Val's SS journal- Fair food! Yea!

[Ohioann]

There are at least 4 sugar houses in the Amish community that I drive for. I have purchased gallons of syrup for several years. I reheat and can in pint jars when I buy a gallon...having half a gallon turn to sugar in the jug taught me to have smaller amounts for our small family. Last night I got to visit one of the sugar houses as they were boiling. Really a neat experience and the sample of hot syrup was yummy. I'd like to try it here at home but to cook indoors because of the steam...my house would be a sauna. Guess I'll just continue to get it from the producers.

 

[valmom]

I have cooked it indoors for 3 years now. No wallpaper to peel, and the humidity it puts into the house is welcome! I wanted to try to build a rocket stove to boil it on outside, but it didn't happen this year. Again. Maybe next year.

 

[Henrietta23]

We've done indoors too and while I joke about the wallpaper peeling, it really wasn't a problem. It was steamy but bearable. This year we are using an old propane grill with a stainless steel pan. It's boiling right now. We have over 5 gallons of sap from our one tree. Granted that isn't a ton of syrup but the buckets haven't even been out a week. Can't wait!

 

[valmom]

Ugh! I am officially sick of winter. I am sick of snow. I am sick of being cold.

We have a foot of heavy snow on Friday. We haven't even plowed down at the barn and it is snowing again still from overnight and another 4 inches with more to come. I can't keep up! I need to get the tractor out to get a round bale to the horses but it is a small tractor and we have to plow this mess first. (I locked them in the barn so I could slog down and feed them by hand on Friday and they are stir crazy and I have to clean the barn and find time to do extra work).

I know the mud season is going to be awful with all of this to get rid of, but at this point, even mud would be preferable. The snow is half-way up the sliding glass door off the living room. While it isn't as bad as it has been in the past - one year it was up to the ceiling!- I am tired of it. This has been the consistantly coldest winter since I've lived in New England- 33 years now.

I'M SICK OF IT!!!

Sorry- just had to rant.

 

[mlynd]

go ahead and rant that is also what we are here for and besides it's your journal I know how you feel about the snow, I can't stand it either

 

[colowyo0809]

I know what you mean. I lost roughly 160 pounds in aprox 6 months and I cannot appreciate the cold! And now, with being outside more to get stuff done (like this morning when we screwed down the tarp on the coop) there are days I can barely feel my fingertips or make my facial muscles do anything! But, I love having four seasons!

 

[Denim Deb]

I'm w/you on that. While we didn't get as much snow this year as we did last year, this year was worse in that it was colder, so the snow stuck around. Today was the first day since Christmas I didn't have to pull into the neighbor's driveway to back into mine. The road ends shortly after my driveway, and that's where all the snow from the snow plow was put.

 

[Javamama]

I think many of us are close to the breaking point with winter. It's been brutal this year.

 

[valmom]

I did it! I have been wanting a pasta machine for years, and, since I am a procrastinator it never happened. My father had two or three, and got rid of them when my parents moved to a smaller house! he said he didn't know I wanted one (so, learn from my mistake- if you want something put it out there and let it be known!). I have also thought about making pasta with the excess eggs we get all summer and drying it for winter. Now that we are down to 6 elderly hens- who have actually started laying and have given us 5 eggs in 2 days- I have bought myself a pasta machine! I got the Imperia Cucina (sp?) and a ravioli mold- not the attachment, but the hand mold.

I can't wait to try making my first batch of pasta. Then on to butternut squash ravioli, lasagna noodles, fettucini- all home made! Wish me luck- I am not really into a lot of flour sticky mess. But I am going to try, I think it will be worth it.

 

[colowyo0809]

I did it! I have been wanting a pasta machine for years, and, since I am a procrastinator it never happened. My father had two or three, and got rid of them when my parents moved to a smaller house! he said he didn't know I wanted one (so, learn from my mistake- if you want something put it out there and let it be known!). I have also thought about making pasta with the excess eggs we get all summer and drying it for winter. Now that we are down to 6 elderly hens- who have actually started laying and have given us 5 eggs in 2 days- I have bought myself a pasta machine! I got the Imperia Cucina (sp?) and a ravioli mold- not the attachment, but the hand mold.

I can't wait to try making my first batch of pasta. Then on to butternut squash ravioli, lasagna noodles, fettucini- all home made! Wish me luck- I am not really into a lot of flour sticky mess. But I am going to try, I think it will be worth it.

woohoo! all that lovely gluten!!