Beets- Window to My World

There's really nothing prettier than beets in jar! 

You can see part of my backyard in the jar reflection.

(For PICKLED BEET SYRUP recipe, scroll towards the

bottom of this posting.)

Here's our good 'ol canning equipment.

Water is so luscious, isn't it? 

A humble unpeeled beet, steaming in the pot.

Boiling beets are pretty/ugly- look like little monsters!

Then you peel 'dem beets!

An' stick 'em in a jar witch-yor syrup!

An' before ya know it, ya got more jars joinin' da party!!

Well, all done, so I'm hangin' up my apron for the day!

But before I go, I'm going to give you my recipe for the beet syrup.

Don't forget to follow the canning instructions from companies like Ball or Kerr to make sure your beets are safe to eat come winter time!  I do not give you complete canning instructions here because they can tell it better than I can.  Link to Ball by clicking HERE.

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Pickled Beet Syrup

Enough to fill 6 (six) Quart Sized Jars ) with beets in them.

4 cups white vinegar (5% acidity) to 2 cups granulated white sugar

. Of course you’ll have to adjust how much you make according to how many beets/filled jars you have, but that is a pretty accurate ratio of sugar to vinegar. You need to warm this on the stove and make sure the sugar is dissolved. I like to taste it and make sure it doesn’t make me pucker up when tasting. If I do, then I add some more sugar.

~~

Another little tidbit:

This reminds me of the story of the little Red Hen- how she wanted everyone to help her with harvesting the wheat for the bread.– no one wanted to help, but she did it anyway and then they all wanted to eat the bread without doing the work. The Good Little Red Hen gave them some anyway.. There’s a lot of steps to processing your own food out of the garden, but it’s worth it. America , at one time, was an agrarian society. Just about everyone had a garden. No more...The last thing I have to say is- thank God for farmers - because without them, we wouldn’t have all the food we have to eat. So if you want to go back to your "roots," plant a garden, or a least a little pot of tomatoes.

~~

And as Forrest Gump would say:

"Have a Nice......Day!"

XXOO, BB

I Think I'm Cracking Up.......

 Who Can Resist These Impish Little Faces??

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I know I can't.

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Well, we've recently gotten through the latest round of severe weather.  Tornados struck far south of here last night, but I was no less prepared for the worst.

~

When getting warning of a line of severe weather coming my way, I take it very seriously, always have.  Ever since I was nearly in a tornado on Palm Sunday 1965.

~

I have an underground shelter where I live now, and I have my "plans" in place.

My plans are what to take with down into the HOLE.
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It makes me feel like Alice (in Wonderland) in some ways.

By the way, if you like Alice, you can't miss watching Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" movie.  It is FANTASTIC.  Believe it or not, it made me Cry.

Well, I'll try to make this long story short. 

~

What would you take with you if you had to survive a disaster?

Here's what I take with me into the HOLE:

Matches, water, flashlights, my purse, computer passwords and USB sticks with

my irreplaceable files, car keys.

AND  MY DOLLS.

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Thats' why I think I'm cracking up.

I can't resist these little faces.

I can't bear the thought of them being lost

in a storm.

I almost think they each have a little soul,

and I would hate to lose them.

So I pack them, and their patterns,

into my

"tornado boxes"

and go down into the

HOLE

when the alarm sounds.

I have to agree with the Mad Hatter when he says,

"We're all a little Mad......"