I made myself a couple of burritos, and the tortillas I used were home made and out of the freezer. I topped it with guacamole that I'd made from scratch and frozen in ice cube trays. If you're paying attention to the various raw ingredients in the marketplace, you can usually save money (versus buying the packages of guacamole in the produce department - that Avomex is great, but expensive) and I don't have as many ingredients. No preservatives. If you keep producing these things when you can, then you have them when you need. Right now my kids aren't living places where they can do this kind of operation, but I hope some of it sunk in over the years.

I bought a jar of tomato pickles at the place I may have described earlier - its a store called Vending Nut and it is open from 8am to 5pm, Monday through Friday, and from 9am to noon on Saturday. They package and distribute bulk dried fruits, nuts, and nut products (lots of chocolate, salt, peppers, etc. involved). And they carry locally produced salsas and pickles. So I tried some green tomato pickles. They also had a relish from red tomatoes. I have to try these then work out when to make them.

My friend Dean has opened my eyes to what relish and probably chutney (not that I've ever eaten it, but now I get what its' about) can do to dishes far beyond hot dogs and hamburgers. It's the acid in the preserved fruit or vegetables that gives a savory splash to other foods. I spooned the last of the tomato relish my neighbor gave me over the beans and rice I have eaten this week. So now that I've identified something that 1) uses leftover green tomatoes and 2) adds great flavor to foods, I need to figure out what I want to make.

NPR just reported that a Congresswoman from Tucson, AZ was assassinated while giving a speech at about 10am Tucson time. Several killed, many wounded. What is this world coming to? Must go find the story.

SRS