10 July 2011

The Weekly Canning

Today's canning list is brought to you courtesy of the vegetables: celery, onions, carrots, and rooted parsley....all of which were excised from the rich black composted earth in my garden boxes to take up new residence in my fridge, freezer, and almost two dozen canning jars on the shelves. 

I found a wonderful recipe last year in Mother Earth News for "Roasted Root Vegetables" which is pretty much nothing but chop 'em, toss 'em in olive oil, and roast 'em in the oven till they taste fantastic.  This cannot, of course, be canned; but it freezes very well for later.  I've done various combinations of all the above mentioned veggies, along with potatoes, parsnips, and turnips.  (The turnips I accidentally baked almost crunchy....and they were the best batch so far!  But I'm one of those weirdos who likes black hot dogs too, so...)  Since my children are impervious to the deliciousness of this mess, I have done single servings for me to eat at work. 

All of the carrot tops, parsley greens, and some of the onions, along with the celery "fringe" went into my biggest stock pots to be boiled down into the most beautifully green organic veggie stock imaginable.  I had gotten the celery on special buy at the local farmer's market (49 cents a head), so I chopped up most of it, dug out one of the onion beds, and heated up a dozen pint jars of veggies--which were then canned in my wonderful stock.  I then filled my "little" canner with 7 quart jars of stock...and this post is brought to you courtesy of a gorgeous summer sunset on my back deck as my two canners "gurgle" away on the outside stove. 

This would not have been possible without the combined effort of all the Men in the House--since our deck roof was just finished over Memorial Day Weekend, and it would simply have been too stinking hot in the sun to can without it.  I love my Manlings!  (And their father too...)  LOL

Next up...green beans...and yellow beans...and scarlet runner beans...oh my...

We're NOT Unschoolers! *SOB*

...er...

Okay, according to the "original" definition of "unschooling" at the Yahoo Board I used as My Homeschooling Bible/Resource when we started out on this journey 7 years (almost to the day!) ago, we're still (to my way of thinking) "unschoolers".  At that time, unschooling on the Board was defined as "child led learning".  Within certain parameters (mainly my OCD and my DH's insistence on Math, English, and Science as "regular" classes) most of what we do on a yearly basis is chosen by the Manlings.  Even books and other miscellany for The Core Three were approved and subjected to the test of the Manlings' time and tolerance.  In other words, I know my guys.  I know what makes them miserable, and I know when they are just giving me a line about how "boring" something is.  (Boring here being a subjective term referencing just how much they would rather be playing with their iPods and laptops and other paraphernalia.)  

My youngest two like to work together.  Manling #3 is content to work below his "grade level" if it means he doesn't have to work through his English by himself.  Manling #4 has benefited from this is a number of ways--he's far and away the best speller in the house, knows a good bit of grammar for a boy his age, and realized that all those letters in books spell out wonderful stories and vast amounts of knowledge that he is now able to mine for himself.  I won't even comment on the happiness in my heart at the way the two of them work together.  On a Perfect Day, the heavens open and angels sing over our dining room table!  *cheesygrin*  All the other days, we lock the doors and pretend we don't live here!

Manling #2 likes to do his own thing...which generally means trying to buck The Core Three and spend as much time as he can either outside on his rollerblades/bike or up in his room with his head buried in a book that (while educational) isn't going to help his plan to graduate from "high school" before he's 30.  He's beginning to realize now that goals are not there to limit him but rather to challenge and prod him on to the next step on his path.  He does have a pretty concrete plan of "where he wants to be".  We just have to help him get there.  

Manling #1...has discovered that when "classes" have a purpose, he's much better pleased to try to comply with a teacher's request.  He started VoTech last year and is maintaining a high A average, despite his apparent lack of interest in everything else.  My biggest problem at the moment has been his discovery of a social life and the amount of time it seems to be eating up in his schedule.  We are going to have another go-round about it post-camp again, I know it.  

In the midst of all this homeschooling bliss, something happened.  

The definition of  'unschooling' changed at The Board, and suddenly I am confronted with the proposition that our years ought to be "endless summer vacation with learning happening as you bump into it."  Or something to that effect.  

Taken back just a bit by this shift in the universe, I asked Manling #3 if he thought "endless summer vacation" would be beneficial.  He (being of the honest and no nonsense persuasion) blithely informed me that he'd prefer to just go back to public school then.  Seems endless summer vacation sounds about as boring as it is trite.  

Thing is, the Manlings have definite goals.  And while letting learning opportunities happen "organically" SOUNDS wonderful?  Sometimes when you know what you want, you need to chase after it....not just pray it turns in your direction.  In that sense, we still follow the original definition of "unschooling"...child led learning.  They are leading me in the direction they need to go to attain their goals.  

And honestly?  It's okay if we don't get the "endless summer vacation".  We prefer "autumn walks in the woods at twilight" anyway.