MerryHeartCrafts.comMountain Momma… Country Living

Saturday while down at Jessica’s we went over to David’s mothers.  There we found an apple tree loaded with apples and ready to be picked.  She said we could have them.  We did get a surprise though.  They are not your normal apple.

We gathered about a 1/2 bushel and brought them home.  We had never seen an apple that looked like this one.  I’m not sure what their name is but they are difinitely different.  What fun we had today working with these.  Grace of course loved them as pink is her favorite color.

After cooking them and running them through the sauce maker, they turn a beautiful, darker color.

We canned 9 pints and put 1 qt bag in the freezer.  I think they look very pretty in the jar.  Tomorrow, if all goes as planned, we will be making spaghetti sauce.  We have  a bushel of tomatoes to work up.  Our pastor’s wife gave us her spaghetti sauce recipe, so I think we will make it tomorrow.  She gave us a can to try and we all thought it was very good.  The recipe I have made before does not get thick enough so I have been on the search for a new one.  I’ll let you all know tomorrow how it turns out.  Take care and God bless.

This is my new helper.  I did not even know these existed.   About 1 month ago, I was in our local farm supply store, and spotted one of these.  All I have ever used are the old food mills.  I have been told these are so much better than a food mill.  I can’t wait to try it out.    My friend Vicki and I will be making applesauce today out of  early cooking apples.  When we lived in Grundy, we had a June apple tree in our front yard.  I sure do miss that tree.  What they have up here has a little different taste than that one did, but they are still good.  It is our favorite type of applesauce, so I hope to can a lot of it.   Last year, apples were hard to find.  We ran out of applesauce early in the winter and had to buy from the store.  Not near as good as home canned.    Guess I’ll get busy.  Lots to do today but lots of fun too.  Take care and God bless.

Our apple tree is blooming.  Isn’t it pretty!  We are not sure what type of apples these are.  The tree was here when we came.  However they are very good apples.  The tree blooms very early though and usually gets caught in the frost.  I fear this will happen this year.  Temperatures tonight will be in the upper 20′s.  We have had a very hard wind for 2 days now so of course it feels much colder.  Temperature now is about 50 with a wind chill of about 40.  YUCK!  I guess this is what we call “dogwood winter” as the dogwoods are blooming now.  Warmer temps are on the way though.  Yeah!

Dogwood in bloom outside our dining room window. 

My bouquet of flowers for the ladies today.  I love to have fresh flowers out when they come.  Makes the room look so much more cheerful.  We all enjoyed these today.  Forsythia and spirea.  Class went very well.  Two ladies could not come.  We missed you, Wanda and Vicki.  I know I have said this many times, but this really is a good study.  She takes it nice and slow so you get to just let it all sink in.  I like that.  I better get started on supper.  Take care  and God bless.