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I canned several quarts of tomatoes all night Thursday as I prepared to stay awake for the nightwatch at church this morning. I stretched the time by canning a few pounds of butter (Ghee) too, that’s always fun, easy and a much overlooked item for most preppers. I suppose Titan will get the lion’s share of tomatoes since I shy away from them without pulverizing them in the food processor first (it’s a texture thing). I made a fresh bowl of tomato soup from the broth after straining it through cheese cloth and it was yummy with a grilled cheese samich.

This week I have to get busy and harvest pears from mine and my neighbor’s trees. My canned sugar-free pear butter (I use stevia) is always a big hit at church and I make plenty of high octane for myself and sugar prone friends. The corn crop and grapes has been a total disappointment this year due mostly to damage sustained in the storms and the drought. I’ve yet to find a decent sized potato, but those pears are looking good. The Chili peppers and beans are doing okay and I have onions and garlic too. The new peach tree didn’t bloom or fruit this year after it’s mate died last year, so if it (and I) survive I’ll try to add another next spring so they can cross polinate.

I’m only three years into this gardening thing and chaulk my failures up to lessons learned. Lesson #1 is I can’t control the weather, but it still breaks my heart to see the corn plot I hoed so often wither in the drought. No amount of municipal water makes up for a steady gentle rain with nitrogen from heaven. Worst case, I’ve got lots of fodder shocks for fall decorating if I survive. Keep a look-out in a few weeks as I plan to send you a smaplier package of my goodies.