Christmas Quilt 2010

VERY simplified compared to last year's quilt, but a much more pleasant experience.  I bought the fabric after Christmas when it was on clearance and so I didn't even need to worry about spending money or choosing fabric.  I just used bias tape to bind it (I found a bunch  I already had) and that was a new experience, but it was pleasant.  Binding quilts is NOT my favorite part, but I would do bias tape again.

Christmas Quilt Tradition

I got the idea for this tradition from my friend, Amberlyn Wood. I fell in love with the description of her Christmas Quilt Tradition and with my own family heritage of quilting, I felt it was one I couldn't pass up. You can see her past Christmas quilts and the description of her family's tradition here.

As I was discussing my plans for starting this tradition with my sister, Shan'l, the idea kind of evolved into a Christmas Service Quilt. Starting December 1 (in the future, because this year I didn't finish till a week later), I will start by choosing a family member to serve. After I have performed an act of service towards them, I will lay the quilt on their bed. They will get to sleep with it that night, and then the next day they will choose a family member to serve, and thus the quilt will be passed along each day throughout December all the while keeping service at the forefront of our minds.

I will make a new quilt each year until I feel I have plenty. Although each quilt will have it's own theme and color scheme, I wanted the first one to represent the Nativity to remind my children that when we serve other people, we are actually serving Him. I found my focus fabric last year after Christmas, and the design kind of evolved from there. I designed it to represent the journey to the Stable with the white blocks representing stepping stones along the pathway. Starting from the bottom, the first large square is the Wise men following the star, then moving up, the Shepherds and the angels, and finally at the top, we reach the stable where Christ was Born.

I also think this will be a good opportunity for me to actually learn to quilt. I've been mostly successful just winging it, but I've never done it right. I learned something this year about color and contrast, and found that I need to learn how to stretch the quilt properly (despite my efforts, I still must have done something wrong) so to avoid puckering and tucks on the backside. I'm sure there will be more to learn each year, and I look forward to that journey, as well.

As we serve each other within our home, may we develop unity, may our love for each other deepen, may my children feel a sense of belonging, and may our testimony of Jesus Christ and His love for us grow.

Jedi Costume

Here is Ian's new Jedi costume I made yesterday. I made the robe and "tunic" yesterday and Ian is tickled. He had a lot of fun during our photo shoot. I'd like to set up a backdrop and take some more professional photos of him in his costume. Maybe later. I got the pattern idea from here. It was way easy. I finished it all in one day. No pattern, no sewing skills needed. Although, if I were to do it again I'd change a few things. Hopefully this Jedi robe will last a few more years. The last one I made doesn't even hit his knees anymore.

Corn Harvest

As a little girl, I remember visiting my Grandparents' house in Fruitland, Idaho for a special yearly event. My Mother's parents lived on several acres out in the country along a highway in a big white house. They had a pasture with cows bordered with a white fence. They had a chicken coop that was abandoned that I loved to explore, although always afraid I'd find a forgotten egg that had turned rotten (but never did). There was a big two story barn with a huge pile of hay where I remember my Grandpa teaching me to feed and milk cows. Attatched to the barn there was a workshop that had tools neatly haning on the walls. I never knew so many tools existed! There was a pile of old logs that had been there so long they had petrified into stone. I loved to study the patterns in the rocks and was fascinated that such a change could occur. There were wild cats and kittens always around to stalk, catch and cuddle. There were horses to ride, raspberries to pick, tetherball to play, places to explore, cousins to play with and old clothes to dress up in.

But this visit was for a special purpose. It was September and it was time to harvest the corn! My grandpa would disappear into the rows of corn only to emerge later with a wheelbarrow full with ears of corn. He'd wheel it to the shady spot by the house and dump it in a pile in the middle of the circle that was made by my Aunts and Uncles and cousins. We would then husk the corn amid cheerful visiting and laughter. There was always someone snacking on a fresh ear of corn. The golden cobs of yumminess would then be taken inside to the kitchen where Grandma (in her ruffled apron) and the lucky older cousins were blanching the corn. From there, the kernels would be cut off the cob and put in baggies for freezing. Although I always wished I was old enough to help with the blanching and cutting, the next part was always my favorite of all. After the cobs had been scraped clean of all the juicy sweet corn, Grandma would let me take the cobs out to feed to the cows. Those cows looked forward to the Corn Harvest just as much as I did. I still remember the rough dry feeling of a cow tongue as it grazed my hand in search for her treat.

Such beautiful memories. I am so grateful that my Grandpa's love for gardening and CORN was passed on to my mother. She has a large garden, and the corn always seems to be the highlight of our summers. This year she had the best corn crop she's had in years, and today was our corn harvest. I look forward to it every year. We gathered together today to carry on the tradition of the corn harvest. It was so fun to see the kids enjoying it as well. They were all very helpful and played so well together after their work was done. We had fresh homemade bread and raspberry jam for lunch with as much corn as we wanted! I hope that they have fond memories of their experiences in their Grandma's garden as I did in my Grandpa's garden.

Apple Cider

My brother in law has a cider press that his grandfather built.  My sister bought 100's of pounds of Gala apples and we came over for a Saturday of making fresh apple cider.  And boy, that was the most amazing apple cider I've ever had.  Mmmm!

Even Great grandma came to help out

Here are our apple washers.  Brynlee was Grandpa's helper.

How about some apple to garnish your apple cider?

Zuchinni

Summer is here. That means Zucchini. I love Zucchini. I love how prolific it is. How reliable, how versatile. I was very sad to come home from our crazy month on the road and to see that both my zucchini plant and my yellow summer squash plants had been eaten to dust by squash bugs. Never fear, there is always zucchini to be had somewhere.

My parents took a motorcycle ride to Montana for a week and left me in charge of caring for their chickens and her garden while they were gone. Rick volunteered to check on the chickens on his way home from work every day, and not wanting to overwhelm him, I decided that I could go check on the garden a couple times during the week, well, I FORGOT. Saturday had arrived and I went to tend to my duties for the last time. As I was watching the chickens, my gaze landed upon my parents' lovely garden, and oh, how many red tomatoes there were. And then it hit me! So I spent the next hour harvesting tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers of every size, and 3 zucchini. 2 of them were large, but still edible, and the third? I don't know if I have ever seen a zucchini that big. I laid all of the fruits out on a table, put the large sized evidences of my neglect in a couple grocery bags, left the tomatoes, small cucumbers, and zucchini, and headed home.

With the zucchini the size of a small child in my fridge, I began to look for ways to cook it. We have tried 3 new zucchini recipes this summer that we've all liked that I thought I would share.

The first 2 recipes I tried on the same day. A main course and a dessert. Both were a hit. The main course was called Spaghetti Zucchini Bake. I actually doubled this recipe and froze the other half. I just unthawed it, topped it with cheese and cooked it. It worked out great!

Spaghetti Zucchini Bake (serves 8)

1 lb Penne or Macaroni Pasta

1 1/2 lb Italian Sausage, cooked and cut in to bite sized pieces or Meatballs (I used hamburger)

2 cans 14 oz Diced Tomatoes

1-2 cans mushrooms (optional. I opted OUT)

1 can Tomato Paste

1/4 C. Dehydrated onions, hydrated

1-2 cloves of Garlic

4-5 C Zucchini, cut into large chunks

1 t. Oregano

2 t. Basil

2 C. Mozzarella Cheese, grated (I used cheddar)

Salt to Taste

1. Cook your pasta in boiling water until tender.

2. combine diced tomatoes, mushrooms, tomato paste, hydrated onions, garlic, oregano, and basil in large pot. Heat to boiling and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

3. While the noodles are cooking, grill Italian sausage.

4. Place zucchini chunks in a bowl and microwave for 3 minutes (just to cook them slightly).

5. Add zucchini and meat to sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Add in noodles and 1 C of cheese and stir. If you don't want to heat up your oven just place remaining cheese on the table for people to top theirs with.

6. Place Spaghetti Zucchini Bake in a 9x13 casserole dish and top with remaining cheese. Place under broiler until cheese is melted. Make sure and watch it so the cheese doesn't burn.

The dessert we had that night was

Death by Chocolate, Zucchini Cake (one 8" pan)

1/2 C. Brown Sugar

1/4 C. White Sugar

1/4 C. Butter

1/4 C. Oil (or Applesauce)

2 Eggs (if you're doubling the recipe use 3 eggs)- 2 T. dehydrated eggs + 1/4 C. Water

1 t. Vanilla

1/4 C. Buttermilk-3/4 T. Dry powdered milk + 1/4 C. Water + 1/4 T. lemon juice or white vinegar, let stand for 5 minutes before adding to the recipe

1 1/4 C. Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 t. allspice

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. salt

2 t. baking soda

3 T. cocoa

2 C. Zucchini, grated

1/2 C. Chocolate Chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325.

2. Cream brown sugar, white sugar, butter and oil together in large bowl.

3. Add eggs vanilla and buttermilk and stir well to mix.

4. In a separate bowl mix remaining dry ingredients together and add to mixture.

5. Fold in grated zucchini.

6. Pour into greased, floured 8 inch round cake pan or 8x8 pan.

7. Sprinkle the top of cake with chocolate chips and bake at 325 for 30-35 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

The one we had last night was called

Zucchini Cakes

1 large zucchini

1/2 c. seasoned bread crumbs

1 heaping Tbsp. minced garlic

1/2-3/4 c. Italian cheese blend (I used half queso fresco and half cheddar)

1-2 eggs

a pinch of kosher salt

olive oil

black pepper

Chop the ends off the zucchini and then use a cheese grater to shred it. Place the shredded zucchini in a clean towel and squeeze out the liquid (VERY IMPORTANT. I even ended up putting mine in a strainer as I was cooking to continue to let the moisture out). I was very surprised how much came out. Next place the semi-dry zucchini in a large bowl. Add the garlic, bread crumbs, cheese, 1 egg and salt and pepper then stir with a fork (I used 3 eggs. I liked a firmer texture). If mixture is to dry, add another egg. If it is too dry, the mixture will fall apart when you try to cook it. In a frying pan, heat olive oil on medium heat. Use enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan by about 1/4". When the oil is hot, drop the zucchini batter by large spoonfuls into the pan and then flatten with the back of the spoon. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. The PW recommends serving these with Ranch dressing for dipping sauce, of which I had none last night, so we ate without and they were still fabulous on their own.

Carrot Harvest 2008

This year I am trying square foot gardening. I have 2 grow boxes that I've used for 2 years and just this year I decided to divide it into squares and try this new method. This is my carrot harvest I got out of 8 square feet (1/2 of one box). I was pretty pleased with the amount of carrots I got, but of course I couldn't enjoy all the fruits of my labors without ruining it somehow.

I picked about half of the carrots one day and then got so busy I wasn't able to do anything with them, so I just left them in a bucket with greens and dirt and all. By the next morning all of those carrots were like wet spaghetti noodles they were so soft. So, Carrot Lesson #1: CUT GREENS OFF IMMEDIATELY AFTER HARVESTING. That was quite disappointing, as I was hoping for a large one-time harvest to make one of my favorite carrot-treats to freeze.

I was still able to use about half of the carrots, but I didn't get nearly as much as I wanted, so I'm going to attempt to re-plant for a fall harvest. I've never done that before, but I've heard it can be done, so watch me! It may be too late already, and I just can't seem to get organized enough to get the seeds in the ground, but hopefully I'll get to it this week.

My favorite carrot treat is called "Carrot Stuff" (creative, I know. Any new-name suggestions are welcome. I've thought "Orange Delight" might sound a little more appealing). It is a recipe my not-famous-for-her-good-cooking Grandma Orton made up to feed my Grandpa when he got old. It is very simple to make, and my mom would make it for us occasionally growing up. I love it, but am aware it's weird, so I'm not offended if no one else likes it (I'm the only one in my family that likes it). But I'm sure I've made you curious by now, so I'll include the recipe.

Carrot Stuff

Carrots, peeled and chopped coarsely

pineapple juice

sugar to taste

Cut up the carrots in large chunks (1-2 inch pieces) and put in blender. Cover carrots with pineapple juice. Add sugar (I add about 1/4 cup of sugar per quart, but that might be too sweet for some). Blend till very small chunks (Do not puree). Eat chilled, or put in plastic containers to freeze and enjoy later.

Baby Burn

So we are finishing our basement and we just got a gas fireplace installed into our basement.  We have no chimney, so they installed an exhaust vent that comes out the back wall of our home.  It is the middle of the summer, but to burn off the factory oils, the technician told us to run the fireplace for a few hours, so we did.  The technician left and not long after, my 3 year old slipped out the back door while I was right there doing dishes and before I could even notice she wasn't there anymore she started screaming.  I ran over and she was at the base of the steps shaking her hands and head.  I asked her what happened, but she wouldn't tell me.  I looked around and suspected she may have touched the hot exhaust vent.  When I asked her if she touched it she wouldn't answer me. (I think she thought she might get in trouble).  I looked at her hands and they looked like they were burned.
I took her right inside and slathered Lavender Essential Oil on both her hands and let that sit as I got a bowl of cold water and ice for her to soak her hands in.  Her crying seemed to subside.  I sat right in front of her to keep the bowl from spilling and noticed she kept gently biting her top lip.  I looked closer and her top lip and nose looked white, with a little abrasion (which was probably a blister that had already popped) and a pink spot on her cheek as well.  I asked her about it, but once again she denied anything had happened to it.  I realized she probably had burned her face as well.  She wouldn't allow me to put lavender on it, as it was right under her nose and her top lip (lavender doesn't taste very good).  So I got her a wet rag with a piece of ice in it and held it on her lip.
About once an hour we took her hands out of the water, dried them off and re-applied the lavender oil.  By bedtime she had developed a blister on her top lip.  Her hands never blistered and felt better the next morning.  What didn't look better the next morning was the burn on her face.  It had all scabbed over and looked so painful!  My husband was worried about long-term scarring on her beautiful little face.  So that night after she was asleep, I snuck in her bedroom and applied Frankincense and Rose essential oils as best I could on her nose and top lip.  She slept through it, so this became our new routine for the next week.  Once a day after she was asleep.  We were so pleased with the results.  You can click on the picture to make it bigger.

Each day showed improvement, till after 7 days the scabs were completely gone.  I took a picture after 10 days.  There is still a bit of marking on the underside of her nose, but I just got the Immortelle blend which has Rose, Frankincense, Lavender, Myrrh, and Helichrysum in it and it smells divine.  I will finish the job with that.

What I thought was remarkable was the difference in how we treated her hands and face initially.  Her hands, which we slathered with Lavender oil probably within 2 minutes of the initial burn, and then hourly after that never blistered or scabbed over like her face did.  On her face, we were only able to use cold water and ice and what a contrast in the healing process!

And for future safety, we normally won't be running the fireplace in the summer, and in the winter, there aren't children playing in the back yard anyway.  I will have my husband build some sort of safety cage that still may get hot, but will protect little people from touching the vent directly.

Strawberry Jam

I've always known that kids are capable beings - very capable at a young age to make huge messes and refuse to clean them up. I am not one of those lucky women who was born with a love of cooking NOR do I have any interest in cleaning up the cooking mess. Now, I know as a stay at home mom, it is my primary responsibility to do these things, but I have to admit I have no love for either of them. I know some wonderful women who are very talented at organizing and cleaning, or find joy in providing beautiful square meals for their family daily - this simply is not me. Because of this, I have a strict rule in my house that no kids are allowed in the kitchen when I'm cooking. I'm stressed out as it is trying to muster up some sort of meal within 20 minutes since I've procrastinated till the last moment my most unfavorite chore of the day. Kids asking to "help" just adds to my aggravation.

BUT...in light of my recent lessons learned, I decided that I might help to teach my kids some skills in the kitchen and have them make strawberry freezer jam. I didn't have any plans, so there was no rush, freezer jam is easier than pie with no cooking even!

I was most nervous about letting either of them use sharp knives. Rayna is 6 and she has cut herself using a butter-knife before. Ian is 8, but he is simply careless at times. I was more afraid of him accidentally stabbing Rayna with his knife than I was worried about either of them cutting themselves. I just kept telling myself that even if there is blood, they won't die...it's part of learning. And how will Ian ever learn to be careful with a knife unless he practices, and hopefully if I supervise, someday I may even TRUST him with one...maybe.

Believe it or not, they cut the greens off of 4 whole pounds of strawberries without one accident! Amazing! They had a great time together. Jaeda woke up from her nap during their fun and came to watch.

Here is Rayna stirring in the pectin that Ian poured in. She lost her front tooth earlier today, so this is her brand new tooth-less smile. The next step to freezer jam is to stir it every 5 minutes for 1/2 hour. They weren't too keen on hanging out for that, so I let them go play and I finished it up myself all ALONE.

It wasn't so bad having them in the kitchen as long as I wasn't doing any of it. I didn't mind supervising them, and when it was my turn I got the kitchen to myself. What a great experience. For dinner, we had bread and JAM. It was fun to see the kids enjoy it so much.

Heritage Quilt

Although we were few in numbers, 30 people participated this year in the Orton Quilt Block swap. I loved the colors that our depression-era-reproduction-print-themed quilt inspired.

Here are some photos from the event:

Rayna with her quilt block contribution

Cousin Kristen, our lovely hostess, provided her beautifully manicured backyard and delicious food for our gathering.

My mother, Wanda, explaining her quilt block. The center square in each of her blocks is an actual quilt block from Grama Clora's collection.

One table of quilt blocks

The other table of quilt blocks, with roses from Kristen's garden

Some of the attendees enjoying each others' company. Cousin Sharise, Aunt Susan, Aunt Peggy, Wyn, Mattie Rae, and Cousin Daunell.

Rayna with her second cousin, Hannah (Kristen's daughter).

Of course we had discussion about next time or IF there will be a next time. Daunell opened the floor to comments on the matter. I raised my hand and emotionally expressed that "I will participate as long as it is offered. The opportunity to have a tangible piece of each of you is priceless to me."

I feel such a love for the Orton women in my life. They are my most favorite people to spend time with and to look up to. I love their strength, their cheery outlook, and the depth of their testimonies and example. Although I don't always feel like I can contribute to a group of women with such caliber, I love to absorb the love they exude and be inspired by the pioneer spirit that runs so deep in their blood...my blood.

Bee Sting Relief

Our honeybees have had a crazy and unfortunately an eventful spring.  They have already swarmed once and have are threatening to do it again.  When I went outside today I noticed that they were acting like they were going to swarm again, so I put out an extra hive box with some Lemongrass Essential Oil in it as an attractant. That way we might be able to catch our own bees if they do decide to swarm.

My husband does most of the beekeeping in our house because we thought I might be allergic to bees.  About 10 years ago I was stung on the arm while driving on a road trip with the window down.  My entire arm swelled up about twice it's normal size.  I was nauseous and ill for the entire rest of the day.  When I mentioned it to my doctor once, his eyes got big and then he wrote me a prescription for an epi-pen, which I carried around for years.

About 4 years ago I had an allergy test done and the test came back negative for bee venom.  Because bee allergies can be so serious, I wasn't exactly jumping on the bandwagon when we decided to keep bees.  I have enjoyed it and almost always observe when my husband does inspections, but I keep my distance.

Because of their erratic behavior the last few weeks, my husband decided to do a very thorough inspection.  I pulled out my lawn chair and observed about 12 feet away as he pulled each frame out and inspected it.  Towards the end I went inside to get dinner started.  When my husband finished, I came out of the house to make sure he was bee-free before we took off his protective gear.  There was a bee hiding in a fold of his clothing, so I whisked it away.  Next thing I knew there was a bee flying around my head and then I felt a sharp sting on the back of my neck.  The bee was stuck in my hair.  While my husband was getting the bee out of my hair, I could feel the intensity gradually increasing.  My husband got the stinger out and then I went straight inside and grabbed my Purify essential oil blend.  I put a drop directly on my bee sting.  I immediately felt some relief.  I kept applying one drop about every 5 minutes.  The welt never got any bigger and there has been no swelling.  15 minutes after the sting there was no more pain.  I am so thankful that I had the essential oils on hand.  I have never had such a pleasant bee-sting experience.

Other essential oils that are good for bee stings are Roman Chamomile and Basil.

Nosebleed

My 3 year old daughter is susceptible to nosebleeds.  Sometimes I'll get her from her bed in the morning and see that she has had a nosebleed in the night.  If it happens during the day, I am usually able to get it under control in a couple minutes with gently pinching her nose.

Yesterday she was playing outside with her cousins at her grandma's house.  An older cousin brought her in because she had a bloody nose.  I took her into the bathroom to get her cleaned up and found that this time it was pretty severe.  There was a lot of blood and it wasn't slowing down.  I tried pinching it gently, then more firmly.  I got a cotton ball wet and put it inside her top lip and held it there with pressure.  After trying for nearly 5 minutes to get it under control and not seeing any improvement I started to get a bit nervous.  As I stared at the garbage full of used tissues and I started exploring my options.  I immediately wished I had Helichrysum Essential oil, as I have had experience with it getting bleeding under control.  But all I had was my little key chain holder that I keep in my purse with a few oils in it.

I did have Deep Blue which is a soothing blend for aches and pain.  I knew it had Helichrysum in it, so I grabbed my little bottle of Deep Blue and put a drop on the back of her little neck and rubbed it in.  It also has Wintergreen and Peppermint in it, and my little daughter didn't like the way it felt.  So I left her for a second to grab some fractionated coconut oil from the next room to help dilute the oils and reduce the sensation.

I put a drop of coconut oil on the back of her neck and rubbed it in.  Then I took the tissue away to check her nose.  It had all but stopped bleeding.  We took the next minute to clean up the mess we had made in my mother's bathroom, wash my daughter's hands and dress and she was good to go.

I'm so thankful I had my Essential Oils on hand.  I'm so thankful that they have so many uses.  I'm so thankful that I was empowered to care for my daughter in her time of need so I didn't have to feel fearful or helpless as a mother.  Thank you, Deep Blue!

Ear Flap Hat

I got my crafty-ness out again for General Conference, and this is a hat I made for Rayna. Jaeda is modeling it, and I am making a pink one like this for her, but it isn't finished yet. I made 2 others previously, but it wasn't till the 3rd try that it worked out like I wanted. I followed the pattern the first time and it was way too big. So I tried again and then the ear flaps weren't in the right place. So 3rd time's a charm. I think it's darling and they work up quickly, so I plan on making one for each of my kids.

Deep Blue

I have a cast on my ankle now, to mend a hairline fracture they found after they took an MRI.  Walking with a cast is very awkward and because I'm trying to compensate, by the end of the day I can be achy.  I had a really busy day today running almost nonstop since noon.  My day didn't end till my nightwatch shift did that night at 3am. Part of my job is to check on the sleeping girls every 15 minutes.  The house is 3 stories, and so my check requires me to go up and down stairs.  Tonight I started having sharp pains in the knee on my "good" leg when I came up the stairs. It seemed to get worse each time I used the stairs. I found myself trying to compensate by swinging my hip way out so as to take th pressure off my knee.  I applied Deep Blue to my knee and 10 minutes later when it was time for my next check I had absolutely no pain in my knee and the pain never returned.  Thank you, Deep Blue!

School Pictures

I got a new camera in December and so I spent most of the month experimenting and practicing.  My kids were all overdue for portraits, as I think school pictures are way overpriced and they never turn out nice...so I didn't buy them.  But my husband has been asking for family pictures to put up in his office for a long time now, so I decided that would be a great Christmas gift for him. 

So I set up the studio:  duct tape brown blanket to kitchen bar, move kitchen table out of the way, wash sliding glass window for lighting, find tripod....Wah Lah!

I was very pleased with the results, as they were better than any school pictures I've ever seen (if I do say so myself), and cheaper, too!  Here are some of my favorites:

 By the time it was Brynlee's turn, she wasn't in the mood.  This was my best shot, although it is blurry, so I couldn't use it.

She was happy to hold still so that I could take a picture of her beloved tear, though.

We don't have any pictures of just the two of us as a couple, so that weekend, I had my photographer brother, Braxton shoot some pictures of us in his studio.  He took a bunch of pictures, and they all turned out awesome, of course.  Here are some of my favorites:

Honey Harvest 2010

Late August 2010

Rick is removing the capped frames from the beehive for harvesting.  He brushed be bees from the frames, and then we placed them in a covered cooler until it was full and then we brought it inside.

Rayna is supervising to make sure Rick is doing everything right.

 This video shows how we scraped the honeycomb from the frames.  Really high-tech, I know.  we used a putty knife to scrape the honey comb into a bucket.  Then we crushed the honeycomb, releasing the honey from the cells. 

We strained the honey through a filter and then put the honey in jars.

 This is what we got from the first harvest.  The next day were were able to get 2 more pints from what was left in the filter.  We had another harvest probably a month later and got about the same amount again.  Not bad for our first year.  Thank-you alfalfa farmer in our back yard!