Sunday 2 October 2011

All Canned Out...

Okay, I have to admit, I am pleasantly fatigued.  I seem to have endless and boundless amounts of energy.  Anyone who knows me would say I have  "crazy" amount of energy.  Tonight, my feet hurt from countless hours of standing and moving about in the kitchen.  I have literally ran out of counter space and secretly am thankful for the highchair trays because they act as extra counter space in a pinch :)

This evening, I have decided to take a break and relax.  Something I hardly do unless perhaps in a situation where I have to stay put and wait my turn which is ususally in line at the local grocery store - if you call that relaxing!  Actually, when we take the city bus, I get a chance to relax and let someone else take control.

Today's events included finishing my cabbage soup, baking yet another loaf of sourdough bread, canning applesauce (I peeled almost an entire bushel of apples - 45 or so pounds, by hand), baking banana bread, blanching and dehydrating celery (which I ground into powder), cutting up bread ends for turkey stuffing, grocery shopping, laundry and meals.  Oh and lest I forget, the endless number of dishes to be handwashed since we don't have a dishwasher.  I am certain that fellow Homesteaders are feeling the effects of harvesting and preserving.  It really is a frenzy of activity and I recommend wearing good running shoes in the kitchen because you will find yourself standing for hours at a time.

Thank goodness my dried herbs can wait another few days before I remove the leaves off the stems and put into their new homes - glass jars!  My poor feet have had enough for today.

I feel completely "canned out".  This is my very first year with canning and I have to admit that I feel very proud of myself.  I have canned jams, jellies, fruit butters, pickled carrots, applesauce, tomatoes and peaches.  I have also dehydrated so many different fruits, fruit leathers and vegetables, I have washed and hung hot peppers on twine around my house, almost completed my fall planting and have done some sewing in between.  Whew, just writing about what I have done makes my head spin.  All in all, I find myself thinking that I am very pleased with how everything has turned out considering that I took on so many new tasks in a relatively short amount of time (June 2011 to be exact as a starting date) and have achieved some major accomplishments.

Lately, I have noticed that a few people in our close circle have been bringing over their own ripe fruits as a gift to me because they know that I "can do something with it".  It's funny how that happens when you start preserving. 

I think for now that I will sit back and have a couple of good night's sleep and then back to the grind.  After all, those sweet potatoes have to be dug up and cured, green tomatoes made into chutney, last herbs dried and then... all of those falling leaves need to be raked and composted....

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