Antique Singer Sewing Machine

Several years ago, we had the opportunity to spend time in Prince Rupert, close to the Alaskan Panhandle. The old house we got came furnished…and then some. We found a few treasures as we cleaned things out. There were a few surprises along the way, too. This is one (no, two) of them – wonderful surprises that fit perfectly into a country home.

This “stereo stand” came with the house. Graham had his eye on the stereo. Between the equipment we had brought and the speakers and equipment here, he could build a surround sound system. Me? I was eyeing that table the stereo was sitting on. One evening, he started moving the stereo equipment over to put in the TV stand and start hooking everything up.

I still had my eye on that stand. Without saying anything, I willed him to hurry up and get that stuff off the top. Once he did, we opened up the stereo stand.

Turns out it wasn’t a stereo table at all. It was an antique Singer Sewing Machine. There were even 4 pages of a manual (out of at least 58 pages) that give a description. It is a Singer Machine 15 – 91.

You know it has to be really old, because the manual specifically states “It is especially designed for operation by electricity, having an electric motor built on the back of its arm.” It goes on to say that the user needs to “obtain the following information from the Electric Light Company which supplies the electric current for the circuit to which the motor is to be connected….”

Doing some research, I found out that this model was built by Singer from the early 1930’s to the mid 1950’s. I am thinking that this one must be one of the very early ones, because of the paragraph above that I had found in the manual.

This second treadle sewing machine was sitting in the enclosed front porch. So, not only do we have one antique Singer sewing machine, we have two! We ended up using these machines as bedside tables and love the way they look. They fit perfectly in a country house!

We Love Our Electric Juicer

By Annie

Graham loves grapefruit juice. I love orange juice. We both like our juice best when it’s freshly squeezed.

When we’re able to, we spend a bit of our winter break in Southern California. We love the warm weather and for us, it is a nice treat after working so hard all season at home. One of the best things about southern California is having access to as many grapefruits and oranges as we could ever possibly want. And we want them!

A friend showed me her juicer; it was a Black and Decker electric model. She raved about how good it worked and how inexpensive it was. “Perfect”, I thought and so I bought one from Amazon and we have just loved it!

We use it a lot and it just keeps going and going. Instead of paying hundreds of dollars for a sophisticated juicer, (don’t get me wrong, I would love to have this one!) I am really happy with this one. It’s super easy to take apart and clean – just slip the two strainers apart and give them a good rinsing under hot water.

There’s a sliding mechanism so you can choose how much pulp you want. You can just have a wee bit of pulp or as much pulp as possible. There’s a lot of fibre in citrus pulp so it’s really good for you.

After I finish juicing, I can just put the container straight into the fridge. I usually juice a container full every four days or so and after two years, this juicer is still going strong.

I showed my great nieces and nephews how to make freshly squeezed lemonade and we had such a great time. They loved it and each had a turn squeezing the lemons (and drinking the lemonade!)

How to Make Carrot Wine

By Annie

Ready to try something different? Here’s how to make Carrot wine!

Ever tried making Carrot Wine? If you have had a really good harvest this year, why not give it a try? Here’s how to make carrot wine! And you can read here about all the different wines made from our gardens.

2 glasses of carrot wine sit on a dinner table. — Learn how to make homemade Carrot wine at home.

This recipe is to make 1 gallon of wine. If you make less than that, make sure to decrease the amounts of ingredients properly. Get yourself the wine making equipment (you can get them all on Amazon or eBay) you will need and then get started.

Freshly dug carrots sit on a porch in front of the vegetable garden. — Lots of fresh carrots here to make homemade Carrot Wine.

Since we grow all of our own carrots for the year and have extras, we have plenty! Carrots are one of our most prolific root vegetables we grow.

Carrots being warmed up to make wine. — Simmer carrots on the stove.

How to Make Carrot Wine

Wash 5 pounds of Carrots really well, then bring them to a boil, reduce the heat and let them simmer them in about a gallon and a half of water (the water measurement isn’t precise. Remember you will lose some liquid each time you rack down your wine) for about an hour. When the roots break easily and the carrots are tender, they are ready for the next step.

If you like, you can slice the carrots before putting them on the stove to boil. Some people prefer thin slices of carrot for making wine.

Chopped raisins added to crock of carrot wine during fermentation. — Take the time to chop the raisins.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the carrots carefully. Add half a pound of finely chopped golden raisins to the liquid. (I find chopping raisins is a bear of a job….but it must be done.) Add the juice of two oranges and just a little bit of the orange zest. Be sure you don’t add pith, you want just the peel. Simmer for about another hour.

Some recipes I have seen call for lemons instead of oranges but we have not made it that way. I have also heard of adding honey, which would add a nice flavor.

Fermenting Carrot Wine

Put 2 1/2 lbs of white sugar into a large bowl or crock. You can also use a fermenting bucket, if you have one. Pour the simmered mixture over the sugar and stir it well. Make sure all the sugar is dissolved. Sprinkle 1 tsp. of yeast nutrient on top and cover, leaving it for 3 days. This will start the fermentation and get the brew bubbling.

You can also add the yeast by the following method:

After sugar is dissolved, take off 2 cups of the hot liquid. Mix it with 2 cups of cold water. Add your yeast to this, stir it well and leave for half an hour or so. Then pour it into the crock and cover.

A carboy full of carrot wine after fermenting. — Keep your wine covered; we just wrap a towel around it to keep out of the light.

After three days, rack the wine into a secondary fermenter, using a wine siphon hose. You can use a straining bag if you like.

This is where we use a carboy as our secondary. So we rack the wine and strain liquid into a carboy or a demi-john. Use a bung and an airlock to close the carboy; you need to have some type of fermentation lock.

Leave it in a warm place for six weeks or a couple of months. We rack it down one final time, then let it sit in the carboy two more weeks, before bottling. This step will help clear the wine and any sediment left will have settle to the bottom, and we can avoid it when bottling. This Carrot Wine should then stay in the bottle for at least six months before drinking. Enjoy!

More Wine Making Recipes:

Here’s how to make Homemade Strawberry Wine

Try this delicious homemade Dandelion Flower Wine

This Saskatoon Raspberry Wine will be a favorite for red wine lovers

Got Rhubarb? Try your hand at this Rhubarb Wine

Ever heard of a Parsley wine recipe?

Learn more about making wine from garden vegetables

Glass of homemade carrot wine on a table outside, with carrots and grapes alongside. — Save this homemade Carrot wine recipe to your Pinterest board.

How to Make Carrot Wine

Yield: 1 gallon carrot wine

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 2 hours

Additional Time: 8 months

Total Time: 8 months 3 hours

Use fresh carrots to make this unique homemade carrot wine.

No Ratings

Ingredients

5 pounds carrots, scrubbed
1/2 pound golden raisins, chopped
2 oranges
2 1/2 pounds sugar
1 tsp. yeast nutrient

Instructions

1. Add 1 gallon water to a large stockpot.

2. Add the scrubbed carrots, sliced or whole.

3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer one hour.

4. Remove carrots; set aside.

5. Add raisins to the liquid.

6. Cut two oranges and add the juice to the liquid.

7. Add some of the orange zest, careful to not use the pith.

8. Let this liquid cool until just warm.

9. Add sugar to a clean crock, then pour the hot liquid over the sugar.

10. Stir well, until sugar is dissolved.

11. Sprinkle the contents of yeast packet evenly over the liquid.

12. Cover crock.

13. Each day for next 3 days, briefly remove the cover and let the fermenting liquid vent. Then recover.

14. After 3 days, carefully use a wine siphon hose to rack the wine into a clean carboy.

15. Add water to the airlock, and close the carboy with the bung.

16. Leave the wine in the carboy for 6 weeks.

17. Rack the wine down into another clean carboy or container.

18. Let sit for 2 weeks; sediment will fall to the bottom.

19. Bottle the wine, being careful to not disturb the sediment.

20. Store bottles for six months before sampling.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 376Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 85mgCarbohydrates: 96gFiber: 5gSugar: 86gProtein: 2g

Originally published 2011; latest update Oct. 2024

How to Can Homemade Sauerkraut

By Annie

Ever wondered how to can sauerkraut so you can enjoy it all winter long? You can easily ferment and can your own sauerkraut in the comfort of your own kitchen!

Recently I wrote about our Cabbage harvest and using some of it to make Sauerkraut. Water bath canning Sauerkraut is pretty easy; a beginning canner can preserve cabbage with confidence and just a few ingredients.

a head of cabbage growing in the garden — We love our home-grown cabbage!

What is Sauerkraut?

Hailing from Germany, this salted cabbage dish is created by fermenting cabbage and results in a distinctive sour flavor.

Because it has a long shelf life, it’s an easy way to preserve some shredded cabbage and Graham loves it along with pierogies and sausages.

Read here to see how to make your own Sauerkraut including more details about the normal fermentation process.

The best part is the sauerkraut ferments passively, which means for the most part you can let it be.

The process essentially involves removing the outer leaves of the cabbage (don’t discard these, you can eat them!), shredding the cabbage with a knife or food processor, and layering with pickling salt.

It’s easy to cover cabbage and let the fermentation process do its job! Check out the recipe above for more detailed instructions on fermented sauerkraut.

Jar with homemade Sauerkraut ready to be canned. — Learn how to can Sauerkraut safely.

After leaving the kraut in a 3 gallon crock for a couple of weeks and checking it often, I scooped some out for Graham to do a taste test. He found it to be delicious and mild, which he likes.

That meant it was time to finish off the preserving of the Sauerkraut. If we wanted to, we could just put the crock down in our Cold Room and use the Sauerkraut when we wanted some.

We keep our Cold Room between 32 and 40F, and this temperature would be fine for the Sauerkraut.

However, we chose to can it instead – so should you if you cannot keep the crock in a cool enough place. Here’s how I did it.

You can also raw-pack your sauerkraut by skipping the steps that involve heating it before packing it into the jars. I prefer to hot-pack when canning sauerkraut.

See every one of our Preserving Recipe and Instructions Guides – right here!

Water Bath Canning for Homemade Sauerkraut

Heat the Sauerkraut in a large pot, stirring with a plastic or wooden spoon. You want it to gently simmer, don’t boil it. Gentle bubbles means you’re at the right temperature.
Add a bit of the juice. Make a brine (1 1/2 tablespoons of salt for each 1 quart of water), in case you don’t have enough juice in the crock.
To hot-pack, you’ll want to heat the sauerkraut on the stove before transferring to jars.
You’re going to Hot Water Bath the Sauerkraut, so wash your jars and then set them into your boiling water canner. Keep them in there for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, get your seals and rings ready. Pour boiling water over them and let them sit until you need them. I’m using Tattler lids for some of the jars – I should have ordered more so I had some new lids!
I love using these lids for easy and reliable food preservation!
Use 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt for each 1 quart of water. Heat this brine on the stove.
Once you get your Sauerkraut warmed up, hot pack it into jars. I use these pint jars but you can use quarts if you like a larger jar size.
Leave 1/2 inch headspace in the jars. Add the warm liquid and use the brine, if you need to. Leave 1/2 inch of headroom and wipe jar rims.
If you are using Tattler lids and seals, there is a slightly different process to follow and you can read it here. It is very important to let the contents vent during the processing.
Place your jars in the Boiling Water Bath and once the water comes back to a boil, set your timer for 15 minutes for pints. If I had used quarts, the processing time would be 25 minutes.
Be sure to leave a bit of head room in your jars.
I have to add 5 minutes because of our altitude (2800 ft). Make sure you always take your elevation into account when you do canning, it is very important.
Once the time is up, remove your jars and leave them alone for 24 hours. After that, you can wipe the jars down, remove the metal bands if you like, and place the jars on your pantry shelf.
Here’s the sauerkraut all packed into the jars. It’s easy to make dozens of jars like this all at one time!

What Supplies Do I Need for Home Canning?

Not sure where to start when it comes to canning? Here are some recommendations:

I have a very handy food grade Canning kit (Presto) that includes jar lifter, seal grabber, a funnel, a measuring gauge that allows you to easily figure out the headspace and more.

These items are almost a necessity when canning. You can order one of these Canning kits here.

For sauerkraut, I also recommend getting a nice sharp knife to slice the cabbage into nice thin shreds. A mandolin is also another option for slicing.

Here, you can find the Canning Supplies and Equipment Needed to Preserve Food

What Can I Use Sauerkraut For?

Graham has already enjoyed a meal of Bratwurst and Sauerkraut along with Perogies, and is looking forward to many more.

It can also be eaten on its own or as a simple side dish if you really enjoy the flavor. It pairs well with bold, savory flavors like onions and garlic.

Sauerkraut has many health benefits: lots of naturally occurring probiotics that foster beneficial bacteria in the body to improve digestion, nutrients, vitamins, and it can even help strengthen the immune system and reduce the risk of certain diseases.

A hearty mason jar of sauerkraut can also be given as a nice homemade gift for friends, family, and loved ones.

We ended up with 17 pints of Sauerkraut using a 3 gallon crock, which held a total of 15 pounds of cabbage.

Here’s an article about Canning Tips You Should Know

Jar of Sauerkraut ready to be canned. — Save this to your Pinterest board for later!

More Home Food Preservation Guides

Want to can some fruit? Here’s How to Can Cherries so you can fill your pantry shelves.
Here’s How to Can Salmon (and any other fish)
Using Tattler Lids? Here’s how I make sure to use Tattler Lids and Seals properly!
Make these Quick Pickled Carrots from the Minimalist Baker!
Learn how to store Home Canned Food Properly

How to Can Homemade Sauerkraut

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Additional Time: 1 day

Total Time: 1 day 25 minutes

This easy homemade sauerkraut is perfect to quickly can right in your own kitchen! This will extend its shelf life and keep it fresh and tasty for much longer.

No Ratings

Ingredients

10 pounds cabbage leaf
6 tablespoons pickling salt

Instructions

Heat the Sauerkraut in a large pot, stirring with a plastic or wooden spoon, until it reaches a gentle simmer.
Add a bit of the juice. Make a brine, in case you don’t have enough juice in the crock.
You’re going to Hot Water Bath the Sauerkraut, so wash your jars and then set them into your boiling water canner. Keep them in there for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, get your seals and rings ready. Pour boiling water over them and let them sit until you need them.
Use 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt for each 1 quart of water. Heat this brine on the stove.
Once you get your Sauerkraut warmed up, hot pack it into jars.
Add the warm liquid and use the brine, if you need to. Leave 1/2 inch of headroom and wipe jar rims.
Place your jars in the Boiling Water Bath and once the water comes back to a boil, set your timer for 15 minutes for pints (or 25 for quarts).
Once the time is up, remove your jars and leave them alone for 24 hours. At this point, wipe them down, remove the metal rims if you like, and store them wherever you like.

Notes

This recipe takes sauerkraut that's already been made and prepares it for canning. Check this post for information on how to make your sauerkraut from scratch!
As a general rule of thumb, you can fit 5 pounds of cabbage for every gallon that your crockpot or slow cooker will fit. Feel free to tweak the amount of cabbage depending on the size of your pot.
Make sure you always take your elevation into account when you do canning, it is very important. Higher altitudes will require more time.

How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Puree

By Annie

This Homemade Pumpkin Puree is the perfect way to conjure up all of the great flavors of Fall. It can also be used to make some great pumpkin-flavored dishes!

Pumpkin puree sits in a bowl with a fork. Below is a piece of pumpkin pie and beside it, a slice of pumpkin loaf. — Here’s how to make homemade Pumpkin Puree for using in baking and cooking. Turn a pumpkin into a pie!

Homemade Pumpkin Puree Backstory

Once Fall rolls around, I start thinking about Halloween. Halloween makes me think of pumpkins. Pumpkins make me think of homemade pumpkin puree, pumpkin pies, pumpkin loaf and all other things pumpkin. We love pumpkin!

Lit pumpkins sit in the dark. — Don’t let your jack-o-lanterns go to waste; turn them into pumpkin puree!

When my sons were young, we always carved and decorated pumpkins at Halloween. We’d set them out on our porch with candles inside them to welcome all the kids who were trick or treating.

But my boys got older, of course. Once they became teenagers, they really weren’t into the pumpkin carving thing anymore. So I started turning our Halloween pumpkin into a Pumpkin pie every year.

I no longer bothered with carving them out and putting a candle inside. Instead I draw the pumpkin face on with a black Sharpie and set them out on the porch with our other Fall decorations.

We just leave all the porch lights turned on (and some inside ones too) to let the kids know we’re home.

Pumpkin on a front porch. — If you use Sharpie like I did here, make sure to cut those bits away if you plan on using the pumpkin for puree!

How to Make Pumpkin Puree

Clean Out the Pumpkin

After Halloween, take the Pumpkin and clean it out. You can cut a “cap” out of the top so that you can get in there and scrape out all the pulp and seeds.
Use a large metal spoon and scrape the inside wall, all the way around. Get off as much stringy pulp as you can.
You can cut the pumpkin in half now, much like you would a squash. Or just leave it whole with the cap back on. Or don’t even bother with cutting a cap, if you don’t mind scooping out the pulp and seeds after baking.

Bake

Put a layer of tin foil on a cookie sheet and place the pumpkin on the tin foil. Put it in an oven set at 350F. Let it bake for awhile. How long it takes will depend on the size of your pumpkin.Large pumpkins can take several hours to cook through.
Once the Pumpkin is soft and mushy, it’s ready. You can probably tell just by looking at it, as it will be somewhat sunken in. Test it by poking a fork in it. If the fork easily goes through the whole wall of the pumpkin, it’s ready.

Puree the Baked Pumpkin

Remove it from the oven and let it cool. Then, just scrape all the flesh into a bowl. Doing this while the pumpkin is warm makes it very easy and quick. You will have already removed all the stringy stuff and seeds, so this part of the process won’t take long.
Mash the pumpkin with a fine masher to break it down into a puree. Your homemade Pumpkin Puree is now ready to use in pies or baked loaves.

Pumpkin Pie

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

A Fall holiday favourite, Pumpkin Pie is the perfect dessert.

5.0 Stars (1 Review)

Ingredients

2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
2 eggs, well beaten
1 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/3 cup evaporated milk

Instructions

Mix the sugar, spices and salt well.
Add the water and mix together well.
Stir in the eggs and blend. Add the pumpkin and the milk. Mix well together.
Pour into prepared pie shell.
Bake at 450 F for 10 minutes. Turn the oven down to 325 F and bake for 45 - 50 minutes.

First Published October 2016; Updated March 2021

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Antique Singer Sewing Machine

We Love Our Electric Juicer

How to Make Carrot Wine