Because Living Well is Always in Season
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n Season Magazine is a collaborative project with a lofty goal. Put simply, we’re trying to do what no other publication has done. We’re attempting to merge the feel of a printed magazine with the ease and responsiveness of an online periodical to create a unique and approachable publication. By combining the best aspects of both formats, we hope to deliver the richest experience imaginable. In addition to creating a publication that provides information and inspiration to our readers, we aspire to personally interact with them in the way homesteaders and farmers have been doing for generations. For years, farmers engaged in a communal effort to improve their own skills and share their gained knowledge with each other. They gathered at Grange Halls and community fairs. They stood together on fencerows and at their local grain co-ops. They traded stories about their crops and the animals in their care. They freely shared advice along with their favorite family dishes. Recipes were shared along with personal tales of their life on the farm. That personal connection was an essential component of their lives and their farming experience. With each interaction, they gained knowledge and helped to strengthen their local community. They became better gardeners, animal keepers, bakers, and landowners together. They realized that by approaching each season as a community, they could all reap the benefits.
Because Living Well is Always in Season
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adly, that sense of agrarian community has diminished over the years. Technological advances have afforded us a dramatic increase in the amount of content available, yet sacrificed the personal connection. We’re hoping to reimagine the modern day experience and create a format that will allow for the technology to enhance the community instead of compromising it. What makes us think that we can accomplish such a herculean task? Perhaps it’s the same optimism that led our great grandparents to tuck tiny seeds into warm garden soil. They did so with the hope that their care could transform those humble seeds into sustenance for their bodies and nourishment for their souls. They believed in the promise of opportunity. So do we.
Because Living Well is Always in Season
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e will embark on our journey through the four seasons of the year in early 2015. With each issue, we’ll be celebrating the promise of living well and enjoying the adventure of each distinct season.
As we progress through the year, we will adjust the scope of our content to provide our readers with the publication that they want. We can’t wait to read their feedback and help turn their ideas into our reality. In November, we will be publishing a Holiday Issue of In Season Magazine to offer our readers a preview of what lies ahead in 2015. This issue will include our favorite holiday recipes, DIY projects, and a comprehensive gift guide. This will provide us with an opportunity to introduce the products we know and trust in a targeted format.
Because Living Well is Always in Season
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hile gift guides are often created as a pay for placement advertising opportunity, The In Season Gift Guide will be different. Our guide will be carefully curated and each item will be chosen based
solely on its own merit and our personal experience with the product. We hope that you’ll enjoy watching the seasons of 2015 unfold in the pages of In Season Magazine as much as we do. Until then, here’s a sample of the type of content that we’ll be sharing with you in the coming months.
In Season Magazine
Ten Fun Ways to Use Mint
Ice Cold Summer Favorites Ten Fun Things to do with Mint this Summer Homemade Strawberry Soda Perfect Iced Coffee Homemade Magic Shell Ice Cream Topping
* SUMMER 2014 * PREVIEW ISSUE * SUMMER 2014 * PREVIEW ISSUE *
Because Living Well is Always In Season
In Season Magazine Because Living Well is Always In Season
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Content DIY Tiered Herb Drying Rack
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FOOD Homemade Strawberry Soda 4 Magical Ice Cream Topping 9 How to Make the Perfect Iced Coffee at Home 15
GARDEN Ten Fun Things to do with Mint 13 The Three Sisters Garden
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HANDMADE & HEARFELT You Had Me at Woof
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Homemade Strawberry Soda by Lisa Steele from Fresh Eggs Daily
I am not normally a soda drinker by any stretch of the imagination, but come the summer's bounty of fresh strawberries, I love to make this easy, refreshing, four ingredient strawberry soda. You can also use blackberries or raspberries to make different flavors. Syrup will last refrigerated for up to a week.
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Strawberry Soda 2 cups water 2 cups suger or sweetener of your choice 1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced Seltzer (or club soda) Fresh mint leaves for garnish, optional
In a saucepan over high heat, stir together the first three ingredients and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes or until strawberries soften and syrup thickens and starts to turn pink.
Remove from heat, strain berries (they make wonderful shortcake!) and cool in refrigerator. Once cooled, pour 1/2 cup of syrup into each of 8 Mason jars (moisten and dip rims into sugar for a festive touch) and then fill each glass with seltzer. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint and a whole strawberry, if desired.
Enjoy! In Season Magazine * Summer 2014 Preview
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DIY Tiered Herb Drying Rack by Lisa Steele from Fresh Eggs Daily
Herbs play a large part in our chickenkeeping as well as my home cooking. Over the years, I have been enlarging our herb garden and growing more varieties of culinary herbs to use fresh all summer and also dry for use over the winter.
Until recently, I had been drying the herbs on cooling racks on the kitchen counter. Then I saw a cool drying rack on Pinterest used for drying flowers and a light bulb went off. Keep reading to learn how to make my tiered herb drying rack using old picture frames.
The tiers allow you to separate three different herbs on the various levels and screening allows air flow to ensure the herbs dry quickly and evenly. The best part is that you use old picture frames - and who doesn't have a stack of them in their garage? Even if you don't, you can pick up inexpensive framed artwork at Goodwill and repurpose the frames.
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Supplies 3 wooden picture frames of varying sizes Can of spray paint Window screening Length of chain (approximately 8 feet) 20 small eyehooks Cordless drill with small drill bit Pliers Staple gun/staples Scissors
Spray the frames in the color of your choice and let dry. Cut pieces of screen to fit the back of each frame and staple around the edges, pulling the screen taut.
rack. I have mine hanging from the curtain rod in our guest bathroom for now. Different herbs take different lengths of time depending on their water content, so keep checking periodically on your herbs progress. Some, like Predrill a hole in the corner of each frame on the dill and parsley, will only take a few days, others right side, and also in the upper two tiers such as basil and sage might take a week or so underside as well. Screw an eyehook into each depending on the relative humidity in your corner. home and how dry the air is. Cut chain into 8 inch lengths and using the pliers to bend open each end, attach one length to each eye hook on the bottom tier, then attach the middle tier to the bottom tier, painted sides of each frame facing up. Attach a length of chain to each eye hook on the top of the top tier and then open the top link of each length of chain to connect the four, and attach one final shorter length to hang your rack.
When the herbs are dry, crush them and store them in covered glass jars. Since I have such an excess of herbs, I have been mixing them into my chickens' feed year round for the past year or so. I just sprinkle a bit of an herbal mix I've developed into my chickens’ daily feed. They really seem to love it and I love that they are getting additional nutrients. I also still add fresh herbs to the nesting boxes and coop as well.
Then find a place out of the way (where it's not damp) to let your herbs dry and hang your drying
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Make Your Own Magical Ice Cream Topping by Jennifer Burcke from 1840 Farm
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here’s something magic about pouring Magic Shell on top of a scoop of ice cream. It comes out of the bottle as a shiny liquid, hits the cold surface of the ice cream and transforms into a matte, solid topping right before your eyes. I loved it when I was a child and my children feel the same way. A few weeks ago, I happened upon a recipe for a homemade version of magic shell. It only required two ingredients, both of which I happened to have on hand. The process was as simple as warming the ingredients and stirring them until they formed a congruous mixture.
the ingredients to make our own version of the crispy, magical ice cream shell topping. A few minutes later, we gathered around bowls of ice cream for the moment of truth. I spooned a bit of the liquid topping over the first scoop. We all waited, eager to see if magic would happen. It did, producing a lovely, solid shell over the top of each scoop. We used our spoons to crack open the shell and take the first taste.
The flavor of the topping was extraordinary. The subtle flavor of coconut was paired beautifully with our homemade vanilla extract and the dark chocolate chips we had used. We all agreed that this homemade version was delicious. We I take great pride in finding new ways to replace couldn’t wait to try it with different chocolates, store bought items with simple, delicious, white chocolate, and other flavored baking homemade alternatives. If the process can also chips we had in the pantry. The possibilities were be used as a homeschool science lesson, all the endless and sure to put smiles on my children’s better. faces. Now that’s magic! In moments, I had assembled my children and
Homemade Magic Shell Ice Cream Topping adapted from Two-Ingredient Magic Shell by Food52
We used chocolate chips in this recipe, but you could use chopped chocolate with equally delicious results. Both the coconut oil and chocolate are liquid when heated, solid at room temperature. Should your mixture become too thick to spoon over ice cream, simply warm it for a few seconds in the microwave. 3/4 cup (120 grams) chocolate chips or chopped chocolate 1/3 cup (80 grams) coconut oil 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Place the chocolate and coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments,stirringeachtime,untilsmooth. Addthevanillaextractandstirtocombine. Allow the mixture to cool slightly before pouring over ice cream. Store at room temperature, warming if necessary to re-liquefy.
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Chocolate may be the go to flavor for this magical ice cream topping, but it's farfromyouronlyoption. Anyflavorof baking chips can be melted and used with equally delicious results. For an addedboostofflavor,sprinkleseasalt, cinnamon, or your favorite spice on the topping before it hardens.
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You You Had Me at Woof began out of my love for dogs. They are part of our family and they are ourbestfriends.Iwantedtomakecollarsthat were "just right" for dogs and their owners alike who care about safety, comfort and style. I am an artist living in Georgia with my two girls, two miniature dachshunds, and my loving history buff husband. Art has always been my calling. It is where I feel at home and at peace. Even as a child, I was interested in details. I loved picking the rocks out of my dad's tires, seeing how light would reflect from my water bottle, and observing busy little ants in the grass. Later, I studied classical academic painting. That was when I truly fell in love with art.
"For years, I tried to come up with a waytocombinemyloveofdogswith my love of art. I finally had an "aha" moment, and You Had Me at Woof began." www.InSeasonMagazine.com
Woof
Had Me at
Handmade & Heartfelt
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I think we've all had this happen at one time or another: you plant some mint and before you know it, you've got enough mint to feed a third-world country! I've learned my lesson and plant most of our mint in a container now to keep it from spreading, but honestly, I love mint and use it in so many ways on our farm that I am more than happy to let it grow like a weed. Here are my ten favorite ways to use mint.
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There are many different varieties of mint including chocolate mint, orange mint, spearmint, grapefruit mint, mojito mint and lemon balm. You can use them interchangeably. Just avoid Pennyroyal; it's toxic.
1.) Fresh or dried mint in the nesting boxes and mint 6.) Your chickens can benefit from mint's cooling planted around the coop helps to naturally repel properties as well with Frozen Ice Cube Treats that rodents that can spread disease and eat the chicken are fun and easy to make. feed. 7.) My easy homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Ice 2.) I also make Lavender Mint Coop Refresh Spray to Cream recipe calls for not only fresh mint but also help keep our coop smelling nice. It's a wonderful fresh eggs! It's a winner. refresh spray for your home as well. 8.) I also love using mint as a garnish for desserts, 3.) Flies don't like mint much either, so I make especially for Blackberry White Chocolate simple, cute fly repelling mason jars for our back Cheesecake. patio in the summer. 9.) Mint helps to keep breath fresh (hence all the 4.) and a vinegar-based all natural Basil Mint Fly minty gums and breath 'mints'), so I like to whip up a Spray for our horses, duck house and run area where batch of Blueberry Mint Dog Treats for our dogs on the flies seem to congregate. occasion. 5.) Mint has natural cooling properties, so it makes for great iced tea in the summer. I brew Vanilla Mint Iced Tea right in our coffee machine for an inexpensive, healthy summer sipper.
10.) At the end of the season, I like to harvest all of the remaining mint and dry some to use over the winter using my handy DIY Herb Drying Rack and also make a batch of Mint Jelly to use as an accompaniment for a rack or leg of lamb.
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Perfect
How to Make the Iced Coffee at Home by Jennifer Burcke from 1840 Farm
It’s been painfully hot and humid here this week. I have lived in New England for over a decade now, but I grew up in the Midwest. In fact, I lived there for 30 years. So believe me, I know all about hot and humid summer days. The weather here has been a little too reminiscent for my taste. I’m ready for this heat wave to break and for New England to return to a more pleasant number on the thermometer. When it’s this hot, I try to avoid doing anything that is sure to raise the temperature in our farmhouse. I do make one exception: the coffee maker. I can live with cold salad for dinner. I can do laundry at midnight when the temperature has fallen a few degrees. I cannot, under any circumstances live without coffee.
Making a great iced coffee is easy. You don’t need special equipment and the technique is simple. If you take your coffee black, then you only need to chill the hot coffee and serve over ice. If, like me, you prefer your coffee regular with cream and sugar, then you might need a little trial and error to perfect the amount of sweetener and milk that is just to True, the coffee maker doesn’t generate too your liking. Trust me; it’s not a bad way to much heat. On days as hot as we have been spend a very hot day. experiencing, I’m not in any rush to drink something hot either. Luckily, I mastered the art of making iced coffee at home several years ago.
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Iced Coffee 8 Tablespoons coffee (I prefer whole beans that are ground just before brewing) 3 cups (24 ounces) cold water ice granulated sugar (start with 1/2 cup and adjust to your liking) milk/cream if desired First, we’ll start with the cofIced Coffee 8 Tablespoons coffee (I prefer whole beans that are ground just before brewing) 3 cups (24 ounces) cold water ice granulated sugar (start with 1/2 cup and adjust to your liking) milk/cream if desired First, we’ll start with the coffee. Because your iced coffee will be served over ice, the brewedcoffeeneedstobebrewedwithdifferentproportionsthanyourusualcupofhot morning Joe. That’s the secret to making perfect iced coffee at home. While it seems like a simple adjustment, it’s the difference between a delicious cup of iced coffee and one that is watered down and tasteless. Typically, a full Tablespoon of coffee is used for every six ounces of water. In this case, we’ll reduce the liquid by half in order to allow for the ice that will be added to the final cup. Byreducingthewater,we’llhaveremovedthreefullcupsofliquidfromourcoffee. That will allow us to add back the three cups in the form of ice and milk or cream without diluting the coffee. Using the guidelines above, brew your double strength coffee. If you don’t use sugar or cream in your coffee, you can chill the brewed coffee in the refrigerator for lateruseordrinkimmediatelypouredover a glass of ice. If you prefer coffee with sugar and cream, thesugarshouldbeaddedwhilethecoffee is still hot. This will allow the sugar to fully dissolve before the coffee has been chilled. Addthesugartothehotcoffeeand stir until the sugar has dissolved completely. .
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At this point, the sweetened coffee can be storedintherefrigeratortobeenjoyedlater. Ifyouwishtoenjoyitimmediately,addacup oficetothehotcoffeeinordertocoolitdown quickly. Stir the mixture in order to cool it slightly before pouring over a glass of ice, leaving room for milk or cream to be added. Add milk or cream to the glass and stir to fully incorporate. If you are making a batch of iced coffee for a group and want to allow guests to sweeten their own glass of coffee, my vanilla bean simple syrup is perfect for sweetening the chilled coffee. It’s also a wonderful way to add vanilla flavor to your iced coffee or iced tea. .
Vanilla Bean Simple Syrup 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup water 1 vanilla bean pod, split 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Split the vanilla bean pod lengthwise using a sharp knife. Using the dull edge of the knife, scrape along the length of the inside of the pod to remove the thousands of beans inside. Transfer the beans and pods to a small pot with the sugar and water. Place all ingredients in a small pot and stir to combine. Place the pot over low heat and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer over low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved, approximately 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the syrup to cool to room temperature. Add the vanilla extract and stir to combine. Pour the syrup through a fine mesh strainer if you would like it to be clear and free of vanilla beans specks. The syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one month. I like to store mine in a clean, repurposed bottle with a pourer spout in the
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My morning begins with a cup of coffee every day without fail. We have been using this coffee maker for almost a decade and it is still going strong. The thermal carafe is fantastic and keeps coffee warm for hours even when the farmhouse kitchen is drafty during the long New England winter.
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The Three Sisters Garden Planting an American History Lesson by Jennifer Burcke from 1840 Farm Throughout the year, we produce as much food for our family table as possible here at 1840 Farm. We span the calendar year from spring’s maple syrup to summer’s garden produce to fall and winter’s fresh eggs from the coop and milk from our dairy goat herd. Each season and crop has a purpose.
were stronger than they could possibly be as individuals.
While some historians disagree regarding the historical accuracy of the story, the legend of the and its gardening technique have endured through the centuries. In fact, artwork of a woman tending a Three Sisters Garden appears Each year, the beans, corn, and squash grown in on the reverse side of the Sacajawea US Dollar our garden will be featured on our Thanksgiving coin that was released in 2009. table. These three crops can be grown in a variety of ways in the garden, but I like to use an To plant a Three Sisters Garden, prepare a interplanting technique that may be as old as mound of garden soil approximately 48 inches Thanksgiving itself. Planting a Three Sisters wide. Amending the soil with compost will help Garden will provide delicious produce for our to improve the productivity of each of the crops November celebration and allow us to during the growing season. After the danger of participate in an American history lesson right frost has passed, plant the corn in the mound, outside our farmhouse door. making a circle about 24 inches in diameter. Plant four to six seeds in each inch deep hole. The Three Sisters Garden may very well be the Space the corn plantings about 8 inches apart first instance of the companion planting along the perimeter of the circle. technique that gardeners still use today. There is a wonderful old legend about the Three Sisters Garden that involves a Native American woman who had three daughters who struggled to peacefully coexist. The legend tells the tale of her brilliant method for showing her daughters the value of diversity and peaceful coexistence. She planted the three crops of corn, beans, and squash together to show her daughters that together, they could support each other yet retain their own individuality. As members of the group, they
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Once the corn has grown to between 4-6 inches tall, plant the bean seeds. Evenly space the beans around the base of each corn stalk. Seven to ten days after planting the beans, plant the squash seeds. Plant 2-3 squash seeds in each of three or four holes inside the circle of corn and beans. Planting corn, bean, and squash together is a sustainable method of companion planting, allowing each plant to help contribute to the success of the other varieties. The towering corn stalks serve as a trellis for the climbing beans, allowing them to be grown without the need for a supplemental support system. As the beans grow, they help to enrich the soil. Their roots produce nitrogen which feeds the corn and squash plants throughout the growing season. In the Three Sisters Garden, the large leaves of the squash plant shelter the soil, suppressing weed growth and discouraging pests from damaging the trio of crops. The prickly vines of the squash plant deter pests from the garden and help to protect the developing crops. The flowery blooms of the bean and squash plants help to attract pollinators to the garden, increasing the productivity of the entire garden. The sunflowers can be planted along with the other three varieties in the Three Sisters Garden. Their bright blooms will help to attract pollinators to your garden. When spent, the large flower heads can be harvestedfortheirdeliciousseedsorshared with your flock as a nutritious treat. I look forward to showcasing produce directly from the garden at 1840 Farm on this year’s Thanksgiving table. Beans, corn, and squash will join spinach, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and fresh herbs in our favorite holiday dishes. Enjoying this homegrownproduceonourfamilytablewill make our holiday celebration even more memorable.
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In Season Magazine Because Living Well is Always In Season
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