FarmerDenise's journal - full on harvest time = busy, busy, busy

[TanksHill]

Congrats on the sauce. I think when I make my sauce I kinda leave it thin. More like a plain tomato sauce. I do season it and such but I don't have the patience to wait for it to turn into anything more. I usually end up simmering it and cooking it down when I use it anyways.

A pressure canned meat sauce would be great to have on hand. Maybe next year. I have to admit. I missed the sun set yesterday. I have no idea what I was doing.

But I could see a bit of Catalina and San Clemente Islands in the afternoon.

g

 

[Dace]

Oh the sunset was gorgeous yesterday! We were out at cheer and it was awesome!

Your sauce sounds incredible! Did you cook down fresh maters? (of course you did!) did you post the how tos here in your journal? I'd love the recipe!

I am glad that you are enjoying this heatwave, cuz I am not. I love a good 85 degree day but pushing a hundred is just annoying.

Hugs!

 

[FarmerDenise]

I have had one misrable headache for a few days. I was just able to do the bare minimum. I couldn't even read. I took ibuprofen, but it tends to give me ringing in the ears, so it really was a matter of managing the headache in order to function, but not taking so much that I would end up with more ringing than neccessary.
My ears are still ringing. :/

We did get our garlic planted. I don't know how much we have left now. SO said we had lots left. I hope so. I love garlic.

They have been predicting rain, so I have been busy preparing. I felt good yesterday (no ore headache) and basically worked on animal care. I checked on our remaining corn and picked out the corn worms and fed them to the chickens. I hope the crows don't go after the corn now, that I exposed it. I fed corn stalks to the goats and chickens. I pulled some young and tender weeds for the chickens. I did laundry, hoping it would dry before the rain. I had to finish drying my bedding in the dryer, since it didn't dry in time. At least it only needed 20 minutes in the dryer.

I have a long to do list for today. Of course I already did my first round of animal chores.

Dace, I can't believe you guys were pushing 100. That is too much for this time of year. 80's was nice though.

I did make my sauce from fresh tomatoes. I just throw stuff together. This time I started out with chopped tomatoes, peppers and onions. Filled the pot half way with them. Then over the next three days I added more tomatoes and herbs and garlic, but I blenderized everything. By using the blender, I don't have to worry about peeling tomatoes. I just won't go through the trouble of peeling them. Most of my tomatoes peel fairly easily without the hot water treatment, so I will peel those, but the rest I either just chop up small or put them through the blender. Mostly I added tomatoes. Each day I fill the pot to the top and let it simmer down. I really should have done it one more day, so I could have 5 quarts, but SO was getting impatient.

It is cloudy here today. A good day for making minestrone soup, don't you think? I plan on making a huge pot and sharing it with the neighbors, FIL and DD.

 

[FarmerDenise]

I did make my huge pot of minestrone. It took all day. But then gathering the ingredients wasn't a mere jaunt to the refridgerator. I had to pick the peppers, all the herbs, dig up and scrub the carrots, etc. Each time it was an excuse to go outside. It was such a lovely fall day. Some clouds drifting across the blue sky, a little breeze and tempeartures comfortable enough for me not to have to put a sweater on just to go out and pick some basil. I fed the goats, chickens and rabbit well today. They got the trimmings from all the goodies I put in my soup.

I still managed to get a few loads of laundry done and all the animal chores of course.

Tomorrow I want to can my soup. I am not looking forward to watching the pressure gage for 90 minutes, but it will be worth it.
I just have to find something good to read. Or maybe I'll start on another batch of tomato sauce....

 

[Blackbird]

YUM!

Is your head doing better?
I took a nap earlier and woke up with some terrible sinus issues, the entire one side of my head just aches, darn it all anyway.

Give your goat girls some hugs from me!

 

[freemotion]

Nettie pot! Or at least breathe in some steam laced with ACV and a few drops of EO's of Italian herbs like rosemary, along with lavendar. Then hit the hankies. Lather, rinse, repeat.

 

[Blackbird]

I don't have a netti pot.. plus the sensation of that.. I really should though.. but
(I'll be sure to try that)

My ears were the first to know about it. Several years ago I had a terrible ear infection and had to get antibiotics for it. I had a terrible reaction to them, hives all over my body, and didn't fix anything. We made another apt. and the next day the doctor himself actually called the house and wanted to speak to me, told me that it was just water in my ears and to let it drain out.
After that I got vertigo and could barely get out of bed. (I'm ok now, for the most part)

Anyway, since then they've been very sensitive and the sinus issues just kill me. Never had that issue before then. Thankfully doesn't happen often.

Do you have sinus issues each fall as well Denise?

 

[FarmerDenise]

I have had sinus trouble all my life and it usually is year round, just like my allergies. Once I got my eye surgery and didn't have to wear my coke bottle glasses any more, my sinus trouble cleared up as well. Now I get occasional mild sinus infections and I often wake up with a sinus headache. It usually goes away quickly though without medication.

This headache that I had was like being in a vice, my whole head was being squeezed. I am just glad it is gone.

I loved on my goats today. I fed them yummies, and scratched them and hugged them and fed them broomcorn, which I have to hold so they can get the kernels off, and hugged them some more. Flower was the one who required most of my attention today. Yesterday it was Blossom, who laid down right next to me. Flower loves for me to feed her treats, or rather anything I feed her she considers a treat. Blossom likes her treats in the bowl. I just love hearing them munch-a-crunch on their food. SO cannot belive that they like the dry skins from onions and garlic. I always have to tell him to save those for the goats They got lots today, because I used lots of onions and garlic in my soup. They also loved all the carrots bits. I also give them tomatoes. When they bite down on a whole one it squirts, so now I now to step away

 

[Farmfresh]

I don't have a netti pot.. plus the sensation of that.. I really should though.. but
(I'll be sure to try that)

My ears were the first to know about it. Several years ago I had a terrible ear infection and had to get antibiotics for it. I had a terrible reaction to them, hives all over my body, and didn't fix anything. We made another apt. and the next day the doctor himself actually called the house and wanted to speak to me, told me that it was just water in my ears and to let it drain out.
After that I got vertigo and could barely get out of bed. (I'm ok now, for the most part)

Anyway, since then they've been very sensitive and the sinus issues just kill me. Never had that issue before then. Thankfully doesn't happen often.

Do you have sinus issues each fall as well Denise?

A pregnant friend of mine is a recent netti pot convert. This gal has sinus problems almost constantly, and SEVERAL sinus infections each winter. Since going conventional medication free (due to being pregnant) and starting the netti pot she is amazed! NO sinus infections, NO need for medication AND breathing freely all day! She started with 4 times a DAY on the netti pot and is now down to every other day!!

 

[Dace]

Hey FD! It was a beautiful Fall day down here as well! Such a relief that the heat wave is gone, that was just downright unpleasant. :/

Glad your headache is gone, I rarely get them but when I do they are usually pretty bad. It is so hard to not be able to do anything!

Your soup sounds awesome, great that you gathered so much from your garden!