Pies Pies and more pies!

My Goodness! Here it is 8:00 Wednesday night. If I hurry, I might get a little post done in time to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.

Been almost two weeks since my last post and I don't know where the days have gone. Isn't it always something?

Anyhow, this post is perfect for Thanksgiving. Remember my sister Shelby? Bet you remember her kitchen. This was taken a few years ago...

Well she is still into baking except this time it's pies, and a few cakes! She and my brother-in-law Jimmy no longer sell at the farmer's market every Saturday, but they do sell at a special farmer's market held every Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Here, you may remember Jimmy too...

this picture is from a few years ago too. Anyhow, Shelby called me last night. They were home from the market, dead tired and cold. Shelby said she was chilled through and through and was on the couch snuggled up in a quilt while Jimmy had gone out to throw more wood in the furnace, out near the smokehouse. Sounds rather cozy doesn't it...

As Poppy often says, "get to the point", get to the point! So, Shelby made from scratch...48 pies and 2 cakes...to take to the market yesterday! I mean 48 pies! 

A one man pie factory, right there in her kitchen!

These are some of her pie crust rounds, made from scratch, of course, chilled and ready to be rolled out...

and here are a few of the finished pies...

Shelby told me she used 14 pounds of butter, 9 dozen eggs, and 16 cups of pecans.

This is just amazing to me. I find it a job to make even one pie!

I didn't ask if she would be baking a pie for herself and Jimmy for Thanksgiving day.

Thanksgiving will be a little different this year. Lots of worries. But anyhow, hope all of you have a happy Thanksgiving. Stay safe and well.

Have had a few computer problems, but up and running again and hope to be back real soon.

Love, 

Henny

FROG Jam and cats on the freezer

You know, I could start every post with the question, where do the days go? 

Shelby and Jimmy at the market in 2015

Shelby is sharing her recipe for "F.R.O.G. Jam"...

6 cups peeled, crushed figs

3 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

5 cups sugar

2 tbsp finely grated gingeroot

1 cup orange juice (1 lg. orange)

1/2 tsp butter (I don't use)

Mix figs, raspberries, sugar, gingeroot, and peel together in large pot

Cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 30-45 min.

Ladle into sterilized jars and cover with sterilized lids

Process in boiling water bath for 10 min.

Cool and store in cool, dark place for up to 6 months

Note: To test for doneness of jam, place a small plate in the freezer as you prepare the ingredients. When ready to test, remove dish and pour  a tablespoon of jam onto it. Return to freezer for 1 minute. Then draw your finger through the middle of the jam. If it separates, it's done. Will thicken as it cools.

At that last craft show Shelby and I did, the one at the church; the preacher pulled up a chair and sat down in front of Shelby's display of jams and jellies. Shelby puts out a small opened jar of each flavor, along with a pretty little dish of cream cheese, and a dish of wheat thins, for sampling the jellies, kind of like here at the market...

Anyhow, the preacher, a very tall, big, friendly, down to earth type man, proceeded to sample each of the jellies. After sampling the Frog jam, he stood up and said, "rriiivvit, rriiivvit", what's in the frog jam?" It was funny. We really liked both the preacher and his wife. Very nice friendly folks.

To Diane in Wisconsin; you asked if Shelby ever ships her jams and jellies. She does occasionally, but the cost of shipping is high. She shipped a few jars to a lady in New York, and the shipping cost was as much as what she paid for the jelly. The lady wanted them anyway, and paid the shipping cost. All I can say is, that must be some delicious jelly! :) and it really is.

As far as the baking, Shelby mostly sells cakes, but she does make banana nut bread and pumpkin bread, and in the summer time, strawberry bread.

Listen to this! Here's what Shelby had baking this morning when I called her...eight cakes, (the last of an order for twenty). Chocolate pound cake, coconut pound cake, fresh apple cake, carrot cake, and million dollar pound cake, there were eight different ones and I've already forgotten the other two. Plus, six loaves of banana nut bread. No way could I do all that. As mama used to say, "I'd rather dig stumps".

Better get busy, but first a few kitty cat pictures. We may have to invest in a bigger freezer...

and here! See why it's hard to get any sewing done at night...

Thank you for visiting

Love,
Henny

Christmas Jam and Shelby

Sorry about the Christmas Jam recipe that was supposed to be posted here yesterday...Hopefully, today is not too late...

Shelby in her warm, inviting, and always busy kitchen, and below is the recipe.

Christmas Jam

1 (12-ounce) pkg. fresh Cranberries

2 (10-ounce) pkg. frozen Strawberries, thawed

4 cups sugar

1 (3-ounce) pkg. liquid pectin

Position knife blade in food processor bowl; add cranberries. Cover; process until cranberries are coarsely chopped. 

Combine cranberries, strawberries, and sugar in a Dutch oven; bring to a boil and cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat; add pectin. Return to a full rolling boil; boil 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and skim off foam with metal spoon.

Quickly pour jam into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4" head space; wipe jar rims, cover at once with metal lids and screw-on bands, process in boiling water bath 5 minutes.

Yield; 7 half pints

Now why didn't I take pictures of her jams and jellies?? 

These are the jams she makes...
Apricot, Blackberry, Blueberry, Blueberry peach, Christmas, Frog, Peach, Ginger peach, Jalapeno peach, Hot jalapeno peach, Plum, Raspberry, Strawberry, Strawberry Rhubarb, Tripleberry, and Spiced tomato.

and the jellies...
Cherry, Ghost pepper, and Grape. 

and the butters...
Apple, Honey apple, Honey blackberry, Honey blueberry peach, Honey strawberry, Honey blueberry.

and these...
Fig preserves, Orange marmalade, Mango relish, Tomato relish, and Chow-chow.

Good gosh! I had no idea! No wonder she never has any free time.

Looking out the back door of Shelby's and Jimmy's house, I love the old barn and out buildings.

on craigslist today for $150.00

Wonder if there could be an old rusted cast iron pot-bellied stove tucked away in their barn somewhere? I really need one for the playhouse...

with a bit of rearranging, the little stove could go inside the fence panels...

Recently, Poppy said to me,"Henny, you can't  put a cast iron stove in the playhouse. The rain and damp weather will make it rust". So, I had about given up on the idea until this thought hit me, "there are covers for everything else, why not make a cover from an old brown tarp". It's not like the stove will be used every day. 

So, once again I am in the market for a pot-bellied stove, a small table with two chairs (Bistro set would be perfect), and a tea kettle.  Oh, then we will need a small shelf and a few thrift store teacups and saucers. :)

Guess I had better get busy. It's time for Poppy to get home. I've had a little vacation, even though it was Poppy doing the traveling. He has been gone since Friday morning early, and I've been home alone! He went down home (Moore County) to deer hunt with his nephew. As of last night, they had not even seen a deer.  Yay!!  I pull for the deer.

Sorry for such a long post. Thank you for visiting.

Love,
Henny

My Sister's Kitchen!!

Tell me I will catch up again, please! And, I'm not talking about just housework here, I'm talking about blogging and visiting blogs and leaving comments and writing a post and getting everything done in the house and in the yard and garden, and driving to Henderson to pick up prescriptions, and tending to the animals waiting out there for my attention. 

Here's the problem. Shelby and I spent Friday at the North Carolina State Fair! I'm a Virgo! Things got out of order! I'm overwhelmed!

Early Friday morning before leaving for the State Fair!

Shelby said, "Oh good grief, I haven't had time to clean up, don't take pictures of all this mess"! But it's beautiful! This is a warm, working, cozy farm kitchen, always with the smell of cakes baking in the oven. 

I mean, seriously!

Shelby had to do most of her baking for Saturday's market on Thursday so we could spend Friday at the fair. 

We look forward to the State Fair all year...being there when the gates open is a must! That's our goal, however, it was mighty tempting to skip the fair and hang around with Jimmy in the kitchen all day!

Is this a working kitchen or what? Shelby never slows down!

Every corner is filled with some kind of food or cooking utensils.

It makes you want to get a cup of coffee and pull a chair up to the table. Inviting, warm and cozy, that's just how it feels. Oh, and the smell outside the house...

They heat with wood and the smell simply warms my soul. I just might have to build a fire in our fireplace today. It is, after all, 32 degrees this morning. Freezing! Our first freeze this fall!

This post was supposed to be about the State Fair, but Shelby's kitchen was on my mind. Our day at the fair was wonderful and went by way too fast. 

Dear blogging friends I will be around to catch up...hopefully I can catch up with everything today! Good grief!!

Love,
Henny

Visiting Shellymac Farm

Can you believe how fast the days go by? Can you believe this weather? Can you believe these cold temperatures so early in the season? We had snow flurries last week...and woke up on Saturday morning to a cold 23 degrees! I need to check on Shelby and Jimmy. They were at the farmer's market again in that 23 degrees! And, if all that isn't enough, we could have thunderstorms later today!

Speaking of Shelby and Jimmy...after our trip to Robbins last week, I spent the night at their house and drove home the following day. Shelby wanted me to see their new calves. So, when they went out early to feed up, I trudged along with them...

I love these fuzzy weeds that grow along their path...

Anyway, as much as I wanted to go in and see the babies up close, my instinct told me to stay just outside the gate and watch. If ever a cow would come running toward me, without a doubt I would panic, scream, and cause a stampede. Being run over by a cow is another fear of mine...

Daddy used to brag on Shelby, that she was not afraid of the devil. He was proud of that fact. Wonder if it had anything to with mama and me being so terribly afraid of everything. Daddy used to tell people that Shelby had read the entire set of encyclopedias. When recently I asked her if that was true, she said, nah. She probably has read the entire set.

The calves were in a group playing.

This one baby had gotten over in the hay ring. Jimmy shooed him out to be sure he wasn't hung in there.

With those cows fed, we walked to the other pasture...The pasture with a bull inside. But wait. We walked past the pig pen. I had to stop and see the little pigs...

So, here we are where the bull lives with a few of his cows. Me, waiting just outside the gate, planning which direction I would run, just in case something unforeseen happened. You never know! Why, our niece Vicki, who we met for lunch while we were in Robbins...was telling us how she had gone out to the pasture with a pan of cut up apples to feed to the cows and when their bull "Jimmy" saw her, he came running and charged at the fence. That bull does not like Vicki, and she loves that bull. Vicki said she gave the apples to the cows and didn't give any to Jimmy for being so bad. :)

The bull was eating alone over to the left. That cow was probably thinking, "and he can just stay alone too"! 

Need to get busy. Here it is Monday. Poppy has gone back to work after another nine day vacation. The TV is shut off and cooling down. Oh, Poppy did see a good size buck late Saturday, right at the edge of dark. As Poppy put it, "I may regret it, but I let him walk". Poppy does have a kind heart. The deer have struggled what with that disease killing off so many of them.

Thank you for visiting.

Love, 
Henny Penny

A blustery day at the market

A dry towel! Thank you, Eli!

We got our first taste of winter yesterday! Yes we did! Where was I? Out in the wet, windy, wide open Western Wake Farmer's Market with lots of other shivering, chilled to the bone vendors. Wind, rain, falling temperatures, everything the weatherman predicted, and more. Vendor tents bounced in the wind unable to blow away because of the water filled jugs that hung from each corner. Two boat anchors and two milk jugs barely held down my tent. Not even one picture do I have to show you. I was too busy warming my hands in my pockets, wiping my cold runny nose, and keeping the bonnets from blowing off the table.

Poppy called it a wasted day. Not me. Shelby and Jimmy always make any day fun. We don't see enough of family anymore. Shelby and I are the only two left in our family and Jimmy is just the best brother-in-law ever! Shelby and I talked about old times. We talked about mama. We laughed, we visited other vendor's booths. Shelby traded an apple pie for vegetables...kale, eggplant, and broccoli. We bought a large coffee to warm us which by the way was the best cup of coffee I have ever put to my lips. I selected the "dark, ghoulish, halloween blend"...really good!

It was probably going on 2:00 when I got home yesterday. There was no coming in the house, curling up with a warm dry blanket and relaxing. No sirree! I unloaded the car, changed into old jeans, got my feed bucket and headed right back out into the cold wind to the animals. The baby guineas were my biggest worry, but they were all fine. After feeding and giving them clean water, I found a piece of plywood which I stood up to make another windbreak. Their corner of the dog lot is now enclosed on three sides...toasty warm what with the heat lamp and their mama to snuggle under too.  I continued on with the chickens, goats, ducks, Bun Bun, the cats, Weetie, Smokey, all needing attention, and of course Eli needed to be hugged and walked. Just finishing up and stepping back up on the porch, Poppy pulled into the driveway. Thoughts of cooking supper sent burning red flashes through my mind! Crap! 

Plundering through the cabinets with my cold, numb fingers, I pulled out everything needed to make a big pot of chili beans...Good hot chili using...

    1 lb. Hamburger
    1 onion cut up
    bell pepper cut up
    1 can diced tomatoes
    1 can tomato sauce
    2 cans pinto beans
    1 can (almost) water
    2 heaping T chili powder
    1 tsp. cumin
    salt & pepper
    and one chopped, long hot red pepper like 
    these...

(This was my last pickings from the 
    teeny tiny garden last week) 

Brown hamburger, add peppers and onions browning a little longer. Add other ingredients. Simmer couple hours or longer.

Putting chili on to cook did warm me up some so I kept up the pace and began unpacking the damp bonnets, aprons, and dolls. Did I mention the only sales yesterday were one small doll, one bonnet, and one girl's apron. Yep, I made $28.00. 

Shelby had two pieces of her chocolate fudge cake left. She sent these to Poppy...

Speaking of Poppy, look who has become all buddy buddy with him...

Thank you for putting up with my rambling on and on about nothing. Hope to be back soon.

Love,
Henny Penny
    

A little bit of farm stuff

Here I am with all the symptoms of spring fever and hear that we could get three quarters of an inch of sleet today! And, if that's not enough, the temperature dropping into the teens tonight!!! Wow!

Remember the visits last week from Shelby and Jimmy with their trailer to haul firewood? Have I mentioned their farm is "Shelly Mac Farm"? Well, back at the farm with the wood split and stacked, this is the end result...Jimmy says all but a small portion came from our place...

Their wood heating system. I love this cute little building. Looks more like a playhouse...

I was out at 6:30 this morning feeding animals and adding hay to the chicken house. Nothing for the hens to do in bad weather but gather around the door and watch the sleet and snow fall...and occasionally peck another hen on the head. Soft hay to make them comfortable...

Again I left the feed bucket on the door steps and Weetie took it upon herself to stand guard. She is a sweety-pie. She takes this job very seriously...

The goats were playing on the pine logs and then saw me with the camera...

Okay, just a little pretend farm update. Wishing a nice sunny day to you all. Thanks!

Love,

Henny Penny

A Busy Day

Funny, I had titled this post "Monday Morning", and here it is Tuesday night.   

What a day this has been!  I went in to town, bought hay and goat feed, carried aprons and bonnets to the feed and seed store to sell, delivered 4 dozen eggs to a friend in Wake Forest, left Wake Forest and drove 30 miles to Henderson to pick up prescriptions and buy a gift...then headed toward home.

I was in a hurry because I worry so about the baby guineas...feeling the need to check on them every hour or so.  As soon as I got home I did indeed check and there was a baby, cold and wedged between the fence and a piece of 4 x 4 post, cold and near death.  How in the world they manage to stray that far from the warmth and safety of their mother is beyond me! 

It was meant for me to get home when I did!  I used the warm cloths and sugar water again.  This baby survived too.  It breaks my heart to think how long it lay there, cold and needing help.  Anyway, all is well now.

I am enjoying reading other blogs so much that I hardly have  the time to write a decent post of my own!  :)  I love the donkey stories and pictures, the dogs, the beautiful fall pictures, the walks in the woods, the delicious foods and recipes...persimmon pudding, old photographs, sewing, crafting, the cats and the funny stories, and the altered couture...that you all post about!

Terry, since you requested it, and because you are so nice......Here I am, "swinging" out over the goat lot! :)  No wonder I fell out backwards...look how much hangs over!  Pardon the lovely shoes, my crocs that sit at the front door.

The craft fair was held last Saturday.  The car was packed and I was on my way at 5:15 a.m.  Shelby and Jimmy leave for the market at 6:30 on Saturdays so I needed to be there on time.

Don't Shelby and Jimmy look like people you would love?  Well, they are.  I heard it several times at the market from the vendors and the customers.  It was a fun day!

They sell dozens and dozens of large dark brown eggs.  They also sell baked goods, jams and jellies, and sometimes produce.  There are many flavors of jam on display here, and for sampling.  Sorry there's no picture of my booth.  You can see a bit of a Christmas apron hanging.  I sold a few bonnets and aprons and one doll.   Made a bit of spending money and enjoyed the day.

Looks like Poppy and I will be getting even more sun and light into our place.  The folks who own the property across from us have been thinning out...clearing rows, making room for the smaller pines to grow.  Poppy says this will give him more places to hunt next deer season.

Thanks for visiting.  

Love, 
Henny Penny