In Living Color

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Canning Apple Butter 11-15-11

Pot of "Secret Recipe" Apple butter!

My daughter designed my apple butter label for me.

Today I spent four hours in the kitchen canning my apple butter. I also video taped it and will post that when I finish with it. I thought it might help someone who is just starting out canning. Everyone does it their own way....I just share a few tips that I have learned over the past 34 years!! I made a boat load of apple butter this year. I make it for my family and friends every year....I ran short last year so this year I made extra. When I made applesauce off and on during the last month or so I just put it in gallon freezer bags and stuck it in the freezer. I had four full bags in the freezer and Christmas is coming fast...so today was the day!!! Actually, this year I am giving it for Thanksgiving instead of Christmas. I promised my nephew that I would keep a supply coming his way. He loves the stuff!! He once tried to get his friend to try it. After his friend declined a couple of times, my nephew held the jar up and pointed it into his face and said, "It's Blue Ribbon." Like that would get him to change his mind. It did not work. Just more for him! I will end this with saying to my nephew, "The box is on it's way." Love you, Aunt Nantny

Monday, November 14, 2011

Pumpkin Farm 10-11

Love this old bike!

Pumpkin and also Christmas tree farm

What a beautiful place. Acres of pumpkins...apple cider, hay rides, and spending the day with my family. Fun!!! This year I went three times. Once with my youngest granddaughter, once by myself just to enjoy the scenery and take photo's and one more time with the whole family! All of my granddaughter's and their parents. We enjoyed the animals. Feeding the goat, chickens and the ducks is their favorite thing to do. Running through the corn maze is fun as well... that is, when you don't get lost. Picking a few apples and eating one is tradition. We topped the day off by heading to a really good pizza place.

Traveling By Train

Bruschetta

I had a garden plot this year! It was 20' x 5' I enjoyed it tremendously. I love the outdoors. I love gardening. My garden was full of tomatoes, cucumbers, chives, herbs, zucchini, radishes, orange, yellow and purple carrots, jalapeno peppers, sweet peas, lettuce and flowers for my granddaughter's. In fact, on Easter Sunday my granddaughter's helped plant the carrot seeds and their very own flowers. I made dill pickles from my cucumbers and bruschetta and salsa from my tomato plants. I shared the carrots and other veggies with my neighbors and my family. Stir-fry was a weekly dish for me!! My friend from Oregon was visiting, so we enjoyed a big wok of veggies together. There is nothing more satisfying than growing your own veggies and cooking dinner with them.

Blogging

I am just learning all about blogging. I have a blog on another blogging site.....but I wanted to do one that was just my own. I want this blog to express my "Beautiful Life" through sharing my own photo's and stories as they unfold. I will also include a recipe or two that I have created myself. I have a lot to catch up on first.....then I will blog as life happens. So for the next few days I will be posting things of the past and filling in as my life happens until I am current.