No notes today, but lots of pictures...

I was startled to realize this morning that the new school year is nearly upon us and I have given zero thought to my plans all summer long (that's a first!). I haven't been on my favorite homeschooling websites or blogs, I didn't attend the local convention, and I haven't so much as glanced at any of the curriculum catalogs that have been arriving in the mail. Yikes!

Last year, I had optimistically assumed that we would school year-round, straight through the summer, yet once again that didn't happen. My husband lost his job in May and having him home all day, plus dealing with the garden and having to work extra hours, etc., has made school work rather impossible. We've done some Math this summer, and lots of other little 'odds 'n ends,' but we'll clearly have a bit of catching up to do next month. 

We'll be returning to school full-time on August 17th; since I'll have two back in public school this year, it seemed easiest to plan according to their schedule.  In many ways I'm anticipating an easier year, since I've relinquished my two more challenging students. I'll have Maddie and Jaymon home with me - in fifth and sixth grades, respectively. Nevertheless, I wanted to keep our work as simple (for me!) as possible, with very little pre-planning required - though room to plan if I should so choose. You see, I've come to the conclusion that I cannot be trusted to plan consistently. Sometimes, I'm very enthusiastic about it (too enthusiastic perhaps, and not entirely realistic!) - other times, it's just a big headache and I want something easy. Too often, I leave myself no room for "easy." I think, or at least I hope, that this year I've found the perfect solution, at least for our core subjects.

Religion

• Our Holy Faith, Book 5
• Schuster's Bible History
• Baltimore Catechism
• Angel Food for Boys & Girls (coordinated w/Baltimore Catechism here) 
• Lives of the Saints by Fr. Hugo Hoever

Language Arts

• Voyages in English 5
• Voyages in English 6
• Handwriting 5 for Young Catholics (5th/6th GR)
• These Are Our People and Book of Gratitude (5th GR)
• This is Our Heritage and Book of Valor (6th GR)
• Word Power for Spelling 5/6

History

Science

I'm going to force myself to do a formal science program this year. It's my least favorite subject (well, aside from math), and the one that is most often neglected - yet my kids love it. Last year, I fell in love with Real Science-4-Kids at a homeschool convention, so I've decided to use their Chemistry Level I. I'm not sure how many of their "Kogs" we'll realistically be able to manage, but I'm going to try to utilize all of them.

Math

• Singapore Math (the only thing that has remained constant!)

"A culture of peace will be achieved when citizens of the world understand global problems, have the skills to resolve conflicts and struggle for justice non-violently, live by international standards of human rights and equity, appreciate cultural diversity, and respect the Earth and each other." – Hague Appeal for Peace, Global Campaign for Peace Education Statement

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."- Martin Luther King, Jr., "Letter From Birmingham Jail", in Why We Can’t Wait, by same author.

"Peace demands the most heroic labor and the most difficult sacrifice. It demands greater heroism than war. It demands greater fidelity to the truth and a much more perfect purity of conscience." - Thomas Merton

Core Texts

• Great Peacemakers by Ken Beller and Heather Chase: Tells the inspiring true life stories of twenty great peacemakers from around the world and offers insights for creating peace in your own life. The website includes a free study guide. An alternative option would be Paths to Peace: People Who Changed the World by Jane Breskin Zalben (GR 4-8).
• The Power of Nonviolence: Writings by Advocates of Peace by Howard Zinn. (I've already purchased the Zinn book, but have since learned that Approaches to Peace: A Reader in Peace Studies by David P. Barash is a better option.)

Supplements

(The titles marked with an asterik* are books that I am certain to use, while the others are under consideration.)

• Being Peace* by Thich Nhat Hanh (I will be reading selections from this book.)
• Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Journey to Change the World...One Child at a Time (The Young Reader's Edition)* by Sarah Thomson (Adapter), Greg Mortenson (Author)
• Peace Tales: World Folk Tales to Talk About by Margaret Read MacDonald
• Lines in the Sand: New Writing on War and Peace by Mary Hoffman (GR 4-6)
• Nonviolence: The History of a Dangerous Idea by Mark Kurlansky (I will have to pre-read this, but I believe it is typically a high school/college text)
• Books That Teach Peace: A (long!) list from the Peace Study Center

Other

• Material World: A Global Family Portrait by Peter Menzel
• Hungry Planet: What the World Eats by Peter Menzel
• Americans Who Tell the Truth by Robert Shetterly (The really excellent companion website contains curriculum + helpful reading lists)
• The Kid's Guide to Service Projects: Over 500 Service Ideas for Young People Who Want to Make a Difference by Barbara A. Lewis
• The Kid's Guide to Social Action: How to Solve the Social Problems You Choose-And Turn Creative Thinking into Positive Action by Barbara A. Lewis
• Skipping Stones: An International Multicultural Magazine
• For Mom/Older Students: Passion For Peace: The Social Essays by Thomas Merton, William H. Shannon

Curricula

• Peace Lessons From Around the World from the Hague Appeal for Peace - Lesson plans designed for high school students, could be adapted for younger students.
• Learning to Abolish War from the Hague Appeal for Peace - Lesson plans for elementary, middle and high school.
• Americans Who Tell the Truth
• Peacemakers and Biographies of Peacemakers at 42Explore
• Peace Education at United Nations Cyberschoolbus
• Family Peace Workbook ($15.) from Zen Homeschool

• The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy
• Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee
• A Much Married Man by Nicholas Coleridge
• The "Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter" Series by Susan Wittig Albert:  
• The Tale of Hill Top Farm
• The Tale of Holly How
• The Tale of Cuckoo Brow Wood
• The Tale of Hawthorn House
• The Tale of Briar Bank
• The Tale of Applebeck Orchard
• The Tale of Oat Cake Crag
• The Chronicles of Barsetshire by Anthony Trollope:
• The Warden (1855)
• Barchester Towers (1857)
• Doctor Thorne (1858)
• Framley Parsonage (1861)
• The Small House at Allington (1864)
• The Last Chronicle of Barset (1867)
• The Barsetshire Novels (29 books) by Angela Thirkell
• The Fairacre Series (18 books) and Thrush Green Series (12 books) by Miss Read
• Tales from Turnham Malpas
• The "Make Way for Lucia" Series by E.F. Benson  
• Queen Lucia (1920)
• Miss Mapp (1922)
• Lucia in London (1927)
• Mapp and Lucia (1931)
• Lucia's Progress (1935, also known as The Worshipful Lucia)
• Trouble for Lucia (1939)
• The "Allways Trilogy" by Bevery Nichols:
• Down the Garden Path
• A Thatched Roof
• Village in a Valley
• The "Appletree Saga" by Mary Emily Pearce:
  
  • Apple Tree Lean Down (1973)
  • Jack Mercybright (1975)
  • The Sorrowing Wind (1975)
  Other novels by Mary E. Pearce:
  
  • Cast a Long Shadow (1977)
  • The Two Farms (1985)
  • The Land Endures (1978)
  • Seedtime and Harvest (1980)
  • Polsinney Harbour (1984)
  • The Old House at Railes (1993)

• Haweswater by Sarah Hall
• The New Rector by Rebecca Shaw
• A Month in the Country by James Carr
• Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
• Our Village by Mary Russell Mitford
• Lark Rise to Candleford: A Trilogy and Still Glides the Stream by Flora Thompson
• The Cranford Chronicles by Elizabeth Gaskell
• Ulverton by Adam Thorpe
• Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
• Diary of a Country Parson: 1758-1802 by James Woodforde
• The Darling Buds of May by H.E. Bates
• Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
• Nonfiction: Akenfield: Portrait of an English Village by Ronald Blythe

Authors

• D.E. Stevenson
• Jane Austen
• Barbara Pym
• Miss Read (Dora Jessie Saint)
• P.G. Wodehouse

For so many years I've wanted to learn how to can or preserve fruit, but have never tried until this past weekend. Needless to say, I'm now completely hooked! Already I've found that I prefer small batch recipes that allow me to experiment freely without getting bored. That said, I was immediately drawn to the recipes of Christine Ferber, the Alsacian "Queen of Jam" who is well-known for her superb confitures. Thus far, I've tried two of her recipes (see below) and plan to try more very soon. They were extraordinary!

Some history from author Madelaine Bullwinkel: "Evidence of the first cooked fruit preserved in sugar comes from the early years of the Italian Renaissance. The fruits are described in Boccaccio's fourteenth-century writing as luxurious fare for the aristocracy living a romantic lifestyle. At that time, sugar was from the Near East through Venice; it remained rare and quite expensive through the eighteenth century."

Here's what I've made:

• Rosewater Plum Compote (amazing over vanilla ice cream and these sweet biscuits)
• Strawberry Basil Jam
• Strawberry Lavender Jam 
• Strawberry Jam with Black Pepper and Fresh Mint (Christine Ferber)
• Strawberry-Raspberry Preserves with Balsamic Vinegar and Black Pepper (Christine Ferber)
• Borage Jelly

I still need to find some good peach recipes as we have a peach orchard nearby and they're ready to be picked. Here's a few other recipes that I want to try (though, of course, not all at once!):

• Banana Jam with Cinnamon, Vanilla, Ginger and Rum
• Apricot and Almond Jam
• Cherry Tomato Cinnamon Jam
• Meyer Lemon and Vanilla Bean Marmalade or Honey Lemon Marmalade
• Wild Blackberry and Earl Grey Jam Recipe
• Carrot Apple Butter with Cardamom
• Persian Carrot and Cardamom Jam
• Decadent Banana Split Conserve (See Below)
• Grapefruit, Rosewater and Vanilla Marmalade 
• Plum, Raspberry and Rosemary Jam

Christine Ferber Recipes (See also: Mes Confitures: The Jams and Jellies of Christine Ferber):

• Rhubarb with Acacia Honey and Rosemary Jam
• Strawberry Lemongrass Jam 
• Green Gage Plum and Vanilla Jam 
• Blueberry-Lemon Jam
• Bitter Orange Jam
• Raspberry with Chocolate Jam (See Below)
• Wild Blackberry Jam 
• Pumpkin Jam with Vanilla Bean

Raspberry Chocolate Jam (Posted at GardenWeb)

2 3/4 lbs raspberries, or 2 1/4 lbs net
3 1/2 cups sugar
Juice of one lemon
9 oz bittersweet chocolate (68% cocoa)

Pick over the raspberries. Omit rinsing them so as to keep their fragrance. Put the raspberries through a food mill (fine disk). In a preserving pan, mix the raspberry pulp with the sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes, stirring gently and skimming carefully. Add the chocolate, grated. Mix and then pour into a ceramic bowl. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and refrigerate overnight.

Next day return the mixture to a boil. Continue cooking on high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring and skimming if needed. Return to a boil. Check the set. Put the jam into jars immediately and seal.

Notes:

I used 4 oz bittersweet chocolate and 1 oz unsweetened. I used a mix of red and black raspberries but I think you want whatever berries have the richest, deepest flavor.

Also, you should process this in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (use half-pint jars). Good on ice cream, or swirled through yogurt, or spread on popovers.

Decadent Banana Split Conserve (Posted at GardenWeb)

4 cups thoroughly mashed bananas
5 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup bottled lemon juice
1 teaspoon Fruit Fresh (absorbic acid)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 package liquid pectin -- (3 ounce)
3 tablespoons pure cocoa powder 
2 tablespoons light rum or rum extract
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

In a medium stockpot, combine the mashed bananas, lemon juice and Fruit Fresh. Gradually add in the sugar, cocoa powder and butter. Over medium heat, heat the mixture stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved.

Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly so it will not scorch. Stir in the liquid pectin and return to a full rolling boil for 1 more minute, stirring constantly. Skim off any foam. Remove the stockpot from the heat, stir in the walnuts and the rum. Ladle into sterilized jars leaving 1/4 inch head space. Wipe rims. Cap and seal. Process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes for half-pints or 15 minutes for pints. Yields 9 to 10 half-pints.

It's hard to believe that it's been nearly a month since my last garden post. And what a month it's been! After spending nearly every waking moment last month pulling weeds (and finally losing the use of my hands, temporarily, to carpal tunnel), I realized that I seriously overdid it this year and planted WAY more than I can handle - even with help from the kids.

I could spend the rest of the summer doing nothing but weeding (which isn't possible), and I'd still be nowhere near done. Plus there's the hours spent watering each day and...oh my. I already had a full-time job, in addition to homeschooling, did I really need to create so much more work for myself? I think not! Several times I've been tempted to mow everything down and call it quits, but that would be such a terrible waste, I can't quite bring myself to do it. Nevertheless, I have no idea how I'll continue to manage it all!

Here are some random photos from the past few weeks:

Hands-down, our favorite drink this summer is Borage Lemonade. Mix 3-4 medium leaves in a blender with lemonade -- the resulting beverage has an almost watermelon-like flavor and is SO good!


These days, I'm increasingly grateful for the wild overgrown patches I've got, such as the area above. It's a mess of plants, but there are very few weeds and lots of blooms, so I'm happy!

I sowed some Charentais melon seeds in amongst my roses to fill in gaps and keep the weeds down temporarily. Somehow, I never imagined that they would grow so huge and take over everything! Hopefully later this summer I'll be able to make some Charentais Melon Sorbet (or here) - yum!


We've had a profusion of wild Morning Glory vines popping up everywhere. Fortunately they're mainly in the [far] back field, so aren't disturbing my garden. I can't wait until they bloom!


Within days of purchasing our lambs, Caelan became quite ill and died, despite our vet's best efforts to save him. To ease Colby's lonliness, we added Eliza (a Boer/Nubian goat) to our little herd and they're now the best of friends.