By Aspen turning gold up high. Cattle work this week. Patrick rode in the truck. He pointed out two heifers I had not noticed. He sees things I do not. The work is shared.
Patrick on the porch in the afternoon. Coffee in the good cup. The cottonwoods.
Apple pie Saturday. Mom's recipe. Lattice top. The best pie of the year.
I went to bed at ten. Slept seven hours. The body said thank you.
The barn cats are doing their job. Down to one mouse this week, in the feed shed. The cats brought it to the porch as proof. They are professionals.
Listened to the cattle market report on AM radio while I worked the shop. Beef is up. Feed is up. The math is the math.
Hauled three bull calves to the auction yard Wednesday. Got a fair price. Came home. Counted the cash. Put it in the ranch account.
Took a walk to the river before supper Tuesday. The cottonwoods were silver. The water was running. I did not think much. I just walked.
Drove the back fence line Saturday. Two posts down from elk. Replaced them in the morning. The fence held the rest of the week.
Wrote a blog post Friday night. The first one in two months. About making chili in a snowstorm. Short. Practical. Posted it. Forgot about it.
The wood pile is half what it was at Thanksgiving. I will split another cord on Saturday. The cord will be ready by next winter. The wood always is.
A reader emailed about the elk chili recipe. Asked what beer to use if non-alcoholic was not available. I wrote back: any beer is wrong if you don't drink. Use stock.
Storm came through Friday night. Thunder. The dog hid under the bed. The kids slept through it. The cattle bunched up by the windbreak. Standard.
Mended the chute hinge Wednesday. Welder was finicky. Got it on the third try. Patrick used to do this. I do it now.
The Tuesday Roundup AA meeting was eleven this week — three new guys from a referral. The room was full. The coffee was strong.
A neighbor's heifer was choking on a corn cob. I drove over with my emergency kit. Cleared the cob with a length of garden hose. The heifer recovered. The neighbor brought a pie the next day.
Worked on the truck Saturday afternoon. Plugs and wires. Two hours. Hands black with grease. Came in. Showered. Ate.
Drove to Billings for parts Friday. Stopped at the cemetery on the way home. Stood for ten minutes. Came home.
Mr. Whelan from down the road came over Saturday with a story about a horse he sold in 1979. The story took an hour. I listened. He needed someone to tell it to.
Hank, the dog, herded the chickens by accident. He apologized in the way dogs apologize — eyes down, tail low. The chickens were unimpressed.
Three days of horses this week. The work is meditative. The horses know. The owners pay. The cycle holds.
Truck started cold Tuesday. Twelve below. Battery is the original. I will replace it before next winter. I always say I will replace it before next winter. I never have.
The Musselshell was clear Sunday. Could see trout in the deeper pools. Did not fish. Just watched.
Saturday was apple pie day — Mom’s recipe, lattice top, the best one of the year — and something about the smell of warm apple and cinnamon in the kitchen made me want to hold onto it a little longer. Cider Jelly does that. It stretches the season, puts that same orchard flavor in a jar you can open in January when the wood pile is low and the cottonwoods are bare. If you’ve got apple cider and a little time after the fence work is done, this one’s worth making.
Cider Jelly
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 48 (makes about 6 half-pint jars)
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh apple cider
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 packet (1.75 oz) powdered fruit pectin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare jars. Sterilize 6 half-pint canning jars, lids, and bands in boiling water. Keep warm until ready to fill.
- Combine cider and pectin. Pour apple cider into a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Whisk in powdered pectin and lemon juice. Add cinnamon and allspice if using. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.
- Add sugar. Add all the sugar at once and stir to dissolve. Return to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Boil hard for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Skim and fill. Remove from heat. Skim any foam from the surface with a metal spoon. Ladle hot jelly into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
- Seal and process. Wipe jar rims clean, apply lids and bands fingertip-tight. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool on a towel, undisturbed, for 12–24 hours.
- Check seals. Press the center of each lid. If it does not flex up and down, the jar is sealed. Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. Refrigerate any unsealed jars and use within 3 weeks.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 55 | Protein: 0g | Fat: 0g | Carbs: 14g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 1mg