Empty nesting

Jessie left a week ago. Louella left in August. Fiona left in September and is settling in at college.
Even my spring kids are kids no longer, but are goatie teens with raging hormones.
I miss my girls of summer.

What do they read to kids these days?

During a conversation with Jessie the other day, I realized that I was always referencing the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House series.

Then I got thinking about other books from my childhood that were about what you might term survivalist skills: Swiss Family Robinson, My Side of the Mountain. And later on, anything by Helen and Scott Nearing,

These should be required reading for anyone considering farming. Heck, they should be required reading to any kids growing up. Which begs the question: what are they reading to kids these days???

Butter Trials

My apprentice Jessie and I have been talking all week about the components that would go into a truly local Thanksgiving. I've realized that butter is one area that I need to Get Real Get Maine in... so we've been conducting butter trials all week. We found some at the Coop that's made in Brooks, not too far away, as well as Kate's butter from Old Orchard Beach. But our biggest triumph of the week is that we made butter on Friday! It was so easy -- we bought two quarts of cream, put it in a gallon jar to ripen at room temp for the day, added a touch of MM starter at the beginning. When we got home from market, we took turns shaking the jar, wondering how long it would take, and all of a sudden, there was butter!!! We got 5 8-oz tubs out of two quarts of cream when we were all done. I don't think it was exactly a pound, as it felt lighter than that, and the butter seemed slightly whipped. But the bottom line is that we did it, it was fun, it was delicious, and now we can wow our families with butter at Thanksgiving!

Now I just need to find those Maine nuts to replace the pecan pie..... I need a recipe for a nut pie with either sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds?