Month: September 2012

I’m going to pickle a few tomatoes in the morning

I picked most of the green tomatoes that are left in the garden and plan to make some pickles with them.

I don’t think I should have drained the tomato and onion mix and I left out the celery, I could have replaced that with some garlic. These made a very sweat pickle and I’m enjoying a jar of them already.

I got a decent looking recipe from the Internet.

1 gallon green tomatoes
6 large onions
3 cups brown sugar
1/2 lemon
1 small whole hot red pepper (for each jar – optional)
3 red bell peppers
1 pint vinegar
1 pint water
1 tablespoon whole cloves
1 tablespoon allspice
1 tablespoon crushed celery seed
1 tablespoon whole mustard seed
1 tablespoon dry ground mustard
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
Wash and thinly slice the tomatoes and onions. Discard any with blemishes.

Sprinkle over the vegetables, one half cup of canning salt. Let stand overnight in a stainless steel or enamel pan or crock.

Tie the pepper, cloves, allspice and celery seed in a square of cheesecloth; fasten with cotton string. Slice the lemon and chop two peppers very finely.
Drain the tomato and onion well. Add all the seasoning except one of the pepper pods to the vinegar, then add the tomato and onion. Cook for 1/2 hour, stirring gently at intervals to prevent burning.
Remove spice bag to prevent darkening.
Pack in pint jars and garnish with slender strip of red bell pepper and 1 small hot pepper per jar (near the outer edge as decoration). Ladle hot vinegar mixture over jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
Adjust lids. Process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath canner.

 

My Great Grandfather Smith

He sat down when he was in his sixties, he lived on till he was in his ninety’s. I can remember a phone call that he had run over his neighbors trash cans, he lost his license after that. Somehow not having that and his failing eye sight made him sit down for the rest of his life.
I don’t think I ever saw him after he sat down, but I do recall hearing him holler “Do I like this?” from the other room.
My Great Grandmother waited on him hand and foot. He died by pieces, slowly one leg went and then the other was amputated from lack of circulation, while he lay in a hospital bed at the house.
Me I think I’d like to go all at once one big bang and done, no long lingering goodbye’s. I kid with my sister and brothers now asking them “Do I like this?” My sister mumbles back under her breath “He does now.”