"Mommy, I want a sandwich."

My daughter requested a sandwich. A sandwich is not your run of the mill item in this house. I try to oblige.

The pasta is leftover pesto tortellini.

The fruit is something from the Easton Farmer's market. It has a skin like a peach, is shaped like a small gourd and has white interior. Daughter loves them IF I peel the fuzzy peach-style skin off them. They also have a pit like a peach. Last time, she picked something similar, but it had an orange interior and the texture and flavor of a plum.

The sandwich is my homemade honey oat bread, with a slice of cucumber, two slices of deli counter ham (another oddity in this house) and a squirt of Goddess dressing.

Plums (from the Ball Blue Book)

Yesterday at the Easton Farmers Market, we bought a little more than three pounds of funky plums. We plan on 'putting them up' today. The right way. So, I got out the Ball Blue Book and began to study.

PLUMS
- 1.5 to 2.5 pounds plums per quart
- Sugar
- water

Hot pack: (I think I have to master hot pack before I can 'get' cold pack. My cold pack efforts have lead to fruit float.)
Wash plums. Drain. Prick whole plums in several places. Make a medium or heavy syrup. Boil. Reduce heat and simmer five minutes.
Cook plums one layer at a time, remove from pot and keep hot. After all plums are cooked, remove plums to syrup and let stand 30 minutes.
Remove plums. Simmer syrup. Pack plums into jars, ladle syrup, 1/2 inch headspace, cap, process 30 minutes in boiling water canner. 20 minutes per pints.

Plums may be cutvin half but are usually canned unpeeled.

Banana Bread and Nutella

At the Easton Farmers Market, we met a delightful woman who bakes via Spreading Joy Bakery in Stroudsburg. My daughter fell in love with her sample of banana bread so we bought a loaf and sliced it for breakfast. We had it with peanut butter or Nutella and wow was it heavenly.

Also-- my daughter leaves for camp today so does this mean I'll cook like a fiend to amuse myself or not cook at all?

Super Plums

Today I bought about three pounds of various plums at the Easton Farmers Market. I had hoped to can some, and I did, but my first attempt had little girl not packing the fruit tight enough so I had to repack.

I cut three plus pounds of plums. The Ball recipe says to pack them whole, after pricking them. I wasn't sure I wanted to keep them whole.

HONEY SUGAR SYRUP
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup honey
- 5 1/2 cups water

Bring to a boil, stirring as needed.

I had planned a raw pack but after we didn't pack them tight enough the results ended up getting a hot pack.

I only ended up with one pint, so I froze some of the honey syrup and, once I drained and repacked the plums, I saved the plum honey syrup and froze that.

Beginnings of a garden

Last weekend I weeded. Yesterday I planted seeds. Today I planted herbs. I'm excited about this year's garden, and I think daughter is too.

In the perennial department, the oregano, lavender, chives, mint, catmint and lemon thyme are off to a good start. For seeds, we planted some of mom's marigolds, violets, wildflowers, bush green beans, and salad greens. Today we added basil, dill, French sorrel (the salesman said it was the best for cooking) and cilantro.

All in my tiny flower bed and postage stamp backyard. Tomatoes and more herbs later this week...

Today's herbs courtesy of the Easton Farmer's Market.