spring, welcome

Spring arrived in what seemed like a hurry. Wasn't it just the long days of February? The fact is the days are whizzing by, and I'm not sure why? I feel like I am just flipping the calendar months every time I turn around. April has not brought us much for showers, so what does this mean for our May flowers? It didn't seem to slow down my lilacs or roses from doing their thing, for which I am thankful.  Today is hot, record or near record high set.  I'm still waiting for the final tally. At 6 pm it is still 83 degrees. We will wake up to 70s in the morning and then a storm is promised and a sharp drop down to the 50s.  I love a swift change of weather like that and I hope we do get that rain.  We NEED it.  I made a sourdough lemon cake that was really good ~to welcome spring and it was like eating sunshine.  We spent last Friday (used) car shopping for my 17.5 year old who was due an upgrade from the car she's been using.  We found one that was exactly what we were looking for! She was surprised and happy and all the things that make such a purchase feel just right.  Also makes the work we do outside of the home that much more needed, especially during the times we are in right now and the prices of everything we need! That also makes us think about the things we don't need so much right now too and perhaps simplifying even more, where we can.  I don't know about where you are, but here, these gas prices are pretty invasive to the purse strings. So anyway,,, Happy Spring! xo ~tina

snow days

I’m sitting here drinking Kombucha ~TRILOGY~ (Raspberry, Lemon, Ginger), because one can only drink so many latte’s, teas and cocoas. This is snow day 5, after all. We did not lite the fire today, either. The sun is out and it is 36 degrees, tomorrow will be 41 WHOO HOO! We got 4 inches of sleet, snow, freezing rain all mixed together forming a solid sheet of ice, everywhere. The streets are iced over, a full size truck driven across ~barley leaving a mark. Crazy! The temps stay COLD too which means this ice hasn’t gone anywhere. This is subtly like Maine weather. School has not and will not open this week. So, we are home and I sewed a coverlet for my old ugly couch. The couch is so very comfortable, so it gets to stay. The couch is in my bedroom and serves as a quiet spot for everyone who needs one. I repurposed a well loved striped percale king size bed sheet set and only sewed it in two spots. You wouldn’t have to though, you could just tuck the arm pieces and center in. If it were just me sitting there I probably could have not sewn the arms to the center. Kids + Pets = Sewn lol I’m going to insert a little sketch to show you how I used the sheets. I used the flat sheet over the center part of the couch. I cut the fitted sheet in half and used the gathered parts on the arm of the couch. I sewed where the fitted sheets meet the flat sheet. I hope that makes sense. Here is the image. Don’t laugh!!

So there you have it. Snow days and new life for old things.

~ homespun tina

Molasses Cookies

                    

{Post Script: a few of you had questions about what to use in place of  raw sour milk- and you can add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to your store bought milk to sour it- do not leave pasteurized milk out at room temp to sour!!!} 

A Rural Maine Molasses Cookie and What It Tells Us About the Past

I have a handwritten molasses cookie recipe from my great-grandmother, Grammie Whitcomb. When I first baked it, I assumed something was missing. There is no white sugar, no brown sugar, and no added sweetener of any kind. The cookies are not very sweet.

That turns out to be exactly the point.

In rural Maine kitchens of the 1800s and early 1900s, molasses was not just a flavor. It was the sweetener. Refined sugar was costly, sometimes scarce, and not used casually. Molasses, by contrast, arrived cheaply by ship and was a common pantry staple in both coastal and inland households.

Because of this, many everyday baked goods relied on molasses alone. These recipes were practical and filling, meant to nourish rather than indulge. What we would now call cookies were closer to soft biscuits or small spiced cakes, eaten with coffee or tea or packed for work rather than saved for dessert.

The recipe itself reflects this way of cooking. It uses sour milk, a common farm kitchen technique before refrigeration, and baking soda activated directly in the molasses. The spice blend is simple and traditional, relying on cloves and cinnamon rather than sweetness for depth. The proportions lean toward bread rather than confection.

By modern standards, this molasses cookie tastes restrained. By Maine standards of the time, it was familiar and comforting. Our palates have changed, but the recipe has not.

This is not an incomplete recipe or a mistake. It is a small, honest example of how rural Maine families baked when ingredients were valued, sugar was used sparingly, and food was meant to sustain.

The use of shortening in this recipe is just as historically appropriate as the use of molasses. In rural Maine kitchens of the late 1800s and early 1900s, “shortening” was a general term that most often meant rendered lard, though later it could also refer to commercially produced vegetable shortening. Butter was valuable and often reserved for the table or special baking, while lard was inexpensive, shelf-stable, and commonly used for everyday cooking.  The simple use of the word “shortening” suggests a transitional period, likely in the early 1900s, when the term was understood to cover whatever practical fat a household kept on hand.

I keep the recipe exactly as it was written, with a note explaining its history, so it does not get corrected by future generations. It reminds me that one cup of molasses really was enough, because for a long time, it had to be.

weekending

 

away

    

I hadn't intended to be away from the blog all summer.  I started working outside of the home and well something had to fall away while I adjusted to new rhythms.  All of a sudden it was October.  I do not really know what happened to September, I blinked and it was over.  The garden is over, mostly.  There are still a few things making a comeback.  Like the basil, green onions, Tulsi, stonecrop, and comfrey...  which all waned a bit in the heat of August but a new flush as soon as the cooler temps (80s) arrived.  The Moonflower is just now blooming, as I planted the seeds quite late.  I sunk them in the hot earth mid July and the vine took it's time, but she's here now and the blooms against the night sky are nothing short of spectacular.  The Harvest Moon rise with moon flowers glowing.  Magic I tell you. 

I got 10 chicks accidentally from the local farm supply store on the town square.  By that I only mean that I hadn't originally planned to get fall chicks.  I had a text from a friend that "Russell's has 5 week old Easter Eggers" oh and 2 Buff Orpingstons... and well I went and rescued them from their wire confines.  Even if we don't keep them, they are here for now, on earth.  Messages came in when I shared them with my Instagram, questions.  You got them and might not keep them?  Yes.  Did you have to ask your husband?  No.  you see I asked my husband one time back in 2012 if I could get chickens.  He trusts my knowledge and care for them and leaves me to manage the flock dynamics. He doesn't worry about or micromanage the details of who comes or goes out in the hen house. He does see to the pine needles that the neighbor threw away and brings me the bags for them and helps peddle the eggs.  

I hope to be in this space more often as the decline of Instagram continues.  The transition from what it used to be to what it is now is apparent for all to see.  I feel it's a struggle to maintain any kind of audience in that space.  I see folks with large audiences struggling to reach the people who want to see them, for the most part.  There are those super popular accounts that still have reach, but for the little folks over there it feels more and more like a waste of time.  I continually feel like posting in a space like the blog might prove to serve me better.  BUT then with news of platforms like Typepad closing it's doors and SO many wonderful blogs I read over there being GONE~ well I'm not sure even how long Blogger with keep it's doors open... 
Well thanks for being here and following along with my little corner of the internet.  Happy Autumn.  Happy October.  

~tina