u/ADystopianDream

I was just offered a position I have been aiming for for a while that is basically going to double my pay for nearly the same responsibilities. They framed the job as temporary relocation rather than travel, as I’d be designated to a job site for anywhere from 3 months to 12 months at a time.

Married, 2 kids under school age, dog, house, etc. I know we would lose our entire support system by hitting the road and my husband would be home with the kids. We can get behind that with the idea that this would be short term, a year or two.

What are the challenges going to be realistically?

I’m looking at a jump from $70k to $160k with all the travel bonuses so I am strongly considering it. The companies seem very similar in culture.

I have never made wine before, but my cherry plum tree should be ready to harvest in a couple of weeks and I thought this would be a good place to start.

I also have a huge grape vine, apple tree, and pear tree so I am hoping to learn a few things before those are ready to make into wine this fall.

My grandpa’s best friend has been making wine for years and here is his recipe he sent me:

Cherry Plum Wine
Cherry Plums: 17.5 to 20 lbs (washed, destemmed, and pitted)
Sugar: 12.5 lbs
Water: Approximately 3.5 to 4 gallons (enough to reach the 5-gallon mark after adding fruit)
Pectic Enzyme: 5 tsp
Yeast Nutrient: 7 tsp
Wine Yeast: 2 packets- Lalvin EC-1118 or RC-212
Campden Tablets: 5 tablets

Step-by-Step Instructions

Prep the Fruit: Freeze your 17.5–20 lbs of pitted cherry plums overnight. Thaw them directly in your sanitized 7-gallon primary fermentation bucket and mash them using a clean potato masher or your hands.

Sanitize and Extract: Pour 2 gallons of boiling water over the mashed fruit. If using Campden tablets to kill wild bacteria, crush 5 tablets, stir them in now, and wait 24 hours before moving to step 4.

Dissolve the Sugar: Dissolve your 12.5 lbs of sugar into 1.5 gallons of warm water. Pour this sugar syrup into the fermentation bucket and stir thoroughly.
Pitch the Ingredients: Ensure the liquid has cooled completely below 85°F (29°C). Stir in 5 tsp of pectic enzyme and 5–7 tsp of yeast nutrient. Sprinkle your wine yeast packets over the top.

Primary Fermentation: Snap the lid on with an airlock or cover the bucket with a clean cloth. Store it in a dark room between 65°F and 75°F. Stir the mixture once a day for 7 days to push the floating fruit pulp back down.

Press and Transfer: After 7 days, strain out the solid fruit pulp using a sanitized nylon brewing bag or fine mesh strainer. Siphon the liquid into a clean, sanitized 5-gallon glass carboy. Top off with a little extra water if needed to bring the liquid level up to the neck of the carboy.

Secondary Fermentation: Attach your airlock. Let the wine sit undisturbed for 4 to 6 weeks until bubbles stop completely and a heavy layer of sediment forms at the bottom.

Rack and Age: Siphon the clear wine off the sediment into a clean container. You can repeat this "racking" process every few months until the wine is perfectly clear. Bottle the wine and let it age for a minimum of 6 to 12 months for the best flavor profiles.

I didn’t realize I’d need so many powders like yeast, yeast nutrients, Camden tablets, pectin enzymes and potassium sorbates(which this recipe doesn’t have?)

Should I add potassium sorbate? Do you prefer specific brands of these powders?

I make a gallon of yogurt every week and my crockpot’s lowest setting gets too hot so that doesn’t work for me.

The yogurt usually ends up cooling down too much in the oven with the light on and wrapped in a towel so I play a game all day of oven on/oven off, over here/over there, towel/no towel. I want to be able to leave my house on yogurt day lol.

I’ve never wanted an instapot but the yogurt “incubators” I have seen won’t hold a whole gallon and I don’t want to have to make yogurt multiple times a week.

Is an instapot worth it? Or is there something else people use that works where I can set it and forget it?

TIA

I(27F) am married with two kids aged 2, and almost 1. I have a great career, working full time. I moved to this state a few years ago and have yet to make a single friend here. It feels impossibly honestly and I’m starting to think I’m just unlikeable lol(but I have many “work friends” and had plenty of friends in my home state).

I would love to make friends with people in similar life stages to me but it feels like all the other moms get together while I’m at work, and all the people my age who work don’t have kids and just want to go to bars and party. Or they’re just as busy and never have time. I live in a small town so there’s not a lot going on.

I genuinely crave connection to other women my age but dang if I can’t find anyone! I reached out to a local mom group and got a play date set up for my kids. I thought it went fine as all we talked about was the other ladies life and our kids but she ghosted when I asked about setting up another play date.

I also had made a connection to another mom at the park and they also ghosted after the first play date lol. My husband says he thinks it’s because I’m intimidating because I have rbf and I’m tall/lean and have a great job in a really low income area but twice is a pattern and I’m really second guessing if it’s my personality at this point…

It feels like everyone else just already has their friends and doesn’t need any more.

What am I doing wrong? I go to local events, I put myself out there to make connections and I’m just getting zilch.