Nature and Life Notes

Tic Tac Toe Garden Table

I saw a tic tac toe garden table shared on Facebook and decided that was something I would really like to have for my garden (and granddaughters). You can order a pre-cut round board from the home supply stores but my husband used a thick piece of plywood and cut it in a circle. We…

Flittering and Fluttering

Such a great time of the year when the garden is full of bees and butterflies and flowers are in full bloom. I refuse to think of how soon, the leaves will begin to fall, the flowers fade and the insects die or leave. In the meantime enjoy the beauty of summer!

Pocket Sandwiches

This is a favorite of my sons. They like more “kick” so add sliced jalapeno peppers on top of the finished product. If you buy Italian sausage in links, slice open the casing to remove the meat and use a spatula to break into small pieces as you brown the meat. Pocket Sandwiches 1 pound…

Blackberry Jam

The blackberries are large and sweet this year and are great when made into jam (Jam has the seeds where jelly only uses the juice). If you have blackberries in your area – use some of them for a sweet, flavorful jam. Enjoy! For detailed directions on canning procedures, check with your local cooperative extension…

Raspberrry and Currant Jelly

My mother-in-law grew red raspberries and red currants. She would combine them for a wonderful jelly that had both the tartness of the currants and sweetness of the raspberries. For years, I have remembered how great her raspberry currant jelly was but although red raspberries are abundant at the local orchard, I did not have…

Plum Cake

The first plums to ripen in our area are small, juicy plums called sugar plums. I went a little crazy at the u-pick orchard and ended up with 19 pounds of sugar plums. The weekend was spent making jelly, jam and here is a new recipe for plum cake. It is a nice combination of…

Sugar Plum Jam

It is jelly/jam making season with an abundance of fresh fruit. After going crazy picking plums, plum jam was definitely on the list of things to do. Our first plum to ripen is a small juicy plum which is called sugar plum. Sugar plums are great plum for jam or jelly or anything where you…

Rustic Blueberry Tart

The blueberries are fresh and abundant at area stands and markets. At the local u-pick, the bushes are loaded with berries and it seems like you can fill a bucket on a single bush. I was looking for a new dessert to make with the berries and combined two recipes I found online. Makes a…

Raspberry Jelly

Raspberries and more raspberries – what a great time of the year when fresh berries are plentiful. Red raspberries make the most beautiful jelly – not to mention how good it tastes. If you have a source for fresh raspberries, save the flavor of summer by using some of them for a wonderful jelly. For…

Using Our Gifts

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that…

Goop!

As I mentioned in previous post, the grandchildren were here for a visit. One of our projects focused on making slime – another project (a standard for Pre-K teachers) was goop or oobleck. This is another great sensory experience for young children. Like slime, it is easy to make but a little messy so cover…

Black Raspberry Jelly

It is berry season in our area so lots of opportunities for u-pick at the local orchard. The black raspberries do not last very long but they are wonderful while available. I enjoy making jelly and jam for gifts so this year I used some of the extra black raspberries for jelly. So good! For…

Fresh Raspberry Almond Tart

Here is a great dessert using fresh raspberries. You make a buttery crust in a spring form pan, add a filling that is similar to chess pie filling (eggs and butter), bake and top with fresh raspberries. I did not have a tart pan so used my round spring form pan. A very nice summery…

Making Slime!

This past week our children and grandchildren came for a visit. The granddaughters are three and six years old – wonderful ages especially for an early childhood educator. For this visit, I pulled out some of the sensory experiences that the Pre-K students always loved. The first project was making slime. Just the name is…

Strawberry Jelly

Berry season has started and the first local berry each year is the strawberry. Drive around on any of the country roads and in front of each farm is usually a card table with baskets of berries and a coffee can or Cool Whip container for the money. I still had jam left over from…

Spinach Salad with Bacon Dressing

Fresh spinach paired with bacon grease! Can’t say it is low fat but it is a great salad in spring when spinach is abundant. Spinach Salad with Bacon Dressing 1 pound fresh spinach 4 green onions and tops, sliced Coarsely ground black pepper 5 slices bacon, diced (I used 3 slices of thick sliced bacon)…

Easy Cheesecake

When we lived in South Korea and I shopped the Korean markets, it was very difficult to find dairy items. A Danish company had started marketing fresh milk (known as Denmark Milk) but other than yogurt milk, butter and very limited cheese, that was about the extent of dairy products. If I wanted something like…

Awake My Soul

“Awake, my soul, and sing of Him who died for thee,and hail Him as thy matchless King through all eternity.” ~ Matthew Bridges, 1800-1894, and Godfrey Thring, 1823-1903 Hope you soul is singing on this Lord’s Day!

Apple Cinnamon No Knead Bread

Combine the smell of bread baking and apples baking and you have Apple-Cinnamon No-Knead Bread. Here is a version of the no-knead bread baked in cast iron that includes chopped dried apples, cinnamon and apple cider. More variations on the No-Knead theme can be found here. Apple Cinnamon No-Knead Bread 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour…

Backyard Bird Count

This weekend is your chance to be a citizen scientist and participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. Take as little as fifteen minutes to observe the birds in your backyard and then report on the web site at http://gbbc.birdcount.org. The information from bird watchers across the United States and Canada provides important data for…