped Bass). Most mornings we took the O to get some exercise.  You can see here she's extremely pleased.

And most importantly, we have an image for everyone who's been clamoring, a photograph of RH and the Bean.

That's pretty much 7 months in! And of course there's the O too.

And lastly, here's a foggy picture up the beach.

It's Alive!

Hi Everyone! The new website is live! My thanks to Pete, who has put in a lot of time and has done a wonderful job. So drop whatever you're doing and head on over!

rebeccahaas.com

And of course forward/send it to everyone you know!

Picture(s) of the Day

These are from a recent foggy morning. I couldn't post just one.