Saturday Again

It really is.
I had a friend visit Plume Gables for a week and it seemed like the time flew past faster than I could blink. Amber is 8 months pregnant but it didn’t stop her from helping me out at the homestead. She must be from pioneer stock.

She harvested veggies for me, helped me can a surplus of jams and jellies. We zipped zucchinis through my food processor (sigh…love) and stocked my freezer with a heavenly host of food stores. I drove her to the airport yesterday morning at a truly ungodly hour and spent the rest of yesterday and today:
1. Cleaning.
2. Yardworking.
3. Answering emails and convos (still working on that).
4. Running around town buying groceries.
5. Realizing that there’s hardly anything as nice as buying really pretty bras for half the original price at Victoria’s Secret (actually, there are a LOT of things nicer than that, but in the moment, it felt quite nice).
6. Dealing with the harvest.
7. Trying to figure out what to do for RW’s 30th birthday on October 8th (I DON’T ACTUALLY KNOW IF HE’LL BE HOME FOR IT SINCE HIS CREW WAS SENT TO OREGON THIS WEEK). Any ideas?

As usual, everything has ripened all at once (including that plump, red Penelope). If you garden, I’m sure you’ll bear witness to the fact that September is a mad rush to deal with all the fruit, vegetables and other things that turn red, purple, green, orange or yellow all at once. I’m eating tomatoes faster than I thought humanly possible. I spent last night and this morning dealing with my beets:
Sort according to size.
Boil for a half hour.
Quench in cold water.
Skin should slough off easily.
Remove ends, chop, grate or slice
and freeze.

Of course, I made sure I made a COUPLE of treats for you last week. This is one of them:

At any rate, I need to take Farley up into the hills. There’s a thick cloak of smoke over Pocatello, Utah is burning and sending her grey air up to us on the tail of a brisk wind with a cackle and smirk (thanks Utah). I’m going to claw my way through it for 8 miles. Up into the spruce stands and through the aspen groves in their gentle yellow. I won’t stop to sneeze at the sage and as I cover ground, fast, the pheasant will burst out of the brittle grass at my feet and I won’t know time.
I hope your Saturday has been happily squandered
and if you’re dealing with your beets, you’re not the only one with purple hands!
Love,
Jillian Susan

Comments

  1. Well lovely Jillian, I have to agree w/ you…on the VS 'dainties'. Such a delight and especially when you get a sale! I do not own an unpretty or boring (blah) one of 'those'! xo

  2. beets! what on earth do you do with those??

    I met a canned version once and it was ungodly to say the least… but seeing your photos I can't help but think I'm missing the boat.

    =)

  3. MrsLittleJeans says

    Cute, Penelope looks small next to the tomato!
    You have been nothing but accomplishments this Saturday!!! Good woman!
    My sweets is out of town so I went to a Yoga Mala, spent three hours doing sun salutations and now I am sore as I can be, my body is devastated : )
    What a coincidence, RW has the same birthday as my sweetheart so I too am busy planning and plotting : )
    Have a great rest of weekend…

    xoxo

  4. MrsLittleJeans says

    PS- I think that fire may have initially started here. No one better come out here for any green trees, there aren't any in CA anymore.

  5. 1) beets were a new discovery in my cooking repertoire – so good cooked or raw in a salad!

    2) eeE! large plump tomatoes! though we don't have a garden, i luckily went home with a few from my aunt's last weekend. absolutely delicious with sharp cheddar on freshly baked bread

    3) i LOVE the new ring. so deliciously horizontal with the leaves poking off the edge of the baseplate.

    happy rest of the weekend to you!

  6. Desiree Fawn says

    Oooh that makes me miss my pregnant belly!

  7. Michaela Dawn says

    Happy foot flying, hope the fire has not started from your feet;)

    Amber is such a beauty, pregnancy is so becoming on some women, she is a tribute to that…

    okay, and for RW, I figure you are on the right track with the VS wears… no need for help there;P

    and as for the beets, I could survive on them for weeks… putting the whole 'eat local, eat fresh' to work.

  8. Blessings Flow Down says

    Gorgeous picture of Amber! Beautiful color on that little 'glowing' face of hers. She does comes from serious pioneer stock…bless her. You two are quite the combo!

  9. The Noisy Plume: says

    Runs4fun: Ah yes. It's nice when the daily hardware is pretty, at least:)

    Rebekah: WHAT??? Gosh. The fresh sort are delicious cooked or cold on salads. Simply scrumptious and earthy! You NEED to try one fresh from a garden!

    MLJ: DO let me know how your planning and plotting goes and thanks for pointing out my accomplishments this weekend! I thought I had missed the boat…and it's too bad about the CA fires.

    Lindsay: AHhhh! Another beet lover! I agree, they are fantastic on a salad! Thanks for the ring love:)

    Fawn: Oh and what a belly she has!

    Michaela: The fire did not start with MY feet but someone has been running just as fast over in Montana and RW is headed there now! As for the VS wares, my recent purchases are everyday hardware. When it comes down to it, all a girl REALLY needs is a bit of lip gloss:)

    HERE'S TO THE ROYAL BEET!

    BFD: I agree. Amber asked me to take a few photos of her whilst she was visiting so I dressed her up and took her up into my hills for a photo shoot. This shot is one of my favorites. She GLOWS in it. Just beautiful!

  10. lindsay michele says

    You could have a "card party" ask everyone who reads your blog to send him a happy birthday postcard from their location and he'll come home to all these great postcards from all over the world!

  11. Hey, Amber looks so good.

    Lovely to do some harvesting, I've been out in the garden dead heading and pruning away.

    Love this time of year.
    So much fresh abundance,
    makes me miss the farm I grew up on.

  12. CarolynArtist says

    That tomato next to Penelope is priceless!!!
    I saw the ring debut on FB and it's still just as hot dang gorgeous!
    Your man's brithday is a day before mine…you must have a good man! 30th? gosh, that seemed so long ago…what to do…maybe debut some more Vickis Secret items for him!

  13. Willow Branch says

    Amber is just gorgeous & that photo is simply beautiful. Lucky you got a visit from her before her little one comes.
    How about a little afternoon picnic & romping with Farley, then a few friends over for dinner & libations. RW would be happy just to be with you & be clean.
    You could always blanche the tomatoes to remove the skin then freeze them for sauces in the winter. I always have to freeze tomatoes & I love making a big pot of soup using the summers tomatoes.

    Pam
    BTW. I could eat an entire jar of pickled beets right now.

  14. The Noisy Plume: says

    On the topic of RW's birthday, I have decided to:
    Give him a brand spanking new shotgun since he's never had a new one of his own and the gun he currently hunts birds with is really banged up. I figure I'll celebrate his 30th birthday with a 12 gauge, semi-automatic Benelli (extremely light recoil with a short barrel for quick swings on small birds).
    I also plan to throw a party with all of our closest friends here in town where I shall cook a huge feast and a delicious chocolate cake with plum compote filling.
    I will also give him a lot of kisses and tell him I love him more than ever and respect him as an individual, a man, and my husband more than I could ever say.

    🙂

    And I think I AM going to freeze some tomatoes…I've got a few biggies coming on strong and I'm already eating them for lunch and supper every day. Time to break out the freezer zip-locks.

    XO

  15. Jillian, your one talented gal! silversmith and veg slinger extraordinaire.
    I tried the BB salad and practically ate the whole bowl (with tortilla chips as utensils of course)
    So this weekend I'll be sure and pick up some 'fresh' beets for my next veggie ventures.

    thanks for the tip!