Crab Apple ( or Apple) Jelly Recipe

This is apple time and one of our traditions is to go picking and make crab apple jelly each year. My ds Luke and I are allergic to pectin so this is a perfect jelly for us. It is so scrumptious and I have to say it is beautiful too. I love how it seems to glow and glimmer in the sunshine. [o= If you don't have a source of crab apples then you can use this same recipe and make Granny Smith Apple Jelly but it won't be the same red colour. So here is the recipe!

CRAB APPLE ( or Apple) JELLY RECIPE

Fill a large pot with ripe cut in half crab apples or cut in quarters Granny Smith apples that had stems and ends removed. (peels and cores need to be included for jelly to work)
Cover with water so it just covers apples & bring to boil on medium high heat.
Simmer for 50 minutes until mushy-soft.

Place cooked crabapples & liquid in strainer (lined with cheesecloth)
over large bowl until juice is strained. Later I gather the cheese cloth and tie a string around to close then lift and hang it above a bowl or pot to get every last drop of juice. ( I will show a picture later today or tomorrow to demonstrate this)
Measure juice = __ c. (Make note of this quantity for later.)

Sterilize canning jars , 10 minutes in boiling water.

Combine prepared juice in large pot. Add equal amounts of sugar to juice. Stir on med-high heat until it comes to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 40 minutes, stirring once or twice, testing for jelly stage near the end. Skim off foam if necessary.

Pour into hot sterilized jars to within 1/4 inch of top. Wipe rims clean for a tight seal. Put on lids and screw tops "finger tight". Allow to sit overnight on a tea towel on counter to seal.

Joining my sweet friend Lori in...

Loading Them Up

Today is a hard day for this mama. My 1ds Philip and his bride Essie are packing up and moving to the coast. I know it isn't that far away but it is another heart string this mama has to let be cut. Philip will be going to chef school in the spring and so they want to go and establish themselves with jobs and such before April comes and school starts. I pray many blessings on them and I know that Essie will love being close to family , their church family there and the fun of city life. It will be strange knowing we can't just drop in and visit but we pray many blessings on them in this new chapter in their marriage. ( October 23 will be their one year anniversary! [o= ) I am so thankful for these two and will miss them more than they know.

Boot Camp and Continuing my Journey to Better Health.

I am now ready to say that I have started T-tapp boot camp yesterday and I'm loving it! Are you asking what in the world is T-tapp boot camp ? Go HERE and find out. [o= I cannot not rave about this enough. I have suffered from back problems my whole life and I feel if I keep this up I won't have to go back to a chiropractor. After just learning how to do the exercises I can see changes in my shape already. Teresa recommends doing the Instructional workout #1 for seven days before start your boot camp. I am hoping to loose at least 3-4 clothing sizes so my boot camp ( doing the 15 Minute Basic Plus Workout) is going to be 14 days and then every other day for 6 to 8 weeks. And if I had not met my goal yet then I am to do the basic plus workout one day on and two days off till I meet my goal. After that to maintain what we have accomplished then we only have to do the work out 2 ( to 3 times ) each week. ( depending on what I eat [o=) I have seen some amazing testimonies and I am really excited about this. You got to understand that I was a trained certified Fitness Specialist in my early 20's and I don't just jump into any program or diet. I REALLY weigh it out and research it. I will be updating how it is going on Monday's. That is my measuring day. We are suppose to go by our measurements and not our weight. Muscle weighs more so the scale isn't a good tool. Plus I am soooooooo thankful we don't have to count calories and we just need to eat healthy. Her diet suggestions are very similar to the Maker's Diet and I love how I am already eating that way. [o= Please go look at t-tapp.com if you are wondering what this is all about.

What is T-Tapp?

T-tapp Hoe Downs

Hoe downs increase your memory and it balances your blood sugar. ( diabetics MUST go see this exercise! ) You can do Hoe downs twice a day. Most people find their sugar level drops an average of 50 to 65 points within ten minutes of doing Hoe Downs, amazing.

One of my favorite testimonies are...

Charlotte's Story

(watch the whole testimony and she looks like a totally different woman!)

I will keep you posted on how I'm doing each week. I feel the Lord is now taking me on another level of my Journey of Better Health. The first time I cried out on my knees he showed me I had adrenal gland fatigue and let me heal for a year. Then I cried out again on my knees and the Lord showed me the Maker's Diet and I lost eleven pounds. And recently I cried out again for I was stuck and not loosing what I needed. That is when he showed me T-tapp through two blog friends Jane and Tracy. Their testimonies really impacted me to try it. It is nice to know someone who has tried it and what they experienced. With in the first couple of days I couldn't believe how my back felt. For just the relief it gave me with my back is so worth it but I can't wait to loose the inches now. I will keep you posted. [o=

::right now::

::making goals and a to do list, adding and crossing off constantly.

:: seeing piles of books, papers, laundry, and stuff that need to be dealt with.

:: remembering that the time with the boys and my man are most important.

:: planning bite size and realistic goals for each day.

:: taking time to read aloud to my boys and spend sweet time with my hubby each evening. ( I still need to plan that evening at the hot springs with him.)

:: looking forward to slow evenings of knitting and sipping tea. But for the next few weeks I will sip some tea as I do some beading of knitting and crochet stitch markers for the upcoming craft fair instead. ( I really do enjoy beading as much as knitting [o= )

With all this business of bringing in the harvest and preparing for the craft fairs will be done soon. I am thankful for this busy time b/c the Lord has blessed us with a harvest and it will be a blessing this coming winter. I remind myself it is short lived. Before I know it it will be November 20th and I will get to slow down and hibernate and teach my boys and knit tons this winter. I just want to say I am human and I do feel tired but I feel blessed with what the Lord has given. I just take one day at a time. I loved the quote that my friend Lisa gave today. It is a must to go read. I laughed and then cried because I could relate to is SO well.

My New Kitchen Helper

It is that time of year again and we are starting the apple harvest. The first apples to be harvested on our homestead is the Transparent apple. It is a family tradition of picking the these apples and making apple sauce ( go here if you want to know how to ) out of them.

But this year I have a new helper. Ohhh what a good helper this little guy is. I have been making apple sauce for many a year and this has to be the easiest year yet because of my Kitchen Aide saucer attachment. Every year after my craft sales we invest in something to make homemaking easier or something for my crafts. Last year we invested in the saucing attachment and it was worth every penny. I have struggled with tendinitis for years and cranking apple sauce through a food mill has been hard for me. But with this I can sauce tons and it won't hurt my wrist a bit. Thank you Lord.

Whats next on the agenda? Crab apple jelly.

I LOVE blog gadgets [o=

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com
I have to share a new blog gadget I found. It is such a fun one! I have posted it at the bottom of my blog but I had to draw attention to it because it is so neat. Maybe have a bit of fun today and create your own family silhouette by going HERE.

Going to the Fall Harvest Fair

"Fall Harvest Festival"

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

It was a busy, fun week-end getting ready and sharing a table with my friend at the harvest fair. I am sooooooo thankful that my sweetie helps me in the making of the rhubarb and rhubarb raspberry juice. I don't think I would have got it done at a reasonable hour if it wasn't for him. I have forgotten to share that it was my hubby who taught me to can food years ago. His mother cans so much and when he grew up he and his brother were expected to help so they would have food to eat for the winter. Hmmmm I think I may do so changing around here and get the boys in the kitchen with me on this. [o=

At the fair was Irish dancing, people playing instruments and lots of singing. While you watch the slide show hit captions and it tells a little bit more. I did pretty good this fair. I sold out of the juice and fudge and the candle sale a bit slow this time. But the good thing is I can take the left over candles to the next fair. Now I only have to make some tapers , twisted tapers, tea lights, and some votives for November. Plus I will be making more juice and fudge too. I am planning to add to the November fair some beaded work like....beaded bookmarks, knitters and crocheters beaded stitch markers and some beaded earrings. I think that will keep me busy enough to stay out of trouble. If all goes well at the end of the two fairs I will have enough money saved up to buy my new camera, Lord willing.

I hope you enjoyed my little slide show. And I might suggest to play this song video while you watch. Enjoy!

Recipes for Garlic Syrup and its Benefits

I am DIY kind of gal and had to start doing some research for a recipe to make my own garlic syrup...among-st all the other things going on. I tend to do this when I get overwhelmed and have to flake out for a few minutes,lol. [o= And here is what I found!

Benefits of Garlic Syrup

• This remedy is an immune stimulant
• lowers blood pressure as well as cholesterol
• leads to fewer colds and infections
• helpful in conditions such as gout
• arthritis, and joint aches.
• It is also a good tonic for the digestive tract
• and benefits the skin
• and is helpful in weight loss.
• It is beneficial for a wide range of conditions as it is a general immune stimulant and enhancer.

Garlic Syrup Recipe #1

4 bulbs garlic (approximately 50 cloves)
1 quart apple cider vinegar

Directions:

• Peel and chop garlic. Place in a sterilized quart jar, cover with vinegar.
• Refrigerate.
• Shake jar daily.
• Take 1 tablespoon up to 3 times a day (adult). Sweeten as you like if needed.

Garlic Syrup Recipe #2

3 bulbs garlic (peeled)
2 cups water
1 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup honey

Directions:

• Add garlic and water to a non-aluminum saucepan and simmer until the water reduces to 1 cup (garlic should now be soft).
• Remove garlic and place in a sterile jar or airtight container.
• Add both the honey and the cider vinegar to the water in the saucepan and boil until syrupy. Pour over garlic, seal and refrigerate overnight.
• Refrigerate and take up to one teaspoon daily.

I will be trying these out next week and if you try it out let me know how it went. [o=

Craft Fair Update:

• The beeswax gourd candles are made and boxed
• fudge is made, cut and wrapped
• and now I am cleaning jars and prepping to make the rhubarb juice and raspberry rhubarb juice. ( and believe it or not having to blanch and freeze veggies and can apple sauce that are demanding to be harvest too, lol)

Joining my friend Lori in...