Two For One!

If you recall in yesterday's post I wrote about the lovely tomatoes that my sister-in-law brought to me and how I used some to make tomato sauce. Today, I used the remaining ones to make some delicious salsa and ketchup. When looking for a good recipe for salsa, I was almost disgusted that it said to drain and discard the juice. What a waste! Then, when reading the recipe for ketchup, another disturbing instruction...drain, save the juice and discard the pulp! What a travesty of good sense! I decided to make both recipes, following my own good sense and discard nothing. I come from a family that has always believed in the motto of waste not, want not..and I would be hard pressed to ever "discard" anything without at least trying to find a use for it.

So after several hours of skinning tomatoes, chopping them along with bell peppers and onions, mincing garlic and stirring in herbs and spices, I have seven jars of salsa and seven jars of ketchup. (This is minus the half cup of ketchup that Hubby ate with his supper!) I am thrilled that both turned out so well. The salsa recipe called for "salsa mix" which I am sure would have probably made just as tasty salsa but I used my own "mix" from the herb garden. I would much rather use my homegrown herbs and wholesome spices since it seems that there is just something a tad wrong with "artificial flavorings". Why use something artificial..something not "real"..when food in itself has amazing flavor. And don't even get me started on "preservatives"! I have this intense dislike for anything on a ingredient label that I cannot pronounce!

After being in the kitchen for several hours today, Ezzy, the dog, and I went out for her afternoon romp on the hill. She did not do much "romping" today as the temperature was in the high nineties. Instead she did more of a leisurely stroll to a shady spot in the grass, flopped over and was happy to stay there until I finished my walk. While walking, I came across a pile of pine cone shards and knew immediately that I had disturbed a squirrel's dinner. The pile was neatly placed on the end of a plank bench near the Marigold bed, a perfect place for a picnic! My little friend was in the Hickory tree nearby chattering fussily at me to get away from his meal! Such a cutie..as long as he stays out of my garden and away from my birdhouses!