Canning and Sunflowers and Farmers Market

When I leave work on Wednesday afternoon, and my weekend begins, I eagerly anticipate the 4 days ahead.  What shall I do?  Where shall I go?  The choices in today's world are endless, but my heart returns to the homey things, the rustic things, the simple joys.

This week our garden ripened with so many good things to eat!  There is an abundance of pickling cucumbers, some we've eaten cut into tender spears with supper, some we've mixed in an old-fashioned salad.  Since I've started canning with the gift Trista gave me, I thought I'd try making pickles... bread and butter pickles!  The sliced cucumbers were mixed with onions and garlic and pickling salt, then left to rest in the fridge under crushed ice for several hours.  When removed from the fridge and drained, I added them to a boiled mixture of vinegar, sugar, turmeric, mustard seed, and celery seed.  The hot mixture was ladled into sterile jars and processed in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.  Soon we had several pints of delicious bread and butter pickles to enjoy!

There are so many other things bursting to life in our gardens.  We're loving the sunflowers and the bee and butterfly garden filled with daisy, bee balm, butterfly bush, coneflower, and lamb's ear.

Most Saturday mornings, we venture out to the Old Beach Farmers Market with Scarlett.  We do much of our shopping at the farmers markets these days.  Today we saw many familiar faces, some furry, and we took in the sights and smells of the earth's bounty.

Scarlett and Sage... Sage has grown a bit!

Tasha's Own Soaps

Weeping Radish

At the New Earth Farm booth

Beautiful blossoms

Flowers and herbs and garlic

Cromwell blackberries

So, in the end, I didn't jet off to Paris or write the great novel or change the world, 

but it has been a beautiful weekend, 

filled with the good gifts of God, 

filled with sweetness and love and smiles.

Wishing for you the simple joys this weekend!