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© 2008 by Rebekah Wilson

Winterizing the Home

When Fall arrives with its telltale smells and cool breezes we have the first glimpse of cold days and long winter nights ahead. For countless generations people have felt those cool breezes and lifted their face to breathe in the deep, crisp scent of Fall. They knew the last of the harvest would be coming soon and preparations for the long winter needed to be started immediately to help carry the family thru cold winter months. It is no different today than it has been for generations. However, many homemakers have not been taught some of the basic principles to winterizing their homes and making a nice snug environment for family and friends to come in to on cold wintry days. Some of these tasks you can do yourself, others your husband may need to help you with. Dedicate a day or a whole week to nothing else but preparing your home for the colder months approaching.

Checklist for the Home Have your furnace inspected. Although you may not do this every year, it is important to have someone come every few years and check the furnace so they can replace parts that may give out suddenly when least expected. The repairman can also check to make sure you do not have too much dust build-up in your system that could lead to a fire or a greatly reduced level of heat. The cost of having your furnace inspected could literally save you hundreds of dollars each winter in heat loss that you can’t see. Replace your heater filter before starting your heater for the first time. This can help reduce the unpleasant smell of warm dust floating throughout your home. Also, keep enough filters on hand to replace them every 6-8 weeks throughout the winter. With heavy usage, the filters begin to build up thick layers of dust which cuts down on air flow and can reduce the amount of heat being sent through heating ducts into your home. If your home is heated by a hot water radiator, bleed the valves by opening them just a bit and when water appears, close them. This helps keep air out of the system and increases your heating ca-pabilities. Remove ALL items from and around your heating source. Now is a perfect opportunity to clear out items that have been stored near or on your heating unit. Re-member that anything near the heat source can become a potential spark for a fire. If your fireplace does not already have a cap or wire mesh across the opening on your roof, have your husband place one there or hire someone to do it for you. The reason is two fold: 1-You could end up setting fire to your roof or property if sparks go directly up the flue and onto the rooftop or if they land on piles of dry, dead leaves. 2-Birds and rodents tend to be drawn towards warmer environments this time of year and if they have open access to a fireplace chimney they will either build nests in the chimney or invade your home.

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□ If your chimney has not been swept or cleaned for several years, invest in having a chimney sweep come and brush down the creosote and ash build-up. It is not uncommon for creosote to burn IN THE CHIMNEY and you could end up with a house filled with smoke, with sparks setting your roof or property on fire, or both. This is one area that is often overlooked but can easily prevent a house fire and help reduce a chimney smoke inside the home. If you use wood for your heating source, purchase early for the best price. Once the wood begins to sell in your local area, prices tend to rise. Also, make sure you store your firewood away from the foundation of your home to prevent termites, mildew on the sides of your home, and rodent infestation. It is best to store wood above ground level to help reduce the number of rodents, insects and moldy mildew that can accumulate when it sits directly on damp soil. Open the fireplace damper BEFORE you clean out the fireplace. Generally homeowners will close the damper during summer months to prevent their expensive cooled air from escaping up the flue. However, when you open the damper for the first time you may have leaves, dust, fallen creosote or ash and even dead rodents or birds that fall into your fireplace. ALWAYS turn on your heating source or start your wood stove on a warm Fall day. Open all the windows and allow the heating source to crank out the heat for at least 30 minutes. This allows any unpleasant odor caused by warming or burning dust to find its way outdoors so you and your family are not breathing it in. If your wood stove needs a bit of cheering up—buy a can of special stove paint (also comes in spray cans) that is guaranteed to withstand temperatures of up to 1200 degrees Fahrenheit. Follow the directions and make sure you build a nice roaring fire inside after the paint has dried—leaving ALL the windows of your home open while you work outside in the yard. The first time the paint is heated it puts off an awful odor—so this is best done at the start of Fall and not when you need to keep your home warm on cold days. Cheering up an old wood stove can make your whole room look brighter and more welcoming! If your stove has metal trim, now is the time to polish it and make is shine. Use weather-stripping around doors to reduce the amount of cold air blowing in. Caulking windows also helps seal out the cold air and keeps your heating bills down. For basement windows, consider covering them with a layer of plastic to help create a buffer between the cold outside air and the warmer inside temperatures. This helps prevent rooms from becoming cold and reduces your heating costs. If you have storm windows, now is the time to pull them out and clean them up to shine and sparkle. Make sure your windows are clean and sparkling clear—once the storm windows are up you may not wish to take them down to wash dirty windows or clear smudges on the glass. You will be looking through the storm windows for quite some time so wash away anything that restricts your view. Leave them sparkling and your job in this area is done! (This issue has recipes for several homemade glass cleaners that work better than store-bought!) Before you put away all your gardening and yard equipment, make sure all leaves and debris have been raked away from your home’s foundation. Mold, mildew and termites love to snuggle up to a warm home and leaves or other debris near the foundation provide the prefect environment for them. You will also want to make sure any shrubbery, roses and other plants are pruned and ready for winter. Once you are finished with your equipment, store it in a dry place for spring usage.

Checklist continued on the next page . . . . . .

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□ Smoke detectors!!! Change your batteries and test the smoke detector before the cold weather hits. This way you have fresh batteries and know your smoke detectors work when you go into the colder months when your heating sources are in full effect. If you do not have a carbon monoxide detector in your home, consider purchasing one this year or ask for it as a Christmas gift. These are fairly inexpensive and sound a warning if levels become too high. Check your fire extinguishers (or purchase one if you don't have any). Fire extinguishers need to be replaced or refilled about every 10 years or so. You may only need one in a fire situation, but having one on hand can make a huge difference in the severity of the fire and the damage to your home! Plant bulbs for spring flowers now. Once the cold weather hits it is harder to remember and harder to get out! If you have any bulbs outside that can not weather the winter through, dig them up and bring them inside. Also care for any plants that need extra care and protection before the worst of winter comes. Make sure you have emergency supplies on hand in case the power goes out or your water main freezes. Have candles, matches or lanterns available for a light source. Several gallons of bottled water can get you through a day if necessary. Store extra food and pet food for emergency use in case you are unable to leave the house for several days to go shopping. Clean your ceiling fans well and USE them during the winter months. Although most people believe ceiling fans are to be used for warm weather to circulate the air, during the cold months the ceiling fans help to move the warm air trapped at the top of the ceiling back into the rest of the room. This can help reduce the amount of heating expense you use in winter months. Strange—but true!!! Dedicate one week to sorting, washing, drying, folding and storing the summer clothing for your family. Get it out of the way all at once and you will be free from it the rest of the winter. Create a SMALL basket to place the items that need mending—and make a habit of mending them every week before Sunday comes. Keeping up with the mending allows you to use the clothing longer and have more clothing available for your family. Mending in winter helps keep you warm and your hands busy on dreary days—and it sets into motion a habit that will follow you through the summer months too. On a warm fall day, defrost your freezer and go through all your frozen items. Toss out anything that is beyond use, make a list of what you have and place them back into the clean freezer in an orderly fashion so it is easier to find what you need when you need it. If you do not have a very large cooler to keep the frozen items in, open and spread out several thick blankets on your floor. Onto the open blankets put a plastic trash bag that has been cut open. Place your frozen items into the center of the plastic trash bag and carefully fold the bag and blankets over your frozen pile. You should have several hours to defrost and clean your freezer before your food begins to thaw. The more blankets you have, the more insulation the frozen food has. See the next page on HOW TO DEFROST the FREEZER. Pull out all your fancy and pretty dishes. Wash them and get them sparkling. Commit yourself to inviting your friends over once a month for a get together! Winter-time tea and coffee parties are fun for everyone!

Fall & Winter Checklist for the Home ~ continued. . .

© 2008 by Rebekah Wilson

Defrosting Your Freezer

The best time to defrost your freezer is at the beginning of Fall and again at the beginning of Spring. Starting each new season with a fresh clean freezer and the knowledge of what items are in your freezer (and discarding the unusable ones) makes cooking much easier and meal planning a breeze. When there is more than 1/2 inch of ice buildup on your freezer, the efficiency of your freezer begins to spiral downward—best to get it back up to full speed as quickly as you can!

Here are some simple steps to defrosting and cleaning your UPRIGHT freezer: Remove all food from your freezer—as you take the food out, discard any outdated items or items with freezer burn on them. Place your items in a cooler or wrapped in blankets as explained on the previous page. With the freezer empty, turn off the power. Place towels inside the freezer and around the freezer on the floor to catch melted, dripping ice water. With the power off, you can either allow the ice to thaw slowly on its own or you can help it along. Using a hair dryer can speed up the process but it has drawbacks - never stand in any water source while the dryer is on. You can also use a heat-gun on a low setting to help melt the ice quicker (make sure you don’t melt the sides of the freezer!). You can also heat pots of water to boiling and then sit them on the shelves of your freezer (if you have metal shelves—don’t melt your plastic ones). Mop up the melted ice as it pools in the bottom of the freezer—empty the defrost tray below the freezer if you have one. If your husband has a wet-vac, this is easy! With the freezer empty and ice free, take the time to clean and deodorize. Make a paste from baking soda and water and gently scrub the sides of your freezer until the are clean, pol-ished and the odors have been removed. This also helps pre-vent orders once your freezer is running and filled with foods. Before you plug the freezer back in, make sure ALL liquid of any kind has been completely dried with a towel—both inside and outside of your freezer. Plug in your freezer and allow to reach freezing temperature before replacing your frozen food items (carefully dried to prevent them from freezing together!) This generally takes 15-30 minutes. Defrosting and cleaning your CHEST freezer: Basically the same as the upright freezers but more difficult as you are leaning over it. Water may pool in the bottom of your freezer as well—have plenty of towels on hand or use a mop to help soak up and remove the water. A wet-vac is also a big plus with chest freezers!

Enjoy Your Clean Defrosted Freezer!Enjoy Your Clean Defrosted Freezer!Enjoy Your Clean Defrosted Freezer!Enjoy Your Clean Defrosted Freezer!

Pumpkin CakePumpkin CakePumpkin CakePumpkin Cake 1/2 c butter, softened 1 c firmly packed brown sugar 1/2 c sugar 1 egg 3/4 c cooked, mashed pumpkin 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/3 c buttermilk 2 cups all purpose flour 1 Tbsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1 tsp ground cinnamon 2/3 c chopped pecans (optional) Spiced Whipped Topping Grated nutmeg (optional but delicious) Beat butter and sugars well, add egg and pumpkin and mix well.

Dissolve baking soda into buttermilk, stir well (this will foam and expand). Combine dry ingredients and mix into creamed batter alternately with buttermilk mixture. Fold in pecans.

Pour batter into 2 well greased 8” round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, remove from pans and cool completely.

Spread Spiced Whipped Topping between layers and on top of cake. Sprinkle ground nutmeg over top of cake.

Spiced Whipped Topping:Spiced Whipped Topping:Spiced Whipped Topping:Spiced Whipped Topping: 1 c whipping cream 3 Tbsp powdered sugar 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp ground ginger Beat whipping cream until foamy; gradually add powdered sugar and spices. Beat until still peaks form.

Old Salem Pumpkin Muffins Old Salem Pumpkin Muffins Old Salem Pumpkin Muffins Old Salem Pumpkin Muffins (from 1812)

1/3 c raisins (optional but healthy!) 1 Tbsp flour 1/3 c butter, softened 3/4 c firmly packed brown sugar 1 c canned pumpkin 1/2 c milk 1/4 c molasses 2 eggs, beaten 2 c all purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 1/8 tsp ground cloves Combine raisins with flour, set aside.

Cream butter and sugar, beat well. Add pump-kin, milk, molasses and eggs—beat well.

Mix remaining dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture and stir until dry ingredients are just moistened. Stir in raisins.

Spoon batter into greased muffin pans, filling full. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Yield about 1 1/2 muffins.

This is our family’s favorite birthday cake recipe!!!

© 2008 by Rebekah Wilson

Published by The Homemaker’s Mentor. All Rights Reserved.

Pumpkin Sweet BreadPumpkin Sweet BreadPumpkin Sweet BreadPumpkin Sweet Bread 3 1/3 c all purpose flour 3 cups sugar 2 tsp baking soda 1 1/2 tsp salt 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon 1 Tbsp ground nutmeg 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1 (18 oz) can pumpkin pie mix 1 c vegetable oil 2/3 c water 4 eggs, slightly beaten Combine dry ingredients, stir well. Add pie mix, oil, water and eggs. Beat 2 minutes on electric mixer at medium speed. Spoon batter in 2 greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans and cool completely.

Pumpkin CookiesPumpkin CookiesPumpkin CookiesPumpkin Cookies

1/2 c shortening 1 1/3 c sugar 2 eggs 1 c cooked, mashed pumpkin 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp lemon extract 1 tsp grated lemon rind 2 1/2 c flour 1 Tbsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground nutmeg 1/2 tsp ground allspice 1/4 tsp ground ginger 1 c raisins (optional but healthy!) 1/2 c pecans (optional) Lemon Butter Cream Frosting (optional but yummy!!!) Cream shortening and sugar, add eggs one at a time, beat well. Add pumpkin, vanilla, lemon extract and grated lemon rind. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and spices, stir well. Add to creamed mixture stirring well. Add raisins and pecans. Drop by teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove, cool on racks. Frost with Lemon Butter Cream Frosting if desired. Yield: 7 dozen. This recipe is my children’s FAVORITE cookie recipe—even without the frosting!!!

Lemon Butter Cream FrostingLemon Butter Cream FrostingLemon Butter Cream FrostingLemon Butter Cream Frosting

1/4 c butter, softened 2 1/4 c powdered sugar, divided 3 Tbsp half-and-half 1/2 tsp grated lemon rind Cream butter in a medium mixing bowl; gradu-ally add 1 cup powdered sugar, beating well with electric mixer. Add remaining powdered sugar alternately with the half-and-half, beating until smooth enough to spread. Add lemon rind and beat well. Yield: frosting for 7 dozen cookies.

While the earth re-

maineth,

seedtime and harvest,

and cold and heat and

summer and winter

“While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold

and heat and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”

© 2008 by Rebekah Wilson

Published by The Homemaker’s Mentor. All Rights Reserved.

Directions

1) Locate the fabric you plan to use. 2) Measure the bottom of your door or window where the

draft stopper will be placed. Most doors will measure close to 32 inches. Add an additional 2-6 inches (depending on how much you wish the draft dodger to extend past the door.)

3) Cut your fabric 6-8 inches wide by the length you have decided upon. (You can cut it 4-6 inches if you prefer a thinner dodger.)

4) Place the two long edges together, pin in place and sew a seam.

5) Sew one of the short edges closed. This leaves you with a long tube. Turn the tube inside out.

6) Stuff the tube with your stuffing items. Do not overly stuff your draft dodger or it will be too round and will not lean against the door or window sill and stop the drafts from blowing in.

7) Turn the raw edges of the open tube end in, pin in place. Sew by machine or hand to close the tube.

8) Your draft dodger is now finished! You can place it in front of your door or window sill.

This draft dodger is filled with pinto beans. It was cut to 8 inches wide by 32 inches long. The tube took 8 cups of pinto beans to fill without being overly full. Consider making some for gifts this year! These are super easy to make—this one took me less than 10 minutes. If you have a feed store near you, purchase a 50 lb bag of dried corn for under $10-15 and you have easy, useful and inexpensive gifts to make for others. Using unusual fabrics, striped fabric and very colorful fab-ric can make the doorway cheery and let people know there is a draft dodger in place before they open the door.

Basic Information Super simple, keeps your family warm and your heating bills down! Takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish too! Any piece of extra fabric that is large enough can be turned into an inexpensive but useful draft dodger. Old jeans, bed sheets, towels or other items can be used as well as leftovers from your sewing projects. Fillers for your draft dodger can come from a variety of sources. The goal is to insulate the cover of the draft dodger, to be heavy enough not to blow away with the drafts and to be sturdy enough to withstand being moved repeatedly when the door is opened and closed. Good fillers could be: rolled newspaper or shred-ded newspaper that is packed into the cover of your draft dodger. Beans, rice, straw, dried corn, old socks from your orphan sock box, rags, old sweaters cut up, old jeans cut up, or anything else you might have on hand. Don’t be afraid to mix the stuffing of your draft dodger either—beans and straw or dried corn and old sweaters cut into pieces would work well. A draft dodger works by stopping incoming drafts (breezes or wind being blown from outside that is pushed beneath a door or windowsill.) It will not completely prevent a draft, only applying weather-stripping will do that. But draft dodgers will significantly reduce the amount of cold air being blown into your home from the outside. It is possible to attach Velcro strips to the bottom of your door and sew a strip on the draft dodger so as the door is opened and closed, the draft dodger slides back and forth on a smooth surface and does not need to be moved and replaced repeatedly. Velcro strips can be purchased with a sticky side that will stick to your door and your draft dodger.

The Rundown on Dried MeatsThe Rundown on Dried MeatsThe Rundown on Dried Meats Dried meats have been an integral part of mankind’s diet for hundreds of generations. It was only recently, within the past century, that modern factory produced foods have become so readily available that we have strayed away from the more traditional and healthy way of storing and using foods.

Dried foods are lightweight, retain more nutrient content than processed foods, are easily portable and store well without electricity or the need to preserve by canning them. Dried meats are an instant source of edible food filled with protein. They can easily be reconstituted for cooking by soaking in water. Unlike the modern freeze-dried meat which is often bland and mushy when eaten, dried meats have a stronger con-centrated flavor and retain the physical characteristics of meat—meaning dried meat is still chewy even when recon-stituted. Any meat can be dried. All throughout history and even today meat is readily available in dried form. In the United States, the most common form of dried meat is mass pro-duced beef jerky, however, in other countries you will find a large variety of dried meats sold. Fish of all kinds, salmon, deer, elk, beef, poultry, pork, squid, reindeer, rabbit and many others.

Dried meat is often found in the form of sausages, pepper-oni, salami, prosciutto, salted beef and chipped beef. Unlike traditional jerky which is cut into thin strips, marinated and then dried—traditional dried meats are often soaked in a salty brine before hanging to dry for long lengths of time. Dried sausage and pepperoni are made from ground or finely chopped meats, spices, salts and peppers are added and then the mixture is placed into casings of some kind before being hung to dangle and dry slowly or baked in a slow oven. When you make your own dried sausage and pep-peroni you can control the fat content as well as the flavor.

Making your own is super simple, delicious and healthy too! Dried salmon, shrimp, catfish, halibut, cod and other fish can be ground into powders and added to dishes, chowders and other food dishes or cut into chunks and placed into fish chowders to reconstitute as the chowder cooks (before add-ing cream or milk.) Dried, powdered fish is a great way to add additional flavor to chowders and fish dishes and sauces. Dried fish should be thoroughly dried, as in snapping when broken in half and not bending. Dried beef, chicken, turkey and pork are also very commonly dried meats that can last for months, even years, if kept in the proper conditions. In some countries, whole legs of pork, huge hams and sides of beef are placed in brine and then hung to dry without any heating or cooking proc-ess taking place. These are specialty meats, usually sliced thin. To the right is dried pork.

© 2008 by Rebekah Wilson

Published by The Homemaker’s Mentor - All Rights Reserved