Synergy and Abundance Getting pickled with some good women

rebecca's basket

pickled cherry toms

Four fine women gathered to share the surplus of their gardens and knowledge of ways to use it.

Colleen was a flurry  chopping a huge zucchini mixed with onions, peppers and tomatoes and setting to brine for two hours.


Then to the stove simmering the many good things from her over flowing garden.  Karen had been volunteered to teach us and brought her knowledge, canning supplies, and garden goodies.   She had the secret of refrigerator pickles.

The morning moved quickly timed perfectly, while we waited for one thing to brine or cool we started on another.  I had the least knowledge in the group but brought a recipe for pickling cherry tomatoes and a huge bowl of the sweet little red beauties.  I had also wanted to ferment Moroccan Lemons for many months and finally got the chance.  Rebecca, another powerhouse of a woman set to mashing while I cut and salted.  After a month of brining we will each get to sample them. 

  We  left with beautiful bottles of relish, tomatoes, pickles and lemons.  We shared extra veggies and canning supplies and the beauty of bringing something to the pot and all leaving with so much more than we came with.

refrigerator pickles

Karen's hands, Colleen and Rebecca

"Your steed awaits you M'lady", Shaun Smith

@the River w/Ben Davis

It was a great treat to host Shaun Smith a fitness and conditioning trainer from Great Britain and former line backer with NC Panthers.  He may have been the tallest, strongest, and nicest man I have  met.  He helped so much in less than a week lifting, chainsawing, carpentering and removing lug-nuts that even a pneumatic drill could not loosen.  He helped Camille with the horses but left before I could get him atop one.  He informed me my horse was groomed and saddled with,

"Your steed awaits you M'lady." 

He liked country music and we saw two rocking country bands perform; The Lo-cash Cowboys and Dos Okies with part of the Fifty Buck Band.  He had some fine French food and deserts at Monets and a wonderful dinner at the home of the Chef, Fred Embert.   He explored the Indian Bath tubs and River in Three Rivers with Jen and her boys, traveled to Morro Rock and the Sherman Tree with Camille before he headed North to explore more of California.

Sweet Camille de Chambery

Camille came bearing gifts from the  village of Chambery .  A picture book about her lovely home town, some beautifully wrapped nougat candy, and Givenchy perfume.  Horses were her passion.  She was able to ride Cabarina, attend a drill team practice and play at Pas de Deux which they call "Carousel" when two or more riders practice patterns and designs together.  She rode three different horses while here.  She is studying horticulture and came on a 5 week internship.  She planted beans, we volunteered helping restore native plants in the National Park and she worked at our local French Bistro "Monets" to practice her english and add some French ambiance.  Camille enjoyed yoga, trips to the Flea Market and Friends meeting with Sal and seeing the Big Trees with Shaun, trips to the River with Jen and Hospital Rock.