Canning Tomatoes | pt 2

Is that popping I hear??    YES, it is!!

What a great sound after a long, hot day. I have spent today canning tomatoes and, I have to say, I feel quite accomplished and proud. :) Here are the results!

Sometime (either tomorrow or later this week), I am hoping to make some salsa. That is something I have NEVER done or been a part of. But I adore mexican food and all that comes with it, so salsa is something I simply must make! :) Hopefully, I will be able to get it done. For now, though, I am just going to sit back and enjoy the delightful "popping" going on in the kitchen.

Canning Tomatoes

I am canning tomatoes today. Wooooooo!! This will be my first time canning completely alone and I am excited about it.

One of the many things I love about summertime are the tomatoes. Ironically, I grew up in tomato country and HATED tomatoes for most of my life. Then I hit 20 and began to crave tomatoes. I still can't eat them whole, by themselves, but I will put them in anything. :)

I have watched my parents can tomatoes for years.....but this year is MY year! *takes a deep breath* Into the kitchen I go! Wish me luck!


P.S. For those of you housewives who want to know how I do it, here is the recipe:

1- Make sure your tomatoes are ripe.


2 - Put on a LARGE pot of hot water - you want to bring this to a boil.


3 - Wash all your jars - preferably in the dishwasher because they will remain hot longer, but you don't have to do it in the dishwasher.


4 - Put your NEW lids in a pan of hot water along with the rings. You will boil them in a little while.


5 - Put all your tomatoes in the sink or a large tub. Pour the boiling water in step #2 over the tomatoes. You want to cover them so the skins will come off easily. You will soak them a while until you can put your hands down in the water to pick them out.


6 - Skin and core the tomatoes. Just pull the skins off - sometimes you may need to use a knife, but they should just peel off. Take a small paring knife and just cut out the core. Make sure there are no white hard spots on your tomatoes. cut those out.


7 - Cut your tomatoes in quarters, or smaller and put into a pan. I always cut the tomatoes over the pot so the juice will drip into the pot.


8 - You want to cook these tomatoes until they are tender. Watch them, and stir often so they won't scorch the bottom of the pan. It's good to have a heavy pot.


9 - While your tomatoes are cooking down, go ahead and bring your lids to a boil.


10 - When everything is ready set out your jars and put 1 tsp of PLAIN salt, and 1 tsp of sugar into each quart jar.


11 - Put your tomatoes into the jars leaving about 1/2 inch at the top and wipe off the edge with a towel, place your hot lid on the jar and screw on the ring. They should be very hot so be careful :-)


12 - After you have filled the jar and put the lid on it, place it in a place where it won't be in direct a/c and let it set for 24 hours. After that, make sure the lid bubble has sealed and they will be ready to store.

Happy Canning!

Choices in Christianity

Yes, I drink

Yes, I am living with so-and-so

Yes, I'm fooling around

Yes, I listen to ungodly music

Yes, I swear a little

Yes, I'm a Christian....

Does that bother you or is it just me? I hope it isn't just me...

God has burdened my heart lately about those I know (and don't know) who live exactly like that. They call it "modern Christianity" forgetting that our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Amen.

While I was thinking on this, I thought about greats in the past. They lived their lives, just like you and me. They woke up in the morning, slept, ate, went to bed at night...but they had something more. What was it? I'll tell you: they truly loved Christ. They followed Him. They obeyed Him. And that is what separated them from all the, shall I say, plastic flowers. They didn't just live Christ on Sunday, they lived it every day, every moment. They "came out and were separate.." They were "in the world, not of the world..."

John 10:27

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:"

Luke 9:23

"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."

Joshua 24:16

"And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;"

 

1 John 2:4

"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

It is not a matter of upbringing, tempting situations or anything else that determines what we will and will not do. It's our choices, not our past, that bring things about.

Study the lives of Jim Elliot, Amy Carmichael, David Livingstone, Gladys Aylward, John Hyde, Mary Slessor, Maeyken Wens, Martin Luther, Fanny Crosby, Billy Sunday, Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, Hudson Taylor, Jonathan and Sarah Edwards, William Tyndale, E.M. Bounds, Isobel Khun, Esther Ahn Kim.....need I go on??

I cannot see those great men and women of Christian faith going to the bar, living with their boyfriend/girlfriend, smoking or dancing, or fooling around, or swearing, compromising, or playing with fire....I can't see it. Just like I cannot see Peter, Paul, Andrew, James, or John living like that. Or... Jesus. Can you see Jesus Christ blending in the world today? Can you see Him at the bars? The clubs? In the backseat? Why then would you???

The great men and women of God heard and obeyed when Jesus called them to "deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me."  (Matthew 16:24) They denied themselves the simple pleasures that we call "our rights." They took up their cross - whatever "cross" it may have been. Hurt, abandonment, betrayal, rejection, laughter, loneliness, money problems, health problems, whatever they had to bear, whatever their "thorn in the flesh" was, they took it. And they followed. They went to the ends of the earth. They struggled, they fought, and they prevailed! They led many souls to glory!

There are choices in Christianity. I encourage you - LIVE in such a way that when others see you, they don't see YOU, they see HIM!

The Trip of a Lifetime!

Evangelist Jack Daniels

and

The Lisemby Family

2010 Holy Land Tour

We invite you to join us as we
journey to the place where it all began!

November 8 - 16, 2010

An unforgettable 9 days of your life! Experience the Bible as it comes alive right before your very eyes!

Along with some of the best guides that Israel offers, Bro. Jack and the Lisembys will share their personal Bible knowledge of the place that the Bible calls "The Holy Land" (Zech. 2:12)

Total cost: $2950 (covers everything)

For your free brochure click here.

If you are unable to go, but would like to sponsor a member of the team and help pay their way, please contact
Joel Lisemby at JKLisemby@tds.net
or call (870) 348-5429