House shadow on trees at sunrise
As I write this it’s already 9 days into October. How did that happen??? The nights have turned cold consistently now, in the 40’s. And I don’t have storm windows on yet, so the house is cold in the mornings. But as we have sunny days, if I lit the stove, it would be 90F inside. So I wait.
On Tuesday morning I was up at 5:30AM and got the first load in the dishwasher, then mended my chair cover and got laundry started. The post was small as I’d been feeling poorly on Monday. I had a lot of chores to catch up on before my helper friend arrived at 9:30AM.
Sunrise through the trees
I’d finished cleaning up the kitchen and the laundry was about half done when he arrived. We hauled the carrots out of the pantry and each took a bowl and started scrubbing them clean.
We sorted them, damaged ones to go to the freezer, good ones to the kitchen table to dry off. My helper cut away the bad bits on the ones for the freezer and then I peeled them. (I don’t like carrot skins loose in foods.)
I got the blanching water going and started sorting out boxes and covers for freezing. He started chopping the peeled carrots. I got them all blanched and packed, netting 10 pints for the freezer.
Then I took storage bags and cut many holes in them and filled them with the good carrots. There were 5 bags totaling 18.37 lbs. They just fit in the vegetable drawers in the 2 upstairs fridges. They will keep well there for many months.
While I was doing that, my helper friend went out and harvested the Walla Walla Sweet onions. I’d asked him to harvest both rows, but I think he only got one. The nasturtiums had grown over them and I don’t think he got the second row.
He cut off the tops and washed them. I sent him to the store while I processed the greens to freeze. I got 10 ½ cup bags. I finished cleaning up about 2PM.
I have the onions to process on Wednesday. I’ll have to go see if I can harvest the last row before I start.
Also on Wednesday I hope to go to exercise class but I am still coughing with a sore throat. I thought it was from the dust from the mulch hay and from mowing on Sunday, but it’s hanging on. I also have laundry to finish and we’ll see how I feel.