Howl-o-we'en

Another Wicked Wind of the West is howling through the state today. 

How wicked is it?

Wicked enough for communities to re-schedule trick-or-treat.

Now, canceling Halloween and messin' with masked marvels and their quest for candy is about as wicked as it comes.

Well,  not really. I forgot about tornadoes (which may or may not stir up trouble today).

And hurricanes.

Blowing people's houses away is definitely more wicked than re-scheduling sugar rushes.

We were out just before the wind kicked up to high gear, delivering a tree. Their was a lot of color being tossed about as the brave trees lose their battles fast moving air. It felt pretty exciting to be surrounded by so much energy. But my revved-up energy did not last long. One look at all the work that I need to do to be prepared for tomorrow's NaNoWriMo start date melted my brain cells.

Wherever you are on this Halloween, my wish for you is that you are safe and happy.

Marcheta *nap  time

Is I Is, or Is I Ain't (Gonna be a WriMo)?

That is the question that has been burning in my brain the past few days. A Series of Unfortunate Events has put me way behind on my preparations for NaNoWriMo. As I slowly get caught up and organized, I am wondering if I really want to voluntarily put more stress in my life. Today, two days before NaNo begins, I don't have the answer to that question, and that alone is stressing me to a point.




NaNoWriMo is intense, to say the least. I figure at the rate I write fiction, I will need to devote 4 hours every day, including weekends, to be successful at ending up with 50,000 words by November's end.  Lately I haven't had the time or energy to spend 30 minutes or less writing this blog...so naturally I am having serious doubts about the whole deal.

So, here's what I am trying to convince myself: it will be OK if I fail. If I at least start, well...it's a start. If I don't start, if I don't go to the weekly write-ins, I'll have nothing but regret and probably guilt for being such a slacker, which in turn stress me. So I am going to be facing stress no matter which road I choose. Silly, huh? But that is the way that I roll.

As it stands now, I am signed in to my NaNo account. I plan to attend the kick off party at the library on Nov. 1 (this Friday already!). I'll do my best. And if I don't have my work finished by the end of the month, I'll have a good start on a worth-while winter project.

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch....

To make November run as smoothly as I can, I've been busy stocking up on food and stuffing the freezer with a lot of prep work (such as browned hamburger/onion for quick fix meals). Today I plan to set up a designated  work area. I've also been exploring the capabilities of my Galaxy Tab, and in doing so realized that I can open a Word document, click on the microphone icon and the software types what I speak. Some of the text is funky, but easily fixed.

I found that I don't like to write using that method, it is easier to type on a keyboard or write longhand in a notebook because I can delete or cross out junk, or cut and paste the junk to places where it isn't exactly junk any longer. Where the tab will be a help is in typing up notes that I scribble in notebooks by simple dictation. Sort of like having a real-live Steno assistant. The only problem that I have so far is understanding how to save the Word file to the micro-SD card that is in the tablet so that I can transfer the info to my NaNo folder on the PC. It's a learning experience, but a good one.

The next project will be to find pics that resemble my characters and pin them on a bulletin board near my work space.

Even though I am making progress, I feel like a salmon swimming upstream, as I am sure most other WriMo's are feeling, too. The cards seem to stack up against us. But, well, who knows what we will spawn? I just don't want to die after my 'baby' is born!

Marcheta *alive and kicking

Wicked Wind of the West

Talk about being blown away!

Today was the last farmers market for this season. Because Ava spent the night, Jim manned the market alone. We gals showed up around 10 to do our shopping. 

This is the first year that we did not have a good garden, so I was at the market to stock up on butternut squash and bell peppers to stuff and freeze and also pepper jelly and pepper "butter" (really mustard), and to purchase yummy baked goods one last time until the markets start up again in May. It was sad to say "see you in the spring" to our fellow vendors.

All I can say is that my hat is off (literally!) to the vendors, like Jim, who braved the cold and wind this morning. Ava and I shivered our way down the stands, even though we were bundled up. But not bundled enough because of the wind.

Back home, I put a small turkey in the oven and did some busy work. The sounds of the wind swirling through the woods was comforting, making me feel happy that I was inside a warm house.

I ventured out around 3 and was slapped in the face with a blast of wind before I could step off the porch.  I had not realized how much the wind had picked up, and to my surprise a large trash can was in the drive. I went out to put it away and my breath was blown away. The wind chimes, which normally tinkle out a pixie dust serenade, were blasting a full symphonic overture. There was a lot of energy kicking about in that blizzard quality wind, the cold pierced through my coat and sweater and headed straight to my bones. OK...it did not take any more convincing for me to head inside and take refuge on my sofa and snuggy blanket.

The aroma of the roasting bird, mingled with pumpkin spice scented candles, along with the howling wind and manic wind chime melange were more than enough to put me in a deep zoned out state, one that I've needed to be in all week. So I guess it is all good.

As Dorothy so wisely said, "There's no place like home". And, hey! She oughta know!

Marcheta *"Toto"ly glad to be home

Fields of Soy

At first glance at this picture, you may wonder if some sort of hairy bug was on the plant. 

Not so. It is the essence of the plant itself. What we have here is a ripe soybean pod. 

These ripe pods hold a ton of uses: from soybean oil to feed to candlewax. Who knows if or what other secretes soybean plants might be discovered? 

Earlier I posted a picture of a soybean field as it was just beginning to turn from green to gold. At harvest, as you can see, the plants are a deep brown. The ones in the pic are pretty because of the way the light is hitting them. As I drive by yet unharvested soybean fields now, they look pretty forlorn, telling me that summer has dried on the vine, and that the colors of mid-Autumn are soon to become dearly departed. 

If you want to learn more about the history and uses of soybeans, the amount of websites pro and con about soy is mind-boggling, to say the least, so I'll leave it up to you to do your own searching.

 

Marcheta *bean there, done that

Gold at the End of the Rainbow

I am freshly home from a wonderful journey to Wisconsin's North Woods. Along the drive from my friend's home in Milwaukee, we came across this rainbow (actually, a double rainbow!). I think it is appropriate that there is gold at the rainbow's end, don't you?

I was surprised that even "Up North" the colors are still in the stages of turning. I am glad that I did not miss them, as they are spectacular. Well, duh! I found the whole area to be simply amazing. Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox knew a good place when they saw one, that's for sure!

I was also hoping that I would not miss the 'peak' season here at home. Again, I am not disappointed, the fall colors are hanging on. How long remains to be seen, as today has been rather flaky (as in occasional snow flakes).

....and now to wax sentimental.....

Sweet October, please don't be in a hurry to become history. You are my favorite month, and if I could stretch your glory days to last until Christmas, I surely would. Then it would be "adios, mi amigo", as Christmas means Winter Snow.

Although taken out of state, I feel that this picture is appropriate for OCJ because the portraits of country life, country folk, and country foods described by Edward Harris Heth in his book, Wisconsin Country Cookbook and Journal, is the inspiration for this blog.

Marcheta *its got me, Babe

October in Ohio

Ohio has a large Amish and Mennonite population. Their traditional methods of farming gives our state beautifully nostalgic scenes like this one. 

After a hectic time, I like to take country drives to be reminded that life rushes by fast enough all on its own, so I may as well take the slow lane and enjoy each day to its fullest.

Marcheta *taking the scenic route

Whole Wheat

I photographed this nostalgic scene at a harvest festival. As you can see, separating the wheat kernels from the straw is quite an undertaking and requires a crew of hard-working men and women.

The wheat is brought to the thresher on a wagon. Using pitchforks, workers feed the wheat into the machine which separates the kernels from the straw.

The grain goes to a shoot that has a collection bag at the end. The worker at this station must be ready to change bags fast or risk losing part of the hard-earned grain. The straw goes to a baler and the chaff is blown out of another shoot.

Here's one thing that I know for sure: I would never had made it as a crew member at threshing time! I'd be toast within an hour of such hard work.

Marcheta *toasted

Cut to the Chaff

 

This blizzard was caused by an old-fashioned wheat thresher. The wheat kernels are removed and go into a shoot that empties into bags, and the straw goes 'hay wire'.

Oh, I know, I know...a sad excuse for a pun.

Tomorrow's pic shows the whole operation.

Can you imagine working all day with bits of straw flying about?

Something to think about the next time you bite into  delicious bread.  :)

Marcheta *blown away

Variations on a Theme: "Pretty in Pink" Applesauce

When we left our heroine, she had goofed up a tried-and-true recipe for cinnamon apple rings by substituting apple cider for water and sugar. Sure, the cider gave the apple rings a deeper flavor, but the desired red color went missing.

Plus, after putting the apple rings in a refrigerator container, she had about half of the cider/cinnamon red-hot candy mixture left. 

Can't let good spiced cider go to waste now, can we?

What to do?

Why, make pink apple sauce, of course!

For this project, Golden Delicious apples were rescued from the cider bins, peeled and chopped into chunks, and cooked in the leftover cider. Because these apples are good for sauce, and also because they were on the other side of being ripe, not much else needed to be done...the apples cooked down into a lovely chunky applesauce. 

But the sauce wasn't very pink. This was easily fixed by adding candy until the mixture colored up. A taste test met approval: no sugar was needed to offset the extra candy because cooking the apples brought out more of their own sugar.

Easy-peasy!

Marcheta *takin' the easy way

Cinnamon Red-hot Apple Rings

The last apple variety in our orchard to ripen is what we think is an Arkansas Black. The orchard was here when we bought the place and it has been an adventure to identify some of the apples.

The apples are beautiful for fall and winter decorations as they are extremely dark red (as you can see in the picture below.

The skin is thick and the apple is dense. The ones in our orchard have a spicy tart taste. Most people prefer to use these for cooking/baking only, but I like to eat them raw or chopped up in salads.

Because I know that the apple won't break down when cooked, I chose it for making cinnamon apple rings. The recipe, which remember from years ago, used cinnamon red hot candy, water, and sugar to give the apple rings a nice red color as well as a sharp cinnamon flavor. 

I decided to make up a new recipe by using apple cider instead of water and sugar.

I used about two tablespoons of candy to two cups of cider. This works well for flavor, but the apples did not turn very red, probably because cider is dark. Next time, I'll go back to water/sugar.

After coring and peeling the apples, I melted the candy in a deep frying pan over low heat. This needs to be stirred a lot because the candy has a habit of sinking to the bottom and sticking to the pan.

When the candy was melted, I turned up the heat and added the apple rings. It took somewhere between 10 and 15 minutes for the apples to cook (I wasn't watching the clock because I was busy peeling apples for sauce...another story for another day). 

Here is the finished product. Tasty but not "showy". Oh, well, live and learn!

Marcheta *living and learning

High Voltage Pies

This sign was at a harvest festival we attended in Centerburg, Ohio in September. I got a kick from the fact that the sign was placed beside a "high voltage" warning. :)

Marcheta *electified

Home Dried Parsley

Here is how the parsley turned out that was dried in the food dehydrator. Yes, these very green leaves are fully dried. Don't they look much better than the dried parsley flakes that we buy commercially? Of course they do! 

I found that removing the leaves from the stems pays off in the long run. The ones that were left on the stems were only about half-way dried when these were done. 

I removed the leaves from the stems by simply running my fingers down the stems. This is much easier than removing the leaves when the stems are freshly picked.

So...what is the lesson learned?

For the best results with less work, start drying the parsley on the stems and a few hours later when the stems are partially dry, remove the leaves from the stems to finish them off. 

Win/Win, I'd say!

Marcheta *learning by doing

Drying Herbs

Today I gave the parsley a "hair cut". I brought the clipped herbs inside to dry for winter use.

There are many ways to dry, and even freeze, herbs. All are very easy, so there is no reason to let the plants go to waste after their growing time ends.

The easiest way is to simply put them in bundles and secure with  strings or rubber bands, then hang the bundles in a cool dark space if you have one. If you don't have a dark space, then cover with a paper bag (which also helps to keep them clean).

Judging by the amount of cobwebs in my house, I decided against hanging and dug out the food dehydrator. I set it on low, and will turn it off tonight because I am not sure how long it will take for the parsley to dry. If the parsley hasn't dried enough, then I will turn the dehydrator back on tomorrow morning and keep an eye on it. It should not take too long because the herb is not a dense plant. Drying time all depends on how much moisture is in the plant. 

The pictures show two ways that I approached drying. The first was to pull the flat heads off to make parsley flakes. That was pretty time consuming. The next two racks got the full sprigs; I am thinking that maybe after the sprigs have dried I can crumble them off the stems. 

This, my friends, is called an 'experiment'....(another way of excusing my laziness, LOL).

Another way to dry herbs is to spread them on flat sheets (like cookie sheets or jelly roll pans) and put them in a warm oven. Keep the oven door ajar to let air circulate. 

Next up: basil. I already put a batch in the freezer last month, as freezing is the best way to preserve it. Now is the time to finish off the plants, as they are about done with their life cycle. I may keep a small amount and bring in the house just to see how much longer they will live. Another experiment! But that is  how we learn, eh?

Marcheta *putting on her Mad Scientist Hat

Apple Butter Festival

 

Yesterday we went to the Apple Butter Festival at the Lutheran Memorial Camp in Fulton, Ohio.

LMC was also the place where we went to the Maple Syrup Festival last March. 

These folks are busy, to say the least! 

I liked the welcome sign posted on trees as we walked to the festival area.

The camp is a perfect place for both festivals. The wooded area has a rustically beautiful main lodge where musicians hang out, making joyful noises for everyone to enjoy.

There was horse-drawn wagon rides, a children's craft/play area, auction, arts and crafts, farmers market, and of course, food.

People could watch (and purchase) apple cider being made in a small, man-powered cider mill. Cider does not come any fresher!

Making apple butter the old-fashioned way is a long process. Apples are washed and chopped and added to apple cider in a large copper kettle which is suspended over a wood fire. The mix has to be constantly stirred to prevent sticking and scorching, which would ruin the whole batch. 

It takes a LONG time for the apples and cider to reduce to apple butter consistency. Someone must always keep the fire stoked. Naturally, making apple butter is a group project, as both the stirrer and the poker get tired (and hot!) mighty fast.

Near the end, spices such as cinnamon and cloves are added. 

The end product is well worth the effort. 

These days, many people make homemade apple butter in the oven or slow cooker. I am so lazy that I simply make applesauce, cook it down a bit more, add the spices and call it "apple butter".

Hey, whatever works, eh? :)

Marcheta *lazy and proud of it

Losing Their Heads ~or~ Adventures in Seed Saving

Last spring I purchased a flat of marigolds at NorthSide Farmers Market to add some color to the low beds that mark the beginning of the sidewalk to the house. This bed already has peonies and Stella D'ora dalylilies. Much to my surprise, these marigolds turned into giants and completely hid (but did not kill) the perennials.

Although they were a bit misplaced where I planted them, the thing is that I really like them. I think that next year this type will look fantastic blooming at the barn and I set out to save the seeds.

Seed saving, for the most part, is not difficult. I rate marigolds as "super easy" on the SSDR (Seed Saving Difficulty Rating) meter. Another benefit is that marigolds are probably the easiest flower to start from seed indoors. A win/win situation if I ever saw one!

The picture also shows that the marigolds are dropping their petals and that the seeds in the pods have started to drop. Now is a perfect time to declare "Off with their heads!" and collect the seeds.

For this process, I used pruning shears to clip off the dried seed pod and put them in an enamelware pan.  I relaxed on the porch and pulled the seeds out of the pods. I left the seeds in the pan for a few days to make sure that they are really dry. Another way would be to lay them out on a fine mesh screen, but really, how many of us have such a thing handy?

The seeds can now be put in envelopes and marked or, the lazy way that I do it, put in a glass jar. Even though I know that these are marigold seeds, you betcha that I'll label them as:

****Ginormously Giant Marigolds, 

plant with caution****

 :)

A few days after I collected the seeds, I bought the latest edition of Mother Earth Living magazine. It has a beneficial article on seed saving and another great article on drying/freezing herbs (my next project). 

If you want to save seeds, I recommend this article. You can also find tips online if you do a web search. So...why not save some money by saving the seeds of your favorite flowers?

Marcheta *frugal gardener

Color Me Beautiful

It is another clear blue-sky day that sets off October's glory like no other. The colors have been changing little-by-little since the end of September. They are nearly ready to burst into full spectrum. 

Today is a wonderful day for me because I am going to traverse Ohio countryside at will...no particular route in mind...simply to see what I will see.  

What will you notice today?

Marcheta *color me happy

Just Passin' Through...Fall Migration

 

 

As often as possible (almost daily) I like to begin and end daylight hours with a trip with my camera to my favorite local nature spot, the twin reservoirs Amann/Amick just south of Galion in Morrow County.

This past week an Osprey has kept me entertained. Ospreys are not a common sight, and to have one hanging around has many people all a-flutter. I may not get the best pictures of it (after all, these raptors move !!!FAST!!!), but watching it cruise along, taking a high road, then bomb-diving for it's meal revs up my energy, too. 

Usually I arrive near the end of its fishing expedition (if I see it at all) and have no hope for any sort of decent picture because it stays too far from shore.

This morning I was lucky. I went to Amick first. What I first saw gave me hope, for just inside the parking lot, three pickup trucks were clustered together. Each driver was standing outside his truck, and one had binoculars pointed skyward. 

Instantly, ***I KNEW IT***

I knew that the men were watching something big and wonderful. It had to be the Osprey or the equally magnificent Bald Eagle that has been fishing there daily, too. I took my eyes off of them as I slowed to enter the parking lot and looked at the sky over the water, and there it was. With a slight tilt of extended wings and moving full speed ahead, the Osprey rounded the far shore and made a bee-line towards us lowly humans.

 

I forgot all about the sandwich I had brought for an al-fresco breakfast picnic and parked the car near the boat ramp so that I could run up and down the muddy, rocky shore if needed. The engine barely had time to shut down as I grabbed my camera, which I've learned to keep loaded, turned on, and ready to fire for these types of photo emergencies . I don't think I've ever exited a car as fast as I did today :)

I could not believe my luck as I took steady aim as I could muster and began to pan in sync with this magnificent bird. I stayed right with him, vicariously and enviously enjoying the freedom of flight.

 And the best part? Mr. Osprey came *almost* in my 300mm camera lens range, the closest that I've been able to get so far. And the better part? It circled around several times, giving me more than one photo op. Not quite the "I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille"...but, hey, I'm still a happy photography camper today!

 

I'm telling you, the res is where it's at for nature lovers as well as fishermen and the picnic crowd. And it is going to get better. Although not on a high migration trail, we do get variety of weary travelers looking to dine and rest on the waters. Two years ago I got a nice picture of a horned grebe, for instance.

Now is the time to look for migrating waterfowl. This online article on Crane Creek-Magee Marsh Birding by world renown birding expert (and fellow Ohioan) Kenn Kaufmann explains what to look for this fall; month by month. Seeking these visitors is a rewarding way to spend a beautiful autumn day, like today. I cannot think of a better way to spend a country drive than to head out to marshes and nature areas looking for birds of a different feather. Can you?

A few nature place to try in Crawford and surrounding counties are: Garlo Nature Preserve (Seneca County), Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area (Wyandot County) and Big Island Wildlife Area (Marion County).

Marcheta *happy hunter

NaNoWriMo

Are you wondering that maybe I went off the deep end and that I think  I am communicating with Mork from Ork?

That's ok if you do.



But, really, I am not.



Then, what the?



NaNoWriMo is acronym for National Novel Writing Month.


It happens every November. Beginning on November 1 and closing on November 30, people who sign up for NaNoWriMo dedicate themselves to writing a 50,000 word novel.

Yep.

In one month.

To be a part of NaNoWriMo, you set up an account on their website. Daily you upload your words and NaNo keeps track of them for you. The website also helps you to find support groups in your area.

A good example of NaNoWriMo success is the novel Water for Elephants, that became a movie. Can you imagine? I am blown away by this fact.



Inspired by friends who have achieved the NaNo goal, last year I thought, hey, why not? and signed up.


Even though I attended "write ins" at Galion Public Library, I was not able to stay focused on my work. The main reason was that I did not understand how to organize writing a book. Most of my NaNo time was spent working on character descriptions and, well, a story line to make the book interesting.

So this year, with last year's experience as motivation, I asked the library to schedule a "pre na-no" workshop to help people like me. Rachel, my wonderful editor at the Galion Inquirer, has agreed to lead these workshops.

Will I be successful this year? Only time will tell. To tell you the truth, part of the goal of starting this blog last January was to train myself to be dedicated to writing daily. Until the last few weeks, I feel satisfied with myself. I wrote even on days that were full and I was tired,  and, more impressive to me, making sure that I had blog posts scheduled to publish while I was on vacation. Adding setting up at art shows and cider time to my schedule messed up my good record, and I reverted back to "writing in my head", because even on days when I did not post here, I had words that I wanted to share. I told myself that I was "too tired" to blog, but in reality, I was just facing burn out.

Knowing these things, I am determined to keep November's slate as clean as possible. Sure, it does not take all day to physically write 1,666 words. What gets in the way is too many things that need attention and fracture my focus.

Orchard season will be over. Evergreen Season does not start until the end of November. Can I treat NaNoWriMo as my new 'job' and see it to completion?

All I know is that I am going to give it my best shot.

Marcheta *deadeye

100 (and still counting!)....

There's been a steady march of apple varieties this year for us; from the very early Yellow Transparent, Lodi, and Wealthy to summer favorites Ida Red, Jonathan, Cortland, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious; and now early autumn's tasty Grimes Golden, Rome Beauty, and Winesap.  

My guesstimate is that we've picked at least 100 bushels of apples so far this season. This is apples alone...we also had peaches, plums, and tons of pears.

Folks, that is a LOT of fruit. I have to look at each one and decide its fate. Thank goodness, the season is winding down, and with it the farmers markets will end.  I will miss my fellow vendors and the wonderful foods that they produce, but not loading and unloading the truck and setting up and taking down the EZ Up... enough is enough, already! 

Up next: fall clean up of gardens  and gearing up for Evergreen Season. We make fresh mixed-green wreaths and other greens, such as swags and grave blankets, as well as being one of the few places for fresh-cut and balled and burlaped (live) Christmas trees.This means gathering and wiring pine cones, making bows, cutting greens; cheerful Holly,  long needled White and stout Scotch Pines, fragrant Fraser Firs and Junipers, and lacy Arborvitae. But that is not for a while yet. In the meantime, I have a nice repose from farm work. 

Such is the way of life in farm country. We may not live by the tides, as fishermen do, but we certainly live by the seasons. It feels natural to me, and even on days when I am unmotivated or feeling blue, I am thankful that I have choices and options.What's on my mind to fill the nice chunk of time between now and December's flurry of work? Stay tuned...it is something that you may want to do, too :)

Marcheta *turn, turn, turn

Homemade Chuncky Applesauce

I've never canned applesauce because it does very well in the freezer, and if there is a lazy way to preserve food, I'll choose it every time! :) 

What is great about freezing applesauce is that the process of making it does not require a big commitment of time; you can do up small batches as you get the time.

For instance, I have Jonathan apples that need to be used up or go in with the cider apples, so planned to make fried apples for lunch. When I started peeling the apples, I decided to go ahead and work up the half-peck basket that I had brought into the kitchen with a new plan to put a container of chunky sauce in the freezer.

For this method, I peeled and quartered the apples. I put them in a deep stainless steel fry pan with a small amount of water to prevent the apples from sticking to the bottom of the pan. I set the pan on low heat to get the apples started; when the natural juices began to cook out of the apples, I turned the heat up a little bit.While I was making the rest of the lunch, I moseyed over to the stove every now and again to stir the apples. By the time lunch was ready, the whole batch of apples were cooked.

Because these Jonathans were a bit old and not kept in cold storage, some of them cooked down to a nice sauce consistency, so I forgot all about fried apples and took a potato masher to the whole pan. A taste test resulted in some serious **YUM**. To take the sauce to a higher level, all I need to do was mix in about two teaspoons of real can sugar into the entire batch. 

This yielded one quart for the freezer, the rest I divided between our lunch plates. 

See how quick and easy that was? 

More than often, I make applesauce a different way: forgoing the peeling. This involves running the apples through a sieve, so when I make sauce that way I do dedicate a few hours to the process. But still, I freeze my tasty results! 

Marcheta *hitting the sauce