learning

This summer has been one of immense learning. We've learned about our house (immense rain + downward sloping driveway + clogged drain = flooded garage); we've learned about animals (groundhogs can run back into their burrow faster than you can get the gun loaded); and we've learned about gardening (3 zucchini plants produce far more zucchinis than 2 people can eat). Gardening has been my favorite. Our neighbors love the fact that we have more garden produce than caloric need and freezer space, and judging by the nibbles in my tomatoes, the neighborhood creatures are thankful for our garden too.

I feel like I've learned so much related to gardening and plants this summer, and I'm looking forward to another garden next summer. Our dirt will be better, and we won't plant a bunch of pumpkins. But now that the produce is rolling in, I'm enjoying learning how to do stuff with it. I'm freezing some things, but I'm pretty much out of freezer space now, so I've entered the world of canning. Batch #1 of salsa was a success. Aside from Tim's comment of "Huh, for the amount of time you spent on that, I thought there'd be a lot more salsa," it was a pleasant experience. I love being in the kitchen, and spending a couple of hours blanching, chopping, and stirring was therapeutic. Stay tuned for more afternoon projects that are more interesting than watching on-line lectures.

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