Today, after a couple of weeks of being completely overwhelmed with all we have going on, the workload is starting to ease. And more than that, I can start to see the benefits of our work. In the basement, there are 14 quarts of marinara sauce, 18 pints of beets and eight jars of pickles on the canning shelf. In the freezer, there are enough frozen fruits for nine pies, six packs of frozen green beans, five packs of frozen corn on the cob, the beginnings of this year’s frozen tomatoes and of course, the remnants of last year’s harvest, particularly chopped peppers. We have enough oregano for a small Italian city, basil, dill, sage and paprika are also dried and saved. It feels like all of that “crush” to get things saved is paying off.
This weekend, there’s still more food to harvest and preserve. We need to dig potatoes, harvest peppers and jalapeños (which have gone nuts this year) and pick even more tomatoes. Our plan is to freeze some tomatoes today while we wait for the attachment to my KitchenAid stand mixer to come in to do the rest of the tomatoes. I also ordered an apple peeler – which should be here early next week – so that I can start processing all of the apples on my trees for apple sauce.
But finally, it feels like we can handle all of this. There’s always that point when the entire flipping garden comes in at the same time that you have a moment of panic. Move too slowly and the food rots and all of that effort was for naught. But fitting it into the rest of life? Particularly after the emergency adoption of a kitty and a renovation project? That gets downright dicey. Add to that that we still need to process some firewood for the winter, chip some branches that have fallen during the most recent storms and generally get a little more prepared for Fall and it got a little touch-and-go… I’m not gonna lie. But, we’re back. We have a plan and most importantly, we are not going to waste food if we can help it.
Plus, I have to admit, I get a ton of satisfaction when there is good food in the freezer. It just makes me tremendously happy. The idea that I can easily make a meal with what I’ve got in the house is very calming. Yes, I need to go out and get our protein sources but otherwise, I’ve got dinner right here.
That’s when I can see where it’s all starting to add up. I’ve got good food for dinners not just now but throughout the winter. I’ve got Thanksgiving items already saved for a true harvest-oriented meal. It may always get crazy at the peak of harvest season but in late fall, early winter and spring, it gets easier and I can truly relax and enjoy the fruits of my late summer labor.
So today, I’m going to try my hand for the first time in making a cherry pie from scratch. I’m also thinking of doing a pork roast for dinner with new potatoes and carrots. We will harvest, Darryl will drywall and I will clean bathrooms and do laundry. But we’ll be normal. That’s a very good feeling.
The Yuppie Homesteader 