Homemade Applesauce!

This summer has been crazy!  Wait, it's fall?  Already?  In fact it's October you say? I can't believe how fast this year is flying by. Actually fall is my favorite season, all pumpkin spice and everything nice.  At least it is my favorite until spring comes along then spring is my favorite season, everything new again and flowers blooming, gardens being planted.  Ah, yes, I'm a fickle one.

But back to fall.  What could be more fall-like than warm comfort foods and spices in the air?  Baking and cooking, now that it is cooler weather is something that I love to do, and one of my favorite things to make during the fall is applesauce.

Applesauce has to be one of the easiest things you can make.  There are only two ingredients you need; apples and a little water.  Of course you can always add in cinnamon to spice things up (we always do) or even apple pie spice.  And if you want to give it a deeper flavor, you can add in apple cider instead of the water.

The most important thing to do however is to start with good quality apples.  This is really what makes the applesauce.  Growing up my parents had several apple trees.  The one that they always used for making stewed apples (a chunkier version of applesauce), apple butter, and apple pie filling was a variety called Grimes Golden.  It cooked up beautifully, was sweet without needing much, if any, sugar added and it didn't have a mealy texture.

Blooms on one of our apple trees

Never heard of this apple?  Well I am not surprised, and if you have, then you rock! You really can't find this apple in stores today.  It is an heirloom variety and was first introduced in the 1830s.  It is considered a "parent" of the Golden Delicious apple among many other apples that are popular today.

Ok, enough of the history lesson!

To make homemade applesauce, first use apples that are good for cooking, and are on the sweet side.  If you use Granny Smith (which it is perfectly acceptable to do), then you will need some sugar added.  I prefer not to add any sugar.  Good varieties to use are: Golden Delicious, Fuji, and McIntosh.  These aren't the only ones you can use, but I wanted to list just a few that are readily available in the stores.  You can use just about any apple, just be cautious however, because apples like Red Delicious can be mealy in their texture and aren't the best for cooking.

Peeled and cored apples ready to be cooked

Once you have your apples, you will need to start peeling and coring all the apples.  It is best to purchase a peeler, especially if you want to continue to make applesauce, or you can do it by hand.  Don't throw out those peels and cores!  You can save them and make some amazing apple jelly or apple syrup!

Apple peels and cores that will become jelly

Put your peeled and cored apples in a big pot, a stock pot is perfect for this!  Add a little water, or apple cider.  Depending on how many apples, you can use 1 cup to 2 cups. For the 1/2 bushel I was cooking, I used 2 cups.  You don't need a lot of liquid as the apples will cook down, you just need something to keep them from burning on the bottom.  Put the heat on low to medium low and let them cook, stirring occasionally. Keep an eye on them and if you need to add more liquid, you can.

Once they have cooked down to the consistency that you like add in any spices that you wish.  We love cinnamon in ours.  You can also have your apples go au natural if you choose.  We also love to leave our applesauce a little chunky.  If you want a smooth consistency, you can use an immersion blender, or use a regular blender, just do it in batches.

Homemade applesauce, looks so good!

  
After it is all cooked down and to the consistency you like, you can preserve them by canning them, which is what we do. You can also let the applesauce cool and then put them in freezer safe containers to freeze. Or the best option you can eat it immediately!  If you decide to can them, you can do this using a water bath.  Just be sure and follow safe canning procedures.

Pint jars just going into a waterbath

There is absolutely nothing better than homemade applesauce.  If you have never made anything from scratch, this is one of the easiest recipes you can start with.  And I guarantee, once you start making your own, you will never want to buy pre-made again.

Let me know in the comments below if you have ever made homemade applesauce, and if you have, let me know how you make yours.
  

Leave a Comment apples, applesauce, autumn, fall, recipes

Old Fashioned Apple Butter - A Family Tradition

Have I told you how much I love fall?  Enjoying the cold, crisp days.  Fresh apples from the orchard.  Corn mazes, and pumpkin carving.  What's not to love? 

Another reason I love the fall is due to a family tradition that was started by my niece and her husband.  Actually it is a family tradition that his family started and they decided to carry it on.  Making old-fashioned apple butter!

Stirring the pot...literally!

When I talk about making old-fashioned apple butter, I am not talking about using an old recipe, but about the process of making the apple butter.  We make it outside, over an open fire, in a big kettle.  I have a picture in my head about how pioneers must have done something very similar. 

Our apple butter making day includes a gathering of family and friends.  We use this time to visit with each other and tell stories.  We also catch up on what is going on in our lives as well as relive the past.  And of course we each take a turn stirring the pot. ;-)

Carly's turn!

It is a true group effort.  I wouldn't want to try and stir this all by myself.  It does get tiring after a while.  And before the apples break completely down, it can be quite hard to stir.  While the apple butter is cooking, we eat a potluck lunch, and continue visiting with each other. At the end of the day, when the apple butter is cooked, we each get to take home a pint jar to enjoy. 

I talked to one of the men that was there and we discussed how people used to come together to help each other out.  They would have a big barn raising, or help each other butcher, make soap, etc.  It was a way to lighten the load of work that was very taxing.  For us in this process, we helped each other out by taking turns to stir to make the process easier.

Drew's turn!

To the pioneers this was their social time.  To be honest, it is my kind of social time as well!  It is a great way to pass down the traditions of the old ways of doing things.  To be able to pass down these types of traditions to our children is the whole reason why we moved to the country and started our farm in the first place!  We wanted our children to learn the "old" ways of doing things.

Steve's turn stirring!

When it comes to a recipe, our family doesn't have one written down for the apple butter.  Each year it is slightly different, and each year it keeps getting better.  I can tell you that my niece uses apples from a local orchard, apple cider for the liquid to help break the apples down, and spices which consists of sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. 

I will tell you my niece's secret to making the apple butter over the fire.  She starts it on her stove first and then puts some of the apples in the blender.  To be honest, if we had to cook down the apples from slices, it would take all day!  This helps to hurry things up a bit, which I can't blame her for doing.  Once it goes into the pot, it simmers for several hours before its ready to be eaten. 

Steve would say I'm always stirring the pot! ;-)

I always enjoy these times.  I love creating new family traditions and continuing on the traditions of our ancestors.  I hope to be making apple butter with my family and friends for many more years to come!

Let me know in the comments below what types of traditions your family has.

Leave a Comment apple butter, apples, cooking, fall, family, homemade, simple living, sustainable living

Our Family's Fall Bucket List: How to Purposefully Create Time Together

Fall is a time to get back into the routine of school days, extracurricular activities, and all the things that keep us busy.

This year, we promised ourselves that it would be different. We had planned to say no to extra activities, we would stay home and enjoy our time as a family.  But here we are again, our days are filled with work and school, and our evenings with extracurricular activities.  With everything that we have going on, we are only home two nights out of the week.

Family time is so important to me.  I don't want to get so busy with our lives, that we forget to remember the important things.  Recently I shared with you a post on my son and how fast he is growing.  I didn't realize how fast it was going until I realized that I had already missed the "lasts."  Our lives can get so busy, that sometimes we forget what really matters the most.  We have to be purposeful in our time that we spend together, or it just doesn't happen.  

I have seen on Pinterest different ideas for "bucket lists."  Some are lists you make of things you want to do before you turn 30 or 40, others are geared towards a season or holiday.  For us I thought we could work together to make our own family bucket list to purposefully create things that we can do together. This would allow us to have our family time. 

Fall is my favorite season, with springtime a close second.  For us, it makes sense to create a list of activities that we can do during the fall season.  I thought that I would share that list with you.  These are all things that our family loves to do.  These items were decided based upon what our family wanted to do.  This is a list that is personal and meaningful to us.  It is not meant to be a list that your family has to follow.  Instead use this list as a guide to create your own bucket list.  Create this list as a family and incorporate at least one thing from each member.  

The important thing is to make it unique, make it special, and make it memorable.  And of course most importantly make it fun!  

So here is our list of 20 things that we have done or will do this fall.

So let me know below, have you made a family bucket list?

Leave a Comment bucket list, fall, family, fun, kids, pumpkin, simple living

Canning Ring Pumpkins - A Craft Project!

I am really excited about today's post.  I know, it isn't my usual recipe post, but it is a cool and easy craft post. And since I've been asked to do more craft posts, I thought this would be perfect.

I have seen something similar to this on Pinterest, and last night my sister texted me a picture of canning rings put together like this, but decorated for Christmas.  She said she thought it would be cute and I should do one for my blog.  I thought, hey why not?

The best part about this craft is that it cost me a whopping $0.10 per pumpkin to make. The only thing that cost were the decorative leaves and the zip ties. We actually already had the zip ties, but I thought I would go ahead and throw in their cost as well.

What helped with the cost was getting canning rings from my parents.  I had a feeling that they might have some and boy did I hit the jackpot.  What I love about them is that they are rusty and old looking.  But it wasn't my intention to leave them that way.

Bag full of wide mouth and regular mouth canning rings.

My plan was to spray paint the rings orange, in fact I had orange spray paint that I had bought for another project, but after I got home I realized that it had been used on a pine wood derby car.  So I looked through my spray paint, and decided to paint them a brown color.

My wonderful hubby helping out!

I thought that the brown would work and I really didn't want to have to wait another day, or spend more money on this.  I really wanted to be able to use what I had at home.  One thing I did purchase, was a bag of sparkly decorative leaves from the local Dollar Tree that I thought would go perfect as part of the decoration on the pumpkins.  After spray painting the rings, I started looking at the ones we had left.  And I kind of liked the way they looked.  Steve talked me into making one with the rings as is.

Wide mouth rings sans paint

That is when he took over the project and let me snap some pics.  It was kind of nice for a change! He made both a wide mouth sized pumpkin and a regular mouth sized pumpkin.  For the wide mouth size you will need between 18-20 rings.  For the regular mouth sized pumpkin you will need 15 rings.

Putting the rings together

You will want to put the rings together like the picture above.  Don't try to fan them out yet.  That will come later.

Once you have them together, the best thing to hold them is a zip tie.  Steve used two zip ties to make it large enough to go through all the rings.  You will need a pretty long zip tie.

Zip tying the rings together

Once you have the zip tie in place, you will need to work with the rings and get them to interlock with each other.

Make sure the rings are interlocking 

You may need to also adjust the zip tie and pull it tighter as you are interlocking and fanning out the rings.  Once you get it the way you want, then you should have a beautiful pumpkin shape.

My soon to be pumpkin.

I believe the one that I saw on Pinterest used a cinnamon stick for the pumpkin stem.  I looked through my cabinets and didn't find any cinnamon sticks, so again Steve came to my rescue and found me some actual sticks from our yard that I used as the stem.  I believe that I actually like the use of a real stick which adds to the rustic look of the rings.  I also added in one of the sparkly leaves for color and voila!

Super cute pumpkins!

After making these and leaving the rings as is, I really like them.  In fact I think that I like them better than the painted ones.  I actually haven't made a painted one yet, but I will just to see.  I also love that these are old and rusty and antique looking.  I think that they are perfect!

So comment below and let me know what you think about this easy and cute craft. 

Leave a Comment canning, canning rings, crafts, decorations, fall, holidays, pumpkin

Going Camping: What to Do and Not Do

Our family loves to go camping.  It is a great way to get away and really enjoy nature and each other.  And talk about some great family memories and adventures that are made on these trips!

Just this past weekend, our family went on a camping trip to one of our state parks.  It was a beautiful weekend.  The weather was not too hot and not too cold.  We went during Bass Pro Outdoor Days and camped with some friends that are in the same scout pack. To be honest, I think that our kids enjoyed it more than our family vacation we took this summer!

I thought it would be great to share with you some of the ways we prepare for the camping trip, and some of the things that we took or we wished we would have took. 

Note: With our kids we are not hiking-in our camping equipment. So at this time weight is not an issue with us. Likewise we are not interested in "glamping." We try to bring the necessities and at the same time pack light.  Here are some of the things that we pack.

TOTES

We have totes that we use to keep some things at the ready.  For this camping trip, we took two totes, one for food and kitchenware, and one for general camping supplies.

Our kitchen camping tote

Our kitchenware tote included:

• eating utensils
• pans for cooking
• spatula/knife/cutting board
• spices
• percolator/coffee
• food that did not need refrigeration

What I would do different:

• prepare veggies ahead of time and place them in the cooler
• bring sandwich bags for storage (really just an oversight) 
• bring more paper towels (something that we try and not use too much of)

Our general camping tote

 Our general camping supplies tote included:

• lantern
• 2 head lamps (these were a lifesaver!)
• lighter/matches
• camp stove
• extra propane for camp stove
• trash bag
• hammer
• first-aid kit
• twine

What I would do different/What I forgot:

• pack more trash bags
• pack a small tool set (hammer was good, but it would be nice to have a few other pieces if needed)
• check first-aid kit to make sure it has everything (we were missing bandages which we needed!)
• save up dryer lint and bring as a fire starter 

COOLER

We brought a cooler so we could bring foods that needed refrigeration.  We wanted to make good meals for our camping trip and I think that we did that.  The first night we had chili, then in the morning we had breakfast burritos, then the second night we had a polish sausage, potatoes, onions, and peppers dish.  We probably could have cut down on the amount of items we took by sticking to hotdogs and pbj, but I love to cook out in the open.  Of course we also had some bottled water that we brought.  
 
TENT AND BEDDING

Our tent is supposed to sleep  4-6 people.  I'm thinking that 4 would be the most comfortable.  With any tent, make sure you are getting the size you need for comfort.  And while a pop-up tent would be nice to set-up, its size would not be good for us.  And honestly, once you get familiar with how your tent is set-up, it shouldn't be too hard.  Note: Set up your tent before you go camping and make sure all the pieces are there, and don't forget the instructions!

What we took:

• tent
• sleeping bags
• pillows
• old quilts 

What I would do different/What I forgot:

• bring an air mattress (multiple so 4 people would all be sleeping on them)

I would highly recommend an air mattress.  We did not have one this camp out, we slept on some old quilts, and then our sleeping bags on top of that.  It wasn't too bad, but after two nights, that was about all we could handle.  We did have a foam mat that was supposed to be big enough for the kids, but I think only one kid ended up being able to sleep on it.


CLOTHING/TOILETRIES

We wanted to pack as light as possible, which really for this trip, we were running out of room in our car, so one duffel bag for four people was all I packed.  We were gone for 3 days and 2 nights.  In the future, I'm going to try and pack 2 duffel bags for us.

What we took:

• 1 duffel bag
• 2 sets of clothing for each person
• 1 set of pjs for each person
• toothbrushes/toothpaste
• hairbrushes/combs
• deodorant 

What I would do different/What I forgot:

• towel and soap (I completely forgot and this campground had a shower!)
• 2 duffel bags, one for the kids and one for adults.  Or another idea would have each kid pack a backpack with their items in it.

I thought I would show you how I packed the clothes.  I put a complete outfit together with shirt, pants, socks, and underwear like below.

One complete outfit

And then I rolled it up and stuck it in the duffel bag.  This way, we weren't searching for a pair of socks or underwear.  Everything was together.

Rolled up ready to be packed.

Something we did take that we weren't able to pack in a tote, was our dutch oven.  I did take a skillet as well, but our dutch oven would have been sufficient enough to cook in. 

As for our next camping trip, I know that we will be even more prepared.  We are all eager for that next camping trip and we hope that it will be as much fun.

Let me know, what do you take on your camping trip?

 

Leave a Comment Bass Pro, camping, cast iron, fall, family, friends, fun, kids, scouts, simple living, tips, vacation

How to Make Raised Garden Beds for a Fall Garden (Absolutely Free!)

Some of you may remember me mentioning that my garden didn't do well this year.  To be absolutely honest that is an understatement.  It really did nothing at all.  I was able to pick some shelly beans which I saved for seed, and I got a few cucumbers out of the garden.  That was it.  My husband says that it was because we bought a new pressure canner.  We jinxed ourselves.  I say it was because of all the rain we got, (we are still! trying to fix all the leaks in our roof).   Whatever it was, our garden just sucked!

But not everyone's garden fared poorly. My niece's garden did great this year.  The rain didn't seem to bother her's at all.  I am so jealous happy for her. :-)  So what was the difference between her garden and ours?  Her's was a raised bed garden.  Ours was straight in the ground.  I probably don't have to explain that with hers the water was able to drain, while ours was sitting in water.  In fact our garden looked like a pond in some places!

So while our garden did not do well at all this summer, we are not people who give up easily.  I talked my husband into building some raised beds for us to plant our fall garden.  It really wasn't that hard to persuade him.  I asked and he said yes.  The ones he built are small so that we can try them out and see how we like them.  Also they were built from lumber we already had on hand, which also determined the size.  After all, that is the point of being sustainable, right?  

I decided if we were going to do this, I should read up on raised garden beds.  I already had a plan in mind and I was able to get some newspapers from the local library that they were going to discard. I thought newspapers would be great for putting down first to keep the grass and weeds out of the garden. Then I read where cardboard really is better because it breaks down slower.  I was in luck, because of just moving my mother-in-law, we had lots of cardboard that we hadn't gotten around to recycling yet.  Since I had both, I decided to use cardboard in one and newspaper in the other to see what works the best.  I will have to let you know after this gardening season.

So to begin, the garden bed is just a box.  We already had these put together.  In fact they are parts of a porch railing which we took out the slats.

It began life as a railing...

Then we put two together to make it deeper.  We wanted to make sure that there was enough root space for the vegetables to take hold.

Stacking one on top of the other.

Steve screwed the two together to that they would be more stable.

The perfect size!

Then we set them where we wanted.  We decided we wanted them just outside our garden area, that way it would be easy to transplant in the spring.  Our garden proper, will soon become a chicken run once again (the perfect pest control!).

After that, I layered one with newspaper, and the other with cardboard.

From this point on, it is hit and miss on what to do next.  Some used a system that was cardboard, mulch, soil.  Others put the soil right on top.  We decided that on top of the newspapers/cardboard to first put grass clippings (that is our mulch), and then we put some chicken manure on top of that.  I want to stress that the chicken manure that we used was not fresh.  It was from a pile that we had sitting out composting, or as my dad would say it was "seasoned."  

With the grass clippings

Then on top of that we used soil.  We had all of this on hand which is why we used what we did.  The point was to make these without spending any money!

Ready for seeds!

While we were getting these ready and before we actually planted in them (thank goodness!) our dear sweet Abby (our boarder collie) decided she wanted to help.  She did this by digging in them.  So we decided that we needed covers for them.  I was thinking along the line of just laying some chicken wire along the top, which we had plenty of, but leave it to Steve to get all fancy on me.

He actually used a couple of more railing sections and built me covers for my boxes.  He did use chicken wire and he even made me handles for the boxes from scratch!  He used some stout wire that he had to fashion them. 

So here it is in all of its glory.  Steve actually made me two more for a total of three.  I couldn't be prouder of my little raised beds.  The best part is that they cost $0 to make.  

All done and ready for the veggies to grow!

Wondering what I planted?  Well, I used seed that I already had saved so that was something else, I didn't have to buy.  I planted carrots, turnips, peas, spinach, and green beans.  

I can't wait for my little fall garden to start growing and I can't wait to see how these raised beds do.  Hopefully we won't have to worry so much about weeding or getting too much rain.  I'll keep you all posted on how my garden grows. ;-)

So tell me in the comments below, how many of you use raised beds? 

3 comments budget, fall, gardening, planting, sustainable living, vegetables

Throw Back Thursday: Spiced Tea

Sending the kids off to school this morning, I noticed how cool the weather has become.  In fact the temperature is supposed to keep dropping all day.  Even though it is still August, and will undoubtedly become warm again, I can't help thinking that it will soon be fall.

Usually when fall starts, people start talking about pumpkin spice everything.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE a good pumpkin spice treat, but today's recipe is what I think of when the fall season comes around.

When I was little my grandma and mom used to make this spiced tea mix.  I used to request it whenever it was chilly outside, or I had a cold, or I didn't feel good, or I just had a bad day.  Now that I have a family of my own, I make it for my own kids, and I notice my little girl doing the same thing that I did, requesting it when it is cold, or she just doesn't feel good.  There is something about this tea that just makes you feel better inside.

My grandma around age 18

 It has been awhile since I have posted a #TBT picture of a family member.  This is my grandma that we called "nan."  She was about 18 here which would have made it around 1937.  She passed away a little over nine years ago.  One of the things that I treasure is a copy of her spiced tea recipe in her handwriting.  It is written on the back of an envelope, and when I asked my mom for the recipe, I didn't expect her to give me my grandma's handwritten one.

My grandma's handwritten recipe

You can see the recipe is very simple.  I have seen similar versions of this tea on the internet usually called "Friendship Tea"  and it includes lemonade drink mix.  However, our family never used that version.  I hope you will try this and see how you like it.

So here are the ingredients...

The players...

 The recipe calls for a pound of Tang, a 1/2 cup of instant tea, a cup of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves, and a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon.  Back in my days (as my grandma used to always say), Tang came in a pound jar which made it easy for this recipe.  Now however it comes in a 1 pound 4 ounce container.  But if you know your measurements, then you know that 4 ounces equals 1/2 cup.  So just scoop out a 1/2 of cup and enjoy that with your breakfast.  You might also notice that I purchased the decaffeinated version of the instant tea.  This is totally your preference.  I do that because my kids like to drink this tea, and I really don't want them having a lot of caffeine.  Once you have all your ingredients, just pour them all in a mixing bowl.

Ready to get mixed up!

Once you mix it up, it looks like this:

All mixed and ready to go!

I know this sounds crazy, but I think it looks so pretty!  I normally put the mixture back in the Tang container, but I thought I would show you how I package it up to give to people for gifts.

That's a creamer bottle!

I save creamer bottles and wash them really good, take off the label and put dry drink mixes in them.  Some of the drink mixes I do this with besides the spiced tea mix are my homemade hot cocoa mix, and my Fireside Coffee mix.  After I fill the containers, I usually put these in a basket along with some home canned goodies and baked quick breads.  I almost said sweet breads, but I didn't want anyone to confuse that with sweetbreads and think that I give thymus or pancreas to people for gifts. ;-)

After it is all mixed, I use 3 spoonfuls to a mug of hot water.  You can add more or less to your liking.

Mmmmm, hot cup of spiced tea

If you would like a printable version of this recipe, then click HERE.

Let me know what you think about this in the comments below. 

Leave a Comment fall, recipes, spiced tea, tbt, tea