An Air Freshener Recipe....for your gift pantry...

Hello Girls... Just wanted to touch base with you all today... Such a lovely Fall day and I am feeling so blessed... A day off and I don't even feel quilty....lol....
I am going to try hard to get back on track with the blog and the Keepers of the Home... The dear ladies have been very patient with me during the last few months and I appreciate it so much..
A lot of things can change in that amount of time but our God remains stedfast and true...
So on that note...
I thought I would give you another idea today for the gift pantry that I hope you are all working on.. I know that sometimes money is scarce or time is not available..... I guess that is when you need to get creative with your resources... Both cash and time...lol.....
This is a recipe but not for something to eat... It is sort of organic in the fact that you use all natural ingredients.....
It is a Clove and Vanilla Air Freshener... I had it in my shop and sold several.,...It smells heavenly...

Here is the recipe.... Oh, one condition, please..... Let me know if you tried this and how it turns out... I mean for the followers of the blog not just the Keepers group here... ok?
Good.... here we go...
.
                                CLOVE AND VANILLA AIR FRESHENER
2 cups distilled or rain water
2 cups of white vinegar
a big handful of whole cloves
1/4 cup of vanilla....
Put the above in a small pot and bring to a boil....Then turn down the heat and simmer 10 minutes..
Now I added some nice warm vanilla oil that you buy at the craft store .. (like for tarts, candles)
I put about 1/3 of the bottle... so that added to the cost by $1.75 per batch.. 
I found this recipe on the internet some time ago but I forget where and they did not do this... So , it is up to you... You could also add clove oil.... whatever turns your crank...lol...
Now the secret that I found after a couple of batches (I found this out by accident as I did not have time to bottle it..)
Let it sit overnite .. The cloves soak into the mixture better,...

Now strain this inot a measuring cup

Then use a small funnel and fill spray bottles that you can buy at the dollarstore....
Be sure to make a label and a tag and print the instructions...
Please shake well before spraying....

I used a brown paper bag , marker and a glue stick... Oh, I named it...

Olde Farmhouse Kitchen Air Freshner...

And painted on a couple of pumpkins...

If it is for Christmas... Name it something for the season...

Be creative...

I think this made about 2 bottles... You can halve it if you just want to try one... 

Well, girls have a great week and may the Lord surround you with the beauty of the Autumn...

Hugs..

Faye...

Hey, this would make a good item to add to your craft tables, ladies.. For your church group or if you have a little home business going...

A busy September Monday...

Good Monday Morning to you all..  As I have said before I love Mondays... Especially after a wonderful Lord's Day when you come home Sunday night and your heart is full of gladness and joy because you have been in the Presence of the Lord...
Last night we were so blessed to hear the ministry of a missionary who is from Mexico... I was so happy to hear him as I had been good friends with his aunt and knew his Mom well.  They have both gone on to meet their God but he is carrying on the Torch... He and his wife had also gone to Bible College with Shonda and Trevor.... Please pray for that dear family as they go back to the mission field of Mexico..

This is going to be a very busy week here in St. Martins... I am getting ready for my open house plus trying to get preserving done....

Just a few pickles and jams that are up at the shop...

Terry brought down about 75 pounds of cukes for me to do.... Oh my.... I am praying for strengh today... You know I am not as young as I used to be...

lol.... Then there are red and green tomatoes stacked in the back room... I did make a  lovely tomato sauce that I should share with you... Just not today as I need to get going....

Take care girls and I pray you are having a lovely September...

Pray for me... ok?

Let me know that you are out there reading this and what you are busy doing if you have the time...

Praying for you and yours..

Faye

Preserving the herb Basil...

How is everyone this evening?  I thought I should try to post a bit more often if I can as I haven't done very well this summer.
I went up to Salisbury yesterday to a market  called The Green Pig... I love farm markets and this one has all kinds of goodies.. Lots of veggies, of course but crafts, soaps and a few vintage finds, too..
Since I was passing by the exit  I thought I should stop and see what they had.. I was so glad I did as they had fresh herbs... I am trying to grow them here but we were late getting the garden in as we were working on the shop so I only have enough for salves and daily meals...
I was so happy to find big bags of fresh basil and huge bunches of fresh dill...

Today, I preserved the basil....

I heard about this way of preserving herbs from a French lady from northern N. B, who happened to stop  by my shop this summer.  I looked it up on google and I guess it is a popular method especially in Quebec.. The lady explained that her mom and grandma used to do this and that it is delicious..  I am giving it a try..

First, you wash your herbs and pat them dry with paper towels.   It  doesn't need to be basil ... Any herb will do...lol

Then take the leaves off of the stems

Find yourself a nice bottle and sterilize it... Then pour in a good layer of kosher or coarse or sea salt on the bottom,  Layer your herbs and then a thin layer of salt just to cover the leaves.. You keep doing this and pressing it all down until you get to the top.. Put another thick layer of salt and put on your cover..

One site that I read said to keep this in the fridge.... So I am..

She said it is delicious to put a spoon or less into your soups, tomato sauces, or over your fish...

After awhile the salt takes on the flavor of the herbs...Sounds good to me although, I expect some people don't like to use salt...

Then, of course I have to do my Pesto....

So here you do the same things... wash, dry and take the leaves off the stem.. For this much basil I added 4 cloves of garlic... I like more but I want Terry to like it, too....lol...

Just place your leaves and garlic and pine nuts if you like... Some people will put any kind of nuts ....

I personally don't like to put the pine nuts in until later but it is up to you...

Anyway, just put your leaves and garlic into a food processor, blender or chopper thing..

I love lemon juice... it keeps it green and we love the flavour...I just add 1 lemon juiced for this amount of basil.. oh, and a pinch of kosher salt. (4 cups of basil) and enough olive oil to blend it well.

Then I put it in ice-cibe trays and freeze...

If you need an accurate amounts for your recipe you could google one.. I just add and blend.. Sorry..

When they are frozen I then take them out and bag them  in separate baggies for the winter...

We use pesto on sandwiches, especially tomato... pizzas, add to tomato sauces and of course...

|This...

Pasta....just add parmesan and more lemon juice if like..

If you girls know of anything that tastes any better than this... Please let me know  for I would dearly love to try it....LOL..

Oh, Lynn if you are reading this I am so sorry you wern't her to try it....LOL...

Well, that is all for tonight... I am trying to go to bed early for the next few weeks as I need to work towards getting ready for my Fall Flavors Open House...

 Hope you are making out all right with getting your children out to school each day..

Please try to make time to say a wee word of prayer with them before they step out into this big wide world....

Love ya..

Faye...

Hot Mustard Pickle Recipe...

Good Morning my dears...  Are the kids all ready and out the door for another year of schooling?  I know school starts at different times throughtout our countries but here in N. B. it started today... My prayers go out for you all that you have a wonderful school year.. That your children will be protected from accident and disease and that God will be with them in their choices.  What a world we live in but we are so blessed when we know Him and can trust that the steps our children will take will be in His care...

As you probably all know the hurricane did not amount to much here where we are.. Thank you, Jesus....

So now I am preparing for my openhouse that I have for the House of Henry.. You can read about that on my other blog  ....It is at the end of the month..

Yesterday, after I came home from the shop I made Hot Mustard Pickles..

The Keepers have made the regular ones but these are a bit different...

I thought you might like the recipe... There are tons of great big ripe cukes from your gardens or they are inexpensive at the markets....

Here is the recipe...

HOT MUSTARD PICKLES.

5 QUARTS CHOPPED UP RIPE CUKES (peeled and remove the seed)

1 QUART OF CHOPPED UP ONIONS

3 CHOPPED HOT PEPPERS  (RED ONES) I don't add the seeds...

1 CHOPPED SWEET GREEN PEPPER

1 CAULIFLOWER, CUT INTO SMALL SECTIONS

3 CUPS CIDER VINEGAR

4 CUPS WHITE SUGAR

4 TSP. MUSTARD SEED

6 TSP. COARSE SALT

BRING THE VINEGAR MIXTURE TO A BOIL IN A LARGE PICKLING POT.. SIMMER FOR A FEW MINUTES AND THEN ADD THE VEGGIES...

STIR WELL  

BRING TO A BOIL AND SIMMER FOR 10 MINUTES OR SO..

MEANWHILE, STIR UP THIS MIXTURE...

1 CUP FLOUR

1 CUP SUGAR

3 TSP. TUMERIC

3 TSP. HOT DRY MUSTARD

STIR IN ABOUT 1 CUP OF CIDER VINEGAR TO MAKE A PASTE.. 

THEN TAKE ABOUT A CUP OF  HOT JUICE OUT OF YOUR POT AND STIR THIS INTO YOUR PASTE.  THIS WILL MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO LUMPS IN YOUR PICKLES..

NOW, STIR THE MIXTURE INTO YOUR VEGGIES...

SIMMER FOR ANOTHER 5 MINUTES OR SO UNTIL THEY ARE A NICE MUSTARD COLOUR....

POUR INTO YOUR ALREADY STERILIZED BOTTLES AND SEAL...

THIS MAKES ABOUT 14 PINTS OF PICKLES.

These pickles are not real hot but have a different flavour from the run of the mill pickle...Of course, you can make them hotter by adding the seeds of the hot peppers... Be careful and you can ruin the whole batch if they are too hot... Well, they would be ruined for me but you know what your family enjoys... 

Now make sure you read through the recipe before you start making the pickles and sterilize your bottles ...

Well, that is all for today... I think I am going home for a day or two to get my candle making supplies... I love making corncobs and pumpkin tarts for my sale and I can just look at the garden and see how it is doing..

It is Terry's garden ... he weeds... I preserve....lol... 

Have a God blessed week and I will be praying for you all...

Hugs..

Faye 

An old cottage's nooks and crannies on the Bay of Fundy...

Good Evening to my dear friends....
As you know we will soon be leaving St. Martins and heading home for the Fall and Winter... I just posted on my other blog about the hurricane that is supposed to land here late Friday night, I think!!
I hope the cottage will still be in one piece with so many huge old trees about the place...
Anyway, I would love to decorate this dear old house with entirely primitve as I love it so much but for some reason it does not get done...
I thought I would post a few little pics of some little nooks and crannies that you find in an at least 100 plus year old cottage.. It had 2 wonderful families grow up here with their large families before it became a cottage to us...

Keepers of the Home enjoy their decorating skills and we all like different styles but here is an old fashioned look that I can'\t quite put away.....

Remember .. last posting I wrote about you sweet Moms finding a wee spot for yourselves...

Well,  I picked this one for me... When your sweet darlins are all grown up and gone you will find many such spots for yourself... You just won't need them as much as you do now..LOL..

But guess what??  You would trade it in any day to have those children of yours back under your roof and getting them ready for school...  You girls know what I am like so bear with me... I miss my children...

I think this paper has been on for way over 50 years... It is so quaint... Right?

A little shelf in the bathroom....

More bathroom gatherings.....just not prim, I am afraid....

And a light to find your way in the middle of the night...LOL..

More bathroom vintage items...

another bathroom shelf.... I guess I must like them....

In an old bedroom a new fangled book shelf.. ... there are books in every corner in this old place..

I know... at home they are too...lol... I love books....

Just one more... I have probably bored you silly as usual...

I just want to thank you all for following and reading my blog...

It has been so nice to meet you this way...

Anyway....

Here is what really makes it so nice to be here in the summer...

I guess it doesn't matter if the place is as old as the hills and needs some new wallpaper and such.. It really is fine just the way it is..

Thank you dear Lord..

Now, remember to check in again and I will try to tell you how the storm turns out..

Have a wonderful long weekend and pray for me and I will pray for you...

Hugs...

Faye...