In a Jam

  I had great plans Saturday:  Above you see 210 pounds of cabbage, and some store-bought zucchini and yellow squash.  They were going to become Chow Chow.  And to the right are two bushels of cucumbers for Bread & Butter Pickles.  There are 4 buckets of sliced cucumbers that did become B&B's, already canned, washed, labeled and put away.  And from 8:00 a.m. to noon, I chopped and sliced and flung cabbage far and wide, but then, after everyone was done working the farmers' markets, farmers started knocking on the back door.  Mike Z. and his adorable son, Charlie brought another bushel of gorgeous cucumbers.

  Bobby Shelton and his wife knocked next, with these black raspberries that I had completely forgotten ordering earlier in the week.  They are so beautiful and so fragrant!  There is batch number one in the background, cooking to a lovely jamminess.  Twenty five flats, eight pounds to a flat, made 183 twelve ounce jars and 48 eight ounce jars and one tired jam maker.
  I did manage to get through almost all the cabbage, minus the last nine heads that I just couldn't bring myself to shred by 7:00 p.m.  It's all salted and layered with peppers and onions and the squash, sitting in the walk in waiting to be chowed today.  Is Chow a verb?  It is now!
  Today, Mom will be watching Bella for me so I can pickle my heart out.  I passed my June production goal with the jam, 1175.5 units, so everything else is gravy, pickled gravy.  And then, two blissful days off, filled with weaving, cleaning, laundry, mowing, out with friends for dinner and sleeping in past 4:00!  Hurray for Sunday, my Friday!