Jalapeno Peppers, Tomatoes, and Pumgetti Squash?

What do we do with a full  bucket of jalapeno peppers?

First we make 13 half-pints of cowboy candy

Then we fill up the dehydrator.

There are still some more peppers left, they will be frozen. After the peppers were finished, it was time to look after a few more ripe tomatoes. I wanted something easy, so I bought a jar of Bernardin Fiesta Salsa Mix. If you haven't tried this yet, it makes delicious salsa. I am impressed with the results, and all you add is tomatoes and vinegar, and crushed chilies if you like it spicy. Easy, peasy!

Salsa cooking

 

 

These didn't go in the salsa, but aren't they nice?

We picked all the squash in our garden, just in case of a frost, and Dale came in the house with a few funny looking squash, saying he didn't know what they were. After a bit of research, I came to the conclusion that they are a cross between a pumpkin and a spaghetti squash. Apparently if your pumpkin or spaghetti squash was cross-pollinated last year, and you saved seeds to plant this year, you can get a funky hybrid.

Funny looking spaghetti squash

Look like spaghetti squash inside, just a darker color than normal

We cooked it up, added butter and parmesan cheese, and had it for our lunch. Tasted the same as a normal spaghetti squash.

Even the squirrels are enjoying the bounty. They just love the sunflower seeds from our sunflowers.

Harvesting the Garden

We have been busy with the garden. Tons of zucchini, cucumbers, carrots, onions, peppers, squash, and tomatoes. The tomatoes are just starting. We have made one batch of salsa so far, and next up will be tomato sauce. Dale is busy cooking and freezing squash every day while I'm at work. The zucchini is being shredded and frozen for winter. I have a new yeast bread recipe that calls for a cup of shredded zucchini, and it has become our new favorite bread, so we need lots of shredded zucchini to keep us in bread for the winter. I also want to make some more cowboy candy and some pickled peppers. We have a ton of jalapeno and Hungarian hot wax peppers still in the garden. Before long it will be time to pick the carrots, turnips, parsnips, and the remaining beets. Oh, I almost forgot about the baking beans. They are just about dry enough to pick, and they make the best baked beans! The variety we grow is called Jacob Cattle Beans.

Mixture of cherry, beefsteak, and plum tomatoes

Spaghetti squash, zucchini, green peppers, and jalapeno peppers

Funny carrots!

Butternut and buttercup squash, pumpkins, onions, and a few more tomatoes

On the Needles

I have decided to join in and start my own Dreambird, after seeing all the beautiful color combinations. I am using yarn from my stash, so it's not the most colorful, but I'm hoping it will look good with black or grey dress pants. The grey yarn is KnitPicks Stroll Basalt Heather. The feather yarn is Hot Socks Spectra. There are still some more colors in the feather yarn, some greens should be showing up in the next few feathers.

1913 Singer Treadle

I can't believe that I never posted about my newest sewing machine acquisition. I got her for the fantastic price of $50. The cabinet has been professionally refinished, and the machine itself runs like a dream. I didn't get the manual with it, so I need to figure out how to wind the shuttle bobbin, but I'm pretty sure I can find that info somewhere online if I just take the time to look. Isn't she a beauty!

Provincial Exhibition Results

This is the first year that I entered my knitting in the provincial exhibition. I didn't know what to expect, as I had never even been to the exhibition before. I had to make three trips to Charlottetown, one to drop off my knitting, one to pick up my knitting, one an extra trip in between to check out the competition and to see if I won anything, and I did! Two first place ribbons, two seconds, and a third. My two pairs of mittens didn't win  anything :(   Next year I hope to enter not only knitting, but maybe some quilting and cross-stitch also. I'm going to be one busy girl this winter!

Hat and mitten combo, and preemie set

Work socks and baby set

Fancy socks (and my foot, lol!)

Fancy mitts and work mitts

Sad Days

This is a picture of my mother-in-law, taken July 16, 2013, on her 92nd birthday. She has lived with us for the past 5 years, and in the last couple of months her dementia has increased significantly.She has basically stopped eating, stopped talking, and is now so weak she is spending most of her time in bed. The doctor was out to see her tonight, and we have made the difficult decision to put her in hospital while awaiting a nursing home bed. As soon as a bed is available in the hospital, probably tomorrow or the next day, we will take her in, and at least we will know her basic needs are being met, as she won't let us help her, and she no longer has total control of her bodily functions. My husband is quite torn, as although he knows we cannot properly look after her anymore, he made her a promise years ago that she would always live with us, and now he feels that he's breaking his promise.

Busy Days

We are busy, busy, busy with the garden. Canned beets, canned beans, dill pickles, dilled carrots, dilly beans, mustard beans, bread & butter pickles, dehydrated zucchini chips. Today we have made 9 quarts of bread and butter pickles and have another batch ready to go this evening.

Yellow beans in the pressure canner

Canned beans and dill pickles

Dehydrated zucchini chips

Mustard beans

Bread & Butter Pickles covered with ice