When you can fruits or veggies, you hope for the best…the best quality, the best “seal,” the best (and prettiest) presentation or “pack.”

Sometimes, everything comes together on the very first go-round – like the Ball recipe for Spirited Cherries I attempted for the first time yesterday.

So very delicious…and simple…and pretty…that I just had to do a second batch immediately! These will be a perfect addition to a main course or dessert, especially in the winter when you seek out those bolder flavors.

Yesterday, I was bemoaning the fact I did not have a cherry pitter. De-stoning 18 cups of cherries “by hand” with my trusty paring knife was tedious, yet it resulted in a much prettier presentation!

Comments Off on A Second Batch

The Navajo-Churro wool is beautiful! Just look at the colors of the sheep I was able to photograph before everyone came charging into the barn last week. I’ve been fascinated by their coats since we first purchased Reese and her twins, Lovey and Clara (Clara Barton Angel Of The Battlefield, so named by my history-loving son) years ago.

Attending sheep and wool festivals is always a treat because you get to see how spinners are using the wool and wool blends. I couldn’t wait to visit Loch’s Fiber Mill to “fill in the blanks”—I see the wool when it’s fallen from the sheep after shearing and I’ve seen the finished product in skeins, ready for knitting or weaving, but didn’t know exactly what went in to processing wool.

The morning we spent at the fiber mill was fascinating and informative….so much so that we couldn’t do just one quick segment—we had to break it down into parts! Jamie and Randy were so hospitable they invited us back to their maple syrup festival next year.

For more information, visit www.lochsmaple.com/fibermill/index.html

Comments Off on Blog Post About Our Wool Webisodes

On the last day of school this spring Bob, the bus driver, was 10 minutes late getting to our house. I figured appreciative parents were showering him with praise and presents (Bob’s one-of-a-kind). Instead, when I asked he just pointed in the direction of the feed store and said “traffic jam.”

“Oh…”, I smiled. He was referring to the four-legged variety and not the two-axle kind.

Every morning, a local dairy farmer leads his herd down the road to another pasture and then collects them in the evening to milk. If you time it just right, you get to watch the march—it’s special—only this time, it caught the school bus. I bet if Bob has to call the transportation office to explain the tardiness, not much of an excuse is needed.

School will be back in session in a few weeks and we’ll all be engrossed once again in our hustle and bustle. I can count on that traffic jam catching me at some point…and I can’t wait. It’s just one of the reasons I love this area.

Comments Off on Traffic Jam

I wander around the yard and barn capturing images I think would make nice accompaniments to blog entries and snapped this one of the chair in my flower bed.

Pausing to look at it in the downloaded images, it occurred to me that I’d never really SAT in the chair?! Not once! I seem to scurry about, in all different directions, here and there, between the barn and the house and the flowers and the compost area and the chicken coop that I just don’t pause for that good old-fashioned breather.

Don’t get me wrong; I’ve long-since admired the little ice-cream parlor chair…heck, I even smile at the chair…I just don’t sit in the chair. Maybe it’s time to re-think that……especially since the lavender’s in bloom!

Comments Off on Lavender in Bloom

When I began canning, years ago, I was amazed to find preserving fruits and veggies wasn’t just “pickles and jellies.” In the years since then, I’ve collected and used many recipes stretching from marmalades to desserts!

The conserve is so versatile, one can use it as a spread on your toast in the morning or a topping on your cheesecake after dinner (or, like I prefer, with a little chevre). There are usually a few different flavors “going on” in the jar, regardless of the fruit you’ve used for the conserve.

The deep blue of the blueberry doesn’t allow us to see the lemon and orange rings that are part of the recipe – which is a shame because that makes for a lovely presentation. I’ll get over that though….I have to; there’s only one jar left!

Comments Off on Blog Post About our Blueberry Conserve Webisode