Today, we really started bringing in the harvest! We picked baskets of summer squash in shades of yellow, gold, dark green and light green. After cutting them into bite-sized cubes, they were blanched, then cooled and frozen for later use in one of Karen's delicious soups which are served on Wednesdays during the school year. Blanching is when fruits or vegetables are quickly placed in boiling water for a few minutes in order to cleanse the surface, brighten the color and reduce the action of enzymes that can cause spoilage. The blanched vegetables can then be safely frozen.
We also harvested half of the row of sweet basil, stripped the leaves and put them in freezer bags for later use in pesto. Although tedious, the wonderful scent of the basil made the job pleasant. The raspberry harvesting started today and we put about two pints of red raspberries into the dehydrator. It is a key ingredient in our "Rose-Raspberry-Lemongrass Tea". Cucumbers have also started, and peppers too! It won't be long before we have pickles!
We had a bit of excitement at the end of the day. Just as we were getting ready to leave, several firemen in full fire-fighting gear and a policeman walked into the building. Apparently, the workmen who were installing our new water heater tripped the fire alarm while they were soldering some pipes. They were all very nice and seemed to take it in stride. One fireman agreed to pose for a picture. (see below) -Celia
Looking Back
"It was a basily day. I can't wait to eat pasta with homemade pesto!" - Celia
"Pesto is good on pizza" - Megan
"Carpe diem! (Seize the day!) " - Colin
"Music makes it happen" - Carly
(I heard that those working on the squash in the kitchen were singing! - Celia)
"Cooked squash smells like grits" - Tamara
"When in doubt, squash it!" - Karen
"When I scream "Mitchell!" Tamara starts speaking Spanish" - Willie
Harvesting the basil
Megan stripping leaves from the stalks
We also harvested half of the row of sweet basil, stripped the leaves and put them in freezer bags for later use in pesto. Although tedious, the wonderful scent of the basil made the job pleasant. The raspberry harvesting started today and we put about two pints of red raspberries into the dehydrator. It is a key ingredient in our "Rose-Raspberry-Lemongrass Tea". Cucumbers have also started, and peppers too! It won't be long before we have pickles!
We had a bit of excitement at the end of the day. Just as we were getting ready to leave, several firemen in full fire-fighting gear and a policeman walked into the building. Apparently, the workmen who were installing our new water heater tripped the fire alarm while they were soldering some pipes. They were all very nice and seemed to take it in stride. One fireman agreed to pose for a picture. (see below) -Celia
Looking Back
"It was a basily day. I can't wait to eat pasta with homemade pesto!" - Celia
"Pesto is good on pizza" - Megan
"Carpe diem! (Seize the day!) " - Colin
"Music makes it happen" - Carly
(I heard that those working on the squash in the kitchen were singing! - Celia)
"Cooked squash smells like grits" - Tamara
"When in doubt, squash it!" - Karen
"When I scream "Mitchell!" Tamara starts speaking Spanish" - Willie
Harvesting the basil
Megan stripping leaves from the stalks
Teamwork - and the air smelled so nice!
Ready for the freezer
Surprise!
What do we need to do here?
Carly blanching the squash
Cooling the squash after blanching
30 pounds of squash ready for the freezer!
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