Monday 5 September 2022

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

1 comment:

Sunshine Country said...

I love the red and blue flowers in the big pot! That is something I should do sometime. I enjoy having pots of Geraniums on our porch, but have not experimented with many other flowers.
Isn't it neat how things like the Marigolds can have such a distinct smell? It was as if I could smell them as you described it! I love having marigolds around, but I have never tried using them for tea. That sounds interesting to try. I would love to hear what you think of it once you try it!