Happy Easter

Ava, Easter  2012

Pussy Willows and Grapevine Nests

Do you have childhood memories of pussy willows?

I do.

I don't remember finding them in the wild, or even cutting them. The pussy willows of my childhood days were already cut and ready for crafting.

The buds of male pussy willow branches are called "catkins". As an adult, I appreciate their whitish grey colors because, well, not only is it natural but when I think about it, the same color as most of our barn cats. The name seems appropriate.

In our area, pussy willows are one of the earliest "blooms" for winter-weary eyes to enjoy. But grey? C'mon. The days are still grey enough. And, think about it: the little catkins are shaped like mini-eggs, right?

Since Spring is also Easter Egg Season, we children were given pussy willow branches and colored chalk, and let loose to "pretty up" the kitten-fur soft buds. This craft is simple and old-fashioned, and nearly forgotten by me until yesterday when Jim brought in a huge bouquet of pussy willow stems that he had trimmed from his aunts house. One look at them took me right back to grade-school and colored chalk. :)

When my children were small we lived in town and had a neighbor who introduced us to another old-fashioned Easter tradition. She grew up in a large farm family during the Great Depression. With nine kids to support, her parents did not give them each an Easter basket filled with stuffed toys and candy. They came up with something even better. Their children's  Easter Egg hunts were not limited to finding colored eggs, but by finding the egg nests themselves.

Katie told me that her parents made the nests by twisting up grapevines. The grapevine nests were tucked into nooks and crannies in their yard. Each nest was home to pretty hard-boiled eggs, colored with onion skins.

Katie did not have children of her own. Each year, she fashioned three grapevine nests, tucked them in nooks and crannies of my yard and put an onionskin-colored egg in each one for my children to find. I well remember the first year that she did this; Kerry was our only child at the time. Katie's eyes twinkled as she helped Kerry look for the nest that the Easter Bunny had made for to lay its egg. I don't know who was more delighted when Kerry found it, Kerry or Katie. But I do know this; Katie's thoughtfulness created a warm and lasting childhood memory for my children (and me, too!)

Katie is getting up there in years. She's a widow with no children of her own; her loving niece and nephew are the "new generation" who keep their eye on her. But, they still work, and Katie is alone most of the time.

Today, the day before Easter, I plan to take a small vase of pussy willows to Katie. Maybe we'll color the catkins with chalk to make them look more like tiny Easter eggs.


Marcheta *Wishing everyone a Happy Easter

Peaches Gone Wild

 

Freestone peach varieties are grafted onto hardier peach tree rootstock. A few years ago, we had such a tree freeze at the graft. The next year, branches appeared and we thought everything was going to be alright, but we had another think coming. When the peaches ripened we discovered that they were the original, clingstone type of peaches.

 

Those peaches were very good, but small and, as you can imagine, hard to separate the flesh from the pit.

Believe me.

I know.

 

The best that we could do to eat a fresh one was to gnaw the fruit off the stone. Now, gnawing might help rats to grow new teeth, but it does nothing for human teeth, making those clingstone peaches our most frustrating fruit to eat fresh.

Most of the peaches from the reverted-back-to-its-roots tree ended up as jam because I practically had to butcher them to get the flesh off the stones.

Yep…life was the pits

Jim was thinking of taking the tree down, but decided to dust off an old skill learned during his career as a student at The Ohio State University when he was working on his landscape horticulture degree.

 

I am talking about grafting.

 

 

Basically, grafting is cutting a slit in a limb of a tree and slipping a cutting from another tree into it.

First, Jim cut off all of the rootstock tree's branches except for one.

 

 

The cutting has to be small, with one bud remaining.

The bark of the cutting has to be whittled away to expose the inside.

 

 

 

A slit is made on the tree that the cutting is being grafted to. 

 

 

The cutting is inserted in this slip, green touching green.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tape, such as black electrician’s tape, is wrapped around the cutting to hold it in place.

The last step is to seal the entire cutting and wound with beeswax.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? Only time will tell if Jim’s grafting work takes hold. For fun, he decided to graft a nectarine onto a healthy peach tree, to see if he will have a peach tree with a branch of nectarines. Oh…that Jim…ain’t he a stinker? LOL

Now, here’s what I am thinking when I consider the Plight of the Peachtree; that tree was planted where a plum tree had plum upped and died from some sort of smut disease. Could it be that that particular spot in the orchard is jinxed or ~gasp~ haunted?

*cue Twilight Zone theme song*

 

Marcheta *feelin' peachy

The Brave Little Blossoms

 

 

These tiny snowdrops have been blooming their little hearts out since the end of February. They've withstood snow, rain, sleet, ice, more snow, more snow, and more snow. Yet, they do not despair; they keep on doing their thing, which is to keep me happy when I look at them from my big kitchen window. Their message is of hope and renewal and a promise that Spring will come, putting smiles on the faces of winter-weary people.

 

Other than snowdrops and a few crocus, my part of Ohio does not look or feel very much like Spring. As you can see in the picture of bee supers that I took when we were at Beebe's Bees yesterday, woodsy areas still have the look and feel of winter starkness. No buds on twigs, no green patches, no curious bees venturing outside their cozy homes.

 

 

 

 

 Soon (I hope!) all of that will change. Twigs and trees  and  flowers will bud and bloom; the grass will green. Honeybees will emerge and begin another season of work as the world continues to spin around the sun.

And those snowdrops? Their early blossoming keeps them safe from honeybee intrusion. Maybe they prefer winter's stings?

 

 

Marcheta *Ain't it grand?



A Sweet Enterprise

We used to have an apiary. Jim wanted to expand it and went to an auction in another town held by a person who wanted to get out of the honey business. Unknown to Jim, the bees in that apiary were diseased. It did not take long for that disease to spread to all of our hives. There was only one solution: burn the bees and the supers that they called home.

For several years Jim has wanted to keep bees again and got as far as building new supers to house them, but was too busy to take it further.

Last year we met two honey vendors at the farmers markets we set up at. One is Bill Beebe (what an appropriate name!) a distributor of bee keeping supplies. The other is Bob Nelson, who is married to Sue of the maple syrup stories. Bob and Sue have a creek that runs through their property, which wild bees use as a highway during the spring. Bob successfully captures these swarms.

Now that Jim has local connections, he has become inspired to start up colonies this spring. Today we are traveling to the northern part of the county to buy supplies from Beebe's Bees, owned by Bill and his wife Kathy. We haven't seen them since the end of farmers market season last October. It'll be nice to see them and their operation. 

Oh, this is funny to me. I am listening to sound tracks of old TV shows to get inspiration for another project. Just now, "Star Trek" played. What a great start to a day that will bring a new "Enterprise" to our little farm.  

May the Force be with us!!!

Marcheta *honeybee trekker

P.S. I rather like Pooh's approach to space travel better, though. What do you think? :)

Whistle While You Work

Yesterday we woke up to a few inches of snow which fell overnight. It was a quiet morning, shrouded in white.  Shortly after I was up, a few birds broke the silence with their songs…songs of hope, or praise, or joy, or all of the above- no one really knows. Birds take life as it comes and make the best of it. This is a good lesson for us humans. Other than ski enthusiasts and owners of snow resorts, I imagine most of us grumbled when we saw the snow. And I don’t think that grumbling counts as song *smiles*.

The snow, for me, was a good excuse to continue doing nothing (which was my weekend goal, successfully achieved, I might add).  I got into that mode late Saturday afternoon after a lovely trip to Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area to watch migrant Trumpeter swans. The air felt warm; 42f- and the sky was filled with shades of blue that were almost impossible to believe. Could it be that new shades of blue had been invented, or could it be that a winter full of grey skies had caused me to forget the awesomeness of blue skies?

Clouds swept away those blue pigments in a hurry, by Sunday morning the sky was prepped and ready for snow. I must admit that I like snow, even the early Spring variety. I’ll take it over cold, dreary rain any day. But that taste of spring on Saturday was enough of a teaser to make Monday’s snow harder to appreciate.

As I stood at a window, feeling nice and cozy inside while taking pictures of cardinals, chickadees, woodpeckers, blue jays, and sparrows flitting about looking for food, I changed my attitude. The birds literally “whistled while they worked”.  I realized that if those little feathered creatures could get their jobs done on a cold, snowy day (and in a happy manner) so could I.

I can’t whistle worth a hoot, and even my humming a happy tune is off key, so I opted for listening to favorite songs. Somehow, music and snow seems like a marriage made in heaven. And with the Earth dressed like a cloud and filled with joyful noises, and no pressing work or deadlines looming over me, Monday ended up being a bit like heaven on earth for me. And I owe it all to a lesson learned from birds.

Marcheta *sweet tweets

 

Easter Tradition, Deviled Eggs

Noel is taking "blogging duties" today by sharing a post from her own blog, Apron Free Cooking. Here she waxes nostalgic about her childhood Easter egg hunts and shares her recipe for Deviled Eggs.

My family, like Noel's, loves Deviled Eggs, and we have them at almost every family gathering. "Tried and True" recipes are always comforting, but I also like to try new ways to make old favorites and will use Noel's recipe the next time I make Deviled Eggs. And with several farm families near me that raise chickens, I won't be lacking for a source of eggs :)


Following the Easter tradition of coloring hard boiled eggs and hiding them for children to find, Deviled Eggs are practically a requirement for Easter dinner.

Or, at least that’s the practice in my part of the country. When I was growing up, the Easter Egg hunt was a very big deal. We looked forward to the thrill of the hunt, for the colored hard boiled eggs and the hollow plastic eggs.

My sisters and I always hoped the plastic eggs would have a chocolate candy tucked inside. Unfortunately, the penny was the most commonly inserted item, followed closely by Jelly Beans. And those plastic eggs, with a penny tucked inside, were just not quite the treasure to a kid as the adults might have thought. At least we could use the penny in the gumball machine the next time mom took us to the grocery store.

We were less impressed by the Jelly Beans than the pennies. There are two types of candy eaters in this world, the ones who like Jelly Beans, and the ones who don’t. We fell squarely in the “don’t” camp.

As a result, the Easter Egg hunt that was held at home during those growing up years, was comprised of real, hard boiled and colored Easter Eggs. We liked hard boiled eggs, and I imagine mom figured with five kids, and a dozen eggs each, she had an Easter Sunday Dinner side dish and lunches covered for at least the next week!
In my adult experience, I’ve learned that Deviled Eggs play an important role in potlucks. Any potluck worth it’s weight in food will have at least one offering of Deviled Eggs on the appetizer table. In fact, Deviled Eggs are serious business. Families have secret recipes and it is quite an honor to be the designated Deviled Egg provider at a community potluck.

This recipe is one that evolved to tempt the picky eaters in my family. Have you ever met a child who can’t be tempted by cheese? Cheddar cheese is the secret ingredient in this recipe. You’ll find it’s a nice touch, both for the flavor and the texture.

Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

6 large eggs
2 TB mustard
4 TB mayonnaise
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Dash pepper

Directions:

Place eggs in a small saucepan with enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cover, turn off heat and leave pan with eggs set on warm burner until completely cooled.
Remove eggs from pan, crack and peel shells. Slice hard boiled eggs in half, lengthwise. Remove yolks and place in small bowl. Place whites on serving dish, cup side up.
Using a fork, mash egg yolks and add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Fill each egg white cup with about 1 teaspoon of yolk filling. Divide entire filling evenly among egg cups. Sprinkle pepper over filled eggs.

Make It a Meal: Serve with Easter dinner as a side dish or as an appetizer. Take this dish to your next potluck and challenge the reigning Deviled Egg Master!
Variations: replace cheddar cheese with Mexican blend shredded cheese.
Approximate Nutritional Value: Servings Per Recipe: 6, Amount Per Serving: Calories: 138, Total Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 222mg, Sodium: 225mg, Total Carbs: 2g, Protein: 8g.
Storage: Keeps up to three days in the refrigerator.

To download a Free PDF Copy of this recipe to your computer or for printing, click here.
Are you a Jelly Bean fan or not? Are you disappointed when no deviled eggs are present at an appetizer table?

PS: Don’t forget to share this recipe if you like it using the buttons below and follow ApronFreeCooking using the buttons in the upper right hand side of this page!


Marcheta *"egg"cited about Spring!

Hands to Larger Service~ Sue Rothhaar, Conclusion

It was my cousin’s wife (and dear friend) Alita who told me about Sue Rothhaar. Alita met Sue when she joined the church that Sue had attended since childhood, the Pietist Church in Chatfield, Ohio.  

Like many of the members of the Pietist Church, Alita and Jim donated their time and talents when the congregation renovated a vacant school to become their new church. The school conversion was successful, fulfilling the needs of the growing congregation. It is a lovely building full of modern amenities. But, as mentioned in our last installment, the members missed the beautiful stained glass windows that were a major part of the old church’s architecture. Sue, who is a skilled quilter, came up with a solution that she kept secret until it was ready to unveil.  



The Solution

Sue Rothhaar stands beside one of the two quilted
wall hangings that she made. Her husband, Ken, helped
her draft the pattern from the stained glass windows that
were an integral part of the original church building.   

 

With the help of her husband Ken, who has CAD experience, Sue set out to replicate the windows with fabrics.  Ken used his drafting skills to make a pattern from a portion of one of the old sanctuary’s windows. Sue decided to make two identical wall hangings for a special room of the new church and set out on shopping trips. Her mission; locate and purchase fabric as close to in color and texture as the glass used in the original windows. As you can imagine, this project was a huge undertaking, but Sue’s passion kept her focused as she drew, cut, and stitched her way through it.  Sue’s choice of fabrics, coupled with her precision sewing skills make the wall hangings true works of art. At last, she and Ken were ready to reveal their “secret”.

 

 

The Surprise

Sunday School room at the new Pietist Church with
Sue Rothhaar's quilted wall hangings that replicate the
stained-glass windows from the original church.

Sue fondly says that some of the members of her and Ken’s Sunday school class have been together since childhood, some have attended for many years, and some are new members, but all of them missed the windows.  The “special room” that Sue created the stained glass wall hangings for was for this Sunday school class. Can you imagine the classmates’ surprise when they first laid their eyes on Sue’s handiwork? These people, who share a bond of worshipping together in the old Pietist church, finally had their stained glass windows.

And I am here to tell you that when you sit in one of the chairs in the large Sunday school room, the light from a side window makes the quilted “windows” look real.

 

Sue shows a picture of the round window that she replicated with
fabrics. This artwork hangs in the lounge of the new Pietist Church in Chatfield.

Hands to Larger Service

Making the quilted wall hangings was quite an accomplishment, but Sue is not one to rest on her laurels. With the success of the Sunday school wall hangings behind her, she had an idea for another gift to her church; one that could be enjoyed by everyone.  With a chuckle, Sue says that after she “recovered” from making the big wall hangings, she set out to replicate another window from the old church. Again, with Ken’s drafting skills to help her, she designed and sewed a round wall hanging that featured a dove with an olive branch. The original glass version is the top element of a larger window from the brick church building.  This wall hanging proudly hangs in the front lounge, along with a glass case from the brick church that houses Pietist Church heirlooms and memorabilia.

 

 

 

Many thanks to Alita, who arranged email communication between Sue and I. I contacted Sue and we made arrangements to meet on a (very!) cold day in mid-February at the new church building so that I could interview her and to see her handiwork. The pictures of her quilted stained-glass wall hangings do not do justice to the quality of Sue’s work.

Sue is not apt to stop sewing and designing anytime soon. She continues to bless her church with her art.

The day that I visited the church, Sue showed me a nativity wall hanging she had made. Sue also makes fancy western show shirts for her oldest granddaughter.



Sue Rothhaar displays a recent project, a quilted
nativity wall hanging, made for her church.

What strikes me the most about Sue is that such a talented woman is so down-to-earth. She has a quiet way about her that makes it easy for conversation to flow. Of her accomplishments, Sue humbly says, “I hope my quilts will inspire someone else to try their hand at quilting.”

I am sure that Sue is an inspiration to many. One thing is for sure, the legacy that she has given to the Pietist church will inspire many generations to follow, along with the old bibles and other important church artifacts that are carefully displayed in the glass case that was brought to the new church from the old one.

Marcheta *Inspired

 







Head, Hands, Heart, Health...Sue Rothhaar, Part II

Sue Rothhaar is country raised and bred. She was born in the village of New Washington and graduated from Buckeye Central High School. Sue lovingly describes her home life, “Art and Lola Eckstein had 3 daughters of which I am the oldest. All three of us have acquired Mom’s love of sewing and quilting. First it was sewing for the family and now it is more quilting. Mom has had to give up quilting (at age 93) because her hands shake so much she pricks her fingers. So now she crochets.”

This family’s roots are deeply entwined with the Pietist Church. The quaint brick church stands just outside the village of Chatfield, its steeple and stained-glass windows greeting travelers as they motor north on Rt. 4.


 

A large part of rural upbringing includes joining a 4-H club.  





When Sue became a 4-H member at age 10, she took this pledge:

I pledge my head to clearer thinking,

My heart to greater loyalty,

My hands to larger service, and

My health to better living,

For my club, my community, my country and my world.

For Sue, those are more than just words spoken from rote at the beginning of meetings; they are principles that have remained a vital part of her life.

It was in 4-H that Sue learned to sew. Sue stayed in 4-H until she was 18, acquiring many skills along the way. 

Life by Design

Sue became a designer at an early age. Her mother, Lola, made clothes for the family. Sue says that there was always a wide array of scraps of fabrics to spark the imagination. Sue’s early sewing projects were doll clothes that she fashioned from fabric left-over from her mom’s sewing projects.

After graduation from high school, Sue went to college to become a nurse. Sue remembers making her first quilt while in nursing school. She designed it by tracing animal shapes from coloring books and embroidering them on 8 x10” squares of plain fabric.  This quilt was saved until she married Ken Rothhaar and they had their first child.

Sue says that both her mother and mother-in-law quilted all the time, and that she often joined them in  “family quilting bees” to quilt the tops that they had stitched. By then, Sue was working in a doctor's office. Since most of her sewing time was for her children, her own quilt was a simple one made of sewing together squares of fabrics to use as a throw on the sofa.

When Sue retired from her nursing career, her hands did not stay idle for long; her artistic juices led her to design art quilts.  To date, she’s designed and made six large quilts and six wall hangings. Sue says that she still makes clothes, these days for her grandkids. Those lucky kids have all received quilted grow charts, designed by Sue, of course.

Heart to Greater Loyalty
 

Mural on one of the Sunday school rooms of the school that
the Pietist Church in Chatfield converted to their new church home.

When the Pietist Church outgrew its ancestral building and the congregation decided to purchase the vacant elementary school for their new church home, Sue was among the many talented members who pitched in to offer their services.

After the dust settled and the school had been successfully converted to a church, Sue says “the members were amazed at what God was doing through them for the ministry of the Pietist church”. To make the new building look less like a school and more like their beloved brick building, the volunteer designers used the color scheme of the interior of the old church, and brought over some of the loose furniture.

 

But still….something was missing. 

The windows.  







Sue’s designing mind went to work, and she came up with a solution and a surprise.

 

Tomorrow, read the Solution and the Surprise

Marcheta *keeping you in stitches

Favorite Things: Country Churches

 

Sue Rothhaar, The Prequel

 

 

 

In the beginning....

 

 



Photo by Sue Rothhaar

This lovely gem is the old Pietist Church in Chatfield, Ohio. As you can see, it is a tiny brick structure that is filled with stained-glass windows.  The craftsmanship that went into building this church has withstood over one hundred years of cold winter winds that blow across the open fields that surround it followed by scorching hot days of summer. In its churchyard are headstones of past parishioners; remembrances of loved ones who were baptized, married, and worshipped within the shelter of stained glassed walls.

 

 

Small brick buildings like churches and one-room schoolhouses dot Ohio's countryside and serve as quaint reminders of a time when life was lived on a local scale; before the era of consolidated schools, "big box" stores, and mega churches. Sadly, many of these buildings are neglected after their original purpose is no longer useful. What a shame.

 

Time Marches On

 

But, like everything, a school or church has to grow or it will die. The congregation of the Pietist church had a sudden growth spurt several years ago, so much so that they simply could not fit everyone in their beloved church home. At that time, the winds of change came calling to the local school district. Instead of small, community schools, the school board decided on building a central campus. This left another well-built landmark in Chatfield sitting empty.

 

Did Serendipity step in just at the time when a congregation needed a bigger building and a school district had a school to sell, or was a bigger plan already in motion? Either way, the congregation of the Pietist church bought the former Buckeye Central Elementary School to transform into their new church home. The church still owns and maintains the old building, of which I am truly thankful for because I hate it when I see Ohio's past torn down or left to rot.

 

 

Honoring the Past, Embracing the Future

 

 

Thanks to a new generation of fine craftsmen, the new Pietist Church is a wonderful fit for the needs of modern life. Classrooms that formerly housed students now serve as Sunday school rooms. There are rooms for lounges, offices, kitchen, and the Sanctuary, of course.  When the congregation moved into the newly remodeled building, the only thing missing, and missed greatly by the worshipers, were the stained-glassed windows.

 

 

Removing and re-locating the old windows was out of the question because the congregation wants to preserve their old church and keep it original.

 

How was the quandary solved? By needle and thread . Can you believe it? Tune in tomorrow to read about the talents of Sue Rothhaar and her Big Idea of how to bring architectural elements of the beloved brick church into the new church home.

 

Marcheta *seeing is believing

Full-time Country Woman Profile, Sue Rothhaar, part 1

 

 

 

This picture is of Sue Rothhaar, who lives in the country near the village of Chatfield, Ohio. Why is she standing in front of a stained-glass window?

 

I am on a tight schedule today and don't have time to reveal the answer, as it is my mother's birthday and I'll be spending part of the day with her along with my regular "work".  So, stay tuned to this blog to read Sue's story beginning tomorrow, because you will not believe your eyes when you see what she created.

 

*hint* we are still celebrating National Quilt Month.

 

 Her story of love and devotion is an inspiration to us all! I guarantee it will touch your hearts.

 

 

Marcheta *amazed

 

 

 

Apple Quest

Orchard work is more than going out and picking fruit when it has magically ripen. It is a journey that has many adventures along the way, from late winter-pruning, spring blossoming, summer mowing, a few sprays here and there, and...finally...wonderful, delicious fruit. Of all farm-related work, I cannot think of any that I'd rather be doing :)

This week, Jim is taking the first steps on that journey by giving each tree a major "haircut". Last year at this time, our apple trees were budding out. This year, Jim has to bundle up in his warmest overalls when he goes out to prune the trees. Go figure.

Actually, this time of year cold weather is better than warm temps that come too early because usually a cold snap will follow and kill the young buds. For some reason, last season a freeze did not affect our  budded trees and we had a bumper crop, when most orchards had very little, if any, harvest.



Today, the Spring Equinox, I have a pork roast, from Rus-Men Naturally Raised Meats in the slow cooker. My plan is serve it with mashed potatoes and the sauerkraut left over from Monday's Reuben sandwiches. I don't want to heat up the oven, so what better dessert to go with this meal than easy, microwaved baked apples?

Oh, wow! The sun, which has been fighting clouds for several days and is demanding equal time in the sky just won a battle. The sky has blue patches and the clouds are white and fluffy.

Marcheta *Energized

Microwave Baked Apples

1. Core 2 apples, leaving the bottom intact.
2. In a bowl, mix 2 T. brown sugar, 1 t. cinnamon and 1 t. nutmeg. Spoon the sugar mixture into the apples and set a teaspoon (or more to your taste) of butter on top of each apple. Place the apples in a deep casserole dish and cover.
3. Microwave for 3 1/2 to 4 minutes or until tender. Let the apples sit for a couple minutes before serving.

Note:  Golden Delicious, Ida Red and Jonathan are apple varieties that we grow that I like for baking. For more info on what apples are good for baking, check out this article at Midwest Living's website.

 

Waxing Sentimental on a Cold Late-Winter's Day

It starts with an idea. Needles and threads and fabrics are gathered. Scissors are employed. Help is enlisted. Much love is included. The result spans generations. I'm talking about heirloom sewing. I used to limit my thinking of heirloom sewing as being special garments, such as christening gowns, bridal gowns, conformation dresses, and the like. Garments such as these are worn once in a generation and carefully packed away, waiting for another wedding, another baby, another commitment to follow the teachings of God. The seamstresses who made the garments probably knew that their handiwork would be passed down and painstakingly made sure that every stitch was perfect.


Star quilt made by Gladys Clark and her mother,
Anna Drake, in 1975, Galion, Ohio

The thing is, usually when a person sets out to stitch a quilt, the thought is for immediate comfort. Whether or not the quilter is a perfectionist, the quilt is either used in the home or sent to its intended recipient. It gets washed, sometimes a lot. It gets faded. Eventually the quilt gets put away, maybe to be discovered by another generation, maybe not. I imagine that there are millions of treasure chests full of such quilts, quietly biding time with wool WWII army blankets and other has-been household linens (like embroidered pillow cases).

Gladys Clark had a different experience. Gladys already had quilts that were used for everyday when she had the idea to make a "pretty quilt to save for company". She enlisted the help of her mother, Anna Drake, who was an experienced quilter.


After 38 years of  mostly being stored in a chest, their quilt still looks like new. Gladys knew that the love that she and her mom put into that quilt needed to be kept alive, so she gifted it to her niece, with instructions to use the quilt, to enjoy it, to remember that her aunt and grandmother made it.

When Gladys saw her quilt again, it brought back many memories of making it. She says that she can tell by looking at each block which ones were quilted by her mother's fine hand and which ones were quilted by her own, less experienced hands.


Gladys writes: "Here is the quilt I sent to my niece in NY. My Mom made the blocks & she & I hand quilted it in 1975. Mom had not quilted in many years, but when I ask her to teach me, she was more than willing. But-----we didn't have quilting frames. My Mom would tackle anything, so she told Ray she would tell him how to make them. Off to Gledhill Lumber he went to get the materials. We made several quilts using those frames & I still have them."


By phone, Gladys reports that her niece was thrilled with the package, and immediately put the quilt on one of the beds in her restored Victorian home.  Stitched in Ohio by women who were originally from West Virginia and now gracing a bedroom in New York, Gladys' quilt has touched the hearts of three generations of women and is a true "time machine"...a true heirloom.


Marcheta *keeping sweet memories alive

Maple Inspired Snack and Sew

Winter is not going away in a graceful manner this year. I can't really blame it for wanting to hang onto its life, after all, that's what the world is all about. The foods we prepare at home helps to cope with the wet, cold weather, making our "nests" cozy and comfortable. Most maple syrup producers are wrapping up their seasons, and deserve a good long rest. Now that we've got plenty of fresh syrup, it's time to celebrate in our kitchens!

Maple syrup isn't just for pouring over hotcakes or waffles (even though it takes those foods to a much higher level!). Today Sue Nelson is our guest blogger, sharing some of her favorite recipes made with pur Ohio maple syrup.

Sue gave me a bag of her homemade maple popcorn. Jim was crazy for it, saying it was the better than any of the maple popcorn he'd bought at the festivals we had attended.  

 

 

 

Sue writes: These along with the maple fried apples (shared in the story about Nelsonstrail)  are some of our favorite items made with pure maple syrup!

 

Enjoy!

Sue

 

Thanks, Sue, for sharing these tasty recipes with us!

Appropriately, today's quilt block honoring National Quilt Month is the Maple Leaf. You can find the instructions  from About.com here.

 

Marcheta *umm, umm, umm, umm, YUM!

 

P.S. Correction on the Nelson's phone number: it is (740) 360- 6967

 

 

Maple Coated Nuts

by Sue Nelson

1 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons water

3 cups toasted nuts

Mix together syrup, butter and water and boil until it reaches 275 degrees F. When syrup is ready stir in the 3 cups nuts until well coated - cashews or pecans are great! Spread on non-stick tray or waxed paper to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Maple Baked Beans

by Sue Nelson

2 28 oz. cans prepared baked beans (Bushes Country Style are great)

1/3 cup ketchup

1/3 cup maple syrup

Drain as much liquid as possible from the canned beans, then add ketchup and maple syrup to them in a slow cooker. Cook on low for around 4 hours with the lid cracked open so moisture can escape and beans thicken to your taste, stirring occasionally. Also great with smoked sausage, cooked onion and celery added - makes a meal!

Maple syrup and ketchup are really to taste - you may prefer to add more of one or the other.

 

 

Maple Syrup Marshmallows

By Mary Lou Fike of Ashland, Ohio

Boil to 240 degrees 1 cup maple syrup and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Soak 1 tablespoon gelatin and 1/3 cup cold water.

Mix together, transfer to large mixing bowl and beat 12 to 15 minutes.

Drop by teaspoon onto pan dusted with confection powdered sugar.

Make sure to cover top with confection powdered sugar.

Sue Nelson adds:

I make a triple batch and spread it in a 9 by 13 pan that has been sprayed with none stick spray and well coated with confection powdered sugar. Coat top of marshmallow well with confection powered sugar and let set up well - even overnight. Dump out onto wax paper and cut with a pizza cutter that is well coated with confection powdered sugar and cut the marshmallow to size. Cover all edges of marshmallows with confection powered sugar.

Store in an air-tight container.

Super toasted!

Maple Popcorn

by Janet Motter of Shiloh, Ohio

2/3 cup unpopped corn

3 tablespoons water

1 1/3 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon butter

Pop corn - making sure to remove all unpopped kernels. Mix together syrup, water and butter in pot. Boil until it reaches 275 degrees F. When syrup is ready pour over popcorn and stir until well coated and spread on non-stick tray or wax paper to cool. Store in an airtight container. Just like carmel corn, but better!