Dehydrating Apples

The Victory Garden is coming to an end and the 105 temperatures are not helping. The cucumber plants havent survived although we enjoyed their coolness through most of the summer.

As soon as it was light.. I went outside to water the garden before the heat hit. We may not have anymore cucumbers growing, but we still have some tomatoes... 

and the peppers are loving the heat.

We are particularly enjoying a new (to us) 'Lunchbox Red' which are lovely and sweet.

So thoughts are turning now to preserving the harvest. Its time to start washing some jars

Yesterday I filled five trays of apple peices... sprayed the them with a little lemon juice to prevent browning..

Fourteen hours later they were done.. and even though the five trays had been full.. once dried they only filled a quart and a pint jar

I will use them on top of cereal or in stuffings through the winter

Now... what shall I make tomorrow?

Citrus Slices

So here it is.. the first of December. Where did November go? So now all thoughts are turned towards Christmas...my absolute favorite time of the year

With Thanksgiving being later and helping MrD in the garden over the weekend.. I’m a little bit behind in starting my decorating. But I still had time to take Prince for an early morning walk... and just look at that sky!! 

Albert Noakes helps his family put up the Christmas paper bunting

at their house on Christmas Street, south-east London, 

while his wife Mary continues with the ironing December 1946. 

I know many will think that it’s still very early.. but I like to be done by December 3rd. It’s the anniversary of my dear mother's passing. She loved Christmas so much and made it so special for all of us.. that I decorate in memory of her.

Dudley decorates the tree
The Bishops Wife 1947

So.. my house looks like an explosion in Santas workshop... and I had to get todays housework done too. But by the this evening.. it was all starting to take shape. And I'm loving every busy.. chaotic moment of it. If only I could decorate as easily as Dudley

So today I did a very easy craft ready for Christmas... with the added bonus of having a sweet smelling kitchen. I dehydrated citrus fruits (Grapefruit, Oranges, Lemons and Limes) to use in Christmas decor come December. So simple to do.

• Preheat oven to a low temperature 170°F
• Wash the citrus and slice it into ¼ inch thick rounds.
• Pat the slices dry on both sides, removing excess moisture.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
• Arrange the slices in a single layer, making sure they do not overlap.
• For better air circulation, you can also use wire racks placed over the baking sheets.
• Bake for 3-5 hours or until crisp and brittle and not at all sticky
• Flip the slices every 30 minutes to ensure even drying
• Remove them when they are dry, translucent, and slightly darkened, but not browned.
• Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place until ready for Christmas decorating

Dried Bread Cubes

So here we are... Another Monday... another day of cleaning the bedrooms and doing laundry... another day of cooking and washing dishes.. another day of loving and caring for my family... another day of repetition.. but boy do I love it. 

Photo: Housewife Doing Laundry

1943

I really am a happy and blessed housewife, mum and nana... and always enjoy it when my children.. and now grandchildren help in the kitchen. 

Photo:Three-year-old Ann Heath helps her mother wash dishes

Connecticut, 1942

Once my chores are done I get to do the fun stuff .. like prepping for the festive season...

I got a  couple of stale loaves of bread from the reduced basket of the market at the weekend. Betty at "the Bakery" is as like minded as me with her waste not want not attitude. We had some  toasted with the Cabbage Soup we had for lunch on Saturday. 

The rest has been cubed, dried in the oven and put in air tight jars. 

They will be used to make stuffing over the festive season. 

Its a very easy recipe... so much so it cant really be called a recipe.. and although they can be done in the dehydrator.. I prefer the oven method.. and yes...aluminum foil was around in the 1940s!

• Preheat the oven to a low temperature 150°–200°F
• Cut the bread of your choice into half-inch cubes
• Spread the cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet
• Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, tossing them occasionally to ensure even drying. 
• The cubes are ready when they are dry and crisp, but not browned

Also on the agenda today was the most important job of the week.. feeding the Christmas cake. I like to feed from the underside.. and just use a skewer to poke holes all over the cake... being careful not to go all the way through.. Then just pour over a couple of Tablespoons on you favourite tipple and let in soak in. Wrap tightly again in greaseproof paper.. pop in your storage tin  and store in a cool dark place to marinade! This is its third feed and it already smells amazing. Another couple of weeks and I’ll be icing it. Thinking about it the weeks will just fly by.. and I cant believe Christmas is so close!!