Peel pumpkin and remove seeds. Cut pumpkin into very thin chunks (about 1/2 inch cubes). Thinly slice lemons; remove seeds but leave rind on. Put pumpkin and lemon together in large kettle. For each cup of pumpkin add 3/4 cup of sugar and a dash of salt. Stir to mix well. Cover with a cotton cloth and let stand overnight. In the morning, remove cover and cook over low heat until pumpkin is tender. Pour into hot sterilized jars to within 1/2 inch of top.  Seal and process for 5 minutes in hot water bath. Yield: about 4 pints.

Hint: Wash and rinse pumpkin seeds, then soak in salt water overnight. Drain and spread evenly on cookie sheets. Bake at 400 degrees till nice and brown, stirring occasionally to separate and keep from sticking. Enjoy!

October 2007

Hello!

AWith autumn here and winter approaching, my household is in the process of preparing for the cold season, as well as for the holidays. The cellar is nearly filled with firewood for the cold weather. I have a wood-burning stove in my kitchen, one in my office/family room and another in the cellar. Between the three of them I am able to keep our entire home toasty warm on even the coldest of winter days. My pantry is stocked with homemade tomato sauce and Autumn Harvest Soup (for the recipe see my online Newsletter October 2006), made with harvest from my garden, as well as jams and jellies made during the growing season. Favorites are wild grape jelly, made with grapes that grow freely in our fence lines; crab apple jelly, with crab apples from a tree we planted years ago, and pepper jelly, made with hot peppers grown in our garden. Pepper jelly is a delightful treat when spread with cream cheese on crackers and makes an attractive addition to any holiday snack table.

Cook first 4 ingredients until mixture comes to a full rolling boil. Cook 1 minute more, stirring to prevent boiling over. Remove from heat and add pectin; mix well. Let sit 5 minutes. Pour into hot sterilized jars and seal. Yield: 6 (8 ounce) jars. You may use red or green peppers for this recipe. I like to make some of each so that I have some red jelly and some green.

During the last week in September Jim and I traveled in Sweden with a group (12 persons in all) who were interested in learning something about Swedenxs conservation programs. Just recently the city of Vaxjo, Sweden was awarded a prestigious award as "Greenest City in Europe" for its commendable efforts to reduce greenhouse gases. While there we met with the mayor who was happy to tell us of some of the practices that city has adopted to reduce carbon monoxide emissions.

Among the most impressive programs is the cityxs central heating system, dating back to the 1970s oil embargo. With the price of petroleum rising to unprecedented heights, many Swedish communities elected more than 30 years ago to construct central heating systems, involving an all new infrastructure which consists of an underground hot water heating system available to all homes and businesses. These systems involve a central boiler powered by fuels such as switch grass, wood chips, and city generated trash, among others, effectively replacing fossil fuels.

To encourage recycling there are collection sites located at many grocery stores where one can get cash back for aluminum cans and plastic bottles. Some communities charge by weight for trash pick-up, encouraging citizens to shop wisely and choose products packaged in recyclable containers. Trash removal fees are based on weight. The less trash a household produces, the less they pay for removal.

Everywhere you travel throughout Sweden you will see clearly marked bike paths along all thoroughfares. I saw countless numbers of people biking, even in the rain! Citizens use the public transportation to get to and from work, often riding their bikes to the train/bus stations, where one can see hundreds of bikes parked free in provided lots.

Environmentally friendly cars (certified by the government) park free in public parking lots and on the streets where one might otherwise have to pay for parking. E-85 gas sells for 2/3 the price of gasoline.

We in the United States could institute many of these practices here at home with minimum effort and help to effect a positive change in our environment.

While traveling in Sweden our group stayed in youth hostels. These are rather inexpensive "hotels" of a sort, where one sleeps in a room that accommodates two or more persons, usually in single beds, often in bunk beds. Upon arrival one is given a set of sheets and towels for the stay, and you make your own bed. Each room generally has a sink in one corner, with a toilet at the end of the hall, generally one for each of about four rooms. There is a shower or two available on each floor. At the end of your stay you are responsible for the cleaning of your room.

The room fee often includes a wonderful breakfast of cold meats, boiled eggs, a selection of marmalades and jams, butter, cheeses, cereals, milk, yogurt and breads, including "hardbread" which I liked so much I bought some to take home with me! To order some Swedish hardbread for yourself go to www.wasa.com and be sure to click on "global site" for the English version.

It's fun to visit a grocery store when traveling, just to see the different kinds of foods that one has to chose from. Food is always a welcome gift for the family at home. Since the lingon berry is very popular in Sweden, we bought some to share with our children and their families. We also purchased a bit of the wonderful hardbread and some chocolate, some licorice (which is very salty in Sweden!), a few spices, "jimmies", chocolate sauce in a tube (the way toothpaste comes), and, of course, some "pepparkakor" which is a Swedish cookie much like gingersnaps.

A highlight of my stay in Sweden was a three-day visit to Saterglantan (www.saterglantan.se), a world renowned school of crafts, located in rural Sweden near Insjon. We arrived late one evening and were greeted with coffee, tea, fresh fruit, cheeses and Swedish hardbread for an hour or so of conversation with some of the instructors at the school. During our short stay we were treated to a tour of the grounds and classrooms where students learn many old crafts including spinning, weaving, blacksmithing, and wood carving, to name just a few, all done "in the old way".

As spinning and weaving are my passion, I was delighted to meet instructors and students alike. Stephan, who makes spinning wheels, let me "test drive" one of his beautiful hand made (of native Swedish Birch) wheels with flax that was raised at Saterglantan and hand processed by the students.

Jim was thrilled to see blacksmithing done as it was before the advent of industrial iron. He watched with rapt attention as Mattias demonstrated how to make charcoal out of green wood for the forge, and how to extract iron from ore (rocks that can be found in swampy areas).

We spent our nights at Saterglantan in a cabin that had been moved to the school grounds, along with several others, and restored for use by students and visitors. Some of the cabins date back 400 years or more and were built originally as granaries, standing about four feet above ground level on stilts designed to keep rodents out of the grain stored in them.

Until next time, enjoy!

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