Archive for June, 2010
Canning with Grandma Part 1: Plumb Jam
To Jam or Jelly that is the question? For me (Meg) it personally came down to two arguments; convenience and preference. Similar to yogurt with fruit chunks, jams tend to include pieces of the fruit instead of a more blended texture. Since jelly is made from extracting fruit juices, most people prefer making jelly with seed based fruits, like blackberries, to ensure there are no seeds in their jelly.
Personally, I happen to like fruit chunks (call me weird) and my Grandma thinks it’s a little easier to boil down the fruit and sift through a food strainer/sauce maker instead of extracting the fruit juice with cheesecloth. In other words, we went for the plumb jam.
Related Posts
Fresh and Local: Fresh & Local: 2010 Summer Guide to OKC+ Farmers’ Markets
Cale and I love to support local businesses and help communities build sustainability. It takes time, labor, and love, but it’s worth it. Recently in a personal attempt to build a better relationship with our community we’ve partnered with a local boutique, Gypsy Haven, in downtown Jones, OK. Our hope is that by using our dirt covered veggies as bait we can lure in local shoppers and possibly support our ever-growing garden addiction.
Lopp Family Reunion 2010
It’s been a while since we’ve all been together, in fact it’s been quite some time since we happened to all take the time to stand still long enough to be together. But there we were five generations, thanks to the beautiful new niece Emberlea, and only a couple of arguments over who got the last piece of apple pie. From 96 years to 3 weeks we represented the present legacy of the Lopp name. It was a great weekend, we took to our roots and played cards, and picked blackberries, swam in the pool and argued stock market strategies and flower propagation. And when it all came to an end it couldn’t get any better than the smile on 96 year old Grandma Grace as she held her great, great, great granddaughter. Happy Tuesday, and God Bless!
DIY: Squashing Rot
Squash has always been a staple garden item, but keeping it from turning bad on the vine has been a gardener’s battle since time began. I’m not saying that this trick is going to fix the entire squash crop, but it may cut down on the amount you throw away this summer.
GCD: Feeding Hungry Kids Part II
Saturday Cale and I wondered our way downtown to help raise money for our latest logo project; the Building Backpacks Program. Each week Building Backpacks, directed by The Spero Project, sends home kid-friendly meals and snacks to low-income children in Oklahoma City.
Everybody LOVES Donuts!
Sometimes you can find inspiration in the oddest of places. Last week while we took a short vacation to see my family my brother and I visited the most wonderful donut shop. I tell you what; if you’re ever smack dab in the middle of the United states, a.k.a Wichita, KS, make sure you stop by the Donut Whole.
GCD: Feeding Hungry Kids Part I
GCD recently partnered with The Spero Project in support of their Building Backpacks Program. Launched in December 2009, building backpacks feeds the hungry children throughout the weekends at Gatewood Elementary in Oklahoma City. With the school year over there is an increased risk of hunger for these children throughout the summer months. The Spero Project has partnered with a local church in the neighborhood of Gatewood to help be a part of the solution. Building Backpacks plans to not only provide food but also invest in the young girls by providing women and mentors from the community to build friendships and participate in educational and fun activities. This is a long-term goal with hopes to offer programing to all participates throughout the summer as more financial and volunteer support is made available.
New Beginnings
“On the second day of Kirby Nathan Groves’s life, we had to bring him home from the hospital. I’m not sure what I thought should happen, but I kind of wanted to rent a room there for a while until I got more comfortable with the whole idea of being a parent. . . [it was] as if my son were a little snail that we had just pulled out of a shell. He was smooshy and vulnerable, and I knew I was supposed to provide some kind of protection for him from now on…I couldn’t take my eyes off Kirby. My little snail. Had I ever loved anything or anyone as much as I loved him?” An excerpt by Sarah Groves from “The Art of Being”
A few of our favorite things! (anniversary 2010)
2 Years! Yep it’s been that long, we’re so excited to be able to launch our first website, step into the unknown adventure of freelance design and have Meg’s first “Monday” (Tuesday) home all in the same 12 hours. It’s crazy you say? We know, only God could write a love story this awesome and launch us into our own business at the same time. We love it! So enjoy a little mush from us for a moment; here are the images of our little table arrangement for our anniversary!
High class design in overalls. It's the simple life of a farm through the eyes of a couple of crazy designers. We call ourselves Green Couch Design and we are Bringing Design Home.
