applesauce, drying herbs & muscovy update

I have had the crockpot going non stop since yesterday morning. Our home is filled with the most scrumptious scent. I knew I wanted to make applesauce, but could not find how to make it flavored like "Mott's Healthy Harvest" has in those little cups of 3.9 oz servings. Theirs has no sugar added so I will try a batch (the 4th one) of it without sugar. The kids go crazy over the different flavors so I knew I had to give it a try. It turned out even better then I thought. When doing a test taste (blindfolded just made it more fun) the kids chose mine every time. My first batch was Blueberry applesauce. The second was a raspberry/blueberry applesauce and the third is a chunky cinnamon applesauce- which is in the pot as I write this. I thought I would share with you what worked for us and a recipe I hope you too find devine. The below recipe gave me 2 of the smaller jars and 1 of the larger. On my second batch of sauce, I added in 4 more apples after a few hours. It helped make it meatier/thicker in the end plus gave me more sauce= 2 large & 2 small. My crockpot would only fit the initial amount of apples so as soon as there was enough head room I added in the extra. It did not come out sugar sweet or plain. It had the natural sweet fresh taste you get from fruit.
*****Blueberry Applesauce*****
~ 14-16 apples ~ 2 & 1/4 cups frozen blueberries (from Upick)
~ 3 splashes of vanilla ~1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ~ 1/2 cup sugar

peel & de-core /slice up apples. place in crockpot. add the rest of the ingredients. stir up to mix well. cover with lid & Set crockpot to low. cook for 6-8 hours. enjoy the wonderful scent that will fill the air. be sure to stir once or twice an hour.
put through food mill to remove any skins/peels or berry seeds. ladle into canning jars and seal in hot water bath canner. Label so you know what the purple stuff is on your shelf later on. Try it with 4-5 peeled & sliced peaches, or 2 1/4 cups sliced up strawberries, or4 sliced up pears, even 21/4 cups of mixed berries would be yummy for a different flavor.
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I had to use some of these jars I got off freecycle from a nice woman who had an over abundance from another freecycler. If you cannot read the top, it says "Mom's" and the bottom says "Mason jar" with the middle being a woman, hair pulled back, apron on, peeling an apple. The smaller jars are what will be used for sharing with friends later on. I have a few that are centenial themed. my MIL would enjoy hers in them since she enjoys americana themes. They have the year 1876-1976 with a big liberty bell in the middle. I will also be using these for apple pie filling.
--I harvested the last of my spearamint. All of that is from one little plant that has been supplying us with spearamint tea and nibblings all summer. I decided to hang dry them since my dehydrator and all its trays are in use for apple chips and soon to be used for apple roll ups. I tied string across the mud room windows and needle/thread a few stems together then hung it from the window string. Not too much to prevent airflow but enough where I do not have them strung everywhere.
--The baby muscovy's are down to 3. The one on the far left I beleive is the male- he is almost twice what the other 2 are in weight and height. Every night they waddle down to the rec room door and make peeping quacks to me so I know they are ready to go to "bed". They squat down and bob their their heads when they see me. Then as I pick them up into my arms and carry them to the garage area, they snuggle into my neck and arms. After each has been set down in their straw filled container, I give them a rub on the chest which makes them stand tall. After each has had their chest rub, they snuggle into each other and are down for the night. In the morning they sqwuak up a storm untill I open the garage door and they waddle out for another day foraging our land.

~Tammie

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Apple wine recipe & apple picking day

Apples are to country living what taxi's are to new york living. A staple. To me it symbolizes the end of Summer & the begining of Fall. A perfect ending with a beautiful begining. The days slipped by so quickly, then suddenly I realized Fall was here. I forgot to post my last entry for the Summer of Wild foods & Wine recipes.
I love my Country Wine making! I like to keep recipes simple and if you are a winemaker connoiseur' ,then I would just skip down to the apple picking part. The rest of you who like to keep it simple read on. No gadgets to measure anything except the ingredients going in. No mad scientist tools or goggles needed. Just your kitchen's supply of utensils and ingredients you most likely already have. Well, except if using the yeast which you can obtain from a local brew supply store for less then $1. So hop aboard the country wine making addiction and get your fix... muahahaha.....
If the abundance of apples from your local orchard is making you run out of ideas, then try this easy wine recipe that was recently discussed on Homesteading Today. I like it because not only is it simple and I have made some already and it was great! I realy liked it. A great drink by the bonfire watching the fireflys blink, the stars twinkle, the bats fly by, and kids playing in their magic tree. Here is the basic recipe they discussed:
**********************Apple wine**************
6 cups diced up apples 6 cups (no less!) sugar place in a one gallon glass jar and fill to the top with filtered water. I would use hot -not boiling-myself but they did not mention the temperature. Put the lid on and let sit for a month (30 days) on the counter being sure to stir everyday. Strain, then pour into bottles/jars. Enjoy it now or let it improve with age.
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Another I like is using champagne yeast. It cost me .69 cents from the brew shop. if you go to the link of the discussion, scroll down to #21. It is a recipe listing the use of yeast. This is where I would use the champagne yeast. I have had lots of fun making the wines
Country wine is so simple to make and would make a great housewarming gift -maybe an apple theme basket which could include some homemade apple sauce and apple cinnamon rolls for the winter solstice?. This recipe from V-Wales and is called Gwin Afalau or "apple wine". Another method of making the wonderful drink to indulge.
Today was apple picking day for my crew. The sun would peek out every once in awhile, but for the most part it was a comfortably cool day. Frog sat on her blanket while watching her big brother and sister pick some of the Empire variety from the trees. The Captain had to be lashed for his small apple picking which meant more work for me in the kitchen. He thought the smaller the sweeter... umm not in apples sweetie....

Lil' man spotted some big juicy looking ones out of his reach and asked if I would help him. This is where my apple picker would have come in handy but of course it was left sitting in the mud room amidst our scramble to get out the door in time. So a shoulder lift was offered for my baby. I did not realize how heavy he has gotten! Despite my tiptoe standing, he still could not reach the apple of his desire. Of course I tried to do different angles but each time I would move, he would place his hands over my eyes. I managed to wack my head just twice into a branch thick with fruit.
It was an enjoyable time. While picking apples, you are invited to sample the goods. And sample we did. The taste of an apple fresh picked from the tree is so juicy and delicious. I rarely ever eat more then 1 apple in a sitting but I could not stop myself with these. Neither could the kids and the Captain. We picked 2 bags full which equal a bushel which is about 50 pounds of apples. There are Spartans, Empires, Idared, and a few golden delicious. I will be making a return trip in mid October for more apples to fullfill my other apple plans. They enjoyed themselves so much, they asked to go again next weekend. I best be off to bed. Long day of apple peeling and preserving tommorow.
Sweet Dreams...
~Tammie

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A goat road trip....

Today was the day our lady goats went on a road trip to meet a few fella's. Of course they had no clue why I was loading them up in the cargo back of my Saturn Vue with a window box planter full of hay. It was suppose to be a 2 hour trip. At least that would be 2 hours for normal people- not us. After wrestling the kids to get out the door by 9 am- which by the way did not happen- it was more like 9:30 am. i was hoping for an arrival to our designation by 11 am- which by the way did not happen- it was more like noon. Of course with all my kids in the car and a sick husband it almost turned out to be the worst trip yet. Roseanna from Morning Mist Nubians- Cleo's breeder- had forwarned me about the Pumpkin festival going on, so gave me tip for the time to be here & out by so as not to get stuck in town during the festivities.
The goats were better behaved then the human kids! Chia kept her face in that corner for most of the ride. She was not happy about the trip. Almost sad looking. Of course our lovable Cleo was calm & cool the entire way. After many "mommy sing this song" and Frog crying with the most high pitched scream to emphasize she was not happy about being in her car seat for so long, we stopped at a pit stop. Of course everyone had to go the bathroom and was thirsty. I realy considered letting Cleo & Chia out on the leash's to relieve themselves but thought it may not go over well with the people running the corn maze next to the place- They could see the corn through the window- Cleopatra even tried to get out to it but her leash which was tied into a cargo ring prevented her advenure. Another half hour and we should be there- they waited this long.. Not even 10 minutes later it sounded like one of the kids was pouring out their drink.... Poor Cleo could not hold it. But Chia seemed more relaxed in this last half hour and started to munch on some hay.

Once we got into Barnesville, we were in the middle of the excitment buzzing in town. Pumpkin everything everywhere! There were vendors of all kinds including a broom maker, there were lawn chairs lining the street in anticipation of the big Parade and jay walkers not caring about the traffic crossing the busy streets. (we are all guilty of that one at some point in our lives).I was excited to see that they had the "King Pumpkin" up where you can see it while driving through Main street. Just my luck and much to my husbands embarrasment due to my touristy picture taking, I snapped the above two from my sunroof. I did not want to get the sign through the dirty windsheild and families were walking by our car blocking my picture attempts. I just had to tak one of this huge orange great pumpkin! It weighed in at 1,251 lbs! Very cool indeed. My yard pumpkins- if they even grow- do not pass 5 lbs.

After we made way through town and made our last turn onto the street that leads to Journey's End Jerseys A.K.A Morning Mist Nubians, I got my first "are we there yet"?
Dear Roseanna met us by the barn drive and helped unload the girls. As soon as Chia's feet hit the ground she squatted for a much needed potty break. Roseanna said Chia was not as old as she previously thought. She is not pure saanen either- possiblly a little spanish in her. I did not know- but thats why I like talking with her. I learn alot from our interactions. She was so thoughtful & gave me a bar of homemade goats milk soap from her first batch she has made. I cant wait to use it. Tonight I am locking myself away after the kids are sleeping so i can indulge in a hot bath and use my much appreciated bar of goats milk soap. I have not tried it before so this is a treat!

After the girls were put in their temporary holding pen, Roseanna walked us (Panda, lil' man & I) down to visit the herd. WOW! Those babies got big! My Cleo is not as big as the Dam raised babies at this point, but hopefully by next summer she will have caught up in size.
She has so many beautiful goats. So many colors and patterns. Lil' man & Panda could not get the concept if you stand still the goats will come to you but if you go after them the will run. And run they did! Poor girls....
I got to meet "The Boys" too. Rudy, who will be Cleo's boyfriend fo the week, has a beautiful face. I think it will be a wonderful pairing. Roseanna said he throws his long ears and is naturaly polled too. Big smile on my face.
I also got to meet the infamous William- Chia's bo for the week. Such a sweet guy. I think he is handsome too despite his being in rut. I am sure Chia will be happy to meet him and hopefully both girls come home this weekend pregnant. If you can make it ovet over, do check out the boys on their link I gave above. Goliath was our follower during the visit and was very amusing when he came up to meet the girls. Cleo is rather shy when it came to him but Chia had no problem rubbing heads.
I met Mr. Rockwell- Roseanna's father while I was there. What a nice guy! He has so much energy -seems like he is always building stuff-and such kind eyes. He was so nice to the kids and I. Even made Panda a crown from a pretty and wonderful scented flower vine. The name escapes me, but here she is wearing some of it- the flowers have wilted. I will make sure I bring her along next weekend when we pick up Cleo & Chia. She spoke about the visit and asked lots of questions on the trip home. I even got the "but mom, how do goats really mate"? ummm... do you want a reeses cup sweetie?
~Tammie

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Another great thrift store find & an apple orchard trip planned

My boots gave out late last winter/early spring. I had no snow boots left and ended using The Captain's (my husband) when I would venture out to feed the barnyard. Roomy but warmer then my kickers. The mission for this weekend was to find a pair of barnyard winter boots from the many thrift stores in the area. Of course none were in my size when I did find a pair. Then I saw them! Sitting on a back rack of men's -there they were waiting for me. A perfect size 7. What luck! I wear a 7 in mens so I grabbed em up. Of course once the winter boots start piling into the retail stores I will need a new pair for regular wear.

As I was walking back towards the front smiling to myself over the above find, I saw these!A pair of Earth shoe's! I had admired these shoes but never could fork over the $100 for a new pair. So for $3 I got myself a pair of very gently used & so very comfy loungers. The captain calls them my hippy shoes but I just tell him he's the one who married the hippy girl AND paid for her shoes! While I was at it I bought 2 button up sleeveless tops & a pair of flare low rise jeans all for $5. I spent a total of $13 today for the shoes/boots & clothes. I just love it when I find deals. After Frog, I have lost too much weight and all my pants are hanging on me. Of course once I stop nursing her I will gain 10lbs and then they will all be too tight.
**On a different note**- this coming weekend we will do our first family apple picking adventure. I found an orchard (stotlers orchard) to try and the the bargain for picking a bushel on the weekends ($10.50!) cannot be beat. Other places want at least $7.50 for 1/2 a bushel of u-pick. The Captain has never been apple picking either so it is a first for all. Lots of apple pie fillings & cinnamon chunky applesauce will be canned and some put up for gift giving baskets. Of course I cannot miss the opportunity to make some fruity wine and will be making a 5 gallon batch of it for the ol' farmchick wine cellar (& gift giving with other homemade goodies). I hope to purchase some fresh cider too while we are there. I will share pictures and the story of our adventure next week so check back for it. I also will share soon the last entry for the summer wild foods & wine challenge which will involve an apple wine. So be prepared and plan ahead for some time in your local apple orchard picking 2 part sweet to 1 part tart apple varieties. Maybe I will make 2 batchs this time with 2 different recipes.....
~Tammie

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Daisy had babies...

There are 3 in there. Big sized ones at that! Yesterday, I put her & casperilla into the outdoor rabbit house/pen so I can clean up their indoor area. They litter trained themselves, which was nice! I knew she was going to have the babies anyday but thought for one night I would put the 2 out there so theirbox could be bleached and air dried before I put in more straw. Of course she could not wait, and had her babies last night sometime.

She looks thinner and felt lighter when I went out to get them this morning. The above picture is from then.
What is really sweet here is not all that hair is from Daisy. Casperilla has a reduction in her coat too! You can see it mostly from her back end area. The 2 of them have gotten along wonderfully. Maybe Casperilla is half her size and Daisy is of course not threatened by her or she is just not that far along in age so looks at her in a motherly way. When they were both in the house running free, Casperilla would follow me around and "beg" for food. She would then run back to daisy who seemed to be starving all the time this week. It seemed Daisy was being looked after by Casperilla. My husband even mentioned it seemed like the little one was fetching food for the the big one (he does not refer to them with names). Either way, she leaves the babies alone and Daisy seems to like having a friend. We will see how it goes.In the above picture, you can see some of her fur that she has been contributing to the nest, still hanging from her backend. It is thinned out on the back sides too. I wonder if it is her choice or if she was just close enough that Daisy helped herself. They do cuddle up alot and seems to be a friendship that goes against all I have read about putting 2 females together.
I cant wait to tell Panda!
~Tammie

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The inheritance only someone like me would love...

An urn filled with old wooden kitchen items may go unnoticed by some,but is what I have created my entire kitchen mood around.
These were given to me by my in-laws. They belonged to my husbands grandmother and may have even belonged her Mum. My husband's grandmother passed when i was 6 months along with Panda. A very sweet and loving true English Lady. Panda & Zoe have a complete tea set that belonged to their great great grandmother who came here from England on a ship with her children. I love to hear about my husband's family. They were some wonderful, interesting people. His dad grew up in a Funeral home which his dad & mom owned/ran and my husband's grandfather (who owned the funeral home that they lived above) was also the Mayor of the small town. The funeral home is now a well preserved, prosperous & delicious Itialian restaurant. We go down often to eat there with the family & love hearing his dad talk about his childhood growing up in the house.
The meat pounders are not used by me- the rolling pin I let the kids use when we bake. I want for them to socialize childhood memories using these items so they too will cherish them instead of casting out to a yard sale table. The ice cream scooper is printed with a date for the patent back in 1927 I believe... I use it when we break out the ice cream maker so its use is minimal but memorable. I love these items and think of the women before me who loved their families and must have loved these kitchen tools since they kept them despite modern convience's and advance's. I realy do not have much in the relative department but am happy to have history I can still pass on to our children from his.
An Inheritance that may seem small and worthless to some kitchen people, but this Farmchick feels she hit the jackpot!
~Tammie

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