Pumpkin Fudge Recipe

Pumpkin Fudge

2 cups sugar

3 Tablespoons cooked mashed pumpkin or canned pumpkin puree

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp. cornstarch

1/2 cup milk, evaporated milk, or cream

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan.

2. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, cornstarch, and milk.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils.  Still stirring, continue to cook until the mixture reaches 236°F on a candy thermometer (a small piece of fudge will form a soft ball if dropped in a glass of water).

3. Immediately remove from heat.  Add the vanilla and beat with an electric mixture until smooth.  Scrape into the prepared pan and let cool.

4. When the mixture is completely cooled and hardened, cut into squares.  Fudge is best eaten fresh, but it can be wrapped well and kept in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Makes 1 pound.

Many followers said they could not view the recipe, so I re-posted it for you all.  (source:  ?)

Dehydrating, Spiders, Using Dyes, and More Cleaning

I am continuing to dehydrate Swiss chard, along with the stalks.  

The recent rains brought up some nice green onions.  I am dehydrating some of them today also.

We are now at war with spiders.  I clean the webs down, and they rebuild the next day.   We have also seen wolf spiders in the garage about 3 inches in diameter.  


My mother has armed us with 3 bags of hedge apples. They do have a funny smell, so I hope they work.  I'll be placing these bad boys around the house, garage and barns today.

I am starting to experiment with natural dyes.  We have many outside animals, as well as inside animals, so I am trying to work with dyes that I can easily dispose of without harming them, or our septic tank.


I crocheted this flower vase doily with 100% 2 ply cotton yarn.  I then boiled red onion skins in a designated pot for dye purposes.  I discarded the skins, and heated the water with the doily.  I turned the heat off, and let it sit overnight. 


For this, I did not use a mordant, however an alum mordant would hold the color longer.  To experiment in how long the color will last, I purposely did not use a mordant.

It turned out to be a beautiful golden color.  The dye water actually appears red, but the color of the cotton is golden.  


I'll be delegating cleaning to the kids later today.  I've been sick and have developed a bad cough.  I am grateful for the sunshine and wind today, so my laundry will dry quickly.