Steaming Grapes

We have struggled for many years to grow grapes. 

Every year, something takes our fruit. We've had late frosts that withered the blossoms, worms that ate the new fruit, and many years of battle with black spot. I'm not sure if our issues are from inexperienced grape tenders or random circumstances.



This year we had an additional problem of Japanese beetles which loved the grape leaves and stripped part of the vine.



The grapes to the right have "black spot." Black spot is a fungal disease. It starts with a small diamond-shaped black spot on the stems, spreads to a black spot on the grapes, and turns the grapes into dried, inedible lumps that my children call "raisins" but are actually called "mummies." Apparently, if you have black spot in your plants and soil, it is hard to get rid of. I don't do well at remembering to spray and after many crop failures, we were thinking of just chopping down our vines.



But this year, our three vines were loaded with fruit. We lost a some of the grapes to black spot but other branches were loaded with beautiful clusters.



We harvested two bushels, one each of purple and green grapes. I was thrilled to be able to can grape juice again.



The children helped to strip the grapes from the stems. Then I borrowed my mom's Methu-Liisa steamer. Last year, when I only harvested a small pan of grapes, I canned them whole like Hope describes. But I prefer steaming since it results in a convenient grape juice concentrate.

The steamer consists of several stacked sections. To use the steamer, first fill the bottom section with water. As it boils, I had to keep checking to make sure the water had not all steamed out of this pan, otherwise, it could ruin the pan.

Stacked on top of the bottom section is the pan that collects the juice. It includes a tube to pour off the juice.

The next section holds the grapes and has a strainer-type bottom for the juice to drip through. I just rinsed the grapes before placing them in the pot.

Steaming grapes is easy. Except for watching that the water did not boil away and occasionally pouring off the juice into the jars, it is not difficult. But it is time consuming. It took me all day to steam those two bushel of grapes.

When the grapes had cooked down into a mash, I knew that most of the juice had been extracted. I dumped it out and started the next batch.

The result was a counter full of grape juice. The purple juice is from the purple grapes; the pink juice is from the green grapes. I added my sweetener before closing the lids. I use 1/2 cup sugar or 1/2 tsp of stevia for every quart. I canned the grape juice in a water bath canner to seal the lids. 

When we did a taste test, I think I should have added more sweetener. The juice seems far more concentrated this year then sometimes. I added one quart jar to three quarts of water to make a gallon of juice - and the juice was still plenty strong. I wonder if the dry weather concentrated the flavor? I added a little more sweetener when I served it and we all loved it. Since our family is almost exclusive water drinkers, juice is a rare treat. The children thought that our own grape juice was worthy of getting out the goblets and experiencing some fine dining!

We Sought and Found: Book Review

Can I join a Mennonite church, even if I didn't grow up Mennonite?

What changes would I have to make to join a Mennonite church?

Would I be welcome in a Mennonite church?


I've been asked these questions and many more, which is why I was excited to review We Sought and Found, a book compiled by Russ and Wendy Boyd.

Ten people share the stories of their spiritual journeys that brought them into a conservative Mennonite church. A couple of these writers I knew personally but most were unknown to me. Some were young when they first interacted with the Mennonites, maybe through Sunday School. Others spent many years searching for God and a place they could fellowship with believers before God led their path to the Mennonites. Some have been part of the Mennonite church for only a few years and others have been Mennonite for fifty years or more and are watching their great-grandchildren.

But each of these first-generation Mennonites have in common a desire to seek the Lord with all their heart and find a church where they could grow in Christ.

If you want to learn more about the Mennonites, I'd recommend We Sought and Found. It will give you a glimpse from real-life testimonies of those who have chosen to to be Mennonite.

I'd also highly recommend the book for those whose ancestors have been part of the Mennonite church for generations. You will learn to better appreciate your church and also how to welcome seekers who visit your church.

You can purchase We Sought and Found at Christian Light Publications.

(I was given a free review copy of this book but all opinions in this review are my own.)

What Contentment Is Not

I've been thinking about contentment and how it affects the choices I make in many areas of life. I may write more about the topic in the future for now I want to share a quote that I am mulling the last few days.

I happened to pick up Margin by Richard A. Swenson which has been on my shelf unread for a long time. I liked his chapter on contentment and this quote is from it. Italics are mine.

Contentment isn't the complacency that defeats any attempt to make things better, but instead the willingness to work tirelessly for improvement, clinging to God rather than results. It isn't a feeling of well-being contingent on keeping circumstances under control, but instead a joy that exists in spite of circumstances and looks to the God who never varies. It isn't the comfortable feeling we get when all our needs and desires are met, but instead the security in knowing, as A. W. Tozer reminds us, that "The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One." - Richard A. Swenson

I hope that someday I'll have time to write real posts instead of sharing quotes.

But my canner has been in business every day this week. Until the canner goes on a sabbatical, I'm stuck in the kitchen scrubbing pots.

And trying to build a heart of contentment.

Dilly Rolls

I have not been making much bread this summer. But I finally have some dill growing in my herb garden again (more on that topic in a later post) and I wanted to try some dilly rolls.

This is a simple yeast bread. Don't expect a light, puffy dinner roll. These are a rustic, hearty-type roll - absolutely perfect with a roast beef dinner.



I wanted to make sure they had a good dill flavor so after looking at several recipes I added both dill seed and dill weed, plus an onion. (Dill weed is the leafy green part of the dill plant.)

My children thought the flavor of these rolls was a little strong - but they helped themselves to seconds and thirds. I thought it was perfect. You can adjust the flavor to your liking by decreasing the dill and onion if you wish.

I'm looking forward to enjoying these rolls this fall with a pot of beef stew.



Dilly Rolls

1 cup milk
1 T honey
4 T oil
2 T instant yeast
1 cup warm water
1 onion, diced
4 T finely shopped fresh dill weed
1 T dill seeds
2 tsp salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
3-4 cups white flour

Add all ingredients except white flour to mixing bowl. Stir well. Add white flour as needed to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Knead for five minutes.

Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover. Let raise until doubled, about 1 hour. Divide dough into 24 pieces and roll into balls. Place on a greased baking sheet. If desired, brush tops with a beaten egg. Raise for 30 minutes or until doubled.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

August Garden Plans

Have I told you how much I love August? 

Even when it is busy. 

Even when I gauge my day's task on what is going to rot first.

I just love, love, LOVE the fresh eating in August. I could turn into a vegetarian this month.

I love heaping a pizza so full of fresh tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, and onions that you can't find the crust. I love hearing the sound of the pressure canner sizzling. I love smelling ripe peaches on a bowl on the counter. 

I love sitting down to a meal and hearing Ed say "Did you take a picture of this? It just looks too good." And the children groan because they think Mom takes way too many photos of food already. But August food is almost too pretty to eat.

August garden goals are simple. 

1. Try to not let too much go to waste.

2. Try to save my sanity in the frantic rush of garden preserving.

3. Try to save up memories of the abundance for February. 

One of the big tasks this month was harvesting our potatoes. After several dry weeks, the potato plants had died back. I knew the top potatoes would start getting green if we didn't get them dug. And if it did begin to rain, we'd acquire a huge crop of weeds.  And I hate pulling weeds before digging potatoes.

We planted far too many potatoes this year and they produced very well. There was hardly any little potatoes and many whoppers.

Fun for everyone, whether your task is finding the potatoes or playing in the dirt.



After all the potatoes were dug (and task that we did one or two rows at a time and so stretched out for two weeks) I hand broadcasted some buckwheat seed for a cover crop. I hoped that if it began to rain, the seeds would sprout and choke out the weeds.

But the next morning I looked out the window to find a wild mother turkey with her five almost-grown offspring. They were busy scratching and pecking - enjoying the buck wheat seed. Since then we have seen this family many times in the garden. I doubt there is any seed left. 

But I love seeing wildlife and it has been so dry that the seed probably wouldn't have sprouted anyway. At least something is getting a benefit from it.

In our other garden, our new patch of strawberries is struggling. I put in a soaker hose to keep it watered over our dry spell but they still are not flourishing.

Behind them are very weedy carrots. They have struggled with groundhogs and drought. I'm about ready to give up and pull them out even though they are only a few inches long.

The zinnias are tall and flourishing. My daughter asked why I wasted garden space on flowers but she has enjoyed picking many bouquets for the table. We often find several swallow tail butterflies enjoying the blooms.

A few weeks ago, a Home Joys reader that I met in person asked how my garden was doing. I said that I know it is August when all I want is my husband to go into the garden with the weed eater. And not long afterward he did. Ed cleared this area of the huge weeds and shaggy green beans.

I planted some late cabbage and broccoli and hid it under row cover from the cabbage worms. I'm also picking red beets, zucchini, and basil from this part of the garden. I threw some buck wheat seeds in the empty areas here but I don't see much result. Maybe the turkeys have visited this garden too. But more likely that the drought has hindered germination. At least no weeds can sprout either.

The tomatoes have succumbed to blight. I'm still picking a few but the plants are nearly all dead. In contrast, the peppers in the middle are lovely. I don't think I have ever had such tall lush pepper plants and the peppers themselves are too pretty too eat. Except that I do anyway.



I'm not sure if our late patch of sweet corn will mature since it has been so dry. But we already have plenty of corn in our freezer so the only goal for this patch was fresh eating.

Other things are  growing besides our garden. We knew our cat had kittens earlier this summer but we could not find them. We figured she only had one or two kittens and hid them in the woodshed. The night we were out in the garden with the weed eater and tiller, a little furry face peeked out of the wood pile.

Our little girlie was thrilled! I figured that only one kitten had survived from the litter - but the children started searching...

And they pulled out five more kittens out of the woodpile! What a surprise. 

We moved the kittens to a box, which they tolerated only when they didn't feel like escaping back into the woodpile. The children enjoyed their new playmates for a few weeks but, as of today, we found good homes for each of the kittens.

What is growing at your house?

Daily Prayer for Daily Needs

It is August. 

And for many of us that means more tasks to do than hours of the day. 

As one friend told me recently, "August is a tyrant. Every morning it tells me what I must do, whether peaches or tomatoes or corn."

To the gardening tasks is added school preparations, summer traveling, and all the regular laundry/cleaning/cooking - it is no wonder August is busy for a homemaker.

I've talked to some of you and heard of your burdens. Sick babies. A husband taking cancer treatments. Relationship difficulties. Church stress. Financial strain. Increasing evil in our society. 

There is much we can worry over. The future looks scary. If August is overwhelming - the next year, or ten years - can appear even worse.

But I found this quote that blessed me.

“True prayers are born of present trials and present needs. Bread for today is bread enough. Bread given for today is the strongest sort of pledge that there will be bread tomorrow. Victory today is the assurance of victory tomorrow. Our prayers need to be focused upon the present. We must trust God today, and leave the morrow entirely with Him. The present is ours; the future belongs to God. Prayer is the task and duty of each recurring day -- daily prayer for daily needs.” 

- E.M. Bounds

God provided manna for each day, but only enough for that one day. There was no need to stockpile manna for the next day. I too I can trust God for today and leave tomorrow with Him.

My worries don't help Him take better care of the future. I can read in the Bible that ultimately God will overcome. He doesn't win by a slim margin but He is total Victor. Every knee will bow before Him. No evil will stand before His power.

He gives me grace for today's task. He doesn't ask for my help for the future.

And that is hope for August.

BLT Wrap

After a day of canning, the last thing I want is to heat up the kitchen making supper.

So when a Home Joys reader sent a recipe for BLT wraps, I knew it was one I wanted to try.



And yum! These are so good. I had to let out the tomatoes for my children (the poor things don't know what they are missing) but Ed and I can eat a crazy amount of these.

Thanks Shi-Enne for sharing this recipe (which I adapted slightly with what I had on hand).



BLT Wraps

Ranch dressing
10 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup chopped tomatoes (grape tomatoes are less juice - but I used what I had)
dash of salt and pepper
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 burrito sized tortillas (I only had small fahita-sized tortialls when I was taking these photos so they were overloaded. I should have used six of the smaller size.)

Spread dressing on tortillas. Sprinkle salt and pepper on tomatoes. Layer tomatoes, lettuce, and bacon on tortillas. Wrap tightly and serve.



What is your favorite don't-heat-up-the-kitchen meal?