Kids Craft: Felting

Felting1

Felting3

Felting2

Felting6

FeltingCollage

This morning our Co-op Kids group had a great time making their own felt. We are blessed in Moscow to have a great yarn/thread/wool store called Yarn Underground that we purchased dyed wool roving from. This is a great activity for little ones, as it teaches them the process of turning soft wool into a small piece of fabric. It's a colorful, tactile activity that will hold their attention! To make felt you will need: wool roving liquid dish soap water plastic sandwich bags (if containing the mess is a concern) First, fill a bowl with very warm water and a squirt of liquid dish soap. To get started, pull small off pieces of roving and separate the fibers into a thin layer. Take another piece, separate it and place it over your first piece, layering the fibers in opposite directions. Make 4-5 layers. Place layers of roving into a sandwich and pour a small amount of soapy water into the bag. (If you are working outside or getting a little wet and soapy doesn't sound so bad, omit the sandwich bag, dunk roving into soapy water and start agitating it.) Make sure all of the air is pressed out of the bag before you seal it up and begin agitating the bag with your hands, pushing the fibers into each other. Once the fibers are integrated and the felt has formed into a stiffer piece of fabric, rinse it with cold, clean water and let dry. You can then cut the piece into any shape you want. This method is also great for making felt beads that kids can turn into earrings and necklaces.

How-To: Simple Strawberry Jam

StrawberriesFB

Spring has officially arrived on the Palouse and we're finally starting to thaw! To celebrate the change in seasons, our Produce manager, Kyle, was able to procure a smokin' deal on organic strawberries. They are currently on sale for $3.99 per pound and are available until we sell out. Now, we're all for eating strawberries as they come, cut up in yogurt or layered in shortcake, but we also love a sweet and simple jam layered on freshly baked Co-op bread. To make the jam you will need:

2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled4 cups of sugar1/4 cup lemon juice

In a large mixing bowl, crush strawberries in batches until you have 4 cups of mashed berries. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, mix together the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to high, and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil, stirring often, until the mixture reaches 220 degrees, about 10-15 minutes.

Test for jelling: Place three small plates in the freezer. After about 10 minutes of boiling, place a teaspoon of the liquid onto the cold plate. If it doesn’t run back together when you draw a line through it with your finger, it’s ready!

StrawberryJam1

 Transfer to hot sterile jars, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch headspace, and seal. Process in a water bath for 15 minutes. If the jam is going to be eaten right away, there's no need to process it. Simply keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.