I am back from Vacation.  Did you miss me?  I hope so.

I love vacations.  They allow you to spoil yourself with too much food, too many spirits, too many late nights and too many days sleeping in.  All that spoiling leads to weight gain and a vacation hangover of monumental proportions.

Time to get back in control before I become the eighth Dwarf named Glutton.

I did accomplish quite a bit of stuff around the Homestead though.  The gardens kept me busy picking and weeding, along with herbs being trimmed, washed and hung to dry.  With the bounty that is now starting to come off the plants, it was time to get some canning and preserving done.

First up was Chipotle Peach Jam.  I made two batches of the smokey-sweet concoction as one was for me and the other for my daughter, who was supposed to help, but ended up having to head back home before the peaches I bought from the market were ripe enough.

Next was Green Tomato Relish, oh man, this stuff is delicious on a hamburger or grilled sausage.  It is also a perfect recipe for when you are at the end of the growing season and have a picked the last of the green tomatoes before relegating the plants to the compost heap.  Be forewarned though, making this relish is an open invitation to every fruit fly within a 50 mile radius.  I have kept a shot glass of balsamic vinegar with a few drops of dishsoap on the window ledge for a couple weeks now, the last time I dumped it there were at least 50 of the little buggers in there. If you haven’t heard of this unique flytrap, give it a whirl, it works wonders.

Peaches made another headline in my Jalapeño Peach Jelly, of which the recipe will be posted later this week, so you will just have to wait for it.  This rose tinted jewel has a unique flavor that livens up the standard PB and Jelly sammie but it also shows its sophisticated side by starring on top of a brie-topped cracker.

I also have Tomato Basil Jam to be done this week but I am waiting for a few more toms to ripen for the batch.  This stuff is awesome as well.  I love having a variety of jams to choose from for my morning toast, not to mention it makes for great hostess gifts in a pinch.

In between all the canning chores, we definitely made sure we had *fun*.  Kayaking in and around the islands of the South Bay, tending to my ever growing duck farm (never mind the feather pillow, I believe I have enough for a Queen size duvet), campfires at night with star-filled skies to stare up into and bike rides to try and burn off excess calories consumed.  Knitting was also a high priority as we had a few days of cooler temps where it felt like Fall was around the corner, so the sweater I had started in July has made it closer to completion and the afghan was hauled out to work on as well (and keep me warm in the process).

All in all a great vacation, with plenty of ideas for upcoming new posts rattling around in my brain to be put to cyber paper.  I need to start writing notes when an idea hits, as I am at the age where if you don’t write it down…poof… it’s gone from the memory banks.

What was I talking about? Oh yes, vacation.  Is it time to go on one yet? I think I need a vacation from my vacation…..