[MelodyL]

You guys will laugh when you hear how I spent the day.

I live in a mostly Italian neighborhood. The people here (the ones from Sicily) well, every August they make their SAUCE!!!

And I mean MAKE THE SAUCE!!

In my landlord's back yard, there are propane tanks, seives, and 25 crates of tomatoes.

Well, first you cut up the tomatoes, then you put them in this HUGE vat attached to a propane tank. Then you fill the vat with water, then you cook the tomatoes.

After they are finished, you put them on the table and with this gigantic thing, you put them in the seive (strainer kind of thing). And you put the same batch through 3 times.

So there was Melody, straining, lifting, cooking, chopping, etc.

Then when the tomatoes are all strained. THEN YOU POUR THE LIQUID into these jars that are filled with fresh basil.

THEN. you put the canning tops on. THEN, you place them back in the vat, fill it up with water and you boil this for 20 minutes.

25 CRATES OF TOMATOES. God only knows how many jars we made.

I stopped counting. And forget about what happens after they are finished boiling. You have to take a big pair of pliers, or a ratchet wrench, (something to hold the lid away from you so you don't get burned). Then one, by one, my landlord (he wouldn't let anyone else do this), moved each jar from the vat. The we carried the vats of boiling water over to the drains in the middle of the back yard.

We repeated this process all day long.

DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG THIS TOOK??

These are people in their 80's. They wouldnt buy a can of tomato sauce if you paid them. They also do not believe in eating in restaurants or eating out. They only eat what they grow and what they cook.

And then during all of this, one of my neighbors (we all helped out), she brought out a tray of little cups from Italy and she served Expresso and cookies.

It was like a day in Italy.

So right now, there are hundreds of jars cooling in the garage with cool blankets placed over them.

Very interesting to have participated in this all.

They wanted to give me some of the sauce but I declined.

I want the giant zucchinis growing from the garden. I'll take them anytime. And they have beautiful grapes growing from a tressle behind my back window.

Every year they give me bunches and I make fresh juice for Alan and for them.

Ah the smell of tomatoes and basil is wonderful!!!