The Sweetness of Applesauce...

I'm very fortunate to have an awesome neighbor named Adam...I think I've mentioned him a time or two in previous posts. He purchased the 9 year vacant and rundown house next door to us about 3 years ago. The transformation is pretty much on the level of a miracle. Adam has tended and groomed and re-vitalized his backyard into a maze of beauty and flora. He also plants a kick-ass garden. He dropped in about 50 heirloom tomato plants this year and he is always generous with his bounty.
When Adam moved in he inherited 4 or 5 ancient and amazing apple trees. Although they had been neglected and forgotten for many years they were still hanging on... crossing their branches in hopes that a cool guy would come along and love them back to good health. There are several varieties. Some best for pie fillings and others delicious right off the tree. One day when I was out herding chickens around I heard Adam holler over the fence. He told me to come and pick as many apples as I'd like! See, that's a great neighbor.
The next day I grabbed a couple of re-usable grocery bags and headed over the fence. I was in search of the perfect apple for making applesauce. I found that apple on a gnarled old Gala apple tree in his back pasture. It was literally loaded with small, crisp, perfect apples. I find something very satisfying about picking and processing our own food. I love being outdoors in the sunshine. I love the buzz of our bees gently landing on the apple blossoms. I love hand-picking the perfect fruits and turning them into something healthy and delicious to feed the Sprouts. I love that Adam shares his apples!
I picked almost two full bags. I wanted to make sure I could carrying them back over the fence.

I'm still relatively new to all this food preservation stuff. Although I'm completely smitten with it I had only bottled applesauce one other time. It seems that I picked these when they were in their prime! I had never seen such beautiful apples and the taste almost knocked me over! They were the perfect sweetness, yet tart and juicy. They were pale yellow with no brown spots anywhere. I dug out the apple peeler/corer tool and got started. I couldn't stop admiring how lovely they were every time I tossed one in the pot.

Now really...who says organic fruit doesn't look good! These apples taste like apples are supposed to taste! They look like apples are supposed to look! And, lucky me...I got to pick them!

I ended up making a couple of different batches. I did add a bit of organic sugar and a bit of organic cinnamon to one batch. I also sourced this organic lemon juice! I highly recommend it. So much better than the "other" bottled lemon juices easily found on the grocery store shelves.

The smell of the cooking apples was so sweet. Literally and figuratively...It brought back tender memories and a story my brother shared with me a few years ago. When my four older brothers were small boys my sweet mother would treat them to graham crackers with homemade applesauce and whipped cream. I can just picture her looking through her humble pantry and coming up with a surprise dessert for her gaggle of little boys. It created such a sweet memory that was never forgotten and shared many years later...

After I filled all the jars there was a small bowlful leftover. Not quite enough to fill another jar...

So, I headed to the grocery store and picked up a small container of organic whipping cream and a box of graham crackers. That night I prepared the whipping cream. I stacked a couple of graham crackers in a bowl and added the applesauce. Then of course topped it off with whipped cream. As Hubs and I enjoyed this quiet simple dessert I couldn't help but think of my sweet mother and my big brothers...
So many memories, so much pleasure... (I made sure Adam got a jar of applesauce!)

Beginner Beekeeping - Winter

I've had this post rolling around in my head for quite sometime now. I have struggled with how I want to approach it. When I first started this blog I was committed to sharing our successes as well as our "failures". This "failure" has been particularly hard to come to terms with...
When we started beekeeping in Spring 2014 we were beyond excited. We had mulled it over for a few years and been studying up on it. I made no secret that it seemed like a huge learning curve and there is an overwhelming amount of information available. What we found doing our research was for every theory there was a counter-theory or an opposing theory. Honestly, it was hard to filter through everything and come up with a plan. Through the local bee community we found wonderful resources and some really amazing folks who are passionate about beekeeping.
I have shared our "bee" successes in earlier posts. The high of installing our first bee colonies and the excitement when the bees emerged in the warm spring air and filled the neighbors flowering tree.
In the Fall, when we realized we would be able to harvest an ample amount of "virgin" honey we were over the moon! I'm not exaggerating when I say our honey was the tastiest golden gift we've ever had! I can back that up a bit by reminding you our honey won a 3rd place ribbon (and $4.00) in the State Fair!
We have been high on honey for many months. Each time I add a spoonful to my tea or spread some on bread for the Sprouts I give thanks to those hard working and giving bees...
We checked the bees just before the cold weather hit. We had a lovely long autumn and it wasn't until November that we checked on them for one last Fall visit. Hubs was pleased with the way the first hive looked. Happy and healthy and thriving. We left them a lot of honey for their winter stores. Satisfied he put the top back on and moved to the second hive. He was shocked when he opened it! It was literally and completely empty of life! NO BEES...no honey...nothing! No sign of anything. No disease, no robbing...NOTHING! How could this be??? It was such a blow and very depressing. Absconding and hive abandonment are terms we had read about. We just never expected it. We have learned it is becoming more and more common. Again, there are theories...and more theories...but we don't really know why they left or where they went. We hope they swarmed somewhere and ended up safe. We hope someone became aware of them and they weren't destroyed. We hope a beekeeper was called to safely remove them and give them a new home. We hope...
We became complacent as Winter approached. It was a mild beginning. We felt that "Hive 1" was in good shape. The do's and don't's of beekeeping can seem overwhelming. You shouldn't move them for the winter. You shouldn't cover the hive with anything for insulation. They need ventilation. They are bees and know how to handle the winter. If you've been feeding them at all through late Fall, make sure you remove it. They will hunker down and do what bees do in the winter months. You don't open the hive in the winter...we felt confident and the "sting" of losing Hive 2 was lessening.
In December we were completely caught off guard. The days were mild and we weren't getting any storms. We live in an area where every few years we get "canyon" winds. They can be brutal. They don't happen often and we tend to forget they exist. These winds blow with hurricane force at times and usually last 24-48 hours. They drop the temperature to below freezing and are relentless for those blowing hours. Of course we thought of the bees! Really, what could we do? We crossed our fingers and hoped they would survive the 70 mile an hour onslaught and frigid temps. The winds died down after a couple of days but the cold persisted for a few weeks and snow came off and on. We thought about the bees often and wondered if they survived that surprising wind storm. A month later the crazy weather stopped and was replaced with more crazy weather! Winter warmth! The temps rose into the 50's and the sun was bright. We decided to go check the hive. We weren't going to break the rules and open it up...but, it was warm enough we should hear or see a bit of activity...

We rounded up the pups and headed out to see what was up...We slowly approached the hive. There was no outside activity. Hubs got closer and closer and there was nothing. He bent down and put his ear right on the hive and there was no sound. We broke the winter rule and carefully removed the top. Nothing...no activity, no sound. A beautiful healthy hive filled with dead bees. We have no doubt they froze in the wind storm.

Everything looked good...except for the part about the dead bees. :(

I thought you might like to see this. It is a normal queen cell.

This is as well...pretty cool...or would be if the bees were alive...sigh

Sorry...but I think it's worth seeing the dearly departed. The poor dears are all huddled together and were trying to stay warm. They still had plenty of honey...We were heartbroken. I'm not going to lie. I cried most of the afternoon and Hubs retired to his cave to mourn.

It was a tough loss. It also caught us off guard. Things were going so well and we just didn't anticipate losing a hive...let alone two!
We were initiated into the world of beekeeping...on many levels.
We plan to replace the hives this spring and maybe even add another. We have done more research and commiserated with other beekeepers. It has been a rough year in the bee community. The erratic weather and disease has taken a toll.
My philosophy about most things is to stay upbeat. I like to call out the good and ignore the bad. I want to preach success and happiness and leave the gloom and doom behind...but...beekeeping has once again opened my eyes to what is NOT right with our food system.
We NEED bees and we are losing them. I feel a bit like I did several years ago when I realized how broken the food system is. GMO's were filling the grocery shelves. HFCS is in almost everything. Fruit and veggies are plagued with pesticides and poisons and meat is full of hormones and antibiotics and from the saddest, poorest, mis-treated animals possible.
Well...instead of getting discouraged I found a path. I found like-minded people and places to buy GMO free food. We easily and successfully found ways to grow our own organic fruits and veggies. I learned to can and preserve food. I gave in to Hubs and let him start a freaking herd of chickens...and, I'm the first to admit it was a good move...I'm grateful for his insight every time I crack one of those amazing home grown eggs! But...it gets easier to source quality, clean food all the time! People are catching on and getting on board. It is changing for the better and people are becoming educated and taking responsibility and it has been incredibly rewarding to be part of it.
But for a moment...back to my gloom and doom. Everyone knows we are losing the bees. Everyone has heard about Colony Collapse Disorder. What I didn't really know about before our beekeeping journey was American Foul Brood (AFB) and Varroa Mite and Nosema. Ugh...
If you are unfortunate to get AFB you can just plan to basically burn down your hive. AFB has been treated with antibiotics and of course the strains of the bacterium are rapidly becoming resistant. It's a pretty sure bet you will get Varroa Mite. At least by your second year of beekeeping. Oh yeah...there are all kinds of synthetic pyrethroids you can treat with several times a year. Wait...does any of this sound familiar? Isn't this the same thing happening in the rest of the broken food system? Outrageous amounts of antibiotics used to raise meat and the cause of scary resistant strains of strep and MRSA? Oh, yeah...I don't want to consume it in my food but it's okay in my honey??? I guess I don't really understand all the head scratching about what is happening with the bees! It is the same thing happening with all the rest of the food. Pesticides and herbicides and antibiotics. Two camps...those that insist it is necessary in beekeeping and those that want something better and to stop the cures that are causing the disease! (See, I'm not using capital letters even though I feel like I'd like to!)
I am feeling discouraged. This is something I did not understand before we decided to keep bees. It isn't some big mystery. WE are killing the bees. Commercial beekeeping is killing the bees and keeping the predators alive and well. Monsanto and all those other ugly big companies are killing the bees. Even the wax used in the frames is suspect. I want to cry when I think about it.  Okay...I am winding down my rant.
As with the food system...there are also like-minded folks in beekeeping. Few and far between at this point, but I have faith that better beekeeping will grow and evolve as people become aware and educated. People are experimenting with natural products and essential oils for mite control. There is no handbook, just trial and error at this point. Innovative beekeepers are coming up with ideas in equipment. This guy is one of my favorites for many reasons...thinking out of the box so to speak.

ecobeebox.net

Check him out! He is toying with a prototype "bee porch" that works at not letting the Varroa enter. He also has the most beautiful hives I've ever seen...You feel his passion and respect in his designs. (No, I don't know him personally)

Isn't this the most beautiful hive ever! Right down to the hardware...

And so, this spring we will start again. We hope to find better ways to bee keep and keep it safe and organic...that being said...our bees weren't diseased...they froze...DAMN!

Winter Greenhouse...Cold Weather Crop

We had the longest summer last year. I thought it would never end. I absolutely loved it! I just couldn't imagine the warm sunny days were ever going to end. It was the end of October and I was still in shorts and tees harvesting and playing in the square foot garden.
I just didn't have a good concept of time and season! I was mesmerized by the gentle warm breeze and sun on my shoulders. I was hypnotized into an altered state of consciousness that made me believe there was only one long season. Summer.
Unrealistically I decided to plant some cool weather crops. Lettuce, spinach, turnips and a few carrot seeds. I lovingly tended the very tiny sprouts pushing through the warm soft dirt. They were tender and trusting and believed in my endless summer.
All of the sudden, literally overnight, a cold spell was headed our way. I was dazed by this news. I was still wrapped in my warm summery cocoon and unwilling to leave it.
I couldn't bear the thought of my sweet mini sprouts freezing in the overnight lows. I should have planted them a month earlier and given them a fighting chance! In a panic I recruited Hubs. I told him I couldn't stand by while these little green specks in the dirt froze to death! We had little time and less planning. Hubs rooted through the garage and wood pile to see what he could come up with. The design was less than perfect. The materials recycled and thrown together. But...the little greenies would be covered from the cold and wind...

Really...it was an experiment. A science project. The cold and wind settled in. We gave the little sprouts a nice drink of water, covered them in their plastic bubble and crossed our fingers. We didn't open it up for fear the cold weather would seep in. I remembered a long forgotten school project where I had to build a terrarium. I hoped it would rain inside this enclosure...but, I had no idea if it would work. Two and a half months later I realized it might actually be working.

The inside of the plastic is full of moisture...I waited for an unseasonably warm day before peeking in. I didn't get my hopes up. (yes I did)
It is concerning that it is the end of January and the weather is once again unseasonably warm. We had a week or two of snow in December and a terrible wind storm that dropped the temps below zero and howled past our windows at 80 miles per hour. Oddly, it has now been in the 50's Fahrenheit for most of January.  And so, I peeled back the heavy plastic and hoped for a miracle.

Miracles happen regularly in gardening. Although it isn't a huge harvest, I have fresh baby spinach and turnips and a bit of lettuce. I'm grateful. I'm happy. I'm thrilled to have garden to table produce for at least a couple of weeks. I don't see any sign of those carrots, but who knows?...Miracles happen in gardening and I'm not ruling anything out yet.

I took enough sweet spinach to my girl's house for monthly pizza night. They made an amazing spinach and pumpkin seed pesto for some of the pizzas. (I love my kids...)
I harvested another bowl full of blessed spinach and we enjoyed a lovely organic homegrown salad for dinner tonight. Soon I will make some sort of turnip soup. It's not much, but it is a glimmer of things to come.
Gardening is a miracle. It feeds the soul as much as it feeds the belly. Bonus...it's FUN!
P.S. Next year we plan to make a proper hoop house...I will be more prepared...unless that endless summer puts me in a coma again...

Backyard Chickens...Winter

Ah January...you long, cold, dark and dismal month. As I sit at my desk, I peer out the window to the frigid gray day, wrapped snugly in a green fuzzy blanket. I have crocheted slippers on my feet and a cup of green chai tea at my side. I long for spring...
I'm sure our backyard chickens are feeling the same...sans the fuzzy blanket and crocheted slippers. They wander aimlessly about the backyard in hopes of finding some wiggly bug. They are few and far between this time of year. They spend most of their time huddled under the deck in hopes we will throw them some fresh spinach or leftover broccoli.
Their coop is large and comfortable with a nice carpet of fresh hay. They have a big bin full of oyster shell. Their feeder is full of organic hen scratch and they have fresh water. Still...they refuse to stay inside. They are always on the look out for some tasty morsel and some sign of spring.
Every year in January they make some sort of statement. They make this statement by refusing to lay eggs. Oh, we get 3 or 4 eggs a week, a weak effort for 11 chickens! Each January we make our way to the grocery store to buy a dozen eggs...sigh...until the girls snap out of this winter stupor...
Last night I decided I needed to help them out of their "seasonal affective disorder". I decided to make them a treat and remind them how much we appreciate them!
Honestly, I'm not really sure they will start laying more eggs...but, I am committed to helping them through the winter blahs.
The last two nights we have roasted acorn squash. A nice inclusion in this weeks winter CSA bag. The first night I gave the hens the seeds and trimmings. Last night there was more than we could eat. I was just going to throw the leftovers out this morning when we opened up the coop. In my own winter boredom I decided to make them a treat instead. I snooped through the fridge and found an almost empty container of almond butter. I decided to blend up the squash remains with the almond butter.

I figured I could clean out the pantry at the same time. I was pretty sure there would be a few more things I could add.

Sure enough! Back behind the bottled tomatoes I found an old bag of quinoa! Ok, I'm going to make a confession here...There may have been a few weevils (should that be plural or not?) roaming around inside! ACKKK...Don't judge...and, the chickens would regard this as an added bonus! A delicacy!
I dumped the bag inside the squash/almond butter mixture...

I also had a bag of "fresh" sunflower seeds. Perfect...I made cute little balls and rolled them in the sunflowers seeds...the chickens really like all this stuff!

I popped them in the fridge to set up nicely. Oh, don't worry... I did warn Hubs they were for the chickens...(It could have been possible he would have wanted to sample one of these...no biggy except for that little weevil issue).

This morning I went out while the girlies were huddled in their usual spot under the deck. Of course when they hear me they scurry out in hopes of good news.

They seemed pretty pumped to be getting some "chicken balls"! Now...for those of you that don't yet have chickens...please don't be alarmed by this little gal in the forefront...Poor dear is molting. I think it bothers us more than it does her. She looks like hell! The first time I saw a molting chicken I was seriously freaked. I always feel bad when they molt in the winter and worry that she must be freezing in her featherless state of being...But, they always survive!

She was totally working me...playing on my sympathies...yeah...of course she got extra!