Homemaking Mondays: Dehydrating and Winter Prep

 

Hello! 
How is your week going? 

It's been a mix of cloud and rain here

with glorious sunshine and then bouts of frost.

A couple nights ago we got a beautiful show 

of northern lights and it was lovely

to stand out in the cold 

with a blanket wrapped around the shoulders 

 bare feet in the sand

watching the lights dance and swirl and change colours. 

A beauty of having darkness at night again.

As fall is full upon us I'm working to get 

food squirrelled away here and there.

We've been lent a couple dehydrators with 9 shelves.

I've been doing bits of this and that. 

Herbs from the garden, rose hips, flower petals.

Then I did a big batch of onions and carrots.

It was recommended to grate the carrots first 

and they dried very nicely and will be perfect for soups.

I haven't gotten to making fruit leather... but it's on my list.

I have done banana chips and apple slices to....

but they are all gone already.

I finished the cowl I was making as a set to match my new hat.

I just did a half double crochet in the front loop

instead of following the other pattern. 

It's nice and thick and warm.

With the bits of rain and freezing temps at night

I'm thinking it won't be long till there is snow on the mountains.

I was coming inside a couple days ago and thought how nice 

the flowers have been at the top of the stairs.

The snapdragons and lobelia have done so well

the stocks not so well.

It's nicely sheltered up against the house and have faired better 

on our cold nights then the flowers out in the garden.

After freshening up the storm entry with some paint 

this summer I thought it needed 

some new hooks as well. 

They were just cheep ones from the dollar store

but they'll hold the ice pick 

and the dustpan nicely behind the outside door.

I went ahead and picked all the rest of the bigger green 

tomatoes and a nice bunch of the cherry ones.

They're inside and starting to ripen 

with light from the window.

There wasn't a lot of big green ones left. 

A successful year for ripening tomatoes! 

I've been able to stash some away in the freezer 

for soups this winter.

All the yellow and orange cherry tomatoes we've had

have been enjoyed fresh.

I saw on a post someone made that marigolds were eatable.

I'm sure I've heard it before 

but it just struck me this time and I thought

I had to do something about that before the frost took them all.

I went out and picked a bunch of them 

and dehydrated the petals. 

They are supposed to be great in tea

so knowing me that is what perked my interest. 

They have lots of benefits I guess...and I'll be learning 

about them as time goes by.

They do have a very distinct smell

one that makes me smile as my mother always had them growing

all along the house to keep the ants out.

One of the only flowers we had growing up.

Outside the squirrels are storing up for the winter to.

They are tossing down spruce cones from the trees

and if you're not careful you'll get brained! 

It is incredible the aim they have when they want to hit a target!

The mushrooms are layered in amongst branches drying

and they have been visiting the feeder for sunflower seeds often.

Not just the squirrel that is closest to the feeder either...

they all are at separate times of the day. 

They are very entertaining from the kitchen window. 

My daughter and I picked our first cranberries this week.

We were down by the lake and saw a couple of otters swim by.

They seemed very interested in us as we were in them.

I need to make more room in the freezer for cranberries so

I'll need to be canning up some more things.

Rhubarb syrup is on my list of things to do first.

I hope you are having a beautiful day! 
Thanks for dropping by! 

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer