The Cupboard

The smells in the house have been (temporarily) shifting from apples and cinnamon to beeswax and lavender. I don't know which I prefer, although totally different types of smells, they are both have such rich, comforting aromas. The new slab of beeswax was picked up at the market so we could get started on stocking the first aid cupboard. Each year we try our hand at making more of our own remedies to have on the shelves. We started with different dried herbs for teas, soaks and poultices, making our way to creams, salves, tinctures and oils. It gives us great satisfaction to grow or gather the ingredients, have them steep or dry over time and then mix them up into their final product. It is a slow and steady process, requiring patience. A process that builds our anticipation.
Shai has very sensitive skin, calendula cream is the most effective way we have found to sooth it. We can easily spend $10 a week on giving him comfort. After planting calendula flowers a few years ago and learning how easy it is to make a salve it made sense for us to make our own. This is the simplest recipe, one we have made successfully for the last few years.

I also steeped some plantain, red clover, mint and lavender. We combined infused plantain oil, beeswax and tea tree oil for skin irritations, rashes, cuts. For achy muscles, colds, congestion we mixed together olive oil, beeswax, comfrey, mint, eucalyptus, and pine. The red clover is for pms (not that I get that!), grape seed oil infused with the red clover can be used on the temples. We also did a jar we called "smells good herbal rub", its a little bit of this and that; lavender, mint, calendula, rosemary, beeswax and a few other things for good measure. We collected rose hips for a syrup chalked full of vitamin C, perfect for warding off colds. It tastes good to boot and I remember making as a child with my mum.

Combined with vitamins, herbal remedies, homeopathics, hot water bottles, some newly made cloth 'band aids' (for my sensitive skin guy), our cupboard if fuller and we feel healthier just knowing it's there!

It is all in the planning

I love our wood stove. The cozy feel, the warmth, the smell, it's all good. Our 9 cords of wood arrived the other day, and so the job of stacking it begins. We have family coming for thanksgiving; an extra 10 hands. I didn't mention the wood in the invite to celebrate thanksgiving up here, being family and all. It's all part of having the holiday in the country.... right?

Autumn Signs

I was part of the Seasons Round Exchange Harvest- such a wonderful way to mark the changing seasons. A nature table is something we have off and on through out the year. The table always gets set up....but keeping it on the table or even close by is a challenge. The kids love taking it down and create a nature play area in different nooks around the house. Leaving a bare table!

The idea of the exchange was to share 3-5 things, at least one of which you made with your partner. These were things for the other families nature table. In the package I sent our swap family a Harvest Lady, felted, with an apple tree on her dress, holding a basket of apples and a large felted apple. A copy of Autumn by Emily Dickinson, a beeswax candle in a walnut shell, a package of cards each with a different wildflower, a garland of embroidered felt leaves. It was a joy to put them together to share.

Our exchange family is from Washington and they gifted us with some beautiful treasures. A bendy doll, named Pepo, who was a special guest from their garden, some felted acorns in fall colours, and a very beautiful felt pumpkin whose lid comes off. There were calendula seeds from their garden to ours, a collection of fall leaves and hand drawn pumpkins from their boys. Our table looks beautiful! Thank you.

The leaves are changing outside, the nature table is decorated, our fall banner is up and the crock pot is on. Yup, its fall.

Red Pepper Jelly

For Penelope and Jen

We have been loving the Red Pepper Jelly we made. I must confess we have tried a few different recipes over the years but the jelly consistency has never been quite right. I was so excited to have this red pepper jelly and the crab apple jelly we made turn out with such a wonderful jelly texture that I called my mum in celebration at 11pm just to share my joy! It's the little things - right?

Most recipes aren't like this one. Many recipes suggest you press the juice out of the peppers or use a cheese cloth bag for easy removal of the pepper pieces. This recipe has you leave them in. I loved how easy that made it and the bits have such a soft consistency after being cooked that really you don't notice. Red peppers are on sale this week for .49 cents a pound, so I might be making some more!

So here it is

3 1/2 cups finely chopped red pepper (careful to keep the seeds out) you can hand chop or use a processor

5 cups of sugar

1 1/2 cupsapple cider vinegar (you can use white vinegar, but I think this brings out the flavour even more)

4 ounces of liquid pectin (for the type I bought it meant 1 and a half pouches) and NOT the powdered kind

Mix the peppers, vinegar, sugar and heat until it is a rolling boil. Stir at a boil for 6 mins. Stir in the liquid pectin, boil for 4 more minutes. Skim foam off. Ladle the jelly into jars leaving 1/2 inch head space at the top of the jars. Put the sealed jars in the canner for 5 mins.

It is great served over cream cheese for crackers or dipping, as a topper to warm brie, as a side for leftover turkey. Enjoy!

similar to one we have used in the past for crushing the juice out of the peppers.

Apple Picking

We enjoyed a gorgeous sunny afternoon with Grammy apple picking. The farm, one my sister and I both worked at during many of our high school years, has become very commercial and pricey. Despite that, we had a great afternoon gathering 30 lbs of yummy eating and baking apples, riding the wagon and checking out the animals they have on site. Tucked in our bag for a treat at home is a kit for caramel apples - thanks Grammy!