Monday was a bit of an off day. Mommy and Daddy both had to work, but Auntie Mate was here to shepherd the kids through school. They did a great job being good for her.
On Tuesday, we tried to get the house back into the normal swing of things, and to push ahead on some food preservation.
Just when you thought we were done with apples! This is from the box of empires that the kids brought back when they went apple picking with Deedee and Papa. One of the things we like to do with apples is dehydrate them. This is very fast and easy to do. We simply run them through the peeler, break them into rings, and put the rings on the dehydrator tray. 24 hours later, voila! Dried apple slices.
One of these years we should invest in a large industrial drier, or maybe the freeze drier Kathleen has been looking at for a year or two.
Probably when we get the farm house remodeled.
When God wills it.
We also strained out our elderberry elixir. This is made with raw berries, gently mashed and then soaked in vodka with some spices.
Because it is uncooked, it is not suitable for consumption in large quantities. It is for flavoring hot beverages such as tea or coffee.
It has a beautiful color!
Winnie was fascinated by the process. She especially was curious how the juice could go through the cheese-cloth, which, apparently, looks to her like a solid barrier.
When I told her there were teeny-tiny holes in the cheese cloth she wanted to know how they got there.
It’s quite a fascinating process if you think about it.
Fresh bread and butter makes a fine lunch.
Little Farm in the Big City 