Tuesday, August 29, 2023

My August Working Country Kitchen

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Good Morning, welcome to my working kitchen.

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Summer is such a busy time in a gardener's kitchen. Between our 'mess' from the basement damage, and the garden which is now 'giving up its bounty', I haven't really showed any photos of my house, porch or garden. 


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But Velkommen have a cuppa in my kitchen and we will catch up. I always have blue and white in my kitchen. In the summer I opt for dashes of red and yellow added. 

(The kettle is vintage Swedish enamel, I've always had some pieces of this from my family and I pick them up whenever I see them.)

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Gnomes all year round, thrift store find in porcelain.

You can have tea from the caddy...or...

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Have some coffee at our coffee machine. Yes, that is a big arse restaurant coffee machine. My husband bought this on the sly, and well, we had to design the kitchen around it.
But, IT IS THE BUSIEST
in the morning and also ideal for company. (I can have hot water brewing or decaf and regular...kept hot on the burners.)
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Sugar, sweetener, flavoring, creamer and spoons...it's all here, just pick your cup!

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Hubby also bought the towel...cracks me up.
Monday cup...please!

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And this service area works well, just to the left of the sink and filtered water.


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Another busy spot is the cabinet by the windows I have covered with a vintage tablecloth. I use this location in early spring for seedlings and now it has been full of tomatoes ripening for the last three weeks. We have to pick tomatoes before totally ripe--or the critters sample them.

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Our tomato crop was weird is year...we ended up with tons of small tomatoes, the yellows and the yellow pears.  So, I roasted most of them on parchment paper in large trays by slicing them in half.

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We did have plenty of reds and they are still producing, but only 4 plants.

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NUM!
They really are scrumptious and sweet.
So I CANNED TOMATOES!
3 BATCHES in the last week and a half.

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I put two large spoons (3-oz or so) of roasted tomatoes in each hot jar, added extra lemon juice(2 tsp.) and 1/2 tsp salt. Then added the cooked boiling tomatoes over the roasted  ones, then water-bath processed the jars for 15 min. A bit more than usual, but the roasteds weren't hot.

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I ended up with three batches over a week and a half, or 27 pint jars, of which 7 were made into sauce by cooking for 10 hours. 

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We've also had LOTS of cucumbers...yesterday I cut and seeded two large ones, some radishes, 2 small yellow squash, red pepper, onions, parsley, fresh oregano into a bowl. I added Italian dressing, some garlic oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper and a bit of Western dressing for tomato flavor and some sweetness. Num, this will keep until the weekend if we don't eat it all.
Sorry no recipe, I just sort of wing this by tasting. Once it sits for a day, it's even better.

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Last weekend I also made refrigerator Dills. This is a fast, easy and detailed recipe I shared HERE. They stay crunchy in the refrigerator for a year. My mother-in-laws recipe and it's fool-proof.

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This time of year fresh dill is plentiful normally, mine dried up in the hot weather, but the grocery had plenty.

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We ended up with a gallon and a half which I keep in the refrigerator. The sons will come and probably split the smaller jar.

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The island is always in use, but I try and have some fun seasonal decor on the end...what is more summer than a jar of old marbles, antique crocks, an antique French enamel lidded coffeepot and well something yellow to go with the sunflowers, my vintage McCoy yellow shoe.

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PHEW! Now you know why I called this my 
Working kitchen. 

Do you want another cup and stay awhile?

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Thanks always for visiting. 
I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question.

I will be sharing at these fine Parties!







All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions, posts or any products shown. Please do not use photos without linking back to this blog without my permission. Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi Magle

Sandi

































8 comments:

  1. This is so cozy! Oh my! Those sunflowers in the blue spatterware pitcher. Glorious! And those tomatoes. I am agog at the quantity you have harvested. Everything looks delicious and like the kind of kitchen you just want to be in!

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    1. Oh, thanks, Jeanie. Honestly it's been a hard summer...but I finally can do something. I hope I can catch up now! And, if you are ever in the Chicago area, you have to come and have a cup of ...friendship! Sandi

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  2. Sandi,
    Thanks so much for stopping by and I was happy to hear that you enjoyed my post about my kitchen and it brought back some memories for you!! Your Kitchen looks so cozy and inviting and you are definitely enjoying the fruits of your labor in your garden!!! We get tomatoes from the Amish Farmer and his are the best i have tasted....Hope you are having a good week!!
    Hugs,
    Deb

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    1. Thanks Deb, the tomatoes are very tasty this year...just small...but then the weather has been crazy. Today is the first only the second time the air has been off and the windows open since May. Hugs, Sandi

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  3. Love your post with charming vignettes. How inviting your kitchen is...Yummy food too. Blessings dear Sandi.

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    1. Aw, thanks, Maristella...just a little bit of a share! Hugs, Sandi

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  4. I love your August working country kitchen. And I can virtually see an old fashioned tomato sandwich in my future.
    Visiting today from Unlimited Linky 128 #9&10

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for visiting, and yes tomatoes sandwiches are NUM! Sandi

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Thank you for any and all comments. I will be happy to answer any questions or comments in replies or email! HUGS!