Summer's Fairwell

We've been canning tomato juice and making salsa and while we're busily working, Summer is packing her bags and planning to leave us! I sorrow at Summer's yearly leave-taking. I dislike autumn. Now before anyone throws tomatoes at me, I'm going to explain why. I have some serious allergy microbes nesting in my system which become more territorial every year. When the air cools and the leaves begin to glow with color - my bronchial tubes close down and my nose drips in a steady stream. I move into some serious misery.

Autumn torments me. Not only does she make her presence felt physically, but she also carries nostalgia in her own suitcase and likes to unfurl pictures of the past that make me feel - well - she makes me feel nostalgic. And I don't like feeling nostalgic. I think it was Katherine Mansfield in her journal who wrote that autumn is like sitting in the dentist office knowing that something terrible was about to happen. This is not a direct quote, and it may not have been Katherine Mansfield at all who said it, but it hits pretty close to the mark no matter who said it.

Today is "Laborus Dayus". Giving Latin names to things adds an aura of importance, don't you think? Yesterday we were triple booked with going to church, fixing a lawn mower for a friend (which included a free meal as reward) and then over to another friend's house for a campfire. We got home at midnight totally bushwacked. Today we are going to a picnic for which I do not have to take a thing and for which I am very thankfulus gratefulus. Laborus Dayus is definately a day in which we labor and do not rest.

Salsa Recipe:
12 medium sized tomatoes
2 large onions
2 green peppers
2 red peppers
Jalapeno peppers (I use 2 for mild salsa and 4 for medium/medium hot salsa.)
1/2 to 1 c. sugar (I only use 1/2 c.)
1 cup vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)
2 tbl. salt
2 tbl. Mrs. Dash seasoning (use red cap for extra spicy or green cap for normal spicy salsa. I use the green cap.)
1/4 tsp. minced garlic

Chop all the vegetables (the food processor, on chop setting, works great for the peppers and onions.) Place in a large dutch oven with liquid and spices. Simmer for one hour, stirring often. Cool and then divide into smaller serving containers. Freeze. Or you can water bath process in jars which is what I do.
Serve salsa with chips or on meat dishes. Enjoy!

Artwork in the graphic is by Mary Englebreit and is used here for nonprofit use only. Graphic is made using a tutorial by Kricket.