Yesterday and today have been busy, busy, busy. Labor day was definitely full of labor. I did laundry, weeded, cleaned house and canned tomatoes. I managed to get 7 more pints of diced tomatoes (although one jar didn't seal- my first failure of the year) and another 10 pints of enchilada sauce. We are definitely set for enchilada sauce for the year. Good thing we like enchiladas! And the diced tomatoes are useful in all sorts of things. I think I've finally perfected spanish rice- it's still not quite Zatarain's but it's pretty darn tasty. That is the one thing I use the diced tomatoes for the most. Now, having finally figured out what I have been missing (paprika!) I'll need to make sure I freeze some sweet peppers, This is the first year I've had enough bell peppers to actually have some for storage. And the Sweet Italian peppers are going crazy this year so I'll have plenty to freeze.
Today, I labored at work. It was insanely busy and we had someone off sick which always adds more stress into the mix. And I came home to chicken chores, dinner, pantry reorganization and deep conversations with children.
Tomorrow looks to be about the same. Work is still stacked up from today's unfinished tasks and I've got more tomatoes that will need to be processed. Sheesh! Doesn't a girl ever get a break? I guess not this time of year. But I'm trying to not complain. This is the life I've chosen for myself and all this food preservation works to help feed my family.
I sometimes wonder how women managed all of this in the past when they were responsible for preserving enough food to feed their family for the year. That always just blows my mind. I think of how tired I am after a day of housework, gardening and canning. And to do that day after day plus caring for children and animals. Wow! It gives me much more respect for what these women were able to accomplish. Of course, I also try to give myself some credit that I'm managing what I'm doing while working outside the home. That said, if I had to feed my family for the entire year we would probably starve.
"I also try to give myself some credit that I'm managing what I'm doing while working outside the home." Say that again with feeling!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, I don't know how you manage to do it all. I mean, I work from home, probably around 5-10 hours per week max, I've got no kids other than the feline variety, CatMan's only here a few days per week, and he could care less if the place was a complete and utter disaster. Still, there are many, MANY days when I feel like I can barely keep up.
I think it helps to bear in mind that while our pioneer fore bearers certainly had a tough row to hoe, most of them also had the Homestead Act (ie: NO mortgage) plus an entire family dedicated pretty much exclusively to the work of putting food on the table.
I, for one, think that you should be very, VERY proud of all that you do - just reading your blog is an inspiration to me.
LOL! You ladies are going to give me a big head! I don't feel very inspiring. And while not a pioneer in any sense of the word, my mom grew most of the food for all of our family when we were young. I remember child labor. Oh yeah....
DeleteAmen to what EcoCatLady just said regarding what you manage to get done WHILE working a full-time job away from home. I continually marvel at your enthusiasm, energy and hard work.
ReplyDeleteYep, the farm/homestead families of past times usually had many children who helped significantly with the workload the woman of the house bore. And often, too, there was a maiden aunt or grandmother living with the family who contributed. So even though there were more mouths to feed, there were also more hands to cook, clean, garden, provide child care, take care of animals, etc.
Well, I'm not TECHNICALLY employed full time. I'm 90%. so I do get a day off every other week. But, yeah, 4-5 days a week finds me heading out the door at 640 an and home just before 5.
DeleteAnd I hadn't thought about the extended family living there. But I do know that there were lots of group canning days. We used to have the family 'apple cider day' when I was growing up. All the relatives would arrive and we would press cider and have fresh cider and donuts. YUM! With many hands, the work goes quickly and then you share.
Oh, you made me chuckle!! I agree with both ladies, you do an amazing amount of work both at home AND in the garden! And the reason you can do all this is because you love what you do I'd say and it is just "part of your life"!! You amaze me, that's for sure!!! ...debbie
ReplyDeleteI do love what I do, both at home and at my paying job. I know there are 'easier' ways to do things but I really, really like providing for the family.
DeleteHonestly, I think kids were better at entertaining themselves back in the pioneer days and were expected to help much more LOL! A large extended family under one roof would help too.... I can dream can't I? You got a lot accomplished!
ReplyDelete