Homemade Spiced Apple Cider

September and Apples

Those two words just seem to go hand in hand.

The smell of apples in late summer and early autumn

just bring a stirring in the soul 

that conjure up visions of frosty mornings,

falling leaves, bright orange scool busses,

and apples.

Whole apples being kept in whole form

are not my forte.

Keeping in whole form + fuzz + funky odor - I'm a pro.

Needless to say, 

we preserve them in different ways.

This year in addition to our own apples,

we have had three boxes given to us.

One box will be cored and dehydrated.

The other two boxes as well as our own

were juiced for spiced apple cider.

Our neighbor has an apple press that we were able to borrow.

Washed up our apples and the press

then got to 'work.'

As we juice it,

small pieces of apple make it into the juice.

It went into my big ol' coldrun

and my big ol' canning pot.

(Lots of cider:)

Into the juice went

cinnamin sticks

allspice

bay leaves

cloves

dried oranges

nutmeg

mace

Isn't it just beautiful?

I wish the screen was scratch-n-sniff for you.
As it was simmering,
the house smelled just incredible.

As it went into the jars,

it was strained.

We ended up with 18 quarts and 1 pint.
It might be a little work now,
but come winter when the snow is flying
and we are bringing wood in to stoke the fire,
a nice hot cup of cider might just taste pretty good.

The recipe if you're interested:
2 qts fresh squeezed apple juice
2 tsp. whole cloves
2 bay leaves
2 cinnamin sticks
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. mace
1 tsp. allspice
2-3 dried orange slices
1/4 cup brown sugar if your apples are not a sweet variety.
(I also added 1 stick cannella which if you are unfamiliar,
you can find in the hispanic section of the grocery store.)
Heat to boiling then reduce heat and 
simmer about an hour ~ stirring occasionally.
I hot-water-bathed the quart jars 20 min. though I read
as little as 10 min. and as long as 25 min.

Until next time,
Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

Cautionary Heads Up for Home Canners

Just thought I would pass this on and hopefullly

save some angst for a few folks.

I have a friend who has been canning for many years.

This year, she has had several jars that did not seal.

She had bought some new jars and used the new

lids and rims that came with them.

New jars used to come with the lids inverted.

They now come with the seal side down

just as they are to be used.

In packaging them this way then sending them through

the heat and cold of shipping,

the lids actually seal.

So when you buy new jars/lids/rims,

the lids are actually in used condition.

There was no problem with her old jars

when using lids from a box of new lids.

Just thought I would pass on that little 'heads up.'

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

Seed Saving

If you grow a garden and find yourself drooling

over seed catalogs come about February,

you might consider trying to save your own seeds.

You might find your outlook changes a little.

While, I like to think, "Oooh & Aaah, that looks good."

In truth, I need very few seeds after saving seeds for only 2-3 years.

I now think, "I'm only spending $3.42 on seeds!" 

(or whatever small amount it is as opposed to a weeks pay)

Beens and radishes are very easy.

The plants keep the seeds all nice and tidy in a pod.

Here we have spinach.

(We had a rain between seed harvests.  I didn't keep the black looking ones.)

Those little seeds just roll right off for keeping.

I would suggest doing so on a tea towel or placemat, etc.

If you try to do it on a table, 

they are great at escaping by rolling right across the slick surface

and across the floor.

Today, I plan on planting a new row of spinach from my package

that I purchased this spring,

and a row of these that I just saved

in order to test germination.

This year I am going to try my hand at saving carrot seeds.

They require heirloom seeds to start with,

then don't produce seeds until year two.

Our carrots are looking pretty good so will leave a few in the ground

and see what happens next year.

A couple of important tips:

*Hybrids don't usually produce seeds that will germinate.

*Slimey seeds should be washed then dried (tomato, cukes, etc.)

*Keep seeds in a dry place.

*A quick internet search will provide a plethora of informtion

for your favorite veggies.

*Start with just one or two of your favorites:

you'll find you want to save more next year.

*If I can do it, you can too.  (My joke is that

my garden thrives upon neglect;)

I look at seeds like money in the bank.

I know next year, not only will I be saving on seed purchases,

but will also be saving substantially on food purchases.

It's just another way to save money and eat well.

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

Choke Cherries and Money Savers

Yes, we are still alive.

We have just had a lot of life come at us at once.

I'll fill you in on that later,

but wanted to show you.

 Here are my choke cherries all picked, cleaned, 

and ready to juice for some jelly.
(Working on Christmas gifts now.)

What do you think of that great metal bowl?

It is actually one of two.

I call them my fruit bowls.

They are just deep and wide enough to hold a lot of fruit

without crushing it.

They were purchased for $1 each ~

on clearance in the automotive section of the store.

They are really for changing oil.

Also, if you need buckets,

check out the automotive department.

The same buckets that you will find in the cleaning section

by the mops and brooms is often

a fraction of the cost if you get them in the auto section

of the same store.

The only difference being maybe the color.

Other items you might find cheaper over there are

scrub brushes, buffing/polishing cloths, and spritzer bottles.

If there is something you need along those lines,

you might just check out the automotive dept.

before buying it from the 'regular' dept.

and save yourself a couple dollars.

Tonight, we'll be cleaning the elderberries

into the other bowl:)

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

A "New" Hand Crank Sewing Machine

I would like to introduce you to Sweet Nell.

She is a Frister & Rossmann hand crank sewing machine 

manufactured in Germany in 1905.

There is quite the history lesson behind her.

You will find no badge or makers symbol.

She has beautiful Egyptian decals

even though some of them have seen better days.

She stitches like a dream.

So the story goes,

as stated above she was manufactured in Germany in 1905.

She then took a little trip to a distributor in London, England.

At some point between when she was manufactured

and the time she was sold in England,

there began a war (WWI)

at which time her badge was removed.

No decent Englishman was going to buy a product

that was made in Germany.

This made tracking down her history a little more challenging.

Once I figured out what brand she was,

it all kinda fell together.
A backwards F and forward R within the scroll-work.

I got her last weekend at an estate sale.

I now wish I could ask the owner (now deceased)

where she got it.

Was it from her family?

Did she pick it up at a tag sale or second hand shop?

She had 8? machines there.

This machine was made in Germany,

sold in England,

and somehow through travels that span 109 years and

will forever more remain a secret,

now resides at her new home in Oregon, USA.

This is just one of the reasons I love old relics.

I can hardly wait to stitch something other than scraps with her.

Until Next Time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches