We have been in full swing with our fall harvest lately. Last weekend we picked some pumpkins and pulled the onions out of the ground.
This weekend we focused on the black beans. First, we pull the bean plants and let them dry in the sun on a tarp. Then, we put a bundle of plants in a smaller tarp and whack them with a stick to pop the beans out of the shell. 
The last step is to separate the small plant bits from the beans. On a slightly windy day we can pour the beans from bucket to bucket and let the wind blow the light dried plant bits or chaff away.
We have also been eating lots of fresh pears from our trees and last night froze several peach pie fillings. Our raspberries will continue bearing fruit until the first hard frost. We pick the berries every other day.
I know we will appreciate our preservation efforts come January. That is what I keep telling myself.
Next on the food preservation plan - grape juice. B says the grapes are ready.
I know I will enjoy my quilt retreat next week!
We rushed in to make our favorite raspberry dish, raspberry ribbon pie. The original recipe calls for a regular prebaked pie crust. Several years ago I tried it with a graham cracker crust and we like it that way too. D suggested that we make our graham cracker crust with the 
I looked around for something to put in the crust and settled on some baby/child silverwear and put the crust in the oven.
That worked out pretty well. The giant graham cracker crust was a hit.
The crust recipe is 
And just so you don't think we only eat sweets.... this is the purslane I picked and added to our salad yesterday.
Yes, to most it is a weed. Well, to us too. But it is edible and adds a lemony flavor to the salad. P was also eating some lambsquarters while we were weeding.
B's birthday was while he was in Maine so we waited to celebrate until he was home. He has always liked pineapple upside-down cake so, I splurged and got a fresh pineapple for his cake. I haven't bought a fresh pineapple for a very long time as any pineapples that we get have been brought to the states on a plane, a very fuel intensive mode of transportation. I still have a little guilt about that but the cake was very good. I used the 
I hope your weekend is full of celebrating fun.
I chopped and processed and ended up with some pesto for dinner.
It was good but pretty strong. So strong, in fact, that I had to get up twice in the night to drink water! The rest of the family did not think it was too strong. Next time I make this I'll add a bunch of garden greens before processing to cut the intensity a bit.It is fun to try new things like this. What new things have you tried lately?
We had a happy end to a busy day. B came home from Maine in time for dinner and we all enjoyed smores from our homemade graham crackers and the 
B has been at a two week woodworking class in Maine. I am eager to see the project he has been working on. The rest of us have been sleeping in and recharging our batteries.We have been playing a lot of games too. Badminton, rummikub, cards, anagrams, matchbox cars, soap bubbles, swings, coloring...
Many of the spring wildflowers were in bloom.
Some areas were carpeted with large patches wild ginger and trillium.
Cut together the following ingredients:2 cups flour1/3 c. brown sugar1/3 c. cocoa2 tsp baking powder3/4 tsp baking soda1/8 tsp salt1/4 pound (1 stick) butteradd1 egg1 cup vanilla or plain yogurt1 cup chocolate chipsSpread on floured cookie sheet (I use a preheated stone)Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.I make these on weekend mornings to keep the teens from sleeping too late. Everyone gets up quickly to eat these fresh scones. I hope you enjoy them too.Thanks to my sister who shared the recipe with us several years ago!
Happy Spring!I love spring. I love the excitement of new flowers, new growth, the earth coming back to life after the long winter.The egg has been a symbol of rebirth of the earth for more than two thousand years. In honor of the first day of spring we decorated these "Tie Dyed Eggs" last night. It was easy peasy to get these fabulous designs. We used some old thrifted silk ties and the easy to follow tutorial at 
I picked up a few more 25 cent silk ties today! I think we'll have an egg dying event later this week!Try it! You will love this project!Edit to add. A new and updated link for directions 
I only pause long enough to bake cookies, bread, or fix dinner.
I must get back to work.
This morning some of that cooked pumpkin went into muffins. This is the latest version of the recipe I use. I have been cutting back the sugar and like that the pumpkin flavor now comes through.Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins1 1/2 cup flour1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour2 teaspoons baking soda2 teaspoons baking powder2 teaspoons cinnamon1 teaspoon ground ginger1/2 teaspoon grounds nutmeg1/4 teaspoon cloves1/2 teaspoon salt3 eggs3/4 cup brown sugar2/3 cup applesauce1/3 cup vegetable oil2 cups cooked and pureed pumpkin (or one 15 oz can)1 1/2 cups chocolate chipsnuts (optional)Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Mix flours, and other dry ingredients together in a bowl.In a different bowl, beat the eggs and add oil, applesauce, pumpkin.Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.Bake 20 minutes.Makes 24 muffins.
Today, I have made a batch of chocolate chip pumpkin muffins. B is making apricot filled cookies.M has requested brownies.And B told me that I need to make ginger bread cookies with P.I think it's time to go for our afternoon 
We saw the cute little mouse cookies in one of our magazines and had to make them. We had to adjust the ingredients a little to items we could find.2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs (we used chocolate graham crackers because that was all we could find)1/3 cup sour creamred nonpareils (we just picked them out of the cupcake sprinkle container)1/4 cup sliced almondsblack shoestring licorice (we used hot cinnamon twizzlers)Melt chocolate chips, stir until smooth.Stir in 1 cup crumbs and sour cream.cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle.For each mouse, roll about 1 tablespoon chocolate mixture into a ball, tapering one end to look like a mouse. Roll in remaining chocolate crumbs to coat. Position nonpareils for eyes, almond slices for ears, and licorice pieces for tails. We made about 25.
P wanted hers to have pink eyes and noses.
Happy sewing.
I like the way the scrap buster quilt is coming along.It is gray and rainy so the picture isn't the best.
I also have wonderful memories of the neighbor mom who lived across the street. She was the mother of five boys(!) and seemed to know everything. The first time my mother left us home alone, my sister stepped on a bee. Our neighbor knew just what to do. She got something from her kitchen cupboard and put it on my sister's foot. Meat tenderizer. Who knew?Another time I heard an unusual sound coming from her house. I ran over and peeked through her kitchen door. Her table was covered with fancy glasses all with different amounts of water in them. She was making music. I had never seen anything like it.She was the mom in the neighborhood who always had fun packed birthday parties for her kids. We played games like pin the tail on the donkey and drop a clothespin from your nose into a Mason jar.One time I visited and she asked if I wanted popcorn. Yes, of course. I love popcorn. We went to her kitchen and she got out a regular pot, put a little oil in the bottom and then the corn. Then she put a wire mesh screen over the top and slid the pan around over the burner. It was like magic. So old fashioned. She didn't need a fancy appliance to pop her popcorn.
I think the saying "It takes a village..." is very true. All of our experiences go together to form the people we become. Every time I pop corn in my big pot on the stove I think of Mrs Baker, my childhood neighbor, and smile.
They are quite old and we have never pruned or sprayed them. They do make good apples. Some years are better than others. This is a good year for the Northern Spys.
The best apples are WAY up in the top of the trees. Our picking method involves spreading a tarp under the tree, climbing up into the tree, and shaking the branches until the apples fall.
Then, we bring them into the kitchen and mix them with apples from the neighboring farm. We are using Jonathans and Ida reds with our Norther Spys.Peel, slice, cook, and can. Easy, but time consuming.
P and I have also cooked and frozen about 20 cups of pumpkin. She likes to turn the crank on the ricer.
She also likes to eat pumpkin muffins so it is good she likes to help.
All this work now will make things easier in the winter. When weare snowed in, we can go to the basement and be able to make a mealfrom what we have stored. potatoes, onions, garlic, tomato sauce,pesto, applesauce, grape juice,green beans, green peas, strawberryrhubarb pie fillings, peach pie fillings, peach blueberry pie fillings,jam, raspberry jam, pumpkin, blueberries.We still have a lot more applesauce to make to last the year.
I am readjusting to life at home.We are a little late getting to our grapes this year.
We picked them last night and made about a gallon of juice.
I have another batch on the stove and a third waiting to be heated.The raspberries have started producing well so they will be picked again this afternoon as will more green beans.I think my creative sewing ideas will have to wait.
We used the 
Blueberry Gingerbread1/2 cup butter1 cup sugar1 egg2 cups flour1 tsp baking soda1/2 tsp salt1/2 tsp ginger1 tsp cinnamon1 cup buttermilk3 Tbs molasses1 cup blueberries (we were a bit generous on that measurement)Cream together butter and sugar. Add egg and mix well. Sift together flour, spices, and salt and add to the creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Add molasses. Stir in blueberries.Pour into greased and floured 9 x 9 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.
