July 17, 2026 - Mostly a Day in the Kitchen

 Today was the day I had planned to make salsa. But a bigger priority was making Ezekiel bread and rye bread for Vince. I feel like I have a mental block or something against those breads. I know I say this every time but I really dislike making both of them. I don't like the way the taste. I don't like the way they smell. I don't like the stickiness of the dough! I sound like a complainer, don't I? But really, I have to just stop and do it because my preference is to keep putting it off so before I started the salsas, I got the Ezekiel bread made.

When I remembered to take a picture, the bread was already cool and bagged to go into the freezer. So mature of me to make the bread before he runs out!

Next I made the rye bread. I only have three cast iron pans (I know I say that every time too) so once they cooled, I got the rye dough in the pans to rise.

With the bread made, I could turn my attention to the salsa.

There were enough tomatoes to make a triple recipe, which gave me 10 pints and 1 half pint of salsa. I had everything from the garden except cilantro. It bolted months ago. Vince was going to town and I asked him to get cilantro. 

I doubt I get enough tomatoes to make another triple batch but, based  on what I picked this evening and how many are getting ripe, I should be able to make a double batch and get at least 5 more pints. That will give us enough salsa for the year - until tomatoes are ripe again.

No cross stitching today. I'm going to sit and read for a while and probably go to bed early.

Tomorrow my main project will be getting some of the chicken broth finished and canned. I need to can the candy roaster squash. I've probably picked all there's going to be for this year, but that's a pressure canning project, as is the chicken broth and unless I want two canners going upstairs and two canners going downstairs, that's too much to try to do in one day so . . chicken broth tomorrow and maybe the squash on Sunday.