tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23222680082004999122024-03-18T20:18:36.863-07:00Pastoral Symphony FarmMrs. Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06356736479776982230noreply@blogger.comBlogger175125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322268008200499912.post-2761706279609589002015-10-14T15:45:00.000-07:002015-10-14T15:45:26.936-07:00A Day In The Life Of Maggie Several years ago my friend Amy made up the most adorable dress based on an image dated 1848. She recently sent the dress to me in hopes that Maggie could now wear it and I've waited several days for the chance to get some action shots. Amy's original post is <a href="http://thistleandlilly.blogspot.com/2013/03/sneak-peek-1848-elisabethe-dress.html">here</a>.<br />
<br />
For reasons best known to herself it didn't happen to suit Maggie to pose for pictures, she is pretty hacked off in most of them. Still, the dress is beautiful and these pictures do capture her as she actually is. :)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj420wzo_1ZpKdAoupeBccOq_LsgR_TwUVFpUMPG2atBC5QXDysX2z3Izg7EgUgl5601qn2U_8WTbh9s2G7LsswzJAEJLP1AQQj6DqwdSJsyTb7Q8ro6sVeRj9Gx3aLtPrdFWfNJwP2x74/s1600/amydress1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj420wzo_1ZpKdAoupeBccOq_LsgR_TwUVFpUMPG2atBC5QXDysX2z3Izg7EgUgl5601qn2U_8WTbh9s2G7LsswzJAEJLP1AQQj6DqwdSJsyTb7Q8ro6sVeRj9Gx3aLtPrdFWfNJwP2x74/s400/amydress1.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZl-m_HDihOXHueROAGyf1fWbojU9YWm6G4H9nab72v8f1vwCIYqLXflr5T6AXF0gKTbXxCnlGQyfl_8-BqzF3xOzGN9hHHcOfL6izYHHsUOwH4MbpTBqIeZYzoRT-wYrJt_x21oKUYDs/s1600/amydress2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZl-m_HDihOXHueROAGyf1fWbojU9YWm6G4H9nab72v8f1vwCIYqLXflr5T6AXF0gKTbXxCnlGQyfl_8-BqzF3xOzGN9hHHcOfL6izYHHsUOwH4MbpTBqIeZYzoRT-wYrJt_x21oKUYDs/s400/amydress2.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AERG_J9xyXYhgMNQDdOVbb0cMoFzVb-21RNX2Hz28PL9BBcPSGgzfhAitUoUEjYNCDtClLO5VXwTx5vURQGITjT-nw0Xi89bdSxH82numJcwh9jMLk2mYWduUVtYRiO_uSaMYhSHPHA/s1600/amydress3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AERG_J9xyXYhgMNQDdOVbb0cMoFzVb-21RNX2Hz28PL9BBcPSGgzfhAitUoUEjYNCDtClLO5VXwTx5vURQGITjT-nw0Xi89bdSxH82numJcwh9jMLk2mYWduUVtYRiO_uSaMYhSHPHA/s400/amydress3.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvNAL7aFk2ZhnOYo0smfZ2TsX3hnGBD3U21KQL15GlHn2ZJBGJ9osSGJO_EDGnRhhEOMQgsfrnFPBBlkH8T75I_iiiiMN-gACfRlBEWx9fmwxOO2pCCXRsTZmlX0Xx0XBtOTgT_IgLT0/s1600/amydress4.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvNAL7aFk2ZhnOYo0smfZ2TsX3hnGBD3U21KQL15GlHn2ZJBGJ9osSGJO_EDGnRhhEOMQgsfrnFPBBlkH8T75I_iiiiMN-gACfRlBEWx9fmwxOO2pCCXRsTZmlX0Xx0XBtOTgT_IgLT0/s400/amydress4.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6mrUr7pJX68j0PaBNEbOw2QyCJf_pU6EVwL_KVBfHUm9re1cOFWTA5DUQzZkRMXq2ueN187X53YqOdIXBRONsRkJPi_5EucTUltYgMrVKsTwYBzpnJMGa2JPzvfSwGyWxuC37FaD_wK4/s1600/amydress5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6mrUr7pJX68j0PaBNEbOw2QyCJf_pU6EVwL_KVBfHUm9re1cOFWTA5DUQzZkRMXq2ueN187X53YqOdIXBRONsRkJPi_5EucTUltYgMrVKsTwYBzpnJMGa2JPzvfSwGyWxuC37FaD_wK4/s400/amydress5.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
<br />Mrs. Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06356736479776982230noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322268008200499912.post-47483073506086259332015-05-23T12:46:00.001-07:002015-05-23T12:46:04.137-07:00What happens when you put on your makeup....... Asa, who is 5, came to give me a picture and tell me the story that he "wrote". It goes a little like this:<br />
"One day she was putting on her makeup when she accidentally lit something on fire and cut her head open."<br />
End of story and he runs out to play. I've appropriately captioned the picture so you can enjoy this too. :D<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzu87ofoey4huUuBp6cVrZXfnNuH02tUjqgJlT39OR8WYSRxZ0_ddXydq7vNJrhCBTGCfmE-5QcAjbtDrozgjG8z-GtDoVPoG59JRXJr2WhO4NjcxD6GHZRR6w8cjCH-27VDPc5zq_CQ/s1600/asastory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzu87ofoey4huUuBp6cVrZXfnNuH02tUjqgJlT39OR8WYSRxZ0_ddXydq7vNJrhCBTGCfmE-5QcAjbtDrozgjG8z-GtDoVPoG59JRXJr2WhO4NjcxD6GHZRR6w8cjCH-27VDPc5zq_CQ/s640/asastory.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Mrs. Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06356736479776982230noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322268008200499912.post-63602214882327603912015-03-06T12:38:00.001-08:002015-03-06T12:38:28.565-08:00Blackberry and Blood Orange Marmalade We have a glut and I mean a <i>glut</i> (in excess of 40 pounds) of citrus fruit here. The children are eating 2 or 3 oranges a day plus an occasional grapefruit and still the fruit lies in piles on the table. I decided to make more marmalade and even after 12 jars were on the shelf there was still plenty of fruit. I wanted to try something different, I get so tired of the same old stuff year in and year out. But what? So I made up a batch (and then another because it was <b>so</b> stinking tasty) of Blackberry and Blood Orange Marmalade.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYaU0-4odK5Fvl3UVtasVAmIy3Dsu7S0mjtoj5q6bcopS6G9rLRiPpYLMrxlPdOxKZFWNM7YYXRYKKqFg1nlCLzLtTSru4m2LWZYi0ZtKSjxSwAAVLxusUtx1KjAUwIQ_xH9a_pnugEfo/s1600/BBOmarmalade2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYaU0-4odK5Fvl3UVtasVAmIy3Dsu7S0mjtoj5q6bcopS6G9rLRiPpYLMrxlPdOxKZFWNM7YYXRYKKqFg1nlCLzLtTSru4m2LWZYi0ZtKSjxSwAAVLxusUtx1KjAUwIQ_xH9a_pnugEfo/s1600/BBOmarmalade2.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The recipe is super easy and really worth the effort. Peel 6 Blood Oranges removing as much pith as possible. Shred 1 whole lemon- peel and all, but discarding the seeds. Add 6 ounces of blackberries, 2 cups of sugar and 3 cups of water. Boil until lemon pieces are tender and it begins to jell. Marmalade is a deceptive thing, by the time it looks cooked down enough it will actually have the consistency of road tar when it's room temperature. Aim for under cooked and see how it looks as it cools down, you can always cook it more if needed. Jar it and process for 10 minutes. We use most of our marmalade as a meat glaze, it pairs wonderfully with chicken and pork; but this stuff is too high class for that. I'm thinking this will be best eaten directly off the spoon late at night when the children can't see.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqdXLRCVOze53q_L8X0oslvQ-moDKpuWJKC1GFZin94ofynEt2KpIPGk9D9Q_li0wyCEDsBToqgGg2qBLX5kCx89IrHqdJ6wkPWSqQOwwQoPJrfEEpV8XFG57dGecwddQgif3gMp8Wk0/s1600/marmalade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqdXLRCVOze53q_L8X0oslvQ-moDKpuWJKC1GFZin94ofynEt2KpIPGk9D9Q_li0wyCEDsBToqgGg2qBLX5kCx89IrHqdJ6wkPWSqQOwwQoPJrfEEpV8XFG57dGecwddQgif3gMp8Wk0/s1600/marmalade.jpg" height="178" width="400" /></a></div>
Mrs. Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06356736479776982230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322268008200499912.post-88957528585496015762015-02-20T11:14:00.001-08:002015-02-20T11:14:45.053-08:00Rest In Peace, Dad <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <span style="line-height: 107%;">William M.
Near, age 90, passed away peacefully at his home, February 20, 2014 with family
and his beloved dog, Zoey by his side.</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Born in
North East, Pennsylvania to the late Winfred and Julia (Schultz) Near on
January 19, 1925, he grew up on a dairy farm in Sherman, New York, where they
farmed with horses and logged with oxen. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Bill married
Norriel (Nonie) Lanphere April 28, 1950 and they were married for 62 years
before she passed away in 2012. They
lived in Ripley, New York where they raised five children.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"> In his younger years Bill went to all the barn
dances in the area as well as local square dances where he loved to dance the
ladies around the floor. Always a gentleman, he never missed an opportunity to </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">compliment a
waitress, nurse or store clerk and make them smile.</span><br /><span style="line-height: 107%;">When he returned home, he worked on the Nickel
Plate railroad, and then became an over-the-road truck driver. Always
mechanically inclined, he used his skills as </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">an auto and
truck mechanic for many years. He drove school bus in Ripley for several years
and he worked as a custodian at BOCES, in Lakewood, NY, then as a security
guard for Mogen David Winery in Westfield, then</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">North East Marina, North East, PA.</span><br /><span style="line-height: 107%;"> Bill loved music and listened to Molly B’s Polka
Party faithfully for years. Besides polka music he loved to listen to bagpipes.
In his later years he decided to teach himself various instruments to “keep his
mind sharp.” He learned to play the concertina, mountain dulcimer and autoharp
and while never proficient at any of them, </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">he enjoyed
the learning process and practiced them throughout the years.</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> At the age
of 17 he enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II and served in the Asiatic-Pacific
Theater, aboard the USS Izard and USS Ross, taking part in the Philippine’s
Liberation including the battles of Leyte Gulf and Lingayen Gulf as well as the
battles of Iwo Jima and Truck Island among others, earning 13 battle stars in
all.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Discharged
in 1945 from the Navy, Bill and a friend worked their way across the country,
doing odd jobs. Upon his return, he
enlisted in the Navy Reserves in 1950 and was called up for the Korean Conflict
and served on the USS Lioba until 1952.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Over the
years, Bill adopted several dogs, but especially loved his Basset Hound, Herky,
and his Dobermans, Sabrina and Sydney. He loved feeding the birds and watching
them at the feeder, through his living room window.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> As well as
his wife and parents, Bill was preceded in death by his sisters Alice Rogers of
Erie, PA and Audrey Rowe of Corning, NY.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> He is
survived by his children Robyn (Bob) Albright of Ripley; Shelley Near (Peter Boesch)
of Erie, PA; Dawn (Ted) Rickenbrode of Ripley, NY; William Jr. (Aileen) of
Orchard Park, NY; and Paris (Gill) Graham of Knoxville, Tennessee; twenty-one
grandchildren, as well as six great-grandchildren; sisters Dorothy Johnson of
Mesa, AZ and Betty Richardson of Berwyn, IL; a brother Gerald Near of
California; as well as many nieces and nephews.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"> Visitation will be at Mathews Funeral Home in
Ripley, NY, services by Michael Fantauzzi of Fredonia, from noon until 2 p.m.
on February 28, 2015. A private </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">memorial
service will be held at a later date. “Flowers are for the living,” Bill said.
Please make a donation to the organization or charity of your choice in his
name.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRimk0RhTjz9icBz2eyGWfCciXJl4Pu2_wOnaM_GnZ-Ji__VJCymh80Ud3RZi6sZQPAwuBhE0S4h9yJ6UcnQ83hMlhZme-KSESdUeytL4M4yyC0imWmoUMmtZQdwuRtcyUwhiNjllSYk/s1600/dadnavy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRimk0RhTjz9icBz2eyGWfCciXJl4Pu2_wOnaM_GnZ-Ji__VJCymh80Ud3RZi6sZQPAwuBhE0S4h9yJ6UcnQ83hMlhZme-KSESdUeytL4M4yyC0imWmoUMmtZQdwuRtcyUwhiNjllSYk/s1600/dadnavy.jpg" height="400" width="270" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
Mrs. Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06356736479776982230noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322268008200499912.post-28600417869532169582015-02-10T14:23:00.000-08:002015-02-10T14:49:56.724-08:00Mandarin Oranges I've been canning mandarin oranges this last little while; since their season doesn't generally coincide with when we think of canning it does seem a bit odd to have the canning supplies out again. Canning season for me generally runs from May through October, unless I have a glut of meat which then gets canned in the winter. However, you must can when the season dictates and mandarin orange season has been running for a few months and is about to wind down.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3fdE4NCpinnCPS9G_6e1O-iZG0dfsVqD9t7WtT8qn4sjTxwXM0K0ptUZGxFNa8U4dZj8uDCBsI7JysFnDBd9xdQ84_0Rge9XOtqQIvmDjNJwVv734uPHw8MgdD9RBFGClCP2JeIgi-A/s1600/canningposter1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3fdE4NCpinnCPS9G_6e1O-iZG0dfsVqD9t7WtT8qn4sjTxwXM0K0ptUZGxFNa8U4dZj8uDCBsI7JysFnDBd9xdQ84_0Rge9XOtqQIvmDjNJwVv734uPHw8MgdD9RBFGClCP2JeIgi-A/s1600/canningposter1.jpg" height="400" width="283" /></a></div>
<br />
A mandarin orange is actually a tangerine, you've probably noticed the prepackaged bags of "cuties" in your store. To can citrus you peel the fruit and then remove as much of the pith as possible. Most of the cuties have a string running up the outside that is easily removable with your thumb nail and a larger amount of pith along the inside curve.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTosJeBWTGXhhNEmo7Z8sJ0ib3EfBI9N-NVoQzPRua3lmSxLcpW_QV1UeOQqflThyC0wdUDeYoW9NkjPn1FO5mKOwFzCLVRR8Z-2ncfT8AdWdTUt1DX9SsXYwZi5i98XwLcCSJR_hadk/s1600/oranges1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTosJeBWTGXhhNEmo7Z8sJ0ib3EfBI9N-NVoQzPRua3lmSxLcpW_QV1UeOQqflThyC0wdUDeYoW9NkjPn1FO5mKOwFzCLVRR8Z-2ncfT8AdWdTUt1DX9SsXYwZi5i98XwLcCSJR_hadk/s1600/oranges1.jpg" height="261" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fruit in the jar before adding liquid</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I prefer a blend of citrus, but couldn't find blood oranges or any other good deals, so I settled for grapefruit. I used the ratio of 1 pink grapefruit per 3 lbs of tangerines. The grapefruit isn't as cooperative and most of my pieces were shredded trying to remove the tough inner skin. Add sugar if you wish, I used a scant half cup. Place the fruit in a clean jar and boil your jar rubbers for a few minutes (or wash your metal lids if you prefer. :) ) Leave about an inch headspace and fill with orange juice, or pineapple juice or sugar syrup if that's what floats your boat. Final headspace should be 1/2", remove air bubbles and process for 10 minutes in a boiling waterbath.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJLSzmY51cUS9R4nA5QqXyuyC_A372SoBSAqXkC7B3jUr_4ZaF4Rv_tM5Am_ibZlNkWnvFqDwaNTckBZs_MDKoNCCYpcP9QzQ6aZPR0D6P68TUJ6DOFy1B-vylaNI1KSlPjg4f-sng8_Y/s1600/oranges2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJLSzmY51cUS9R4nA5QqXyuyC_A372SoBSAqXkC7B3jUr_4ZaF4Rv_tM5Am_ibZlNkWnvFqDwaNTckBZs_MDKoNCCYpcP9QzQ6aZPR0D6P68TUJ6DOFy1B-vylaNI1KSlPjg4f-sng8_Y/s1600/oranges2.jpg" height="227" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jars filled with orange juice. Not quite so pretty. :(</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
A had a gal ask me once if I<i> liked</i> to can. The answer is no, no I don't. I can because it's an economic necessity, it has literally kept us alive when we had little else. I can because I have definite ideas about how people (and children especially) should eat and so I need to buy fruit in season and set it back against the time when fresh fruit choices are limited. I can because I believe that it's the epitome of hubris to think that God is going to step in and provide when I'm not willing to work for it. I like the feeling of satisfaction from seeing the shelves fill up with jars, I like feeling proud of myself and I like that our children are learning to appreciate this way of life, but I don't jump up and down and think "Oh goody, I get to process fruit and jar it. Woot!Woot!" I'm like that about many things: sewing, knitting, spinning, canning, cheese making, butchering......... I like a job well done and I'm glad to do it, but I don't do it for kicks and grins. We must be careful to guard against the mindset that we should only do what we love, we should do what needs to be done <i>cheerfully</i> and thank God for the ability to do so. That's what I'm striving for.Mrs. Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06356736479776982230noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322268008200499912.post-34758321608995784232015-01-29T16:38:00.001-08:002015-01-29T16:38:53.921-08:00Friday's Breakfast Is Loving & Giving <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5i-YUpeqAIeks5_-am6DX-Ze4o_nrQ0Jv2l_LkYVYPAKKbECCLXgirC6bB97bLgsOCYivmZqFqUfSddPvHru1-gNeRjmb2jhfJs8mTnkE9mLT3AAL5_zfmd9XOthKt9s1DelBK8yT7A/s1600/fp2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5i-YUpeqAIeks5_-am6DX-Ze4o_nrQ0Jv2l_LkYVYPAKKbECCLXgirC6bB97bLgsOCYivmZqFqUfSddPvHru1-gNeRjmb2jhfJs8mTnkE9mLT3AAL5_zfmd9XOthKt9s1DelBK8yT7A/s1600/fp2.jpg" height="162" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
We have a breakfast schedule here:<br />
<br />
<div>
<ul>
<li>Monday is Levi's turn</li>
<li>Tuesday is Micah's</li>
<li>Wednesday is Tabitha's</li>
<li>Thursday is Rebekah's</li>
<li>And every other day gets argued over by Bep, Abby & Asa for the privilege of making breakfast. :)</li>
</ul>
<div>
The little girls wanted to make fry pies, so we did that this evening. It was a community effort and went by quickly. Even Maggie "helped" and no, I didn't mind at all. It reminded me of years ago when I let the older ones dump cornstarch on the wood floors to "ice skate" on. Time sure flies. </div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfpLp2nn7tE1NjQIHk5jV1yulfFz6bnkpRbtBq3ki7GAlGSO_WyatJhIBHggIHc867RXDviMhhGPxMef3hlq9N3z9fdTo3QmVSV5jZuZZHbylU3Ye_DFpvS6oy2HwCjrALv9Tum8a6Sg/s1600/fp1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfpLp2nn7tE1NjQIHk5jV1yulfFz6bnkpRbtBq3ki7GAlGSO_WyatJhIBHggIHc867RXDviMhhGPxMef3hlq9N3z9fdTo3QmVSV5jZuZZHbylU3Ye_DFpvS6oy2HwCjrALv9Tum8a6Sg/s1600/fp1.jpg" height="400" width="270" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
We used our own Old Fashioned Peach Jam as the filling and fried them in lard. Abby sprinkled the powdered sugar on them after she transferred each to the cookie sheet. In the morning we'll warm them up and then breakfast is served. Perfection!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV_tA5nqhPylEQD1ILKa8z5DQGP-IKKiZbrQ0e18txTgMq9LD6uPm5jwiRzURJnr2zboxcCwZqLZDeNazxhDIfheWIUNRW6LiEG1H_-Hf45UmL_MKDvWQdREym3G0K8rfaLFSvRAPDSX8/s1600/fp3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV_tA5nqhPylEQD1ILKa8z5DQGP-IKKiZbrQ0e18txTgMq9LD6uPm5jwiRzURJnr2zboxcCwZqLZDeNazxhDIfheWIUNRW6LiEG1H_-Hf45UmL_MKDvWQdREym3G0K8rfaLFSvRAPDSX8/s1600/fp3.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Mrs. Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06356736479776982230noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322268008200499912.post-33730392219513624052015-01-06T14:33:00.000-08:002015-01-09T15:17:41.667-08:00Rye Bread For Haters I loathe rye bread, it's right up there with store bought whole wheat bread for unpalatability. However, as with many things made at home, I love my own rye bread. If you're a rye bread lover, this recipe probably isn't for you, but if you think you're no fan of rye then give this a try.<br />
<br />
Begin by grinding some rye berries until you have a cup and a half (more or less) of fine rye flour. Mix in a half cup of plain Greek yogurt (or buttermilk if you'd prefer) and as much warm water as needed to form a thick dough. Allow to rest overnight at room temperature. For the specifics of soaking grains see<a href="http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/04/whole-grains-grinding-soaking.html"> this</a>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8J05qEdnT458Mmeo6-Ntvs8XvSDdSIfsivvc6uJ7lE4FX4P3tfwupWsMaip7bEbY4GsxlpWvk4qZLgVYNegPvJIOqtqrH7hvGEUtxhvA0rCAuXG3uJ-3nsNfRbJPZjH5gqKSNW3mT94/s1600/rb1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8J05qEdnT458Mmeo6-Ntvs8XvSDdSIfsivvc6uJ7lE4FX4P3tfwupWsMaip7bEbY4GsxlpWvk4qZLgVYNegPvJIOqtqrH7hvGEUtxhvA0rCAuXG3uJ-3nsNfRbJPZjH5gqKSNW3mT94/s1600/rb1.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The next morning in a separate bowl combine 1/2 cup warm water, 1T molasses and 2T yeast. Let rest until bubbly. Combine with 1t salt and soaked rye (which may look grayish on top, this is fine) and a pat or two or three of butter, coconut oil, olive oil, mayo, applesauce, or whatever. Begin adding white flour until dough reaches proper consistency. Allow to rise until doubled. Punch down and form into 2 round loaves, cut 2 deep slits in the top.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5R2dlQuuUCYL1BjxZ_iQYGQiM4cPSA2XVwyo3iSxjLVdzf2qyTKLlBboQaKM-zu-JkTxe-6O0o7W0UdwbsD5yNL1qmSJbSFvstmJa65yHSdAxNpgNX3MRyuqQi77XqXE2MtbfhoSS4U/s1600/rb2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5R2dlQuuUCYL1BjxZ_iQYGQiM4cPSA2XVwyo3iSxjLVdzf2qyTKLlBboQaKM-zu-JkTxe-6O0o7W0UdwbsD5yNL1qmSJbSFvstmJa65yHSdAxNpgNX3MRyuqQi77XqXE2MtbfhoSS4U/s1600/rb2.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Micah made me 2 round cardboard bread "molds", they're approximately 5" high and 5" across, I line them with parchment paper and place them on a greased cookie sheet. Then<i> gently</i> place the loaves inside.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7mhmL2OF2tmHcFtmo5AwCNxe8ARTWD54XIKUCC1-hrC-dTpolfDb-69AEEvSwTig7-K3tT2oZYk7Rr26vLlyipkniWdOGETjlAQMsvrk0CelzPt3RspRIB5Mlx7rZwt276V1kUhvA2ao/s1600/rb3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7mhmL2OF2tmHcFtmo5AwCNxe8ARTWD54XIKUCC1-hrC-dTpolfDb-69AEEvSwTig7-K3tT2oZYk7Rr26vLlyipkniWdOGETjlAQMsvrk0CelzPt3RspRIB5Mlx7rZwt276V1kUhvA2ao/s1600/rb3.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Allow to double again in size and then bake in a 350-375 degree oven. Dust with flour after baking. We'll finish off both loaves tonight with sausage links, sharp cheddar and fruit. Yummy homemade goodness at its best!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsaJBIhP6dbdvilQBwz5EawJeJsCqFdEZTGpyDEkAOaG-evjnKmsXtMPCUckoGp7ki8BZK8tWI3291AUnxQmyxUhCfEwpzpiYXancDaHWRxx00eXQqox-ZQrCJC6voDcTTr27_XYt5cYY/s1600/rb4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsaJBIhP6dbdvilQBwz5EawJeJsCqFdEZTGpyDEkAOaG-evjnKmsXtMPCUckoGp7ki8BZK8tWI3291AUnxQmyxUhCfEwpzpiYXancDaHWRxx00eXQqox-ZQrCJC6voDcTTr27_XYt5cYY/s1600/rb4.jpg" height="270" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="color: red;"> As you can see, the only real difference between mine and other rye recipes (other than the soaking step) is that my recipe lacks caraway seeds. It is solely the caraway seeds that account for the yuckiness factor in traditional rye bread. Now you know. :)</span>Mrs. Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06356736479776982230noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322268008200499912.post-39717720582330649412014-12-28T10:33:00.003-08:002014-12-28T13:26:35.903-08:00The Economics of Laundry Washing laundry at home is a significant use of water, accounting for up to 40% of total household water consumption. This is partially due to the incredible water demands that a typical top loader uses, 40-50 gallons per load! After a year spent going to the laundromat and being increasingly disgusted by the cost and how poor a job the "high efficiency" washers did (after all, how high is the efficiency when the machine doesn't do the job it was designed to do?) we have returned to using a wringer washer. I spent our early married years using a wringer, we've also washed clothes by hand with a plunger and scrub brush- which is hands down the cleanest our clothes have ever gotten.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXi2Z0ZOE1Bo6uOknSWfevK3z_Nd2AFQHgkcCRyzQQFw7VjUQEF53i8tq7FVioTk-wZWBJfq10rlZqOd7BkPd_XwRwilX_9MhYAi-TewWYfgQEGu_2ZPOVIFpLHwavHvqfQsDze03D1k/s1600/GE-wringer-Washer-Print-Ad-260x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXi2Z0ZOE1Bo6uOknSWfevK3z_Nd2AFQHgkcCRyzQQFw7VjUQEF53i8tq7FVioTk-wZWBJfq10rlZqOd7BkPd_XwRwilX_9MhYAi-TewWYfgQEGu_2ZPOVIFpLHwavHvqfQsDze03D1k/s1600/GE-wringer-Washer-Print-Ad-260x300.jpg" height="400" width="346" /></a></div>
<br />
The wringer washer takes 16 gallons to fill, in that water I wash at least 3 loads in succession beginning with the lightest/least soiled clothes and progressing to dirtier/darker clothing. As each load is wrung it is put in a bucket or basket, after the 3-4 loads are washed the tub is refilled with rinse water, each load is rinsed, wrung and then hung. The rinse water then becomes the wash water and the cycle starts again. To fill my particular clothesline I can wash 6 loads, so water consumption for me equals 48 gallons (16 gallons to wash, 16 gallons to rinse which is also the next 3 load's wash water, and 16 more gallons to rinse.) That works out to 8 gallons per load of laundry.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhuSdoWpgrMVrDkzO1G37BUeR-VLlWMkjH9J5blpdCNE9Xtf0bTqD0cBgh37kewvHr4bGCcrE70kTfgzqNemQ0V_eMxJ5_H73lxZoUEFEGxCnRu2aaTD82k17YC-DC2axmHmY1jdNrdw/s1600/ge-gh-07-01-1948-131-a-M3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhuSdoWpgrMVrDkzO1G37BUeR-VLlWMkjH9J5blpdCNE9Xtf0bTqD0cBgh37kewvHr4bGCcrE70kTfgzqNemQ0V_eMxJ5_H73lxZoUEFEGxCnRu2aaTD82k17YC-DC2axmHmY1jdNrdw/s1600/ge-gh-07-01-1948-131-a-M3.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></div>
<br />
To my rinse water I add a splash of vinegar, we don't like our clothes coated with synthetically scented petrochemicals, then we line dry. In the Winter (which here is mostly rain) we use lines strung on the porches, drying racks indoors and/or lines strung through the living room. It takes around 12 hours for jeans to dry, but that's balanced by increasing humidity in the house and the fact that my kilowatt usage is zero.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4fXfpltsfq0DLb8mFcPahXNgVDEUIkK4AiGMpQlsd4x9SaQjHUQGqRBXrz8f19ZyoHPWeDvthYNoveEqMTfFShgq9MhCcOTbznhjixzVIufniAi6L7EG2SdXWVDCvjDTw3XO8zwHbw-A/s1600/Hanging-Laundry-shot-from-Up-a-Country-Lane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4fXfpltsfq0DLb8mFcPahXNgVDEUIkK4AiGMpQlsd4x9SaQjHUQGqRBXrz8f19ZyoHPWeDvthYNoveEqMTfFShgq9MhCcOTbznhjixzVIufniAi6L7EG2SdXWVDCvjDTw3XO8zwHbw-A/s1600/Hanging-Laundry-shot-from-Up-a-Country-Lane.jpg" height="400" width="307" /></a></div>
<br />
I like that our laundry method leaves a gentler impact on our planet, but I like the cost savings even more. We were spending around $30/week at the laundromat. Should we want to take our laundry system off grid this washer could be converted to bicycle power in about an hour. I found one of my wringer washers on Craig's List and the other at an auction, I paid $75 and $125 for mine. I can't image a laundry system that I'd be more pleased with than this, it has everything: clean clothes, low energy use, and <i>very</i> low water consumption!Mrs. Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06356736479776982230noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322268008200499912.post-69863716966821150162014-12-26T11:12:00.001-08:002014-12-26T11:15:31.914-08:00Increasing Tilth <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp91bJO1ghfFJvE562PyZwbJCw1J4imUQbNUD89_EX6fMUmAHH6VXvcd7y977H1_zvZfIGH4b47pBwAAlH4bSRpYTDXdaUKMGKM4I-HVAsZ_TXWItxPEkXJOXujV4O1hs5qm2lwLA8UbU/s1600/3014622-1x1-700x700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp91bJO1ghfFJvE562PyZwbJCw1J4imUQbNUD89_EX6fMUmAHH6VXvcd7y977H1_zvZfIGH4b47pBwAAlH4bSRpYTDXdaUKMGKM4I-HVAsZ_TXWItxPEkXJOXujV4O1hs5qm2lwLA8UbU/s1600/3014622-1x1-700x700.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The holiday season is past and our minds immediately turn to garden plans and other Spring endeavors. We are blessed to have relatively fertile soil for the area we live in, so much of the land here is burned out due to ignorance about soil amendments and crop rotation. Our soil is clay loam and we began increasing tilth as soon as the garden was turned for the first time. Improving soil obviously benefits the gardener by increased sizes and yields and it is an easy labor. The first thing to understand is how essential nitrogen levels are, nitrogen is the building block of plant structure, having a deficiency in this area with give you stunted, yellowish plants. Some of the organic methods we've used to raise nitrogen levels are:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li> The addition of composted manure (we use composted horse manure from the stable where our daughter rides).</li>
<li>Growing plants that boost nitrogen such as beans and peas. We will avoid planting corn especially because it depletes the soil rapidly. We tried a test plot of corn last year and the results were disappointing.</li>
<li>Adding coffee grounds, either composted first or washed grounds directly. Washing first ensures that you aren't changing the pH and making your soil more acidic, obviously if you <i>want</i> to change the pH then don't wash the grounds first. </li>
<li>Plant borage, I haven't tried this one but it would work for a cover crop (as would oats or rye) that you till back into the soil.</li>
</ol>
<div>
Improving soil organically is a process, not an event. Every year you will see soil improvement, changing from a clay color to the deeper richer black the denotes optimum fertility.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In more immediate news, the sap will begin rising shortly and we'll be tapping again! Though we have more taps to put in this year than we did last year, it will still fall dismally short of what we used to do. You can read about that <a href="http://www.pastoralsymphonyfarm.blogspot.com/2009/03/education-and-misc-other-bits.html">here</a> and <a href="http://www.pastoralsymphonyfarm.blogspot.com/2009/02/its-syrup-season.html">here</a>, but it's a skill that we value and want to keep alive for the children. Because we won't have the quantity that we're used to my thought is to store the sap in the freezer until we have enough to fill the cast iron pot and then boil it down outside and finish in the house. That's the tentative plan anyway. Immediately on the heels of syrup season will be a brief window and then early garden things can be planted. My garlic is doing well and I think I'm going to divide my comfrey into 3 plants instead of the behemoth it currently is. I'm excited to begin the life cycle all over again, it never grows old. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Mrs. Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06356736479776982230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322268008200499912.post-71728118864642060542014-11-30T12:51:00.000-08:002014-11-30T12:51:29.576-08:00Elisabethe in the 1830s<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRMdip9C86tLf9dDYzt3QMTINYAJZwyMq_lIK_4gted67XGq10Jln3aJcb1dfdtZQh_ziaNuT1EAEwHm1B6bxzFUwluH3YEL-xdJpCzcQybJNNk43F055sacKNpcowf0EM1jmshOKLvuQ/s1600/bepblog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRMdip9C86tLf9dDYzt3QMTINYAJZwyMq_lIK_4gted67XGq10Jln3aJcb1dfdtZQh_ziaNuT1EAEwHm1B6bxzFUwluH3YEL-xdJpCzcQybJNNk43F055sacKNpcowf0EM1jmshOKLvuQ/s1600/bepblog1.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
Just a few pictures of Elisabethe's new 1830s dress that I mentioned in my last post. It was sewn by her big sister, Kate, out of a pima cotton check that we had from a previous project of mine that went awry. Though I detest sewing pima (and she did too) it does make a nice crisp skirt with lots of natural oomph. Coupled with a few petticoats to give it a nice bell shape and the look is perfectly lovely!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS7eUJhBYWUVBE5e65X-ZoVXHcJIgdbvbqBTRi4RpU-11ZcwEoXjm2X5pAb5hLBKqk1jLq-ko6avO7sqynCejziqXSespiDPS596fYhzhMUrJ90tV_E3ABMlJSbTSO0wy2CnWRZqj5Jso/s1600/bepblog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS7eUJhBYWUVBE5e65X-ZoVXHcJIgdbvbqBTRi4RpU-11ZcwEoXjm2X5pAb5hLBKqk1jLq-ko6avO7sqynCejziqXSespiDPS596fYhzhMUrJ90tV_E3ABMlJSbTSO0wy2CnWRZqj5Jso/s1600/bepblog2.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMMJ053UG6R3lqI2XCGE5E20bWunZKIWSXofpbqMyyV9pQvwp5xLK9wBvCP6mwo1-6Om3QCh6ThrANn3IMRvAx8tamo34ZZdfzgR80Z-Kog9oiobwYCwSOqHZlMvDh54IoZH76PJCXg5M/s1600/bepblog4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMMJ053UG6R3lqI2XCGE5E20bWunZKIWSXofpbqMyyV9pQvwp5xLK9wBvCP6mwo1-6Om3QCh6ThrANn3IMRvAx8tamo34ZZdfzgR80Z-Kog9oiobwYCwSOqHZlMvDh54IoZH76PJCXg5M/s1600/bepblog4.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGPR85-PFN4F-SdR49xCkg1YnQCKtk4vllfNMbyZWR3ak-Zut5CAUpl5ndeFb20RNVOdbhzzwoOPmvCoruuU5oEQuITaadgee-yNmKqUIWMDifoRdDQYKAYSO0CkP7-yKPbqmJFdOhK84/s1600/bepblog3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGPR85-PFN4F-SdR49xCkg1YnQCKtk4vllfNMbyZWR3ak-Zut5CAUpl5ndeFb20RNVOdbhzzwoOPmvCoruuU5oEQuITaadgee-yNmKqUIWMDifoRdDQYKAYSO0CkP7-yKPbqmJFdOhK84/s1600/bepblog3.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
She is thrilled with it, naturally, and would wear it daily if we let her. I love that about her, she loves and appreciates beautiful things just as she should. :)Mrs. Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06356736479776982230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322268008200499912.post-78194236365891116812014-11-26T17:26:00.000-08:002014-11-26T17:26:50.875-08:00Thanksgiving Dress in the 1830s Style<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Canning season is mostly over, I ended up with about 50 less jars than I thought I would since I never made applesauce, so we totaled out around 450 jars. After the weight of preserving is lifted then the I-Need-To-Sew-Clothes-Again urge hits, and off we go. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpbFUOr0xYaEh4Lxn5izT8IStNCH3CGy-hRr4uLg7y5YVkN3dZkLXSfQ7h0f-58D5CoVffv8lw11F4NRS_eetCLH68Nn-NXrmbYw-j-lRkDR7m-q5xFOTD5U2ggVxCW53HGlhrM_27iEA/s1600/M18306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpbFUOr0xYaEh4Lxn5izT8IStNCH3CGy-hRr4uLg7y5YVkN3dZkLXSfQ7h0f-58D5CoVffv8lw11F4NRS_eetCLH68Nn-NXrmbYw-j-lRkDR7m-q5xFOTD5U2ggVxCW53HGlhrM_27iEA/s1600/M18306.jpg" height="400" width="303" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
The girls do keep a running list of whose turn it is to have a dress sewn next and as Elisabethe had her turn skipped a while back it was her turn. Katie took it upon herself to sew an 1830s masterpiece for her, replete with uber puffed sleeves, I couldn't be happier with it. One evening a week or so ago I began to think of all of the dresses that I've sewn through the years for the 6 girls and so we sat down one evening and tallied the number, we ended up at over 90 and are still occasionally adding to the list as our memory gets jogged. But we also noticed that some of the girls have fewer dresses still in their possession than others, I'm trying to remedy that as nobody wants to be the lone girl with 3 dresses when her sisters have 3x that number.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS7VG_un8KwbRsKlKvkPs61uXOnh_K40atzKDohx9j9_oG1B6z2zG2a5gtbC2TK-HbcuZ93ovB1GtEkLTE799oYNHp0sD8Q5ofEq383guuaqJW2-2NUVhQX7xl7M__CPVpj_WJBmzdgBQ/s1600/M18303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS7VG_un8KwbRsKlKvkPs61uXOnh_K40atzKDohx9j9_oG1B6z2zG2a5gtbC2TK-HbcuZ93ovB1GtEkLTE799oYNHp0sD8Q5ofEq383guuaqJW2-2NUVhQX7xl7M__CPVpj_WJBmzdgBQ/s1600/M18303.jpg" height="400" width="206" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've had this fabric for years and have loved it since I bought it, but as it was only 4 yards my options were limited. After ruminating for a while it decided that it wanted to be a fan front, I promptly messed that up and it quickly decided that it would rather be styled into an 1830s bit of loveliness. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFTwvp0qTJZd8Am3DIirGSPclbMOwGesLgHYAL9OO6NfszepPjr6osyYEr12mojydF5NuW5wAmJtNrJ5tj8GtoqcGkf9k6yEyi0c1696q2odRyOF0aBGXTzh7LZv5lYXw6Fhqevx6K6I/s1600/M18302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFTwvp0qTJZd8Am3DIirGSPclbMOwGesLgHYAL9OO6NfszepPjr6osyYEr12mojydF5NuW5wAmJtNrJ5tj8GtoqcGkf9k6yEyi0c1696q2odRyOF0aBGXTzh7LZv5lYXw6Fhqevx6K6I/s1600/M18302.jpg" height="400" width="247" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After her dress was complete I made up a bodiced petticoat based on this illustration from an 1860s Peterson's Magazine. The bodice and yoke are a light weight cotton and the skirt is a much heavier cotton that I hemmed with a "fancy" machine stitch. It gives a nice oomph to her skirts which I love. I basted some 100% cotton lace into the neckline as I love the look that gives; it wouldn't be terribly practical if she were to wear this garment everyday as the lace couldn't take the frequent washings required, but for this project it was perfect. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTdDUrDQnd60G__vS6cQmMBICozHaU3ZEIL5KtC_VIqfqTPkQRJsZw9IFLWjkZxiFoiem8PWrQPBqFnv-qo8VYdyba8nhLq0cRzIL80nGKI36-PzMGGyrVkhwp3Az1HYPiWeJetnkObw/s1600/Peterson's1860underskirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTdDUrDQnd60G__vS6cQmMBICozHaU3ZEIL5KtC_VIqfqTPkQRJsZw9IFLWjkZxiFoiem8PWrQPBqFnv-qo8VYdyba8nhLq0cRzIL80nGKI36-PzMGGyrVkhwp3Az1HYPiWeJetnkObw/s1600/Peterson's1860underskirt.jpg" height="320" width="318" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4uaJolroFv4G6d6MbM9gk6L8_y0Usd5_eMW5cBy4TeNlzFYwA5wKRHGVo08WwF3eTwD0sQ3-skOai_-7GMvcIGUJOdu4dUrtEVgV2iaQYbGWGGgZy74CWZVNoRL3AFHwMuew4e8NBAqE/s1600/M18307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4uaJolroFv4G6d6MbM9gk6L8_y0Usd5_eMW5cBy4TeNlzFYwA5wKRHGVo08WwF3eTwD0sQ3-skOai_-7GMvcIGUJOdu4dUrtEVgV2iaQYbGWGGgZy74CWZVNoRL3AFHwMuew4e8NBAqE/s1600/M18307.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The only thing remaining was to whip up a diminutive pair of pantalettes. I put 3 half-inch tucks in each leg for pretty and truly the sight of them peeking out from beneath her skirts makes me smile. This is such a beautiful, elegant way for a little girl to dress!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKMvk5W_hHBRWOJj045RTSlIP1IRWOEyWgnCyPLl-z_6x0l2jaZMzFA_IEwLtilggZwYNbcsEpV-4KEoXf07TqCBWECgmhMjg7oc4j6crfX2vKx9ZH71Qg9q9Qu4ijE8FIBzo_Z-VHrwQ/s1600/M18304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKMvk5W_hHBRWOJj045RTSlIP1IRWOEyWgnCyPLl-z_6x0l2jaZMzFA_IEwLtilggZwYNbcsEpV-4KEoXf07TqCBWECgmhMjg7oc4j6crfX2vKx9ZH71Qg9q9Qu4ijE8FIBzo_Z-VHrwQ/s1600/M18304.jpg" height="400" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've decided to begin a new tradition of having a 5x7 framed and hung on the wall every time one of the girls gets a new dress. I wish I had begun this years ago, but since I didn't I will start today. The picture above is the one that I chose to commemorate Magdalena's Thanksgiving Dress for 2014. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHcpCWApEQAwN_J7YeYdA_oJ6nWKkLyCPJ-eqXtabnLmV7bWVcUBJwFwHCbH-CWH-dats1WvlkJgbK9CU81pTZpCcO3HU2xBhO1_3r6GOlq-j8ql3SZ4_7AkYPp6QEdp1f3w-ROQqwTg/s1600/M18305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHcpCWApEQAwN_J7YeYdA_oJ6nWKkLyCPJ-eqXtabnLmV7bWVcUBJwFwHCbH-CWH-dats1WvlkJgbK9CU81pTZpCcO3HU2xBhO1_3r6GOlq-j8ql3SZ4_7AkYPp6QEdp1f3w-ROQqwTg/s1600/M18305.jpg" height="271" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Too much cuteness is tiring, apparently. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Happiest of Thanksgivings from our family to yours! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Mrs. Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06356736479776982230noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322268008200499912.post-61875614920349691092014-11-13T12:11:00.001-08:002014-11-13T12:11:43.938-08:00Plugging Away At My Eulogy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVWttlMBI1AP-neMIdmsAJYOxY-Yir4E7w4D-h1CO-KnWdgiQzRt1uf5sR17drL_ZiB4-W0cIor_-vgoVnOwCtTrQw5s3dMJgcO0f-SV3_CCClSmWMJirwf5fWZpiQRct1_Rn95_HCqUI/s1600/snow3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVWttlMBI1AP-neMIdmsAJYOxY-Yir4E7w4D-h1CO-KnWdgiQzRt1uf5sR17drL_ZiB4-W0cIor_-vgoVnOwCtTrQw5s3dMJgcO0f-SV3_CCClSmWMJirwf5fWZpiQRct1_Rn95_HCqUI/s400/snow3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Autumn is having an impromptu meeting with Winter right now in my yard. The sky is pale faced and looks a bit sickly, as though it wishes to put this meeting off for a future date. But it is not to be, snow is hurtling to the ground, not in gentle flakes but in hard bits that sting. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhry3zen_3hxMqJaGQe_U-ZKSBfXwZpPEShuGvJt8VqctKJ-wM_667wDXa4bEwLuhHCdba_TDaDIt8LxELVpxf3IHth-Zq7KHpqxIdPFMy81JD34n49W3ITpKd1eAxbpE8TimoaPOtl008/s1600/cranberries1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhry3zen_3hxMqJaGQe_U-ZKSBfXwZpPEShuGvJt8VqctKJ-wM_667wDXa4bEwLuhHCdba_TDaDIt8LxELVpxf3IHth-Zq7KHpqxIdPFMy81JD34n49W3ITpKd1eAxbpE8TimoaPOtl008/s400/cranberries1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Today was a good day to make cranberry sauce, so that's what I did. We love homemade cranberry sauce so I'll make one more batch for a total of 14 pints or so. If you'd like to try it you combine 3 12 ounce bags of washed cranberries with 6 shredded Granny Smith apples, skins included but not seeds. Add 6 cups sugar and 4 1/2 cups water, boil for 15 minutes or until berries pop and it looks thick. Remove from heat and let cool, if it's thick enough to suit you then jar it up and process for 15 minutes, if it isn't thick enough then boil it a bit longer.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOEQHzMVAiCq6LL372fWIM7Ijb2GIu92qyy2QC7ouFhW9obhESg_WMQFCyDsGqX_XrqwV30T44GiZVy_jRWbbvCkK53fGgPdEQMwIf1WMLSazNzYssn_LA9T7tf4_Q1Tt1v24AXbkr1To/s1600/cranberries2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOEQHzMVAiCq6LL372fWIM7Ijb2GIu92qyy2QC7ouFhW9obhESg_WMQFCyDsGqX_XrqwV30T44GiZVy_jRWbbvCkK53fGgPdEQMwIf1WMLSazNzYssn_LA9T7tf4_Q1Tt1v24AXbkr1To/s400/cranberries2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Lately I've felt the need to make soap again so I've made 2 batches so far, the first was pine tar soap and this last batch was made with comfrey tea and a bit of cinnamon. I like soap making to be an economical venture so I tend not to use expensive oils or much fragrance, fresh soapy clean is perfume enough to satisfy me. I want to get a few more molds and then make enough soap to last until Spring, that's my goal anyway, unless life has other ideas.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GKxbwBdessdpyw0hVO4vhDEp02lG6rbKUw_Ie_RwBbBKJgQI9zeOSeMQyNjcuckeUUvqUSLddRHtLDBIeYd2StoUHlD7kivQASIIOZP7WeF8E-QZbnrVsXm95H05_1gcIOFc2-GfcEE/s1600/soap1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GKxbwBdessdpyw0hVO4vhDEp02lG6rbKUw_Ie_RwBbBKJgQI9zeOSeMQyNjcuckeUUvqUSLddRHtLDBIeYd2StoUHlD7kivQASIIOZP7WeF8E-QZbnrVsXm95H05_1gcIOFc2-GfcEE/s320/soap1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
This is one of my canning shelves, the jams, pickles, fruits and sauces are all elsewhere. With the chili that I canned yesterday and the cranberry sauce today I have around 425 jars filled. I do have beans soaking now in preparation for canning them tomorrow and pickles are brining so we'll process those on Saturday..... that will give me about 443 jars. I still have applesauce to do and a few other little things, I think I'll get to 500 jars or thereabouts.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30REeacISDx9b52goAYoRBymwNP5uzItqbi7Zg9CEIfJPhU1Fu0nPN0S-NSQOSw7I8SEeaskaa01Zpa-GkT4qIbsEEydkko80FzyD5GsUCQzk3sED3U04VdztsfCLJcCITsmLwrqOcD0/s1600/shelf1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30REeacISDx9b52goAYoRBymwNP5uzItqbi7Zg9CEIfJPhU1Fu0nPN0S-NSQOSw7I8SEeaskaa01Zpa-GkT4qIbsEEydkko80FzyD5GsUCQzk3sED3U04VdztsfCLJcCITsmLwrqOcD0/s320/shelf1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I read a quote from an elderly lady written around the turn of the century and she said that if a woman saw all the dishes that she would have to wash in her lifetime she'd lay down and die right then. So much of a woman's work is used up, or eaten up, or goes unnoticed as anything extraordinary, but the quilts she had sewn were different. They would be kept and cherished as something that <i>Aunt Jane</i> had made. Aunt Jane was writing her eulogy, though I doubt she thought of it that way. I think of that. What will my children remember about me? That I spent a lot of time on facebook? That I valued forgotten skills? That I sewed their clothes and mended socks? Or that I couldn't make crisp pickles to save my life? Everything I spend time on tattles on what I really value, both good and bad.<br />
<br />
It's so easy to get caught up in comparisons, to think that somebody else's life is perfect or pretty close. And it's easy to think "well, I'd do thus and so if only..." I'd like to encourage not to wait one more day to start writing the eulogy that you want remembered. You probably can't jump right into your dream life, I know that I didn't, but begin to build it one baby step at a time. Your dream life won't be mine, but the important thing is that it be what <i>you</i> want it to be. Perfection is overrated, allow yourself the privilege of learning and doing and making mistakes. Life is but a vapor and passes so quickly, to be able to die well with as few regrets as possible takes effort. Monumental effort, for nothing worthwhile is ever easy. If I've ever encouraged you or influenced you, let it be in that.Mrs. Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06356736479776982230noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322268008200499912.post-69449440212348138602014-10-26T14:06:00.003-07:002014-10-26T14:06:41.377-07:00A Beneficial BarterI grew up in the grape country of Western New York and though I've been away for a long while, my family still lives there. Where I live is moonshine country and after sending my almost 90 year old father a jar of Maraschino Cherries Stewed in Moonshine we decided to swap 'shine for grapes. My sister boxed up 35 pounds of Concord and Catawba grapes for me and shipped them down (incidentally, for less cost than what I could buy them for locally.) They arrived on Thursday last and by Friday we had them all jarred.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHSUBbREEXKxneJrAAnZOM877Gnb9J5ls3LvQmo8HU4AxSBAKw-RuCpOJBk6G7Q8ogCC4alcBHvO0kBpnsEjGxZru3Ieh3XcHvWQrDFNoRPESXyrUsKZxjpICqfmllsIB_qRv69rL9bw8/s1600/steamjuicer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHSUBbREEXKxneJrAAnZOM877Gnb9J5ls3LvQmo8HU4AxSBAKw-RuCpOJBk6G7Q8ogCC4alcBHvO0kBpnsEjGxZru3Ieh3XcHvWQrDFNoRPESXyrUsKZxjpICqfmllsIB_qRv69rL9bw8/s1600/steamjuicer.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steam Juicing the Grapes<br /><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
35 pounds yielded 12 quarts of grape juice concentrate, 7 pints of grape jam, and 2 grape pies.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDaDoAQed32Qo8pTeIUMuoUaAmb0ZoGSZTa_KCIWoeZrYYzu3ttI0cnCqTSsPb4FgI9DRLdLp7vyzxgkmG5uwvUjB93MehxEFQDsqbZ9YSXtvPsvsjDHh4LuO7lZUr4PYCMDZlwEbwJZE/s1600/grapes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDaDoAQed32Qo8pTeIUMuoUaAmb0ZoGSZTa_KCIWoeZrYYzu3ttI0cnCqTSsPb4FgI9DRLdLp7vyzxgkmG5uwvUjB93MehxEFQDsqbZ9YSXtvPsvsjDHh4LuO7lZUr4PYCMDZlwEbwJZE/s1600/grapes.jpg" height="362" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipcJaq36TKxLed_hRwh2rgpC04qfGPCG7rDcy_kov1xgAsOa14fnMh_jOJKF0ioYfbB0fioyi6NQ3gaqHMQWX5rMKfsQHDXa8Xue-JxLiGhbdRtxGz-tFsipw63JvdV7LDhQL5jgcO6ik/s1600/pies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipcJaq36TKxLed_hRwh2rgpC04qfGPCG7rDcy_kov1xgAsOa14fnMh_jOJKF0ioYfbB0fioyi6NQ3gaqHMQWX5rMKfsQHDXa8Xue-JxLiGhbdRtxGz-tFsipw63JvdV7LDhQL5jgcO6ik/s1600/pies.jpg" height="251" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We are soaking the grape seeds and pulp in cider vinegar to extract the many benefits.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKs_CUNG36XYXQQTB5pbPrSGccrPmYP-60x5Hhvmx2UzR282RnfIRONfSTNSw3fqlVfd-P74yToPAtEyMSlC5TjX5zo9brD3juE_3wFw6qIoFD2fQsjPnU06-52R7ujrpeisWVGd-_dC4/s1600/grapeseeds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKs_CUNG36XYXQQTB5pbPrSGccrPmYP-60x5Hhvmx2UzR282RnfIRONfSTNSw3fqlVfd-P74yToPAtEyMSlC5TjX5zo9brD3juE_3wFw6qIoFD2fQsjPnU06-52R7ujrpeisWVGd-_dC4/s1600/grapeseeds.jpg" height="400" width="235" /></a></div>
<br />
A bit about grape seeds:<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<i>Although not particularly tasty, whole grape seeds are completely edible, and scientific evidence suggests that they are good for you, too. Packed with essential fatty acids, amino acids, and powerful flavonoids (such as proanthocyanidins), these little bitter seeds have been associated with a whole slew of health benefits. Eating grape seeds on a regular basis may, for example, improve cardiovascular health, reduce leg swelling and varicose veins, provide some protection against certain types of cancer, offer weight loss benefits, treat depression, and even <a href="http://www.healwithfood.org/yeast-infections/grape-seed-extract-fights-candida.php" style="color: #3578a9;">fight yeast infections caused by Candida</a>.</i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<i>In addition, thanks to their remarkably strong antioxidant properties, grape seeds might (at least in theory) help fight certain skin conditions – such as inflammatory acne, psoriasis, and premature wrinkling of the skin – and some more serious health complications such as asthma, joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis patients, and problems related to eye health.</i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<i>Whole grape seeds are naturally rich in flavonoids including gallic acid, catechin, epicatechin, gallocatechin, epigallocatechin, epicatechin 3-O-gallate, and perhaps most importantly, oligomeric proanthocyanidins. According to research, the <strong>antioxidant capacity of proanthocyanidins is 20 times greater than vitamin E and 50 times greater than vitamin C</strong>.</i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<i>In addition, proanthocyanidins have been<strong>shown to enhance the effectiveness of other antioxidants</strong>. As a result of the remarkably strong antioxidant power of proanthocyanidins, it is not surprising that supplement manufacturers have began to process grape seeds into pills and capsules.</i></div>
Mrs. Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06356736479776982230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322268008200499912.post-22036366135215481702014-10-23T10:09:00.001-07:002014-10-23T10:09:49.135-07:00Autumn in a Jar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
I just canned this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIEPXA49PKuYDAPsFm3FK8HPJ04utU94xaoKG0z9_f3Ye84-ZFRazEOQT62UjwORVIkRaLb3K6ekLSmz4HarCNZ0TP2VCYIWkilMZqGiv3Xph0tG9oxH4Qwwo8X8f6YGXzxifzz4U5BB4/s1600/autumnleaves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIEPXA49PKuYDAPsFm3FK8HPJ04utU94xaoKG0z9_f3Ye84-ZFRazEOQT62UjwORVIkRaLb3K6ekLSmz4HarCNZ0TP2VCYIWkilMZqGiv3Xph0tG9oxH4Qwwo8X8f6YGXzxifzz4U5BB4/s1600/autumnleaves.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
It might be called Apple Pumpkin Butter by some, but I think the picture sums it up better.<br />
<br />
Here is the recipe if you'd like to try it. Beware the smell as it cooks, if drifts everywhere and makes your home smell like a scented candle.<br />
<br />
You will need:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3gcpbEU_tp-wPIEYUB_XU1x4IvTqN2rO852H7b-9YO2CsZNzsCvv-V9reThSTvqdwPVJE0olCRK7MaHOz1LPDtsn95NwIVDMvqaXzaXOQmVK_HGyGVEsYQn9nlWfPCeQdzTnB-9M47c/s1600/Pumpkin-Apples.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3gcpbEU_tp-wPIEYUB_XU1x4IvTqN2rO852H7b-9YO2CsZNzsCvv-V9reThSTvqdwPVJE0olCRK7MaHOz1LPDtsn95NwIVDMvqaXzaXOQmVK_HGyGVEsYQn9nlWfPCeQdzTnB-9M47c/s1600/Pumpkin-Apples.jpg" height="266" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<ul>
<li>I used one pretty good sized pie pumpkin, cut it in half, scraped the seeds & strings out, cut it into 2"x4" slices and shredded on my cheese shredder. This worked a lot better than trying to chunk it up. </li>
<li>I added 3 Granny Smith apples, shredded. </li>
<li>2T vinegar</li>
<li>1/2t salt</li>
<li>1t nutmeg</li>
<li>1T each, cinnamon and ginger</li>
<li>2 cups brown sugar</li>
<li>2 cups water and more if needed. </li>
</ul>
<div>
Cook until done, adding more water if needed. My yield was 3 pints of <i>very</i> thick butter. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The smell was divine, the taste was even better. I got the idea to make some from a book I'm reading, it's the Foxfire book detailing the life and interviews with Aunt Arie. She mentioned that they would make pumpkin butter in HUGE quantities and store it in multiple 5 gallon crocks. I find that mind boggling, my little batch was quite a bit of work, but to make <i>gallons</i> is nothing short of amazing. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Happy Autumn!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46RMSrpwpbuXmzpLu4WGh0uigsfveL1b50cmVBFVPzgsRmD0hcc1uSGAFIWhtWxfSBfTmr1kltm1ZmtaPftwT7t5RnCwVijVIIuXhXq3H229LxRAWzdWFOr4nBlWpTNxKuuWKp6K2If8/s1600/eGreet-262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46RMSrpwpbuXmzpLu4WGh0uigsfveL1b50cmVBFVPzgsRmD0hcc1uSGAFIWhtWxfSBfTmr1kltm1ZmtaPftwT7t5RnCwVijVIIuXhXq3H229LxRAWzdWFOr4nBlWpTNxKuuWKp6K2If8/s1600/eGreet-262.jpg" height="400" width="280" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Mrs. Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06356736479776982230noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322268008200499912.post-11202757241000033262014-10-20T11:14:00.000-07:002014-10-20T11:14:05.160-07:00Conservo Steam OvenI've been looking for a Conservo for a little while, scouring eBay and local antiques shops to no avail. There are always a few on eBay, but for more than I wanted to pay relative to their condition. Using auction zip I found one being sold at an auction in Georgia, bid on it and won!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHs7FIzVKDdgTvzrNE1xZaYfipvxRgRVFtrW2nivB3sfxUTwzb7Nn9VDJwP2UcJzQMEHr550IwEYYOYpGY5pll9ySE4IiAP_1U9QrHCyVZuD4w7KzXp3EEqShFN13h1_UdydUrCOoanMU/s1600/conservo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHs7FIzVKDdgTvzrNE1xZaYfipvxRgRVFtrW2nivB3sfxUTwzb7Nn9VDJwP2UcJzQMEHr550IwEYYOYpGY5pll9ySE4IiAP_1U9QrHCyVZuD4w7KzXp3EEqShFN13h1_UdydUrCOoanMU/s1600/conservo1.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
Made by the Toledo Cooker Company and patented in 1907 it is made with a tin body and copper bottom. The bottom, filled with water, generates the steam that bakes the items within. A nifty, low tech kitchen "appliance", my present to myself for my birthday.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZnz2OiKjwDVDq2CJ149oGT4sFT0c_Or1IRo5WmHCR1QxoJ96if4x5WWG6hMRstvq8Tq82uPhMmf-1NE4-ntCRoeX7hg9XmY0DIBSkZV3y-2Qv79UUhlYDlVCPhj0ZOSjSi1F3yrqPSyc/s1600/conservo3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZnz2OiKjwDVDq2CJ149oGT4sFT0c_Or1IRo5WmHCR1QxoJ96if4x5WWG6hMRstvq8Tq82uPhMmf-1NE4-ntCRoeX7hg9XmY0DIBSkZV3y-2Qv79UUhlYDlVCPhj0ZOSjSi1F3yrqPSyc/s1600/conservo3.jpg" height="400" width="285" /></a></div>
<br />
It came today and I wanted to try it out immediately, but I couldn't think of anything to bake. I mused a bit and decided to use up a jar of our homemade peach pie filling and make a cobbler. I had to bake it in two bread pans because the Conservo can't hold a regular size cake pan.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYwz35d4LN56ilo44R_R0cutAPOtb8MJ_mp-vphf5nAZaLOGTfSiQA9OUiIOBy_n_v12NbR6_ZE5eSa9qtdkzFL8t0PPVyZs_9dJ4oGKrs2KJjvFCaNNIxK9M7zuxRfhX1DwgjluyifAw/s1600/conservo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYwz35d4LN56ilo44R_R0cutAPOtb8MJ_mp-vphf5nAZaLOGTfSiQA9OUiIOBy_n_v12NbR6_ZE5eSa9qtdkzFL8t0PPVyZs_9dJ4oGKrs2KJjvFCaNNIxK9M7zuxRfhX1DwgjluyifAw/s1600/conservo2.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
I knew from a friend's experience with hers that anything baked with one will be <i>very</i> moist, but a cobbler should bake up just fine, right?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9uJYSEZ3nt7clvHH67cMx7EtD7SEVJFso9jC3Obzb2uJylNj6V52UsWcgF_jPj8zVDEaGU7dh6qNpYZodu5-HFK0Z87rrG5VucmHfWgPiy3WtUn8Uxs_k7BNbFrThx7XUrz3WLBfm2Hc/s1600/conservo4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9uJYSEZ3nt7clvHH67cMx7EtD7SEVJFso9jC3Obzb2uJylNj6V52UsWcgF_jPj8zVDEaGU7dh6qNpYZodu5-HFK0Z87rrG5VucmHfWgPiy3WtUn8Uxs_k7BNbFrThx7XUrz3WLBfm2Hc/s1600/conservo4.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
YES! Light, fluffy, moist, steamy goodness. Perfection.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Mrs. Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06356736479776982230noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322268008200499912.post-36169492802209176932013-02-05T08:14:00.000-08:002013-02-05T08:14:25.147-08:00The $7.32 Regency DressEach of the girls are getting a new dress this spring: Maggie got 2 1860s dresses, Abby got a late 1830s dress, Elisabethe's turn was skipped because her late 1840s pattern isn't ready yet so we jumped to Rebekah's turn. I wanted to do something different, the same old era gets tedious dress after dress, so I decided to give the Regency Era a go. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8Bn2RWO8H0HFWbH2rRsL6T9UJeYmlyJENSUM3Lzrgo7_3c1uhLP-56y336-tE8UQg3krzUVsJVsmIZcyliDIi0uEaF0YYm7w9Vjgc7yHQq6oOTX2MGVj7JzqnI1wa1L-x4oq3pT36Xs/s1600/romantic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8Bn2RWO8H0HFWbH2rRsL6T9UJeYmlyJENSUM3Lzrgo7_3c1uhLP-56y336-tE8UQg3krzUVsJVsmIZcyliDIi0uEaF0YYm7w9Vjgc7yHQq6oOTX2MGVj7JzqnI1wa1L-x4oq3pT36Xs/s320/romantic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I looked at fashion plates and consulted<em> Costume In Detail</em> and <em>Nineteenth Century Fashion In Detail</em> and finally decided to make a drawstring, lightly gathered neckline and smooth elbow length sleeves. I didn't want to make a plain white gown, though they are far and away the most common kind to find examples of. I ended up finding a fabric at Wal-Mart with a white ground and blue figures that was $2/yard. I did find quite a few original printed dresses and genre paintings of printed dresses, among them were these:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkilHJ9Ax-Bel4qiDYj-IG2mS6vTsXzHZF_t93a-mFH500Hyr3wBrsJEw15NlEqxqgyL9jI1XgCpyLiqkPIFhgzIUxHLwR27NJy3mc9YGhasL_BjnQU0x4e5ZQTn4QiKuGJ0m87US4io/s1600/Ammi_Phillips_-_Portrait_Of_Jane_Ann_Campbell_1820_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkilHJ9Ax-Bel4qiDYj-IG2mS6vTsXzHZF_t93a-mFH500Hyr3wBrsJEw15NlEqxqgyL9jI1XgCpyLiqkPIFhgzIUxHLwR27NJy3mc9YGhasL_BjnQU0x4e5ZQTn4QiKuGJ0m87US4io/s320/Ammi_Phillips_-_Portrait_Of_Jane_Ann_Campbell_1820_.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Portrait of Jane Ann Campbell 1820</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKh9Kaqz56HTExleRwOSETg5TAmXM9elJppIM0pTCRIM9Asl0VEFVGjXJd5MHb7-GYOvSqjl7r9AZZkPJ13ygSbwz-4zRwrag2fN_W11pcTZjCXByd0MvHbvhR75VtVWuIqPRX4fT-ncc/s1600/vandyke+points+on+the+sleeve+1815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKh9Kaqz56HTExleRwOSETg5TAmXM9elJppIM0pTCRIM9Asl0VEFVGjXJd5MHb7-GYOvSqjl7r9AZZkPJ13ygSbwz-4zRwrag2fN_W11pcTZjCXByd0MvHbvhR75VtVWuIqPRX4fT-ncc/s320/vandyke+points+on+the+sleeve+1815.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Girl's Dress 1815</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34yom7MFpewMfg9RdLg-tJIMZg_Jm_YOSP8YQyagmeTl7YZNkwEHI6840pl9vw3EuJlLRuKePERZ6xDuzlWs_c74b2-EAnxxi2P18AhmoGzWVpBNDkDEWw3XQrGp_rUM3O5H51tuGeEs/s1600/Ammi_Phillips_%25281788-1865%2529_14-year-old_Mary_Ann_Gale__1815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34yom7MFpewMfg9RdLg-tJIMZg_Jm_YOSP8YQyagmeTl7YZNkwEHI6840pl9vw3EuJlLRuKePERZ6xDuzlWs_c74b2-EAnxxi2P18AhmoGzWVpBNDkDEWw3XQrGp_rUM3O5H51tuGeEs/s1600/Ammi_Phillips_%25281788-1865%2529_14-year-old_Mary_Ann_Gale__1815.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
14 year old Mary Ann Gale painted in 1815</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5xYse7Mg8FSrBk8vSsd36JMVHtmWmR4jzXHCoJI3T1KU3gMiYwI54GXa47a0vWLxh7mmpxR_BGFiYo6AQj4zKudAz3JiylUc8oX1MOUCBASM0auodEmQg6jgZlvDsN2U7YHxLkq3oAk/s1600/1805+1810+cotton+dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5xYse7Mg8FSrBk8vSsd36JMVHtmWmR4jzXHCoJI3T1KU3gMiYwI54GXa47a0vWLxh7mmpxR_BGFiYo6AQj4zKudAz3JiylUc8oX1MOUCBASM0auodEmQg6jgZlvDsN2U7YHxLkq3oAk/s320/1805+1810+cotton+dress.jpg" width="147" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Cotton dress 1805-1810</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I took Rebekah's regular dress pattern and made it up in scrap fabric and then drew the new, further back shoulder seams in magic marker. Then I drew and redrew the slanting back seams to get the placement and angle right. I'm used to the curving back seams that were popular in the 1860s, whereas Regency seams are more of a straight line. Then I tweaked the armscye, cutting it in deeply at the back to give the illusion of a "small back" that was popular in this era. I cut the bodice apart on the marker lines and redrew the pattern with it, adding seam allowances. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1K2Uvw-A4c7l5FMd4OWiSxgdJzjVDnILQn1N-18_6nlrCg7dHbatQjknp6KISlYlbELQ7X9n_iDKx9N01e8VbHpCfpV4vQ2CCkhFRa5k7ZfE8Hk1yNepaxpFeMMnLSgfkOLz8xVk2h8/s1600/back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1K2Uvw-A4c7l5FMd4OWiSxgdJzjVDnILQn1N-18_6nlrCg7dHbatQjknp6KISlYlbELQ7X9n_iDKx9N01e8VbHpCfpV4vQ2CCkhFRa5k7ZfE8Hk1yNepaxpFeMMnLSgfkOLz8xVk2h8/s320/back.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
When making up the dress I lined the bodice in a light weight cotton and piped the back seams. There is a casing at the neckline with a tiny 1/8" twill tape drawstring and self fabric buttons closing the rest of the back.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXJUCD1avPbrB6fR45ecXhcjufs1me1c3pgXJ46V-OLQ8HCyNcaAZ_iYmXe-CP221XdLJuY3Twrs0XD5MwNHHOjXuFPZHem6WlS-RGfiZWKKb9Kk4orBPyVWxorF0h34i1G-6bcwTkYU/s1600/sleeve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXJUCD1avPbrB6fR45ecXhcjufs1me1c3pgXJ46V-OLQ8HCyNcaAZ_iYmXe-CP221XdLJuY3Twrs0XD5MwNHHOjXuFPZHem6WlS-RGfiZWKKb9Kk4orBPyVWxorF0h34i1G-6bcwTkYU/s320/sleeve.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div>
The sleeves were the hardest thing to draft of anything I've ever tried. I drafted and tried half a dozen incarnations of this sleeve before getting even remotely close. I looked at my <em>Patterns Of Fashion</em> book, but it wasn't very helpful. In the end I traced the whole sleeve opening shape by laying the dress flat and tracing it onto paper. I then stared at that for about five minutes thinking, "well that was brilliant, what do I do now?" And then a little line here, a little curve there and I came up with something passable, though not perfect. They are elbow length sleeves with the small amount of excess held in with 2 pleats and a self fabric button as trim.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijIOtf-uL7dMQV3PBUJCPRRi8KcQRK2i4Mxr3Qiab-yrBalVMypQZt1EFDjZcZrshSWzJfHs3Tx6w7X8P_NsytOYIr5ccn5HmP6As2vqtJBikqqhANRc19U5NbI2MDswZP68Vqykm4u9g/s1600/walking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijIOtf-uL7dMQV3PBUJCPRRi8KcQRK2i4Mxr3Qiab-yrBalVMypQZt1EFDjZcZrshSWzJfHs3Tx6w7X8P_NsytOYIr5ccn5HmP6As2vqtJBikqqhANRc19U5NbI2MDswZP68Vqykm4u9g/s320/walking.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
The skirt is smooth across the front and full at the back, slightly gored and just above ankle length. The back skirt opening is made from a solid length of fabric, sliced open about 5" and turned under in a tiny hem. This was nice because then I didn't have to sweat matching the print like I would have if the skirt back was 2 pieces seamed up. <br />
<br />
She really seems to like it. :) She has a bonnet to go with it which is as of yet untrimmed, hence no pictures, but I'm working on it. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
Mrs. Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06356736479776982230noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322268008200499912.post-46791490411660711572012-12-26T14:29:00.000-08:002012-12-26T14:29:22.113-08:00Late 1830s Dress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYaX0JJ1oVmRkmkwuzhtQFLZ6gFreRPL2TTluuXiOvIINVAVPwaz0snsUBVYjMD40I0q7vC2lt056LFQJZTxNWtiMDd4lit1Ds8r5dqRPZmTt5iWPIEHjyg9TmA_e6fBs3j-6TDPYxNY/s1600/1830s+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYaX0JJ1oVmRkmkwuzhtQFLZ6gFreRPL2TTluuXiOvIINVAVPwaz0snsUBVYjMD40I0q7vC2lt056LFQJZTxNWtiMDd4lit1Ds8r5dqRPZmTt5iWPIEHjyg9TmA_e6fBs3j-6TDPYxNY/s320/1830s+1.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Abigail's late 1830s dress is finally finished enough to get pictures of and blog about. Of all the historic eras that I've experimented sewing clothing for, the 1830s are by far my favorite. I love the wide necklines and gigot sleeves, it an aesthetic that I appreciate. Before the gigot sleeves were replaced by the slim sleeves of the 1840s, the gigot for a short time was banded or otherwise reduced at the bicep and flared out around the elbow. It doesn't seem like it's a very popular style to reproduce though, for whatever reason.
I loosely based her dress on the 2 girls' dresses pictured in William Sidney Mount's 1840 painting <i>The Blackberry Girls</i>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_iOwBo4gbVDZWwcEwUlsR-tEdwBlkOuRwK8gTYvDRqtJQXzttNz6Xou-o5lILgvI1DRv2VN6pf8E2tYpue7zrYnUEKl6CEizyZP7RFTTlTGhzl0fF-XvkC7mAAUTuLNlX4rIGVLNFyI/s1600/Blackberry+girls+1840+William+Sidney+Mount.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_iOwBo4gbVDZWwcEwUlsR-tEdwBlkOuRwK8gTYvDRqtJQXzttNz6Xou-o5lILgvI1DRv2VN6pf8E2tYpue7zrYnUEKl6CEizyZP7RFTTlTGhzl0fF-XvkC7mAAUTuLNlX4rIGVLNFyI/s400/Blackberry+girls+1840+William+Sidney+Mount.jpg" width="342" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The <br />
Blackberry Girls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I found this fabric at Wal-Mart for $2.50/yard and I squeaked it out of 3 yards. Romantic Era dresses really eat up the yardage.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yr23rH8dZcSnCtkSbi7_ZvCgFWgOtYLCJyUiBT9BzvOldTTOndulRjl6JKWe65mQ2gON-yvpwR19pRiXIClaCDb1K62LpD_E2UlP-hHCBCCm36yKJ08n1B0sEM-LBRVtv1jsnJ0O_Ww/s1600/1830s+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yr23rH8dZcSnCtkSbi7_ZvCgFWgOtYLCJyUiBT9BzvOldTTOndulRjl6JKWe65mQ2gON-yvpwR19pRiXIClaCDb1K62LpD_E2UlP-hHCBCCm36yKJ08n1B0sEM-LBRVtv1jsnJ0O_Ww/s400/1830s+3.jpg" width="264" /></a></div>
<br />
The fabric is pleated at the bicep and then attached to the lower sleeve. There is self fabric piping at the armscye, between the upper and lower sleeves, at the wrist, binding the bertha collar and at the neckline. The pleats in the bodice are stitched in before the bodice is cut out, I don't know if that's a period technique or not. :)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5o7czT7BG2YkmiBjx-gGA1Z9Bt_BV90GlxbnOrKGnEpyKpJqekmkOqc6kV2TF57B6ZagXXehyphenhyphenQ_Fr2WxEcH0EMacP4ihl_mck9gNPmxdzh5vgzPox_CYt6rOP4Niw0bfjB0rgC8SCODU/s1600/1830s+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5o7czT7BG2YkmiBjx-gGA1Z9Bt_BV90GlxbnOrKGnEpyKpJqekmkOqc6kV2TF57B6ZagXXehyphenhyphenQ_Fr2WxEcH0EMacP4ihl_mck9gNPmxdzh5vgzPox_CYt6rOP4Niw0bfjB0rgC8SCODU/s400/1830s+2.jpg" width="191" /></a></div>
<br />
Instead of a ruffle I trimmed the collar with 100% cotton twill tape that I dyed dark brown. This is my first attempt at a bertha collar and I really like the way it turned out, it's a nice finishing touch.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbGk0o9jkk6YRaXtQzP_8oQc_3AS4tCFZQamkMpDQ6nN0NV-8qFrJ1OfopNixL_BCwHaQqKYJV1jcB1S2Zn3fUIM4g-70AhXb5tBae7uDWOzcdC1c_rlyKbekQdnOgDD2fdHsQ2qodZGk/s1600/1830s+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbGk0o9jkk6YRaXtQzP_8oQc_3AS4tCFZQamkMpDQ6nN0NV-8qFrJ1OfopNixL_BCwHaQqKYJV1jcB1S2Zn3fUIM4g-70AhXb5tBae7uDWOzcdC1c_rlyKbekQdnOgDD2fdHsQ2qodZGk/s400/1830s+4.jpg" width="253" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There is a slim fitted undersleeve, cut on the bias, that the fashion fabric is tacked onto to give the pouf at the elbow. Without the undersleeve the pouf would fall down the arm and drag off the hand. Not the fashionable look we're shooting for. </div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEQyXwHV1C9P13o2_z7kQLAgcMzU5VwVOdVMmsVzJrUadj5efG5OA5Aheg2xIZxFNv1hEH-Ffhv1dtF5_bze_YjmYe9diU_oUh2B9Mddlx-Vsst8RyEnR8y6U15IrXdz1r46eQTK_0KY/s1600/February+1838+Godeys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEQyXwHV1C9P13o2_z7kQLAgcMzU5VwVOdVMmsVzJrUadj5efG5OA5Aheg2xIZxFNv1hEH-Ffhv1dtF5_bze_YjmYe9diU_oUh2B9Mddlx-Vsst8RyEnR8y6U15IrXdz1r46eQTK_0KY/s400/February+1838+Godeys.jpg" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Godey's Ladies Book February 1838<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Mrs. Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06356736479776982230noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322268008200499912.post-18130401357973428872011-08-27T07:16:00.000-07:002020-08-30T13:49:26.067-07:00Weaving the FabricThis post is a sort of continuation of my last post and an extension of some thoughts generated by some comments left.
<br />
I don’t intend to hammer away at people who own a food processor, Magic Bullet, vacuum cleaner or bread machine, but let me give you some sound reasons to put them away or use them less. We live in an age of unprecedented ease, never have such large amounts of people had to work as little as what we do. And yet, <em>yet</em>, we’re so unsatisfied. Something is missing from our lives; I touched on this in the post <a href="http://pastoralsymphonyfarm.blogspot.com/2011/07/what-would-you-give-in-exchange.html">What Would You Give In Exchange?</a> “Community” is a cry I’m hearing a lot, more people are waking up to the fact that truly no man is an island and they’re groping for a way to regain what was so carelessly tossed away by those of a generation or 2 ago. However, trying to rebuild community is putting the cart before the horse. Without the proper building blocks you can’t build anything that will last. The building block is the family and until the family is experiencing “community” you will never be able to replicate community on a larger scale. The best you’ll be able to do is to reenact it. Family community is built on need, Father and Mother need the children just as the child needs its parents and you can’t need somebody that you don’t know and never spend any time with. Let me present an example: we preserve a lot of food, right? :-) I’ve written about the tools that we use so you know that there isn’t a whole lot of mechanization being used here. Why would we choose to make it so hard on ourselves? Family community.
<br />
<br />
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645542576395073698" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDwr0h-pNKbrIEBrT3FVZPYnOxRH_A8G6W1fiaDKqjIjaUoz4CfGtS1RVD4h8H7Cw3OCYG9sqCH5JjpEqHWACyqbjhhVJbXjfYtxyx6Gl69qTIpslQDW6zupV6MSRidzKvuwlRbLKvgk/s400/Husking_Bee-Island_of_Nantucket_1876.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 199px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" />
<br />
When we're making salsa somebody is washing tomatoes, Mr. G or Katie or Levi is cranking the Victorio Strainer, Elisabethe or Abigail is putting the tomatoes in the hopper, Aleks or I are dicing peppers, somebody else is cutting onions etc. We’re together, working to get an important job completed. It’s the same when we’re canning corn. Aleks picks it, Katie puts the water on to boil, Levi, Micah, Tabitha, Rebekah, Elisabethe and Abigail begin to husk it and remove the silk. Asa tastes the corn cobs to verify that they’re edible. And then Aleks, Katie and I cut it off the cob. Mechanization means not only noise that prohibits conversation, but it erases opportunities for us to work together. I need my children, we could not live this life without them and that needing them in turn grounds them to a real life. We're weaving more of the cloth that binds us together everytime we work together.
<br />
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645542296551170082" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0LwQBEo-Es1XhcNCuO7TI-IztRWe46b1aHK5rHuy0YIyzljYI3xicDHDslhLbHRHI2CyRlmMJikDVEvEdC7DkpMRnqLi4S_VNIM-tcWRJo2hnuXI8__k_EegXBwOnpLd_9JWbs-Ef98/s400/1910+husking+bee.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 284px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" />
<br />
What kind of child abuse is it to turn a child loose to have their character shaped by their peer group? To substitute meaningful work for a virtual reality and passive existence: <em>watching</em> actors pretend to have relationships and act out immorality,<em> listening</em> to somebody else sing, <em>watching</em> other people play football, <em>listening</em> to somebody else read the Bible and explain their interpretation of it. Entire childhoods marked by passivity and then when they should be adults we wonder why they aren’t. We’ve set them up for failure by denying them a real childhood. “Fun” should be replaced by these two questions: <em>is the task meaningful?</em> and <em>is it satisfying?</em> Of course I’m not saying that we should never have fun, but it shouldn’t be a god that we worship. Enjoy spending time with your family, whatever your family happens to be; build that community first.
<br />
The two images shown are both of corn husking bees, the top image is a scene painted from the Island of Nantucket in 1876 and the bottom is a photograph taken at Hog's Jaw, a small community on the Cumberland River in lower Whitley County Kentucky about 1910. Friends and neighbors once gathered to help each other for such things as house raisings, quiltings, stir-offs, and bees. As it brought people together, it was considered as fun in those days and friends came from miles around. The work was often followed by a delicious meal and perhaps an evening of square dancing or games. Community building was happening all the time without there being any special effort to “create community”. Need compelled people to rely on each other, nobody was self sufficient but communities were to a large extent. If your very survival depended on your small town blacksmith, shop keeper, wagon maker, and midwife you would be much more careful to tend those relationships. We have so many more choices today that the “need” has been removed, or at least it appears so. But be not deceived, your survival still depends on others, they're just a nameless and faceless other that doesn't care about you as an individual. The Bible says that "My people perish for want of knowledge", you can apply that many ways to this situation, but it's not a stretch to say that God desires parents to work with and impart values to their children and also that He wants us to build communities.
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Mrs. Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06356736479776982230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322268008200499912.post-68195531366451638002011-08-25T09:33:00.000-07:002020-08-30T13:49:57.309-07:00Domestic Economy<br />
<br />
<div>
Summer is slowly, almost <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">imperceptibly</span> winding down; I can feel the change in the air though the workload is still as heavy as it ever was. We finally finished canning green beans, but the corn and carrots are far from done. We try to do a few <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">canner</span> loads every day and that way it isn't overwhelming and the jars do add up little by little. I'm thankful for the ease and convenience of having home canned foods on the shelf, meals can be made in a hurry and I know they're wholesome. I want to can some corn with red and green peppers in it, we'll add that to cornbread sometimes and we really like it that way. I also want to make a batch of salsa using all Green Zebra tomatoes, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">green</span> salsa will be different and I do get tired of the same old things all the time. Home canning is a relatively recent invention, at least canning as we understand it today is- though people have been preserving food for later use since time immemorial. Our understanding of cooking has also undergone a radical change in the last hundred years. It’s rare today to find a woman who cooks meals for her family at home, much less a woman who has the knowledge of how to cook from scratch. We’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ve</span> gone from a nation of self reliant women to a nation of women who don’t cook or can’t cook anything more involved than Shake-n-Bake chicken and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Stovetop</span> stuffing. Obviously there are multiple nutritional benefits to cooking wholesome food from scratch, but there is also the satisfaction of knowing that you <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">aren</span>’t relying on Proctor & Gamble or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">SaraLee</span> to decide what your family ought to eat.
<br />
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644879694515016562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9VVVHrRam24qZ9mlBzPhGs2xNqZen7HeQ5a0SGZ2S7G9XHELm-N3sLoXeGqSgB0HrlmDQgcQ22fjsaJ1lcfF8PHU2b2b_pF-cIl0jofhc7MEi5N_tENNzwjC5m8mahZAPkW1DJMJFZyc/s400/Baking+Bread.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 342px;" /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div>
By the same token, relying on a lot of "labor saving" devices might prove unwise if you are unable to cook without them. My "modern"kitchen equipment consists of a blender and a Victorio</div>
Strainer (we just got the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Victorio</span> this summer). That’s it. All of the canning/preserving we do is done with those 2 tools, we dice all fruits and vegetables by hand and cut corn from the cob with a knife. We've canned 430 jars this summer so it is feasible to do all this without a lot of extra gadgets. Our philosophy has been to learn to do jobs the old fashioned way with the least sophisticated equipment and only then switch to more modern methods/equipment. If nothing else this certainly makes us appreciate how easy we have it! <img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644873939103172370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZa1ORSlvZNFoVsqIFPTgW5FXfzrSQ75JXqVBWZP3gRaYY6_gO6Allq9PXvgQ9IllmsKhrLplMQj2IVpjVEQbR7CHi9wHTEZJbBa__xmkBzzd1sNbU7_Z7sS4dZTCdSUQPIPj3H7oi1A/s400/A+Pennsylvania+Country+Fair+John+Archibald+Woodside%252C+Sr+-+1824.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 303px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /> I think that it's a beneficial exercise to study old cookbooks and try to cook sometimes using these receipts and ingredients that our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Foremothers</span> would have used. Maybe we will never find ourselves in the position of needing to rely on these books and methods, but it's certainly better to be prepared and never need the knowledge than to find ourselves in a desperate situation with "if only" on our lips. Several receipt books that I enjoy perusing are <a href="http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/books/missbeecher/beec.html">Miss Beecher's Domestic Receipt Book 1850</a>, <a href="http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/books/greatwestern/grea.html">The Great Western Cookbook 1857</a>, <a href="http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/books/frugalhousewifechild/frch.html">The Frugal Housewife 1830 </a>and <a href="http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/books/newenglandeconomical/econ.html">The New England Economical Housekeeper 1845 </a>. In addition to the usual recipes you will find directions for cutting up and preserving meat, keeping flies out of your house, remedies for illness, how to choose a domestic servant and other quaint advice. My plan is to print these books out and put them in pages protectors in a 3 ring binder, I prefer browsing through an actual printed book rather than on a computer screen. Today is the day to turn our energies toward acquiring useful skills that will serve our families whether it be canning or cookery, sewing or knitting, animal husbandry or gardening.
<br />
<br />Mrs. Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06356736479776982230noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322268008200499912.post-25233926133804697852011-08-22T07:45:00.000-07:002011-08-22T08:23:57.040-07:00Sumac LemonadeSo Gentle Reader we find ourselves again prepared for another exciting installment of "Everything You Never Knew You Could Eat". That's right, Mrs. G- connoisseur of boring historical minutiae and purveyor of the same, is ready to conduct you on the first leg of your tour of edible weeds and scrub bushes.
<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 259px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643693294752189458" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmCu0cCmMmumGo3SypEstfra12nEf4Jk4QjEFekxF-Vg3VTEeYHj-_nzlLs9LZYBHj7bL0Ve5lBd0YUvEfyG1zeLGCe1wHCABeWY3XU1tDSnYPMt22A1T6HBX6Y5XN7BXbcdWpZj1r4ZU/s400/sumac+1.jpg" />
<br />I'm assuming that at least for those of you in the Eastern U.S. that the several varieties of Sumac are easily identifiable, yes? If not, stop right here and get some good field guides or do some internet research and before you eat <em>anything</em> be positive of what you're consuming. If you're bright enough to get yourself dressed and use a computer then you're intelligent enough to learn to positively identify Sumac. Poison Sumac tends to get all the press leaving its humbler cousins in obscurity, but differentiating between the poison and non-poison varieties is very easy. Smooth Sumac and Staghorn Sumac both have red berries, whereas Poison Sumac has white berries, simple. You can use both the Smooth and the Staghorn varieties pretty interchangeably but you should be aware that the Staghorn has more vitamin C than the Smooth. For this recipe I used Smooth Sumac because it is what was growing at the side of the road, "hey that's Sumac STOP THE TRUCK!" and Mr. G dutifully jumps out and twists off 6 berry clusters for me. Some sort of clippers or trimmers would have made the job easier by the way.
<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 312px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643693054181502482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifyFD3ZSMKHRbW_Ao8xBRNnEsOSCSOhF28O9Lotl0Pyn5RmhDwG2h9HYsL3dtE4aFux0HNg7O-489zW9E64hkvjp7r1PAgA5nkYHs5SYa9FFMCGJcBMgxqIHaMvcvrF_eKFxIbLtejb2U/s400/sumac+2.JPG" />
<br />You will need to remove the berries as the stems give a bitter taste if you don't. The outer berries will come off easily but the inner ones don't, you can dehydrate the clusters to make removal easier and to store berries for the Winter. Because Sumac berries are high in vitamin C, higher than oranges even, you should keep plenty in reserve to combat colds this Winter. The Native Americans used Sumac extensively for this purpose.
<br /></span>You then boil 1 quart of water and pour it over 1 cup of berries and allow to steep for 15 minutes. Strain the tea through a cloth to remove all debris, sweeten with up to 1 cup of sugar and enjoy. If you've never imbibed Sumac before go easily at first as some people allegedly have a mild allergic reaction to it. The tea can also be combined with elderberry or red raspberries to make a jelly though I've never tried it.
<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 297px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643691974704316914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwX48WklcbBiJFPG8zjMntxGiwLKuXtF3jc2XaYeDZTsMBfKvGX81LWZYa1y3NvI2wzSnj8P1v-KfVwC7SQVkjrMZuf9MszUrpowUOXrzC_L49bOWoppZ8OISG1iaMUjyGRz2Ev8BOjUU/s400/sumac+4.JPG" />As an aside, many folks on the survivalist forums recommend on stocking up on Vitamin C, but these people's idea of survival tends to involve generators and fossil fuels etc all in the attempt to maintain their current comsumer lifestyle. Our family's plan tends to center around learning to live without or learning to make our own reasonable substitutes and if you share that philosophy then Sumac meshes in nicely with that.
<br />
<br /><div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /><div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /><div></div></div></div>
<br />Mrs. Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06356736479776982230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322268008200499912.post-66121714458506915602011-08-19T09:17:00.000-07:002011-08-19T12:31:03.842-07:00The Taste of the Genuine<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWP9mhUDBbXfUX8V_575xERL-GeQh6fAIs4zOhTnXBOaYAIDfudv0ei4AE8aFlqJ7ige2SFLdS7NdfFbCpfrdo0bAYgT2IMzjzCKEMqvrBCtUZRW3kaAXFm_NTMcFR1G3mzi5P0TuTGzk/s1600/corn+1.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642606400329956898" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWP9mhUDBbXfUX8V_575xERL-GeQh6fAIs4zOhTnXBOaYAIDfudv0ei4AE8aFlqJ7ige2SFLdS7NdfFbCpfrdo0bAYgT2IMzjzCKEMqvrBCtUZRW3kaAXFm_NTMcFR1G3mzi5P0TuTGzk/s400/corn+1.JPG" /></a>
<br />
<br /><div>Everybody loves sweet corn, it's the quintessential summertime vegetable. Preserving corn was one of the very first foods that I learned to put up. Back then we froze our corn, which is the way that most home preservation families still do it; even among families who can they will still freeze their corn. Frozen corn tastes almost exactly like fresh off the cob, definitely worth the trouble. However, I no longer freeze corn. Once we made the decision that we wanted to move away from reliance on electricity and freezers we needed to come up with a different variety of corn to grow. Almost without exception the corn you buy at a grocery store or Farmer's Market is one of the modern super sweet hybrid varieties with the sugar enhancement gene. These types, <em>Incredible</em> being the most common one grown here, don't lend themselves to home canning as the sugar content caramelizes when canned resulting in brown corn. We finally settled on <em>Country Gentleman</em>, a late 19<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span> century <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">shoepeg</span> variety.
<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642605108123775922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhsJ1aMom5v1teLGwiu-Qx6UloeuZbiNh5c5IXUZqGdct5WnZSSTGq-NVzfCv4haSxgTchVxGtanHvF2JAmVSe9BA8v_GSYmlH0ZBbf6l9dsQtkG-YRTaDiOKAQCz8fWq1THTlbKFgtao/s400/corn+2.JPG" />The kernels aren't in rows but are placed <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">hodge</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">podge</span> all over the cob. The taste is different than what I'm used to but we knew that going into it, we are exchanging hyper-sweet for a more realistic corn taste. Because the sugar in any corn begins to turn into starch the minute the corn is picked we strive to get our corn into the canning jars within an hour of being picked. I try to have the exact number of cobs picked to fill the 7 jars. Today it was 46. The children immediately begin to husk it and pick the silk off (we save the silk too). Then the kernels are cut off with a knife, there are specialized tools for this but I've not found any that I thought were worth the money and hassle.
<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642604860012272370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJHCjnkq6iTWzKNDY-EecC8NASLeT8pmTD6L3Zbb3DbuvLYmzOZtHG3Bz1tHYLNwiImZO1ZIB5ti3qhJubDcgaYfIf_Sc9qs-3z2XQ6yhUGoGZp9ADOPsbqAwtFCBbfHQYr0cFB9A74O0/s400/corn+3.JPG" />For each 4 cups of corn I mix in 1 teaspoon of salt and then the corn goes into the quart jar to be immediately covered with boiling water. So we go, jar by jar, until the 7 are done. They are then pressure canned for 85 minutes at 10 pounds pressure.
<br />
<br />
<br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 312px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642604408768122466" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmuO3NNcj544cfkMHoV3owgNwAl-w35lpsfzQOJkSlmbAuE7DCzAO4fVRrIVlYUgDOCODFt3DN8SXAaRJ6vo015BhtVa7vdJXXiGT4ig2M59_yuF3M-aqY-BCB8YZXj7HZbWS3jkwPLo/s400/corn+4.JPG" />When I open the jars I will sometimes add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar to each quart, this is completely unnecessary but I think it will help ease the transition to this more humble repast. I think we'll get about 70 quarts of corn this year, interspersed with corn we are still canning carrots, both plain and candied. Though I realize that canning corn isn't something that you're going to sit up at night <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">fantasizing</span> about, you might want to file this information away so if/when the day comes that you do need to try it you'll know how to go about it.
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /><div></div></div></div>
<br />Mrs. Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06356736479776982230noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322268008200499912.post-24947105205861304702011-07-28T07:17:00.000-07:002020-08-30T13:51:59.463-07:00What Would You Give In Exchange?<div>
<br />
<div>
It's been a week of news and excitement around here, some good and some not so good. The gardens are producing abundantly and we are adding to the canning pantry shelves almost daily. I need to get a new seal for my pressure canner but Lehman's was sold out of them. The gal said that she could sell 24 seals <em>each week</em> but management insists on only ordering 6, supplying local people with what they truly need is not the goal of Lehman's unfortunately. So in the meantime we're limping along with the old seal and hoping it doesn't give up the ghost before the new one arrives. <img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634418043833566066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4l6qYpXgoXe61JWSCF1xnj7I5EUum-WFREDULsLgJcDeAawf_G_cv8GnJVVdz1gWCW5rFNDUmGivH564sa1U2L-ooekAdZpMKV_QUHOSko8PiomdEs3D0yYVuawsVim1LGGgV370hXu4/s400/neighbors+1.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 299px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div>
The main news in the neighborhood is that Irvin, brother of the man who keeps his heifers here, was gored by a bull. The bull was known to be aggressive and they were getting ready to ship him, either to the livestock auction or to the butcher, I'm not sure which. The bull was in with the cows in the holding pen and Irvin went to bring another group of cows into the parlor when the bull got him. It smashed into him driving/throwing him backward where he broke a 2x6 with his face and neck. When he came to he saw that his cell phone was destroyed and his calls for help were unanswered so he unsteadily had to make his way through the cows to try to reenter the parlor. Which is where he was when the bull got him again. This time the bull gored his leg, threw him through the air and over a gate which, providentially, saved his life. He is recovering and will survive, farm people are made of tough stuff. </div>
<br />
<br />
<div>
We also found out that our landlord is going to sell off the wooded portion of the farm we live on. This was fairly catastrophic news for us. We rely on the woodlot to heat our home, the boys hunt in it and we tap the sugar maples in the spring. Our days were numbered here anyway so we're trying to see this as good news in a roundabout way, but it's hard. So the search begins for a new place to hang our hat. <img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634417629306362306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihWqOncDKJc0HTMQ1yaPrDXHc1_GbtorkA-_Zgj3IKfGQmN9FZwkvFUDVaz6K6zXQRvGYW3NittcgFmLxS4bw_e7oyn_skTslAREKz4OhPMRQcS4nwL_LtUKQJ0H11quVGna5J6amTGDg/s400/neighbors+2.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 307px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div>
Our lawnmower blade broke a few weeks ago and the lawn has taken advantage of the situation to the utmost. The yard more closely resembled a hayfield than it did a yard but some neighbors showed up yesterday evening and mowed it for us. It was a beautiful sight this morning to see it looking all neat and trim! This weekend we're going to help other neighbors to clean up an old junkpile in the woods, many hands will make rapid work of an otherwise depressing job. So I've been thinking about community of late and how important it is to us. When I discover that I'm out of mustard seed, I know that my neighbor will have some that I can borrow because she cans too. When a different neighbor needs some men to help unload hay he knows that he can call us. If my neighbor has an abundance of pears she will drop them off here and likewise I will take her a peck of hot peppers when ours are in full swing. Where would we be without good neighbors? We buy our flour and sugar from a locally owned Amish bulk food store, we shop at a local hardware, buy workboots from an Amish shoe store and press our apples into cider at a community cider press. I can't imagine a better life than the one we lead, a place where you're known and people still make face to face relationships. I understand, in an abstract way at best, that city life and "anonymity" is attractive to some people, but what are they giving up in exchange? What is the true cost of being able to do as you please and nobody cares about your business if those same people could watch you beaten to death outside your door and wouldn't even call 9-1-1?</div>
<br />
<br />
<div>
People were better off I believe when there was less mechanization and they had to rely on each other. The industrial age has freed men from much of the work necessary to maintain life, we work less hours and at easier jobs than ever before in history and yet we're so unsatisfied. We feel the need to escape from a life that somehow lacks a point and purpose. Lack of meaningful work means a lack of purpose; if my only point in life is to wake up and go to my meaningless job so that I can exchange *life* for money, what am I gaining? The yearly vacation, "getting away from it all", is what keeps them going year after year. And I can't help but look on that with sadness, that<strong> can't</strong> be the purpose of life, can it? I believe that it's a symptom of what happens when we lose touch with what God intended for man, which is a life of hard meaningful work and neighbors to care about us and to help each other. I would like to encourage everyone to build relationships where you are, whether it be in the city or country. Be important to enough people that when you die your absence will be a loss. It's easy to romanticize the past and wish we could have what they had, but I truly believe that with effort we can still move closer to that ideal. It's an exchange though, "what I want when I want" must be replaced by "is this for the good of everyone or just me?" It's a completely different mindset than the one most of us grew up with but I believe the exchange is a good one.</div>
</div>
Mrs. Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06356736479776982230noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322268008200499912.post-84851905747124531222011-07-19T09:11:00.000-07:002011-07-19T09:38:03.375-07:00Candied Ginger Blueberry Jam<div><br /><div>We'll have a new culinary experience this winter when we finally get to eat the Candied Ginger Blueberry Jam that I made last week. I've never really liked blueberry jam, most recipes call for too much sugar for my taste, but since I tweaked this recipe extensively I think that I might actually enjoy it! Here's the recipe if you'd like to try it, this yields 7 half pints.</div><br /><div>4 heaping cups smashed blueberries</div><br /><div>2 cups sugar</div><br /><div>1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon</div><br /><div>3/4 teaspoon nutmeg</div><br /><div>Combine ingredients and allow to set for 1-2 hours</div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 345px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631100238069945570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVNBi7j7HNjyf4L0KqmCNmRn4yJk5tOGpcBxVUPZj6m4Fq6xtUNfE_9CeH2ZS-zptlWuMWlozCyB8Us8G4rWsjL_Awo3V9oNKE50B2KERb5_sZq190OTIDpHj2AY3G96FZbpt4n3_1Qs/s400/jam3.JPG" />Add a heaping half cup of diced candied ginger</div><br /><div>Heat slowly on stove until very hot but not boiling</div><br /><div>Set aside and in a different kettle bring 1 cup sugar, 1 box <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">sure-jell</span> lite and 1 cup water to a brisk boil.</div><br /><div>Add contents of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">sure-jell</span> kettle to the blueberry kettle</div><br /><div>Bring to a boil stirring constantly<br />Remove from heat and place in jars</div><br /><div>Can in a boiling water bath <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">canner</span> for 15 minutes<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 237px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631099897120573970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3MNKezmG15NKQ5EwaQEpjyZ1G4Wav-H1sc2rd2u_qm0-Hfa_J3m8Eb0akBROBBtcE7CnOHH_hu6ZUgCq9H4q7LfvjOaAVd2W8_l1yK7U4DY9t2jae2gyyjWMbrLKLx37op_v_OjxCfw/s400/jam2.JPG" /></div><br /><div>I made 2 batches of this jam and then we canned the rest of the blueberries like I wrote about in the Canning 101 post. I think we got 11 quarts and 11 pints. We are also in the thick of canning peaches which came right on the tail of cherries. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Aleks</span> told me that the peppers are almost ready, they will become salsa and Cowboy Candy *and* we've got green beans coming! I think this is why most farm families (those who can anyway) really look forward to winter. :-) The pace is crazy all through summer and autumn, but oh is it worth it!<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631099500040648850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsYDF8vYt_g6idYCM7pmwbkJ9jGMtdNxjt_3A3kamBdUJYFKVmrRrxfP3Zp-ePe-Ib94ErNP0fy4VYxm6y6TbjfThlxuWh0tqKXRD8yyVujLww87NVgqGDDL9oaTXzvH44nYkcsYrEcMo/s400/jam1.JPG" />My one canning shelf still needs to be taken outside and scrubbed and then it's getting a fresh coat of paint. Until then there are jars of food completely filling 2 cupboards and much of the counter space. I feel rich!<br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div>Mrs. Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06356736479776982230noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322268008200499912.post-1247472835484591112011-07-15T08:13:00.000-07:002011-07-15T08:37:23.395-07:00Home Canned Fruit 101<div><br /><div>If you're interested in learning to preserve food at home, canned fruit is the perfect place to start. Canning fruit is easy to learn and requires the least specialized equipment, perfect for the beginner! An excellent resource for all things canned is the <em>Ball Blue Book</em>, they walk you step by step through canning peaches; however, my method is slightly different than theirs and yields a vastly superior product. Generally fruit today is canned using a sugar/water syrup the proportions of sugar making either a light, medium or heavy syrup. Canning fruit with water necessitates adding more sugar since you're in effect making "fruit soup"; the overall effect is a watered down, super sugary, vaguely fruit tasting product. My method is easy to implement and I think you'll be pleased with the result.</div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 266px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629603140359693170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjykvbx45Wp3ufG5reMtLYvZhc9lu6IeY3wTAAdLOeNJ8m6KNm4PYJL8zOAhu5V5lMTGrA6YO_fexeoQrn6eFEAbQdOxYO435c5VoE9a8fwiIHW7hvDsFALaQJiCZk3DFNpkw7dZpxZku4/s400/strawberries2.jpg" /> <br /><div>1. Wash fruit to remove pesticide, bugs and unripe/overripe fruit.</div><br /><br /><div>2. Peel and slice fruit if needed (such as peaches) most berries can be left whole.</div><br /><br /><div>3. Layer fruit and sugar in a mixing bowl or bucket. I use 1/3 cup sugar per pineapple and 1/2 cup sugar per quart of Black Raspberries for instance. The amount of sugar is a personal preference and some things, like rhubarb, need more sugar. </div><br /><br /><div>4. Cover and allow to set at room temperature for 12-18 hours. Fruit doesn't juice up well in a refrigerator or other cold environment.</div><br /><br /><div>5. Place fruit in jars with a slotted spoon and top off jars with reserved juice.</div><br /><br /><div>6. Affix lids and can for the amount of time specified in the <em>Ball Blue Book</em>. </div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 266px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629602804550225714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8yfP23BkGFeNQBpuPj-Nw9sLIBQoIlftM6rX5LRTjysydd2MPmnJQaoA_MMjVtfDscgy6tBzRXNzvu8GwErcKGET-8XgbCIjPpCIuF1bB7SALErrgrg3qQXNYxdieN3lrR_babeDNmE/s400/strawberries.jpg" /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>That's it! If you're used to canning fruit using the syrup method you won't find switching over to be difficult at all. Allowing fruit to make its own juice really makes sense when you think about it! </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div>Mrs. Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06356736479776982230noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322268008200499912.post-66336417296809507522011-07-06T06:18:00.000-07:002011-07-06T07:36:48.229-07:00Asa's Green GownI think that I mentioned getting Asa's image taken this Fall to commemorate his 2<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">nd</span> birthday; I decided that I wanted a gown that looked quasi-military inspired, decidedly boyish in cut and trim, and in a color that would hide dirt. <br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 288px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626244985143656626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuB8lN84g_OvYeApPmHatBUEuOdbNqBqofGb-Klgb4_eLSSzbcwFvUchUCLiJGrhBzfeCx4pDcdCA5YOpRq8Wq55iZ-KtPQqirmO7Qb8nyKodQJpO5oshaQCd9qo_J-ngubYieNtr7ick/s400/GG+close+up.JPG" /></div><br /><div>My taste in historic fashion tends to run toward loud and gaudy, two things that don't appeal to me in modern clothes. I chose a hideously garish shade of green with diarrhea yellow stylized flowers. Perfect. The trim is 100% cotton twill tape that I dyed bright yellow, it is sewn on with a running stitch and is easily removed if need be.</div><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626244455585615842" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP4_7dwUrJqx_tHsPgwaVO-jiMZnloYi07dhWzkvZshFGzD5YdGzbgRrJs9V2wVZm6wPz4NCdD8-a9Gq93BuoyzdHym80kIJJfZ0DEQLRuDyqpyZbmmZhdHTwIuibrhS5fH-IYJWOmvo0/s400/GG+holding+pepper.JPG" /></div><br /><div>The bodice is flat lined with a light weight cotton and the sleeves are set in without much fullness at all. I also chose to pleat the skirt because it looks more manly than gathers, I think. </div><br /><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626243738464135010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIskhWqF1iXm7PIz7ujbSGafv2Jhuphs141522rizoT-wUOsRVeOlnrkX4wizmLdR_PkpQqlNyIG1-dFTSdOFzqCLOz2sistWynYomIEMNMh8bj4cKMh3gA9KtygHinI08_-Ft-oUU8TM/s400/GG+throwing+pepper.JPG" /></p><br /><p>His chemise and strapped petticoat were sewn by the lovely and talented Brooke Whitaker. She did a fabulous job!</p><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626242880866785554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEVScKsq-PehN79J93jK4nD8k1YdbmOyWfLMokQvgeJ6RkyQdV4j-3BXTw5ZNUxX_4KiuJke1rq9csU7Ocelrof609ENRDDRWWmDiG6XlWZJiPa3cKuKXUVQnkKlxPBYKy4Zo8SS0iqQc/s400/GG+back.JPG" /></p><br /><p>I have two of the four buttonholes sewn, I get bogged down at the end and just want to quit looking at the thing that <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">I've</span> been laboring on. :-( For buttons I'm using china ringers, the ring being black, it really looks well with the print.</p><br /><p>Now hopefully he won't have outgrown this gown by September! </p>Mrs. Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06356736479776982230noreply@blogger.com8