RAIN MAKES APPLESAUCE

I've been making applesauce this week and was thinking back to a book with the title of today's post.  I remember reading it to a grade one class in Torquay forty-six years ago, and  the comment from Jerry - "What a stupid story!".  I decided to look for it on Amazon, and sure enough, it's still available!  I ordered a used copy and look forward to reading it to the younger grandchildren.  I'll find out if they agree with Jerry.  Thirty-three customer reviews gave it 4.8 out of 5 stars.  It is described as "A clever volume of nonsense verse with a real story cleverly hidden inside."  I guess Jerry was a "no nonsense" boy!

I got a new recipe for apple butter from my niece Mandy.  She's a big fan of Pintrest and found it there.  She has made it and given away jars of it as gifts to teachers at the end of the school year so it's a tried and true recipe.  The beauty of it is that you don't need to peel, or even core the apples - just chop them up and blend in the Vitamix with 1/2 cup of apple juice.  Sugar and spices are added and the crockpot finishes the job in a few hours.  Then you can freeze or can it.  I have two crockpots simmering away and I'll be canning the finished product later today.  Here's the recipe if  you have extra apples too. She modified it a bit and so did I but here's the original. http://www.scatteredthoughtsofacraftymom.com/2011/09/homemade-apple-butter.html?m=1

The finished product

I was glad to see Clare back at the farm yesterday as the grass was getting long and the lawnmower that I use was wedged in beside a grain truck (that wouldn't start!) in the quonset. I wasn't going to learn to run the other lawnmower but it looks like I better get some training!  

Watering garden and flowers is on the agenda today with summer weather arriving this week.  Picking apples is almost a daily task too.  I'm looking forward to the grandkids coming this weekend.  The three boys can climb the ladder to pick the apples that are out of my reach.  We'll be making use of those apples this weekend.  I'll make apple pies to have for dessert on Friday.  Breakfast on Sunday morning will be "Baked Cinnamon Apple French Toast", a recipe that came from my stay at Susie and Ray's.  It's a keeper!

This morning I ordered some fabric online from "The Quilted Hen" at Carter, Montana, to use on my "Posies in the Park" quilt.  It's a bit risky ordering online and not seeing the actual fabric but I'll take a chance.  If it's not what I want, it can go on a LWR quilt that we make up at Trinity. Besides, it was on sale and fabric never goes to waste!  It's kind of like having money in the bank to have a good supply of fabric on hand!!

Clare sent me a picture the other day, via Jason Sanford, of a truck that once belonged to my Grandpa Albert (A.B.) Erickson.  A former neighbour, now retired near Maple Creek, has been busy restoring it.  The young fellow at the wheel is Blaine Sanford, Sandra's grandson.  He looks very proud "driving" the truck that was owned by his great great grandpa Erickson.

I thought the boys might like to see a picture of the original truck so I dug out the Erickson family album and scanned pictures of the three trucks that Grandpa owned.  I think the 1929 one in the above picture sat at the Erickson farm for many years before Vic rescued it.

1929 International one ton

1927 Chev

1941 Chev
(used to haul water for his garden in town)
that's likely Vern sitting on the hood behind Grandpa with Grandma to the left

Looking at these trucks from years gone by reminds me of a blog that you should take a look at.  It's one that I follow so the list is on the right side of my blog.  Click on Christa's "Second Story Quilting" and check out "A New Twist on Multitasking".  You'll get a kick out of this farm woman who combined new technology with the old and made them work together.


Well, my apple butter has been simmering all afternoon so now it's time for me to put it in jars and get them sealed in my mother's aluminum steam canner.  Have a great weekend and I'll be back to tell you all about our family get together here at the farm.  It sounds like we'll be enjoying some very warm summer weather, good for a swim in the Crosby pool on Saturday afternoon.  Remember the Sunday service at Salem at 10:30 and bring a picnic lunch!