The kids and I have returned from a brief holiday visit to see friends in Chattanooga. The trip was very nice and we are exhausted. Much of today will be spent in recovery mode, doing laundry and reinforcing sleep schedules. I'm not planning any ambitious activities and have promised that I'd be gentle with myself as I move about - no rushing or bemoaning what couldn't be done. Most of my clients were also away so I doubt there will be much in the way of communication from them today as they deal with backlogged e-mails and phone calls.


I'm sure I'll be successful with my committment to calm largely because I know a storm of activity will hit later in the week. The darling Alisha is sending me white peaches from her tree! They'll need to be dealt with rather quickly - some will no doubt be eaten out of hand while others will be canned in a spicy cinnamon and nutmeg syrup. I may even puree a couple. Bellinis, anyone? Everyone should be so lucky as to either have their own peach tree or Alisha for a friend. Thanks babe!


I also want to complete the butterscotch sauce this week because I've been noticing that green beans are starting to hit the markets and I want to get it done before I'm distracted too much by the beans. I made some green bean puree for the baby last week before leaving for Tennessee but now I want to make pickles for the grown ups and even blanch/freeze some packs.


Finally, thanks to all of you who sent such nice messages to me - I will be having another Q&A post up soon to address your questions (unless it was a more urgent canning question, in which case you should have already received a response). For those of you who have requested recipes, hang in there! I am working on a small booklet containing the recipes that I've either posted or discussed here. My goal is to finish it before August - when canning/preserving time really cranks up - and I'll keep everyone posted.