What's Your Favorite Fermented Pickle Recipe?

I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

After trying out fermenting last year with a Starter Kit from Fermentools, I was excited to try more. Sadly, though, I lost some pieces to our kit. Thus, I was thrilled when I was offered a chance to review the Starter Kit again and have already begun exploring with it.

Just like our last kit did, the one I was sent this time came with quality products mostly sourced in the United States.

• a custom-made glass weight which fits inside wide-mouthed mason jars,

• salt which dissolves easily for fermenting,
  
  
  

• a corrosion-resistant stainless steel lid that is said to last a lifetime,

• a high-quality rubber gasket canning ring,

• an instructtion/recipe pamphlet,

• and an airlock that works so you don't have to remember to burp your ferment.

It's an effective and well made little kit!


My Latest Fermentools Experiment

Not long after receiving our newest Fermentool kit, I realized I had some cucumbers leftover from a gathering that were not getting scarfed down here. So I decided to experiment with them, some flowering-and-going-to-seed dill, some garlic scaped, and brine.

I simply put the cut up cucumber spears in a small jar with the herbs, mixed up some brine, topped the cucumber-herb mixtrue with it, and then put the weight and gasket, lid, and airlock on.

I poured some water into the gasket and, then, put the jar into a cabinet for several days.

The color changed some, of course, when the ferment was happening, and, then it was time for taste testing.

My kids said the pickles were "strong" and "different", but "not bad, just different". They asked that I use a "real recipe" next time. So, here I am asking YOU for your favorite tried-and-true one. Please leave a comment to let me know what it is. For I liked our fermented pickles well enough, but would like something even better. And, honestly, our Fermentools kit makes trying out fermented recipes so easy that I am ready to try more tried-and-true recipes and experiments.

It's truly an easy process! No need for me to figure out brine formulas nor "burp" jars. Easy peasy and nutritious.  That's my kind of thing!

Looking Forward to More Ferments with This 100% American, Quality Kit that Supports a Fellow Homeschool Family!

I look forward to using our handy Fermentools Starter Kit and encourage you to try it, too. It's easy, the results are nutritious, and, even better, Fermentools is a family run, home educating business run by a husband, wife, and their  children. I love that!

Sauerkraut, kimchi, pcikles, and other fermenting is made easy with a Fermentools Stater Kit.

Learn More

Just one scoop of home-fermented goods is said to be packed with probiotics which can help immune systems, digestive systems, skin, and absorption of nutrients from other foods. That's a lot of punch for a little money and effort!

About 30 Homeschool Review Crew families made ferments with Fermentools. See blog and social media reviews by clicking through links found here.

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The Best Ice Cream and Some Enchanting Views!

It's only been a few weeks since I gave my youngest up for a full seven days so he could experience the faith, friendship, and fun of a Catholic sleepaway camp for the first time ever. 

Now, it is time for big brother's week-long teen retreat.

Because we are used to him being away for hours at a time for work, going to friends' homes for sleepovers, etc., it was not as hard to bid adieu for a week to our eldest.

I would still love you to join me in prayer for him, though, that he may have a safe, spectacular time meeting new friends, havign seeds of fith planted, and enjoying the many camp activity offerings.

Thank you.

I also am grateful for a glorious Lord's Day spent driving our boy up to camp, participating in Mass at the beautiful chapel there, then adventuring on our way back home....

If you are ever on Route 10 in Marlow, NH, you must look for Aaron's Specialty - a roaside ice cream and more place...

 with cute little metal sculptures outside.

Their "small" ice creams are HUGE! And, oh so tasty.

We're talking among the best ice cream we have ever had.

It's worth doing cartwheels about. (And we here that the sunset view across the street from the ice cream place is quite lovely.)

After indulging in delectable ice cream, you can make a short hike up Pitcher Mountain to burn some of your consumed calories off and, perhaps, munch on some in-season wild blueberries...

...while marveling at the lush woodlands on the short climb to the peak.

Some days, the panoramic views atop the mountain are spectacular, with Mt. Monadnock and Mt. Sunapee visible. Other days - like the day we dropped our eldest at camp and then went a-wandering - it's just mist in the clouds...

...a jaunt up the fire tower steps...

...a wave to the world...

...then, meandering down enchanted paths...

... and stopping to view windswept meadows.

Not too far down the road in Gilsum, a random stretch of the legs near an old stone bridge offers a rustic little place to sit for a moment.

Then, aways away (but headed back toward home for us), over the border in Royalston, MA, a rooadside trail offers an easy walk to Doane's Falls  where you can climb boulders...

... and there are several views of powerful cascades.

We are surely missing for and praying for our eldest son tonight.

We are also grateful for another Lord's Day spent focused on faith, family, and adventuring - a day that wiped our youngest out and has us all edreaming of what more of God's grandeur we can explore when we return to New Hampshire to pick up our eldest.

Prasie be to God for his goodness and artistry!

Someone's Serving Again...

This may be a quick, grainy snapshot, but I am glad I have it.

It encapsulates a leg in mmy boy's and in our family faith journey...

As happened with many in 2020, our opportunities for particpating in Mass changed.

Our local church collaborative closed to the public for some weeks, and, then, finally reopened with a variety of uncomfortable (to us) changes in place.

Thus, our family began to travel to a beautiful, somewhat local, small friary and, then, also to a larger, growing FSSP parish even further afield from us. 

Both were warm, welcoming places of worship where we were grateful to particpate in Mass.

That said, our youngest boy, who had been so excited the first time that he served at Mass and enjoyed serving many Masses after that with his big brother., was not comfortable offering to serve at the friary nor the FSSP parish.

He lacked the training to do so, and, among other things, distance and timing made getting to training hard for us.

Hard is not impossible though, and, as I often say to my children,"We can do hard things." So, with help and encouragement from friends, our youngest was able to make it to some trainings and - thanks be to God - is serving again.

What joy it brings my heart to see the little boy the little boy from three years ago gorwn up some and excited to be back to altar serving.

Thanks be to God for the way He works in our hearts and removes obstacles.

Living the Lord's Day in Western MA

 

There are Lord's Days... 

...when the afternoons are spent happy to be together again...

...ignoring clouds and threats of storms and delighting in making and floating boats down little brooks with friends...

 ...enjoying the simple pleasures of catching tiny toads...

...marveling at creatures great and small...

...finding adventure and facing it together...

...fording frigid rivers...

...laughing at tough spots along the way...

...celebrating small victories...

...moving on to grater adventures....

...conquering fears by sliding down natural rock slides into cascade pools...

...marveling at God's handiwork - the beauty of nature and of children...

...sharing laughter and joy...

...so grateful to have my boy back from camp...

...and so blessed to wind down a weekend away in Western MA with good friends and an awesome travel buddy daughter.

Not every day is ideal - and even seemingly ideal days have some "reality strikes" moments in them. But some days, on the whole, are oh so refreshing.

This was one of them - and I am so grateful for it.

Sabbath can be so special, the Lord's Day so filled with love and refreshment. 

I am so glad to have set aside time for faith, (part of our) family, friends, and adventure. I am so astounded by the beauty of God's handiwork. I marvel at the incredible blessings our Lord grants us and encourage you to set aside some time for prayer, thanksgiving, and recreation on a regular basis.

Sometimes close to home and simple. Sometimes further afield and filled with adventure. Consistently, blessed. I am grateful for the Lord's Day.

**If you want to travel to any of the lovely little spots in Western, MA that are pictured here, I recommend Mohawk Trail State Forest campground, Chapel Brook Falls, and Tannery Falls.**

What Math program Is Helping My Son Whiz through His High School Math Credits? {A Review}

I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

We were so excited when we were offered a chance to review a 12-month subscription to CTCMath again this year.

Why?

Because, since we started using it in 2019, it has become our easy-button for math for both my 11-year old and my 15-year old.

My highschooler, in particular, was psyched when we heard we would be able to review CTCMath again this year. For, with our 2020 review, he set some lofty math goals for himself and, using the self-paced online CTCMath program, he met those and was eager to continue with his math success over the summer and into the fall this year.

Here's what he had to say when I asked him for his thoughts for this review:

I have tried many math programs over the years, and CTCMath is definitely the one that I have been most successful with.

Most other programs fall into one of two categories that don't work for me:

1) They lose my interest quickly because they take too long to teach basic things and/or do not offer instant marking of correct and incorrect answers.

2) They engage me well, but do not teach anything new. They are simply for review and supplementary study.

CTCMath, on the other hand, is brilliantly put together for a student like me. The lessons are formatted in a way that when I understand material, they only take about 10-20 minutes to complete. (They only take longer when I make mistakes or when a lesson includes a particularly tedious math skill.)

To do a lesson, you are supposed to watch the video lesson, which is typically quite short, then either complete a worksheet (which you can print)...

 ... or answer a set of questions, one-by-one on screen. (The online questions are not always available, but the worksheet is.

 

Correct answers are shown as soon as you submit your own answer.

 

Typically, I skip the videos and go straight to the questions using a provided lesson notes pdf as a reference. I only go back to the video on the rare occasion I get stuck.

Last year, I set out to complete Algebra II, Geometry, and Trigonometry. I was able to complete the first two, only needing outside help twice for some of the final lessons in Algebra II. I was not able to do Trigonometry, because once I was ready to begin it, I learned that CTCMath had changed their program and Trigonometry is now not a separate course, but, instead, is part of Pre-Calculus.

So, when I got this review, I started Pre-Calculus. So far, it is going well. I am over a quarter of the way through already and have had no problems. I have 100% average and hope to keep a high score and strong understanding as the more difficult material in the course unfolds.

 

When I complete Pre-Calculus using CTCMath, I will have finished my required high school credits and what I would need to get into basic college programs. If my other high school courses are going well, I will likely continue using CTCMath straight through Calculus, which is the highest level course CTCMath offers.

I would recommend CTCMath to anyone who wants to learn math at their own pace without a live teacher or parent hovering over. CTCMath has massively aided my success with my high school goals!

As you can see, my eldest is enthused about what a good fit CTCMath is for him and how it is helping him meet with success with his self-determined high school goals.

CTCMath has also been a favorite learning pursuit of my eleven year old who finished the Grade 5 program with very little help from me or anyone else and happily by his own choice - has begun his sixth grade program even though it is summertime.

This week, however, he's been taking a true summer break since he is away at camp. Before he left, I asked him for quick comments for this review and he said he likes CTCMath, he can use it on his own, and he recommends it.

I do, too! 

Seriously online and in person, whenever anyone asks me about math options for their elementary through highschooler, I suggest CTCMath.

The program is so easy to use - with students being able to self-pace through lessons and even go between any grade level/course they desire to should they want to, and parents being able to easily check student progress through reports which not only show what students have and have not finished, but when they did lessons. (This helps moms like me ensure their kiddoes are not getting distracted online and saying they ae doing math when they are not. Admittedly, this has happened here before, but it seldom does now. My boys like CTCMath and stay tuned in with it to learn math skills and reach their goals.)

I truly cannot say enough about CTCMath ad how it has made math so easy for two of my children.

You can see if 40+ other Homeschool Review Crew families love CTCMath as much as my boys and I do by clicking through to read blog, video, and social media reviews from different families using the program with students of varying ges and abilities.

You can also connect with CTCMath online at:

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