We made our annual trek out to come across some friends inwards Seaside, Oregon, yesterday. With the shout out of their town, yous mightiness intend they alive correct nigh the beach. Although their mailing address is Seaside, the town doesn't truly halt upward past times the bounding main for some other one-half lx minutes or thus westward of their place. Nevertheless, it does cause got that beachy, marine air experience some of the time. Yesterday, it was exactly manifestly August hot.
We come across these friends (and their friends, as well as friends of their friends) 1 time per year. It's a sit-around-and-listen-to-certain-men yack session. Sometimes I taste going out, as well as generally, nosotros brand a weekend of it. (It's a weekend-long party.) When nosotros attain that, nosotros cause got our camper, as well as the camper is a overnice house to cause got a interruption from people as well as noise. Right now, Erik as well as Mae cause got our camper piece they consummate a bath remodel, as well as thus nosotros were exactly in that location for the afternoon. It was less enjoyable that way, as well as I truly exactly wanted to live on at abode sewing. Nevertheless, it was a skilful hateful solar daytime for the most utilisation as well as at 1 time we're dorsum abode again.
During the day, I mostly locomote out amongst my cameras as well as cause got a walk around the place. There's ever plenty to come across as well as expect at, peculiarly when one's focus is on the tiny things. I had my photographic television set camera loaded amongst a macro lens yesterday thus that I could cause got pictures of every footling thing. Here's what I saw:
I beloved the blooming grasses at this fourth dimension of the year, as well as they ever glisten inwards the belatedly afternoon sun.
Who doesn't beloved a skilful dandelion close-up? Most of the dandelions had spread their seeds, but in that location were a few left that were mostly intact.
These are similar tiny footling apples. I don't know what they are or if they're skilful to eat. They're smaller than a marble.
This footling bunch had a critter on it.
This is called Queen Anne's Lace.
Here's how it looks inwards bud.
There are some footling volunteer fir seedlings around.
And this footling feather, nearly an inch long.
Later inwards the day, our shadow selves went out together.
They saw these footling crabapples...about the size of a golf game ball.
And the berries of these Alder trees. Mike's shadow self Googled them to come across if they were edible, as well as that was a definite as well as loudly spoken NO! According to Google, "The fruits of the alder buckthorn are real TOXIC." And we're non talking nearly lower illustration "toxic." No, this is ALL CAPS "TOXIC," thus seat your hands inwards your pockets until nosotros larn past times here.
Also, these footling white flowers. They had a critter too.
This is some sort of succulent growing inwards the garden. Our friend was late diagnosed amongst Alzheimer's disease. She seems to live on doing good as well as she has a happy spirit, but her garden has suffered as well as grown over inwards blackberries, which is sort of sad.
The blackberries are producing fruit, but I ever stand upward inwards solidarity amongst Mike as well as his shadow self as well as nosotros don't consume these seeded berries.
And I beloved the expect of stacks of firewood. I don't know why, but I only cause got to cause got a movie when I come across them similar this.
So getting dorsum to the goings on hither at the Three Cats Ranch this morning, I received my Pickle Crisp from Amazon. Although I pickle a lot of things, I don't brand a lot of pickles per se. And thus I exclusively knew nearly Pickle Crisp from the canning pages I've seen on Facebook. Today I'm using a recipe from Cook's Illustrated that called for Pickle Crisp. It's an option to lime inwards pickles (don't inquire me...I don't know), as well as it's truly exactly granules of calcium carbonate. I'm assuming it lives upward to its shout out as well as keeps the pickles crisp.
So I looked for it inwards the grocery shop the other hateful solar daytime as well as couldn't detect it. Instead, piece I was standing in that location inwards the aisle of the grocery store, I consulted my friend Google nearly the Pickle Crisp. As it turns out the rear fellowship of Ball (Jarden) produced a powdered Pickle Crisp at some indicate inwards time. When it didn't sell good (by their judgment), they took it off the market. The clamor of canners looking for Pickle Crisp was loud plenty that they re-released the product, this fourth dimension inwards granular form. I constitute it on Amazon, as well as ordered it from where I stood. It was delivered yesterday. I ♥ Amazon Prime. No really. I truly ♥♥♥ it. If I wasn't already married to some other man, I would beg Amazon Prime to permit me cause got its babies.
So today's opportunity is a sugariness as well as spicy breadstuff as well as butter pickle. (You in all probability idea I was talking nearly myself amongst that championship upward in that location didn't you?) Our farmers beloved their peppers, as well as at this indicate into the season, they start showering us amongst peppers. We're exactly barely getting started, permit me say you. This final portion included serranos, jalapenos, as well as these Italian wax peppers.
So my recipe uses nearly 3 pounds of the zucchini (more than one-half of what I have...bonus!), 3 jalapenos, as well as iv shallots. And piece I don't mostly become monkeying around amongst canning recipes, I added the ii Italian wax peppers too. There's plenty vinegar inwards this mix that it shouldn't live on a employment adding a footling to a greater extent than low-acid veggies to the mix. As I'm writing this, I've done the slicing as well as at 1 time it's sitting inwards common salt for the adjacent 3 hours.
When time's up, I'll drain it, pack it into jars amongst the spices, as well as pour the hot vinegar over, as well as and then procedure it. I'll cause got to larn dorsum to yous as well as say yous how it turns out.
Aside from that I'll live on making lists today thus I tin privy larn the RV packed for our trip to the beach adjacent week. It's our commencement outing inwards the novel RV, as well as thus I'm excited nearly that. If there's whatever fourth dimension for sewing today, I'll larn to locomote on August's Tuxedo Tales cat.