Boy, I’m wondering if the sun will ever come out again! It’s been rainy, cold, and gloomy for days now. Fortunately, I have plenty to do indoors. In the morning, I take Sarge for his mile run alongside the solar golf cart and put out corn for the wild turkey flock that has shown up again. We’re trying to slowly lure them closer to the buildings for ease of feeding them in the winter so more survive. No, we don’t hunt them; we’re trying to build up the flock. But maybe one day. When I get back, I let the chickens out and feed them. All while the rain drips down my neck from the panels above. Ish!
Yesterday I cut the dry tops and roots off the rest of our onion crop. The onions were smaller than normal this year, due to the crazy weather and weed pressure. But I think they’re nice, anyway. The greenhouse is heated now, making sure our squash, stored out there for now, doesn’t freeze. It sure looks great, seeing all that bounty.
I’ve been working hard on getting tomato recipes canned up to save all those tomatoes we brought in. I feel we’re in for skyrocketing tomato products pretty soon as California and Florida growers are plowing under tons of tomatoes as there is no help to pick them and Mexican tomatoes (which constitute a big block of our tomatoes) are under the tariff. You say, “Well, I don’t eat many tomatoes, anyway.” But what about catsup, pizza, lasagna, spaghetti, barbecue sauce, etc.? Think about it. All will certainly go way up in price.
Yesterday, I canned 8 pints more of barbecue sauce and 27 half pints of salsa. Plus, two pints of tomato broth I use as a soup base. It’s all so yummy and I know what went into every bite! I also ran to Walmart as I’d bought a turkey for .84 a pound last week and I thought I’d pick up a couple more to can up. They were out of the .84 turkeys, but I got 2 Butterball turkeys for .97 a pound. One, I thawed out and am going to make a turkey dinner for us tonight, then can up the rest, including turkey broth from the bones. No, it isn’t organic. But it is cheap meat. I’m feeling like the chipmunks, rushing around, gathering all I can for winter. And beyond, if need be.
— Jackie
