The Potager Garden

Good morning folks! It's another cool rainy day, here in Northern Maine. Our long winter has turned into a long, cold spring. Let's just hope that doesn't mean we get a short summer! (smile)

I took a little tour around our home and potager garden this morning. Winter was very hard on it this year.

The fencing around it has fallen into a state of distress, so my husband and I will have to fix it. Just maybe on a much warmer day.  

As I look around, I can see so much life growing in this beautiful little garden.

Our lovage is growing so fast! Looks like I may have to make a nice summer soup soon!

Our lilacs are beginning to bud out nicely. I love lilacs! These ones are a lavender color, but we have white ones, too! 

Do you have lilacs growing on your property? They smell so amazing! I can't wait to bring some inside.

Who doesn't love daffodils? They are such a happy and hopeful flower! 

After a long winter, they are usually the first sign that warmer weather is on it's way.

Thank you daffodils!

Hmmm? I can't remember the name of this one. I love the color, though!

Look up! Look way up!! It's my old colonial bird house!

I see old man winter blew the stoop off. I'll have to get that back up. I want to make sure the birds find this little home warm and inviting.

I love old clay pots. They don't even need to have anything in them. The beauty is in the pot itself.

This little garden brings me so much peace. Do you have a special garden area that brings you peace?

I know that it's a lot of work, but I love every minute of it! It's just an ongoing love story between a girl and her little piece of earth, because for me... 

"Thyme is always well spent in a garden."

Blessings, 

Julie

The Apron

Back in the 1800's and 1900's, during the pioneer days, most folks clothing was sewn by hand. Being able to buy clothes was a luxury only wealthier folks could afford, not to mention stores were too far for most settling pioneers to reach.

The women and girls would wear long sleeved dresses year round, and over top they always wore an apron. The apron was a kind of covering, or protection for the dress.

I'm sure these aprons saw a lot of uses in their day, such as cradling babies, wiping dirty little faces and tears, or even as an egg basket when collecting eggs from the hen house.

I remember my grandmother always wearing an apron over top of her dress every day. There were very few times where she didn't wear it.

I think wearing an apron has really become a lost tradition. One that just got left behind, whether out of vanity, or maybe because it was no longer fashion trendy enough for today's world.

Did your grandmother wear an apron? Maybe your mom? Do you wear an apron? Sometimes I wear an apron. I don't wear it so much for protecting my clothes, but mostly because I love the nostalgic reminder of a time that once was. A simpler time. A time where love, home and family was all you needed, and my babies were just an apron string away.

Blessings,
Julie

Crockpot Pumpkin Bread

I usually reserve my pumpkin recipes for fall, but just because it's not fall, doesn't mean we can't enjoy a wonderful pumpkin recipe. (smile) 

 This bread recipe is one of my favorite recipes to make. It's easy, and it's so delicious! Do you like pumpkin bread? I hope your answer is yes, because I think it's one of the best sweet breads on this planet!

You don't need an oven to make this bread. NOPE! You need a crockpot. YES! A CROCKPOT! Have you ever made bread in your crockpot before? Did you even know you could? Well, before I found this recipe, I never knew you could. It was definitely a first for me! I have to admit, I was pretty skeptical, too. I mean...bread in a crockpot? Who ever heard of such a thing?

The first thing you need to make this bread is the recipe, so let me give that to you...

 You can click on any of these pictures to enlarge them, if you need to. That should make the recipe easier to read.

My crockpot is oval shaped, so a small bread pan fits into it nicely. If you have a round crockpot, maybe you could try using a round cake pan. I think that would work just fine, although you may have to split the batter between two pans. Just make sure you grease your pan(s) well.


If the paper towel part is a bit confusing, let me show you a picture...

This is a very important step, so you don't want to leave it out. What this does is keep the condensation from dripping on your bread while it's cooking. Nobody wants to eat soggy bread, right?

Now set your crockpot on high, and let your bread cook for about 2 1/2 ~ 3 hours. I usually set a timer for 2 1/2 and just keep checking it. You will know it's done when a tooth pick, or cake tester poked into the center comes out clean.

Once the bread is cooked, turn your crockpot off, unplug it, and carefully remove the pan of bread. Place the pan on a rack to cool for about 10 minutes before removing the bread.

Now here's the best part! Slice the bread and enjoy it with a cup of tea! Or maybe it's coffee you like. That works, too! (giggle)

This bread was super delicious! You probably didn't notice the loaf is already half eaten. (smile)

I hope you get the chance to try out this recipe. I promise you won't be disappointed, and if you do, I bet it'll become one of your favorites!

Blessings,
Julie

The Pantry

In the late middle ages, a pantry was where bread was kept, and any food prep associated with it was also done here. There was a head official appointed to be responsible for this room. He was called the Pantler. Can you imagine bread being so important that it needed it's own official officer? There were other rooms, as well. A room for the bacon and other meats, called the larder, and one for alcoholic beverages. This was called the buttery, because of the "butts" of barrels stored in there. Then there was another room for the cooking, also known as the kitchen.

During the Colonial American times here in the United States, pantry rooms were built in a cold north corner of the home and referred to as the "butt'ry". As time went on, these rooms evolved into being built between the dining room and the kitchen of middle class English or American homes.

Since the late 1990's, pantries have been making a comeback. Most homes today are much larger and pantries are often built, not just for charm, but also for practical or utilitarian purposes. A pantry doesn't have to be a totally separate room. It can be a small closet, cupboard, or even an area in the basement.

I love pantries. I love the nostalgia of a simpler time, and that I am somehow connecting with the past. Here are some pictures of our pantry....

 

Do you have a pantry in your home? Maybe you remember your grandmother's pantry? I hope our grandchildren remember our pantry, and all the memories we've created within it's walls. 

Blessings, 

Julie

Head over to my YouTube channel to see my "pantry makeover" video. The link is in the right hand side column.

March Keepers Meeting

We had our March Keepers of the Home meeting this week. At our last month's meeting we decided we should make a quilt together.

This is something we have never done before, but I'm thinking it will be a lot of fun. It won't be anything too big. We're thinking 12 squares, with a flower theme.  Six keepers will be embroidering 2 squares each.

We had a lot of fun picking out the designs each of us wanted to use, and once we had that part figured out, we ironed the pattern onto our fabric. This proved to be the most entertaining part for us, thanks to a very fun keeper. I'm thinking it may have been her first time using an iron. (giggle) It's a good thing she had a lot of help.

I think this is going to be a beautiful quilt. I always love when many hands come together to create something, especially the hands of friends. This quilt will hold some great memories with great friends, and that to me, will be the best part.

May God bless you with great friends in your life. I believe they make our journey that much more fun.

Blessings, 

Julie