Granny's Parlour

The weekend is a good time for grazing. This is a summary of some of the delightful Blog articles I have been reading during the week. I invite you to graze through these, and also through the archives of the creative writers who wrote them.

Food canning equipment, tool carts, compost bins, growing kits, cider and fruit presses, the Squeezo Strainer, food dehydrators, juicers, smokers, cold frames, greenhouses and so many more innovations contribute to making our lives organized and healthier and to turning our homes and properties into an oasis where the living is good.

All of these things exist because we are creative and because we have a unique ability to adapt to our environment. In truth, foodies, homesteaders and gardeners who write about their experiences are telling the ongoing story of our inventive spirit. On their pages, every tool and appliance is like a paint brush; ready to express a new vision.

You can access the entire Weekend Highlights series to date by clicking on that category in the sidebar at left.

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I have been remiss in acknowledging the new fellow bloggers who have visited Granny’s Parlour lately. To be honest, I am a bit overwhelmed by the number of visitors who stop here weekly and the number, nearly as many, who return again and again. By “overwhelmed” I also mean grateful, of course.

In many ways, blogging is a form of correspondence. People used to handwrite long letters that served not only as a means to communicate, but also as a form of shared journal. We no longer send hand-written letters, but we do write, abundantly, and this electronically shared correspondence certainly has a measurable and significant impact on those who write it and those who read it.

We relate to each other not only by virtue of the fact that we share interests, but also because we share a love for the process of writing. The letter that was once exchanged between two sets of hands now reaches hundreds.

Here are three blogs to add to our reading list. I will do my best to do this more often, that is to look right here for blog authors who have kindly visited Granny’s Parlour before I had a chance to find their kitchen or garden. A note: As I write this introduction, I realize that all three focus on food. I believe no one here will mind. Writing about food inevitably leads to writing about life as well.

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The blog: Rantings of an Amateur Chef – Articles, recipes, tips, product reviews and guest bloggers.

The author: Pat Geyer, an amateur chef living in the Cleveland, Ohio says, “Like to cook? Check. Like to eat? Double check. Can’t shut him up? You betcha… While not making his living in the kitchen, he spends as much time as he can there. He explores recipes, restaurants, gadgets and anything else related to cooking and eating.”

The tone: “I did not like tomato soup. On a cold winter day, if I came in from the snow and a bowl of piping hot tomato soup was on the table, I’d turn around and go back into the deep freeze…”

Begin here: Oh My God That Looks Good

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The blog: Made by Mike – The 39 things list, blog recommendations, recipes, the guys.

The author: “I’m a blogger, baker, picture taker… I spend a lot of time thinking about little projects that I’d like to do. It could be a recipe, a craft or a photo I’d like to take. This is where I like to keep track of what I’ve done and thought about.”

The tone: “Earlier in the week, I told you all about Roasted Strawberry Lemonade. Today, we go way back to last August, when I learned the fun skill of making freezer jam. It changed my life forever. OK, that might be a bit of an exaggeration…”

Begin here: Strawberry Freezer Jam – Way Back Wednesday

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The blog: The Unorthodox Epicure – Uncommon food reviews, recipes, La Liste Truc , NaCl in a nutshell.

The author: “I don’t consider myself to be any quirkier than the next guy, but family and friends disagree… My guilty pleasures include… sneaking a bite of fat from a pork roast. But I also became a vegan for three months during 2010 — just for the heck of it.”

The tone: “Do our tastes just change that much over the years? Take music, for example. I remember spending my hard-earned lawn mowing dollars on an Asia album. (I know. Asia. Please, no feedback is necessary.) …keyboards and percussion were pure rock symphony… Yet, as a middle-aged guy, I’m truly embarrassed to have songs from this same album in my iTunes…”

Begin here: Confession No. 5 — I might have been wrong about the P’zone, but I’m sticking to my Peg Leg guns.

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Thank you for stopping by to read this Weekend’s Review. Please take a moment to leave a few words on the Blogs you enjoy, if you feel so inclined that is.