We had 19 paddlers for the SOT / Sit-In kayak practice day today at Channel Islands Harbor. It was a good turnout!
We worked on self rescues, assisted rescues, and rolling.
Kirstie and I went paddling today to try out her new kayak. I paddled it a couple weeks ago as a trial but this was her first time on the water in it. About 15 of our friends were also there for a paddle to Hueneme Pier.
Here is a photo of Kirstie in her new boat - an Eddyline Falcon 18. We purchased it from a friend for $ 300 - a steal!
This boat once belonged to our good friend Peter O'Sullivan and also belonged to another great friend Steve Wilson. It's not a beginner boat, but Kirstie handled it like a pro. She is a good paddler and looks right at home on the water.
Kirstie and I put up another 6 jars of pickles today. We had lots of cucumbers and a little extra time (while she is on summer vacation). We are getting the process down pretty well now. It takes less than an hour from start to finish - including cleaning and cutting the cukes, preparing the vinegar solution, sterilizing jars, stuffing, filling, and boiling the finished jars.
So far this summer we've put up 30 jars. We usually experiment with one or two jars - adding various vegetables or chile peppers or other items. Today we made a jar of pickles with 8 serrano peppers. We'll see if that one has a kick!
Here's a sampling from today's harvest. I didn't pick anything yesterday, so this is really 2 day's worth.
The kitten (Henry) is interested...
We’ve been growing heirloom tomatoes. Here are a few we like:
In the photo, the large pink ones are Watermelon Beefsteak. The yellow ones are Old German.
Old German is very tender and sweet – with no acid taste whatsoever. The meat is very soft and consistent – with very few seeds. It melts in your mouth. If you like sweet tomatoes this is the one for you. It looks good too – yellow with dark pink running through it.
Watermelon Beefsteak is very juicy and strikes a balance between sweet and acidic taste. A good sandwich slicer. One slice completely covers a piece of bread.
The little pink one is called Razzleberry. It’s not a heirloom but It is always perfectly shaped and just the right size for garnish or salads. Good tomato taste. Carmen rated it a 10. I can only give it an 8 because I am still in search of the perfect juicy tomato with a bold, tangy, acidic flavor.
Soon we’ll have two other varieties ripening (Rose and Brandywine) and we’ll see how they taste.
We have had a few hundred roma tomatoes so far. Carmen uses them in sauces and salads. We give the rest away so they don’t go to waste.
