The Beautiful Days of May

Happy May!

 Can you believe how fast 2020 is racing by?
 In just a little over six weeks, we will be taking care of our sweet grands in Arizona and getting ready to welcome a new baby to our family. My head does spin a bit.

 

We showed the house four times this weekend. This is the hardest part, having people tromp all through your house, and tell you what they don't like about it and then leave. Then of course, the waiting part. I think that is the toughest part the waiting and living in limbo. I have never been good at waiting rooms.

 

I read that while you wait for your house to sell, you should keep packing. So I have been packing.
I decided to start going through books. I am a hoarder when it comes to books. I have plastic containers of books. I tell myself, okay I am going to pack these up and take them to the used book store. Then, I look at the box I am supposed to be taking to the used book store and it has three books in it and I have just boxed up five boxes to keep. I find myself, having sort of this love thing going on with books. I can look at each book and remember what was going on in my life at that time. Or the hardest, which person I was reading that book out-loud to or Ron reading out loud. So many emotions are wrapped up in my books. Or the things I used for bookmarks. Pictures of the kids, notes from them. Or lists, or even this recipe I have been looking for for years.

This is only the smallest bit of books, I have bookcases everywhere.

Here is the history of the recipe. Then I will share it with you. When we moved to the house before this house, we had a next door neighbor who was a bit of a grump. Looking back, I think I might have been grumpy too, we had five little kids and I was pregnant with the sixth. I am sure we were very noisy and living next to us I imagine was hard. The kids were always climbing trees and you know rest. (Kicking balls in the pool, making noise, you know)

 In the fairy tale of Rapunzel. Remember what got her Mom in trouble with the witch? It was the salad that grew over the fence that appealed to the Mom so strongly, that she implored her husband to go over the wall and pick the lettuce. Which was how the witch, came to have Rapunzel in the first place.
  My neighbor next door gave me a jar of pickled beets. I had never eaten anything that tasted as good as that jar of beets. I wanted more beets, but I needed that recipe. Since I was pretty afraid to ask, I kept thinking about it and finally my desire for beets was greater than my fear. I got up the nerve to ask her, and she didn't say much, just stared. Then walked off. She was always a little gruff.

Then one day I looked out in her driveway. There was a pile about five feet tall and just as wide of beets! Someone had left her a whole truck load! I would stare and stare. I longed for beets. One day, she gave the recipe to one of the kids. I had never made beets before, and hands down this was the best recipe I had ever found.
 Then I lost the recipe. For twenty years, until last week, going through books, there it was! I had used it for a bookmark.

I am sharing it here so it will be around forever and ever.

Mrs Curlee's Beet Recipe. 

Canned Beet Pickles

Leave skin, short tops and tails on. Cook long enough to be able to slip off  skins. Skin or peel off.

2 cups water

2 cups sugar

2 cups strong vinegar

1 teaspoon cloves (ground)

1 teaspoon allspice

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

1 fifth of a thin sliced lemon

Add beets to the liquid Bring to boil---until tender

place in clean hot scalded jars and seal. 

Add garlic clove to each jar. 

to make very clear liquid---use pickling spices wrapped in white cloth,tie Boil to get flavor in small amount of water, add to liquid. 

I am so happy to have it. I wish I had beets in the ground this year. I will get some and make them at some point. 

I wish you all of the best. I hope you are all doing well. Thank you so much for stopping by today,

~Kim~

 

"The wind is tossing the lilacs,
The new leaves laugh in the sun,
And the petals fall on the orchard wall,
But for me the spring is done.

Beneath the apple blossoms
I go a wintry way,
For love that smiled in April
Is false to me in May."
-  Sara Teasdale, May