How To Can Peaches

Summertime is the time for peaches! And if you are like many of the people in my family, you wish you could enjoy their fresh taste all year. Canning peaches is incredibly easy and allows you to get that delicious Georgia peach taste even in the dead of winter.

We typically buy a 25lb box of peaches (half a bushel) and get about 13 quarts of peaches out of it. Not a lot, but still enough for at least one jar a month.

To begin, make sure your peaches are soft, but not overripe. If the peaches are too tough, they'll be difficult to peel. If too soft, you'll run into the same problem. And instead of leaving them in the box to ripen, spread them out on a table. This will separate any that have small bruises from the rest of the bunch and will keep the good peaches from rotting.

Once your peaches are ready, simply peel the skins from the outside of your peaches. I typically use a sharp, small knife for this job. If the skins don't come off easily, you can dip the peaches in boiling water for 10-30 seconds and then immediately submerge them in ice water. The point is not to cook the peaches, but to loosen the skin.

After peeling your peaches, slice them in half and take out the pit. The easiest way to get the pit out is with a spoon. Gently loosen around the pit and it'll pop right out.



Place your peach halves pit side down in WIDE mouth jars. Using wide mouths allows you to fit peach halves in your jars. You may think that cutting the peaches into smaller slices will allow you to fit more, but after experimentation, we've found that you can fit the same amount whether you use quarters or halves.



Fill the jar with your peach halves.



Make a syrup of sugar and water. You'll want 1 cup sugar to every 3 cups water. It takes about a cup and half to fill each jar, so make plenty of this. Place the sugar and water in a saucepan and heat until the sugar is melted. Do not boil this as you don't want your good syrup to boil down.

Pour the syrup into the jars over the peaches leaving 1/2" of headspace. Remove bubbles and place the lid and ring on the jar.



Process the jars at 5lb pressure for 10 minutes and then allow to cool completely.


Note: For reasons I can't explain, some jars do lose liquid during the pressure canning stage. These jars are still fine to store so long as the seal is good. If you store the jars for several years, you may find some browning on the top peaches. Just remove those peaches and eat the ones underneath. But really, these peaches aren't going to last several years! You'll have eaten them long before that!!

Easy Gardening Hack to Deter Pests

We have gardens. And we have an entire clan of rabbits living in our yard. For years we've lost the battle of the bunnies. But this year we finally got smart and discovered a great way to keep them out of our plants.

Last year we put in several garden boxes. These helped by raising our beds of beans, broccoli, and carrots, but they just aren't quite high enough to fully keep the rabbits out. We've put up fencing - even RABBIT fencing - and still those little stinkers get into our garden.

This year we tried a new method born of desperation. My husband purchased a roll of shrink wrap - the kind used to wrap dressers and such when you are moving. It can be found pretty cheaply at most hardware stores. He then placed regular garden fencing posts at each corner of our raised beds. He then carefully wrapped the box in several layers of shrink wrap. By bringing the wrap all the way to the ground it prevents little pests from getting into the box underneath the wraps. And because of the posts at each corner, the wrap can go as high as you need it to. Ours ended up a little over knee high.





You know what? It works!! We'll now do this every year. Not only have we kept the bunnies out but also the chipmunks, neighbor dogs, and stray kittens that we've previously found in our gardens. The sun and rain still get into the box from above. And given that we live in a colder climate, the wraps keep just enough moisture and warmth in the boxes to provide a perfect growing environment for young plants.

It's midsummer now and our garden boxes are flourishing. We still have our wraps on. Wind and rain have not torn them off. And we're discovering the extra bonus that it keeps our plants from spilling over the sides of the boxes where they get trampled by the busy feet of children helping with garden chores.





Go ahead and give it a try! I'd love to hear your thoughts.

DIY Laundry Detergent

For over a year now we've been making our own laundry detergent. With such a huge family the cost of detergent was eating huge chunks out of our monthly grocery budget. This recipe works great in both cold and hot water and does an excellent job of cleaning clothes well - even little boy clothes! It's super economical - only about $25 or less and lasts our family of 8 for six months. So if you've got a family smaller than that and don't have to do two loads of laundry a day, it'll last even longer!

I have found all of the supplies at WalMart in the laundry aisle. You'd likely be able to find them at your local grocery store or possibly even the hardware store. Once you've got your ingredients it only takes about a half hour to put together and then you're set!



LAUNDRY SOAP:

1 4lb 12oz box of Borax
1 4lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
1 55oz box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
3 bars of Fels-Naptha Soap
2 small containers of Oxy Clean (3 lbs each)
Optional: laundry crystals for scent (I don't use these)


Grate the bars of Fels-Naptha soap. I use my food processor for this and it works quickly and efficiently.



Combine all ingredients in a large bucket and mix well. I use my hands to mix it. It does take some arm strength. You could also use a large spoon.

Use one of the scoops that comes with the oxy clean (usually about 1-2 Tbs - depending on the size and soil amount in your laundry) per load.




Tip: I have eliminated dryer sheets and fabric softener by making my own wool dryer balls. Simply get some washed wool and use a felting tool to make a large ball. Two or three of these balls used together in the dryer will remove static, eliminate the need for fabric softener, and will noticeably cut your drying time.

Gone Too Soon: Where is God When an Untimely Death Occurs?

Today I learned that a high school classmate recently died. He was 38 years old. Only 38.

Far too young to die, most would say. Surely you've heard that phrase as often as I have. Perhaps you've even said it.



It is the idea of untimely death that has me thinking tonight.

Aren't all deaths "untimely"? Few of us wake in the morning and think, "Today's the day. I expect to die today." At some time or another during our journeys on this earth, we will all feel the emptiness of a lost loved one and long for even just one more day with them.

The Bible actually tells us that no deaths are untimely. Psalm 139:16 says, "... all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

If this is true, then what the Bible is saying is that before we are even born, God has planned the number of our days. He knows in advance how many years, days, minutes we'll have on this earth. If God knows all of our days, then it stands to reason that nothing can take us out of this world before our days are done, and nothing can keep us here longer than the number of days set forth for each one of us. Death, although often a surprise to us, is never a surprise to God.

I find this to be encouraging news. Why? Because life is not without purpose. Life is not without hope. Yes, physical death will eventually come for all of us, but until that time, we have LIFE! What will you choose to do with it?

We all have a tendency to get stuck. Some of us are stuck in the past either wanting to relive our youth or doing all we can to bury the pain of the past. Others are stuck in the future. It's good to look forward to the future, but we can become so preoccupied with our future plans and dreams that we forget to live in the present.

Because of looking back or looking forward, we miss our greatest calling: living today to the full. Doing the greatest good TODAY. Seeing the people around us as opportunities instead of interruptions. Reveling in the joy of simple moments. Practicing thankfulness. Getting to know the Creator of life, which has the tremendous bonus of eliminating the fear of death.

So as I reflect on a classmate's life, I'm left with a choice. Will I live today with confidence? Confidence that until my time is done, time remains. Will I make the most of the moments I'm given? Spending time with the ones I love, using the gifts I've been given, allowing myself to be a tool in the Creator's hands, and treating others with dignity and respect. I choose to live. Do you?

Message of Hope to the Whining Mom

(photo credit: inkwellinspirations.com)

Today I'm sick. I have lost my voice and have struggled all day to communicate to my children using large gestures, finger snaps, and whistles. But worse than me being sick is seeing my littlest fight the same bug. His fever is high and his little head is miserable in all ways: stuffy nose, watery eyes, sore throat, and headache.

He spent much of the day snuggling on my lap today. Every so often I'd try to coax some liquid into his mouth despite his protests. But for the most part we sat in silence. Me due to laryngitis and he due to pure exhaustion.

At one point this afternoon, just about the time that his meds were wearing off, I heard his whines change to a familiar sound. My little one year old began singing "Hallelujah". He closed his eyes, raised his arm, and offered praise to his Maker. After a few times through, he looked at me and clearly expected that I would sing along. Normally, this is our routine, but today I had little voice to be able to join in. His insistence won out though, and I quietly croaked out hallelujahs with him.

Moments before, I had been the picture of patient motherhood. But inside I had been a complaining, whiny mess. While my baby whined outwardly, I whined in my mind. "Why now? I have so much to do!", "Are we ever going to finally be healthy again?", "How am I to speak at a baby shower, attend a prayer service, and bring a meal to another family tomorrow when THIS is what my day will be like?", "Lord, I thought you called me to these things, and now you've left me here to wallow in runny noses and complaining children!"

And then ... "Hallelujah!"

There was my little one reminding me, forcing me to praise the Lord.

We are sick. This is not the norm for us. Hallelujah!

I may have to miss events tomorrow. There are many ready to jump in and pinch hit for me. Hallelujah!

Germs abide in our house. Clorox wipes do too. Hallelujah!

We missed a day of homeschooling. We watched several shows connected to our studies on India that I've been having trouble fitting into the schedule. Hallelujah!

I am cooking for someone else tomorrow. Because of their dietary needs, I had planned a very simple soup that's a cinch to make. And, it's not us needing the meals. Hallelujah!

I fuss about sitting on the couch cradling a feverish baby. The videos we watched depicted families sitting on dirt floors cradling dying children. My situation is not so bad. Hallelujah!


From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! - Psalm 8:2-9

Hallelujah!