Trying to Feel at Home

Living in Southern California has been really hard for me. It has been a way more difficult transition than I thought it would be. I grew up here and lived here until I was twenty-five so you'd think I'd be at home with all the driving, fast-food restaurants and sunny mild weather. One would think...but this summer off I've been trying to make the best of it. We've visited Idyllwild and Sequoia, spent a lot of time with family and been to the beach a couple times. The girls really like seeing people and getting to take long evening walks nearly every night.

So we have a little hands-off garden in the front and two tomato bushes in the back and a lemon tree. For the girls birthday I canned lemon curd to feel a little more connected with our land base. This week I oven-dried (we axed the dehydrator when we moved down) and canned some strawberry jam from the strawberries that are grown about two miles from our home. It felt nice, a little more like home and hopefully I will remember to engage in more activities like this while we are here.

My fall hands-off garden will include potatoes, garlic, and greens. They are easy and like the cool. I will still have my glorious broccoli plants (shrubs now) and resilient chard!!

What a Day,aka Why I Should Just Stick to Knitting

So today was insane. This morning started well, I got up early did some chores and walked the dog and left the house. I had to get some final things for canning and some old wool sweaters for the latest craft obsession! I bought a pattern at Canvas Works (my local and wonderful yarn store) for felted wool dogs. I don't know why and I don't know for whom, but it was an obsession. So I set out to three different thrift shops until I found the perfect women's Pendleton sweater made out of 100% virgin wool. It was a beautiful cardigan and I felt a little bad, but this was my new obsession!
I came home and totally not thinking straight, I set to canning my blackberries and blueberries, felting the wool and keeping Ulysses entertained all within two hours (I had to get Justin's lunch together by 2pm)! It was nuts because the dog got under the fence again so I had to rescue him from a German Shepherd biting him, a Rottweiler barking in his ear and a five-year old running around and hanging on my arm! But guess what- I got it done and the kitchen cleaned!! We have 8 jars of blackberry jam and 9 of the blueberry.
Once Justin left for work, I got the felt dog made and kept Ulysses entertained!! I need to sew on the hind legs again, but today I can't even think about the stupid project. I'll fix it up tomorrow and give it to the neighbor girl. Knitting is definitely the only hobby I need!

Guerilla Berry Hunt

Today I took the dog on a long walk through the neighborhood and into a little nature reserve to pick blackberries. They are everywhere out here (invasive) and no one picks them. We made out with 5 cups. I am going out for a second trip later today to make off with 3 more cups. Then I can make some blackberry jam. Hopefully I'll be able to can tomorrow. If not, Saturday expect some pictures of the good stuff!

The first time I went out I was really embarrassed and I thought everyone was looking at me. I was so ashamed I came back with only ten or so berries. My principal told me she had canned 17 jars of the stuff and that it is a hobby of her family's to drive around and pull over whenever they see them to pick and freeze. This made me bold today and I channeled my great-grandma that my mom said would walk around picking dandelion leaves (arugula) to eat with dinner. Suburban foraging is a lot of fun. I might bring a jar of the stuff to the hermit cat lady at the end of the street. I picked a lot of her berries.

Sweet Cherry Jam

Today I am going to begin my summer canning. I want to turn four pounds of cherries from one of my trees into cherry jam. I think they will make nice gifts. I still have four other trees, but they produce pie cherries and they're not ready yet. That will make pie filling in late July.
I love these projects. I am also hoping to make Strawberries on Top Jam and Strawberry-Lemonade Concentrate. That will be nice to gift in the winter. Last year I wouldn't buy lemons because they don't grow locally. It is hard to work without citrus of any kind, so I've sort of bent on that one. This year I've also given in to eating avocados. My last strong hold is bananas. I refuse to buy them~ Barbara Kingsolver has me totally convinced!