Last real blog post I shared on here was two years ago on September 14, 2023 and it was about apple brandy. Two years ago our life was shaken. It was one of the hardest times for us as a family. I felt like I failed as a mother and as a daughter of God and as a result I lost all motivation. I was in survival mode.
The first three years living on our farm was bliss for me. I was finally living my dream. But the last two years have felt like a prison. Sorrow overfilled me. Last spring, I felt the lord tell me to not plant a garden so I could spend time with him instead of watering and that’s what I did. This spring I only planted tomatoes. Next year, lord willing, I’ll have majority of our raised beds full.
I had the most intimate times with the Lord these past two years. I’d look up at the beautiful sky, fall down on my knees and raise my hands up in the air and weep. It didn’t matter where I was. Once it was in my pigs pin. I needed God to survive. I still need him to survive. But time has a way of healing broken things in our hearts. I now have more joy in my heart than sorrow.
A week ago I went over to my mother-in-loves house to pick apples and ordered a juice steamer. I felt that something in the air has shifted. As if God whispered gently for me to get back to what I once loved. Our God is a miracle worker. He is good all the time even when life doesn’t go as planned. He is worthy of praise and honor. Only God could have planned it so that my last post was about apples and returning to my blog, I share about apples.
My mother- in- love has an apple orchid. We love real apple juice. Using a juice steamer is my favorite way to preserve the abundance of fruit. I love canning juice afterwards and drinking it when its not in season. The juice streamer makes the juice clear. There are no pulp in it.
The hot steam breaks down the cellular structure of the apples, making the apples release their juice. A juice steamer has three layers to it. You fill water to the bottom layer. You don’t put anything into the middle layer because that is where the juice is collected. The top layer is where you put your chopped up apples. You’ll want to keep it on low heat. The hose has a clamp which helps slow the juice flow down but if you don’t have a cup under the hose it will leak all over your floors. I had a jar under the hose the entire time. This batch of apple juice I put in our fridge and we will drink it in a day or two. But you can water can the juice if you’d like to.
My mother-in-love paints the bottom of her fruit trees white. I never questioned it because to me it is normal but I had someone on social media ask me why. Russians paint the lower part of the trees white to protect the trees from cracking, sunburn, pests, and animals.
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