Columbus Day holiday weekend..Friday and Saturday

Our cranberry harvest continues, and since my husband is working long hours 7 days a week, I decided to head to Cape Cod last Friday to spend the long holiday weekend with my cousins.

On my way down I stopped at Tumbleweed's quilt store on Route. 6-A. I bought a few yards of fabric.

After getting to my cousin's house and emptying what I brought with me from the SUV we headed to Heartbeat Quilts. The fabric was marked down to $3.oo a yard and there was a table with $2 a yard pieces. The stores inventory is clearing out fast with their going out of business sale. I bought a variety of fabrics.

  

Saturday...Debbie, Cheryl and I headed out to The Green Briar Nature Center and Jam Kitchen in Sandwich which is part of the Thornton W. Burgess Society, Jam Kitchen, more Thornton Burgess. Do a google search for a lot more info.

I use to take my boys there when they were youngsters. The center has really expanded since I was last there. Saturday was Cranberry Day at the Center. They had cranberry bog tours, wine tastings, Gluten Free bread demo, ladies were making jam in the kitchen and some was still hot when it was placed on the shelves for sale.

Click here....Green Briar Jam Kitchen

 

Although my cousins and I don't need a Gluten Free diet, we watched a gluten free bread making demo. The demo was very informative, and we got to taste test the bread, cake and squares she brought with her.  Colleen, who gave the talk had been a math teacher, but gave up teaching when her children were diagnosed with multiple dietary allergies.                                                                  For a year she studied and by trial and error made recipes that her children could eat as they were also allergic to dairy products. Colleen shared cookbooks that she found had wonderful info and recipes. She just substitutes gluten free mixes that she makes up in batches for regular flour. Colleen mentioned that eating gluten free is also great for diabetics and those who suffer from fibromyalgia.                                                                            Colleen ran a bakery in Kingston until her recent move to Westport, MA. where they just bought a farm. Colleen also uses her own farm fresh eggs from her own chickens.  The bakery kitchen is completely gluten free as well as all the equipment she uses. No other foods touch the pans or equipment.

Colleens business card

Below are 3 cookbooks she loves

 

every year a new book comes out

gluten free bread demo     

flour blend #1 is for cakes and cookies

flour blend #2 is similar to King Arthur's flour, its an all purpose mix

flour mix #3 is All purpose, but a little dry. To lighten up the dough you can add 2 Tablespoons of some other mix in like sorghum, tapioca, or potato flour. For making Italian bread use 1 cup #3 blend and 2 cups potato starch.

For French bread use some brown rice flour and tapioca flour. Tapioca flour browns fast so the top off the bread needs to be moistened with water.

recipes Colleen came up with for flour substitutions for cakes and breads. If you would like a bread recipe that was used in the demo, email me, and I will send it off to you. She uses Bob's Red Meal flours and meals.

Another favorite that Colleen used in making frosting was So Delicious coconut milk, with melted large block of chocolate chopped. It comes in a red wrapper from Trader Joes.

Kitchen at the Nature Center Jam Kitchen was established in 1903, by Ida Putnum. I bought a Jam Kitchen cookbook with their recipes for jams, jellies, conserves and relishes.

The Kitchen offers jam/jelly making classes. Jams, relishes, honey and conserves are offered for sale.

jam kitchen..look at the double row of old burners that are still used today to make the products they sell and are used by those who take classes.

Below are a few recipes that were handed out.

 

     

The center was celebrating Cranberry Day. There were bog tours, and activities planned for children and adults.

After leaving the Jam Kitchen we drove further down 6-A to Dennis to the Apple Festival. By the time we arrived all of the apple pies, and apple goodies had been sold out.

Set up on the United Church of Christ Congregational Church's front lawn were ladies from a local guild of spinners. I never realized their were so many kinds of spinning wheels. Many were traditional and others were quite small and folded up for ease of storage. I loved watching the ladies at work spinning different types of fibers into yarn.

 

Across the street was a gift shop that had vendors selling handmade merchandise. Giovanna was dressed as a mermaid on the lawn. Giovanna has autism, Aspergers Syndrome. Giovanna was selling beautiful mermaid crowns that she designs and creates. Part of the proceeds of each crown she sells is donated to Autism awareness. Check out her website...Giovanna's you tube video     Click here to her facebook page to view her mermaid crowns

 

   

Friday and Saturday were beautiful, sunny, warm fall days. Saturday night it rained hard.

Saturday night I taught my cousins how to make cranberry sauce with the cranberries I brought with me. Sunday night another batch of jellied sauce was made, but I made Debbie and Cheryl make this batch so they would know how to do it in the future.

Sunday we went to the Yarmouth Seaside Festival. I will post a few pictures when I can.

Elaine