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Brambleberry Meadow

Farmstead Living, Good Stewardship, Home Comforts

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brambleberrymeadow

Visit the blog for a recipe for hangop - a simple

Visit the blog for a recipe for hangop - a simple and delicious Dutch yogurt mousse dessert.

#cultureddairy #heritagecooking #homedairy #americanacore

Visit the blog for a new treat - Extra Creamy Malt

Visit the blog for a new treat - Extra Creamy Malted Hot Cocoa Mix.

Now that the weather is getting chilly, it's officially cozy season. And time for hot cocoa!

#hotcocoamix #hotcocoaandmarshmallows #cozyseason #pantrystaples

Don't worry what "people think." I find they don't

Don't worry what "people think." I find they don't do it very often.⁠
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And, while there is a place for social pressure in maintaining community - It's OK if Aunt Mildred doesn't understand why you homeschool. Or Kate, from church, can't understand why you'd choose to be canning tomatoes instead of coming out with her and the other ladies for a "wine and canvas night." Or your kids' friends think your mean because they have to feed the livestock and check all the water tanks instead of hopping online for a game.⁠
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The slow and steep path is less crowded but more fulfilling.

Swim against the stream of popular culture. Yes,

Swim against the stream of popular culture. Yes, it's more work. But you will be more alive, and you will get to a place so much more satisfying. Force yourself to slow down. Do hard things. Learn something new. Create, rather than just consume.

Warring "facts" deluge social media. Don't try to

Warring "facts" deluge social media. Don't try to argue with those committed to another framing of the world. Unplug. Take your shoes off. Walk in the grass. Take a stroll in the sun-dappled woods. Sit next to a rippling stream. Listen to the call of the hawk, circling in the blue sky. These things are True, in a way the "Meta-verse" can never be.

Bring your imagination to bear on the problem. Te

Bring your imagination to bear on the problem. Tell yourself a story about what it COULD be like. Then take the first baby step into that story. ⁠
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Wondering what is around the next bend in the road helps cultivate an attitude of joyful expectation.

Drop by the blog to try my recipe for Sweet Corn I

Drop by the blog to try my recipe for Sweet Corn Ice Cream. This salty-sweet treat is summer in a bowl.⁠
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#icecreamflavors #homemadeicecream #summerflavors

I apologize, but the website is currently a bit of

I apologize, but the website is currently a bit of a mess. I acquired a back-door malware virus, and suffered an ongoing attack. I've got it cleaned up, and managed to "mostly" restore the site. But the abuse it took has my hosting "throttled" by my service provider. I've got the main structure mostly back up. But the images are missing from all the posts. I HAVE them. I just have to go put them back. Post by post. ⁠
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I'll do my best to get things back up and running as soon as may be. Until then, have a cup of tea and read a good book with me! I'm currently working my way back through the later books in the Anne of Green Gables series. I've gotten up to "Anne of Ingleside." And when I need a break, I have a small sewing projcct. I'm working on tucks (and shark's teeth!) by hand. More on that later.

I don't actually mind these rainy afternoons, when

I don't actually mind these rainy afternoons, when my husband has taken my oldest daughter out to the bookstore and left me and the little one at home. I can sit quietly and weep over "Anne's House of Dreams" without having to try to explain why I would re-read the tale of Anne and Gilbert's firstborn. Or why I feel so much like Leslie Moore, prior to Dick's reveal. Even if he did get me the whole series as leather-bound volumes from Easton Press for Christmas. A very Gilbert-esque gift of itself.

I have "Anne of Ingleside" queued up next. "Green Gables" gets all the attention, but some of the later books are honestly better, as both character and writer mature.

I wonder if Easton Press has "Emily of New Moon"....

#anneofgreengables

Back on the wagon! I took a brief break to do sum

Back on the wagon! I took a brief break to do summery things with my kids. Now, with some of my favorite local events coming up (notably the Michigan Fiber Festival and AQS Grand Rapids), I'm getting ready to lay in supplies to try my hand at doll making.⁠
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Plus, I suddenly have a use for small bits of fabric, vintage trims, and buttons from Grandma's button box.⁠
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Come along on the adventure?

Sketching some ideas while trying to get up the ne

Sketching some ideas while trying to get up the nerve to needlefelt a doll face. I ought not to have inked in the eyes, so I could try out eye colors, too.

#dollmakingprocess #dollmaking

There is a tender joy in coming home, even if that

There is a tender joy in coming home, even if that wasn't your intent when you left.

Slow food means more than a garden and backyard la

Slow food means more than a garden and backyard layers. It means being ready when berries are ready to forage. Taking the time to let things rise, or culture. And making sure you also leave time to use the byproducts from one food to make another. Maybe I'll even use my next batch of whey left over from skyr to make some brunost.⁠
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#heritagebaking #slowfood #americanacore #fermentedfoods

The smell of sweetgrass as the sun warms the meado

The smell of sweetgrass as the sun warms the meadow is something that fires my memories of a place that once felt like "home."

Today's blog post is about local flavor. Why and

Today's blog post is about local flavor. Why and how to preserve the things that make your place your place, and how to avoid getting sucked into the sameness of the National over-culture.⁠
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#localculture #localism #americanacore

The really amazing thing is that what we find is o

The really amazing thing is that what we find is often better and more satisfying than what we were looking for.

Visit the blog this week for tips and tricks to ma

Visit the blog this week for tips and tricks to make sure your homemade jellies are sparkling and gem-like.⁠
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#homemadejelly #homesteadlife #countyfair

It was a slightly dreary Sunday afternoon, but a g

It was a slightly dreary Sunday afternoon, but a good day to take in the Ottawa County Historic Schoolhouse Tour. Several of the schools were staffed by former students. And all were either restored, or in process.

I can't help but think that we might be missing the very thing these old schools provided.

#americanacore #historicschoolhouse #oneroomschoolhouse #localhistory

We think we understand so much - but we've got onl

We think we understand so much - but we've got only what we can see through a little peephole. There is so much more to the world than our little corner of it.⁠
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Which doesn't mean we're insignificant. Sometimes, it just means we're here to take care of our little corner of it - and not to try to fix everything everywhere.

Springtime flavors are ephemeral. I may have miss

Springtime flavors are ephemeral. I may have missed the violets, but I did manage to capture a bit of springtime with this rhubarb jelly. Visit the blog for the recipe.

#homemadejelly #springpreserves #homesteadlife #foodinjars #rhubarb #rhubarbseason #rhubarbjelly #americacacore

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