we went out to the island for the last time this year.  apples for applesauce, pumpkins to make puree.  brussels sprouts and greens.  then home to naps.  after we woke up, i roasted the squash like Lyanda recommends.  it’s always so amazing to me that the squash can steam in their skins.  then the kids helped peel and get the guts out.  we ended up with 12+ cups in the freezer.  i cannot wait to make pumpkin apple butter from Food in Jars.  after Joseph was born i ate our entire batch myself.  i think this might be my most important birthing advice ever: make pumpkin apple butter and put it in the freezer.  the postpartum, nursing you will be so happy.  here’s an almost complete family picture…hard to get the baby to look at the right time!

 kids love to peel tomatoes!  Mabel is tall enough to work at the sink, but Nico still needs to use the step stool.  “Sissy, can you move your toes over?”

(and yes, this picture is quite old.  but i had boiling water and hot tomatoes and a baby on my hip.  i don’t think you wanted me to be wrangling a camera on top of all that!)

yesterday we peeled a whole crock pot full of tomatoes that our neighbor Joseph gave us.  He sent his son Dan over with the lot…his son who is 62!  Joseph and Phyllis raised their children in the house across the street from ours.  Dan was excited to see inside our place.  he told us about the crazy woman and her husband who used to live here.  sounds about right!

we were making sauce to accompany this ragu.  ours had fresh corn and greens too.  CSA pick up is today, so we needed to empty out our fridge.

here’s one more picture from the same month!  jumping on the bed! oh my!

in the very idea of serendipity is a kind of hope, even an expectation, that we can turn accidents of fortune to good account and make of them some knowledge that would have been inaccessible to us had we done no more than find what er were looking for.

–Alan Jacobs in The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction

i have been enjoying reading over at Knitting the Wind.  i made my way over initially to read  Sarah’s response to a piece Susan wrote about what it is children need to experience each day.  at the bottom of each post, there are suggestions of other posts “you might also like.”  and i did like them!  i can’t wait to try these apple muffins or these honey oat cookies!

while we were celebrating at the coast, Andy’s parents treated us to dinner at EVOO.  we had a wonderful meal and wine…that cost as much as our regular food budget for a week!  it was quite extravagant.  but the recipe that i actually learned at the show couldn’t be simpler!  it’s for brined beans.

America’s Test Kitchen recommends adding 3 tablespoons of salt to a gallon of water, and using this brine to soak dry beans.  i soaked my beans overnight, but i’ve read that this method also works great with a quick soak (heat beans + water to boiling; cover and remove from heat; let sit for 1 hour before cooking).

after brining, rinse the beans and cover with fresh water.  then cook on the stovetop or in a slow cooker.  the beans are tender and tasty!  perfect for eating with rice or in a burrito or added to a favorite dish.  perfect for weeknight suppers after homeschooling all day.

what’s your favorite way to eat beans?