Frugal Friday

I recently found a few Crab Apple Trees on the trails I hike. At my request my son went foraging for me and brought home a backpack full of apples. I already have a lot of dried apples from my own tree. I don't make apple pies (too much work) so what do I do with all the apples? Make apple bread!

Foraged Crab Apples.

Homemade bread is a frugal alterantive to store bought bread. The apple bread I made was inexpensive for several reasons, the apples were free because they were foraged, the flour and sugar were on sale for less than half the normal price and the eggs came from my own chickens.

Farm fresh eggs, straight out of the chicken, into the carton.

1/2 price flour with other ingredients for bread. 

 I used a recipe I found from allrecipes.com.

Apple Bread Recipe

3 cup All-Purpose flour
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
2 cups apples-peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped walnuts

In a bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside. In large mixing bowl, place oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla and apples. Stir into flour mixture. Add walnuts and mix. Divide mixture between two greased 8" x 4" bread pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until bread tests done. Cool for 10 minutes on wire rack before removing from pan.

Egg mixture. 

Egg mix with apples and cinnamon applesauce. 

I made a few adjustments to my bread. I didn't use walnuts and I added 2/3 cup of cinnamon applesauce, decreasing the amount of cinnamon I used from the recipe, because the mixture wouldn't come together well due to it being so dry.

Finished apple bread. 

I made several loaves; wrapped them and put them into the freezer. Hope you enjoy this recipe.

Frugal Friday-Foraging

Foraging is a great way to save on your grocery bill. On the trails I hike, I found three apple trees loaded with apples. It was fun to pick free food. Now I'll have to decide what to do with them, dry, can or use them in a recipe; decisions, decisions!

Weighted down with apples. 

Ready to be picked.  

Fruit from my foraging. 

Frugal Friday–Late Entry

We've been crazy busy this weekend with a yard sale. Yard sales are a frugal activity where shoppers can get bargains and sellers can make money and de-clutter. A win-win situation. Unfortunately, yard sales, as a seller is my least favorite activity. I do like them when I'm in the need of something.

This weekend's yard sale occurred at a storage unit business. All the renters were allowed to open their unit and sell their stuff. It was also open to anyone who wanted to rent a unit for just the sale, cost being $10.

One view of the sale.

My husband joined in to sell some of his office equipment. 

Progress on Shed

The weather is cool and cloudy gray today. We've experienced a few sprinkles, enough my husband was concerned and started working on the shed, to protect our tools. My son joined in to help. They put the roof on, shelves, the back, and hinges for the doors.

They still have to hang doors, finish the shelving and trim. Plus there will be all the organizing of stuff. Which I believe will be delegated to assist with.

He asked me what color I would like to paint it? My husband's way of saying he doesn't like to paint and it's my job to do the painting. What color would you suggest?

Working hard and hardly working.

Son putting on roof, husband taking a break to watch chickens.  

My Sunday Canning Project in Steps and Pics

It is Sunday.  I went to church then came home to attempt to put a dent in all the peaches I picked. This is my second time of canning more of them. I've found canning is time consuming and laborious. I tried to develop a system this time to make it a little easier. I believe I did.

My first peach canning adventure, I canned seven quarts and 1 pint. It took four and a half hours. This time I've canned ten quarts in about three and a half hours. Progress! Still a lot of work though, I think I need a nap.

Here are the steps I used for canning this time;

1. Gather all equipment: bowls, pots with lids, large spoons, canning funnel, jars, lids and bands, butter knife, pot holders, quilt, jar grabber, measuring spoon, and food ingredients.
2. Wash jars, lids and bands.
3.  Place jars in water bath canning pot, note how many can fit.
4.  Boil jars to sterilize them.
5. Mix your sugar and water in a pot to make your syrup. I used a medium syrup consisint of 4 cups of water and 3 cups of sugar. Simmer until mixture is clear. Set to the side.
6.  Mix 2 tablespoons of lemon juice into 4 cups of water. This solution will prevent peaches from turning brown. 
7. Wash peaches, cut in half lengthwise (this will make peeling easier).
8. Boil water in large pot.
9. Place cut peaches in pot and blanche for one minute.
10. Remove and spread out on clean surface i.e. towel, cookie sheet.
11. Peel peaches and remove seeds. 
12. Place peaches in lemon water.
13. Remove peaches from lemon water and rinse with fresh water.
14. Place peaches in hot syrup. Simmer for 2 minutes.
15. Have jars ready, place peaches in jars using funnel to avoid dropping peaches. Leave 1/2 inch head room.
16. Pour syrup in jar to 1/2 inch headroom. 
17. Take butter knife or small spatula and insert between jars and peaches, moving knife gently around the inside of the jar. This will decrease air bubbles. 
18. Place lid and bands on jar. 
19. Place jars in water bath canning for set amount of time, determined by size of jars and elevation of where you live. I live over 4000 feet above sea level and used quart jars. My process time for my peaches was 70 minutes. I usually leave them in another 5 minutes for safety. 
20. After alotted time, remove jars and place where they will not be distrubed, to finish process. I place mine in a quilt to keep them warm a little longer.
21. Once they are sealed (the center of the lid is no longer elevated) label and shelf them.
22. Give as gifts or use for your family consumption.

Using a step by step system made it easier and more enjoyable this time to can. I'm looking forward to canning the rest of my fruit, to enjoy this winter.

Sterilze jars. 

Sugar and water for syrup. 

Lemon water. 

Wash peaches  and cut in half lengthwise.

Blanche, lay out to cool for peeling. 

After peeling place in lemon juice, then rinse with fresh water.

Place peaches in syrup to simmer 2 minutes 

Put the peaches in jars, add syrup, use butter knife to get rid of air bubbles.

Apply lids and bands. 

Process in water bath canner for appropriate time. 

After water bath, place to the side undisturbed to allow sealing

After sealed and cooled, label and shelf. 

Still Canning

I'm still canning, trying to put up our harvest. There is just so much this year. I'm not complaining, just running out of time to do all the work. Besides all the fruit I have picked, I still have apples and peaches on the trees. Fortunately many of my peaches are still a little green. They weren't getting enough sun to ripen on the trees. They are now going to sit in the sun and ripen for a few days on my tables. This will allow me time to put up other fruits.

Ripe and unripe peaches to can. 

Apples to pick and dry.  

Shaded unripe peach.  

Ripe peaches.

1st canned peaches. I canned 7 quarts and 1 pint.

Male Dominance

Every morning our chickens and turkeys rush out of the coop. It's like watching a mini-stampede; all the feathers fluttering and little legs running. And, every morning after the stampede our male turkey shows his dominance; or what he thinks is his dominance.

King of the chicken yard. 

Scary fellow.  Look at that blue face. 

He first fans his tail feathers, puffs up his back feathers and begins dropping his wing tips to the ground, all in an effort to enlarge his size. He draws back his head and holds his breathe, turning blue, attempting to give a mean look. It is quite the show. The only problem, the chickens and other turkeys don't care. They go about their business scratching and even turning their heads and walking away from him.

Back end of white turkey walking away from his dominance.  

Chickens too busy scratching to care about turkey dominance.