The stillness of a landscape draped in the silence
of an early morning snow...
The sky and earth blend in shades of white
Bringing all that I can see from my window
into uniform serenity.
A snow-covered world is a balm that penetrates
bone and marrow, soul and spirit.
My soul is set free in quiet song.
It brings to us a time of rest.
Lay down the great burden of hurried life;
Step lightly onto the stage. The room is silent, empty.
Laugh and cry; dance. Unveil the depths within.
It is time to be set free.
~Jean in Wisconsin
« September 2008 | Main | November 2008 »
October 2008
Frosty Morning
The weather is getting cool enough now that the lawn and fields are often covered with frost in the morning, and this morning, once again the cat's water dish sitting on the deck was iced over.
The humingbirds are no longer visiting their feeder, and I've not seen any Robins bobbing on my lawn for some time.
Some days I hear the call of geese and ducks and look up to see their V-shaped pattern against the deep blue sky .
Autumn has come.
Making Fruit Leather
My pear tree was loaded with fruit this year, but the skin on the fruit was tough and blotchy--perfect for fruit leather.
We washed them and cut them into fourths. I put water into a large, heavy-bottomed pan--just enough to cover the bottom-- filled it with my fruit, and put the lid on. The water helped to steam the pears; the heavy bottom helped to keep the fruit from sticking or burning on the bottom of the pan. I stirred it frequently, rubbing the big spoon across the bottom to be sure nothing was sticking, and I stirred the fruit near the bottom up towards the top, allowing all the fruit to be evenly steamed.
When the fruit was soft, I allowed it to cool slightly and then I put them through a fruit strainer. Mine is an attachment to my KitchenAid mixer; the skins, seeds, and cores come out one end while the fruit pulp slides out the bottom. It looked just like applesauce.
There are many kinds of strainers (some electric, some not), but if I needed to make the pulp without one, I'd peel the fruit and cut out the cores prior to steaming. When it was soft, I'd either mash it really well with a potato masher or run it through the blender just long enough to remove the chunks.
Since these pears were exceptionally juicy, I chose to simmer the sauce until it was thick. I took this time to bring my dehydrator up from the basement, clean it up, and get it ready. I have a wonderful machine--it is an Excalibur. It has a nice range of temperature settings, pulls the air across the sheets horizontally (if it pulls the air through the fruit vertically, the moist air travels through each layer of fruit, making it much less efficient), has sheets for fruit leather, and is large enough for my needs.
By the way, if you are making fruit leather from berries and soft fruits, it is possible to puree them and put them directly into the dehydrator. Fruit that turns dark when sliced, though, is usually heated to 190 degrees prior to drying.
When the pulp was ready, I ladled it onto the dryer sheets and smoothed it out--trying to make it about 1/8 inch thick in the middle and 1/4 inch on the sides.
It took about 24 hours at 135 degrees for the pulp to dry down to a leathery sheet. I tested it by touching it in the middle to see if it was tacky, then I peeled it off the dryer sheets and turned it over to see how it felt on the bottom. When it felt dry, I cut the leather into squares with a kitchen shears--one batch must have been thicker than the other because I noticed it was spongy as I tried to cut it; that sheet went back into the dryer for a few more hours. To keep the pieces from sticking to each other in storage, I placed the squares into a large plastic bag filled with a small amount of powdered sugar and shook them until they were covered. My children complain that his makes them messy (although this never stops them from eating it); I don't know how much the pieces would stick together if allowed to sit in a container for a long time without the coating. I've never tried that.
A couple of pieces on the tray above have obviously tangled with some of the powdered sugar.
I filled a couple of half-gallon plastic freezer containers with the leather, but I've read that many people use canning jars with lids and rings to store them so that they are certain to keep the moisture out. My leather never sticks around long enough for me to worry about that!
The fruit leather is tough and hard to chew, but I've had to hide some of it so that it does not completely disappear in just a few days! When I apologize for its being too tough, everyone responds, "It tastes great!"
If you stop by to visit, I'll offer you a piece, but you will have to do it soon!
Wordless Wednesday
Photo by Bethany, my daughter
A View of the Valley
CCnoot requested I retake this photo in the fall when the trees had changed colors. This year the heavy frost came late, so the trees have been slow to change, and the colors have not been as brilliant. For example, there are several patches of a dull brown from the Oak trees, which, had it been another year, would have been deep red. Many of the trees are still green. I don't know if they will change into a brilliant color or not as winter comes on. I'll check if I get this way again. Note the colors of the fields, turning brown and ready to be harvested.
We have lit our wood stove once. I do let the furnace click in once a day to warm the early morning hours, but soon the wood stove will be going all day and night. The temperatures are getting cooler--and soon we will have photos once again of shades of white!
Babies Are Precious
My daughter's cow, Kiss Me, who died a few years ago, has produced a large family: Love Me, Show Me, Call Me, Drive Me, Hug Me, Kiss Me Too and a few more cows and a bull.
This week Kiss Me Too gave birth to a new baby, which surprised us because she was still nursing her last calf. When she was young, we bred her several times, but she did not get pregnant. One year she aborted her calf.
We were delighted last year when she finally gave birth to a heifer. We were not looking for her to breed back so fast--obviously she was bred by the bull in the pasture. So here is our new one!
This Morning
A reason to rise early.
The Terrible Menace
The door is closed and he is worried at what he sees.
Oh, dear. The door is now open, but does he want to come in?
Another one decided the safest place for him to be was on my lap.
This one is having difficulty eating because he is so worried.
And what is this menace that terrifies my kitties?
Just the big, fluffy boy. He looks innocent, doesn't he?
Not so. When he gets done eating, he'll be ready to HUNT!
The Guest House
While in Minneapolis last week, we stayed at the World Mission Prayer League's guest house. It was warm and inviting.
At one time, the Prayer League considered tearing this building down because of its disrepair, but due to city ordinance, they were not allowed to. It cost a lot to remodel, but it is beautiful as only an older home would be.
On every landing, there are some chairs and a bookcase that invite you to sit and relax. Each room is given the name of one of the countries where WMPL is involved--appropriately, the top floor has the Nepal room.
We stayed in the Pakistan room.
I loved the cobras on the bottom shelf.
And this caught my eye as well.
Even though the house is beautiful, it is the people there that make it what it is. Warm, cheerful, kind, generous. This is a wonderful place to stay!
