Author: The Urban Homemaker

Preserving Chokecherries

Last Friday, my friend Patti, and I embarked on an adventure of making  Chokecherry Jelly and Jam from the gallons of pulp/juice she had previously prepared.  Patti and her cousins picked a five gallon bucket and she was determined to get it all made into jam for small gifts for family and friends everywhere.  I was glad to join in to help.

At this time of year, Chokecherries are widely available along river banks and trails, free for the picking!  In fact a google search shows that Chokecherries are  widely available across the country and into Canada from east to west.

Native Americans of the Northern Plains, and Norther Rockies made cokecherry a staple food by pounding them with seeds included and drying the pulp in the sun to make a sort of  fruit leather.  How they ate this rather astringent fruit without a bit of sweetening baffles my imagination.

A google search did not lead us to a pulp/jam recipe using the boxed pectin we had on hand, so Patti decided that together we would experiment with the proportions for each batch.   She let me make up the proportions of sugar, juice/pulp, and pectin.  We made 5 batches in all, including one batch without pectin that got way overcooked because we didn’t know what the “sheeting” stage looked like.  (That batch is a bit thick and burned tasting to me – but still yummy!)

No failures Just Learning Experiences/

I learned you can have a lot of fun canning and improvising with what you have on hand, while combining the wisdom and experience of two very different people.  I was the one who wanted to follow an exact recipe, Patti was more like just try it and “Let’s see what happens.”

One thing I learned is that it is OK to follow some of our ancestors tried and true methods, even though they may not line up with USDA recommendations.  For example we did the jam without waterbath canning because of the high sugar content of the mixture, a method Patti’s family has done for generations and they are still here!

I would love to hear about what you are preserving in your kitchens right now, your family folklore regarding canning methods, and special memories centered around canning.

I’ll let you know how it all turns out once we start opening jars from each batch and what we learned.

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Marilyn’s Famous Whole Wheat Bread is Versatile!

Denise from soldiersfamily.blogspot.com posted:

I used your wheat bread recipe (from A Beginner’s Guide to Baking Bread) to make pizza sticks to freeze and use for quick lunches. I brushed on seasoned tomato sauce and put some cheese on them and baked them for about 15 minutes. I also made up some pockets with the dough and left over roasted chicken. That was a big hit as well.

I just purchased the three pack of e-books earlier this week, and am greatly enjoying them. I’m working on my 2nd batch of Marilyn’s Famous Whole Wheat Bread. The Fast and Healthy Meals, and Breakfasts for Busy Moms is an unexpected bonus to me. I didn’t realize that I would like them as well as the bread book, but I do. With 2 teenagers always on the go, and a deployed husband I need all the help I can get so that I don’t start cheating with not so healthy meals.

Purchase three ebooks for the price of one.  Includes A Beginner’s Guide to Baking Bread, Fast and Healthy Menus for Busy Moms and Breakfasts for Busy Moms.

Here are the recipes for many more whole wheat bread variations made from a basic bread dough.

I have always known that breast cancer, a serious disease, is often associated with chlorinated water.  After doing a little research, I was quite surprised to find countless scientifically researched articles documenting this fact.

One study found that women with breast cancer had 50% to 60% higher levels of chlorinated by-products in their breast tissue than women without the disease. Nevertheless, I am certainly thankful that chlorine kills living organisms and protects our drinking water supply from dangerous bacteria.

What happens is chlorine added to most municipal water combines with organic compounds such as sediment and creates a class of chemicals known as organochlorines which include haloacetic acids and trihalmethanes, known carcinogens.

Before you run for bottled water,  I want to make sure you know that there are  two very simple and inexpensive steps to protect your family’s health which is some of the least expensive “health insurance” around.

Two Simple Steps includes a Free Gift

The two simple steps are to install a home drinking water system that removes chlorine and trihalomethanes  and a shower filter.  This month if you invest in a Multi-Pure system (Either the Aqua Dome or a 750 Series model) this month,  you can receive a free gift of either a Shower Filter or an Emergency Filter.

This is a win-win situation because this month Multi-Pure is supporting  Breast Cancer Awareness by making a donation to support breast cancer research for every drinking water system, or whole house unit purchased during the month of October!

I am an independent distributor for Multi-pure products.

Based on the classic cookbook, Nourishing Traditions, you can learn a lot of the principles from Maria and Blair by listening to this Continuing Education for Moms audio called Cook Your Way to Wellness.

The book is over 800 pages of “politically incorrect” nutrition that has helped many get their health back.

Fresh garden flavors mingle with cheeses. This recipe is  especially delicious when using up end-of-the season basil, parsley,  spinach or kale, and tomatoes.  I have made this in the winter with frozen or canned pesto, and frozen veggies and it is still delicious.

Ingredients:

12 dried regular or whole grain lasagna noodles
1 Cup purchased or homemade pesto
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 -15 oz container ricotta cheese
1- 8 oz pkg shredded Italian Blend or Mozzarella cheese (2 Cups)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 Cups chopped fresh spinach, or 2 Cups chopped, steamed kale
1/2 of an 8 oz pkg fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced OR
1 – 4 oz can sliced mushrooms
3-medium, quartered and sliced fresh tomatoes OR 1-28 oz can whole Italian -style tomatoes
Fresh or dried Parsley, Italian style, optional

Assemble Lasagna Directions:

This recipe is reprinted from Fast and Healthy Menus for Busy Moms ebook by Marilyn Moll

This book includes:

* 4 Weeks of Menus and Recipes

* 10 Easy Steps For Getting Started With A Lifestyle For Health

* Shopping lists

* Meal Planning Simplified

* Bonus Section! – Whole Grain Bread Recipes

* Tips for the Best Bread and much more…

* Pantry List Recommendations

* Recommended Resources  and MUCH MORE!

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This photo gives you a bird’s eye view of our area at the height of Fall.  Photo courtesy of www.mountainharvestfestival.com

Last week our small town observed the Mountain Harvest Festival a time where we locals celebrate not only the harvest, but locally produced food of all kinds, with music, workshops, concerts, farmer’s markets, kids activities, farm tours, a chili cook-off, crafts and provide elementary school student lunches with organic and locally produced meats and produce for the entire week!

Local farms and benefactors provided the high quality locally produced foods for the K-8 grades lunch program for all elementary students!   Students taking school lunch, instead of brown bagging jumped by 50% for the week!

While I don’t want to get into the politics of what’s right and wrong about school lunches and why today, I think most busy parents need and want to get more involved in  providing their children higher quality natural foods (not boxed or prepared),  and teaching  food preparation and food choices that include Real Foods. This will definitely be an ongoing subject for this blogger.

Chef and Author Ann Cooper spoke on this subject on the Early Show on CBS offering parents some ideas and tools for improving lunchtime.

Here are some of her suggestions from Lunch Lessons which include:

• corn soup
• pasta with greens and feta
• spinach and black bean burrito
• vegetarian chili
• turkey meatloaf

More information about her ideas and her book it is at the CBS website.

Mary’s Lunches

So far, I have been packing Mary’s lunch each day using dinner leftovers such as chicken stir-fry, barbecued chicken, potato kale & sausage stew, homemade soup along with fresh local fruit and occasionally a salad.  She hasn’t asked to eat lunch at school once.

I admit I’m not too creative at lunchtime, so I would love to know what you pack for your kids lunches.  Be sure to post your ideas here at my blog or at Facebook and Twitter.

Teaching Real Food Nutrition to Teens and Mature Junior High Aged Children (Moms too)

• If you have been hunting for a way to teach  Real Food Nutrition for Teens (Moms too.)   Download free pages and watch a free video now.

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As a mom with a teen aged daughter still at home, and with all the distractions of Facebook, and time commitments to school work, and  music activities, I have despaired of coming up with a viable scripture memorization plan for my daughter, Mary.  Now I have a FREE solution I would like to share with you.

In our modern technology driven world, author Robert J. Morgan makes an airtight case for scripture memorization in 100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart.

He says:
“It’s vital for mental and emotional health and for spiritual well-being,” he writes. “It changes the atmosphere of every family and alters the weather forecast of every day.”

Enjoy FREE printable memory cards for each of these 100 recommended verses, and learn more about the book here.

I plan to use them for devotional time and for my own mental challenge.

Tell me what scripture memorization plan works best for your family.

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