Canning & Farming.

Things have been pretty smooth and normal lately.  We have fallen into a nice fall rhythm.  There's enough to keep us rolling along, yet plenty of room for margin.  With the margin I've been trying my hand at a few things that leave me feeling kinda "Ol' Ma' ish."  I don't feel like we live very farm-like.  No livestock or bib overalls.  Just normal life.  But sweating over the canner, buckets of peels and stems on my kitchen counter, and fresh produce every.time.I.turn.around have offered me a new experience this summer.

Canning.  It's a lot of time and effort, but I am trying to give it a fair shot.  I committed to trying it out this summer and seeing if I felt it was worth it.  So far, jury is still out there.  Middle of winter, though, I'm thinking homemade chicken tortilla soup is going to be amazingly convenient.

I've done tons of tomato like things: diced, stewed, tomato sauces, salsa, etc.  I've also canned homemade soups and applesauce.

Then there's harvest.  Dropping off my little Charlie boy and bringing meals out has kept us hopping.  We love doing both.  I don't know if the guys enjoy the hot food as much as the kids enjoy offering it to them, but we don't care.  It's fun.

The hum of the bin dryer puts me to sleep at night, I'm in full sandwich making gear, and the kids have been extra gracious to me this week as we transition to single mommy for just a bit.  Field work is in full swing.