Early August 2013

 

We've headed into August here much hotter than many of our friends back east -- yesterday, for example, we reached 96.2F. Watering has occupied much of my attention, as has hiding -- we have a room on the north end of the house where we can go if the rest of the place reaches 85. So there has been correspondingly little harvesting or processing.

Green beans are doing well. We'll eat some raw, but as this is a presumed rare heirloom (known to us as Ron's Grandmother's Bean) most will be saved for seed.

To keep cooking or canning from adding to the heat burden of the house, we have a temporary canning kitchen out of doors. Whenever I have enough of anything to fill the smaller crock pot, I know it will make seven half pints in the small canner. These are mixed vegs, so, since this is water bath canning, I raise the acidity with lots of vinegar. Pickled vegs go well with rice or pasta and can be a relatively complete meal.