Wednesday, August 22, 2007

~This n' that~

Click here to read the funniest e-bay auction I've come across. I read the whole description to my husband last night, and we both laughed over it. HT to And So it Goes.
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Sallie of A Gracious Home started a new blog called Sallie's Stack. This blog is just for the interesting links she comes across.
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Wow! It has been raining here, off and on, since Saturday! The grass is so green now! We really needed all this rain!
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I had so much fun with my tomatoes yesterday that I'm dreaming up more things to make with tomatoes. Spaghetti sauce and ketchup are two things I'd like to can this summer. Last summer I made three half-pints of ketchup. It is SO good, and my husband just loves it! He is anxious for me to make more this summer!
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Speaking of tomatoes, I did a little online search on bushels, since I was confused on the matter. The best definition I came across was at Wikipida:
A bushel is a unit of dry volume....It is used for volumes of dry commodities, not liquids, most often in agriculture....The United States or Winchester bushel was originally defined as the volume of a cylindrical container 18½ inches in diameter and 8 inches deep (2150.420171… cu in); it is now defined as 2150.42 cubic inches exactly. It is divided into eight dry gallons, which are different from the liquid gallons with which most Americans are more familiar....There are four pecks in a bushel.

I also saw somewhere that a bushel of tomatoes would weigh approximately 53 pounds, and that it would yield 15 to 20 quarts of tomatoes. I only got 11 quarts, but I did cook them for a few minutes before canning them, so I am going to say that I got a bushel of tomatoes!
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Well, I think this is enough "This n' that". Have a great day!

6 comments:

Cherish the Home said...

I read the e-bay auction comments and you are right, that WAS funny!

Theresa's Notes said...

I read the e-bay auction, and I don't know if I should laugh or shake my head. Completely nutty.

theups said...

That auction was FUNNY!! Did you see her blog, too? It's funny as well! She seems a little shocked that she's gotten so much attention. But she is clearly a wonderful writer!!!

Would you mind sharing your ketchup recipe? I've thought of making it before, but I've never met anyone who has made their own before. I wanted a "tried and true" recipe. :)

His,
Mrs. U

Annecourager said...

I have to ask, what do you COOK your tomatoes in? Imma thinking that the reason mine have tasted horrible is because I've used the wrong kind of pot. Isn't there something wrong between tomatoes and aluminum?

Anyway I have a new stainless stockpot now...do you think that would make a difference?

Tammy said...

Mrs. U - I'll post my ketchup recipe when I make my ketchup!

Annecourager - I know that when you are canning and putting up produce, you are not supposed to use aluminum utensils/pots. What is it about the tomatoes that you do not like? Kevin doesn't like stewed tomatoes that well, but when I use my canned tomatoes in things, he likes the finished product. But I really don't know if a different pan would make a significant difference in the taste of your tomatoes.

Annecourager said...

Well, anytime I've tried to make spaghetti sauce it's tasted gross. Can't put my finger on it, but on the bitter side. So I've given up on sauce. Plus it takes so long to make!! :) I'm pretty sure that the problem has been the aluminum, now that I think on it.

At any rate, I will have bushels of tomatoes coming in at the most inconvenient time :) -beginning of school and teaching piano. So I need to stay on top o things!