Pouches & Domesticity

I made another zippered pouch yesterday for my sister. She's 16 and likes yellow & purple as well as funky designs. She often watches the kids for me, so I owe her big time. I should probably make her about 12 more of these.

On another note, I have been incredibly domestic lately. My neighbor/landlord/best friend's mom is very much into organic and natural living. She had a wonderful bounty of tomatoes, cucumbers, and cabbage this season, as well as garlic, onions, and swiss chard. Since my aunt & uncle own a farm and Bobby & I often work for them, we have access to tons (literally) of fresh vegetables, fruits, berries, and herbs. Jeanne (the neighbor) and I have been very busy making tomato sauce, pickles, and jams for the fridge & freezer. We have had to buy only a handful of ingredients (sugar, some spices, extra onions, pectin). It feels awesome to know that we are making the food that will help sustain our families throughout the winter.
This afternoon I will be shredding zucchini and cabbage for the freezer for future zucchini breads, cole slaws, and who knows what else.
Tomorrow, more pickles (refrigerator bread & butter pickles...Mmmmmm!).
We have been desperately trying to make our own tomato paste, to no avail. Today, it became chili sauce.
Oh! And Jeanne and her friend made homemade mozzarella cheese on Monday in 30 minutes. With the leftover whey, Jeanne made yummy bread today and we had tomato & cucumber sandwiches on fresh, warm, whey bread. Delish!
And now, I'm off to check on the pumpkin seeds I have roasting in the oven. I love this time of year!