Thanks, guys. It's coming along nicely and it's been a pleasant reminder to myself that I AM capable of complicated projects. The helpmeet is now working on the posts that will support the railing for the open stairwell. He has them cut, planed, champhered, and was doing the mortising last night. They will be my next task; some filling, pickling, and clear coating. Michelle, the lamp has been kicking around the family home since I was a kid. It came from an auction and I think my brother got it as a toss in when he purchased several vintage vacuum cleaners! It is missing 4 curved pcs. of glass and 1 or 2 more on the edge (you can see it in the first shot). I've been told it will require someone with a kiln and the ability to "slump" glass to recreate the arc of piece. One shop tried but failed and she sold me a pc. of glass that is a pretty good match for it. I'm next going to try a very nice, local lamp repair place where they also sell antique and vintage pieces. I'm a little nervous about the cost, but you never know until you ask, right? The shade is supposed to hang from chains with the curved part down. I think it would look smashing with the bulb(s) on a reostat.

I'm not sure how many lbs of asian pears i ended up with summer before last but i had at least 200lbs. I did dehydrate. Not my favorite method but was super in my granola. I prefer to freeze just the cut/sliced fruit. No stone fruit last year but lots of blueberries and raspberries. I dislike peeling much more that the peach skin, well, a toss-up. I don't make jams but do like it sometimes. I prefer the natural sweet from the fruit. So freezing is first. Dehydrating second. Apples and pears i cook down a bit with rhubarb, a bit of lemon, no added sugar....rhubarb softens quickly and coats them. Peaches are easier and freeze great layed out on a sheet pan, then in zip-locks. Can grab just what you need for breakfast or a smoothie. I've not made fruit powders but that's another good option after dehydrating. I did make scrap vinegar...i remember about 3 gallons. Very good. But that adds yet another 'event' to a busy harvest. It uses the peelings and takes a bit of fermentation understanding. (lots of tutorials if you do a google search) I grow organically so the crates i gave away at work, to friends, and the senior center, were well received and appreciated.

I thought I remembered them being really particular about the cooking temp on the show, but that does not seem to be reflected here. Deep-Dish Apple Pie Cooks Illustrated, 9/2005 Use a combination of tart and sweet apples for this pie. Good choices for tart are Granny Smiths, Empires, or Cortlands; for sweet, we recommend Golden Delicious, Jonagolds, or Braeburns. Wrap leftovers tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 24 hours. To reheat, remove the wrap and warm the pie in a 350-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes. See below for freezing instructions. Makes one 9-inch pie, serving 8 to 10 All-Butter Pie Pastry 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces), plus additional flour for work surface 1 teaspoon table salt 1 tablespoon sugar 16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and frozen for 10 minutes 3 tablespoons sour cream 1/3 cup ice water , or more if needed Apple Filling 1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces), plus 1 teaspoon 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (1 3/4 ounces) 1/4 teaspoon table salt 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 1/2 pounds tart apples (firm), about 5 medium, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (see note) 2 1/2 pounds sweet apples (firm), about 5 medium, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (see note) 1 egg white , beaten lightly 1. For Pastry: Process flour, salt, and sugar together in food processor until combined, about 3 seconds. Add butter and pulse until butter is size of large peas, about ten 1-second pulses. 2. Using fork, mix sour cream and 1/3 cup ice water in small bowl until combined. Add half of sour cream mixture to flour mixture; pulse for three 1-second pulses. Repeat with remaining sour cream mixture. Pinch dough with fingers; if dough is floury, dry, and does not hold together, add 1 to 2 tablespoons ice water and process until dough forms large clumps and no dry flour remains, three to five 1-second pulses. 3. Turn dough out onto work surface. Divide dough into 2 balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk; wrap each disk in plastic and refrigerate until firm but not hard, 1 to 2 hours, before rolling. (Dough can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Let thoroughly chilled dough stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling.) 4. For Pie: Mix 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, zest, and cinnamon in large bowl; add apples and toss to combine. Transfer apples to Dutch oven (do not wash bowl) and cook, covered, over medium heat, stirring frequently, until apples are tender when poked with fork but still hold their shape, 15 to 20 minutes. (Apples and juices should gently simmer during cooking.) Transfer apples and juices to rimmed baking sheet and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. While apples cool, adjust oven rack to lowest position, place empty rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 425 degrees. 5. Remove 1 disk of dough from refrigerator and roll out between 2 large sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap to 12-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. (If dough becomes soft and/or sticky, return to refrigerator until firm.) Remove parchment from one side of dough and flip onto 9-inch pie plate; peel off second layer of parchment. Working around circumference, ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand. Leave dough that overhangs plate in place; refrigerate until dough is firm, about 30 minutes. 6. Meanwhile, roll second disk of dough between 2 large sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap to 12-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Refrigerate, leaving dough between parchment sheets, until firm, about 30 minutes. 7. Set large colander over now-empty bowl; transfer cooled apples to colander. Shake colander to drain off as much juice as possible (cooked apples should measure about 8 cups); discard juice. Transfer apples to dough-lined pie plate; sprinkle with lemon juice. 8. Remove parchment from one side of remaining dough and flip dough onto apples; peel off second piece of parchment. Pinch edges of top and bottom dough rounds firmly together. Following illustrations 1 through 4, trim and seal edges of dough, then cut four 2-inch slits in top of dough. Brush surface with beaten egg white and sprinkle evenly with remaining teaspoon sugar. 9. Set pie on preheated baking sheet; bake until crust is dark golden brown, 45 to 55 minutes. Transfer pie to wire rack and cool at least 1 1/2 hours. Cut into wedges and serve.

I've seen recipes for skeeter pee on the winemaking sites I read, but being so far from citrus country it has never been an option. I can imagine it's great though! Jalapeno wine sounds weird, but I'd try it. Couldn't hurt... ok, it might hurt a little - in passing! It was tough to clean so many pears. I'm looking to fashion a fruit press for the next time I try to make that much. How much juice did you wind up with from your apples? Was it 2 carboys? People don't always realize that in pioneer days, and when Johnny Appleseed was traveling around, one of the main reasons for apple trees was for hard cider! Without refrigeration, fermentation was one of the few ways to preserve a lot of fruit. It had so many uses too! When your batch is done, a nice wedge of pie and a sip of the wine will make for a nice evening's dessert!