my grandmother’s yard is immaculate.  apple trees, pear trees, black berries, grape vines.. you name it- she’s got it.  early this week she gave me 3 pounds of grapes and together we made grape jam- a first for both of us!

look at all of these beautiful grapes!  did i mention they were organic?

vines and vines galore..

these are her vines post-harvest, still so beautiful aren’t they?

here she is! my grandmomma- hard at work!

(that’s me in my yellow apron!)  here’s for the recipe:

- 3lb grapes

- 1 cup of water

- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp ginger

- 1 box of pectin- organic if you can find it!

- 7 cups of sugar

1) wash your grapes- really well!  then separate the pulp from the skin. sorry i don’t have a pic- but it’s easy!  all you have to do is squeeze the grape and… POP! out comes the pulp (don’t worry about the seeds).  keep the skins in one bowl and the pulp in another.

that’s three generations in one kitchen!

2) cook the pulp in a big pot for about 30 minutes, just to get them really soft and juicy.  while they’re cooking, you can blend all of the skins in the blender.

3) after the pulp has cooked, place a few cups at a time into a colander (small enough to catch the seeds!) and whisk it around with a spoon  until all the good stuff sifts through- just make sure no seeds are sneaking through!  then, you can combine the sifted pulp with the blended grape skins.

remember me mentioning my bird’s nest? you can almost see it here in all it’s glory…

4) take 5 1/2 cups of the grape mixture, add 1 cup of water, 1/2 tsp of ginger, 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and 1 box of pectin.  stir together and put over high heat and bring to a boil.

5) meanwhile, make sure to sterilize your jars- click here for the know-how.

(isn’t she cute?)  6) when your mixture is boiling, add your 7 cups of sugar (i know, gasp) all at once.  bring back to a rolling boil, and then take it off the heat- it’s time to start canning!

7) once the heat is off, you can start ladling the *deeelicious jam into your sterilized jars.  leave about a 1/2″ space at the top and seal with your lid.  once they start cooling, they will all seal, and you’ll have jam all year long!  yay!

don’t worry it can get a little messy..

i thought i could finish with a pic of david with jam all over his face from our morning pancakes, but i’ll spare you.. :)

hope you all have a great weekend! and let me know if you have any questions! love, bonnie

wrap up: {gladening} {homegrown} {jam} {preserve} {recipe} {slice of organic life}

last outdoor farmer’s market

i recently read a great article on farmer’s market etiquette, so i thought that i would share a little bit of it with you today, for those tough questions you want to ask your farmers.  if you’re like me,  and head to the farmer’s market with great anticipation for the “buy here, i’m organic!” signs, you’re most likely disappointed by well, none.

local food magnets

it’s important to talk to your local farmers, it allows them to talk about what their passionate about, lets you learn more about the food, and opens up conversation on what the consumer (that’s you!) would like… mabye more organic, less pesticides etc. sometimes, however, it can be a little intimidating to approach a farmer with tough questions.  most likely, if everything was organic, they would proudly display it.  however, many small farmers can’t afford the organic certification, even though they may be practicing sustainable farming.  in any event, many local farmer’s practices are going to be healthier than the mass producers.  so, it’s best to start asking some questions, but how?

in efforts to avoid causing any guilt trips, the way you ask these pressing questions is the most important thing to remember.  be mindful about your tone of voice and the way you approach your farmer.  a non-judgemental, interested approach will get you much further than the yes or no question, “is this stuff organic?”.  there is a lot more that goes into growing sustainable produce than a yes or no question will answer.  if you would rather ask the direct question and get it over with, just remember that you may be the fifteenth person to ask that very same question today, so be warm and courteous in your tone.

what if  the farmer doesn’t have the answer you were looking for? bummer.  but you can politely say, “thanks, i’m going to look around a bit” or “ok, i try to buy only organic, but please let me know if you change”.  you certainly have a right to know how your food is grown, and it’s important that the farmer hears what you’re looking for!

bee green grocery tote

as for what to ask, here is a small list of questions to keep in mind.  for dairy and any kind of meat product, make sure you ask, was/is the animal grass fed or grain?  did it live in a pasture or was it confined?  if confined, how many hours a day did it get to be outside?  was it ever given any hormones or antibiotics?

for produce: what do you grow?  how do you grow it?  what do you do for pest control? do you use pesticides? what are you doing to promote sustainability? and finally, does anything you grow happen to be organic?

hope this helps!  do you have any more questions? how do you approach your farmers and what has your experience been?

wrap up: {etiquette} {farmer's market} {gladening} {produce} {vegetable}

milk straight from the cow.  you mean…?  yup. i mean straight from the cow and into your glass…well maybe to the fridge first..  i recently started reading about the benefits of raw milk and finally took my first sip this past week!  i’ll admit, i was a bit worried- i’m not much of a milk drinker to begin with.  but, with an open mind i gently poured my first glass of raw milk, gave it a sniff, and then took a gulp.  and, guess what?  it was delicious!  it taste just like milk- but so much better!  ‘wow’, i thought, ‘this is what i’ve been missing out on all these years?’

think about it- we were really intended to drink milk raw.  since mankind began, we’ve been drinking raw milk!  in fact, raw milk is such a whole food, that you could literally live on it alone for the rest of your life. someone in the 1930′s figured out that if they pasteurized milk, it would increase it’s shelf life- and therefore increase their profits.

pasteurization destroys healthy enzymes, diminishes vitamin content, denatures fragile milk proteins, destroys vitamins C, B12 and B6, kills beneficial bacteria, promotes pathogens and is associated with allergies, osteoporosis, heart disease and more.

most commercial milk comes from cows living in unsanitary conditions being fed special food with antibiotics in it to keep her healthy and hormones in it to push her to her ultimate limits of milk production.  and, guess what? all that stuff ends up in your glass of milk and right into your system.

ready to try it? start asking around- you most likely have a healthy dairy farm near you.  you can also check out real milk’s website for more info on how to find it.  all raw milk is not the same- so ask questions.  the cows should be grass fed (not grain) and have no hormones or antibiotics added to their food source.  the more organic, the better! for more great info visit raw-milk-facts.  now get to searching and find some real milk- and then, let us know about it!

here’s a delicious raw milk smoothie recipe!
-2 cups raw milk
-1 tsp organic vanilla
-3 tbls raw honey
-your choice of fruit: strawberries, rasberries, blueberries, blackberries
blend until smooth and enjoy!

wrap up: {gladening} {organic life} {raw milk} {recipe} {sustainable}

with easter just around the corner, my mind has been on eggs. it’s also been on gardening, since this year i’m making my very first attempt at a veggie garden (come on green thumb!), so i thought, why not combine the two? i figured you could start seedlings indoors in eggshells, then just transplant the whole thing right into the ground when they’re ready! biodegradable, easy, fun, eco-friendly! here’s how:1) pick out your best and biggest eggs!

2) remove the top of the eggshell, a hole about the size of a quarter. I used a knife for this, and it worked great! don’t fret- the shells are a bit tougher than you think.

3) remove the top of the shell and if your not cooking at the moment, make sure you save your eggs for those yummy omelets in the morning…

4) using a needle or a pin, poke a hole in the bottom of the shell to allow for water drainage.

5) fill each shell with organic seed starter mix and lightly moisten the soil. you can also label each shell with a pen or pencil- so you don’t forget what you planted! add 1-2 seeds per shell and cover them lightly with more soil (read individual seed packets for specifics).

6) you’re done! place them in a sunny window or under a glow bulb and wait for them to sprout- that’s the best part:) keep the soil moist but not soaked. when it’s time to transplant them outside, all you have to do is crack the shell and place the whole thing in the ground.

i was able to use eggs from my hens, but you can use any eggs you have in the fridge. wouldn’t these be really great easter gifts? an already-sprouted herb garden!

wrap up: {eggs} {gladening} {green} {plant} {seeds} {thumb}