Happy New Year

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!  We celebrated with some Rockin' Eve on the TV, some bubbly and of course some tasty apps.  It's always fun to eat what you grow and on this night of new beginnings, the jalapenos and tiny tomatoes made it into the menu.  I thought I had grown cherry tomatoes but they are all coming out closer to grape tomatoes in size and shape.  Either way, they are very sweet, shockingly so. You may be wondering, how did you dress up those humble home grown veggies for such a special occasion......well, with cheese and bacon of course!

Jalapeno stuffed with cheese and bacon

Cherry tomato with herb cream cheese

Can It!

What do you do when a bunch of cucumbers and jalapenos ripen at the same time? You pickle everything in sight! This is my very first pickle experience and I love how they look in the jars. I've made cherry and blackberry jam before so I'm not afraid of the canning process. I got the recipe from one of my favorite food/garden blogs and I love how simple it is.  Now I have to wait 4-6 weeks to have a taste. I forgot how hot it gets when canning. Imagine hovering over 3 pots of boiling liquid while it is 80+ degrees outside. Yeah, hot and humid to the extreme.