Preserving in new to me ways... whats blooming and seed giveaway

I have not had time to do anything with the eggplants. We have eaten some fresh but I want to preserve some as well. Eggplants are one of those vegetables that are not easy to preserve. There are just a few ways I know of. 

Then in a book called Perfect Preserves by Nora Carey there is a recipe for eggplant preserved in olive oil. Now as most of you guys know here in the USA  we don't do a lot of that type preserving as the FDA pretty much frowns on this and has assured us it will make us deathly ill if we do this LOL... ok so I am making fun of the FDA, a girl has to have some fun sometimes! This author is from Europe. This is a gorgeous book and worth owning just for the photos alone! Beautiful garden photos along with the photos of the foods etc. It has all sorts of ways to preserve food that are not the norm here. It also has recipes for meals to make from the food you preserve which I think is nice. One way I plan to use some of the preserved eggplant is on a pizza  as she shows it in the book. The book is out of print, but I was able to pick up a like new used copy last year on Amazon for just a couple dollars. 

I had to open a jar of the pickled cherry tomatoes... mmmmmmm they are good. Think salty like a dill pickled but not sour like a dill pickle. They are really good and I am canning more. Link the the Pickled Cherry tomatoes recipe  I did prick mine with a bamboo skewer. Just a small hole. The recipe says slice but I wanted mine whole. It worked great. They float a dab but just fill the jar snug without squishing them and that works out pretty good. 

I think the perfect cherry tomato for this recipe would be the principe borghese, this cherry tomato is used to dry because its a meaty cherry tomato. I grew it last year and it made and made and made... However since I didn't get to start my own seedlings this year. I didn't get to grow it. sighhh...This next year I will be able to start my own seedlings again :O) and its on the list.   I saved quite a few seeds off them. So I think I will do a seed give away! Anyone want to have their name put in the hat for some principe borghese seeds, just say so in a comment and I will do a drawing and mail the person the seeds :O)... 

 Will you look at these titger lilies! My new favorite flower, for today :O).  I saw little black lumps on the stem at the leaves... I thought ... could it be? Yes it is! Seeds! I read that they are very easy to propagate from seeds. So I have harvested the seeds, put them in the fridge like it said to. Then I will plant them as directed and hope I get some more of these gorgeous plants!

 Not to be left out of showiness LOL My Stargazer lilies are finallllllllllllllly going to bloom. I bought these bulbs on clearance two years ago and planted them. Nothing much happened last year. Oh they came up but they were pretty much do nothing little plants and no blooms showed up. So this year they came up and I got all excited because the plants looked much better. But then nothing, nothing, then about a month ago I saw them setting flowers! So finally they are going to open!! These lilies smell fantastic. I planted them as much for their fragrance as how pretty they are!