BlogHop 09

I'm not at BlogHer. (Sulk.) But if you're reading this you aren't either! (Sorry to rub it in.) So break out the booze and the snackies, cause it's party time!

I live with my partner and our 14 year old son and 16 year old daughter. I don't have a giveaway per see, but I do run a monthly Top Commenter Contest over at Lola's Diner where I reward my Top Comment Whores, (I mean Top Commenters). Still plenty of time to join in. Just start commenting!

At Lola's Victory Garden I blog about the progress of my Victory Garden. With a limited income and tough times I need to stretch every penny. Planting my own garden, will not only give me the freshest, best tasting produce now, but I plan on canning my surplus.

Canned Bread and Butter Zucchini Pickles, Dilled Green Beans, Basil Green Beans, Pickled Asparagus, Tomatillo Salsa (yum!) and Tomato Sauce are just a few of the veggies I canned last year. Last year I also made Strawberry Jam, Blueberry Jam, Bluebarb Jam and my favorite, Blackberry Jam. I have also canned meatloaf and barbecued pork. (Yes! It's good too!)

This year I'm hoping to add coleslaw, pickles and brussels sprouts (they are delish! And I'm totally addicted to the ones they sell at my local Farmer's Markets.

If you are on Twitter, follow me. My Twitter Id is "lolasdiner".

Why not become a follower and follow my garden and my canning escapades?

Lola's Victory Garden
©2009

If I Could Blog Back Time Thursdays - Worst Cooking Disasters

Come join me for a very special edition of If I Could Blog Back Time Thursdays! We'll be taking time out to share some memories. We'll Blog Back Time with possible ways to right past wrongs or about how times have changed. We'll share childhood memories, school/work memories, family and friend memories.

Today's topic is: Worst Cooking Disasters

Come on, even Lola has had 1 cooking disaster, (ok, 2) what about you?

Did you have some cooking disasters early in college, early in your marriage?

Did you make a disastrous mess?

Did it turn out awful?

This week's topic courtesy of Stephany @ Soulful Sepulcher.

Since this cooking disaster has to do with canning, I thought I would post it here on Lola's Victory Garden. I can't say I've really had many cooking disasters. Mine mostly revolve around taking on too much and making an incredible mess. The second one would be when I tried to can Pumpkin Butter. Before I go any further I must mention that the USDA does not approve of canning Pumpkin Butter because it is too dense to insure proper processing. This was the first thing I ever attempted to can and I had an old recipe book. If you're canning, make sure your recipe book is up to date, or that you are aware of current procedures and what products and/or procedures the USDA approves of.

This was a complete disaster, beginning to end. And so much mess. I can tell you now that I will never take on cooking pumpkin. From that day forward I will only buy canned pumpkin for pies and baked goods. First off, pumpkin is difficult to peel and cut into cubes. Second of all, it takes forever to boil until it is soft enough to mash or process in a food processor and you must first remove all the excess water. My kitchen table and floor was full of pumpkin guts, even though I planned ahead and laid newspaper down. (Only on the table.) After I canned it I put it in my pantry. Before I attempted sampling it I discovered that Pumpkin Butter was not safe to can, per the USDA, so I ended up pitching them, cute little jars and all. (Now I'm kicking myself, because I could be using those cute little jars for jam.) This was at about 10 years ago.

Now it's your turn. Please post your "Worst Cooking Disasters" on your blog. Then come back to Lola's Diner and leave the actual post link here. Please grab the html code for If I Could Blog Back Time Thursdays! Badge HERE.

Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

IF YOU SEE THAT MckLinky APPEARS TO NOT BE WORKING, PLEASE POST A LINK TO YOUR "FIRST TIME I STOOD UP FOR MYSELF" IN THE COMMENTS TO MAKE SURE WE ARE AWARE OF YOUR PARTICIPATION. THANK YOU!


PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS MckLinky IS STRICTLY FOR 'IF I COULD BLOG BACK TIME THURSDAYS' PARTICIPANTS ONLY.
ANY OTHER LINKS WILL BE DELETED WITHOUT PREJUDICE!

Lola's Victory Garden
©2009

Weekend Garden

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. Weeds are still getting out of control, even with the hay. I need to motivate one of my kids to help me rake away the hay and lay down newspaper, and then put the hay back on top of the newspaper.

2 green tomatoes

Zucchini is flowering

Cabbage is growing

....06/13/09...............06/30/09..................07/17/09

Lola's Victory Garden
©2009

Weekly Blog Hop - Intro

***Join me as I embark on this year's Victory Garden. I've had gardens before, but this year more than ever we will be relying on our garden as a food source.***

Lola's Victory Garden
©2009