Into the farms, once again

Well, it was time to go on another double date into farm country. Tiffany and Nick joined us in this trek, which included all of our usual stops.

The Raspberry Ranch was, in a word, infested with mosquitoes. Dave and I managed to each get a pint, which was important because I planned on making raspberry vodka (and I did, yesterday). Tiffany and Nick made a valiant effort but decided to retreat to the car. I was disappointed the grapes weren't ready, but it looks like they will be next time. I'll have to remember to wear a hoodie and a gas mask.

Next stop was Susie's Garden Patch, which at this point is a little muddy and a little picked over.


We did manage to get about 12 lb. of tomatoes for my pasta sauce, as well as some delicious purple peppers. But our shoes were the worse for it. Still, the bunny always likes the carrots we bring him from here.

Especially after making salsa, I have been really excited to try to make pasta sauce. Canning this stuff is kind of a lot of work, but it will be worth it to taste red, farm-fresh tomatoes in January!

Last stop was Valley Orchard, my favorite. We got a huge bag of early gold apples and also got to pick some blackberries and raspberries. They had two kinds of raspberries, fall red and champagne pink. We got a pint of each!

And Tiffany made a friend: the orchard played host to a neighbor's rooster, who followed us around (and, let's be honest, we followed him around, too).


Another awesome day. Dave notices how happy I am on these days where we go picking, and he is happy to oblige as I saddle our car with pounds and pounds of fruits and vegetables.

As I type, the pasta sauce is simmering on the stove. It's a lot - a LOT - of sauce, so I'm not even sure how many jars to sterilize for canning. I've got two crates' worth, so wish me luck!