Dry your berries and beans

First off, my tiny modified finish on 40 count.   The chart was kindly sent to me and I in turn have sent it to another stitcher.

And since there is not another project in my immediate future, posts will be about brats, birds, house projects, and today .... berries and beans.

 

It started with my bean salad (recipe here) getting watered down from wet beans.  So I tried drying them (and the other ingredients) on a towel to absorb any water before assembling and it helped to remove the excess moisture.  Since then I went a bit further which dried beans and berries quickly and easily.

 

After washing, lay the items on an absorbent towel.  I know some people use fruit as it comes, but I always use a tiny drop of Dawn in a bowl of water and swish all fruits and veggies well before a good rinsing.  It removes the waxy coating that keeps them fresher so I wait until it's time for use.  I rinse canned beans with plain water to remove the salted brine and preservatives.  Not necessary but I like a clean shiny bean!

 

Fold each side in, overlapping into thirds so no one can escape, and then fold the ends.

 

 Holding the end folds, slide the towel left to right several times so the items roll as they dry off, flip the towel over and do the same.

Now pick up the towel and release the fold on one end as they roll out into a container or bowl.

 

Unharmed and dry, they stay nice for a long period, and don't water down recipes.  I prefer washing a pint at a time so they're ready to grab for a snack. 

 

 

I make a garbanzo bean salad with diced red onion and red pepper very often and use this method on all ingredients to prevent diluting the dressing.  Works like a charm and also gets rid of the loose skins on those wonderful little banzo balls. 
Perfect method to dry the washed grapes for this salad.   For small servings I don't bother with the recipe.  Oikos Triple Zero Vanilla yogurt with a heaping scoop of brown sugar and chopped nuts works just fine.  You only need a few spoons to make this yummy treat and it's just as good as the original.  I've tried other yogurts including the regular Greek vanilla but they don't work as well.

 

And that's the information I'm sharing today, stuff you already know, have already made, already tasted.  But it's all good. 

 

(Karin, if you are referring to the top photo, it's from Yellow House Sampler by Sheepish Designs.)

 

I hope your weekend goes well.  We were planning on replacing a vanity at my brother's this weekend but with all the heavy rain, his basement is flooding so that takes priority.  I'm trying to choose a solid stain color for our siding, must be very dark brown if I want to keep the monotone scheme, but I sure do hate to see that weathered look covered. 

 

Thanks for visiting!  Stay safe.

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The bird is the word

A little smile to start March - maybe even a pants wetting laugh - but it will be in your head all day.  Just watch to the end, I want to make sure it's embedded to bug you all day.  I am evil, no?  For some strange reason, I cannot view any video posted to my blog, but I can play anyone else's.  You may not be able to see it either, but the Blogger Help techs say it works for them.

 

 

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The thrill of it all

 

I’ve purchased more linen, new charts, but for months I have not really had an interest in stitching.  And my tastes in decorating are very confusing right now.  I still like the stark colonial and shaker style, but lighter and looser is appealing to me more and more.  Sort of a mix of primitive, farmhouse, Pottery Barn.  An old pine table with galvanized dining chairs.  Adding more samplers to the walls is not in my vision.

 

My brother made a comment that struck a chord.  He has searched for and collected so many antiques over the years, one being oil lamps from the 1800’s and another, early Indian arrowheads and tools he’s dug for in the area.  Both are extensive.  Most were boxed since he and his wife were planning to move into a larger home (and open a shop), but life got in the way.  She passed and he has a houseful of boxes.  He recently emptied a group for display and felt very let down.  After some thought he came to a revelation.  He realized that the hunt for the lamps, proper period burners and chimneys, and digging for the artifacts was the thrill, not the display.  Got me to thinking about stitching.  Sort of what my brother is feeling.  For years, I couldn't wait to hang that sampler on the wall or Santa on the tree, but then slowly that became less important.  Searching for designs, choosing linen, changing threads, and creating the piece was the fun.  And now I am not anxious to, nor is it a goal, to create a sampler for display.  Many stitchers may feel the same because I read about dozens of completed projects languishing in drawers for years, no strong desire to see/display all that work.  So maybe for some, the process is indeed, greater than the result.  

 But when you lose the desire for both, it's tough baby!

Goodbye February.  How quickly you passed.
 

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Struggling

When you must struggle to pick up that needle, and it becomes a chore instead of a pleasure, it's time.  It happens, but when it continues for months, a serious reassessment is in order. 

I can't even finish this tiny sampler.

 

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Bean me up Scotty

A big thank you for your help!  The black votes won and with more Bondo and a grinder, I am happy to say the bean has landed.  I thought about black knobs, but I put a lot of work into these wood ones, staining, painting, aging, chipping, sealing, so decided against that.  Using black handles on all the drawers would be too much.  Especially with the size of this handle, not the typical 4" but 7".  I wanted it larger to balance the 24" width and also to be able to hang a towel or cloth through it.  So with grinder in hand, Mark reduced the big bean to smaller beans and we are both feeling this is a much better look.  Baby bean.

 

The holes of the larger beans had to be filled and with a skinny dowel, glue, and Bondo, a fresh coat of paint covered those screw holes nicely. Even after sanding there will be some red Bondo left and I don't know if a stain will blend it.  Since we paint most all wood it's not a problem for us.

Doesn't look as bulky now does it?  And it still matches the bean towel holder.  I bought it so many years ago, probably at a shop in Volant, and haven't found another one even close. 

 

Found out that the last remaining antique market we had closed at the end of 2017.  There is nothing left around here.

 

And with the a few coats of matte polyurethane, I don't have to worry about the black finish wearing off or the iron rusting with a damp towel. 

 

DONE!  Except for the legs but with continual rain, it's hard to  do any cutting outside.  Sorry I've bored you with the bean saga but I've been using it as an excuse to not stitch and felt documenting that justified it.  Did it work?

 

Have a great weekend!!

 

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Beans of a different color

HELP! 

Because of the towel holder,

and the closet door handles in other rooms (which is the same handle as the dishwasher),

and having black hinges on the cabinets, I thought the panel's handle should be black.  Mark always thought the knobs should be but I vetoed that from the start.  I have an extra handle (Gemini people always buy in two's) and painted it the color of the cabinets which Mark prefers over this....

It does blend in but now I can't decide if the black or painted would be better.  Would you mind offering your opinion to a fickle pickle? 

Same color as the cabinets or leave it black? 

 

We got my sister's dilemma resolved, she misunderstood and will be responsible for paying back a few months of help, not all those years.  She gets confused when she is upset.  I get confused all the time. 

 

We had another warm day but it's ending and the chill is coming back.  Can you believe next week is March already?  I really hate to change February's fabulous desktop calendar but I'll get over it.

 

Enjoy what's left!

 

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