Wednesday, April 6, 2011

April Gardening and Writing

Good morning! We are usually slow to get our garden in, but this year we already have out our green onions, onions, potatoes, broccoli, and some lettuce. I also have several heirloom tomato plants ready to put out. Our last frost date isn't for another week, but the weather looks like it will be warm enough to take a chance on getting them out. This will be the earliest we've ever had tomatoes out!

A woman at a local nursery recently told my mom that her method of preserving tomatoes does not involve water bath canning. Have any of you ever heard of such a method?


WRITING WEDNESDAY:


I am busy editing my writing project that I recently finished. It is a Christmas novella and I'm anxious to get it ready to send off. I have several other Christmas writing projects in mind, too. I'm hoping to work out a schedule to let me both garden and write, once the growing season really gets going.


I had an interesting experience with my Microsoft Office today. I decided to change the name Hank to Hattie. Nothing complicated--just an animal's name. Anyway, I did the find and replace thingy--now everywhere in my novella that I typed the word thanks it says thattie, thankfully has become thattiefully, etc. Live and learn:).


7 comments:

  1. *hehe* Sometimes those computers do strange things, don't they?
    Sounds like you're garden is off to a great start, Rose Mary!
    I've never heard of any other way to process tomatoes other than the water bath method due to the high acid content... I would be curious to know!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh how I envy you writing, I just can't find the time? Maybe you can write in your garden. lol I'm still leary about putting toms out, still need to till the garden too, but everything is so early this year, except me! lol Would love to hear how to process toms another way?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Our last frost date is May 15th. We haven't done anything with our garden yet, because it has been too wet to even till. You can also process your tomatoes in a canner, but I guess that would be even harder than water bath canning. I cook my tomatoes for 20 minutes, cool them and put in quart freezer bags. I've always done that, my freezer has lots of tomatoes in it. When I first started blogging the reason I named my blog Writing in the Blackberry Patch, was because I said if I was to get any writing done it would have to be down in the berry patch, because that is where I spent most of my time. I'm sorry, but I had to grin a little with your little name change thing. Good luck with your novella, I'm curious how many words are in it? I am anxious to read it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yikes about the writing! I hate it when I do something like that and it takes forever to fix it : )

    The tomato thing-yes I've heard of it. Get the tomatoes boiling hot-have the jars hot and once you fill the hot jars with the hot tomatoes and put the lid on-it seals itself as it cools. All the canning books say that it is a very dangerous method-and not to try it. But I know families who've canned theirs like that for 50 years or more.

    ReplyDelete
  5. RM,
    Now see you can play outside before me! Sounds like you have a good start on some yummy garden stuff. Its so rewarding to grow things isn't it? Its just starting to get milder here, been a long winter.
    Nancy Jo

    ReplyDelete
  6. I hopefully will get a few things planted this year. Anxious to dig in the dirt and plant. I want lots of flowers and some veggies too. Blessings.....

    ReplyDelete
  7. Rose Mary,
    What a great mix: gardening and writing. Food for the soul!

    Good luck with your novella!!

    And thanks for stopping by my blog, and for your kind comment. :-)

    Doris

    ReplyDelete

<$CommentPager$>