Wednesday, June 16, 2010

What a Rainy Wednesday

I had all these grand plans for a big post today, full of never seen before information, astounding recipes and a comment board full of "That's the coolest thing I've ever seen!"  from the readers.  Well today's awesomeness must be postponed for a day in the near future, but never fear, I'll get it finished.

 I woke up early this morning after going to sleep around 1:30 a.m. (working on other blog stuff) and got several things done.  I replied to several emails, sent off some important documents to a customer and went in the back yard to the shop to get something or do something.  I remembered why at the time but at this point in the day, the details escape me. 

I opened the door and went inside the shop to find a HUGE quantity of water on the floor. It's a large concrete floor and I'm not exagerating to say my feet were instantly wet.   I'm looking around for a broken water pipe or perhaps a fire truck backed up to an open door or window spraying water for all their worth and I can't find either one.  It turns out I have a roof leak......

I find a wet vac and remove the paper filter inside so I can start to clean up the mess.  I get started and before I am finished, I've easily removed 50 - 75 gallons in about an hour or hour and a half.  I put fans all over the place to dry the remaining water.  There is still a good bit left but I figure between the fans and a large dehumidifier I bought last summer, the water doesn't stand a chance.  I have a lot of things in my shop that I don't want to get wet and I sure don't want to have a mold problem.

I get that all done, jump in the shower to get cleaned up and I think about the many other things I have to do today.  I hadn't been out of the shower for 30 minutes and I got to see an award winning recreation of a monsoon outside my window.......Sigh!........Back to the shop I go........It's just been one of those days........

However, I do see some ripe tomatoes that need to be picked and a couple of small peach trees in the back yard that are LOADED down with small, delicious peaches.  One of them had to have the branches propped up so it wouldn't touch the ground and now the other tree is in the same predicament.  I need to call my grandmother to get a recipe for peach jelly.  If anyone out there has a good one please let me know.  Many of the peaches won't be able to be saved for bruising, etc. but as far as I know they will make good jelly....Is this right??

When I was young my dad and I would ride horses all over the country for business and pleasure and pick blackberries, huckleberries, wild peaches and plums or any other fruit we could find by the bucketfull and take them to my grandmothers house.  In a couple of days, she would call and bring over an assortment of home made jellies and jams according to whatever fruit we had brought her.  I may be wrong but it seems to me that the art of canning and preserving veggies and making homemade jellies, etc. is becoming a lost art form.  I'm a guy and no I'm not mushy in the least but the sometimes I think the knowledge of the grandparents generation is being forgotten in the rush of busy lives and the convenience of corner grocery stores.

How many of you have gardens?  If so, what do you grow?  Do you put up your own vegetables and fruits?  Its a lot of work but there is nothing like fresh fruits and veggies from the garden....

Stay tuned tomorrow for GF Dutch Oven Cornbread and the next Tasty Tuesdays! will be a new recipe that I grew up eating but haven't seen anywhere on the foodie blogs.  Enjoy!!

2 comments:

Joanne said...

You had one seriously busy day. Waking up to that flood does NOT sound like fun.

I, unfortunately, don't have a garden but I wish I did! I also want to make more homemade jams and jellies...but first I have to get over my fear that I won't sterilize everything enough and will end up with botulism.

The Wise Alternative 918-836-0565 said...

I did have a busy day Joanne and with these early summer rains, I will have more of them until I get the roof fixed....

Its my understanding that your jars / accessories are sterilized (organisms are killed) at the first sign of boiling. I know this is the case in purifying water. I have camped for many years and been in situations where I had to drink extremely questionable water. I brought the water to a slow boil and drank it upon cooling and I've never been sick. Just follow the directions and you'll be fine.

Good luck!

Jason