Welcome To Pilgrims and Pioneers!

After many years of researching my family geneaology I have been lucky enough to discover actual information about my relatives that lived in the Pilgrim Era and the Pioneer Era- while many people also have realtives from those eras- many do not know their names or where they lived- actually seeing the proof in print makes you much more aware of who they really were.
After discovering these relatives it of course made me curious to learn more about the eras that they lived in and what their lives were like as, the history I learned in grade school had long since been forgotten.
I decided to start this blog for others who are also interested in these eras.
Some of the information here will be actual facts about my realtives and some will be information about the eras in general that I have found on the web.
I hope you will enjoy traveling back in time with me!

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Home Canning- Preserving My Heritage

This year I am canning. It started with a few pints of tomatoes from my garden. Once I heard the lids "ping" I was hooked. I moved on to apples and peaches and then I bought a pressure canner. This photo shows the results a few days ago. I have since canned more.  It has given me a new respect for my ancestral grandmothers, I am happy to carry on the tradition. I feel like I am preserving my heritage- one jar at a time.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Yes, I am home canning !

About 15 years ago I decided to try my hand at home canning. After 6 hours in the kitchen scalding , peeling and, chopping tomatoes, processing them I got a yield of 6 quarts of tomatoes. I decided that for .59 a can I could by tomatoes and vowed never to can again!
Well this year my Pilgrim garden produced a multitude of tomatoes and after giving many of them away I ran across 4 wide mouth pint jars someone had given me. I knew my husband's grandmother's water bath canner was in the storage closet and with all of those tomatoes I caved in. I bought bands and lids, cleaned up the canner and canned 3 pints of tomatoes. Once the jar lids sealed properly I was hooked!
Once I canned those tomatoes 6more pints followed.
Then I decided canning apples would be nice . I went to the produce market and not only got apples but also a bushel of peaches. So the next few days were filled making canned peaches, apple and peach pie filling. Then I remembered Cinnamon applesauce made with cinnamon red hot candy. I have always loved this when made by relatives now it was time to can my own! Here is the recipe:
wash jars and lids in hot soapy water then keep the jars and lids warm in a pan of hot water. Peel. core and slice or chop 24 medium apples, cook apples in 3 cups of water, Simmer for 15-20 minutes until apples are tender. Add tree cups sugar and 3/4 cup of Cinnamon Red Hots candy. Continue to cook uintil sugar and candy is melted. Fill hot jars and process in a water bath canner for 25 minutes, Yields 4-6 pints depending on the size of the apples.
I then decided it was time to branch out and do vegetables and meat dishes so I bought a pressure canner. Today I used it to make stewed tomatoes ( 2 pints). 2 quarts for beef stew and 2 quarts of vegetable beef soup and , of course 4 more pints of the cinnamon applesauce. I think my ancestral grandmothers and my Mom would be proud!

Prairie Wild Morning Glory

Prairie  Wild Morning Glory

Prairie Phlox

Prairie Phlox

Prairie Sundrops

Prairie Sundrops

The Famous Rock!

The Famous Rock!
Plymouth Rock dated 1620

Plimoth Plantation

Plimoth Plantation
The Village

Plimoth Plantation

Plimoth Plantation
A Keeping Room