An Apple a Day.....

I've just finished working my way through all the apples we picked. We got 20 pints unsweetened applesauce from the Fujis - they didn't need anything added to make delicious sauce! The Granny Smiths were used for dried apples slices and canned apple pie filling, plus apple crisp for desert a few nights. Dehydrating apples make the house smell wonderful.

And even after all this time, I have 6 apples to keep for eating fresh. Yum.

Trying to peel the apple in one curl sounds like taking things to a small extreme. After peeling 30lbs of apples, I've noticed it actually makes a lot of sense - I'm less likely to cut myself, I loose less apple flesh with the peel, and the apple looks better when I'm done. Plus it's just fun to try!

Final results:

3 apple pies

dozen fresh apple snacks

18 pints Fuji applesauce, unsweetened

8 liters dried apple slices (estimate, might be 9)

13 Qts. Apple Pie Filling

4 Pts. Apple Pie Filling

4 Qts. Apple Slices in medium syrup

A Yuletide Meme

1.) Have you started your Christmas shopping? Yes.

2.) Tell me about one of your special traditions. We've started making a gingerbread house every year. I like to serve cinnamon rolls on Yule morning, and might look into stollen for that instead (make ahead! yay!)

3.) When do you put up your tree? The day after Thanksgiving with the rest of the Yule decorations, at least so far.

4.) Are you a Black Friday shopper? No, I put up Yule decorations that day.

5.) Do you travel at Christmas or stay home? We stay HOME. After one holiday visiting 5 houses - well, that won't happen again.

6.) What is your funniest Christmas memory?

7.) What is your favorite Christmas movie of all time? The full length How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The half-hour version is banned.

8.) Do you do your own Christmas baking? What’s your favorite treat? Yes. Favorite treat so far is my nutty Sugar Plums, for which I've never seen the recipe. Honey and spices and nuts (no fruit) rolled in cocoa or powered sugar, and taste better after a few weeks to let the flavors meld. Yum.

9.) Fake or Real Tree? Fake, due to fire codes. I strongly prefer real ones, and generally get a live wreath to hang inside, plus 'tree-scent' candles to get the scents.

10.) What day (as a Mom) does the actual panic set in to get it all done? It doesn't.

11.) Are you still wrapping presents on Christmas Eve? Only a couple, often for stockings.

12.) What is your favorite family fun time at Christmas? All the yummy food :) Hanging out with loved ones.

13.) What Christmas craft do you like the best? You mean I have to pick just one?

14.) Christmas music? Yes or No. And if yes, What is your favorite song? In small doses, yes. Favorite songs - Adeste Fideles, in Latin; and Let it Snow, by Bing Crosby.

15.) When do you plan to finish all your shopping? A week before Yule, as we're traveling for the Christmas and Yule is several days earlier.

Any blogger is welcome to participate in this meme, even if you haven’t been tagged yet. Just simply copy and paste the questions into your blog, and then answer them. Then tag 5 or more of your favorite blogs, and leave them a comment telling them they’ve been tagged. I wasn't tagged; just playing along - care to join me?

When you post your blog, please spread some Christmas cheer, and leave a link back to Heather’s Top Ten Christmas Blog, and the blog that you were tagged by.

Independance Day - Nov. 29

It's been a quiet week. Thanksgiving was about half local, half easy food. Still had piles, even for just the two of us.

1. Plant something – nothing.

2. Harvest something – Nothing.

3. Preserve something – Drying brussels sprouts, lemon slices, shredded cabbage, turnip greens.

4. Reduce waste – Regular recycling and eating of leftovers. Still playing heater-chicken; days have been in 50-60'F range.

5. Preparation and Storage –Does decluttering count?

6. Build Community Food Systems – nothing

7. Eat the Food – Apple pie, roast chicken, pumpkin pie, turnip greens with bacon, mashed potatoes & rutabagas that I remember from childhood.

8. Crafting – Cross-stitch, arguing with sock yarn again. I mean, working on knitting socks :)

Independance Day - Nov. 23

1. Plant something – nothing.

2. Harvest something – Nothing.

3. Preserve something – Canned 60lbs of apples, in sauce, canned apple pie filling, and 4 qts apples in medium syrup to play with. Have 20lbs left that I plan on dehydrating this week.

4. Reduce waste – Regular recycling and eating of leftovers. Still playing heater-chicken.

5. Preparation and Storage –I found a "mini" glass oil lamp at the thrift store, brand new. Bought 3-liter sealing glass jars for storage of dry items - I needed more.

6. Build Community Food Systems – Farmer's market.

7. Eat the Food – Apple pie, roast chicken.

8. Crafting – Finished niece's purse. Dropped off some sewing at sempstress, which is a general help. Started a new cross-stitch pattern.

A Good Day's Work

Independance Day - Nov. 15

1. Plant something – nothing.

2. Harvest something – Nothing.

3. Preserve something – Dried turnip greens, tomatoes, and lots of apples.

4. Reduce waste – Regular recycling and eating of leftovers. Still playing heater-chicken.

5. Preparation and Storage – Bought more canning jars, because I ran out. Bought 3-liter sealing glass jars for storage of dry items.

6. Build Community Food Systems – Farmer's market had to close (the nor'easter was coming) but I managed to get there early enough. Two coworkers came with me for the first time. Yay!

7. Eat the Food – Apple brown betty. Brussels sprouts with Kielbasa and red onion (yum!). Stuffed cabbage leaves. Lettuce-and-tomato sandwiches. Regular eating from pantry. Using the farmer market as primary store.

8. Crafting – Finished 2 items from sewing bag (repairs). Did some work on niece's purse - nearly done!.

Prep Check

A nor'easter hit my area this week - yesterday & last night were the worst of it. While we haven't lost power, I'm still counting it as a prep check - at least for my nerves!

We woke up yesterday to the wind and rain hitting the building, and wind-lashed trees. The weather worsened as the day passed. I filled extra jugs with water, in case they were needed. I made sure chores were caught up, and cooked dinner early. The power flickered, so I lit candles and the oil lamp in case it went out. Then we turned on the scanner to see what we could hear - lots of trees down, roads flooded; they had to put up a second set of barriers in at least one place because the first set floated off. A scanner is a wonderful thing to have during a storm or other emergency.

The worst is now over. My only real concern last night was cooking if the power went out. We had water, food, light, plenty of non-electric things to do, and it wasn't cold.

Assessment: I need to find a non-electric way to cook during storms, and get a bit more in the way of oil lamps and supplies for them.

So far, so good!