Pickle My Fancy

We live in a place where fresh, locally grown produce is readily available at fruit stand after fruit stand after fruit stand. And for killer deals. Last fall I canned applesauce with my friend Holly and peaches with my mom. After sampling some pickled asparagus for the first time, I decided that would be my next canning adventure. Luckily Holly was willing to embark on it with me. It is so fun to have a friend that enjoys the same activities and endeavors as me! I got about 10 lbs of asparagus which yielded 7 qt size jars. I was hoping for more, so the next day I restocked on supplies and canned another 10# by myself. We thought we had found a pretty decent deal on asparagus at $1.29/lb the first day, but the second day at the same fruit stand I ended up getting almost 11# of asparagus for $6.00- SCORE. Here are a few photos of the process...
-$6.00 for 11#

-simple ingredients- white vinegar, water, jalepenos, garlic, and dill seed, pickling salt

-first wash the asparagus

-then cut to jar length

-then blanch for 1 minute in boiling water (to maintain color), and stop the cooking in an ice water bath

-prep all the seasonings

-fill warmed jars with asparagus, garlic, jalepeno, dill seed and brine (the brine consists of water, vinegar and pickling salt that has been brought to boiling and then kept warm)
-place warmed lids and rings on the jars and finger tighten
-boil in canner for 15 minutes, keeping water at a rolling boil and covering the jars by 1 inch

-admire the finished product (should be ready to eat in a little for 2 weeks)

Treasure Hunting: Taking Them For All They're Worth

As the weeks of yard sale season progress, I find myself getting bolder in my decisions to offer less on items. I used to be pretty timid to try to negotiate from an already good deal to one for the record books, but I have been gaining a confidence to just go for it. I figure the worst they can say is no, and I'll still be getting a fair price. This last week I think I talked down everything I bought. Here's the rundown:

*2 large boxes of mismatched canning jars: $3.00 total
*2 brand new boxes of canning jars with lids and rings: $6.00 total
canning pot with wire rack insert: free after bargaining
a pair of sperry topsiders for my husband: .50
4 pairs of running shorts (nike and asics): $1.25
swaddling blanket: $1.00
new white undershirt for my husband: .10
popsicle mold: .10
cheese slicer: .10
canning funnel: .25
tupperware container: .25
vintage pattern: .05
courderoy book: .25

grand total: $12.85
(* 1 box of new canning jars and 1 box of mismatched canning jars are for my friend Holly, so this brings my personal total down to $8.35 - Yippee!)

Treasure Hunting

I love yard saling. Note: thrift store shopping can also be included in this. There's just something about searching for exactly what you need and finding it for pennies. Just before yard saling season begins, I start to compile a list of things we need (not instantaneously) and hold off on purchasing them in hopes of finding them at a yard sale. Since the beginning of May, I've been going every Friday morning with some of my dear friends. The season started off kind of rough, with "yard sales" we found being barely more than a single pile of old clothes thrown out on a tarp. Last weekend though was the cream of the crop thus far, scoring multiple items on my checklist. Even my husband was impressed! Here is the bounty:

7 vintage beaded necklaces (for future craft project): $1 for all
pinking shear scissors: $1
full canister of butane fuel: .25
vintage heavy duty iron: .75
brand new badminton set: $4
coleman quick pump: .50

total: 7.50 for all

Camping Kick Off

This was maybe the first Memorial Day since we've been married that we actually had the holiday off. We knew we wanted to get out of town and definitely be outdoors. So the obvious choice was made to go on the first camping trip of the season. It wasn't as long as we planned - we didn't end up going for the whole weekend since rain clouds toyed with us on and off, and no one likes to camp in the rain. However, we finally ended up saying let's just go for it and we packed up and went. We found the perfect camping spot with no one else around, totally free, on the river. A jackpot, considering the holiday. We ate until we felt sick (crackers and dip, fire roasted corn on the cob, fire roasted chicken nuggets, pickled asparagus, garlic bread, brownies,  bacon, hash browns, eggs), lounged by the fire, and snuggled up in a tent together. It was a great adventure with some great friends.