August 24

I start every morning making lists.  To do lists, shopping lists, dream lists, recipe lists.  It keeps me organized, centered.  Without lists I can't keep my thoughts straight, even if I don't use them during the day, I need to know it's there if I forget.  Coffee, lists and plans.

The stock pot is waiting and it's 7:09 can you tell when I'm thinking?

I peek at my dahlias sitting on the front step, I love dahlias.

I stopped at T&G's to raid their peach tree.  The branches sank into the ground with the weight of the fruit.  I only took the ripe ones, I'll be back tree.

I went to Hofstede's for only a few things.  Then they got me.  $5 for 20 lbs of tomatoes, $10 for 14 pounds of cherries.  Did you know cherries were $4/lb this year?  The sale was $.71/lb!!!!  Of course this meant the fruit was past due.  Ripe-o-la.  Use. It. Fast. Lady.  So there went my day.  Gone.

I cut and froze two trays of local peppers.  I froze a dozen ears of corn.

I made sweet cucumber relish.

I pitted, by hand, 14 lbs of cherries.  Dried half and froze half.  I made one recipe of cherry-rhubarb jam.

I canned 20-500mL jars of crushed tomatoes and slowly oven dried three trays of tomatoes with thyme.

While at the market I surveyed the bins.  Four types of plums...two more than last time.  I was curious, so I bought a bag of each.  Santa Rosa's are still my favourite flavour but the Dinosaur plums (or plouts) are a close second.  I tried them at home and saved one of each kind for another plum cake.  I made Garlic Plum Sauce with the prune plums and a four plum jam with all the rest.

Then I had Erin over for dinner.  We had plum-rosemary fizz (with a little bit of rum! Shhh!) which was very very good.  I made a tomato tart which was infinitely better than it sounds.  In fact I can't wait to show you how to make it!  We ate it with a nice salad (from the garden!) and a toasted hazelnut and mustard dressing.  With plum cake for dessert and a nice cup of floral green tea the night was over.