Cindy Woodsmall ~*~ For Every Season: Amish Vines and Orchards Book 3, ©2013

"I want to cultivate relationships with the same care and tenderness I give to my beloved garden."
   --Rhoda, Amish Vines and Orchards series

Changes continue at the new settlement in Maine. Especially for Jacob King, as much as he would like to think differently, his past calls to him. He continues to try to hold on to his future. How can both be possible?

Getting behind in day-to-day operations of the orchard, the Kings' younger sister, Leah, answers the phone at the barn office. The young woman on the other end initially thinks she is talking to Rhoda, saying she wants to come for a job. Leah tells her to come ahead. After traveling for better than two days on trains from Indiana, Iva Lambright arrives as a surprise to everyone while Leah tries to forewarn them and prepare the way for Iva to stay. Without money to pay for a hire until harvest time, Iva still agrees to help while given room and meals. She has no remaining fare money to return home, nor the desire to do so.

It is determined they do have an empty room ~ Rhoda's. Rhoda Byler, business partner with Jacob and Samuel King at the orchard, is surprised as she would like to return to the farmhouse rather than continuing to stay at their Englisch neighbors through the woods. Rhoda had joined her own business, Rhode Side Stands to Kings' Orchard, before their move from Pennsylvania. She finds that to get a license to sell her canned recipes in Maine, her kitchen needs to be separate from a household kitchen.

New characters and adjustments with the King brothers and Rhoda cause shifting to take place. The focus to maintain the orchard, foremost, to draw others to come and join them as the work increases. Without continuity to strengthen the new Amish settlement with the families already there, it could all come to naught.

Book three in the Amish Vines and Orchards series

Working hard to develop a new Amish community outside of Unity, Maine, Rhoda Byler is fully committed to rehabilitating an orchard with business partner Samuel King. But an impulsive decision has created an unexpected strain in her relationship with her beau, Samuel’s brother, Jacob, threatening plans for the orchard. Amidst mounting tension in matters of the heart and business, Rhoda finds that this fledging settlement feels like the home she has always longed for, and she begins to embrace the God-given, heightened intuition that has always felt like a burden to her. She longs for Jacob to fully be free of his past, so they can work towards the future together.

But as Rhoda uses her gift to unpack an old secret with her Englisch neighbors, it is not her beau but an unlikely ally that cheers her on. With the orchard on shaky ground and Jacob’s plans in question, Rhoda is determined to see things through to harvest. But can she trust her insight to direct her path in matters of the heart?

Click here to read the first chapter of For Every Season.

Author Cindy Woodsmall



Book 1 ~ A Season For Tending http://lanehillhouse.blogspot.com/2013/06/cindy-woodsmall-season-for-tending.html
Book 2 ~ The Winnowing Season http://lanehillhouse.blogspot.com/2013/06/cindy-woodsmall-winnowing-season-amish.html

Seasons of Tomorrow: Book Four in the Amish Vines and Orchards series by Cindy Woodsmall releases April 15, 2014.

***Thank you to WaterBrook Multnomah blogging for Books for sending me a copy of Cindy Woodsmall's For Every Season. This review was written in my own words. No other compensation was received.***

Here is a sharing from Cindy Woodsmall's blog ~ Recipe for Apple Crisp. This is an old family recipe provided by Marion Woodsmall. Aunt Marion’s husband and his brother (my late father-in-law) worked an apple orchard with their father while growing up. When she first sent me this recipe, it was missing the temperature setting for the stove, so I wrote to her and asked about it. Her answer was so precious I had to share it with you. She wrote: This recipe is very old and they used woodstoves to cook and hoped for the best, but I set my oven at 375 degrees.

Thank you, Aunt Marion!

Apple Crisp

8 tart apples, peeled and sliced (Courtland, Macintosh, or your choice)
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup sugar, divided in half
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons margarine or butter

Place the sliced apples in an 8" x 8" ungreased pan. Pour the orange juice over the apples. Mix 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon together, and sprinkle over apples. Work the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, flour, salt, and margarine or butter together using your fingers or a pastry cutter. Mixture should be crumbly, pea size or smaller Spread over the apples and pat smooth. Bake at 375 degrees for 40–45 minutes until crust is crisp and brown and apples are tender. Serve with milk or cream. Enjoy this very old recipe.