Jar

We have dozens, probably hundreds of jars full of all sorts of things at our house.  

They are everywhere.

It wasn't such a huge surprise when we found this one in the woods.  

A perfect little greenhouse.   Plenty of warmth and excellent ventilation.   It's some of the happiest moss I've ever seen. 

Winter Weighs Heavy

It's true.   Winter is not my favorite time of year and this year it's getting to me.  

This is not due cold weather.   It's not cold.   In fact, it's quite lovely for the dregs of December.  We're having a nice warm rain right this minute.

In all likelihood, this is due to a year long on Too Busy, and short on Fun.  

So, today I ordered my veg seeds from Baker Creek.  

Ordering seeds is fun. 

Also, we are planning to add two new beds to the veg garden this weekend.    4 x 8 feet each, for our strawberries.  It will be easier to pick them from a path on both sides than it is to climb in the middle of the 8 x 10 bed and dodge the rhubarb. 

Building garden beds is fun.

If the winter stays mild, we'll start transplanting strawberry runners in February to get a head start on the season.   Then, after the June bearers finish bearing in the old bed in June, we'll finish ripping the old plants out and plant basil.    If I plant the everbearers early enough, then we might still get some berries in the fall off the new plants. 

Thinking about strawberries is fun.

I might make it through this winter after all. 

Nice Textures

Wild Winter Garden

Sycamores - the ghostly trees

I grew up in northern Indiana, where the winter woods are dark - full of oaks and maples and locusts.  Down here in southern Indiana, our winter woods are haunted by the ghostly forms of sycamores, whose white trunks show up through the darker trees.   It's surprising how they change the character of the woods from a distance.

Sycamores are big trees.   Big, brittle trees.   Don't put one near a structure.  

They have long elegant branches, beautiful huge leaves that look a lot like a maple leaf on steroids, and really interesting, round seed heads.

They love creeks and damp meadows and since this area is full of creeks and damp meadows, we have a lot of them.

The soil is exactly right for cultivating them, so they often grow in small clusters, where the seeds from another one have dropped.

I love sycamore bark.   It's mottled in shades of white and grey and is unmistakable when you meet it.    Click on the pic, left, to get a closer look at this beautiful bark.

This time of year, the seed balls hang like ornaments from the tops of mature trees.  

Can you pick out the white sycamores in this pic of the woods?

Mystery Bird

This looks exactly like a Canada goose as you're walking down the road.    Only, geese don't roost like that on top of hay bales.  

I was confused.  

My eyes [middle aged, not so good anymore eyes] were convinced that it was a goose.  

I kept waiting for it to spook as we got closer, but it didn't even move -- yet another clue that it wasn't really a goose. 

I'll let you guess what it really was.

Winter Moon

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays to all of you!

May this year be full of wonderful surprises and unexpected blessings!

And to all of you parents out there who have been scrambling for the past 6 weeks to get everything done just right for the holidays, may your day go just as planned and then may you get a long nap. 

Hoar Frost

Wiki has some interesting information about hoar frost, but I like it because it's pretty.  K1 caught some of the beauty on film last week.  

On daylily leaves.

 On a garden sculpture.

On an echinacea seed head.

On the bird feeder.

On foxtail grass.

On a geode.

On sage.

Happy Birthday!

It's K1's birthday!

Lily is a writer.   She writes a series of books for middle graders called the Lizzie Evans Mystery series.   The first installment, Lizzie Evans and the Black Cat Diamond, is finished and will be published this summer.  We're sooo excited!  We'll let you know when we have the exact date.  We'll be having a launch party!

In the meantime, today is the launch of  her official website, so if you're interested in middle-grade mysteries, please go check it out!

Danish Yule Bread

Every year I make this Danish Yule Bread at Christmas time.   K1 has a late December birthday and the year she was 1, this was her birthday cake.   

It's the only bread I make at all.   Ever.  So it's kind of a big deal for the family.   See, Mom really can bake!


This bread is a traditional Danish Christmas braided bread. It’s easier than it sounds and delicious with hot chocolate on Christmas morning…and afternoon…and evening…and after the kids go to bed.

K2 spends the entire time I make it trying to steal bits of dough and then begging me to let her eat a loaf [in its entirety, by herself] as soon as it comes out of the oven. 

As. Soon. As. 

This year, I put my refusals to music.   Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

No! You can't. eat. some!   I told you no, told you no. No you really can't. [Even if you whine.] You cannot. have. any bread, any bread, No you really can't.  [Tears won't work on me.]
...

Et cetera.

OK.   It was probably more entertaining in person.

Anyway.

I got this recipe years ago from a good friend who's mom is from Denmark, where Yule Bread is an art.  They kindly gave me the recipe.   Thank you!  My family will be eternally grateful. 

Eternally.

Danish Yule Bread

• 1 1/2 cups butter
• 4 cups milk
• 1 1/3 cups sugar 
• 3 Tbsp yeast
• 2 1/2 tsp cardamom [the fresher, the better]
• 2 tsp salt
• 10-12 Cups flour

Optional Glaze:

• 1 egg
• 1 tsp water

Directions:
Melt butter. Add milk. Warm to body temperature.   The butter will be good and hot by the time it has melted and when you add the milk to it, the butter will raise the temp of the milk to just exactly what you need. 

While the butter is melting, in a very large bowl mix sugar, salt and cardamom.

Soften yeast with a large spoon full of the sugar mixture and some of the warm milk.

Add yeast and milk/butter to the rest of the sugar mix in the very large bowl. Stir well.

Add flour a cup at a time.  Start with a whisk so that the flour gets incorporated quickly.   As the dough gets thicker, use a spoon instead and incorporate the flour with a rolling motion.  When it's too hard to roll with a spoon, use your hands to roll it.  Be gentle with the dough.  Handle it as little as possible so that it will stay tender.


Cover it with a damp cloth and let it rise 1 hour.  

Divide dough into 8 balls.   Start by dividing it in half, then each of those two in half, then each of those four in half.   You'll get lovely balls of about the same size.  

Divide each of those into 3 smaller balls. Let rest. (Dividing takes some time, so by the time you’re done dividing everything, the first set has rested long enough.)  Cover as many as you can with the damp cloth you used to cover the dough during the first rise. 

Make a 15″ rope from each of the 3 small balls. Braid and tuck the ends under.   Put them on a greased cookie sheet.   It'll take 2 sheets.   

Let rise 30 minutes.   Start the timer when you've filled your first sheet. 

Optional glaze: Beat egg with 1 tsp water and brush on loaves.   Confession:   I never put the glaze on.   I'm way too lazy. 

Bake until golden blonde on greased sheet at 325 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

If you didn't use the glaze, then brush melted butter all over the tops of the loaves as soon as they come out of the over. [Translation:  Take the paper off one end of a stick of butter and rub it on the hot bread.   The butter melts immediately and you don't have to wash a brush.]   

Cool loaves on parchment paper.  

Notes:  

• You do not have to do 8 loaves.  This is America.  There are no Yule Bread Police.  You can do 4 or 6 or 12.   For smaller loaves to gift, divide the dough into 12 balls.   These loaves are a great little size that fits perfectly into a gift bag for giving away.
• If your cardamom is old, then it's OK to add more - add an extra 1/2 tsp to start with.   The cardamom is the whole reason to make this bread, so don't be stingy with it. 
• One last thing - this dough is sweet and delicious and if you eat too much it will give you painful gas because the yeast will love your inner body temp.  Trust me.    Don't. Eat. The Dough.   Not even a bit, because then you won't be able to stop.  

Kitchen Fireworks

Last week, I turned on the oven to preheat it for some cornbread and then I started doing the dishes.  Two minutes later, I heard buzzing and fizzing and pops and out of the corner of my eye I saw lights flashing in the oven.

Not a good sign. 

The buzzing and fizzing and pops could easily have been the kids or the cats.   Or a renegade mouse.  Or the radio, which has seen better days.    Or some paper that got caught behind the fridge and sort of got sucked into the exhaust unit thingie and was rattling around. 

But the flashing lights in the oven could not be explained by any of those things. 

The lights in the oven corresponded with the pops and fizzes and buzzes and then bangs.

I looked inside and saw that one corner of the bottom element was sending up a fountain of sparks - like those fireworks that stay on the ground and that send up a fountain of sparks.   I love those.  Actually I love all fireworks.   Especially the big ones that look like zinnias and spread out slowly across the sky.  Oh and the ones that go straight up and explode into three more fireworks of all different colors.   And the pink ones.   I love the pink ones.

Where was I?

There were no pink fireworks in my oven.    I don't really think fireworks belong in the oven.

I turned the oven off.  

It seemed like the right thing to do.

I was so glad my cornbread wasn't in there.

When I got the courage to open the door, I saw that one corner of the element was toast.

Not actual toast.   Just toasted.

Not actually toasted, more like melted and cracked.

Yep.  One corner of the element was melted and cracked.

We did not have cornbread that night.

I was bummed.

We have a new element now and as we speak, we are inaugurating it with spritz cookies. 

Not in the shapes of fireworks.

Crystallized Ginger

My experiences with candy have not been exactly successful.

Entertaining, yes.   Successful, no.

So, it's been a while since I've done the candy thing. 

Even so, I've been thinking about making candied ginger for a long time.    And now is the time.

Yep.

Any minute now.  

Excuse me while I steel my nerve. 

OK.   I'm ready.    I'll be back when I'm done.

....

Dudes.   This was sooooo much easier than I thought.    Seriously. 

The first thing I did was do a bit of recipe research.    One set of recipes sliced the ginger very very thinly and did only one boil, then dried it for a few hours and coated with sugar.   The other group sliced the ginger thinly and did two boils, with the final one going until all the liquid was completely evaporated.

I tried the first method first because it seemed easier but the ginger stayed tough and very VERY hot.   Also, not sweet enough.   

Crystallized ginger should be seriously sweet.     Really, what's the point if it's not seriously sweet?

So, I tried the second method.    We have a winner!

Here is what you do:

1.   Buy fresh ginger.   The roots should be firm.

2.   Peel the ginger.   I saw on Cooks Illustrated that it's easier if you use the side of a spoon to scrape the peel and it worked like a charm. 

3.  Chop the ginger.    In chunks or slices, whatever you want.    You do not have to slice it paper thin like some recipes say.   I did chunks.    I like chunks.   Chunks are great.

4.  Put the ginger in a saucepan.   Measure the water you put in.  Put in enough water to cover the ginger.

5.  Put an equal amount of sugar in the pan - that's why you needed to measure the water you put in.

6.  Boil for 45 minutes or so.   The ginger will shrink some and turn golden in the center as it cooks.

7.  Drain the syrup off the ginger.   Save the syrup!  It's very hot, but great for fruit salads, or homemade ginger ale or drizzled over grapefruit and broiled.....  Plus you need a bit of the syrup for the next step.

[The first set of recipes stopped here.   Dry the ginger for several hours or overnight.  Make sure the pieces aren't touching as they dry.    Toss with sugar.]    But really, don't stop there!!   Keep going!

8.  Measure the ginger as you put it back in the saucepan [or another smaller one]. 

9.  Put an equal amount of sugar in the pan and 2 Tablespoons of syrup for every cup of ginger.

The sugar and ginger will look damp, but not at all wet.   You might think it looks too dry.   That's ok.    As soon as things heat up again, the ginger will release more liquid and it will get wetter.   If you think you need more liquid, add a bit more.  It won't hurt and it will make you feel better, which is important when you're making candy.   I know.

10.  Put the pan on medium heat and let it come to a boil.   You can turn the heat down a bit if you want to, but you want to keep a good boil.   Stir OFTEN.   Keep an eye on this.  As it boils way down, you'll want to stir constantly so that it doesn't start to burn.

11.  Boil until all of the liquid boils out and the sugar separates out and gets dry.   Stir constantly at the end!

12.  As soon as it gets dry, take it off the heat. 

13.  Put paper under a cooling rack.   I used the shelves from my dehydrator.  Worked like a charm.

14.  Spread the ginger out on the rack to cool and let the sugar fall through onto the paper.   Keep the sugar!  







15.  It'll cool pretty fast.   Taste it.

I know. 

I know!

Keep your ginger and sugar in jars, away from humidity.

Nelly

Lady Nell is k2's very favorite cat.  K2 has been wanting me to tell you about her for a while now.

Nelly is one of those cats right out of T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats.

Jennyanydots.

Totally.

Nelly snuggles.

She likes to get right under the covers with you.

Nelly snores.

So loudly that you can hear it in the next room.  It's a great way to find her when she is hiding.

Nelly weeps.  

It has something to do with a pound virus she got when a tiny kitten.  

Nelly hates being wet.

Really, really hates being wet.   Don't get in her way if she's trying to avoid wet.

Unless K2 is giving her a bath.   Then she sits quietly in the bathroom sink and lets K2 take care of business.   I think it's because she knows she'll get wrapped up in a towel and fussed over for the next two hours. 

Nelly loves catnip.

It's kind of embarrassing.   She especially likes it this time of year.  The leaves are frozen back, but there must be something wonderful in the crown of the plant because she'll go outside just to rub on it. 

Weird, huh.

Sauerkraut

I love sauerkraut and it's the season for starting some!

The best sauerkraut is made with the late cabbages, which is great because I'm so tired in September that I couldn't put up another thing.   By this time of year, I'm desperate to do something harvest-y, if you know what I mean, and sauerkraut is perfect.

What you need:

• Cabbage
• Salt:   2 Tablespoons per head of cabbage.

Really.   That's all.

What you do:

1.  Cut up the cabbage in shreds.   Ideally 1/8 inch wide.
2.  Sprinkle it with salt.
3.  Pound the living crap out of it.   Or at least pound it until the cabbage is covered in its own juice.
4.  Put it in jars and press it down until it's covered by liquid.
5.  Sprinkle extra salt on top.  Be generous - it's going to keep the mold away.
6.  Let it sit in a cool place for 4-6 weeks to ferment.


It's really very simple, isn't it.

Some things that I've learned over the years:
1.  You can put the cabbage in the food processor, but it looks more like cole slaw than sauerkraut when you're done.   It does juice up faster.    You decide which is more imporant - shreds or juice.
2.  Put extra salt in when you're using an extra big head of cabbage.
3.  Use a potato masher to pound with.   Very efficient.
4.  Pound in a plastic bucket.   Seriously.   Really.
5.  You can ferment it in a warmer place, but you're much more likely to mold.   I hate it when my sauerkraut molds before it's done.   I keep mine in a mudroom that's between 55-65 degrees.  It takes a couple weeks longer, but the product is better.
6.  Don't forget - sauerkraut smells like farts while it's doing its thing.   It's normal.
7.  Keep the sauerkraut away from your bread making area and vinegar making area.   Those yeasts might cause problems for your sauerkraut.


Here are notes from the last time I posted about sauerkraut.

So, how do you like to eat your sauerkraut?

Machine Shed

This old shed down the road has housed generations of tractors and farm equipment and barn cats.    And the biggest possum I have ever seen. 

Rosehips

Since our property is covered with multiflora roses, in the fall we get loads of rosehips.   They're beautiful and the only thing that keeps me from spraying every rose bush that I find.

They're pretty in bunches, in a vase.    And the birds love them.    Wait until you see them with snow!

Pomanders

One of the great joys of this season for me is pomanders.    I love them.   I love them with the white hot intensity of a thousand suns.   Suns which I am desperate to see during this, the darkest part of the year.  

Pomanders smell great, they're easy to make and they last as long as they stay dry.


What you need: 

• fruit:  oranges, clementines, kumquats, apples, lemons, etc.
• whole cloves
• pointed toothpicks, skewers, etc. to poke the holes in the fruit
• powdered spices:  cloves, allspice, cinnamon, orris root

Use the skewer to poke holes in the fruit.  Leave a bit of space between the holes.   [As the fruit dries, it will shrink and the holes will get closer together.]  The fruit will ooze and get you all sticky.    That's part of the fun.  You'll smell great for days.

Put a clove in each hole.  

Smell the divine aroma!

When you've covered the fruit with cloves, sprinkle them all over with powdered spices.   I use equal amounts of ground cloves, allspice, cinnamon and orris root.   Use what you have.  Don't worry if you don't have orris root. 

Cover the pomanders completely with the spices.   They'll help dry the whole thing out.

Over the next few weeks, the pomanders will dry out and become hard.

Put them in an attractive bowl or arrangement and remember to turn them over every day or so to help them dry evenly.   

These stay good through the winter here in the Midwest.    I toss them out when I do my spring cleaning in March, which is when things start getting wet and humid around here again.

The Scented Room

  The Scented Room, by Barbara Milo Ohrbach is a great book and one I highly recommend.

It's a book about drying flowers, making both dry and moist potpourri, sachets, pomanders, lavender bottles, gardening, style, etc.    Though it was published in 1986, it doesn't come off as dated.   The content and photos are classic in style - and timeless in presentation.

I love this book.     Every time I open it, I find something else I want to try.    The projects are varied and interesting.   The directions complete and easy to follow.     All you have to do is find the ingredients and get started.

It's out of print now, but there are still copies available online and they're not expensive.  Go to the link above to find a copy from Amazon.

Goldenrod

....is even pretty in December.

Cranberry Banana Jam

It's the time of year for cranberries!     Buy a bunch now and put them in the freezer.   Or, better yet, turn those glowing berries into jam and save your freezer space for something else.

This year I made Cranberry Banana Jam.   No pectin!   Great on toast and pancakes and ice cream.    If you're looking for a nice holiday homemade gift - this is it!

Cranberry Banana Jam

• 5 cups cranberries [or a bit more, if your package is bigger]
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 3 cups sugar
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon

Put cranberries and water in a pan, bring to boil and when the berries start popping, turn the heat down a bit and mash them some.   Add the bananas, sugar and cinnamon.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer for 10 minutes.     Process for canning:  10 minutes for pints and jelly jars. 

Delicious on pancakes with a touch of the Apple Cider Syrup that I posted yesterday.  They'll disappear fast!

Apple Cider Syrup

I don't have a good pic of this because we eat it too fast.    It's delicious on pumpkin pancakes and plain pancakes with Cranberry Banana Jam [Recipe tomorrow!]. 

Yum.  

Apple Cider Syrup

• 3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg

Combine the cinnamon and nutmeg with the brown sugar in a cold saucepan.   Mix well.  Turn on the heat.   Add the rest of the ingredients and heat to boiling.   The longer you simmer it, the thicker it will get, but it's good right away.   I never boil it very long.

Winding Road

It's pretty even in bare winter.

Green

I took this the day after it snowed.  Indiana stays green as long as it possibly can.

Old Barn

This is the side of our barn.  It's an old tobacco barn in the center, with add-ons on each side.   This side is two stalls that used to hold horses, then chickens and sheep.  Years ago, I delivered lambs in these stalls.   One year, with my new baby in the manger, screaming, and a rooster in the rafters, crowing, and the ewes loudly baa-ing, I pulled a head-first lamb and saved both it and the mama. 

This barn has a lot of history for me.