Innholdsfortegnelse for April/May 2020 i Country Woman

In a way, this issue is a bit of a nod to the friends we hold dear—both human and animal. Stories of friends helping friends abound on the following pages. On page 13, we meet Shannon Alexander, whose love of her equine companions led her to start a horse rescue in Montana. Backyard chicken expert Lisa Steele shows us on page 20 how she lets her hens do some of the garden work each season—to the delight of both gardener and foraging flock. And on page 48, Molly Jasinski offers a sweet story about her mom, who met her childhood pen pal from Australia after writing to her for more than 40 years. A lot of you still love to write old-fashioned letters to friends—even in this age of digital…

Q: What are your best spring-cleaning tips? I keep a salt shaker filled with baking soda next to my stove to take care of burned spills on the glass top. Just sprinkle the area with baking soda and add a splash of water. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then wipe it off. DORY MUIR CHEROKEE VILLAGE, ARKANSAS Every year after spring-cleaning a room, when everything is nice and organized, I take pictures and a video as documentation for insurance purposes. Store them in a safe place on a hard drive or other storage device. I take a copy to my daughter’s house. DARLENE FOSTER DODGE CENTER, MINNESOTA I buy inexpensive tablecloths in clear plastic and cut them up to line my fridge shelves. Any spills are a breeze then…

These chocolate-peanut butter no-bake cookies bring back fond memories of my mom. They were her favorite, and she always made a batch when she knew company was coming. PREP: 20 MIN. + CHILLING • MAKES: 2 1/2 DOZEN 2 cups sugar 1/2 cup butter or margarine, cubed 1/2 cup 2% milk 3 Tbsp. baking cocoa Dash salt 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 1 tsp. vanilla extract 3 cups old-fashioned oats 1. In a large saucepan, combine first 5 ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir 3 minutes. 2. Remove from heat; stir in peanut butter and vanilla until blended. Stir in oats. Drop mixture by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until set. Store in airtight containers. 1 COOKIE 139 cal., 6g fat (3g sat. fat),…

Easy Fresh Strawberry Pie I often use whole strawberries and arrange them pointed side up in the pastry shell for a different presentation. It also is a timesaver because then I don’t have to slice the berries. —JOSH CARTER BIRMINGHAM, AL PREP: 20 MIN. + COOLING BAKE: 15 MIN. + CHILLING MAKES: 8 SERVINGS 1 refrigerated pie crust 3/4 cup sugar 2 Tbsp. cornstarch 1 cup water 1 pkg. (3 oz.) strawberry gelatin 4 cups sliced fresh strawberries Whipped cream, optional 1. Unroll crust into a 9-in. pie plate. Trim edge. Line unpricked crust with double thickness of heavy-duty foil or parchment. Bake at 450° for 8 minutes. Remove foil; bake for 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. 2. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and water…

My in-laws’ Alabama farm is our happy place, where family, friends and dogs gather to enjoy life and spend time together. We recently decided to try our hands at raising a few chickens. As a family of artists, we knew we could not possibly build a run-of-the-mill chicken coop—it had to be something really special. And that’s how “Rex,” our chicken coop shaped like a chicken, came to be part of the farm. I sketched out a few ideas, but the chicken design one made us laugh out loud. It seemed an obvious choice. While Rex looked doable on paper, construction proved a bit challenging. We made it up as we went along, using several sheets of plywood, countless screws, assorted lumber and lots of sweat and head scratching. Our…

1. Share photos and stories with us using the online form at countrywomanmagazine .com/submit . 2. Note to which department you’re submitting, and whether the material has been published before. However, your item may be selected to run in any section of our magazine, or elsewhere. 3. We do not return submitted materials. Although we are unable to acknowledge receipt of any submissions, we’ll let you know if they’re published. 4. We accept high-resolution digital images. Digital images should be about 4x6 inches at a minimum resolution of 300 dots per inch, or about 1200x1800 pixels. Photos must be in focus and of good quality. Please send submissions only through our online form. 5. If we print your submission in the magazine, we will send you a complimentary copy of the…

The adorable cover models this issue were born at the Sunnyside Hatchery in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, in November 2019. Art director Jessie Sharon and her daughters, Sophia and Violet, took loving care of the 14 Rhode Island-cross chickens for a few days until they were ready for their debut in our photo studio. There they spent a full day posing for the camera and charming everyone who came to meet them. (Check our Facebook page for some behind-the-scenes pictures taken on the day of the photo shoot.) But they couldn’t live in a photo studio forever, so after making the big time, they moved to the Bristol Valley Farm in DeForest, Wisconsin, where they joined Crystal Belter’s flock of about 30 layers. The Belters raise laying hens to sell to…

Garden Tour With the spring planting season in full swing, we want to see what you’re working on—especially on the small scale. Send photos of any creative containers you’ve planted up this year, as well as any solutions you have for growing in tiny spaces. Make Us Laugh In every issue, readers share their funniest stories in the Lots of Laughs column. We’ve giggled over embarrassing moments, assumptions gone awry and farm mishaps. Do you have a funny tale to tell? You could see it in an upcoming issue! Do a Good Deed Do you know someone who goes the extra mile for her community? Share her story—along with some pictures—and she could be featured in our Good Neighbors column. Consider it a good deed done!…

A need was growing in Shannon Alexander’s community. People posted about it on Facebook, and Shannon received emails about it. Rather than ignoring the abused, abandoned or sick horses around her, she decided to help alleviate the problem. In trying to find a solution, she founded Western Montana Equine Rescue & Rehabilitation. “I had no idea what I was getting into,” Shannon says, recalling the early days of her operation. She had been around horses her entire life and owned several, so Shannon’s knowledge wasn’t rudimentary. But there was a learning curve in converting her 10-stall barn in Victor, Montana, into a place where horses with troubled histories could find sanctuary and, eventually, loving homes of their own. She began to figure it out in August 2008 with two horses…

I was a young girl the first time my mother took me to visit my maternal Great-Aunt Julia. She also lived in Janesville, Wisconsin, as we did, and her house was like a museum, filled with the treasures she inherited over the years. As she showed me some of her many keepsakes, I remember feeling a true and definite connection to the past for the first time. Years later I inherited Julia’s vintage holiday postcard collection, and it continues to make me feel as if I’m part of a bigger picture every time I bring it out to look at it. Most of the postcards are blank on the back, but some have handwritten messages and postmarks from the early 1900s, when stamps were 1 cent! Julia received those cards…

Maple-Glazed Ham I cook this ham for Christmas and for Easter, but my husband thinks that twice a year is not enough. If it were up to him, we’d eat this every day! When I have larger hams, I double the glaze, which is also good on pancakes. —JEANIE BEASLEY TUPELO, MS PREP: 10 MIN.• COOK: 13/4 HOURS MAKES: 15 SERVINGS 1 spiral-sliced fully cooked bone-in ham (7 to 9 lbs.) GLAZE 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup maple syrup 2 Tbsp. prepared mustard 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg 1. Preheat oven to 300°. Place ham on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Cover and bake until a thermometer reads 130°, 11/2-2 hours. 2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine glaze ingredients. Bring to a…

Begin by placing the bowl of each spoon between two blocks of hardwood and pound flat with a sledge hammer, flipping spoon to maintain its oval shape. Draw a pencil line to guide letters and mark the center. Place spoon on a sturdy metal work surface and tape securely. Starting with middle letter, place the bottom edge of a metal letter stamp along the line at the center. Hold stamp firmly and hit top with one solid pound of a brass hammer. Continue to spell out plant name, adjusting spacing as needed. Add decorative stamps as desired. Fill in letters with permanent black marker; wipe off excess and pencil lines with a cloth. “Resident chickens can be a boon to the home garden.”LISA STEELE CENTRAL MAINE…

Check Checked I just finished (and enjoyed reading) your December/ January 2020 issue. I’m a family genealogist, and one thing I noticed in the “Mad for Plaid” feature is that the buffalo check pattern was around long before 1850. In fact, it’s called the “Rob Roy MacGregor” tartan. SUSAN BROUWER ONTARIO, CANADA Editor’s Note: Thank you, Susan, for directing us to the Scottish Register of Tartans, established by an act of the Scottish Parliament in November 2008. The Rob Roy MacGregor tartan listed there dates to as early as 1704, and does look like what many in the United States refer to as buffalo check. Visit tartanregister.gov.uk to search the database, or maybe even register your own family pattern! Curb Appeal The “Seat Saver” feature in the October/November 2018 issue…

WHAT YOU’LL NEED Seed packets for bird-, bee- or butterfly-friendly plants String Grapevine wreath Card stock Corrugated cardboard Decorative scrapbook paper Wire Decorative ribbon Dried seed pods or flowers Hole punch Craft knife Craft glue Hot glue gun Wire cutters Needle-nose pliers DIRECTIONS 1 Punch a hole in corner of each seed packet and tie to wreath with string. 2 Print “For the Bees,” “For the Birds” and “For the Butterflies” tags on card stock. Cut out, punch holes and tie them to appropriate seed packets. 3 Draw a template for the butterfly, bee and bird shapes on card stock. Cut out and trace onto the corrugated cardboard. Cut shape with craft knife. Scale templates a little smaller; print on card stock. Cut out and trace onto cardboard. Cut shape…

Honey-Citrus Iced Tea Adding frozen fruit slices keeps this delicious punch nice and cold. PREP: 15 MIN. + CHILLING MAKES: 8 SERVINGS (2 QT.) 4 tea bags 2 cups boiling water 3 medium navel oranges 2 medium lemons 2 cups orange juice 1/4 cup lemon juice 3 Tbsp. honey 1 liter ginger ale, chilled Ice cubes 1. Place tea bags in a teapot; add boiling water. Cover and steep for 3 minutes; discard tea bags. Pour tea into a pitcher. Peel and section 2 oranges and 1 lemon; add to tea. Stir in the orange juice, lemon juice and honey. Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. Cut the remaining orange and lemon into slices; freeze. 2. Just before serving, strain fruit from tea and discard. Stir in ginger…

TEACUP BIRD FEEDER WHAT YOU’LL NEED Teacup with matching saucer Industrial glue or epoxy Ribbon Birdseed DIRECTIONS 1 Arrange teacup on its side, the handle facing upward, on the saucer. 2 Apply glue where the teacup meets the saucer. Hold teacup in place while glue sets. Allow to dry according to glue instructions. 3 Tie ribbon to handle to hang. Fill cup and saucer with birdseed. BIRDSEED WREATH WHAT YOU’LL NEED Nonstick cooking spray Dried fruits (cranberries, cherries, blueberries) 1 cup warm water 2 packets gelatin 5 Tbsp. light corn syrup ½ cup flour ½ cup creamy peanut butter Fluted tube pan Large mixing bowl 5 cups birdseed Ribbon DIRECTIONS 1 Spray interior of pan with nonstick spray. Arrange dried fruit in pan. 2 Place the warm water in large…

My mother’s recipe box contains a free trip down memory lane, an excursion my family and I can repeat at will. I discovered this on a cool, crisp autumn day as I searched through my own recipe box for a knock-your-socks-off soup, one that would kick off the fall season in style. In it I found several contenders, but none of them made my mouth water. And then I remembered. The chicken noodle soup made by my mother, Maybelle Bowers, was to die for. All I had to do was find her recipe box. I raced to the cedar chest, pushed aside a few family mementos, and pulled out Mom’s 4-by-5-inch tin recipe box—the one with the little red hearts stenciled on the sides. “I imagined her putting the little…