Another apple discovery

Here's a new apple I really like.

It is called Crimson Crisp and it definitely lives up to it's name--very crunchy and flavorful. Definitely one to look for again. It probably can't beat Gold Rush which is my all-time favorite late apple on the East Coast but it is certainly right up there with Honeycrisp. It's a bit sturdier than Honeycrisp with a firmer texture and a creamy rather than white flesh.

A few pictures from the wedding

Two high school classmates getting married back home. How could I miss it?

The ceremony was at Schnider Meadows. 

And a very determined ring bearer (his little sister thoroughly enjoyed her ride).

Here's everybody.

Yay!

Please pick up your chair!

Matt and Andrea

Stephanie made a beautiful cake. 

First dance. 

The girls are having fun!

It's fireworks, it's a fountain!

I haven't shared enough cool pictures of the area lately so here's a good one. We have a new high-tech fountain down the street near the ballpark. 

And here's the giant stinky flower,aka titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum),  at the botanic garden from July. OK, so I never actually got in to see it while it was in official full bloom but I saw before and after. You can see all the official portraits on their website. 

Getting close.

Here's a person for scale.

The official photography equipment.

And this is a sibling in the vegetative state.

It's wilted.

Surgery to remove pollen! We hope to get seeds from a specimen in California that bloomed a week later.

This just came in

It's really self-explanatory, isn't it?

My fingers finally stopped burning

Which definitely makes it easier to type this post. It was a good reason though: I made salsa today and the peppers were a bit hotter than I realized giving me an involuntary capsaicin treatment. The final product is quite tasty though. First things first, here's the recipe:

Mom’s Salsa

6 pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes

2 cups vinegar

½ cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon salt

3 onions, diced

2 bell peppers, diced

Hot peppers, minced, to taste

2 or 3 sticks of celery if you have any handy (I didn’t)

Scald and chunk tomatoes in eighths. Mix all ingredients.

Boil for 3 hours, watch toward end to avoid scorching. Mixture should reduce by half. Hot pack into clean jars, ½ inch headspace, process 15 minutes in boiling water bath.

I didn't take many pictures of the process because my hands were all wet but here is the kettle of cooking tomatoes.

And here is the finished product.