happy happy

It's birthday season.

In the next two months, there are twice as many family birthdays as there are the whole rest of the year.

*cupcake pattern from One Skein (ravelry details)

for the larder

Bring it on, Winter. I'm ready.

13 lbs cherries = 17 pints cherries

tomatoes, jalepeno, green peppers and onion = 7 pints salsa (the 8th couldn't handle the pressure in the canner)

18.5 lbs peaches = 13 pints peaches + five 1/2 pint peach jams + 1 peach crisp

4 lbs ridiculously late seasonal strawberries = six 1/2 pint strawberry jams

1 flat of raspberries from friend's backyard = 1 batch raspberry freezer jam

40 lbs fresh blueberries = 40lbs frozen blueberries

28 lbs Roma tomatoes = 19.5 quarts tomatoes

11 lbs apples = 8 pints chunky applesauce with cinnamon

* Last year I experimented with freezing tomatoes and canning tomatoes. The clear winner: canned. Although the reason may have been skin off (canned) versus skin on (frozen).

** Favourite once-a-year tool: the apple machine!

beets

I didn't mean to be away quite so long. Sorry you had a whole month to contemplate our oatmeal regimen.

I wanted to just share a trick I recently learned in case I'm not the only one on the block who struggles to peel hot roasted beets with a paring knife.

Paper towel!

Since my trusty kitchen towels do most jobs just fine, we rarely buy paper towels. But peeling beets is now one task I will reach for the ol' paper kind for.

Once you roast the beets and cool them a bit, just rub them in the paper towel. The skin just slips off. Like buttah.

And you've got some beets ready, you're practically halfway to enjoying this salad.