Great Aunt Bertha’s Woodstove

Aunt Bertha Harper -mid to late '60's

Aunt Bertha was a wonderful cook, considered the best in the family. Almost all of the old family recipes in my recipe box came from her. None of them are secret for she always gave such things freely. Besides, her “secret ingredient” wasn’t something you could buy at a store; it was her expertise at cooking on a wood stove.

Food cooked in that old wood stove was just better. Of course, back when she was a girl, learning to cook from her mother, everyone had a wood stove. Even when those new-fangled electric stoves became available she insisted on keeping her wood stove. Several decades of experience made it as easy for her to cook with wood heat as we do with gas or electric. She simply KNEW how much wood to add to achieve the heat needed. When enough time had gone by for the fire to heat up the oven box, she’d wave her hand in to feel the temperature. When it was right, in went the cookies. A kettle of water always sat on the stove-top ready for tea or hot chocolate should anyone stop by for a visit. Neighborhood children were sure to stop in after school to see if she’d been baking that day, amongst them my Mother and her siblings who all lived next door. It was a sad day when Aunt Bertha’s grown children, concerned for her safety, finally convinced her to switch over to an electric stove. She was never truly satisfied with her cooking after that –it was missing the “secret ingredient.”

Knowing this family heritage of baking, I was so pleased when my grandma commented that my sugar cookies were the closest she’d tasted to Aunt Bertha’s. I know it wasn’t the stove, but it may have been the other ingredients that have changed since Aunt Bertha’s time. Farm fresh eggs with rich orange yolks, and fresh, raw goat’s milk really do make a difference. Now if only I could switch out my oven for a wood stove!

Aunt Bertha’s Sugar Cookies:

2 c sugar
1 c lard
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 c milk (sour)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp nutmeg
5 c flour

-Cream the sugar and lard together then add the vanilla, eggs, and milk
-Mix in the baking powder, soda, and nutmeg
-One cup at a time, mix in the flour
-Spoon out onto a greased cookie sheet and press in the middle to make a well; put jelly in the well
-Bake at 350 until the bottom edges start browning.
This is also a good recipe for rolling out & using cookie cutters; it’s not too sweet so it’s just right when frosted.

by SarahJayne

Read Along: Week Sixteen - Camping on the High Prairie

I love camping. I’ve roughed it, tented it, trailer’ed it and enjoyed rustic cabins. I just like being away from the hustle of cities and I love looking out a window and seeing nature right outside. But after two weeks I am more than ready to go home to real bath tubs running water and electricity!
I am writing this post on a damp and cold autumn day in October in mid-west Ontario. I know within a month we will probably see snow. But the trees are changing colors and I am sure we will still have a few more sunny days to enjoy outside. And of course, we will soon have piles of leaves to clear from the yard. So here is what I have planned for the our family, and I hope everyone else will enjoy participating as well.

• 1: Lets make beans! Soaked beans are a food Ma could have carried with them, but they would take too much time to make.

Baked beans and chili are a staple for camping in our region and comfort food at our house. I especially like putting them in my crock pot and forgetting about them until supper. Homemade baked beans are my favorite, but I rarely have time to soak the dried beans and cook them. But I have come up with a recipe that makes canned beans taste really good. (and you need the cans for the next project!)
Home-style Baked Beans
4 cans of Beans in Tomato sauce (Pork and beans)
1/3 cup molasses
1 1/2 tsp dried mustard
1 onion chopped fine
1 pkg of sausage
Cook the sausage and onion together and cut the sausage into 1 inch pieces.
Add all the ingredients to the crock pot and stir. Cook on low for 4 hours.
Serve with Corn/Johnny cakes

It would be great to see your bean or chili recipes as well, feel free to post!

• 2: Twinkle little star! Lets make some stars…

Knit or crochet Christmas tree star ornaments. Use them as gifts or on the front of cards Crochet a tree skirt Make a blanket
Here is a beautiful paper star and Sewing versions are also available.
But here is the project I encourage the most. Tin can luminaries! They are perfect for the next two seasons. Put them up as fall decorations and use them right through to Christmas. They would look perfect as accents around a jack’o’lantern or as lights for caroling in December.

Materials
1 large can, washed and label peeled. You can leave it silver, or spray paint with a paint meant for metal.
Nail
Hammer
Tea light candle, burnable or LED battery powered (From dollar stores in Christmas section)
coat hanger (or strong wire)and pliers with wire cutters (optional for hanging luminary)
1/2 inch doweling 1 1/2 feet long (optional)
small screw in hook. (goes with doweling)
Directions
Fill the can to the top with water and freeze until solid in the freezer (this keeps the can from crushing when you hammer)
Mark out a star shape and any other desired design with dots using a marker.
Place the nail on a dot and hammer through the can into the ice. Repeat for all your dots. Hammer two holes near the top rim across from each other for the wire handle if desired. Melt the ice and dump it out. Dry the inside and place candle inside.
To hang from a hook or tree….
Cut the coat hanger and thread through the two top holes. Bend into a handle shape and bend ends of wire up to keep from coming off.
To carry while burning….
Screw the hook into one end of the doweling and hook the handle of the luminary over it.
Hint: use a piece of dried spaghetti as a lighter if you don’t have a BBQ match or fire lighter.

•  3: As a family, plan a fall yard work day.(It doesn’t matter what climate you’re living in, there is always seasonal clean up to do.)

Then the fun part! In the evening, Clear an area for a small camp fire. (As a child we would build it in the recently harvested vegetable garden at the edge.) Check with your local fire department for the local rules on backyard recreational fires. Most areas do allow small, contained fires. Don’t use the fire for burning brush or leaves. Here is a link for building fires and fire safety if you have never built one before. As dusk settles, light your luminaries for extra light and eat bowls of chili or baked beans and Johnny cakes as a family around the fire. Enjoy the sunset and make a wish on the first star.

by HatsFineandFancy 

p.s Don't forget the marshmallows! 

Herbs: To Dry and Taste

image from  ehow.com

It's time to reap the benefits of that herb garden! Drying your herbs allows you to use them all year long. To dry herbs, first harvest them by using a knife or scissors low on the stem. Remove the lower leaves exposing part of the main stem. If herbs are dirty, spray with a mist bottle and dry thoroughly. Bundle 5-10 stems together and tie with kitchen twine or yarn.

Find a dry, warm (68F/20C), dark and well ventilated space to hang the herbs. If you can't find a dark place, use a brown paper bag with ventilation holes to cover the herbs as they hang. Leave the herbs for 1-3 weeks or until leaves have become crumbly. Thicker stems will take longer to dry. Choose to keep the leaves whole, or crush or grind finely. Store herbs in air tight jars, label. Herbs will keep one year.

Here are some recipes courtesy of Midwest Michigan Herb Association.

Herbal Blend Popcorn

3 Tbls. butter-flavored sprinkles (like Molly McButter)
2 Tbls. grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp. dried basil, crushed
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes, crushed
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary

Mix all ingredients together and put in a 4 oz. shaker bottle. To keep free flowing, store in refrigerator.


Basic Herbal Mustard

1 cup yellow mustard, divided
1 cup Dijon mustard, divided
1 Tbls. honey, optional
2 Tbls. of your choice of herbal blends, listed below.

Stir all ingredients together and put in a sterile glass jar. Cover and (if using for gift) decorate lid with a square of fabric and raffia. Label. Let set about 2 weeks in a cool, dark cupboard for flavors to blend. Refrigerate after you begin to use the mustard.

Three Herb Blend

1/3 cup dried dill
1/3 cup dried basil
1/3 cup dried parsley

Scarborough Fair Blend

1/4 cup dried parsley
1/4 cup dried thyme
1/8 cup finely ground rosemary
1/8 cup finely ground sage

Herbs de Provence

2 Tbls. dried basil
2 Tbls. marjoram
1 Tbls. summer savory
1 Tbls. thyme
1 Tbls. finely ground lavender
1 tsp. ground rosemary

Herbal mustards can be served with pretzels or over sausage links or ham. It is also good mixed with plain yogurt and drizzled over blanched vegetables such as asparagus or cauliflower, served warm or cold.

By bethanyg