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18 cups baking apples, peeled & sliced (about 6 lbs.)
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 cups brown sugar
1 cup cornstarch
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
8 cups water
In a large bowl mix the apples together with the lemon juice to keep
them from browning. Set aside. In a large pot combine brown sugar,
cornstarch, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add water and bring to a boil
over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil for two minutes. Add
apples (you may want to drain off some of the lemon juice, but I
think it adds a nice flavor) and return to a boil. Reduce heat,
cover and simmer until apples are tender, about 6-8 minutes. Have
your quart jars and lids hot and ready. Pack each jar with the
filling to ½ inch from the top. Screw down lids. Process in hot
water bath for 20 minutes. Makes about 5 quarts.
Our Apples are allllllllmost ready and I hope to make pie filling and applesauces, along with apple CHIPS in the dehydrator too!
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. cinnamon and/or nutmeg
5-6 cups of Blackberries
1/4 cup Cornstarch
Start out with clean freshly picked Blackberries in a bowl, I sprinkle about a 1/4 C of cornstarch over the top and mix in, let it set. Grab another bowl and toss in all your other ingredients, using the tines of a fork, mix until crumbly. Pour your berries in a baking dish, oversized pie plate, etc., and sprinkle on your crumbly topping mixture, put into a pre-heated 350 degree oven, bake for 25 or so minutes and remove, cool and EAT. Mmmm!
Does it ever confuse you why green living can be so complicated? Some practices are almost a deterrent from incorporating this into our lifestyles. I have found that I desire to use green practices, but not at the cost of sacrificing my simple life practices. But there is one good thing that keeps me from feeling guilty, simple living often incorporates green living by its essence. Having less, means less garbage, less waste, less cleaning products to care for stuff, less time to care for stuff, less stuff to replace, etc. But how can you do more when you are already struggling to incorporate my simple living practices into your life?
Be thoughtful before you purchase an item. Do you need it? How will it affect the environment and now and in the future? Will there be continuing resources to purchase with using the product? Is there an environmentally friendly way to do this? Some products are now environmentally friendly due to companies making it easy for you. Refillable items, sold in recycled easily disposable items that are poured into a permanently re-usable dispenser are a great example of this. Technology companies often offer an easy method to recycle items such as ink cartridges and batteries by including prepaid envelopes to send the old and empty containers back to them in.
Wash your clothes in cold water only. This completely eliminates the heating of water. I have not found any significant difference in the cleanliness or stain removal of our clothing. I have not used warm or hot water for years. Once you get into this practice, if you have to purchase a new washer, you can often save money by purchasing a model that has fewer options. Additionally, with cold water I have noticed that I can use significantly less detergent to clean a load of laundry.
If at all possible, try carpooling for different activities. Even if you can’t use this practice every day, try finding ways to incorporate carpooling one or two days per week. You will save money, and be able save the environment at the same time. When you can’t carpool, consider sharing errands with a friend or neighbor. If you and a friend both have a designated errand day, that fall on different days, call each other the night before to ask if the other needs anything. This will help eliminate the need for you to make an extra trip out for some forgotten, but needed item for you AND your friend. This saves, time, gas, and emissions!
There are lots of ways to being incorporating green practices into your life style in a simple way. As with other simple living practices, don’t wait, and get started today, with just one idea that you can change this month!
These are my thoughts.
Leslie Valeska
~Contributing Writer~
Leslie Valeska is the lucky wife of Thomas.With children ranging in ages from 4-16, she has had a lot of time to learn and experience much of the fine art of homemaking.
For FREE daily tips and a FREE E-zine on simple and frugal living visither blog Journey to Simplicity. Need a source of encouragement, inspiration, and support on your journey to Godly womanhood? Visit Simple Journey Ministries (she has a FREE E-zine too!) Of course, don’t forget to visit the Simple Journey Bookstore!
Little House and the Big Garden posted these great pictures of their new greenhouse, go check it out! They did a good job, and I know it will be a blessing to their family. I am definitely showing this post to my own husband for a little "inspiration" . The greenhouse that a friend "donated to my cause" was in such bad repair that it wasn't worth salvaging, which was very disappointing. Perhaps we just might find room for one of these somewhere in our new yard.
There is a link in the post to the book they got the plans from for my fellow book-lovers, too!
Hello all! I apologize (again) for being so scarce here lately. I have many a post written in my head to share with you but can't seem find the time or energy to get it into the computer. Ah, such is life.
Chas asked me the other day how I made Apple Cider Vinegar since she has been blessed recently with an abundance. Apple Cider Vinegar is very simple and can be made with the leftover peels and cores from other apple-making projects.
I've written these very simple Apple Cider Vinegar making instruction here. So go ahead and try it. This vinegar is not as strong as true cider vinegar made from cider (i.e. apple juice) but it does the trick and costs a lot less than the vinegars at the grocery store! Enjoy!
Kristin Hoffman homesteads with her family in the hills of East Tennessee and blogs about alternative energy, family farming, and home schooling with her husband at www.solarfamilyfarm.com. She can also be found cooking in the kitchen with her homemade apple cider vinegar.
Monday, October 6, 2008 - Things around the homestead
Posted by HandsNHearts
Ok, still don't know why the camera didn't want to upload to the computer...or why the computer didn't want it to, but that's technology for you. I've played and reloaded and rebooted and what-have-you, and finally, this time, it just sort of worked.
Here's the assorted odd pictures of the last many days here:
LOL...yes, basically a useless picture...but it was supposed to be here for the day I baked the pumpkin bread and raisin pumpkin snack cake. And yes, of course I buy butter in that huge container....doesn't everyone? My goodness, what other size would there be for a large family?
How do you learn to ride a bike? Well, you talk your older brother into letting you be the first to ride his new bike, then you get on and let him shove....er, push you gently....across the front yard. Note to my children: you might want to find a new place to test your bike riding skills. There is a slope to the front yard in that particular area, and it heads straight into the mulch pile and timber line.
This is Wild Child, Jacob...with Abigail there in blue, and KatiAnne on the bike....totally forgetting to even pedal...or steer.
Here we have Miss Emily trying to coax the chickens into coming closer for a visit. She poked her hand into the fence and wiggled her fingers, calling them...chickee, chickee. As soon as they started over toward her, she liked to have pulled the fence down yaking her hand out so quickly.
And the new addition to the homestead...and still unnamed officially...The Buddy Dog :o)
He is a Great Pyrenese (or however you spell that...it never looks right to me). According to our friend who got him at his auction, he's about 3 months old. But goodness is he huge for a mere 3 months old!
Here he is with Matthew...and our blind goat...doesn't he look awfuly big for 3 months? Maybe it's just me. I'm not very familiar with their growth patterns and all. I know they are to be large dogs, but at 3 months, I guess I thought he'd be more 'puppy' sized or something.
As to being 'protection' for the goats, well, I don't know about that. He's rather skittish with them and tries to pick his places wherever they aren't. And our 'seeing' goat is a bit of a pill with other animals in her pen. She all but killed the poor black puppies that grew up with them. The male is blind in one eye and won't go near the pen now. The female always did have a bit more gumption, but even she chooses her battles with that seeing goat.
Yeah -- that one there, staring at you, with a touch of attitude....that's the seeing eye goat :o) We bought her as a companion for the blind goat. But she's full of attitude...spit and vinegar I think is the old saying. That's definitely her.
Monday, October 6, 2008 - A serene Saturday & Sunday afternoon
Posted by HandsNHearts
Here are the photos from yesterday. The children built a fort.
Well, it's an encampment of sorts, really.
It's Boonesboro...or in our case, Smithsboro. The children love watching the old television series Daniel Boone. Emily sings Daniel Boone was a man....a biiiiiggggg maaaannnnn.... all day, just out of the blue. And easily switches between that and Victory in Jesus or Jesus Loves Me. She has rather eclectic singing choices, I know.
This is the beginning of our fabricated chicken house, actually. It's just a cattle panel arched over a frame. We'll move the chickens around the garden area with it once it's finished.
Well, maybe...looks like I may not be getting this one back any time soon:
And the laundry that was left to wait on Smithsboro's completion...
And, I just thought this photo turned out nice. It's Miss Dimples, our KatiAnne, enjoying Smithsboro's outdoor cafe...
She wanted Grandma to see her :o)
Saturday, October 4, 2008 - Went to see Nancy Campbell!!
Posted by ChestnutsMama
We just got back from hearing Nancy Campbell of Above Rubies speak!
Nancy was very good, her message was wonderful. Gave me much food for thought, which we have been discussing here until late into the night.
Friends Kate and Mark came around, and Mark and Neil were treated to dinner cooked by their two youngest boys, P & B, and our two girls, while Kate and I went out to hear Nancy.
I must say the experience was, for us, slightly spoiled by a long period of enforced 'worship' in the style of the church which hosted the event. I personally don't think this was wise. I was not comfortable with the style of worship, and would think twice about going to see any speaker at this church again. It was a very protracted time, and not very beneficial, at least for me.
However, Nancy more than made up for it. What a remarkable lady - they are so far from home here in the wet and windy UK, and travelling around - they were delayed in their trip from Gloucester - but what an inspirational lady!
We came back to find the house relatively peaceful, everyone had eaten pizza and pasta a la kids, and enjoyed themselves playing board games afterwards, and Neil and Mark seemed quite relaxed! So time for bed now, just looked at the time and it's very late!
Leslie Valeska is the lucky wife of Thomas.
. The greenhouse that a friend "donated to my cause" was in such bad repair that it wasn't worth salvaging, which was very disappointing. Perhaps we just might find room for one of these somewhere in our new yard. 
