Earth Day Sampler

I am aware that Earth Day is generally celebrated on April 26th but I have always felt it to be more of a September sort of deal: September being the month of a ripe and bountiful harvest, loads of fresh fruits and vegetables, harvest festivals, my birthday, cooler weather, a lovely autumnal tang in the air, my birthday, fall foliage, fresh pressed apple cider, apple picking, farmers' markets, oh, and did I mention my birthday? If I had set the date, it would have been in September. But, of course, no one asked for me. I, however, am not to be deterred by mere words on a calendar. I plan to have my earth day sampler done in time for September's opening days. I have stitched it in rich autumnal colors and will be including a squirrel motif to represent both the virtue of frugality [as per my dictionary of sampler symbolism] and that last frantic Fall rush to store the goodness of Summer to be enjoyed throughout the Winter. Once I have stitched the second squirrel, I'll add my initials below the one on the left and the year on the one on the right. Anyone wishing to refer back to the original Heartstrings chart to compare and contrast the versions, should click on this link.

And the sampler isn't the only evidence of this EarthDay/Earth Mother mentality. I am in the mood to make apple butter again, for the first time in years. And maybe some applesauce as well. I want to fill my larder and freezer. I am thinking of buying a food dehydrator and one of those vacuum sealing gizmos for freezing foods. Think of it: dried peaches and apples to use in pies and cakes all winter long. Dried cherries and blueberries to slip into oatmeal as it cooks. Bags and bags of frozen applesauce and cherries and blueberries and raspberries and blackberries ready to be turned into applesauce spice cakes and fruit crumbles during the dark and dreary winter months. If we have snow as often this winter as last, I know I'll become a baking fool. In any case, once the weather cools down enough for serious baking, I'll be starting my quest for the perfect recipes for scones and tea biscuits/buns. Heck, I may even return to the practice of baking my own bread and making my own yogurt.