Jennifer Lambert

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Apple Mummies

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October 12, 2020 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

We did a fun science and history demonstration with apples.

We experimented with how best to mummify an apple with different solutions of salts.

We peeled three small apples.

I have a control apple with nothing on it.

I mixed kosher salt and baking soda in one cup for the second apple.

In another cup, I added just Epsom salts for the third apple.

We placed the apples in our cellar for about a week.

One apple is the control with nothing on it. After a week sitting on a shelf in our cellar, it didn’t look too bad. It was still firm and not much browning.

The apple in Epsom salt was very wet. The color was great. The apple was squishy. I thought it was pretty well preserved.

Perhaps I didn’t mix the kosher salt with baking soda well enough, but this apple was soft and squishy and very brown. We didn’t think it well preserved.

One apple mummy experiment I saw used apple wedges comparing the following:

  • control apple
  • apple & gauze
  • salt
  • salt & gauze
  • sugar
  • sugar & gauze
  • vinegar
  • vinegar & gauze
  • baking soda
  • baking soda & gauze

A fun, crafty way would be to carve faces into the apples and then experiment with salts and solutions to preserve the apples. Then they’re fun Halloween decorations for a little while.

The possibilities are almost endless and don’t cost much. Learning by doing is one of our favorite ways and makes great memories!

The salts act as desiccants, pulling moisture out of the apple, preserving it. They also have antimicrobial properties, so they keep bacteria and fungi from growing. 

In ancient Egypt, natron was used in preserving mummies. Natron is a natural salt mixture containing the chemicals sodium carbonate, decahydrate (soda ash), sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), sodium chloride (table salt), and another salt, an electrolyte called sodium sulfate.  

The ancient Egyptians kept mummies preserved in natron inside airy tents in dry desert air for about forty days before wrapping them in linen for their final burial in sarcophagi and tombs.

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Filed Under: Homeschool Tagged With: apples, craft, history

Canning Applesauce

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September 10, 2018 By Jennifer Lambert 8 Comments

Our neighbor across the street offered us as many apples as we could pick!

I think we got enough.

We made applesauce!

We cored and sliced apples and boiled them down with some water. This can also be done in a slow cooker.

You can add spices like cinnamon or nutmeg, sugars, or leave it plain.

We love our KitchenAid mixer and attachments!

Look at that lovely golden applesauce.

The grinder spits out the peels and gives us smooth applesauce. So much less work!

We boil it down a little more. You can adjust any seasonings at this point.

We poured it into jars and did a water bath canning. They all popped!

This will last us a long time!

Check out our super simple applesauce recipe:

5 from 2 votes
Print

Applesauce

Ingredients

  • 12 lbs apples, peeled, cored, quartered (about 30-35)
  • 1-2 cups water
  • 4 T lemon juice
  • 1-3 cups sugar optional
  • 1/4 cup cinnamon optional

Instructions

  1. Combine apples with just enough water to prevent sticking in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 20 minutes, until apples are tender. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

  2. Transfer apples, working in batches, to a food mill or a food processor fitted with a metal blade and purée until smooth.

  3. Return apple purée to saucepan. Add sugar, if using, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Maintain a gentle boil over low heat while filling jars.

  4. Ladle hot applesauce into hot, clean jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight.

  5. Process jars in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

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Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: apples, canning, recipe

Appel Happel Tour

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September 22, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

We took a field trip to Appel Happel to pick apples!

We learned about apples.

There was a short presentation about apples and how they grow on the trees and the parts inside.

We got to compare the different varieties.

Apple Comparison

We got watch and try an old-fashioned apple press and taste the juice.

Apple Press

It was really crowded. We’re patiently waiting our turn.

Watching the Apple Press

We got to see all the apples inside the coolers.

Crates of Apples

A funny sign inside the warehouse.

For Adam and Eve

We were anxious to pick apples!

Happel Appel Field Trip

The rows had handwritten signs to show the different apple varieties.

Ready to Pick Apples

Pretty ripe apples

Ripe Apples

It was fun exploring the different apples.

Rows of Apple Trees

Tori checks the apples for bruises or holes.

Checking Apples

Alex looks for the best apple.

Choosing Apples

Wheelbarrows are fun and quicker to get to the end of the rows.

Walking the Rows

Here’s a crate of apples we collected.

Apple Crate

Time for treats after all that hard work! Cakes, muffins, and unfiltered apple juice.

Time for Treats

There are 15 different kinds of apples to pick from August to October!

Apple varieties: Delba, Santana, Elstar, Gala, Cox Orangen, Rubinette, Berlepsch, Boskoop, Pinova, Topas, Jonagold, Wellant, Fuji, Braeburn, Birnen, Zwetschen

You get wheelbarrows to pick apples. The apples are then weighed and you pay. It’s best to bring your own bags or crate to carry them home.

The shop sells other great produce and products like fresh baked goods and apple drinks.

Check which apple and pear varieties are ripe during which months.

There’s an apple fest one weekend in September.

Open Door Day offers kids’ activities in October.

Appel Happel is about an hour from Ramstein and 1.5 hours from Spangdahlem.

Linking up: Chestnut Grove Academy, Sunny Day Family,

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Filed Under: Europe, Germany, Travel Tagged With: apples, fall, farm, field trip, Germany

Apple Tasting

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September 28, 2012 By Jennifer Lambert 3 Comments

We had an apple tasting!

Kind of like a wine tasting, but with kids and no cheese or olives or fancy crackers. We did have water cups to cleanse our palates.

The kids had so much fun!

My favorite growing up was a Rome apple.

We bought every kind of apple we could find. There are so many apple varieties!

We ended up with 10 plus one from the neighbor’s apple tree. So, 11 apples to taste and compare and graph our findings.

Alex was excited to get started.

apple comparison

Liz helped Alex. He tried most of the apples. I didn’t make him graph anything. He just told us if he liked it or not. And he liked to tell me the colors.

big sister helping

Here is Tori’s completed graph. I see that she didn’t name her favorite or least favorite. She did circle two favorites and X the one she did NOT like.


apple tasting chart

I sliced the apples into fifths and we discussed fractions. We just read Fraction Apples, so it went well.

We counted seeds.

We discussed color, texture, and taste.

apple graphing

I helped the girls with their graphs by letting them copy mine after we discussed everything.

apple discussion

Alex ate half the Honeycrisp. Overall, that was everyone’s favorite. And the most expensive. He kept staring at it and saying, “I like it!” and biting it. So cute.

toddler tested

We love apples!

You might also like:

  • Canning Applesauce
  • Apple Mummies
  • Preschool Letter A
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Filed Under: Homeschool Tagged With: apples, fall, homeschool, unit study

Preschool Letter A

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure. Please see my suggested resources.

April 23, 2012 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Letter A Work 

Letter A Work

Alex already knows all his letters, upper and lowercase, their sounds, his numbers 1-13, all colors (even the weird ones)…so we’re beginning preschool a bit early. He turns 3 on April 1. He’s just started showing an interest in tracing, writing, and making words!

We started calendar time back up again. The girls have a cursive notebook and Alex has his tot time notebook: letters, numbers, and shapes to trace. He LOVES it!

tracing letter A

Alex loves to play Starfall with big sister. By the time I got the picture, he was already through letter F, oh well.

Starfall

Wikki Stix alphabet cards are super fun!

wikki stix letter A card

Here’s one of our favorite alphabet resources. It’s fun and comes with foam pieces to make letters.

How to Build an A book

We working through Raising Rock Stars Preschool, but also still loving the Animal ABCs. And of course, I didn’t get any pictures of Alex completing his A work for those! ugh

We ate lots of apples. The kids prefer Honey Crisp, which, of course, are the most expensive! We did an amazing apple unit back in September.

eating apples

Tori helps Alex with the Letter A Find It bin. He found the pictures and she found the words.

Letter A scavenger hunt

Alex loves puzzles and he often takes a break from all our school time to sit quietly and do a puzzle alone.

letter puzzle

And why reinvent the wheel when Carisa does such amazing work? Here are her letter A ideas…and a Letter A Pinterest Board

cutting alligators
alligator letter A craft

He loves All About Reading prelevel 1. Liz usually plays with Ziggy.

A is for alligator. Alex really liked all our alligator works.

A is For Alligator

5 lil monkeys swinging from the tree, teasing Mr. Alligator: “You can’t catch me!”

Along came Mr. Alligator, quiet as can be, and snapped that monkey right out of that tree!

Alligator and Monkeys song

The big alligator is searching for monkeys to eat in our science bin from last week.

Alligator Play

still obsessed with cutting paper…yes, that’s a pink desk. Hand-me-down from sisters. It’s ok because he’s Superman.

Alligator Work

Apples! baby apple, daddy apple…and all those other ones. Eventually, Alex named them all after our family.

Apple sizing

cutting food is still a favorite

Cutting Food

apples again! Alex really liked matching the A apples to the tree

Matching A on the Apple Tree

They’re not really cherries…they’re apples, duh

Apple Game

This is how Alex ate his couscous. With a little cymbal clapping cow toy. sigh

Eating Cous Cous

Look! coloring and writing! for about 5 whole seconds.

Coloring and Writing

We’re using Animal ABC’s printables with other cards I already have.

How do you study the Letter A?

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Filed Under: Homeschool Tagged With: apples, LOTW, preschool

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