Canning Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate

A long night of canning - 5 quarts of pickles and 4 quarts of Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate

It was love at first sip for me and strawberry lemonade. Summer in the valley brings great prices on flats of strawberries at Superstition Ranch Market, and winter means friends are begging me to take lemons off their hands. What could be better than an inexpensive drink chock full of Vitamin C?

At any given time our freezer is overflowing with pureed strawberries, lemon juice, or my strawberry lemonade base. It got to the point that an entire shelf was dedicated to my favorite beverage. Since a second freezer is not possible, I needed a better way to store my strawberry lemonade concentrate. A search turned up this recipe from Ball, the canning company. I had all the ingredients on hand and I canned up a batch when I last made pickles. Other bloggers had success with quarts instead of pints and that's the way I went with the project. I did add about 7 minutes to the water bath processing time. Finally- more room in the freezer!

I love it when a plan comes together!

Holy Honeydew!

If you live in the East Valley you may have heard of The Backyard Farmer aka Veggies Delivered.com Someone mentioned them in a local Facebook group and I had to try them for myself. Local produce? Delivered to my door? They take PayPal? I couldn't get to their website fast enough.

The veggie and fruit selection is not bad, but even more fabulous- they also carry baked goods, canning supplies, bulk grains, homemade soaps, grass fed beef, and even animal feed. I can't list everything they carry so please check out their website for the full list. You'll be blown away. No kidding!

We purchase chicken feed and grains frequently so I know my prices. The organic grains are the same price as the place I had been buying it. The chicken feed was very close, buy hey - no hauling- they drop it off in my driveway! Veg and fruits are a bit more than Sprouts, but usually much bigger.

There are plenty of testimonials on their website, so please check it out. Personally, I am impressed. The honeydew in the photo above weighed in at a hefty 9 lbs for under $4. Selection varies weekly. Read the "Important Info" on their website for order deadlines and delivery dates. And yes, delivery is free, but there is a place to include a tip for the driver on your bill.

Hey KMart? Are you listening?

Yes KMart - here is yet another incident of your famous exploding Martha Stewart tables that you've been ignoring for years. This time it was in my backyard.

At 5:45 am this morning it was overcast and cool, kind of rare for the Arizona desert at this time of year. The sun was just beginning to peek through the clouds. After returning from outside to feed our hens I had just sat down on the couch when I heard a commotion in the backyard. I've only heard my chickens freaking out like this when danger was approaching, usually in the form of a stray cat or fireworks. I scanned the yard to check on the cause of their upset and whoa! A shattered glass mess under what used to be our fabulous outdoor table with a built in lazy Susan. It was your Martha Stewart table exploding that caused our flock to start screeching. Thankfully they were 30 feet away and not hit by any flying glass.

I'm not stupid. I did my homework. I know this isn't the first time this has happened with your Martha Stewart patio furniture and kitchen tables. Heck, it's not even in the first hundred incidents. Google lists many articles, incidents and several videos. I know you've been sued, I know that people have demanded for several years that you recall these tables, but you keep ignoring the problem.

Here is my dilemma. I think you should compensate me with at least a coupon for 50% off one of your new and improved outdoor tables. I'm not asking for a new one at your expense, the table was in excellent condition but it was several years old, obviously. Still, since it was in excellent condition, we expected to get many more years of use out of it. I will be happy with a very good discount to replace my used table that had a bad design flaw you've been ignoring. If you can't help me with that, I may need to start shopping elsewhere. If you want to know how much I shop in your store I will be happy to send you the number on my rewards card. That way you'll know exactly how much you will be losing if I decline to return to your store.

Honestly, I love KMart. Your employees are wonderful at your Lindsay and Main location here in Mesa, AZ. When I check out, they not only thank me for shopping there, they say "Thank you for shopping with us and keeping us open." And they mean it! They keep the store clean and stocked and they are always helpful. You have the best sales on the paper goods, toiletries, and cleaning products that we use, and it is the only place I buy our socks, t-shirts, undies, etc. You get the picture. I am 48 years old. No joke- I have been shopping at this KMart location since I was 15 years old and new to Arizona. I've been a loyal customer for 33 years and I hope that means something to you.

So please don't let me down. Are you listening KMart?

Snowbird Christmas

My Aunt Pat contributed to a compilation of Christmas stories. Check it out. . . Kindle edition is on the right.

Desert Garden Carrot Harvest

A long time ago Ben found on old dresser dumped in the parking lot of his office. He hauled it home and we turned it into a raised bed for carrors and radishes. It is filled with a mixture of potting soil, compost and sand and we've been very happy with the results.

This month we are harvesting a mixture of baby carrots, including chantenays, oxhearts, Paris Market, and Dragons- the beautiful crimson colored carrot. Nothing goes to waste from this raised bed- the hens love eating the carrot tops.