A New Skill + Other Things Bringing Joy
Life is hard; food doesn't have to be #143 [vol4, 9.1]
A lady at church agreed to teach me how to can tomatoes until her back went out. Suddenly her husband found themselves swimming in tomatoes that she couldn’t preserve. He brought over a giant bag to share. He said, “Chris is disappointed that she can’t teach you how to can these tomatoes. It’s really not hard…”
Then launched into how to do it.
I couldn’t believe how easy it sounded. Turns out, because tomatoes are acidic, they don’t have to be water-bathed canned or even pressurized like I assumed.
As long as you only put tomatoes and salt in the jar, this method will preserve tomatoes without any fancy equipment. Learning to preserve the harvest has brought me so much joy! I canned tomatoes on 3 separate days. This method isn’t super labor intensive so doing it 3 times was not overwhelming. (See bottom of letter for how to.)
Other Things Bringing Me Joy
Homeschooling = I knew homeschooling was right for my children but I wasn’t sure how much I would grieve the loss of my freedom. Turns out, one of my favorite things about homeschooling has been the pace of life. I used to feel that we rushed everywhere: hurry, get up! eat breakfast! get in the car! After school it was grumpy attitudes then rushing home to do homework then shuttling to activities to rush home to shower, make lunches and start all over. The slower pace of life has given us all life. Oh we have a full life. It just seems less stressful.
Gardening = For years I’ve loved puttering in my yard. I knew having a garden at this house would bring joy, I just wasn’t sure how much joy! The last few weeks I’ve dipped my toes in Korean Natural Farming by reading this book then found Garden Like a Viking on YouTube. Start with this video on how to make simple and free fertilizer. In a nutshell, it is using microbes to enrich the soil which strengthens plants.
Chickens = Everyone tells me how easy they are. Our journey for getting the infrastructure right has not been easy but it has been so fun watching them and learning about them.
Cross Body Bag = I’m probably one of the last people on this train but I love the practicality. I can put my phone, wallet, keys, a pen, and some lipstick in a bag that stays close to my body. I found a $10 dupe on Amazon.
Decide Once = Every time I go to Costco (which is Wednesdays, the day I also pick up raw milk and we have church), I buy a $10 pizza already cooked and $5 rotisserie chicken. Bam, dinner is done.
Library Books = This is our family’s favorite way the government spends our tax money. My husband goes at least once a week and picks out books for us all. Sometimes the kids join him and get their own books. Recent finds:
Several books about Sarah Edmonds, a Civil War hero, like this kids’ picture book: Nurse, Soldier, Spy. She pretended to be a man to join the Union cause. Fascinating! She was able to keep her secret and eventually had to desert because she was so sick with malaria. She didn’t want to go to the hospital, knowing her identity would be revealed there.
Prague Winter by Madeleine Albright. She was born in Czechoslovakia and her family emigrated to London shortly after the German invasion. I was hoping for more of a memoir yet it reads like a history book. Interesting, just a slower read than I expected.
The Watchmaker’s Daughter: The True Story of World War II Heroine Corrie ten Boom = I can’t recommend this one enough. If you liked The Hiding Place, you’ll love the extra details this author brings to the story. I want to read more of what he’s written. Plus, Corrie’s faith is so inspiring! I wondered on more than one occasion (every page?!), “How would I persevere under such persecution? Would I find the joy she had that stumped her captors?” This would be a great family read aloud, except I would cry too much. It was so moving for me. Also books like these are extra motivation to memorize Scripture.
Enemies in Love: A German POW, a Black Nurse, and an Unlikely Romance = I was hoping for more of the romance but this one focused more on civil rights during WWII. It was a great book to read before bed (not too much action that I wanted to read all night but interesting enough to keep reading.)
Faithfully Different Regaining Biblical Clarity in a Secular Culture by Natasha Crain = We bought this one for small group discussion at church. It’s relatively easy to read and interesting.
Recipes on Repeat = Baked Oatmeal, Cheese Grits, Clafoutis (custard with fruit) and Soup Season is here!
How to Can Tomatoes Without Special Equipment
Even though my friend gave me simple instructions, I searched out a few YouTube videos to make sure I understood everything. This one was most helpful.
Put clean jars in cold oven and turn to 250*. I also put new lids in there. Some people boil them in water (which is 212*) but I don’t own a magnet to pull them out of the water. In the oven worked for me.
Bring tomatoes to a simmer. Some I pulverized in my Vitamix; others I left whole. Once they’re simmering, skim the scum from the surface. Also, I used this boiling mixture to submerge whole tomatoes to remove the skins instead of boiling an alternate pot of water. You can also freeze tomatoes (no special prep; just toss them in a bag) and when they thaw the skins fall right off.
Working quickly so as the jars don’t cool too much, move one jar and lid from the oven and fill with hot tomatoes. Wipe the rim of the jar, add the lid and ring. Then wait for them to cool and seal. I had 100% success with 12 jars sealing.
Life is hard; food doesn’t have to be,
Julie
This is so cool! Thanks for sharing.