My nature and God post

 I've come to realize if it's meant to be, it will be.  God gets the final word in most things and His timing can't be rushed.

I didn't plant pumpkin seeds this year.  But the biggest and most beautiful pumpkin vine took off ON ITS OWN along our goat fence this fall.  

The way the small vines twist and spiral, almost desperate for something safe to grasp onto is often how life can feel.   

Yet hidden in the shadows of the leaves and the vines is where we find the fruit of the plant.  

You have to really look for them, because they almost seem hidden.

And although it's probably too late in the season, God decided to let a tomato plant grow in the goat yard this fall as well.  

My pink rose bushes always seem to do amazing during the summer and fall.  

My yellow roses have been on the struggle bus, and I almost cut the plant off this summer when it seemed dried out.

But within the past week or 2, these beauties have taken off. 

Just another example of trusting in Gods perfect timing.  

And being grateful for things big and small.

Birdie

Grandma knew I needed a little break from entertaining Molly one Saturday this fall.  She offered to take her to the Heinz 57 Cat Rescue where she could pet cats all afternoon.  

Needless to say, Molly fell head-over-heals with a kitten named Thimble.

And with that, meet Birdie! (We changed her name)

She's super-soft, follows us around, and loves to be held.

She's quickly worked her way into our hearts and sweet Birdie is right where she belongs.

Salsa

With an abundance of tomatoes, I taught Molly to make Aunt Judy's salsa.  

She caught on quickly and wanted to make more to sell. Yet being the realist she is, remembered it would never work. "We can't sell food because we don't have two drains on our floor."

I can't wait to see what she grows up to be.

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Judy’s Salsa (Double this for class)

Makes 7-8 pints

8 quarts tomatoes, skinned and quartered  Equals 26 cups chopped tomatoes (chopped in blender)  3 - (8 cup measuring bowls plus 2 cups)

6 medium onions, chopped (Equals 3 cups chopped)

8 jalapenos peppers, chopped with seeds 

1-2 green bell peppers, chopped (Equals 1-½ cup chopped green pepper

⅓ cup salt

¼ cup vinegar

1 tbsp black pepper

1 tbsp cumin

2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste

Chop tomatoes into chunky pieces.  Add other ingredients except paste.

Cook until mixture is bubbling, stir often.  

Add tomato paste.

Bring to a boil.

As you are filling the jar, strain mixture through a colander to get rid of extra juices.

I strain a soup ladle full in a colander when I get some of the extra juice off I quickly spoon the salsa out of the colander and into the hot jar.  This way you can regulate how much juice you want in your jar.  You will have a lot of juice at the end of the batch.  You can discard. (I'm saving for Chili)

Hot water bath 20 minutes for pints and 30 for quarts.  

Day 1

Scald and peel tomatoes.  Then refrigerate.

Pulse tomatoes till chunky (3-5 pulses).  Keep all the juice. Pour tomatoes into the pot.

Chop the green pepper and onion.  Place in blender and pulse with enough water to cover (makes pulsing easier)

Then drain the water off.  Let set in a strainer a bit to drain all the drips when all are in a big pot and chopped.

Add salt, vinegar, black pepper and cumin.

Stir together as you heat.  (Will burn if you don’t stir)

When it just starts bubbling, add the tomato paste.  

Cook for 1 more minute at a soft boil.  

Drain in a colander before jarring.

Do not use aluminum.  Only stainless steel or glass.

Day 3.  Prep jars (sanitize in dishwasher).  Boil lids for 10 minutes.

Paper towel the jar lid to be sure the lip is clean and hot.  

Screw rings on the hot jars and put in a hot water bath.  Water should be at least ½ inch above jars. Place on rack inside pot.  Canner lid needs to be off set to vent steam.  

(Not boiling- just lightly simmering.  No bubbles breaking the surface)

Place on cooling rack on counter and cool 24 hours.  Check for sealings.  

Day 4.  Cool, bag and freezer.  Strain off some juice first.  Double bag.  

Taste the mixture when hot, then again with cold.