Making Salsa

My tomatoes have been coming in for about two weeks now, and I decided it was high time I tried my hand at homemade salsa. I used the recipe that came with my Ball Discovery Kit, which I will post here. (I halved the recipe because I didn't have enough  bell peppers or onions to do a whole batch. It's also probably important to mention that I didn't really measure anything all that precisely.)

Ingredients:
5 cups tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 1/2 cups green bell peppers (mine were yellow and orange, actually)
2 1/2 cups onion
1 1/4 cups chili peppers (I used jalapenos, but any hot variety that suits your taste will work)
2/3 cup cider vinegar
1 clove garlic (although I halved the recipe, I still used a whole clove of garlic - yummy!)
1 tbs. fresh cilantro
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce, optional (didn't use it - hate the stuff!)

Directions: Prepare stockpot/canner and jars. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Ladle hot salsa into jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, add more salsa if needed. Wipe rim and center lid on the jar. Screw band until fingertip-tight. Process filled jars in boiling water for 20 minutes. Remove stockpot lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool, and store.

I'll make a few important side notes about my process. I used Marglobe tomatoes, which (for me at least) are small. Peeling and seeding them was no picnic. The couple of beefsteak tomatoes I used were much easier, because one alone made almost a cup of diced tomatoes. Also, I don't know if there's a trick to this, but I just grabbed the skin of the raw tomato and pulled it off. Not that it was difficult, but I'm sure there's got to be a less tedious way to peel tomatoes. Maybe some more experienced cooks out there can tell me a way.

Another reason it took me so long to prepare my tomatoes was because I removed just about every seed possible. I'm saving my seeds to grow new plants next season. This is my first time doing this, and I hope it works. I'll let you know how it goes. IMPORTANT: If you are going to save seeds, remember to only use heirloom or open-pollinated plant varieties. This guarantees that you will have the same plant quality from year to year. Also, it is actually ILLEGAL to save seeds from patented plant varieties, and some corporations go for the throat if they catch you saving their seeds. Best to be safe than sorry! Besides, saving heirlooms/open-pollinated seeds ensures plant diversity, and makes sure that some great plant varieties aren't lost to the generations to come.

Anyway, I followed the directions and cooked up my salsa. Half the recipe made enough for one and a half pints (plus a scoop or two for taste-testing). I did not actually water-bath can my salsa, because my intent was for it to go straight into the fridge for eating. So all I did was put on my lid, screw down the ring, and turn the jar of hot salsa over to heat up the seal on the lid and get it to stick (a little trick my mom-in-law showed me). Let it be known right now though, if you want your salsa to be shelf stable, you absolutely must process your salsa in a boiling water bath like the instructions say! Don't go get botulism and then blame me!

And there's the finished product below. Isn't it beautiful? I know you'll have to take my word on this, but it's tasty too! It's a might hot, but what good salsa isn't?



A picture blog

I want you guys to see what I've been up to, so this is a blog full of pictures!

This is a quilted fabric diamond. I made one for each of the diamond-shaped windows in the doors of our home. They help keep out the heat during these scorching summer months. I'm not a great sewer, so I was surprised how fast and easy these were to make. Also, I'm going to brag a bit - I made my own bias tape for the edges. I know all there is to it is cutting and creasing, but I was pretty proud of myself for having done it. That's project number one.

The second project I've completed recently is my living room curtains. I sewed them myself and added the design myself. I wish they had a little more gather to them, but once I get some better light/heat blocking fabric up behind the blinds, I'll be able to open them up and give them the slightly more full look I was hoping for. I've been toying with the idea of making some burlap shades to go with them to complete the rustic/handmade/import look. Take a closer look at the stamping:

This was done with a set of stamps called "Alfresco" that I got from a friend a few years ago. She sells Close to My Heart scrapbooking supplies, and this was one of the stamp designs they offered. I like this so much I've been mulling over how else I can use my stamps to dress up fabrics around my house.

Now for the gardening section of this blog. I have PINK tomatoes. The German Johnson variety tomato that I got this year is giving me a deep, rosy colored tomato crop. I gotta say, I'm not a fan of pink, but I like these tomatoes because they're unique.

I've also been learning to can my own food. Just recently I canned a few small jars of apple butter. In this situation, it was a case of "waste not, want not" because I had some apples that were going to go bad if I didn't do something with them. So I diced them up, threw them in the crock pot with some sugar and spices, and left them overnight. In the morning, the whole house smelled heavenly, and I had enough apple butter for five half-pint jars. I've also made some salsa since then, but that's another blog.

The one other project I've been working on, I finished last night. My mom recently gave me some of her old cast iron skillets. She can't use them anymore because her wrists are too weak from carpal tunnel syndrome and the subsequent surgery, so she gave them to me, and I happily accepted. In with those skillets was an old, rusty pizza tin. I knew that I didn't care to use it for pizza (I have wonderful stoneware for that), so I spray painted it blue, and hand painted a sun with some bright acrylic paints. I then took a paint pen and wrote a quote by Walt Whitman: "Keep your face always toward the sunshine and shadows will fall behind." I like it. It's bright, cheery, primitive and fun. I was going to use it as a wall hanging outside until I had a stroke of genius.

Instead, I'm going to attach it to a wooden spool my mom gave me (she works as a seamstress at a flag-making factory, so she gets to bring home all kinds of cool stuff that would otherwise be thrown out). I'll then put it outside between my two Adirondack chairs to use as a table for drinks or whatever. I just need some heavy-duty sealer for the spool, since it is thin, unfinished plywood.

So that's what I've been up to. Be sure to check back later for my salsa blog!



A Bout of Domesticity

Ha. It sounds like an illness when I put it that way, but that's kinda how these things occur with me. Over the past couple of days, I've been sewing and latch hooking and canning food and planting plants. Remember that latch hook rug kit I posted about way back in ... January, I think? Well, every day I've been working on it, and little by little, it's coming together. Monday I canned some homemade apple butter. I got five 4oz. jars out of just a handful of apples. My husband says it "tastes like the holidays." Yesterday I planted some Small Sugar variety pumpkins. They've been ready for transplanting for a couple of weeks now, but I decided with this ridiculous heat, I would ease into the "hardening off" process in the hope that they wouldn't keel over. According to the package, they mature in 90 days, so with any luck they should be ready in time for Halloween. (Yay for not having to buy jack-o-lanterns!) I've also been sewing up a storm, because I finally found the motivation to make the curtains for my living room and kitchen. Two nights ago, I got all the panels cut and the hem folds ironed in, and then last night, I sewed the panels. I even hand stamped two panels with a design that I think is just great. Tonight I intend to get the other four panels stamped so I can put them up where they belong. Now if I could just get this domestic feeling to inspire me to do some cleaning!

Pictures will follow, but that's all for now!

Playing the Waiting Game

Everyday now I'm checking my mail. Last week, the husband and I went up to the DMV in Rocky Mount to get our driver's licenses. Per NC state law, we had to take a written test, but we both passed and got our temporary licenses. They're just a piece of paper, no pictures or anything on them. So I'm waiting until our permanent ones arrive in the mail. I'm particularly excited about their arrival, because I need a picture ID to get a library card for the library in Bailey. I love the library, and I can't wait to go and start delving into some crafting and gardening books, not to mention books on green and sustainable living.
I'm also anxiously checking my mail because I subscribed to Scrapbooks, Etc. and Better Homes and Gardens magazines. I enjoy getting magazines quite a bit. I love to read, but I'm also very visual, so magazines fill both of those needs. Plus, I love clipping out good ideas and adding them to my inspiration binder.

There's also a couple of dates I'm waiting on. First, the 19th, because my mom-in-law and her sister will be coming to visit for the weekend. It should be lots of fun. I also can't wait for my birthday. I've told everyone that I'd like Michael's gift cards, so if I get some, I'll be going to get new, fun craft stuff.

Another thing I'm waiting on is tomatoes. My Marglobe tomato has been offering ripe tomatoes for a couple of days now, but they're pretty small. So I'm waiting until I have enough to do something with. I'm also particularly excited about my German Johnson tomatoes ripening, because they look like they're going to be pink, not red. That'll be pretty cool, because I've never seen pink tomatoes in person before.

So yeah, that's a lot of waiting, but I'm thinking it'll all be worth it.

My First Tomato

Today I plucked my first ripe tomato off my tomato vines. It is small and covered with cracks from the wonky growing season it's had, but still, it's mine. I grew it without anything artificial - just water and sunshine. My little one was so excited about it that she wants to pick tomatoes too. I promised her that she could pick the next one that turned red (which may be ready as early as tomorrow). Just had to share that little bit with you. :)

Tuesday Afternoon Confessional

Lately, I've felt buried under my own inadequacies. Even the simplest tasks have seemed to overwhelm me. I've been feeling like every effort I've made is being stonewalled by some outside force. Some days it was hard to get out of bed, and I did the absolute minimum to get by. I missed my own personal deadline for my Etsy shop, I haven't been able to maintain my diet and exercise, nor have I gotten done any of the little projects around the house I wanted to do. Even couponing fills me with feelings of mediocrity. I mean, sure, I save a little money, but did I really get the best deal? To add insult to injury, a store would have an even better sale the following week when I'd used up all my coupons. I know none of this sounds like it's all that bad, but trust me, with the state of mind I've been in, all I've wanted to do is throw in the towel. I wanted to cry, but I somehow couldn't even bring myself to do that. Getting out of this mental muck and mire isn't easy, but I'm trying.

I type this, and in the back of my mind I hear Yoda saying, "Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try."

That's my confession. I normally try not to let on about how bad I'm feeling on here, but I guess I needed to get it out in the open. I've felt as worthless as a penny at a vending machine.

A blog about things

Well, I have some random things to share with you today. My tomatoes have succumbed to some kind of bacterial/fungal wilt. It is ravaging my Marglobe tomato pretty badly, although the fruit is still in tact. I hope to still harvest the tomatoes that are on the plant, if I can keep it alive. The other two tomatoes are only just now showing signs of wilt, so, I'm hoping they'll also be okay until the end of the growing season. I'm not sure how this happened; they are being grown in containers filled with purchased potting soil, so it didn't shouldn't have come from any nearby plants. I have read that these nasty diseases can enter through broken branches, and all of my plants have suffered broken limbs from the crazy afternoon thunderstorms we've been getting, so that could be it. I've also read that beetles can transmit diseases, and today I did see a beetle hanging out on one of my plants, so that could be it too. Either way, it happened fairly quickly, seeing how when I left on Friday, my plants were perfectly healthy. I'm telling my husband that he killed them, since he was in charge of keeping them watered while I was away. Thankfully my tomatillo seems uneffected.

In other news, I was away this weekend at my cousin's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding at The Gatherings in Dorchester, SC. My little one had a great time dancing the night away at the reception. She was the life of the party, making up her own dances and having everyone on the dance floor join in.

I have taken my Etsy shop out of vacation mode. I don't have any listings up at the moment, but I'm hoping to change that as soon as I get a few things photographed.

Well, that's it for now. Catch you guys later!