Preserving the Harvest: Red Peppers

You Still Have Time!!
Although it may not be much.Quick, at the market this week, pick up as many red peppers as you would like to eat this winter. We prefer to do this on the grill (webber charcoal) but our big one is no longer with us and we had too many peppers to get to to use the small one. So into a hot hot oven, 550 with ours. Cook them until they blacken and feel limp. Spread them out in a single layer and throw in the freezer. I typically freeze them on sil pats, I think freezer paper may work, but my second choice probably would have been plastic wrap.When they are frozen put them in Ziploc. To use run under water and the skin falls off and add to anything you want roasted red peppers in! I love love them on winter pizzas. Dough, olive oil, thinly slice garlic, herbs, red pepper and some cheese- so good.

Broiler Update: 1 Week

the birds are thriving.

Asher may be loving them a little too much, as their destiny may be hard to explain.

Every day we take a couple out to graze, he loves it.

They sure are pretty, and don't forget oh so tasty.

Asher and his peeps.

::Seasonal Colors::

I absoultely love love making garlands. I will put a string through anything I can. I am super excited to actually make my leaf and acorn garland this year but am not there yet, so instead a marigold garland was destined.

I don't think that marigolds get the true admiration that they deserve. Too often they fall into the, "oh, it's just a marigold" category. But really what's not to love? They add fun color to a garden, bloom all season long, are easy to plant, easy to save seeds from and are just overall awesome. I hope to never turn my nose up at them again. While they aren't an ideal cut flower, they are great if you just pop them off the plant.Really, how beautiful is a basket of flowers. I feel so rich in bounty with that basket, and you know what, all the blooms on my marigolds will return and I could probably fill another basket in a week. They are just that awesome.And how amazing is that shade of orange? I am a orange lover by nature. This color scheme is the perfect transition from summer to fall and I love it!

Our seasonal door decor. I love the magnetic door. I know it isn't rustic and beautiful like some wood ones. But I can hang garlands with magnetic hooks, how much easier can it get?

Was this the cheeriest post ever? Really I am exhausted, but very happy and get to enjoy some more fun this evening.

The Elder

I just finished rereading Harry P's last and was thinking of the Elder wand though really is has nothing to do with my beloved Elderberries. Our shrubs are hanging low weighed down by this fruit. Every year we have a ton, every year I claim out that I will do something with the haul, and every year I typically fail. But oh, not this year. This year I promise to harvest them, mix them with some apple sauce and make fruit leathers. Thankfully they are harvested and all the little berries are off their stems looking like some caviar (a lot of caviar), in a bowl-thanks mom!

Imitation

I know that kids learn from so many many sources surrounding them. They are such little sponges and every minute of their day is spent learning. It is amazing to witness first hand as a parent. Nothing, nothing comes close to the power of imitation. It is a scary thing really to think about: our kids learn so much from watching us. You really need to watch what you do. All the things we do in front of our kids truly do have the ability to become part of their character. Actions lead to habits which develop into character. I have to remind myself of this a lot more as I loose my cool (i am sooo cool) with Asher as he really tests my patience. For the most part I am very happy with his imitating (cursing in a two year old is cute right? j/k grandma).

Asher loves doing the things we love to do and it is so rewarding that way. i hope that deep down they will really lay a foundation for him discovering a person within him that we respect as his parents when we are all older. I know he will be who he chooses, you know I just want to be able to have respect to go with that everlasting love. I love how he really wants to help and hope it isn't just the first child need to please thing. Making hamburgers with his papa, and cutting up potatoes to fry up. Ben simply precut the taters and stuck them back together so that Asher could do his work safely. I did just get a second crinkle cutter so that he can cut softer things on his own, like cucumbers. And an apple cutter that I hope he can manuever.

I don't know enough about the montessori philosophy behind it, but I really think that children's involvement in the growing and making of their own food is soo important. I mean really when you think about it what better way to help them feel independant and sure of themselves. Food is such an important thing, we need it to survive. So for a kid to feel like they have no control over this really could lead to insecurities and more dependance. I like to keep some food options at his height and more importantly always keep water available to him, a small ball jar on a designated shelf in the kitchen. And then there is other work, Asher loves tools and luckily we have enough backups and rumage sale finds for him to have some of his own real tools. He helped build the fence, and loves to help with any hammering. Today he helped fix the sledge and maul- new handles needed so we can get on with the wood chopping already. Big or small, help is always needed, and I love that this little boy often says through out the day, "I want to help mama." I also hope to do a better job being worthy of imitation.

True Love

During most years, spring tries hard to win me over, with it's I'm so pretty newness attitude. It cries out fresh and beginning and it really is long anticipated after the gray of winter. By the time the equinox shows up I am very ready to give up my cozy wood stove- more ready to give up hauling in wood and sick of starting the fire in a cold house. I am ready to see green growth to get outside more frequently. It is wonderful and all, but Fall, oh Fall how I love you.

I appreciate all of the seasons and enjoy them, but nothing gives my whole body and mind the feelings that fall brings with it. It always starts with me as the kids go back to school (i want new notepads and pencils so much), the anticipation of the season. I always want to bring out my cozy clothes early, get the warmer bedding out and really isn't it time for the first woodstove fire of the season? Fall is all about change for me. Embracing my past year and deciding what is going to stick with me into the next. From the change of grades and teachers to jobs and locations, fall has brought me so many changes. I am entering this years season fully embracing my role as a mama, wife, business partner and myself.And what better way to celebrate the seasonal shift, than a walk in the woods. While they aren't an american showcase, Busey Woods has been there now for seven of my falls, (7, oh my!!). The acorns are here in record numbers, birds are migrating through and I couldn't believe my eyes when leaves were falling and they weren't green! It is almost as if the world knows that this year I needed to embrace changes a little early. And this year I get to see the fall through the eyes of my two(!) boys. Asher is at such a wonderful age for exploring and River loves being in the backpack viewing the world.A and his collection bags. He had great fun picking up acorns, rocks, walnuts and leaves. He spent the majority of the hike hauling ass along the trails, stopping only to pick up something cool and then place it in his bag. I love collecting fall things to bring in our home as symbols of the season. A little senior portrait moments to finish the day.

btw, the leaves up on the top photos are some of my favorites to find, leaf skeletons from the year past. I remember on spring in college looking out into my back yard and thinking that there was some netted trash back there. Upon further examination it was just covered in leaf skeletons. Absulutely amazing. I did loads of fun projects with my then boyfriend with these leaves and one is still framed in my grandma's kitchen. You don't get to see them every year, just under the right conditions, and with this rainy summer we are in luck!

They're Here!

While preparing for Ben's birthday, we were also preparing for the arrival of our broiler chicks. These are the ones we grow for the other chicken purpose- to stock our freezer for the year. We have 28 chicks (2 didn't make it) and this is all the chicken we will eat and share. Chickens are the one animal we are allowed to have in town and we always like to push the limits. I don't know that every hippie in urbana would be all that down with us raising and butchering chickens in our home, but hey we are set on growing as much of our own food as we can.The butchering of animals is definitely something we don't take lightly. But as omnivores, we both felt it necessary to be okay with all the actions needed to make a meat eating diet possible. I was ready to go back to my vegetarian ways if I hadn't been okay with this process.

The boys are both very excited about the peeps. R watches them hypnotically and Asher wants to get in there with them. A also is able to just pick them up and give them love- we have to keep extra eyes on him to make sure it isn't too much love.Ben is actually teaching a class on the birds, first one was this morning- quick introduction to brooding chicks. The next class is in a month and the classes final meeting is on slaughtering day. You can sign up at CGFC scroll down on this page.

It is great to have little birds in the garage again and especially such a tasty breed!

Celebrating!

With mini cheesecakes.

a man who we love dearly.

Lots of outdoor time in water.

Even the mama wet a line.

We caught crayfish.

Asher braved the pinchers to hold one.

Caught a few fish, Asher insisted on chasing it out of the bucket we were viewing it in to hold it. Asher caught his first fish- a beautiful pumpkin seed.

The boys hung out in a great sycamore.

and gave there papa lots of love.

Day finished with beers, deep fry and more cheesecake. Another year well spent.

Preparations

We have a couple big things happening tomorrow, good, fun big thing that require preparation. So today was a good planning day. Can you guess what we are doing? 6 mini cheesecakes for a special someone.And lots of lots of straw awaiting some new occupants of our property. Don't get too attached they will only be here for 12-15 weeks.
any guesses?