A Recent Road Trip - Part 3, Stanley Gardens

These were all taken at Stanley Gardens in Vancouver. I don't think any of these need an explanation, so I'll just add the photos and you can enjoy the beautiful gardens.

Sunflower Fields

My husband was driving down to the Rio Grande Valley on business last week and noticed these beautiful sunflower fields. They were along both sides of the highway and he decided to stop and take a few pictures. I thought I'd share them with you.

Apple Butter

"Apple Butter"

It takes a woman's hands to lock
Such sweetness in an old brown crock.
Cooled in a springhouse made of rock
- Apple butter.

It tastes of clover blossoms fanned
By winds that fell upon the land;
Of pinks and phlox, you understand?
- Apple butter.

The apple tree threw out its shade.
Its roots grew deeply in the glade.
From crimson harvest we had made
- Apple butter.

And when I eat it now I see
The mellow arms of that old tree
That generously gave to me
- Apple butter.

Once more across the table's space
I smile into a lovely face
And share with her, in my old place,
- Apple butter.

I guess I'm like the tree that bore
These apples, finding more and more
My roots grown deep in time's rich store.
Pass me, and open childhood's door,
the Apple Butter.

~ Anne Campbell

I love to make apple butter in the fall. I started this tradition when we lived in the mountains in Arizona, and we had two apple trees in the back yard. They only produced a large crop of apples every other year, but that was plenty to make a huge batch of apple butter. We always had enough jars for our own use, and I often added them to Christmas gifts. One of our favorite ways to use it is as a filling for crepes. Just sprinkle them with a little powdered sugar, and they're really delicious!

When we were preparing to sell our home I realized I had several containers of peeled, sliced and blanched apples in the freezer that I was going to use for apple butter, but forgot about. I started working on a small batch each day, and everyone that came in to look at the house always commented on the wonderful aroma :) I managed to use up all the apples in the freezer, and we just packaged up the processed jars along with everything else in the kitchen that was moved.

One of my favorite things about the entire process (which I think I mentioned when I wrote about the jar of peach butter I made last month) is letting the jars cool after their hot water bath, and hearing the little pops of the lids as they set :)

When I first started making this I used a stove method, but I found that I preferred the oven method. There's less chance of the butter sticking, so you don't need to keep watch on it and stir it quite as much.

APPLE BUTTER

To prepare pulp:
24 medium apples (about 6 pounds)
2 cups apple cider

~ Wash apples. Remove stems and blossom ends, but do not peel or core. Cut into small pieces and cook apples in cider until soft. Press through a sieve or food mill. Measure 3 quarts apple pulp.

(A few notes: If you don't have a food mill and prefer not to deal with that, you can peel and core the apples first before cooking in the cider. When soft, run them through the blender or food processor until you have your pulp. Be sure your equipment is thoroughly cleaned and sanitized before using!

I'll often do this entire process in one day, and then put the puree in the refrigerator until morning, or place it in the freezer for a later time.)



To prepare butter:
3 quarts apple pulp
3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cloves

~ In a large saucepan combine apple pulp, sugar and spices. Cook over a low heat until thick enough to round up on a spoon. Make sure to stir frequently to prevent sticking.

Oven option ~
Combine apple pulp, sugar and spices and pour in a large glass baking dish. Cook in a slow oven at 325 degrees for 3 to 4 hours, until it is thick enough to round up on a spoon. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

To Process:
Ladle hot butter into sterilized hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps, and process 10 minutes using the boiling-water canning method.

(Image: Maureen McCarthy)

The Blessing of Herbs

No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace,
As I have seen in one autumnal face.
~ John Donne

I had a huge herb garden years ago when we lived in New Jersey. I loved harvesting the plants and would hang the cuttings from the wooden chandelier in the dining room. It was a perfect place because I always had the windows open in that room in the autumn, as well as the top of the Dutch-style front door in the living room entry. There was a constant breeze between those two rooms, and as the herbs dried the entire house took on the wonderful aromas.

I've never had as much success with gardening as I did then, but I still like to make herbal gifts. Here are some ideas from one of my notebooks. Many of them would make lovely Christmas gifts!

~ Fill antique bottles with white vinegar and insert a sprig of your favorite herb into each one. Place them in a row on a windowsill for a country decoration until they're ready to use.

~ Line baskets with a homespun cloth and fill with your favorite mixture of potpourri... and place them throughout your house.

~ Make up lots of herb sachets and place them in your dresser drawers.

~ Layer different herbs and dried flowers in old canning jars and display them on windowsills, tables, or the fireplace mantel.

~ Place a spoonful of crushed herbs into a piece of Christmas homespun or calico, and tie with a red ribbon... use them as package decorations, or tie to the tree as ornaments.

Presents, Stitching and Flowers

When I opened the mailbox today I was greeted by a package from my good friend Heidi in The Netherlands :) She told me she was sending a belated birthday gift and I knew she had made something, so naturally I couldn't wait to see what was inside.

First, I love the way she wrapped the gifts, using fat quarters of beautiful autumn fabric and tied with raffia...



(That autumn paper with the leaves was sitting on the table since I had just been writing a letter to my friend Denise in New Jersey.)

I opened the small package first since it felt "squishy" (don't you love that technical term?? hehe). What I found inside is the cutest little pincushion you could imagine. Here's a picture from the front...



And here's a picture from the side...


The bottom of the pincushion has a "Handmade By Heidi" label which you'll see in a later photo.

The other package held a book which I can't wait to start reading! It's called, What I Learned From God While Quilting.

Here's a picture of the book, fabric, bottom of the pin cushion, and the pretty notecard. Don't they make the nicest gifts!!??!! I have several pretty notecards and postcards I've received from Heidi, and I think I'm going to put them in a collage frame and hang them in the guest room (which is also my crafts room). They're always too pretty to be hidden somewhere.



I recently finished stitching the Prairie Schooler design "Thanksgiving Comes Again". I really had fun with it (although the bottom portion seemed to take forever... I think I had too many interruptions). I've pulled out my fabric and this week (really!!) I'm going to make the banners I've been talking about for months now. I can't wait to see this finished piece, along with "Pumpkin Patch" and "Autumn Leaves" hanging in the living room.




And finally, here are some sweet little red flowers that popped up in several places in our yard. They do this each fall, and are always such a pleasant surprise. This photo was taken of the flowers that popped up in the front flower bed, amongst the hedges. (Just ignore the branches and "nut shells" that the birds and squirrels have been sending down from the Live Oak trees, lol.)

On August...

"There is no month in the whole year in which nature wears a more beautiful appearance than in the month of August. Spring has many beauties, and May is a fresh and blooming month, but the charms of this time of year are enhanced by their contrast with the winter season. August has no such advantage. It comes when we remember nothing but clear skies, green fields, and sweet-smelling flowers--when the recollection of snow, and ice, and bleak winds, has faded from our minds as completely as they have disappeared from the earth--and yet what a pleasant time it is! Orchards and cornfields ring with the hum of labour; trees bend beneath the thick clusters of rich fruit which bow their branches to the ground; and the corn, piled in graceful sheaves, or waving in every light breath that sweeps above it, as if it wooed the sickle, tinges the landscape with a golden hue."


~ Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers

Photos were taken at The Cloisters, New York City, August 2nd, 2007

Home from Vacation

I've been away from my blog for awhile since we've been on vacation back east... visiting our previous homes, some friends and family, and favorite places. The planning of this trip was quick, since we had hoped to do it in the fall. But, some plans changed, and we made a fast decision to vacation the end of July. I wish we could have had more time to see all our family and friends, but things just didn't work out. Hopefully, we can do that on our next trip!

I packed my "to do" bag with a few different books, several cross stitch projects, and two boxes of stationery. I managed to get some letters written, a chapter or two of one book read, and a teensy bit stitched on my Pumpkin Patch WIP. It always seems that I'll have plenty of time to do everything, but by the time evening arrives in the hotel rooms, I'm tired from our busy days :)

I had over 400 pictures to download so I'm doing it gradually, to make sure I get all of them labeled properly with their descriptions. But, for now I thought I'd say hello to you all again, and share a few pictures.


Above are some of the beautiful hydrangeas at our beach hotel in Rhode Island. The colors on the bushes were in shades of deep purples, pinks and blues, to the palest shades of rose, pink, ivory, lavender and light blue. I wish I could have brought them all home with me!

Below are a few photos from Mystic Seaport. I really liked this weather vane and I apologize for it being a tad bit crooked. It certainly seemed straight when I was taking the picture :) The second picture is of one of the large ships, taken through the rigging aboard the Charles Morgan. The third picture is of one of the homes and its gardens.



Here are a few pictures from the beach by our hotel. The first one is taken from some large boulders on the beach, and you can see some of the homes along the coast. I couldn't resist the picture of the seagull as he stood looking out at the waves :)

The third picture is taken from a tree at the park area, just above the beach. The fourth was taken a short time later ~ through that same tree at sunset. The colors were really beautiful.




And finally, here are a few pictures from The House of Seven Gables in Salem, Massachusetts. The gardens are just beautiful this time of year, and I love the way they look against the dark color of the house. I love Nathaniel Hawthorne, so this is always one of my favorite places to visit when we can. The second picture is taken from the garden looking out towards the water.

Flowers and Stitching

I've spent a good portion of the day getting ready for our two-week vacation which begins tomorrow. But, I've also spent some time this evening stitching, and wanted to share the progress I've made on Pumpkin Patch by Prairie Schooler. I'm really loving this design and it's going so quickly. The photo isn't the best since I took it this evening when the light wasn't very good, and it's also a little "bumpy" looking since it's sitting on the bed on a blanket. But, I think you can still see fairly well.

I also thought I'd share a picture of the only rose that's appeared on our lavender rose bush. My husband didn't think it would get any roses this year (the bush hasn't been looking too good), but I was really pleased when I noticed a beautiful lavender flower from the window the other day.




We've had many, many days of rain this summer and the grass is very full and green, and the two large pots of impatiens along the stepping stones are nice and full.



I don't know if I'll get to update my blog while we're on vacation, but I might stop in. We'll have a laptop with us, so I know I'll at least be checking emails and reading my favorite blogs :)