The Prairie Girl’s Guide to Life – Book Review and Giveaway

The Prairie Girls Guide to Life:

How to Sew a Sampler Quilt & 49 Other Pioneer Projects for the Modern Girl

This delightful little book is sure to win your heart if you love timeless wisdom, crafts, and recipes. The Prairie Girl’s Guide to Life by Jennifer Worrick is chock full of ideas to feed your pioneer’s spirit. Learn how to:

• predict the weather
• embroider a pillow
• bake a rhubarb pie
• make bread and butter pickles
• knit a shawl
• make a night cream
• braid hair
• prepare sweet cherries
• lay a fire
• pan for gold
• make rock candy
• braid a rug
• make candles
• spin yarn
• milk a cow
• and much more!

I wanted to share a particularly fun recipe from the book with you. When I was a kid, rock candy was such a treat! We would go down to the shops in Warm Springs, GA (close to where I grew up) and buy rock candy. So, when I saw this recipe, I knew I wanted to make it with my own kids.

Rock Candy

What you need:

- clean glass jar

- 6-inch ice cream sticks

- pencil

- tape

- 4 cups sugar

- 1 cup water

- food coloring

In a saucepan, heat (but do not boil) 2 cups of the sugar and the water. Stir slowly until the sugar is completely dissolved. Gradually add a few drops of food coloring – your choice – and the remaining sugar, stirring continuously until all the sugar is dissolved.

Pour your colorful sugar water into a clean glass jar. Tape the sticks to a pencil and suspend them across the mouth of the jar so that the ends hang into the liquid.

Crystals suitable to eat will form in a hour and continue to grow for several days to a week. Pieces can be broken off and eaten after the first hour, but try to resist the urge to suck on them.

Although you may see modest results quickly, larger rock-candy crystals will take time to form. Good things come to those who wait, and pretty sticks of candy are yours to be had if you show a bit of patience.

Yields 12 ounces

I am fairly certain you will find a wealth of ideas here in this book. And, if you homeschool girls, this book is a perfect addition to your home economics course! If you would like to win a copy of this book comment here and on Friday of next week – February 5th – I will draw a name!