homemade

A New Hobby

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So I decided to learn how to Macrame chairs. Like ya know, back in the day when your old webbed folding chair would get worn out and you’d macrame it with cord and make it new again? Plus it’d look so cool with those fun colors and patterns people make! I watched a you tube video on how to do it and went to town on some chairs I had been collecting. I started with a child size chair for my daughter.

I did not have patterns to work with so I was just wingin it. I think it turned out pretty good though. Second chair was a simple Harley Davidson design for myself.

Then I moved on to a very challenging design for my husband.

Then it was on to more!

Homemade Garden Tea

/ blair1661 / 2 Comments

Yeah I’m that girl, that girl that’s trying as hard as she can to do it all! I’m not huge on fertilizing my garden but this year it needed something. A boost. So I did some research and came up with this mix. Take a half gallon Mason jar, put a cup of used coffee grounds and a cup of crushed egg shells in the jar. Then fill with water and let it steep for about a week in a dark spot (I put mine in my cabinet) When it’s done it should look something like this. I ran it through a screen to get out all the shells and grounds then added about 1/4 of the mix in my watering can, fill the rest of the way with water. Feels extremely satisfying to make my own fertilizer with stuff I could have thrown in the trash. I must warn you though, if you do actually try this. When you open the jar and can be under a little bit of pressure so be careful that it doesn’t spray you. Also it really does smell like poop water! Please feel free to ask any questions. Please share your experience with homemade fertilizers. Thanks everyone! 

Strawberry Pickin and Strawberry Jam

/ blair1661 / 4 Comments

Growing up, mom would take me and my brother strawberry pickin at Fulton Farms. We made freezer jam with them a few times but I don’t remember much about it. Mom and I have taken my kids a few times to pick but this year we kicked it up a few notches! On a Monday morning mom, Peyton, Edyth, me and my cousin Katey loaded up in my Jeep and headed to Fulton Farms with intentions of picking lots of strawberries and coming home to can strawberry jam. We had a blast picking!   

    

       

Peyton couldn’t stop eating them lol and even stopped to take a selfie eating one!!  

 We picked 7, 1 gallon buckets full of strawberries!!!! My Jeep smelled so good on the ride home!   

 *photos from strawberry pickin courtesy of my son Peyton and my cousin Katey* 

Next it was on to making jam!! I wanted to make a thick, chunky, lumpy basic jam. We decided on a simple strawberries and sugar recipe. 

2 quarts strawberries

6 cups sugar

1 tsp butter (keeps it form foaming up) 

We cleaned and measured out the berries into a large pot and then mashed them with a potato smasher.  

   One batch we puréed with a blender but only per request of my husband. It is good too but not the same as chunky jam. Then add the sugar and butter and heat it up stirring well until sugar dissolves, boil for approximately 25 minutes, stirring constantly until it jels to the desired consistency. Jar it up and hot water bath for 15 minutes.   

   I thought it went really well and we got a bunch of jam in the process!   

  We also froze some and ate a bunch!!! All in all it was a great experience for everyone!!! 

Homemade Pancake Syrup! 

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My egg stock is quite full. Yay!! So tonight I wanted to fix French toast, we do a lot of breakfast for supper since we don’t eat breakfast, but, I didn’t have any syrup….. I have watched my grandma make syrup tons of times and ate it with her many times, I for some reason have never made it myself. We all know I’m that girl that likes to make anything she can so I decided tonight I was making syrup!!! Yippie! After looking through a few handfuls of recipes I made my decision and gave it a shot! 

In a medium size saucepan I put:

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 1/2 white sugar

1cup water

1/2 tsp.  moms homemade vanilla 



& 2 cups light Karo syrup

I warmed it at a medium temperature and stirred it until it all melted together and was smooth, about 12 minutes. Then I let it cool while I made French toast and chewy bacon. I poured it in a wine bottle I had lying around waiting to be reused for something and served! Yummy! The kids and husband all approved! 



It was so easy and fun to make! I don’t know why it took me so long to try it!!! 

Have you ever had or made homemade syrup? Did you like it? How did you make it? Would you do anything different? I wana hear all about it! Leave me a comment! 

Thanks and happy cooking! 



Homemade Ketchup

/ blair1661 / Leave a comment

I have been so into making anything and everything I can. Today I decided to tackle homemade ketchup! I have wanted to do it for a while now and we were finally out of store bought. What a better time?!?! If you follow my blog you already know I make my own tomato powder and onion powder from tomatoes and onions I grow. I also make my own garlic powder from locally grown garlic. So of course that’s what I used to make my ketchup!! Yumm right?!?! 



Here’s the recipe I used- (though I wana change a few things next time) 

12 oz. tomato paste (which I made from my tomato powder 12Tb powder & 6Tb water) 



1/2 c. Honey

1 c. Vinegar 

1/2 c. Water (a lil more or less depending how thick you want it) 

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder 

Combine in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. (I used my immersable wand blender thing to smooth it out, homemade onion n garlic powder can be kinda chunky)  Store in the fridge and enjoy! That’s its! It is that easy!! 

Made about 2 1/2 – 3 cups



Look gorgeous doesn’t it?? 

Have you ever had or made your own ketchup?? I’d love to hear about it!!!