Well done stalker...

Seriously tho...

stop stalking...

no, really... I'm so happy for you.

(let's see if you pass the white glove test... )

But..God IS Good and you are blessed coming and going... /

Really Steve, from one of your biggest fans, nothing fantastic could happen to a greater guy. Mr. Bluebird's on your shoulder ! teehee

FYI steve .... we miss your wit around here. come home soon.

mmm... looking forward to pumpkin season myself - coldstone creamery has some great pumpkin ice cream

Allen, I make a pretty good pumpkin ice cream myself.

I'm taking a US History course and our Professor is a bold Christian and is teaching the course from the Christian perspective. Last night we had a chat that involved the first settlements and subsequently the first Thanksgiving. He told us that the Pilgrims gave thanks to the Lord for providing their daily rations. Their ration consisted of 5 kernals of corn. 5 kernals!

This year, for our first course, I am serving everyone 5 kernals of corn and then we will give thanks for the Bounty that the Lord has provided us and how truly thankful we should be. /

Spaking of Thanksgiving I am going up north to visit my brother for the holidays. I seriously cannot wait. He and I were like this *crosses fingers*. Then I get to drive up there to see him for Christmas. Mayhaps I should just move there or something.

My daughter decided to potty train herself today .... no exaggeration .. it is like Christmas in my mind! I thought it would never happen, i thought she would be in diapers until she was 30. i wondered when i was going to switch over to "depends" cause they didnt make diapers in her size. The LORD is good!

God knows how resistent I was to moving back home to the cold of CT so He has extended our autumn season well past normal. It was close to 70 degrees all week and we still have trees whose leaves haven't begun to turn yet. It's a record...

Thank you Jesus! /

today it was overcast this morning and i walked a few miles to playgroup and home again. i needed the exercise and was greatful i could do it. thank you Lord.

this week I've made over 70 gallons of Apple Cider.

I've never made cider before so I was having a super good time.

What's the difference between cider and juice?

I really have no idea. I think it has to do with what you are adding.

For Cider, we added nothing and only strained it through a cheesecloth and only cooked it at 170 degrees for a few minutes.

At a store you can buy a gallon of Apple Juice for $1.50 but it costs about $3.50 for Cider. Maybe that's the difference.

Pasturization I believe. I think that's what changes it. It's so they can sell apple juice in the main supermarkets and not have to face huge lawsuits when someone gets ill from non-pasturized stuff. they leave the lawsuits to the small-time farmers and such.

Someone else told me that same thing, but then I was researching online and found a cider company that claims to sell pasteurized cider.

Who knows.

I guess it's only a problem if calling juice cider when it's really juice makes me a member of a cult.

yeah, someone told me once people who make cider are cultish in nature .. funny what characteristics defines a "cult" ....

Cider is alcoholic, apple juice is not. Here is the process copied of a UK cider devotee web site.




HOW TO MAKE REAL CIDER

1. The apples are washed and checked for rot or mould. Apple which are rotting should be discarded.

2. The apples are crushed in a machine called a scratter which chops them up into small pieces. They are now called pulp.

3. The pulp is placed in layers on a press and then the juice is extracted.



4. If a traditional screw or hydraulic press is used the pulp is wrapped in fine mesh cloths, like parcels, and about eight of these are used to make one pressing - called a cheese.



The natural yeasts in the apples start the fermentation and several months later you have cider.



Chaptalising

A number of the larger producers will add sugar at the fermentation stage, enabling the cider to reach 12-14%abv, and then it is diluted down before it is sold (the legal limit for cider is 8.5%abv). See definition to clarify acceptability of this practise by CAMRA (section A3).

I think in some translation the word for cider is cult...

Not true - says the Mormon - cider is not necessarily alcholic - it all depends on how you store it and when you drink it.

If you drink it immediately it is most definitely not alcholic, but it's still cider.

If you freeze it for storage and dethaw it and drink it later it's still not alcoholic but still cider.

My family makes non-alcoholic cider. They aren't big drinkers. Well, the rest fo ym family isn't. My brother and I... . But anyways, by freezing it right away they made some excellent non-alcoholic cider. And they're Catholics. Definately not a cult.