cold holiday weekends? no fair.

the cold wet april weather that is holding us in her grasp now into june is starting to grate on me. it hasn't done much (if any) damage to the garden but it does prevent me from spending all my time out of doors, which is my favorite spring and summer activity.

saturday i barbecued for my family and a major overhaul of the patio area was required just to make sure we could all stay dry should the weather turn unexpectedly. the layout is nice, i'll probably keep it that way for awhile. i whipped up asparagus and salad from market purchases and grilled some chicken with a couple of tasty rubs i whipped together. i'll try to get the recipes posted later today.

sunday we were blessed with a sunny afternoon, just in time for the second barbecue we assembled at our place. no sooner did we all go home to nap than it began raining on patio set draped lovingly with old thrift-store sheets. talk about timing.

sunday we barbecued turkey and tofurkey sausage, whole ears of corn and pork kabobs. with a no-spend-meal goal in mind, i threw together some vegetarian chili (featuring local chickpeas, home-canned tomatoes, spring sweet onions and backyard herbs) and some corn bread. add salad and asparagus and we were a well-fed bunch.

even though all the other moments i didn't mention were rainy and chilly, it was still a decent holiday weekend.

homemade christmas season

each year i contemplate homemade christmas gifts.
three years ago i vowed to have canned jams for everyone. two years ago...same vow. wait—okay, i contemplate canning for christmas gifts, and have since i started canning about three years ago.

each time, the christmas season comes around and i (sorry to say) become intimidated by the thought that people will not love and cherish and coo and smile over my simple homemade gifts. and then i run off and participate in america's favorite past-time, shopping.

this year the contemplation started as early as this summer, and here we are on december 3rd, no jam gifts to show for it...yet.

yes. this is the year i follow through.
initially i thought i would move away from the jams that always vexed me, and was considering textile gifts—canvas bags and simple cotton napkins to be exact. sadly, i found textiles more overwhelming, bringing more and more questions to light: what would i stamp on them? does everyone use cloth napkins? does everyone use canvas bags? how many napkins are an appropriate gift? what materials do i need? will they be expensive?

so i returned to culinary treats and made up a list that sounded manageable.
while i cannot promise any sort of theme, perhaps as i continue creating, one will emerge.

so far i have set my sights on: strawberry jam, applesauce, rosemary salt.
additional items may include: candied citrus peel, flavored syrup, pear butter, onion marmalade.

oo, and paperwhites may be thrown in for good measure.

the weekend of the 11th will be my big christmas project weekend, so i will report back then. even just typing this list out now gives me ideas of more items and appropriate themes, so perhaps things will change.

i have to say, this year i am really excited about this and am not feeling any of the insecurity i had previously. perhaps because this year this sounds like the most excellent gift i can think of?