Seattle Seasons

First we had spring, then fall, then about 3-4 weeks of summer and now it's winter. Nick and I haven't even had a chance to take fall foliage pictures and with the wind we've been having it's not looking promising. This weekend we'll put the burlap over the herb bed, pick up a planter to put our lettuce in (growing it in the kitchen for winter salads!) and maybe pot a tomato plant so we can have cherry tomatoes through the winter as well.

I love fall - the colors change, you get to mow the lawn a little less, crisp afternoon walks, snuggling under the blankets with a cup of tea and a good book. This year I think we're skipping fall and heading straight for a la nina winter.

We opened our first jar of canned pears and it was quite delish if I do say so myself. The pears were a little firmer as some of my pears weren't completely ripe, but still tasty. So I guess that means our "experiment" has officially started it's winter portion. The question is: have we put up enough produce to survive the winter eating only the fruits of our labor (no fruit in season during the winter!)? I am hoping to make a huge batch of a couple different soups and put them in individual containers for lunches that can be easily pulled from the freezer. Just wanted to show you some pictures of one of our favorite veggies: Romanesco. We polished off about 3/4 of one head and then ate the 2 small ones out of our own garden; the rest I froze and put up 4 large quart size bags. This veggie tastes like a combo of broccoli and cauliflower, but much milder and very yummy. Hard to find, but worth the effort and price!



After completely tucking in the garden this coming weekend and canning applesauce the first weekend in November, I feel like we'll be ready for winter; predicted to be the worst winter in 55 years. I think we're almost ready!

Pearadise

This time it involved pears, gallons of sugary syrup, lots of hot water, a few phone calls to my mom, frustration and triumph.

I bought 25 pounds of Bartlett Pears from Central Market, peeled them, sliced them, made a light simple syrup to fill the jars, then carefully positioned the pears in hot jars, covered them with syrup, put the lids and rings on, then boiled them in my lovely water bath canner. I had a few jars that did this very weird tenting thing on the edges (essentially the lid bulged up and the edge would have a little peak); the first 3 jars that did this I re-boiled and sealed with no issue, but the last one I decided to leave alone and see what it would do. Lo and behold, the thing sealed down like a vault - the loudest "ping" I've ever heard; but, that jar is definitely sealed!! I ended up with 18 quarts (6 more than I planned for) and the look quite pretty if I do say so myself. Despite the frustrations, I feel very accomplished. Thanks Mama and Nick for all your help!!

Nick and I spent last weekend closing down the garden. We pulled out all the corn plants, squash, tomatoes and some of the flowers. We left the herb box, Cosmos and Romanesco alone. I'm hoping to grow herbs through the winter and am going to try my hand at an indoor planter box of lettuce. We also trimmed our rose bushes back and the shrubs in the front of the yard. Due to the lateness of summer the spiders were ridiculous!! I must admit to doing some mild screaming and the "icky" dance while pruning the roses back. Blech!!! I was able to put up a pint of tomato puree' from the tomatoes we rescued off the pulled vines and also over a pound of summer squash and about a 1/2 pound of zucchini. Pretty impressive for end of garden harvest!

In a few weeks we'll buy our apples and get ready to head for Walla Walla for applesauce making. I must admit that I'm looking forward to some girl company and socializing while canning (no offense babe!). This project has given me a new appreciation for all the hard work my mama put in every year, when us kids were growing up, to put up healthy, home canned goods. It has also opened my eyes to how important this art of canning is to maintain and preserve (no pun intended!). I have no idea how pioneer women did this kind of work without the conveniences we have now!!