I'm back...

We returned (last night) from a wonderful vacation in Perth, Ontario.  We enjoyed a full week of swimming, floating in little boats, fishing, wandering, and a wedding (more on that in a later post).  There was no cell phone service.  There was no internet connection.  There was water, sun, reading, yahtzee, card playing, board games, knitting, walking, and family time.

While I was away, I asked family, friends, and neighbours to please help themselves from the garden.  I asked them to take whatever was ripe, whatever looked good to them.  That way, at least somebody could enjoy the fruits of my labour.

Last night, after unpacking the truck, I went out to the garden to see what was left.  Oh my!  I know my brother came to get some produce.  My neighbour assures me that he came over every day to get tomatoes. He also gave some away to other neighbours as they were walking by.  This, by the way, is just the "big stuff".  This morning I collected a basket of blackberries (the rest of which I am donating to the birds), a basket of green beans (some of which were actually a little too far gone), a basket of jalapenos, and lots of borage and chamomile.

So, this morning, I did some canning:

3 jars of jalapenos, 3 jars of jalapeno dills, and one jar of garlic dill chunks.

I froze the blackberries (to be turned into jam at a later date).  I blanched and froze the green beans (to be added to dinner at some point...I have yet to break out the pressure canner, but I just can't justify taking it out for one jar at a time).  I froze a large bag of yellow plum tomatoes, with both ends cut off for easy peel removal when they thaw.  The red tomatoes are currently cooking down in a pot for dinner tonight.  And the eggplant is patiently waiting to be used up with the tomatoes.  We are going to try eggplant parmesan for the first time. I might also try out the "string dried eggplant" page of my preserving book, if I have enough left over (and I am pretty sure I will).  I will share that in a separate post if I end up doing it.

Oh, and sadly...that watermelon in the picture....I thought it was supposed to be a little round one.  It wasn't ripe.  Heartbreaking, as it was pretty much the only one I thought I would be able to eat.  Turns out it is supposed to be a regular one.  On the up side...I did see another one just starting.  If I pamper it, and keep it covered in the next couple of weeks, I just might get a second chance.