a thoughtful night

Kiddos

Listening to Daddy & pulled herself up to her feet for the first time.

Life is good.

Winter Color

gray monday afternoon sipping hot tea

"Henny Penny and Six Chicks" (still making those chicks) pattern used from Handmade Beginnings:  24 Sewing Projects to Welcome Baby book.  This will be Indigo's Solstice gift.  Though instead of having the chicks velcro under the mother hen's wings, as instructed in the book, I'm going to tack down the bottom part of each wing to create a pocket so that the chicks can fit in. 

Playing around with courthouse steps mini quilt pattern. 

Stirfry tonight.  Some goodies to throw in from our winter garden. {Don't know why blogger flipped this pic sideways.} Napoli carrots, basil, the first of the snow peas, & baby kale.  A note here:  it's mid-December & we've yet to have a killing frost - I've got basil, cannas, and bell peppers still hanging on.

Pecan Butter

 There are several mature pecan trees on the place and this year two of them produced.  We picked up 60+ pounds of nuts.  After sharing some we ended up getting 45 pounds cracked.  I've been shelling pecans for days.  Thought we'd give pecan nut butter a try.  Turns out it's super easy.  Simply pecans and a tiny bit of salt.

3 cups of pecans ready to toast

350 degree oven for about 10 minutes - get them just a little toasty

add a tiny bit of salt and blend, for a while...

very good.  and with the price of peanut butter skyrocketing -we're switching.



Eat More Kale

{organic} {pond garden} {supper}

what's the haps

Enjoying the 'pear honey' jam Mrs. Devane sent home with us on homemade pecan waffles.  A note to myself when I'm trying to duplicate this next year:  small bits of pear & even smaller bits of orange peel - maybe put it in the chopper for a minute.

After Indigo had a gagging fit in the front yard (having eaten an oak leaf I found the next day...), Levi drew us a 'very serious' picture of instructions.  Above is a detailed interpretation of her digestive tract - he speculated on the whereabouts of the unknown offender.  And gave us explicit directions that she should only be eating bananas and carrots (happy baby above left with bowl of appropriate food).  

Satsumas.  Even sweeter now after a frost.

Smoking a wild hog ham - BBQ in the making.

So many varieties of camillas now in bloom.  Enjoying their beauty & diversity.

Yet another batch of lettuce starts.

Levi has several strings of lights he is randomly moving around the house.  This morning they're running across the livingroom floor.

Making Satsuma Marmalade

We've two satsuma trees here on the place - both loaded with fruit.  Until I encountered these trees some years ago while visiting Cairo with Joe, I had no idea that citrus trees ripen in the winter.  For that matter I'd never even heard of a satsuma = a tangerine of a hardy loose-skinned variety, originally grown in Japan. 

We are feasting on them daily - especially Levi, who frequents the 'sweeter' tree.  I'm making my first batches of marmalade - basically jelly made with citrus juice.  I'm trying a method that does not involve the use of SureJell (powdered pectin).  This 'old-fashion' method relies on concentrating the naturally occurring pectin content of the fruit, and testing for a 'set' as you cook the jam/jelly.     

I now understand the widespread use of powdered pectin.  My first batch set a little hard and the second batch too soft.  My crew isn't particular about such nuances - they'll take their marmalade anyway it comes.