Yum. Country life.

Okay. We really like living in the country. It's quite a change after having lived in Dallas all my life. But we've adjusted very well.  So, why "yum" on country life?

I guess you could say there are "yums" and "bums."  Not "bums" as in people's behinds, but as in "bummer." My husband now has room for a huge garden.  And that's what he planted. But all of the produce gets ready at the same time! That's the bummer.  Canning and freezing produce is not all that fun. At least not to me. In fact, it's a lot of trouble.

Freezing stuff is a lot easier, but I have limited freezer space. So, in order to keep things awhile without refrigeration, you have to can them. Sterilizing all those jars and lids and rings and getting bubbles out and filling jars enough but not too much . . . makes my head spin. And so many recipes use "pounds" as a measurement and I don't have a small scale for that kind of measuring so I end up picking up one of my weights and trying to determine how close the food compares to the hunk of iron. Yes, it's ridiculous.

If I continue to be serious about this stuff, I have to get the equipment. Last year, I sprang for a canner. It's huge. I hate taking it out of the cupboard because it weighs a ton and when I heat it I have to put it over three burners. Yes, three. Of course, my current stove is small -- we're living in a tiny apartment above our garage while our home is being built. But really . . . THREE burners. Anyway, the canner is purchased, but I really need a scale, some enamel cookware, and an inexpensive bag sealer.

We purchased fresh peaches a few days ago and I haven't put the peaches up yet.  I must do it tomorrow. But tonight I'm messing with figs. The kitchen is not large enough to mess with two things at once! I'm hoping all of this stuff tastes good this winter.  Didn't I put up anything last year?  Yep. That's one of the reasons I bought the canner. Too late, of course, but I bought it. I spent a lot of time canning beans and a few things. I did not have a real canner, just a pressure cooker. After about 10 days, all my stuff was ruined. Lesson learned. And the stuff I froze? Taken care of by a 5-day power outage. That's why I'm hoping this stuff lasts until this winter and that we're able to enjoy it!

Right now, though, I'm grumpy. If I see another cucumber before I sleep, I'm gonna explode!