Onward

53°f/11.7°C, rain all morning, clearing, colder, and high winds all afternoon.

We are in for a change in weather,  I am afraid. But as close as we are to December, it's not surprising that we should get an arctic blast. Larry did not gonoyt hunting this morning; I guess he'd had enough of being wet after yesterday's pouring rain! No deer, sadly, so no venison to restock our dwindling supply. Maybe he will get one later in the season. 

He has been working on all the black walnuts and hickory nuts he and Derek gathered. So far, he has about a pint of black walnuts and half a pint of hickory nuts picked and cleaned so far. I am looking forward to baking with them this winter.

The ol' nutpicker at work.

We spent today puttering around. He raked leaves and put them in the chicken yard and in their coop, which made the hens ecstatic.  You could tell by the happy clucking! I made 2 pies: pecan and pumpkin. It was a frustrating venture, as I seemed to make make a right awful mess.  I dropped a whole open can of pumpkin in the floor, which you can imagine splattered everywhere! It was that kind of a cooking day. 

I had planned to do a few other things but decided that it would be wiser to just be happy with the pies. With just 4 of us---our friend Suzy, who is single, Larry, Derek, and me-- we really don't need to be making mountains of food. The plan was to keep it simple, anyway. 

I went outside for a while to plant more bulbs, but the wind cut right through my clothes so I only did about half of what I intended to do. I still have many to get in the ground, so I will keep plugging along a few at a time.

We had dinner last night with the hunters at Derek's,  and it was delicious. Steak, chicken, pasta salad, garlic bread, and Derek's newest favorite dish, that baked cabbage.  George's friend Allan,   on whose farm my guys hunt, joined us so the stories of when he and George were young just flew. 

Spotted on the street in Ripley: a young high school student paints festive scenes on the windows of a vacant business building. 

I'd spent the day out and about: I went to one booth, adding a lot of little things like bookmarks, tiny baskets, etc, in preparation for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. Then some shopping at Goodwill, where I found a nice, small wood and brass ship's wheel and yet another pressure canner. I don't really need the canner,  but it came with the gasket, which is almost $20 to replace,  so that was a good find. Next stop was the grocery store, again, getting a few last minute things for Thanksgiving.

The grocery store was a great opportunity for one of my favorite occupations: people-watching. Men with phones taking photos so the wife on the other end could verify he'd got the right thing. Young mother's with babies or older children in tow,trying to shop while corraling over-excited children, older people buying just a few things for a more simple Thanksgiving. But no one seemed anxious or grouchy, so it was a pleasant place to be. Still, it was very nice not to have to come home and cook.

That's about all the news from here, sparse as it is. 

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Back to Normal

47°f/8.3°C, raining.

Yesterday's morning skies:

It was a beautiful day, warm enough to wear just a light jacket. Today? Change is coming, as cold moves in tonight.

Larry is off hunting again. No luck yesterday although he did see a couple deer too far away for a shot. He also had a tire blow out on our road as he was headed out. He called our grandson Clayton, who came and picked him up---left the truck right there and went hunting! He and Clayton put the spare on in the dark. Not ones to give up their hunting time.

So I had a quiet day. I packed ebay and took it to the mailbox, planted some foxtail lilies and 50 crocus bulbs before leaving for my PT appointment.  This time, besides the usual exercises, he put my neck in traction. Now that is an odd feeling. It looked like a medieval torture device, I swear. Afterwards, I asked him if it made me an inch taller, getting my neck stretched like that. Sadly, no luck there. It did help, for about 12 hours, but no more therapy until next Monday, except these home exercises. At least I got a fairly decent night's sleep.

Not much else going on here. I am grateful for a little slowdown, I must admit. Tomorrow I will do a little advance cooking for Thanksgiving,  but won't do much as it will just be Derek, Larry, and me 

Oh, one other piece of news! Granddaughter Hannah is expecting again, in July. Granddaughter Kate is due in January, making numbers 7 and 8 great grandchildren.  I am so happy for them both.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Apple Butter Day 2025

25°f/-4°C, a few clouds but mostly clear skies. Frosty and hazy.

The breakfast crew: counterclockwise from the bottom: Larry, George, Derek, and Clayton (with the gorgeous curly blond hair!). Aaron and his daughter Michaela arrived around noon. He had just flown home from a job site in Montreal the night before.

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I was up at 7:30am yesterday, getting things ready and making eggs, sausage gravy and biscuits for breakfast. The guys arrived around 9 to eat, and were soon outside, getting the fire going, the kettle washed, and the wood split and stacked. Getting the fire going wasn't easy after all the rain we have had recently, but before too long a good fire was blazing and the kettle was on! I didn't get as many photos this year, since we were fewer hands than usual so I was kept very, very busy washing jars, cooking, making coffee, etc. We sure had a pretty day for it though.

It takes about 60 quarts of applesauce to fill our kettle, and between 5 and 6 hours to cook it down to the rich, dark, thick consistency we like. Many hands certainly make the work light, as all those 60 jars needed to be washed up and put away, and then 60 pints washed to be filled with apple butter.  We use a lot of half-pints too; those are the preferred size by almost everyone, because a lot of what we make gets given as gifts.

I made a big pot of vegetable-venison soup and cornbread while the guys got the kettle going. Soup is a good choice for this day, as people could come in and eat whenever they wanted. 

Our crew this year consisted of Larry, myself, sons George, Aaron, and Derek, grandson Clayton and granddaughter Michaela. 

Here is Aaron, taking a turn with the paddle.

Michaela seems to be putting a spell on the pot!

It was a much smaller group than last year, and we were all kept busy, especially when it came time to pull the fire and fill the jars. Here, the apple butter was about 30 minutes from being done. We judge by the color and thickness. A spoonful needs to pile up on a plate to be done. It usually takes 5-6 hours to reach that point, and cooked down to about half its original volume. 

While the others cleaned up the cooking area outside, I quickly made another batch of biscuits so we could taste the fruit of our labors immediately.  Oh so good!

The finished product:

We ended up with 62 pints. Over half left with our helpers, so there is still a lot to store in the cellar. We will give a lot away to friends and family, and my sons know they can always get more if they need it.

So, the tradition, an old Appalachian one actually, continues for another year.  I hope that when we can no longer so it, someone in the family will carry on, cooking down apple butter on a cool, crisp day in autumn. For a look at past years, click this link. I started this blog in 2007, and that year was the first time i posted about it. There have been many more!

Deer hunting season begins this morning. Larry is already out hunting with George and Clayton on a friend's large farm, although with the loss of so many deer to EHD, he will be lucky to even see one, antlers or antler-less. It has certainly been quiet on our ridge; I haven't heard a single shot this morning.