It's cool and rainy today. It wasn't supposed to be and I had a long list of things to get done outside. I'm not that disappointed that I have to stay in.
We harvested that surprise broccoli that had been growing on the back side. Off only six plants we almost filled the harvesting bucket. After washing them, I looked in the book on how to freeze broccoli. It recommended soaking them in salt water for 30 minutes to eliminate insects. Sounds good, so I did that. Then it was pretty standard. First I cut them into the sized pieces I'll want when they come out of the freezer.
Then I blanched them. This old blancher was in my grandmother's things after she died. It's a pot in a pot. The inner pot has holes like a colander and nests nicely into the outer pot. After bringing the water to a boil, I threw it a bunch of broccoli and let them go for three minutes. After draining, I dumped them into another strainer to drain and started the next batch. Finally, I dumped the drained broccoli into bags.
It took less than half-an-hour from start to finish. In the end, we got about a gallon and a half in the freezer. That's a lot of broccoli when I didn't realize we had any.
That broccoli will taste sweeter because it was a surprise. And it's a blessing because I'm sore and it gave me something to do today without straining any muscles.
My body has been slow in learning this new lifestyle. Raising food involves a lot of lifting and physical work. My body is middle aged and not especially athletic. Sore muscles have become a regular part of my life. Last Friday we scooped cow pies and then Saturday I helped my daughter's girl scout troop pick apples, lifting quite a few heavy boxes. My back is still sore. But the rain has given me a respite, another day to heal and recover. I pray that each time I suffer this soreness, God is using it to grow strength in my body so next time won't be as bad. That's all I can hope for at my age.
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