Ice on the Bird Bath

I like to keep as busy as possible in these worrisome times. Attila will be returning to work next week. I am so very grateful that he is feeling better. I do worry about exposure to the virus in the workplace, but it is best not to dwell on that danger, as there is no way to avoid the risk.

We had a hard frost last night, the temperature dipped below freezing. This morning there was ice on the bird bath. At the last minute Attila decided to cover the plants that were still producing. And he was so glad he did, as many plants perished in the cold last night. It is that time of year. But the covered plants will live on for another week or so, until the next hard frost arrives.

Although the temperature dipped below freezing last night, the temperature inside the house dropped only one degree. When we retired for the night the thermometer read 23C, and when checked in the morning it read 22C. The heating system has not been turned on yet. It was lovely and toasty inside, when we came back in from the back porch, where we sat while enjoying our morning coffee… wearing parkas.

The garden harvest is still the main focus of our lives here at Mist Cottage. On Thursday I canned 4 liters of Tomatoes. On Friday I canned 4 500-ml jars of Cowboy Candy (candied Jalapeno Peppers). I thought today would be focused on other kinds of projects, how wrong I was. This morning I canned 4 500-ml jars of Salsa Verde. This afternoon I made 2 quarts of vegetable broth, which was frozen in containers in the freezer. This evening five 250-ml jars of Lemon Orange Marmalade were canned. The lemon and oranges were purchased over three weeks ago, to use in the making of Mincemeat, and there were four oranges and one lemon left over. It felt good to preserve them, all safe and sound in jars for Christmas treats.

Tomorrow a very large batch of Green Tomato Chow Chow will be canned. The 10 pounds of Green Tomatoes, and 5 pounds of Onions, have all been chopped and are sitting overnight in brine. In the morning the Tomatoes and Onions will be rinsed, put in a large pot with apple cider vinegar, sugar, and spices, and cooked for over an hour before canning. In addition, I will be canning more Tomatoes tomorrow.

We are down to our last few empty canning jars now. There is more produce to come in from the garden, the cabbage has yet to come in. The fresh garden cabbage makes outstanding Canned Coleslaw. And we just might get enough Tomatillos for another batch of Salsa Verde.

I had some pictures to include, but they won’t load! Sometimes technology can be frustrating.

Worldly

Weather

9°C
Date: 10:00 PM EDT Saturday 17 October 2020
Condition: Clear
Pressure: 102.6 kPa
Tendency: Rising
Temperature: 9.2°C
Dew point: 3.3°C
Humidity: 67%
Wind: SSW 9 km/h
Visibility: 24 km

Quote

“Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It’s already tomorrow in Australia.”
Charles M. Schulz
1922 – 2000