red, (no white), and blue

Oh Blog, how I have missed you!

My excuse: I've been so busy growing and picking and canning and pickling that I simply haven't had a minute to write about it. But I've finished work for the day and all I have to do tonight is can tomatoes, beets, and perhaps some corn relish. It's a light load.

To the right are dried tomatoes and canned blueberries, two of my favorite summer tastes. I dry the plum tomatoes in a dehydrator (my big Christmas present in 2006). It's so humid here that sun-drying would take forever. I can the blueberries according to a recipe in the 1943 Ball Blue Book. More modern editions don't suggest this method, but I like it.

1) gather blueberries in a square of muslin or cheesecloth
2) boil water and dunk the bundle of blueberries in the boiling water, swirling until spots of purple start to show through the cloth
3) dunk the blueberries in cold water, then transfer to sterilized jars
4) leave 1/2 inch head space; add no water or sugar
5) process 20 minutes in a boiling water bath

This method preserves the shape of the berries, doesn't add sugar, and keeps them tasting good longer than freezing. (Freezer burn can set in after a few months.)

I was amazed by how many blueberries we picked this weekend; usually the season is finished by now, but I'm not complaining. In fact, I'm not complaining about anything. We are enjoying the full flush of summer produce and the eating is magnificent: caprese salads, butter & sugar corn on the cob, ratatouille, blueberry pie. Who could ask for anything more?