Hello again from breezy, cool, Autumy Missoula. It’s been a busy end of summer with work, BBQ’s, the start of Griz football season, house hunting (more about that next week, I hope), dog training (once she is trained I will write a blog bragging about it…look for that next spring) and our ongoing veggie explosion.
We have eaten zucchini every way we could think of, in bread, fried, grilled, in relish, soup, scrambles, stir fry… I am out of ideas and wondering when the little plant-that-could is going to quit for the winter. We also have had a cucumber bumper crop – just learned that term, I love it and may be overusing it in blogs to come. We decided with all these greens lying around to try our hand at canning. I know what your thinking, I have turned into a country grandma with too much time on her hands, I’m OK with that if it means pickles, relish and other winter treats.
Matt thought it necessary to read 3 books cover to cover about canning before we got started. I am sorry to report that all his reading did not stop him from burning his hand several times. Note to other future first time canners: grabbing a glass jar out of boiling water will burn you. We thought that we had enough veggies for maybe 20 – 30 cans….
Always reading
Look closer at the background of this next shot – Blue saw a cat out the back gate and sat there for almost 2 hours straight waiting for that taunting kitty to come back. She is a focused critter getter.
Zucchini relish, pickles and Blue
My mom made us beer brewing aprons for Matt’s birthday, this seemed like a good time to break them in.
It's true, I was just an assistant
Serious business
In the end, we canned 8 jars, yes, you heard me right, 8. It was a ton of work, somewhat stressful, kinda fun and may taste disgusting, but we did it!!
Slant Street Spears and Relish
Canning was a temporary fix for our bumper crop (there it is again!), so we continue to pick and eat, pick and throw out, pick and give away…
Matt Picking, Blue eating grass
We noticed a little tree out back had some peculiar things hanging off of it!
White plums. Yes, please!
Blue loves them. She takes one lick and then swallows them whole. Strange little cattle dog.
Gulp, can't wait to clean this snack up later
Big Sky Bound 