CANNING CRAZE

That's what I'm on right now . . . a canning craze!

I "put-up" another batch of Hot Pepper Relish this morning,

Aren't these lids and seals just the cutest?

And this past Sunday I jarred some homemade salsa.

I did do a water bath on the salsa. Because tomatoes are so acidic, it's highly recommended to do so.

Now, I'm not usually a big fan of cooked salsa. I much prefer freshly prepared pico de gallo. All those fresh, crisp, crunchy tomatoes, onions and peppers with a hint of refreshing lime . . . mmmmm . . . But in the winter months, when a lot of those veges are not in season, a good jarred salsa will do. This winter, I'll have MY own jarred salsa to fall back on!

X marks the spot!

Cut an x on the bottom of the tomatoes before dropping them into boiling water.

It'll be easier to pull the skin off after you've dunked them in the ice water bath to stop the cooking and cool them 'maters down!

I just love these new seals and rings that Ball's doing now. At least they're new to me. The silver tone is so cheerful, and reminiscent of the old fashioned canning jars. I like them tons better than the gold tone ones.

But I have soooo many tomatoes ripening in my garden, I had to do something. If I get another ginormous harvest of tomatoes, I'll have to either make more salsa or just jar up some tomatoes.

Oh, did you realize that plum/roma tomatoes freeze especially well? I think the romas do best because they're so meaty and have less seeds than other varieties. I just wash and dry them, remove the stems, and place them in heavy duty freezer bags. When you remove them from the freezer, as they thaw, the skins slip right off. Give them a squeeze to drain the seeds and juice and use them in stews, chilis, soups, etc.

Easy Peasy!!!

Next on the list - Pesto! My basil plants are out of control. Just have to grab some more garlic and pine nuts at the store today, and me and my food processor will be whirling away!

What a weather treat we're having here today. Not very sunny - overcast actually. But the temps are so cool. Breezy and highs in the low 70's. We were able to turn off the AC last night and throw open the windows. I have all my windows wide open today getting some fresh air into this house that's been closed up all summer do to the oppressive heat.

The lack of sunshine isn't deterring the bumble bees one bit from their pollen collection today!

Fall baseball starts tonight for Son No. 3. I may have to dig out a jacket!

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