Who We Are



The past few years, the area where I live, Crawford County, Ohio, has seen a wonderful explosion of younger families who are embracing the joys and challenges of living off the land. Because of them, amazing things are happening which have been embraced by our community. Farmer’s markets have been created and on-farm stores have opened. Families dedicated to growing organic produce and naturally raised meats are meeting the public’s needs for locally raised foods. And at the heart of this movement are the women.



Ohio Country Journal is my attempt to share the essence of farm life, focusing on, but not limited to, women. My goal is to bring you into our circle of friendship by inviting you to share your stories and experiences with us. You don’t have to be a full time country woman to benefit from joining us; you just have to be you.





The full-time country women featured in Ohio Country Journal are an inspiration to anyone who dares to follow her dreams, whether it is to live in the country or to bring the country life-style to their urban neighborhoods.





Thursday, September 19, 2013

To Everything There is a Season



And right now, the 'things' in my season are apples and pears. LOTS of apples and pears!


Today I am turning "ugly" fruit into side dishes. I have several baskets of pears and apples that are below quality of what I can sell, but are too good to pitch out for the wildlife to enjoy (as  do the extremely sub-par fruit).

"There are only ten minutes in the life of a pear when it is perfect to eat." - Ralph Waldo Emerson


I have to agree with Mr. Emerson; since pears can go bad very quickly, I chose to work with them first. And, as usual, I did not have any kind of plan in mind, other than knowing that I did not want to can them. Chunky pear/apple sauce came to mind. I changed that mind when I began peeling the pears because I thought that they look rather nice and can hold their own in the taste department.



After washing, peeling, and chopping the pears, I cooked them for a short while. I added a splash of apple cider to get the cooking started. Just before the pears were done I mixed in a tablespoon of mulling spices (which includes sugar). Other options that could work is to leave the pears alone or add a dash of cinnamon with a couple of teaspoons of sugar or honey.



When the pears were cooked, I put them in freezer containers. They are cooling on the counter before heading for the freezer shelves. When snow flies, these pears will be a nice reminder of this glorious autumn. I'll be thankful for the harvest, and as I am lazing about during long winter nights, I'll also be thankful that the harvest season is over.

Marcheta *seasoned
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