Summer is over for sure, now. I guess the Equinox Marathon served as well as the actual equinox as a start of cooler weather. I bust out the light hat and gloves to walk the girls this morning, and the oil stove, set to 54F, actually kicked on for a bit. I do believe we dropped below freezing last night, as at 7 a.m., my outdoor thermometer read 36F/2C. Tonight, my potatoes and Winter squash are coming out of the dirt and going into my coldest cupboard. The dogs are bouncy and happy and difficult to keep calm. When I first get home, I have to let them run at least several laps around the yard before I can even give them a pat on the head. Otherwise, it's like trying to pet a tornado.
Here they are in a calmer moment:
And just to be fair, here are the doofi:
Here are some photos of our local honey. It is the best honey I've ever had--rich in texture, but light in flavor. It also seldom crystallizes, even in my cold kitchen.
Isn't it beautiful? It's a shame that it's twice as costly as the gallon bucket I get from the feed store, which is also an excellent, delicious honey, but not quite the same.
Finally, here is the recipe for green tomato relish, also called chow chow, and delicious in sandwiches or, in my case, by the spoonful.
Green Tomato Relish, AKA (Chow Chow)
20ish normal-sized green tomatoes, more or fewer if you have huge or tiny tomatoes
4 bell peppers of any color. I used 3 green, because they are the cheapest, and 1 red, for aesthetics.*
3 medium sweet onions (I like yellow)
2 cups cider vinegar
1-2 cups granulated sugar, depending on how sweet you like relish. I use 1.5 cups.
About 3 tablespoons kosher salt
About 3 tablespoons yellow mustard seed
About 3 tablespoons celery seed
1. Chop up all the veggies into small chunks.
2. Put everything into a large, non-reactive pot. Stir well and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring from time to time and skimming as needed, until it cooks down and thickens, about 2-2.5 hours.
3. Fill hot sterilized jars, screw on sterilized lids, and simmer in a hot water bath--about 5-10 minutes for half pint jars, 15-20 minutes for pint jars.
4. Let sit on the counter overnight. Check the seals the next day.
*What's up with green bell peppers being 80 cents a piece, and red, yellow, and orange ones being 2-3 dollars?
7 comments:
Mhouse usually goes down to mid-40's in winter day time, no heater. I wear many layers but the air is fresh.
Bunn has obviously lost weight.
poor bunn
I hadn't noticed that, poor Bunn. My girls the same age as him have lost some too, I think they're just starting to show their age a bit now ;-(
Love the honey though, we did our honey harvest recently and it was quite a good year. Ours is very delicately flavoured as the bees live in an apple orchard, so very light and sweet like the blossom.
Bunn is still pretty active, alert, curious, and content (content for him, anyway). He has clear eyes and a good appetite. I hope he remains so until he goes one day, very suddenly, in his sleep.
Let us all pray for Bunn to have a peaceful and quick journey when he is ready to cross that rainbow bridge.
But not for a long time yet!
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