As I did my photograph editing this morning, I realized that most everything yesterday was of the carmine persuasion...ruby, cherry, crimson, vermilion. "Vermilion" was a give-and-take nosotros learned on our trip when nosotros saw the Vermilion River inward Louisiana. It was muddied water, which gave it a carmine appearance. While we'd heard the give-and-take "vermilion" before, we'd never given much thought to what it meant, together with hence nosotros stood at that spot on the banks of the river together with asked our friend Google.
So, at that spot you lot go. Stick amongst me for to a greater extent than fascinating bits of useless information.
As for the carmine things of yesterday, let's start amongst the cherries. Here's my cherry pitting station. I've used this cherry pitter before, but I locomote out on to live on amazed together with astounded at its pitting capability. If you've ever stood pitting cherries for hours on end, you'll live on amazed too.
Here's how it works: You catch a handful of cherries together with charge them inward the hopper on top. They coil into a lilliputian chute i at a time. (Some of the larger ones demand a lilliputian encouragement amongst fingers.)
Then, you lot force downward on that plunger...
And voila! Pits autumn into the bin underneath...
Pitless cherries coil into the bowl.
Cool. I did ii pounds of cherries inward virtually i minute...no stained fingers, together with no cherry juice splattering the walls of my kitchen together with my clothing. You tin uncovering this lilliputian jewel right here, if you lot desire i for your real own. After all, it would live on distressing to persist inward passive pitting when a physical care for to pit posthaste tin live on practiced. (Awesome alliteration.)
As long every bit we're talking virtually cool tools, I desire to tell you lot virtually this recent acquisition every bit well. So here's the thing...I role fresh lemon juice together with lime juice inward my cooking. It simply tastes better, together with hence I'm willing to become to the attempt to squash some fruit to acquire it. If I'm doing a lot of juice, I receive got an electrical juicer I tin use. But sometimes you lot simply desire a lilliputian bit...a teaspoon or a tablespoon. I receive got some of those squeezer things, but I don't e'er desire to squash the whole slice of fruit either. Sometimes I simply desire a lilliputian bit. And I used to receive got a reamer for that, but my reamer seems to receive got gone elsewhere to live. I've looked together with looked for it, together with I can't uncovering it afterwards weeks of searching.
Having given upwardly on the search, I become looking for a reamer on Amazon (because nosotros are single-handedly keeping Amazon inward business), together with I uncovering this: It's a lilliputian mini juicer, but I particularly similar that the juice squeezes into a lilliputian receptacle that also measures. Whoa. Well, I needed me that. And it's been a bang-up lilliputian tool. Yesterday, I needed the zest together with juice of i lime. And at that spot you lot go...juice of i lime (in this case, virtually a tablespoon together with a half).
And if you lot think that's a proficient thought for your kitchen, you lot tin uncovering them right here. I liked this hence much that I bought i for the 5th bike together with the truck camper. I loves me a proficient kitchen tool. And I aspect immediately that the reamer volition reappear together with country something like, "What? I've been sitting correct here!" (Yes, inanimate objects speak to me all the time. If they don't speak to you, it's in all likelihood because you demand to live on nicer to them.)
So anyway...what was I doing? Oh yes, I was making this Small Batch Sweet Cherry Lime Jam. And, wow, is this stuff delicious. My jam isn't going to win whatever blueish ribbons at the fair for appearance, but the gustation is wonderful.
While it was cooking, I tasted it. It was simply cherries together with sugar, together with it was pleasantly sweet. When it was finished cooking, I added the lime juice together with lime zest, together with wow! What a deviation inward flavor! It made those sweetness cherries perfectly tart, together with this is some yummy stuff. I mightiness receive got to brand more.
When it comes to jams together with jellies, I'm variety of a novice. Just yesterday it occurred to me that I haven't made a lot of jams together with jellies because the seeds are off limits inward my kitchen. That agency I don't bother amongst strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, together with the like. Things similar peach together with apricot don't actually appeal to me. You must recollect that I think the carmine M&M's are the most flavorful ones inward the bag. You mightiness every bit good throw the chocolate-brown ones away, inward my humble opinion. So anyway...this yr (and terminal yr to a certainly extent), I've been trying jams together with jellies made from less conventional items. Cherries aren't unconventional, but these are the kickoff cherries we've gotten from our ain trees inward years. So, anyway...all of that to country that I needed to gear upwardly this jam a lilliputian longer. It's a lilliputian syrupy, but it's going to live on fine for my toast, together with it'll also brand some first-class H2O ice cream topping. This morn I was thinking it could fifty-fifty live on used every bit pancake syrup.
While I was making jam, Mike was out exchanging the cabinet pulls inward our truck camper. The lighting was weird when I took these pictures, together with hence I apologize for their misfortunate quality. I'm making a shout out for here, hence deport amongst me. Many RV's (and most truck campers) receive got these cabinets higher upwardly the bed. I loathe these because inward a careless together with forgetful moment, i risks banging one's caput pretty seriously. And receive got a aspect at those pulls.
They're the same all over the truck camper, together with hence I used these ones inward the kitchen to demo you lot their precipitous ends. I've worried that soul is going to bang their caput on these together with halt upwardly amongst a trip to the emergency room for stitches.
So yesterday, Mike switched out the 3 over the bed for something a lilliputian less pointy...these to a greater extent than scalp-friendly rounded ones volition produce nicely.
And if I hadn't told you, you lot mightiness non fifty-fifty notice these are unlike from the other ones inward the camper. My caput volition give cheers me the side past times side fourth dimension I forget those cabinets are lying inward hold off to carve upwardly my skull open.
So...let's see...what else carmine did I produce yesterday? Oh yes, I made some Roasted Beet Hummus. Matthew brought abode some commercial roasted beet hummus terminal month, together with every bit a beet lover, I thought it was delicious. We oft receive got beets inward our CSA share...think of them every bit carrots dressed inward red...and hence I figured I could brand this myself. And...ta-da!
The recipe I used is right here, but I thought it desperately needed to a greater extent than salt. I added virtually one-half a teaspoon, but it all the same seemed to demand more. My tahini happened to live on of the unsalted variety, together with that mightiness receive got made a difference. If you lot desire to essay this, I suggested tasting it together with adding to a greater extent than common salt if you lot like.
By then, I was ready to pass some fourth dimension amongst the reds inward my combat bins. First, I made the carmine blocks for July's Rainbow Scrap Challenge.
Then, I added the blacks together with whites to complete them off.
And that made some other colouring stuff for the Rainbow Jubilee quilt. Here's how it's looking now.
Before I tin produce August's blocks, I'm going to receive got to cutting some to a greater extent than dark together with white strips.
When those were finished, I went dorsum upstairs to uncovering this guy sitting on the whiskey barrel where the poppies are planted.
He looks positively despondent at non beingness able to acquire into the planter together with dig or hence inward the poppies, doesn't he?
Where's a truthful cat when you lot demand one? Oh...right here...sleeping. This is how nosotros pass our mornings.
Smitty is partial to his morn sunbath.
Wake me upwardly when the doors opened upwardly together with I tin become outside.
Smitty goes exterior for virtually v minutes, together with hence comes dorsum within to complete upwardly his sunbath within the family where it's warmer.
Today I'm going to pass some to a greater extent than fourth dimension sewing. My goal is to brand some other block for the Chicken Buffet quilt. That was on the agenda months ago, but I never got started on it. Today I'll receive got some time. There are a few housekeeping chores to receive got tending of, but aside from that Dominicus is going to live on an NBS variety of twenty-four hours (Nothing But Sewing).