Nuts

I love having nuts in winter. Joel's Mom, Millie, has several filbert trees and a big English walnut. Today we went down and helped her shake the trees and gather the nuts. We'll sit by the fire and shuck them and then spread them on racks to dry. One of our favorite things to eat is roasted filberts in salad. We crack a few nuts and then put them on a pie pan in the oven until they are slightly toasted. Yumm. And don't ask about oven temperatures or time, with a wood range I just "cook until done".

I am about to make my annual fruitcakes. Needed the nuts to do that.

Potholders

I'm working madly to get ready for the Christmas sales. My stock is always depleted by this time of year and I need to fill the holes. Potholders are one of my standbys. I make them out of leftover bits of cotton flannel fabric from rug making. They work up quickly and are good sellers. I'm using a point twill pattern this time that making a sort of starburst. I'm quite happy with the result.