FROSTY MORNINGS-OCTOBERFEST-GARDEN DELIGHTS-DRYING HOT PEPPERS AND HERBS.

GREETINGS

The hot and humidity has cleared out and now we are hit with almost frosty temps.  That is New England for you.  We  finally got some longed for rain. And now a stretch of  wonderful weather. 

OCTOBERFEST

 

The Brick Meeting House is active again..  Come join us for lots of local crafts, food and a good time in Colrain.  Next Saturday or rain date is Columbus Day, Monday for a wonderful fair.

GARDEN DELIGHTS

 Sadly none of my pumpkins came up this year but to my surprise one rogue cucumber did come up and is giving me some nice cukes at the end of the season.

 The  leeks did wonderful and I did remember to hill them up occasionally this summer.  Half are in the freezer and I will pull up the rest soon.

DRYING HOT PEPPERS AND HERBS AND RECIPE FOR ARTHRITIS SALVE

 

I bought 10 hot peppers I don’t know what kind they are but after they were in the dehydrator for an hour or so I started coughing and my eyes were tearing up.   Finally after a couple of hours I had to turn it off.  Today I am finishing them .  I am including my recipe for Arthritis Salve which is easy to make and works well.  Please remember when using that this is made from hot peppers …

ARTHRITIS SALVE

 CAUTION PEPPERS CAN CAUSE BURNS WEAR GLOVES AND DON’T TOUCH YOUR EYES OR FACE.  EYE PROTECTION IS RECOMMENDED.

WIDE MOUTH JAR WITH CAP

Hot Peppers  ( they must be dried and sliced )

Olive Oil enough to cover the hot peppers by at least 2 inches

Small amount of Beeswax  It all depends on how many peppers and oil that you use.

Dry peppers (either in a dehydrator or by hanging them up)  Place in a jar and cover the with olive oil then add two inches, making sure that no peppers can reach the top of the olive oil.

Let sit for at least a month.  Mine will sit for 2 or three months.  This lets the peppers infuse with the olive oil.

   Strain the peppers  through a cheesecloth and place in  a saucepan.   Put aside . Melt beeswax over a double boiler and put aside.     Warm up the oil till its warmed through and then add the beeswax a little at a time.  Testing drops on a plate as you do this.  When you find that the drops solidify your are done.  Do not overdo the beeswax. Pour into jars.  

This salve has worked wonders for me.  When you put it on there is no hot sensation.  It works slowly.   It  has also saved me a lot of money.  Fr a small amount of money you can make 10 or 20 jars , and compared to what it cost in the store you could save hundreds of dollars.

 

PRESERVING SWEET ANNIE WITH PLANTS FROM SUSAN BATES HOME AND GARDEN

I started preserving Sweet Annie, which is one of my favorite plants .I finally found the perfect spot for it and they took off..  This year I bought 2 plants from Susan Bates at the Massachusetts Sheep and Woolcraft Fair. She has a brick and mortar store in Ashby, Massachusetts called Susan Bates Home and Garden.     Her plants are of the best quality.  She has lots of wonderful things at her shop, furniture, and antiques handmade things and she also occasionally has classes.  Check her out on Facebook.

 This year I have enough to sell a few bunches and am preserving them in a glycerin based mix.  1 put 1 part glycerin and 2 parts water.  With freshly cut branches place them in the water mix for approximately one week.  They will stay as they were preserved and not turn brown  The smell remains and they are a perfect fall decoration and they repel insects.

Many thanks for reading my blog on this lovely fall day.   Carole.

DOT AND SHE HAS A NEW FRIEND SEE MORE ABOUT HER IN MY NEXT BLOG

 

 

 

 

 

 

SWEET ANNIE-STRAWBERRIES-A FEW MORE BITS FROM THE MASSACHUSETTS SHOW

HELLO

LEAD LINE AT THE MASSACHUSETTS SHEEP AND WOOL FEST

For those of you who do not know about Lead Line contests at SHeep and WOol Fests here is a brief overview.    This is a contest in skill.  You will get points for your wool outfit for poise and control for sheep’s fleece.

 

 

The contestant must halter train their sheep.  This is not always the easiest thing to do.  There can be three classes jr. sr and adults.  I was lucky this year to see a few minutes of the contest.  It was younger kids.  Some sheep adjust to all the hoopla and others just don’t.  One sheep ran away jumping and running with the little boy running after her then a crowd of people were chasing the sheep which made matters worse. She was finally caught.  There are prizes given .

 It requires much patience to halter train a sheep these children all receive cheers from the crowd no matter how they do.  A good judge will complement even the worse preformer so they will come back next year with more determination.  I think things like The Lead Line event help to form a good character in children.

PERMACULTURE

The strawberries are just setting fruit and I don’t think I can move anymore to the bed now.  I hope that by putting them in there i can have some for myself.

 

  I will put netting on soon.  My blueberries have set fruit too and I will have to test the soil soon I am sure the soil is not acid enough.  I need to find a source of pine needles to put around them too. The hops are doing well too.  

SWEET ANNIE

Sweet Annie is one of my favorite herbs.  It is invasive if left on its own,  I have left it on its own and am happy with the results.  It’s from the artemisia family and has a lovely sweet scent.  I mix it with my moth away and make wreaths with it in the fall.  I always leave some on the stalk to reseed itself.  I will have some baby plants at the Farmers Market tomorrow.

Today is an Oatmeal day for the hens who would think it would be this late in May but even at this time its in the 40’s. tonight down into the low 40’s..  I will plant my seed on Sunday when the temps return to normal (if there is such a thing anymore)

Many thanks for reading my blog today I hope you have a wonderful day Carole.