It's time to kick back, relax and enjoy a bathtub full of dahlias because the toilet wasn't big enough. Hello from flower heaven and hygiene hell.
We have entered the phase of gardening season where personal hygiene has taken a back seat to flower arranging and winter slothing prep.
You're right! Now that the bathtub isn't full of flowers I can shower. Except now it's full of tomatoes. And the counter is full of everything else that needs to be preserved in some way. The canner just stays on the stove now so I can process canned green beans as I pick them. Ditto for cucumbers and bread and butter pickles.
I've been cooking zucchini in butter with parmesan cheese and freezing it, making homemade tv dinners for the winter with carrots, potatoes and beets from the garden and keeping up with cooking healthy meals for myself every night.
Last weekend I was supposed to can tomato sauce like I showed you in this post on pressing and canning tomatoes but decided that was one too many things to get done and I struck it off of my list until further notice.
I did on the other hand manage to accomplish the rest of my long weekend plans.
I went to an antique show ✔️ where I bought something I didn't need but wanted plus it was cheap (because it's probably a reproduction but I still love it so it doesn't matter) and I ate french fries. ✔️
I had a pizza party for 10 family members. ✔️
And I gave Philip a bath and blow out then clipped. It took a total of 7 hours over 2 days. Yep. It sure did.
2 hours to bath and blow dry him. ✔️ Then the next day it was 5 hours to shave his face and feet and give him a full haircut with lots of breaks in between so neither of us were tempted to bite the other.
And yes those are tomatoes (Juliet) on a single leader that's been string trained up my pergola post. Juliet are the BEST tomatoes. They don't crack, will live on the vine forever (weeks and weeks) before ever rotting and have good flavour. They taste like a regular tomato but with a tiny bit of sweetness.
The other big goal for the last long weekend was something that's usually feels insurmountable. Even for me, a chronic doer of stuff. But I FORCED myself, the way you do when you know you have to just do something and get it over with.
I relaxed by watching other people do stuff that makes them sweat and swear for once. I was also sweating but that was due to humidity, not exertion of any kind unless you count pushing Philip's head out of the way of the tv.
I have to bribe him with treats to play fetch with a ball but his obsession with watching tennis leads me to think maybe I need to get a racket.
Tomorrow's puzzle will be a photo of what I bought at the antique market since you're probably wondering what it was, because I know that I would be wondering what it was if a blogger mentioned it.
It was only $20 so don't be expecting another hardware cabinet (the one that's in my kitchen) like last time. But it was from the same antique show.
I can tell you that it's partly visible in one of the photos above.
Now if you'll excuse me I'll let you get onto the rest of your weekend plans. I'll be here picking, preserving and explaining break points to Philip.
Yes, Mr. Lip is indeed high maintenance.
Hey! Just wondering about the cooking and freezing zucchini....Is it as simple as it sounds?
ach, exhausted just reading your post....took me all day to process abucket of pears for th dehydrator.
It would! That's a lot of work. karen!
I always say that the test of a good friend is someone who can come to your house for dinner and know where to put things away in the kitchen after they help you wash the dishes. So ya….we noticed the blue and white porcelain bowl. We know your house.😘
LOL. ~ k!
Here's a point to ponder while you're tending to all the canning and eating healthy dinners (insert chortle here) and watching tennis matches: Philip obviously ranks high on your love list, but when in your entire life would you ever thought you'd feel so adoring of a male of any species that was so high-maintenance? Philip is seriously high-maintenance, and yet it seems perfectly reasonable that he is there enjoying TV tennis with you and the charmed life you provide for him and he doesn't even help with chores.
Not yet. ~ karen! ;)
I can't get over how handsome Philip is. You & he have a lot more patience than I do. I would have to pay someone to do that.
The hilarious part is that I'm really good and fast at it now compared to a year ago. I'm looking forward to the day when I get it down below 5 hours.😵💫 ~ karen!
Gorgeous images!! Thank you!
Thanks Marie! ~ karen
I would be interested in hearing a little more detail about your method of zucchini preservation. I’m always looking for new ways to save it when I have 15 of them sitting on my counter!
Hi Karina! I always start with making a couple of chocolate zucchini breads and get those frozen. Priorities. A lot of the rest get sliced thin with a mandolin and sauté them in butter until they have a lot of caramelization and add parmesan cheese at the end. I pile serving sizes onto waxed paper on a sheet pan and freeze them. Once frozen, off the waxed paper into a container they go. I'm usually happier with cooking foods like this prior to freezing them as opposed to freezing them and then trying to cook with them. And I make zucchini involtini and freeze. ~ karen!
That sounds like a great idea. Thanks so much for the details! Going to try it.
Blue and white porcelain bowl would make a good puzzle.
Did you find yourself a porcelain chamber pot?! Either way, I'll be here tomorrow (anyway) for the for the reveal puzzle. :)
This US Open is certainly well worth watching, what with seeds ousted early and the heat & the humidity. I don't understand either why they didn't close the roof. Bad enough already sitting in the shade, definitely a lot worse down on the court. And they wonder why so many players have been sick. Djokovic-Medvedev in the final, that's gonna be really interesting. Gauff is the hottest player in the tournament, see if Sabalenka can manage her nerves today.
I'm more looking forward to the women this year than the men. Medvedev used to drive me crazy with his constant sneer, but he proved himself to me last night. ~ karen!
Where did you get Juliet tomato seed? I was told by Dam seeds that there was a crop failure. Or being you maybe, being you, you saved your own seeds?
Hi Joyce! I How to Save Tomato Seeds :) ~ karen!
I was thinking it was maybe the vintage pizza oven(?), behind the TV? But maybe the blue & white porcelaine bowl.
Good to see you relax for once gal! :)
Oh! That's not a vintage pizza oven it's a brand new one! (well, a year old) I tore down the pizza oven I made last year and got this one. It's incredible. ~ karen!
Karen, can you please post a link for that new(ish) oven?
Buckle up. This particular one is for people who are very very serious about pizza. The Gozney Dome.
Why did you get rid of your cob oven?
A few reasons! I forgot to cover it last fall before a rain and then freeze afterwards, so the outer lime plaster crumbled and cracked. I had to decide whether to redo it or buy one. I decided to tear it down in favour of one that doesn't require maintenance. Plus my new one works really well with both propane or lump charcoal or wood. So it's versatile. :) ~ karen!
I think I see/know the mystery purchase!!!!!!! Perhaps a 'chamber pot' ????
Good eye! But it is not a chamber pot. :) ~karen!
Gorgeous flowers! And Philip looks regal. I was going to say “you’re such a tease” re the mystery purchase, but you redeemed yourself by saying we’d see in a puzzle tomorrow. Now to go back through the photos to see if I can figure it out. Oh, and your healthy meal gave me a greatly needed laugh.
The dinner was fancier than it looked. I added extra cheddar powder. ;) ~ karen!
Nice to see you taking a tiny bit of "me" time. It's important too. My beverage of choice is Caffeine Free Diet Coke or Pepsi, but traditional Diet works in a pinch. I dunno if "Happy Canning" has caught on as a fond well-wishing up there in Dundas, but it should..... so happy canning.
Oh sure, people say happy canning all the time. The greeting is usually met with a smile until the end of September, when the reply elevates to a scream and a tomato in the face. ~ karen!
OMG....the dahlias.....Philip.....I don't know which one is more stunning, so it is a tie. Love the Diet Coke and mac-cheese too!! hahaha
I have never been so excited/relieved to find a box of Kraft dinner in my cupboard as I was that night! ~ karen