Did I Mention Canning???

Oh my, what do you get when you blanch, core, and peel 35lbs of tomatoes and mix them with garlic, red wine, olive oil, onion, and fresh herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary, & thyme)?

You get 7 quarts of sauce.... that's right 7 quarts people. Good thing there is a lot of simmering - unattended so I could get housework done! I'll admit though, I was hoping for 12 jars..... another time, perhaps. I have another 20+ pounds waiting for me, what to do...

Saturday night we had a work night at the Rausch's. It involved husking, blanching and cutting from the cob 4 gunny sacs of corn! All to be frozen for eating throughout the next year. I gave up trying to remember just how many dozen ears this was.... I think 18-20 dozen...

It's all a labor of love! The reward is eating and enjoying it over the next months and knowing where it was grown, how it was grown, how it was handled... and not having to purchase it from the store!

Other exciting news, Kevin is getting a new truck!! A 2004 Nissan Titan, Smoky gray. He is very excited since the 89' Toyota (a.k.a. White Bird) has no AC in Idaho's 100+ degree summer weather.

No pictures this post - bummer, pictures are my favorite part!

Take Care.

Trip to the Ranch!

Last Friday I made a trip to Kelley Orchards in Filer Idaho... 85 acres of beautiful fruit orchard and 13 acres of garden veggies and melons, all nestled along the Snake River in the Canyon.






It was a girls road trip - Robin, Sydney, and me! Too fun.



Saturday morning I helped Robin at the Eagle Farmer's Market and we sold out of peaches and corn! It was a great weekend.

Canning season begins

Lovely, gorgeous, bountiful fruit from the garden has begun to ripen! We've been busy making pickles, jam and tomato sauce.

Kevin taste tested a batch of pickles we made a couple weeks ago and they passed the test - delicious! And so it begins... canning is a labor of love. I love it, and I have to remind myself of it every time I'm up too late putting up jars.

Kevin is a great help!

And the end product is so beautiful!!!

Baker Creek Camping

Kevin and I made the trip to Baker Creek for a weekend of camping with my parents and Mary Lou. It rained.... then the sun came out.... then it rained... rained some more... more sunshine... you get the picture. We were able to pitch our tent during a dry spell.



And my parents took their 4-wheelers for ride up to Baker Lake Trail Head.




But the rain would not be held at bay, so no hikes for us - bummer. Pixie and I did spend some time down by the creek... lovely baby Pixie.








































Nights were chilly, Sunday we awoke to ice on our cooler...brrr. We were warm in our tent tho'

It was beautiful!

And we were able to see the sheep herders moving the sheep - literally through our camp and down the road. Sheep everywhere!

And when it was time to pack up camp, Pixie loaded herself!

2009 Garden and Front Flower Bed

Hi All! Just wanted to share a couple of photos of our garden and the front flower bed. Kevin has been enjoying all of the cucumbers we've picked from the garden so far... we've canned some pickles already! The tomatoes just started ripening last week. You know what that means - SALSA!!!!! Yum.



Our Yard is in full bloom and full of bees! I actually got stung in the face a couple of weeks ago, right on my cheeckbone. Fiesty little buggars. I have to say it didn't hurt much and the swelling went down.... after 4 days. In all fairness to the bee who lost her life, I was pretty close the hive. The bees are busy collecting honey, and our beekeeper (Jon) will be harvesting this coming weekend. DON'T WORRY, he leaves plenty for the bees and they have the rest of the season to collect more. He also feeds them through the winter so everyone has plenty to eat!

Movement Play Camp

July 9th through the 13th I spent in California with JoAnn and Donna (Kevin's Mom & Sister). We went to a Movement Play camp in Willits, CA - which is 3ish hours north of San Fransisco. It's a "micro festival" summer camp out for grown ups who love to play! When JoAnn asked if I'd be interested I thought about it and then said, SIGN ME UP! I could use some play :)

The grounds of the camp were amazing! So many beautiful flowers,ponds, and fountains.
It is a sustainable eco-camp, so you know I was in heaven!




The schedule for camp included: ecstatic dance, acro yoga, tribal belly dancing, fire dancing, hoop dancing, did I say dancing?, shamanic cheerleading, and eating great vegetarian/vegan food.

This is a picture of Donna spotting Me while JoAnn flew me at Acro Yoga class!


And here you can see Donna and me working a kitchen shift, preparing one of many delicious meals.



OH!I almost forgot to mention (Kevin will be shocked!) there were hot tubs too! Yes, of course those of you who know me well know that I did not soak in the tub, but many did and enjoyed themselves!


After a great time at camp the 3 of us headed back to Berkeley. Little did I know that when you go camping with JoAnn and Donna you need to bring "club" clothes... I like their style I must say. And luckily literally because Donna dressed me up and we hit a hot spot in downtown San Fran where they played Blues Swing music. As always it was fun to watch JoAnn dance!