Persimmons....Sunny...80's

Earlier this week I mentioned the weatherman finding "spoons'' in the persimmons this year. Now they aren't even ripe here yet, but I guess people are anxious to see what kind of winter we are going to have :)
here's what you do find a ripe persimmon-- cut it open and choose one it's many seeds and carefully   cut the seed in half. look at the inside and see what it looks like to you!

If you see  spoon-shape, lots of heavy, wet snow will fall. Spoon = shovel!
If you see a  fork-shape, you can expect powdery, light snow and a mild winter. Fork = won't hold much snow
If you see a  knife-shape, expect  a very COLD winter --to be "cut" by icy, cutting winds.

Well, I don't know about all this, but there are people that will swear by it!
Regardless of a persimmons' capability of predicting the weather forecast. They do make a delicious fruitcake! So I think I'll just share that  recipe with you today!

Sophie in a persimmon tree

Persimmon fruitcake

1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup honey (OR sorghum)
3 eggs
1 cup raisins
1 cup nuts
1/2 cup dried fruit of your choice (pineapple tidbits or apricots are really good)
1 cup persimmon pulp
2 T. lemon juice
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon

Mash persimmons flat with a fork separate one cup pulp from seeds.
Cream honey, butter, and eggs together. add raisins, dried fruit and nuts.
sift dry ingredients into wet, stir just till combined.
Bake in two greased loaf pans at 325* for about an hour, test at 50 minutes, a knife inserted near center should come out clean. Cool five minutes in pan then remove to cooling rack and let cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and keep in the fridge at least over night, flavor gets better after a couple of days.


The Ozarks are home to a great variety of trees, one of the things that adds to the beauty of these hills. Late fall, after the leaves have turned and fallen after their brief  and glorious show, is the time for the persimmon to shine. Often the fruit hangs on long after the leaves are gone, little orange  gems ~that the squirrels, birds and raccoons gather in  a hurry. These persimmons are smaller and sweeter (if the are FULLY RIPE) than the kind you can buy in the grocery story from various Asian sources. And are wonderful in breads and cakes, IF you have  a bit of patience to work them up. This is our favorite recipes to use up the harvest.
If you aren't familiar  with our indigenous Persimmon or want to read more about it there is a good article here.http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/persimmons-zmaz70sozgoe.aspx#axzz2lrJOeGg3
  

Since all those who are checking seem to agree in an extra ordinary amount of "spoons"
this year, we're falling back on another saying "Better safe, than sorry" and stocking the woodpiles now!

Sunday Quotes...Sunny..80's

"Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine."  

Anthony J. D'Angelo

 

 

 

Watermelon Sorbet......partly sunny 80's

Looking for a quick and easy treat for the last warm days of summer? Try this three ingredient refreshing desert!

                                      Watermelon Sorbet
4 cups puréed watermelon
6 T. lemon juice
1 1/2 cups sugar

Cube watermelon and remove all seeds, puree and measure 4 cups add lemon juice and sugar, whisk briskly to dissolve sugar. Place in ice cream freezer and freeze according to directions with your machine ( I process mine for 25 minutes, then transfer to a freezer container and freeze for about 3 hours before serving)

 

Sweet Potato Biscuits....Sunny...75*

It will soon be time to harvest the sweet potatoes: Here's one of our favorite ways to cook them up, add another veggie to supper (or breakfast) with out them even noticing :)

Sweet Potato Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour

4 tsp. baking powder

2 T. Brown sugar

3 T. soft butter

1 cup cooked, mashed and cooled sweet potatoes

2-4 T. Buttermilk

 

combine dry ingredients, cut in butter and sweet potatoes till crumbly. add Buttermilk a little at a time , just till dough comes together, but is not sticky. how much you need will depend on how ‘wet’ the sweet potatoes are.

 

Pat out on a floured board and cut into 8 large or 12 smaller biscuits bake in a greased pan for 25-30 minutes or till just browned.

 

Wonderful warm with butter and sorghum or honey!

But also really good with supper when you want to add another vegetable in a different way. 

Cat photography...cloudy 80*

Plans are in the works for our 2016 cat calendar!



Follow us on FB, Etsy, and right here for the details coming VERY soon!

Preorders, drop shipping, discounts for multiple purchase and more will be available! 

New items...sunny...80*

NEW PURSES!

NEW style: with outside pockets!

Long strap for cross-body or over shoulder wear!

Show your love of chickens, wherever you go!

chickens & Sunflowers rag purse

Patchwork denim interior!
Find these and our other handmade items in our Etsy store
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Daffodil cake...Sunny..70's

Since we've been talking about chickens and eggs so much lately, I thought I'd share this recipe again, it was a big hit back in the spring.. you can read the original post HERE, if you missed this post back in March I encourage you to click over and read the history of this cake, along with step by step pictures of how to make it!

Daffodil Cake

 

6 eggs--separated  * see notes*

1/2 tsp. cream of tarter

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. Almond flavoring

1/2 cup all purpose flour

 

2 T. Lemon Juice

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. Lemon extract

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup all purpose flour

 

Pre-heat oven to 350*

Carefully separate eggs, making sure no specks of yolk get into your whites.

Place egg whites in a large bowl or stand mixer. Put yolks in another bowl and set aside for now.

Beat egg whites at medium speed till foamy, add cream of tarter and beat at high speed till soft peaks form, sprinkle sugar over whites and continue to beat at high speed till stiff glossy peaks form, turn mixer off.

 

Add lemon juice to yolks and beat till light and thick, about 2 minutes, add sugar, lemon extract, baking powder and 1/2 cup flour, beat until completely smooth.

Now gently sift flour over egg whites, add flavoring and with a spatula FOLD in the flour just till it is all incorporated. NEVER stir or beat, as it will deflate them!

Spoon two thirds of the egg whites into an Ungreased tube pan, spread gently to cover bottom of pan, gently pour yolk mixture over top, then add remaining egg whites, gently spread, then using a dry knife, swirl the top to batters together.

Bake  for 35 minutes or till top is lightly browned and toothpick comes out clean.

To keep cake from ‘sinking’ while cooling, immediately invert pan and cool completely.

When cool, run a knife around pan to loosen and remove to a serving plate. Dust with powdered sugar, serve with fresh fruit or with  sweetened whipped cream.

****NOTES: Eggs will beat better if brought to room temp. before separating.

 

I don’t typically sift flour when asked to in recipes, but Angel food cake is the exception I think at least once is a necessity and twice is probably better.

 

Make sure no fatty residue comes in contact with the whites or they will not be light and airy.

 

Other flavoring can be used instead of the almond and lemon if desired

 

One recipe I read suggested a drop or two of yellow food coloring in the yolk mixture, if you’re using farm eggs you know you won’t need it !

 

One ‘down side’ to this cake is it ONLY takes 6 eggs rather than the 12 of a typical Angel Food cake, so if you really need to use up a dozen eggs, make one for a friend too , and brighten their day with a Daffodil Cake !

Farm Adventures....sunny...80's

Well I wore my "egg apron" today to do chores. No need to have the egg side out because as you can see from these pics the rooster has been taking the hens up and over and out. Now that sure saves on feed, but the trade off is no eggs. The other day I found a large pile of his feathers and feared the worst. ( I suspect Walter ). But just before nightfall he spoke, and I traced him to where he was hiding. So now the pen has been made higher which was easier than catching them all and clipping wings. Of course that may be next. Anyway I turned the apron the other way and stuffed my udder cleaning rags and pen and pad in there and it sure was handy. I'm thinking if one kept a clean plastic bag in there for the occasional piece of produce you see while passing the garden, it would save going back for a bowl. We're promised beautiful fall weather all week, hooray!

Sunday Quotes...cloudy with showers...70's

Yesterday's the past,

tomorrow's the future,
but today is a gift.
That's why it's called the present.

                                   Bill Keane

Enjoy today!

Fresh Peach Pie...Cloudy/showers....60's

Fresh peach pie


Pre heat oven to  350*
Crust:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 T. sugar
3 T. Milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
combine all ingredients, stirring gently with a fork till evenly mixed (will be crumbly) press into a 9 inch pie pan,across bottom and up sides till no cracks remain.

Filling:
4  cups (rounded) fresh peaches, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2-1 cup sugar ** SEE NOTE
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. Almond flavoring
Mix sugar and flour together, add peaches and almond flavoring toss to coat well, pour in unbaked crust.


Topping:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soft butter
Mix together, till crumbly, sprinkle evenly  on top of pie. Bake at 350* for 30-45 minutes just till bubbles and top is lightly browned

**Note the amount of sugar you need depends so much on your fruit. Often fresh fruit needs 1 cup sugar to 4 cups of fruit, but I made this pie this week with only 1/2 cup, my fruit was so juicy and sweet, so taste first and adjust accordingly!

Almost fall...50's... sunny

 

We've had a fall like day this week and it felt so good. But I'm not rushing fall, as I know what comes after!  I heard a weather forecaster say that it will be a Godzilla El Nino this winter, oh I hope he's wrong. Anyway August is winding down and I thought I'd show you then and now pics of the baby ducks that hatched in April. They are so handsome, both males. I put them with my other 2 bachelors, an old drake and a gander and they are all happy together.  

Gathering Apron....Sunny and 53*

 

Several years ago there was a popular song that implied you should carry a sign if you weren’t too bright. At the time I  thought, it would help ME more too have an apron to carry things around with me, from room to room, and from outside in so I didn’t waste so much time, I jotted down this idea---

"Here's your apron"

With pockets to stuff

and a pad and a  pen

to save your last thought

to share with a friend…..

 Well that was about twenty years ago, recently found it in my snippets & snatches, in one of my notebooks {something I need to carry around in such an apron to jot down notes}, I don’t know about you , but I have my BEST ideas, when I have no paper or pen nearby.

These thoughts combined with a recent request to make an ‘egg apron’ on our FB page led to my daughter designing this “gathering apron”

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Gathering Apron"

Whether you are gathering eggs, veggies, clothes off the line, tools for your next farm, garden or craft project, or are simply gathering your thoughts so as not to forget them later on, this is the apron for you!
Completely reversible, this apron has individual pockets for a dozen eggs on one side, with elastic at the top to hold them securely. On the other a large pocket ( practically the size of the apron itself!) with access from either side with two large openings, to hold veggies, tools, clothes or clothes pins, whatever you need to tote with you! (don’t forget your pen and paper so you can remember what you need to bring with you!
Apron measures 15 1/2 inches from waist to bottom, 22 inches wide at bottom and has generous 30 inch ties! Watch for more prints coming soon and there's a 'half-dozen' version in the works for the little ones too :)
Stop by our ETSY store to see 'em all !  https://www.etsy.com/shop/Jonquiljunction?ref=l2-shopheader-name

Lemon curd...Rainy....65*

A favorite recipe, top cakes, toast, make lemon bars, eat it straight from the jar :) it's good stuff!

Homemade Lemon Curd

3 cups sugar
3/4 cup cornstarch
2 1/4 cups water
12 egg yolks
2 T. butter
1 1/2 cups lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon extract

Separate eggs (save whites for angle food cake). Beat yolks with a wire whisk. In sauce pan mix together sugar and cornstarch, add water, stir well, cook over medium heat till small bubbles start to form, pour some of hot mixture into bowl of egg yolks, stirring the whole time, add egg yolk mixture back  to saucepan and stir with the whisk, till all incorporated. Cook over medium heat till it begins to boil, then turn to low and cook five minutes stirring constantly (will get very thick) add lemon juice and butter, whisk till incorporated, remove from heat and stir in lemon extract.
Allow to cool, then put in freezer containers and freeze. I usually freeze in two cup containers.
Allow to thaw overnight in the fridge to use.
check out our NEW EGG GATHERING aprons here! http://jonquiljunction.blogspot.com/2015/09/gathering-apronegg-apronpartly-cloudy70s.html

Farm adventures.....sunny 80's

   The last of this years 'kids' Pearl and Gale will be going to their new home soon, we're still enjoying their company, and cute antics though.................                                                     

 

                                                        Peekaboo Pearl

 

We brought Pearl to the socializing pen the other day to visit with some company we had the other day. She spent most of her time grazing with her back to them, until her curiosity got the better of her. With a tree to hide behind, she eventually poked out for a closer look.

Aprons.......Sunny 80's

 

Aprons

 Back in the day

part of every day attire

Made with flour sacks, muslin or calico

they did more than cover your dress

to this  Grandma could attest

 

Aprons

 From daylight till dark

for dusting and gathering

cooking ,cleaning and more

they helped in some small way

with every single chore

 

Aprons

Today we remember them with nostalgia,

-----so sad they've been retired

 We write of them in poems & blogs & magazines

because they bring back memories

of a simpler time

 

Aprons

They still have a practical use,

Gather vegetables, eggs or a misplaced item.....

to return to it's proper place, later on.

or simply hang out the wash, while remembering a slower pace

In that long ago place...................

 © 2015

Do you have a favorite memory about APRONS ?? If so leave a comment and share it with us!

Click on "APRONS" in the tags on right of this page to read more stories about aprons!

Sunday Quotes...Sunny...80's

A bend in the road is not the end of the road....
unless you fail to make the turn! ~~Helen Keller

The best and most beautiful things can not be seen, or even touched, they must be felt with the heart~~Helen Keller

Scalloped Tomatoes.... Sunny...80's

 Still have plenty of tomatoes? Here's another of our old time favorite recipes for 'everything tomato' season , we hope you like it as much as we do!

 

                      Scalloped Tomatoes

 

3 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup minced onion

2 cups fresh bread crumbs

dash sugar, salt, pepper & cayenne pepper

4 cups thick sliced tomatoes

1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs

1 tablespoon butter

 

Heat oven to 375. Melt 3 tab. butter and sauté onion until tender. Add bread crumbs and seasonings to pan and toss lightly. Arrange layers of tomatoes alternately with bread mixture in buttered casserole dish, ending with tomatoes. Mix remaining crumbs and butter and put on top. Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes, until bubbly and starting to brown. Serves 5

So much fabric, so little time....Sunny and 70's

My daughter went fabric shopping again, watch for new aprons, purses, and more coming soon, if your not following us on ETSY and FB you can so you see all our new projects!
https://www.facebook.com/jonquiljunction
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Jonquiljunction?ref=hdr_shop_menu
What would you like to see made with these fabrics???

August is.......... Sunny and Hot

August in the Country

 

AUGUST IS

              Last of the hot summer days           

              Foggy morning mists

              Quickly blown away

              By violent thunder storms

 

AUGUST IS

              Grouchy snakes

              And humans too

              Plodding through the heat      

              Everyone anticipating

              Cooler days ahead

 

AUGUST IS

              Crops receding

              Flowers pleading

              For just some drops of rain

              Morning Glories give blooms a try

              Soon the Orb Weavers will stop by              

 

AUGUST IS

              Bending, stooping and scooping

              Hoping the harvest will meet

              The effort put in

              Throughout the heat

              To make it all worthwhile

 

AUGUST IS

              Eyeing the wood pile                              

              Too hot to cut wood

              But maybe you should

              Now the dreaded El Nino's

              forecast to blow

 

 

AUGUST IS

             

              Children dreading

             

              To school be heading

             

              Singing the familiar song

             

              How can summer be gone?

                                                         © 2015

 

Homemade Jam bars...cloudy...80's

These are one of our favorite coffee break snacks, more wholesome than some with the oats and peanut butter, they stick to your ribs  to keep you going while your out doing the chores, and are plenty sweet enough for a nice sugar boost :)

                                                                  JAM BARS

Crust:

2 1/2 cups Rolled oats (NOT QUICK)

1 cup dry white or yellow cake mix (you’ll use the rest in a minute)

1/3 cup  light brown sugar

mix together and remove one cup, this will be used for topping later, to remaining add:
2 eggs

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

press this mixture into a well greased 13 x 9 pan ((see tip))

 

Topping:

to  the one cup of oat mixture you removed earlier add:
1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 cup dry cake mix

4 Tablespoons melted butter

stir with a fork till course crumbs form.

 

Jam layer:

sprinkle remaining DRY cake mix from package over crust in pan then spread with

 2 cups any flavor JAM ((see note))

 

sprinkle topping mixture over jam and bake at 350* for 30-35 minutes till top is lightly browned.

 

TIP: this crust mixture is very sticky it will press best if you dampen your finger tips first with cold water and use a light touch to press it out

 

NOTE: I always make this using our homemade jams which have a softer set, if using commercial jam beat a few seconds first to make it easier to spread.  any flavor works well, some of our favorites are Blackberry, Bumbleberry,  Cherry and Strawberry.  Find our Zucchini jam recipes HERE , this is what we use most of the time for these!

 

absolutely wonderful on a cold day with a hot cup of coffee!!!

Sunday Quotes....Sunny and HOT!

 “While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
And cold and heat,
And summer and winter,
And day and night
Shall not cease.”
                          Genesis 8:22

 

Creamed tomatoes.....sunny and HOT!

                                                              Creamed Tomatoes

 Here's something we make in the summer when tomatoes are plentiful...........

Serve as is as a side dish, or over egg noodles or saltines  or toast for heartier fare.

 

6 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

salt & pepper

3 cups tomatoes, sliced in 1/2" slices

 

Melt butter in large, heavy skillet. Place single layer of tomatoes and let sauté 2 minutes per side. Skins will loosen and are easily removed with a fork. Remove tomato slices with a spatula to plate, and add flour to pan. Stir with fork until all flour is absorbed, then cook & stir for a few minutes. Gradually stir in milk using fork or whisk until gravy consistency. Add Worcestershire, salt & pepper and carefully return tomatoes to pan. Serves 4 as a side dish or 2 as a main dish.

 

 

 

Fogs in August....sunny and hot...again 90's

 

 

 Our First Fog in August

I wonder how many have heard this old folklore?
For every fog in August there will be a snow in February!

I first heard it from an older lady that wrote the Leslie 'news' column for our local paper, many years ago now. Which makes me wonder  how many of you live or have lived where your local newspaper has a column for every town & community in the area, a place to share who stopped by to visit, what their family had for supper, how many quarts of beans they'd put up this year, who has just home from the hospital, or who has recently passed and offering condolences to the family. We affectionately  call them  the gossip columns :) But I interrupt myself.
According to Fleecy's 'wisdom' if you kept track of fogs in August you could accurately predict how many snows you could expect in February! (she also told  how to predict how bad a winter you'd have over all based on the persimmon crop...but that's a story for another time!)
 Well,  yesterday morning was our  first one and I snapped this picture, and marked the calendar. This year I'm going to keep track................
February seems a long time to wait. Also seems awful early in the month to start counting fogs....................... I hope it's not true!!!!!!!             Y'all come back now ya hear?

More flowers......cloudy and 80's

The Rose of Sharon's are still blooming and are beautiful this year. Must be all the rain!! I thought I'd pose Sophie with them. Notice the six ft. ladder! That's what comes of never pruning, and copying Willene's jungle philosophy. you can read about that in this post HERE if you missed it a couple of weeks ago!
 And next time I'll write about the Forsythia that took over the front yard ( yep, from Willene's place too). Anyway Sophie decided to have a quick sniff since she was up there, and then concluded Photo shoot over.

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Snakes and ice cream...sunny....90's

Well, last I checked it's still HOT, dog days are just around the corner, my daughter and son-in-law killed a rattlesnake about 3 feet from their back porch yesterday! 48 inches long and the second one this summer!

on a better note---how about a refreshing ice cream recipe?? Use any fruit you may have on hand, works great with peaches, strawberries, etc.......or leave the fruit out substitute French vanilla pudding for the cheesecake pudding, vanilla extract for the almond extract, and have wonderful homemade vanilla ice cream!

Blackberry Cheesecake Ice cream

2 cups half and half
2 cups whole milk (2% can be used instead to make  it lighter)
1 box (3.9 oz) instant cheesecake pudding
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
2 cups blackberries
1 tsp. Almond extract (optional)

Place blackberries in blender and puree till liquefied, pour through a sieve and press to remove juice and some pulp, discard seeds, to this add 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk, & Almond extract if using, stir well and place in the fridge.
Combine the rest of the sweetened condensed milk, half & half, milk and pudding mix, whisk till smooth, immediately pour into ice cream maker and process according to instructions for your machine. When ice cream is done remove from ice cream maker and gently swirl in the blackberry mixture---you don't want it all stirred in just swirl randomly leaving plenty of white showing too.
Place in freezer for 3-4 hours depending on whether you prefer soft-serve or harder ice cream.......

Sunday Quotes.....Sunny and hotter..90's

"As apples of gold in silver carvings is a word spoken at the right time."      Proverbs 25:11

 

  I was looking at this little pan recently and remembered my Mom.

 Once when she was not home I wanted so badly to make doughnuts. In those days we only had enough groceries for the week, so I could only find a small amount of shortening. I disregarded the recipe and found a very small pan and melted enough shortening to fry one doughnut at a time. When she came home and saw what I'd done, instead of scolding me for the mess and bad idea, she said "with determination like that, you'll always get by."

       

Chocolate Gravy....Sunny and warm

How often do you have chocolate for breakfast??

While this recipe isn't something I grew up eating, it is one of my Grandkids favorite breakfasts.

Quick and easy to make, it makes a nice treat once in awhile. Paired with our easy biscuit recipe, it makes a great weekend breakfast!

1-2-3-4- Biscuits

1 cup milk

2 cups All purpose flour

3 T. vegetable shortening

4 tsp. Baking powder

 

In large bowl stir together flour and baking powder, with fork cut in shortening, add milk stir just till comes together, put on floured surface need a few times and cut with biscuit cutter, place in greased cast iron pan and bake at 350* for 20 minutes or till golden brown.

 

 

 

Chocolate Gravy

Over medium heat in large skillet

melt 2 T. butter or margarine

add

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

2 T. flour

whisk well, add

1 cup milk

whisk till smooth, continue to heat till it

bubbles, continue whisking and cooking for about

five minutes, till it thickens

add

1/4-1/2 cup undiluted evaporated milk to reach desired consistency

Serve immediately over warm biscuits

ENJOY!