Fearful about possible hail, Bernie and I picked a couple of buckets of tomatoes. He laid them out on the picnic table that he pulled into the garage. We sterilized jars. Today, we will can.
The storm was light. I wish we’d had a deluge. Our neighbor farmers would have liked it. It is too late for their corn and beans, but maybe a good pour would help them remember that God is still sending rain.
I am praying about Syria. The thought of innocent men, women, and children dying from chemical weapons is horrifying. But bombs kill, too. Death either way. I think of Peace Pilgrim and her message of peace, which the world has not yet given a try. Violence only leads to more violence she said. Peace has to begin somewhere…in some act of restraint. Jesus hinted that it begins with each of us making a decision to love our enemies. This is so difficult.
Forgot to also say that my husband, the historian, says that in the last 300 years, there has only been 21 years where there has been no wars going on in all the world. Even the victors should feel ashamed.
I am so happy to receive this piece of information about your life. Your husband an historian? Formally or casually. I am a “casual” theologian, I guess. You will find some of my reflections in my older blogs. I appreciate your husband’s comments.
Peace Pilgrim is a woman who walked across the country on foot for peace. You can find her story on the internet. I read her book years ago and she is my hero. My blog is named after her. She held onto her peace conviction through all that she experienced. That is what Gandhi and ML King did, also. It does not seem that they were successful, I think, because others were not able to maintain that inner conviction as they were. That is why their lives are so important to those of us who try to live in peace in the midst of turmoil. If you asked me what the US should do instead of an attack, I have no idea. So…I just pray…and cling to peace as a possibility.
I typically can about 90-100 jars of tomatoes and then comes the bread and butter pickles, salsa, concord grape jelly, beets, peaches, applesauce and cherry pepper jelly.
However, I am living in England now and even though I brought all of my canning equipment, I don’t have family and friends who loved to ‘shop’ in my pantry for goodies. But I have tried my hand at making gooseberry and elderflower jelly…..yum!
My brother, Mike would have loved the breads here.
This is a time for all people to be thankful to our almighty God for the beauty in the world and to pray for peace.
Bernie and I got into canning more since we have been able to live in the country for the past 14 years. I canned in the past, but now we are able to have a really big garden and Bernie, now retired, works on the canning with me. We do mostly tomatoes, salsa and pickles. I will freeze apples and peaches for pies later. I don’t make jelly because we don’t eat much of it. We will freeze swiss chard and carrots for use in soup later. We grow potatoes and onions, which have to be used in a timely manner – we don’t have a root cellar. We like to grow winter squash for baking and I usually cook, mash, and freeze some for winter use. Last night we had fresh corn on the cob and sliced tomatoes with our supper…yum. We love this time of year.
Yes…we are thankful.
Have you ever tried canning your potatoes? I have a book for canning that I have used for years and years. It’s called ‘Putting Food By’ and it is a priceless jewel when it comes to anything regarding canning, root cellaring, freezing etc. I think I am on the 3rd edition. Very helpful for preserving food. So happy to know that you have a garden. I tried to do that when the kids were little; but, I found that I was canning a few jars every day. It worked out better for me and to support the local farmers; by getting bushels of vegies etc. from them and to can all in a day or two. Works so well for the winter also. Swiss chard is something I have never tried yet…will have to do that if it’s available here in the UK.