Keep Smiling

Keep Smiling

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Jars Of Tomatoes Standing In A Row :)

~~~~~***~~~~~
I can not believe it !
Our little country home is turning me 
into a farm girl  . . .
more and more with each passing season :)
~~~~~***~~~~~

I am loving every minute of it!

 This was a true blessing & surprise.
We have a wonderful Honey Dew Patch . . .
that came up volunteer in soil from the compost bin :)

 It rained one afternoon last week . . .

 And blessed us with this amazing double rainbow. 

 I made a trip to the Goodwill

 And found these three books for $2 each.

Then to end a wonderful week,
my sister-in-law came over and taught me

 all about hot water bath canning.

We put up 21 quarts of tomatoes.
These are from the plants that I started from seed last March.
How rewarding is that!

I love country living!

~~~~~***~~~~~
I'm a late bloomer, but I'm still blooming :)
~~~~~***~~~~~
 
Have a wonderful week
&
Keep Smiling!

Your blogging sister,
Connie :)

52 comments:

  1. Your jars are looking so lovely! Have yourself a wonderful evening ♥

    summerdaisycottage.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you . . . it feels good looking up there and seeing those jars on the shelf. They will make some great chili and soups this winter :)

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  2. Looks like you have had a really productive time! Thanks for sharing the photos. xx

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    1. Canning is new to me and it feels great putting food up for winter.
      I want to try making and canning salsa next :)

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  3. Grew up doing that...been a long. long time! Glad to see you are still blooming. Great buy and the GW Boutique!

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    1. I love that name "GW Boutique" I think I will have to start using it, thanks :)

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  4. Bloom where you are planted!!! I always thought I would like to have a garden and do a lot of canning. Sadly, I've never had a space for a garden. But maybe someday. Your tomatoes are beautiful.

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    1. Hi Sunny, Never give up on that dream, it was mine, too. We lived thirty-three years in a home with a small shady backyard. Now that I have the space and the sunshine, I have fallen in love with gardening. There is such a wonderful feeling about growing your own food :)

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  5. That really is an amazing double rainbow!

    I just love all your tomatoes in a jar, and I'm sure the taste will be just great!

    All the best Jan

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    1. It feels great growing your own food and then putting it up for winter and that double rainbow . . . how beautiful, right :)

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  6. So often I'll look at the pictures you post and think "Those photos should be on a calendar". Especially the first one and then also the double rainbow. Canning all those tomatoes must have been quite a job but so rewarding.

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    1. Thank you for the sweet and encouraging words . . . you have made my morning :) It was a lot of work, but my sister-in-law was there to guide me and work with me and Steve was in charge of the water bath. We started at around 9:00 and by 1:00 we were finished and eating lunch. I did pick all but two small boxes the night before.

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  7. You are blooming and a lovely job you're doing of it. You've been a busy country girl :) I've never tried canning. Way to go on getting such a good crop of tomatoes and bonus on that honeydew

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    1. I know, that Honey Dew vine was a totally surprise . . . at first I thought it was a pumpkin. They are so good that I'm saving seed for next year and growing some more :)

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  8. What a fantastic way to end the summer. I admire your ability to dig right in (excuse the pun) to gardening. I'll be here cheering you on and hopefully learning something.

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    1. It's all new to me, but I love learning new things and with this new learning experience I get food for summer and winter . . . win - win :) Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment, I love reading them and getting to know one another better. Blogging is so much fun!

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  9. Love the double rainbow capture. Beautiful.

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  10. Connie, that is AMAZING. Those tomatoes look fabulous and so, well, so country style! I cannot say I've ever canned tomatoes but I've done jellies and jams and lots of pickles in my day. Your flowers look gorgeous, too. Good for you, Connie, you little country girl, you! Susan

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    1. I know, I am loving living in the country and having the room to grow a garden. This is great for my retirement, I don't have time to ever get bored :)

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  11. Connie, I love this!!!!! I have not really embraced canning as of yet, although I did try it a few times. I tend to freeze rather than can. But someday I would love to be able to do this, to (like you) preserve the amazing harvest I am pulling in from the seeds I started in the midst of a snowstorm!! Good for you - you inspire me!

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    1. Isn't it rewarding growing something from a tiny little seed and feeding your family with it . . . I love it!

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  12. Hi Connie, How wonderful that you canned all those tomatoes from your very own garden!! Doesn't it give you a real sense of satisfaction seeing them all lined up there. Loved the double rainbow! Your zinnias look amazing and great book finds. I'd say you are a lucky gal!! Nancy

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    1. I had a pretty sweet week . . . besides this we went to a family barbecue and saw the new baby. Sunday morning we had family from Seattle stop by to visit on there way back home and then Monday we canned . . . not to mention two days of kayaking. Boy, when I remember all of this, I start feeling tried . . . Before I forget, thank you for the birthday card . . . you're a sweetie :)

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    2. Your welcome Connie! Hope you had a great one! Nancy

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  13. Beautiful jars of tomatoes.....I sure do miss being able to can tomatoes and beans and freeze corn....yep those were the days.

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    1. I know that I'm a late bloomer . . . most of the things that we are doing are the things our friends are stopping. Before buying this place we just didn't have the room to garden and now that I am retired I have the room and the time. I just want to try all the fun country living things that i've missed out on :)

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  14. I love to can...especially tomatoes, zucchini relish and salsa. It's such a great feeling to know you've grown everything g yourself. Congratulations! Great finds on the books too.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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    1. Hi Betsy, it is great hearing that you are a home canner, I would love to get your salsa recipe. That is the next thing that we want to try making :)

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  15. Dear Connie...I am always last, but I do love your blog. You really have turned into a farm girl. Those tomatoes look so pretty and just add to your little country kitchen. I looked back at the two posts I've missed and the pictures are beautiful. Those boys jumping off the cliff takes my breath away. The water is so pretty.

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    1. Dear Sweet Miss Henny Penny, Thank you for being such a lovely blogging sister. I always look forward to reading your comments and to reading your charming blog. I am sure that I could learn a lot about being a farm girl from you, wish you lived closer :)

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  16. WOW! I'm impressed! I put up some tomato juice and froze a few bags for soups and stews. Then we got rain, and rain, and rain, and the tomatoes started splitting. They seem to be making a comeback, but I think I'm done with 'em. What a deal at the thrift store! Fun and perfect for you to come up with more creative ideas,

    Cindy Bee

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    1. Hi Cindy, Sorry to hear about all of your rain and it messing up your tomato patch. Those books that i found at GW are filled with charming country style and so many ideas . . . life just isn't long enough . . . I want to try my hand at everything, LOL.

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  17. Gosh Connie, you certainly are blooming! I have been doing canning as well. Just love it and love seeing those gorgeous tomatoes all in a row! Canned veggies and fruit really are appealing. Gorgeous rainbow, a sweet gift from God!
    hugs,
    Jann

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    1. Good Morning Jan, it is so nice of you to drop by . . . I am having so much fun learning so many aspects of being a farm girl. I still haven't talked my Sweet Steve into any animals, but I keep thinking having three or four chickens would be fun or even a dwarf goat :) I understand his thing about being able to travel and leave home when we please, but so far I haven't seen the traveling he's talking about, LOL. Of course his not retired yet, so that could change :) Animals can tie you down.

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  18. Good job on the canning! I think it's great how you've turned into such a country woman! And what a neat double rainbow! We live in a holler and don't see much of the sky. A forest on one side and trees on the other. Enjoy your autumn on your farm! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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    1. Hi Teresa, funny that you would say enjoy your autumn on your farm . . . our daughter's name is Autumn and I wish she had time off to make the drive home . . . I would love to enjoy Autumn on our little farm. LOL. I'm having fun learning to can . . . Steve, too! We are thinking about making canned salsa and marinara next. We have been reading recipes and watching You Tube videos. Wish us luck :)

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  19. How blessed you are to be a farm girl! Wonderful to do canning - I wish someone would come over and guide me through the process. I did buy a ton of tomatoes from the local farmstand though (we only grew cherry tomatoes this year) and roasted them, blended them up a bit, then put in freezer containers. Next best thing to canning, I suppose. ;-) Beautiful double rainbow...and looks like you found some wonderful books at Goodwill.

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    1. Hi Melanie, I feel very blessed to have my sister-in-law guiding me through this process. It feels good to be raising our own food and putting it up for winter. It's so satisfying . . . a lot of work, but it's something that I have always wanted to learn.

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  20. This is fantastic - growing your own tomatoes from seed and canning them! You will know for sure WHAT you are eating - that there is no harmful stuff there - and you loved these plants and cared for them yourself, this is very special, very different from buying things from stores.

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    1. It is a new experience for me, and I am loving everything about it. No preservatives that I can't pronounce, no pesticides . . . just whole natural good food. Seeing those cans on the shelf makes me feel so satisfied. What a blessing :)

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  21. Hi Connie!! You definitely are a country girl! What a wonderful garden with lots of produce and some surprises!!

    Thanks for visiting me. I'm really hoping this time the sale will go through.

    Hugs
    Kay

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    1. Dear Sweet Kay, I certainly hope so too . . . I know that you have plans and dreams that are setting on the shelf waiting for your home to sell. Here's to a new chapter in your life and a new home with lot of space for your creativity :)

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  22. that is great you were able to put up so many jars of tomatoes, always nice to have fresh from the garden...... Your flowers are so pretty. We too had tomatoes, green peppers and some melons come up from our compost dirt, but the plants were not looking so great so we pulled them out.

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    1. It has been a very productive year for our garden. I am loving learning to can the food that I grow . . . it is so rewarding :) It just goes to show that you can still teach an old dog like me, a few new tricks, LOL.

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  23. Better late than never they say! And it's never too late to learn something new. I love seeing canned tomatoes and other veggies lined up on shelves like yours. So pretty to me! You will enjoy those in the months to come. Your flowers are so gorgeous. I bet you always have a fresh bouquet in your home. You are such an inspiration to me Connie! You truly enjoy life...the big things and the little things. That's how I try to live too...:) Enjoy your week my friend.

    Hugs, Vicky

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    1. Hi Vicky, Life is for enjoying . . . I feel sorry for those who can't see that. We all have times when things are going bad and worries start to plague us . . . but for the most part life is amazingly wonderful. I believe that the hard times are put there for us to learn and develop more faith . . . that doesn't make them easy, but they do serve a purpose. We only see it after time has past and we look back :) There is a beauty in living simply and I plan on soaking in all the beauty of this world that I can, before I lay down for my finial rest. :) I know that you are doing the same thing . . . have a lovely day!

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  24. Look at all those lovely jars of bright red tomatoes all ready enjoy over the winter. Lucky You! Hard work but very rewarding. Love the rainbows...God's promise in the sky. :)

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    1. I love looking for the rainbow after a summer rain . . . this double one was a lovely surprise. Thanks for visiting; I appreciate the support and encouragement :)

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  25. What a delight! those pretty red jars in a row on the white shelves against the pretty blue walls! It sure is satisfying isn't it? putting up stores for the winter. I did it years ago but haven't done much for a long time.. I did make some tomato salsa last week and am hoping to make some freezer applesauce. That'll be about it for this year! Love your blog and country life.. and your place looks like it's in a beautiful area. ((hugs))

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    1. Hello again . . . it is delightful to see that you are looking around my blog. It has become a favorite thing to do and I have met so many lovely people here. I'm a beginner to canning, but my husband is interested in it too, so it is something that we are learning together. That makes it twice as fun :)

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    2. I spend way too much time reading everyones' blog posts! But I too love it... I like to connect with women all across the U.S., who love home, nature and gardening.. and I especially love finding more "local" ladies in my same state or a state away! I used to can all the time but haven't for years either. I spent last night reading all of your blog posts on your bungalow! I made notes on everything I love about your place and what you've done to it! So many of the things you've done, I want to do to ours! I'm glad your hubby wants to learn canning... mine says he will help if needed, so that's good enough for me!

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