Sunday morning, 9AM, and 17 pints of salsa canned and sitting on the counter waiting for winter feasts of nachos and guac.

It has been a successful summer stocking the pantry and, if you don’t mind me boring you, lets look at the tally.

16.5 pints of red pepper jelly, 33 pints antipasto, 8.5 pints green tomato relish, 17 pints salsa, and 15 quarts of tomato sauce. Beets and apples to come.

We raised four Cinderella pumpkins. The largest is 23 pounds. Same seeds, same soil, same watering, but crazy variety in size.

The garden has never been so prolific. I planted half the tomatoes I have normally planted. Twenty four plants produced 120 pounds, so far. I think their success is due to a couple of things I did differently this year. Larger spaces between plants, A very healthy spring dressing of sea soil, a watering pipe to the root of each plant (not shared between two) and watering with fish pond water.

We pumped fresh rainwater from the bunkie catchment tank into the pond and the pond water back into the tank. That smelly fish poopy water was then used on the veggies.

E has finished installing the eight new solar panels and an additional charge controller. They are solidly attached to the island, wired into the existing house system and 4800 watts of power humming along beautifully. They may be ugly to you but when we don’t have to carry fuel to the island and are able to stay here until the day when our kids can’t find a pulse, I think

they look beautiful.