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.

You'll find some King Arthur pie recipes using "instant" Clear Jel at the link below. You might check their web site for more information and recipes. In "Instant Delite", there are recipes using "instant" Clear Jel for: Apple Pie Caramel Pecan Pie Cherry Pie Chocolate Cream Pie Dutch Apple Pie Fresh Peach Pie Large Strawberry or Raspberry Pie Lemon Chiffon Pie Lemon Meringue Pie Microwave Pecan Pie No-Bake Pumpkin Pie Peaches 'N' Cream Pie Pineapple Pie Processed Apple Pie Filling Pumpkin Chiffon Pie Rhubarb Cream Pie Rhubarb Pie Quick Raspberry Pie Scrumptious Cherry Cheese Pie -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Pie recipes using

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'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!