Just when I was making a little headway in the flowerbed reclamation department, the apples and pears and rhubarb and tomatoes (weehaw, I have some) are clamoring for my attention. So, it's back into the kitchen I go, lugging buckets and boxes of produce and nervously contemplating my "work list".

Today was the first day of "pick up the windfalls that can go into the cider press". D.eciding to pick up all of the apples before the yellowjackets woke up this morning, I sorted into cider buckets, chicken buckets, and compost buckets. And keep in mind that this is just the beginning of windfalls, with picking to follow.

There will be apple cider (made in the 100 year old cider press), applesauce, apple butter, maybe dried apples, and Jeff's favorite -- apple pie.

The pears are doing the first shift in the pear butter pan right now, Anna's asked for pear pie (made just like apple and so yummy), and Deb told me that I MUST make the pear wine again, so I have a list for pears, too.

My rhubarb favorites are rhubarb-ginger jam and rhubarb custard pie.

Lots of the tomatoes will be eaten fresh or tossed into a hot pan at the last minute with summer squash and sweet onion. If I find the time when enough are ripe at once, they will end up as tomato sauce or paste.

Sheesh, I'm getting jittery-er just listing all of the possibilities.