- This post has been edited because I had the wrong units of tomatoes from the recipe. That’s what I get for trying to write from memory when I could have double checked the recipe.
Last week I was inspired to post the following on FaceBook after changing the battery in my Leaf.
Sometimes I wonder how I will get along without him. Then I do something that he has always done for me and I know.
The first time the battery needed replaced I attempted to do it myself, but I couldn’t get all the tiny screws to go in straight. Mike explained to me how to do it, but I always asked him to do it for me.
Well, the battery in the Leaf had needed to be replaced for about a week and he wasn’t there to do it for me, so I had to do it myself. I can hardly see the screws they are so tiny.
John has been asking about making salsa for quite a while so this weekend he, Roderick, and I attempted it. At first, we thought the recipe, handwritten by Mike, had been lost but then Roderick found it tucked in with some salsa Mike had brought him. So, we have the recipe.
Freya and Hans check out the garden.
We have the garden that Mike and John planted this spring. A friend had been taking care of it for me while I was having radiation but I relieved her of those duties. We weren’t sure we had enough tomatoes. The recipe called for three gallons. So John went out to pick everything that was ripe, he also got some that weren’t quite ripe. We would have a combination of ripe and green tomato salsa.
We found the grinder that Mike had gotten last year to process the tomatoes. Brought it in, cleaned, and put it together. Cut the tomatoes that needed it into pieces small enough to go into the grinder easily. And started.
We have a variety of peppers so along with the six per gallon jalapenos we decided to put in six per gallon of the other varieties. Then onions and the other ingredients were added.
That was brought to a boil and simmered for an hour. Then John had to go to work so that left Roderick and me to figure out the canning. Neither of us had canned before. Roderick put the salsa in the jars and I put the lids on. Then we attempted to use the pressure cooker. Thank goodness for information on the Internet.
The finished salsa.
We Googled how to pressure can and voilà we were started. Brought it to the pressure in the recipe and cooked for the prescribed time. Now let’s see if they sealed even though I thought most of them sealed before we pressure cooked them.
We had four pints left but had been planning to go out to dinner and it was time for that so we left the last four to be done after dinner.
When I attempted to do the last four jars the pressure cooker at first seemed to build pressure while it should have been heating up then didn’t want to build pressure up to the amount needed. So I scrubbed the mission, let it cool down, and took the jars out. They are now in the refrigerator so they will be eaten first but I think they sealed anyway.
So as stated above:
Sometimes I wonder how I will get along without him. Then I do something that he has always done for me and I know.
I am now venturing into the unchartered territory of doing things without Mike.
I Hope You Dance! I know this would be his hope for me and the boys.
Onward! Perfectionism
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