SUMMER IN A JAR!

THIS IS A QUICK POST ABOUT PUTTING THE FLAVORS AND BOUNTY OF SUMMER IN JARS! This is the wild black raspberry jelly I made from berries on our property!

Here is a picture of the moms cutting apples for sauce! Thankful to have a laundry tub for this!

Next is the operation of squashing the apples down for sauce. Isn't it a pretty pink? No artificial color! I use a mix of equal parts Jonathan, Cortland, and McIntosh every year and this is the lovely color product I get!
Running the pressure cookers to process the jars.
Many, many crabapples from our 200+foot windbreak down on the front of our farm. This is the first year I've picked them since I got a longing for crabapple jelly like my Mom once made when I was young.
Jewel-like jelly in jars. I am very, very pleased with the crabapple jelly. I didn't get much--4 jars in all, I think, but it was the easiest jelly I've ever made. It required no pectin since the fruit is so full of natural pectin! Sugar and juice and that's it! I could have picked more, but I decided it was a lot of work and the wildlife appreciate the winter snack!

We are very, very busy right now. Our weather is beautiful, the whole family is working long hours, and we are trying to enjoy what is probably the last of our nice fall weather. Blessings, LORI

THE HARVEST IS GREAT

Jesus said, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." matthew 9:37-38

This time of year it is easy for us to see the spiritual principles that Jesus was talking about; they are illustrated all around us as the harvest for another year is brought in. Our daughter, Rhiannon, works for a hybrid seed corn company. Right now that means long, long days of work as farmers hurry to get the harvest in while conditions are just right. Sometimes the work is monotonous. When the harvest is ready, there is no putting it off! You can't tell the corn not to dry on time. You can't tell it to wait in the field while you go shopping! When the harvest is ready, you must work!

How can we apply this to our lives as far as soul-winning goes? I was pondering that today. It seems most of us Christians have longed to be see revival most of our lives. We have prayed for it, hoped for it, worked for it. But are we ready to be a worker when the harvest is at our door? One guy in our church has humbly reminded us for years that we may not be ready if a huge harvest were to occur. Speaking of our church in particular, he has always admonished and encouraged us to prepare ourselves for the revival that we hope will come. He caused us to question whether or not we were ready to meet the needs of a number of new believers, should they suddenly be added to our ranks. New believers need attention and help. Just like a harvest, sometimes their needs can't wait while we get it together. Sometimes the work is long and monotonous!

Maybe we don't see widespread harvest because we are not ready. The Lord is certainly ready since the word says He is not willing that any should perish. We Christians need to have a plan, a dedication in ourselves that will stay the course and work the harvest as it is brought in. If churches were suddenly full, would we have the dedicated workers ready to disciple the new believers? Or are we too busy doing our own things? I would like to propose that if we are not dedicated enough to receive a harvest, possibly we are not doing the right things to reap the harvest to begin with. Ask yourself if you are mature enough yourself to help a new believer. Are there enough mature, dedicated disciples of the Lord ready to handle a large harvest?

These are thoughts to ponder as we pray. The Lord tells us that the harvest isn't the problem, it's the lack of workers. Interesting.

The above picture is the applesauce project. We finally finished earlier this week. I thought it was an appropriate pic to add to a blog about harvest. The apples are just one of the many crops being brought in right now in Michigan. That beautiful pink sauce is all natural color. The Jonathan apples mixed with Cortlands and MacIntosh made the lovely color. First we wash and core the apples, then quarter them and cook them in several pots on the stove. When they are mushy, we run them through the strainer you see in the picture. The skins go one way and the sauce comes out the other. After adding a bit of sugar, I put the finished sauce in jars, affix lids and run them through the pressure cooker. This year we got 27 quarts plus some to eat fresh! A big job done!!

Heading for the north tomorrow. Fall color report in a few days! Blessings, LORI

UPDATE ON THE SURPRISE ITEM THAT CAME TO MY HOUSE!

Yesterday I made a flying trip to Kalamazoo to pick up the surprise item! Yes, it's here! I'll not tell you what it is yet because I want to post a picture to reveal its identity and while some assembly is still required--actually all of the assembly is still required--the item will not be named yet! I was very excited. I'm a little bummed because I'm so busy for the next several days, I don't know when the item can be put together. I have some preliminary work to do on it, then Clint has to assemble it.

I've been touched in my heart about alot of things to write in the last few days, especially yesterday. I heard the "flu" mentioned so many times yesterday and today that I can't help but think it's on eveyone's mind right now. I want to give some encouragments along that line but will wait til the next post to do so.

Am doing alot of work for tomorrow's ladies' meeting at which I will speak. Please pray for me! I hope to have lots of interest in my books as well as deliver a message that I feel the Lord really wants to share with people. I'll be speaking twice during the day--both times on the same subject but with a little different slant each time. My topic is "Hearing the Lord's Voice." Hearing God is a favorite subject of mine. I've diligently journaled during my devotional times for years and tried to pay close attention to how the Lord wants to speak to me through the scriptures, His still, small voice communicating to my heart, and once He even spoke to me and confirmed something which I have just come to recently believe was a sign--as in a "sign or wonder." I'll share that story with you at a later time and you decide what you think of it! I think you'll find it very encouraging. I will be sharing that tomorrow in the morning session and by the very unique nature of what happened, I hope the story will open the door for my afternoon session. Hopefully it will encourage the ladies that hearing God speak and direct you begins with a relationship with Him--first through salvation through Jesus and then in a continuing, vital, close, day by day relationship with God through the Holy Spirit. This involves being in the word on a regular basis.

I've been canning alot of applesauce. Took a break today. Yesterday's batch was incredibly good. Many of the Jonathan apples got in the mix and the result was a beautiful, breathtakingly pink product that tasted as good as it looked! I've got 13 quarts so far. Many more apples yet to can, but they have to wait until tomorrow. I've had only enough time for a 6-7 quart cooker full per day! I use Jonathan, Cortland, and McIntosh together. I've always been pleased with the results but this year I doubled the Jonathans. Good idea. Let me know if you any guesses on the surprise item. You see them in many fairytales. Blessings, LORI