george shirley

Miz Anne picked the garden again today, anyone need any cukes? I put up
8 pints of green beans in the pressure canner this evening and also put
up 5 pints of dilly beans in the BWB. Used the new Ball Book recipe,
which is a little different than the one I've used before. We'll see how
they taste test as I still have one pint from last year.

Still have to put up the eggplant moussaka but that can wait until
tomorrow and we pick the eggplant again, may make two batches instead of
one. Also plan to make dilly carrots tomorrow, using the new Ball
preserving book and the baby carrots from the market. Miz Anne really
likes those little dilly carrots so maybe they'll all get eaten before
this time next year.

Going to a high school reunion/homecoming Saturday so will take a couple
of big plates of pickled stuff and fresh stuff from the garden. This
homecoming has been going on for about 60 years now, always on the
second Saturday in June. We all chip in each year to buy the meat for
next year and someone cooks it at the school cafeteria and then we all
bring side dishes. There are some really good cooks in that bunch of
country people and some of them are even women. <VBG>

Actually my class celebrates their fiftieth next year (can it really be
that long ago?) and a few of us are hoping that we will be able to
arrange a reunion for us. Of course with only 32 graduates in 1957, out
of a total school district population of only 150 kids, there won't be
enough of us left to get a crowd. Solution is we get the two years ahead
of us and the two years behind us in on the reunion and we can get
upwards of 25 or 30 gathered up at one time. If I remember anything
about our bunch is that they all had to put up food for later when we
were kids. I think everyone of us had a mom or dad that did canning,
smoking, corned beef, made hams, you name it. I might run a poll to see
how many still do those things.

Anyhow, I'm pooped and have to go out and make a buck or two tomorrow so
I'm going go to bed early to night.

Life is good.

George

the joneses

I'm having to BUY cukes. But one of the stores has a sale, 5 for $1. The
fancy schmancy organic store has picklers for $1.99 each. Sheesh. Be cheaper
to move to Louisiana.
Edrena

george shirley

We just got the old greenhouse emptied today, I'll let you live their
free if you and old whiskers can make it in an 8ftX12ft space. <VBG> I
think we're just going with a storage building with a southwestern
leanto greenhouse this time.

Finally put up the moussaka this morning, looks like the !@#$% eggplant
and greenbeans are ready to pick again. Maybe we'll do it Sunday, maybe.

George

the joneses

We've lived in worse...briefly. But for the porcelain plumbing and refrigerated
air.
We're just too too spoiled. You could make a smoke house out of it.
I ran off your limed pickles from google, have studied, and am willing to try a
bread and butter pickle of my own. The recipes for limed pickles mostly use
straight vinegar, and my favorite (so far) B&B does too, so I will use that
formulation of sugar (or Splenda) and spices. Will report back, complete with
testing.
Edrena

george shirley

I haven't had the nerve to try them with Splenda and made the latest
batch with sugar. What I've read about Splenda says the max you can put
in is about two cups of Splenda before the taste goes off. Not sure
about the half and half stuff that Splenda sells, 50:50 Splenda:sugar.
Good luck and I'll be looking for the results.

George