Potpourri November 30, 2009

The year has fled by yet again and now it’s time to think about making some gifts for the holidays.

This year I’ve decided to give some potpourri. Potpourri is usually a mixture of dried, naturally fragrant plant material, used to provide a agreeable natural scent in houses. You can place it in bowls or small cloth bags, or as I did, in glass jars.

I prepared it today, but really I started it last summer when I picked and dried roses and lavender.
I chose to use the glass jar because it shows the pretty dried flowers. The jar held a candle until recently, so it was also a good way to recycle the jar. When the candle was done, I took out the leftover wax and put aside for remaking into candles. I then cleaned the jar thoroughly.

This is a before and after photo of the candle jars.

I mixed rose petals, a dried orange peel and some lavender in the jar. I then added some vetier root powder as a fixative to keep the scent strong. Orris root can also be used.  I added some rose and some lavender essential oils to the mix and gently stirred with a wooden spoon. I put on the lid and tied on a pretty ribbon. Wala!  A finished gift ready to go. The cost was minimal and it only took a few minutes. Also it made my home smell nice while I was making it.

I have all the ingredients assembled.

Time to mix in the scents and the fixative.

The finished product!

I save pretty jars and interesting containers throughout the year. I also collect flower petals, pine cones and whatever I come across. Then when it’s gift time I have lots of material on hand to work with.

There are many things that can be added. Allspice, cloves, cinnamon bark, mint, any kind of sweet smelling flowers are all great additions.   A winter themed  one could have small pine cones mixed in and scented with wintergreen, for instance. You are only limited by your imagination

I really enjoy making small gifts for friends on many levels. I enjoy planning what I am going to make each year.  I put on some good music and spend an peaceful quiet afternoon having fun creating presents for my loved ones. I also like not driving to a mall and fighting the crowds to purchase mass produced objects that are most likely made in China.  And of course, I like to recycle and reuse whatever I can, remaking what would be trash into something useful and attractive.

I hope that if you try it you will enjoy creating gifts as much as I do.

Dried Cinnamon Apples September 20, 2009

This is a great way to preserve fruit for the winter. This also makes a nice gift when placed in a pretty jar and tied with a ribbon.

I have a dehydrator, but you can dry foods in your oven just as well. I also use my car to dry food on hot days.  Just roll up the windows to keep the bugs out and the heat in. The first time I tried this I burned my hand on the metal cookie sheet I was using.  This way is not only cost efficient (free!) but also makes your car smell really nice. Talk about your natural car freshener:)

Mix a bowl of turbanado sugar and cinnamon to your taste. I usually start with about 1/2 cup of sugar and about 1/4 cup of cinnamon. Mix well. I like to put it in a bowl and toss with a fork, but you can also put it in a ziplock Baggie.

Take your sharpest serrated knife and slice apples as thinly as possible. Dip into the cinnamon sugar mix and coat well. Place on drying rack till dry. You do need to make sure that they are completely dry, or they will mold.

This method works on  about any fruit or veggie. I’ve dried squash, tomatoes, bell peppers, hot peppers and onions like this. I like to throw a handful of dried veggies in my winter stews.

Here’s a photo of the process.

Pear Preserves September 18, 2009

My Pear tree

I live on .25 acre. An amazing amount of food grows here-a lot of it without a lot of help from me. I was lucky enough to have mature fruit trees already here when I got my house. I have them pruned every year or so, and that’s about it.

This time of year the bounty begins. I feel obligated to use as much as possible. (I laid down to take a short nap the other day, but couldn’t sleep. I kept hearing pears and apples falling  and hitting the ground. I had to get up and go collect them:)  I can it, dry it, freeze it, make into pie filling, make cordials and whatever else I am inspired to try.

This  week I’ve been making pear jams and preserves. I’ve made 4 batches for a total of 20 pints so far. The first batch was pear jam. This is how I do it:

Pear Jam

Dice pears until you have about a quart of them.  I usually add several apples as well for two reasons. The pectin in the apples help to thicken the jam and also because I have two apple trees. I need to use them up!   Add between 1 and 3 cups sugar as you prefer. I like tasting the fruit, so I only add about a cup. Cook this down at a medium boil till thickened-about 20-30 minutes. You don’t need to stir continually but do need to do so pretty often to keep from sticking.   Add a couple teaspoons clove and allspice towards the end. Have your hot water bather heating up and your jars and lids ready. I heat those up in glass dishes in my oven. When the jam is thick enough  pour into the heated jars, seal and place in the hot water bather.  Process for 20 minutes. This usually makes about 4 pints.

Then I got adventurous.  This is the next version:

Spiced Pear Preserves.

Boil 2 cups water. Add 1 cup sugar and boil for 5 minutes. This makes a simple sugar syrup.  Dice or put in food processor pears  until you have about a quart.  Add to syrup. Cook pears until they boil about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups sugar, 4-5 pieces cut up crystallized ginger and or orange peals, thinly sliced lemon or lime, and chopped up pecans. Just made that batch this morning, and unfortunately, I didn’t have any leftovers. So,  I’ll wait till this winter to open and sample it. I like to save my canned goods till I can’t get the fresh food anymore. This also helps me look forward to winter more:)

Here’s the finished preserves-All ready to join the others in my pantry in a neat row.

I”ll talk about drying apples in the next few days.

Pear Preserve

HEAT WAVE August 21, 2009

105. That’s what the sign said as I dove past at about 3:00 this afternoon. Whew.  It’s August all right.

Over the years I have learned how to keep my house cool-at least relatively-during these heat waves.

When it starts to heat up outside we shut all the windows and doors. We always have fans going.  I like to freeze a few pans of water, then put them on a tray and under a fan. It’s wonderful. Poor man’s air conditioning.

Every evening when it starts to cool off, and is cooler outside than in, we reverse the process and open all the doors and windows.

Best of all, though is my outdoor bedroom–my tent. When it’s too hot to sleep inside I blow up my air mattress and sleep watching the summer stars.

Anyone have any other ways to stay cool?

Home Made Vegan Pudding July 7, 2009

A friend and I were talking recently and the subject of pudding came up. She mentioned how much she liked it, and so I asked her if she ever made it. “It’s too hard, isn’t it?” she asked me. So, I invited her over and we had a pudding making party. She was impressed with how easy-and how good it was.

Here’s the recipe:

2 cups vanilla soy milk

1/2 cup raw sugar

2 Tablespoons corn starch

1 teaspoon vanilla.

Mix the cornstarch with a small amount of the milk in a small jar with a lid. Shake vigorously until cornstarch is dissolved.   This is a very important step. If you do not, the corn starch will clump up, ruining all of your eating enjoyment.  Add sugar and stir. Pour into pan and heat on medium high stirring  often. Cook until it starts to simmer. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Here are  some photos of the steps involved. It really is amazingly simple.

The Ingredients.

Mixing the cornstarch with a bit of milk.

Pouring in the mixed cornstarch

Stirring the pudding on the stove as it thickens.

The finished pudding. Yum.

My friend thought of making green tea pudding, so I tried that. I mixed half of the milk with half cold green tea. That was very yummy, too.
For adults, I like to pour about a tablespoon of Kahlua or other flavored liquor on top of the pudding. It runs down into the pudding as you eat, flavoring it all through. It makes a sophisticated desert for a dinner party.

Let me know if you have any questions about the recipe, or what you think if you do try it.

June 27, 2009

Check it out-
There are some good ideas here on how to get rid of bugs without using chemicals.

http://green.yahoo.com/blog/huddlergreenhome/38/cheap-and-nontoxic-ways-to-get-rid-of-bugs.html

Ripe Cherries June 15, 2009

It’s Cherry Day!

This morning I decided it was time for Cherry Day; an annual event around here.  The vacant lot behind my house has some old and productive Queen Ann’s cherry trees  planted on the edge of my place. They hang over my yard.  So I consider the cherries in my yard mine.  I like cherries, and I like to put up the food that grows on and around my place.

My son and I picked about 3 1/4 pounds of  the small tasty cherries.  We would have had  more, except I ate a lot of them.  I had to keep my strength up. It took us about an hour. Picking cherries on a warm and sunny June  summer Sunday morning is  pretty great.

I’m not, however the only one around that likes cherries. So do the squirrels and the birds, particularly the ravens. They both chew me out when I go into the back yard for any reason during cherry season, even for completely innocent errands like hanging out the laundry. I’m sure I can understand both the squirrels and the ravens. They both tell me the same thing. “Stay away Human! Those are for me!”

These trees are old and probably 30 ft tall. Most of the cherries grow towards the top, tantalizingly out of reach-at least of me, being without feathers or claws. So, I gather what I can from the ground with my ladder. The tops of the trees were filled with a squirrel family feasting and above them was a large raven eating his fill. There is enough for all.

Making jam, especially from free fruit around your place is one of the ways to live easier on the planet. No trucking involved! I find the jars at garage sales, and reuse them over and over.

I was recently given a cherry pitter which I now consider one of the top inventions of all times. Okay maybe not that great, but it saves hours of tedious work, so I love it. If you are going to use fresh cherries, it’s worth finding one.

Once I pitted them, I had the jam made in less than an hour. I just follow the directions on the pectin box.

I got 2 and 1/2 pints of cherry jam for about 2 hours work. That jam will be a special treat next winter, and in the meantime I’ll admire the jars on my pantry shelf.

Here are some photos:

The full Cherry tree.

The fruits of our labor.

A much smaller bowl after pitting them.

The finished jam.

The Planting of the Greenhouse May 29, 2009

Finally, it’s time to plant. I had already added some organic compost and worm castings to the soil. I cheated this year and bought starts-but I won’t have to next year!  I have 3 varieties of  tomatoes with 10 in all, 2 bell peppers (1 is setting flowers already!) and a acorn squash. One end is under the willow tree and is shaded all summer, so I planted some mesclun and arugula that I did start from seed. Soon I’ll be eating from it!!
A friend told me her about her organic pest control. She uses a mix of ammonia and lemon scented dish soap. I’m sure bugs will find my delicious baby veggies soon, so I think I will try that. Anyone ever try that, or have other good tried and true methods?

My greenhouse is up! May 22, 2009

May 13, 2009

It’s almost complete. I should be able to start planting in it this weekend.