Wednesday Witterings . . .

 

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I've been seriously craving a tomato sandwich this week, but not one made with the insipid tomatoes that you buy in the grocery stores. One made with fresh garden tomatoes. Ripe and sweet and loaded with flavor.  On white bread with plenty of mayo, salt and pepper.  When I lived in the U.K. I used to get a delicious delivery once a month of fresh tomatoes from the Isle of Wight. Oh my but they were some delicious.  I don't know what it was about the Isle of Wight that made for such good tomatoes but they were phenomenal.  You could even get a load of green tomatoes to make chow and stuff, which I did that last summer that I lived there.

This was my late mother in law's recipe for her green tomato chow.  It was amazing.  We always loved it and I used to make tons of it every year when my kids were growing up.  In the UK that last year I made a small batch and I gifted a few jars to friends who really enjoyed it.  Pickles are not something they really do over there. Oh, they do have plenty of chutney's, and there is Branston Pickle and they do pickled onions and eggs, but they are not really big on other kinds of pickles. I am not sure why.

When my kids were growing up the house used to smell a lot like vinegar and spices during the month of August as that is when I would be doing up my preserves. And I made a lot. Dill pickles, pickled beetroot, bread and butter pickles, relishes, etc. Homemade is always so much more delicious than anything you buy in the shops.  It is highly impractical for me to do much of it now, but I did enjoy doing the crabapple jelly with my sister last year.

We both have very small households now so perhaps preserving together is the way to go.

 

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Can't you just hear the creaking and slamming of that screen door?  I can. Its such an iconic sound of summer.  My door isn't on a spring so it doesn't creak and slam.  Who would have ever thought it would be a sound you would miss hearing, or a sound that would bring back such nostalgic memories?  That and the sound of bare feet padding across the kitchen floor.  Making popsicles for the kids to enjoy.  Buying whole watermelons.  Feasts of corn on the cob. Watching the children out at the picnic table shucking all of the corn ahead of time, a large pail full of corn husks filling up while they did it.  So much anticipation. I used to use my big water bath canner to cook them in. There would be at least 2 or 3 dozen ears and they would all get eaten.

When we lived in Southern Ontario we used to buy corn by the baker's dozen on the back roads of the county. There were always wagons parked and loaded with fresh corn picked that day. It was always super yummy.

Rites of passage in the summer months that made the hot and humid days almost worth it.

 

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I will be happy when the brakes on the car are done and I can come and go with abandon.  Its been rather boring just staying here day in and day out. Not so many adventures to go on or places to explore.  Mostly just shopping excursions granted, but I had not realized how much I actually looked forward to even just the change of scenery until all of a sudden I am stuck here, not able to go out and about.  My appointment is on Monday morning and, not to wish my life away or anything, I can't wait. I am sure it will be expensive, but it is what it is. Not much I can do about that! These are things that are necessary.

I got an e-mail from the CRA wanting me to pay back my Carbon Tax Rebate.  Apparently I don't meet the residency requirements?  I checked what the requirements were and I do.  I live in a small town in Nova Scotia, in Canada.   Nova Scotia is one of the provinces whose residents are eligible. 

You try to get ahold of anyone to talk to however.  IMPOSSIBLE!  Their telephone queues fill up immediately and you just get told to call back later. Same thing again.  I will try again today. Annoying as heck!

 

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Now there's a cute idea for drying flowers or herbs.   I don't have any to dry, but if I did, this would be lovely.  My tiger lilies are starting to bloom now.  I say mine, but I didn't plant them. They were already here when I moved in, planted by a previous resident.  I don't really like tiger lilies. At all. Lilies are not a favorite flower of mine. I cannot stand the smell of them. There is just something about it that I find offensive. 

I can remember as a child the church being decorated with Easter lilies at Easter and they would be in the church for several weeks and the smell would be so over-powering that it almost made me feel ill.   I just do not like the smell of lilies.

Roses . . .  I love the smell of roses and Peonies.  I love the smell of them also.  The drive at the Manor was lined with Tudor roses and they smelled beautiful. Oh, but the gardens there were stunning.  So beautiful in the summer months. It really was a beautiful environment to live in.

 

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Oh how I miss having baths. I have not had one in years now.  (I shower.) Not since they converted our bath to a shower room when I was living in Chester.  It is too hard for me to get in and out of a bath now. I think I could do it, but there is a part of me that is afraid that I couldn't, so I don't!  There is a bath tub in my place and a separate shower.  I think the plug is missing from the bath.   I should buy a new plug and just try it.  But what if I got in and then couldn't get out.  Sigh  . . .  probably better not to take the chance.

I used to love going into the bath with a book to read.  It was like I could leave the whole world behind and outside the bathroom door.  Well, it was never totally undisturbed.  When you have five children, nothing is every undisturbed, but it was still relaxing.

I always wanted to do like they did in the movies, have a bath with bubbles and candle light.  Soft music playing, just like a spa.

Growing up all we had was a bath. We did not get a shower in our home until we were in our late teens. I remember we used to wash our hair down in the basement over the utility sink.  Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific Shampoo and Lady Patricia Cream Conditioner.  Those were the days! My hair really did smell terrific!

 

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Oh I have wattled on enough now about not a lot of anything.  Its been a funny old morning. It is dark and a bit dismal, having rained in the night.  The air has a peculiar hue. A heat warning is still in effect. I think I am going to bake some kind of scones today. I love a nice scone, don't you?  Thank goodness for the heat pump which will keep it cool in here long enough for  me to bake some scones.  Oh, the wonders of modern technology. My mother had no such luxury.  I was watching a video yesterday of that Justine Beenie (sp) cooking in her wee cabin over an open fire, recipes from 1828 and she was positively glowing.  It must have been so hot. She did a raspberry tart, some baked potatoes and sausages.   Oh, and fresh peas.  I can't imagine how horribly hot it must have been for the pioneers to cook in the summer months.  No wonder many had kitchens situated away from their homes.

And with that I will leave you with a thought for the day . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

 *.˛.°Within you there is a stillness
and a sanctuary to which you can
retreat at any time and be yourself.
~Hermann Hesse  ° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

In The English Kitchen today  . . . Dill Pickled Green Beans. Crunchy, crisp, and delicious and very easy to make.

I hope you have a beautiful day. As far as I know it will be supper today at the Big Scoop with Dad and Hazel as per the normal Wednesday. Whatever you get up to, stay safe and cool, and don't forget!

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And I do too!