Sometimes when you feel like you’ve run out of space–it is very easy to get overwhelmed and….welll….
let things go.
I admit, that’s exactly what I did. I knew I needed to rotate out all the expired stuff but it felt daunting. And besides, those expiration dates are getting tinier and tinier and harder and harder to see every single day. Ha.
Enter my sweet Lyndi, whose got a fabulous way of taking chaos…
and after hours and hours of hard work…
turning it…
into…
rows and rows…
of lovely, meticulous ORDER!!!
I can now find EXACTLY what I need in a matter of seconds!!
Hallelujah!!!
To me, when I look at my crazy shelves now, all I can see is…
love.
Thank you my sweet, kind, incredibly hard working girl. You’ll never know how deeply I appreciate all this awesomeness.
Ok, it’s best to start with the plain and simple facts. I LOVE peaches. I’ve picked them from my own tree when my kids were little and turned them into a million jars, canned for winter. I’ve made jam, and sauces and everything else you can think of.
Everything that is…except leather.
No idea why I’ve never tried it, but as it turns out–it was pretty easy–and SO much better for you than the rubbery, store bought kind.
You simply wash and cut up 4 cups of raw peaches. You can peel them if you like, but I didn’t because I love the extra flavor, nutrients and fiber.
In a medium saucepan, add 1/2 cup water, 1/3 cup honey or sugar and peaches. Let the fruit mixture simmer about 10 minutes, or until the fruit is soft.
I even used my snooty raw Utah honey, instead of sugar.
Extra points for me. Haha.
Whirl it in 2 cup batches, in the blender.
Next, spread evenly on a silicone mat on a 18 x 13 sheet pan.
Bake in the over for 6-10 hours–or until dry-ish to the touch.
When completely cooled, peel the leather off the mat and roll from long end to long end. If you want a bigger roll up, just roll it from short end to short end.
I love the smaller pieces that you get this way. They are perfect for little ones and if you want more–just take two!
We wrapped them in that sticky cling film–and seriously, they keep beautifully this way! We are still eating some from last year.
They taste so good and make the house smell like Autumn heaven.
wash and cut up 4 cups of raw peaches. You can peel them if you like, but I didn't because I love the extra flavor, nutrients and fiber. In a medium saucepan, add ½ cup water, ⅓ cup honey or sugar and peaches. Let the fruit mixture simmer about 10 minutes, or until the fruit is soft.
: Launi
Ingredients
4 cups peaches cut up
½ cup water
⅓ cup honey
Instructions
Wash and cut up 4 cups of raw peaches. You can peel them if you like, but I didn't because I love the extra flavor, nutrients and fiber.
In a medium saucepan, add ½ cup water, ⅓ cup honey or sugar and peaches.
Let the fruit mixture simmer about 10 minutes, or until the fruit is soft.
Whirl it in 2 cup batches, in the blender.
Next, spread evenly on a silicone mat on a 18 x 13 sheet pan.
Bake in the over for 6-10 hours--or until dry-ish to the touch.
When completely cooled, peel the leather off the mat and roll from long end to long end. If you want a bigger roll up, just roll it from short end to short end.
We wrapped them in that sticky cling film--and seriously, they keep beautifully this way!
I suppose you’re thinking, “What the heck does that mean?” I’ll tell you. Ever since I was a young pup, I’ve wanted to have an organized spot where I could keep the wheat and corn and rice that we have stored, in a safe, clean, orderly place. Somewhere that I could get to easily and run it through the grinder any time I needed too, without any fuss. Finally, finally…I figured out how to do it.
When Daney boy got married and moved to Idaho, he left behind this cute little computer desk. Hmmmm….I thought, let me just scoot that into a convenient corner of the garage. So I did.
Then, a dear friend brought over a busload of quart sized jugs which gave me a positively brilliant idea.
What if I took some of the big heavy buckets of wheat, that are really hard to lug around and lift and stack and–well, you get the idea–and poured some of the wheat into smaller containers that were much easier to manage?
So first, I cut the bottom off of one of the jugs and made a handy, dandy wheat scoop out of it.
Clever, yes?
Then I started filling the wheat jugs…
and stacking them on the shelf, that now holds the grinder and canisters that I need to make up a bit of flour at a moments’ notice. And get this–one of those quart jugs holds the exact amount of wheat to fill the grinder for one batch of flour. Ahhh…perfection.
Weird topic for a blog post, I guess–but it’s been a long time coming–and to finally have more order in the storage room…
today–if you just happened by, you would have been greeted by the lovely scent of peaches.
As you may know, we’ve had one heck of a time getting any of these pretty things in jars or bags or–well, anywhere, for that matter, besides our tummies.
But after buying our third box–a big one this time–we finally had the self discipline (or the box was big enough- ha!) to squirrel some away for the winter. With applesauce and pears and tomato sauce ahead of me, I just didn’t have the “umph” to bottle the peaches–kitchen is still too warm.
So Miss Chompy and I blanched and peeled and sliced and counted pitts…ahem…
and packed away 9 lovely bags into the freezer. There’s just something soothing to a woman’s heart about piling up food for the family for another day. Don’t you agree?
Oooh, I see Autumn smoothies and peach shakes and fruit crepes and peachy applesauce in my crystal ball.
Guess heading back to the Farmer’s Market for more peaches is also in my future.
Can’t think of much that beats a fresh, juicy peach. We have, however, come up with a close second with this lovely little Peach Smoothie on a stick. Cold, crisp, and slow to drip–as if it would ever have the chance!
Ingredients:
8 fresh peaches–peeled, pitted and cut up
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup Peach Jello powder
1/2 cup milk
Directions:
Dissolve Jello powder in hot water–completely. Place all ingredients in the blender and whirl until smooth.
Pour into popsicle molds.
Freeze for at least 4 hours–overnight works great.
Dissolve Jello powder in hot water--completely. Place all ingredients in the blender and whirl until smooth. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze 4 hours or overninght.
