Twysted Thystle

I have to share this company's blog/link/products. A local and friend here in the mountains has gotten her business ready and I'm truly excited! Using healthful herbs and blends for all their products this lady knows her stuff! The teas have the most unique flavors and fantastic health benefits with it's many uses from comfort to colds. Her samples have such original herb blends and I have been begging for months for a product list so I can order some. She is my "go to" for herbal remedies when the kids get sick and is hardcore about the quality of her products to be sure they are organic and fresh. Satisfied with nothing less than perfect, you will find the information on the blog helpful, unique and creative. Now, please, please, please, can I have a products list?

http://www.twystedthystle.com/

Turkeys

This week we made a trip out to our friends farm to pick up a new addition to our Homestead. Heritage Turkeys! I am so excited to have these guys with us and they are already winning our hearts. The Tom is a Royal Palm and when he puffs up and struts his stuff, his waddles turn a brilliant blue!


The female is a Bourbon Red and she is beautiful, curious and seems very sweet. She's smart despite the turkey's reputation for being stupid. She is catching on so quickly. It took her all of 20 minutes to figure out how to get out of the chicken run and about 30 minutes for me to get her in there.

The Tom doesn't leave the pen. He doesn't seem to fly as well as she does, so she has decided to follow the free-range chickens around the yard. She stops and calls to him to make sure he is still there and then goes about her day. When you talk to her she really stops and listens very intently and you almost wonder if she understands you.

Transporting these guys were a little challenging. We also picked up four turkeys for a friend. Here are some tips to make transporting easier.
* Transporting them at night worked well. They bedded down in the truck and stayed pretty calm for the trip and also allowed them to spend the night in the coop when everything is calm. They can adjust by sound and smell to some of their new surroundings.
* I would avoid wire cages and use a smooth paneled dog kennel. The four other turkeys we moved were pecking at the cage sides trying to get out. It made a little cut on the bridge of their beaks. It was small and not a serious injury, but still something I would want to avoid. Moving is stressful and a small cut can turn into a nasty infection so quickly.
* This tip is from a friend of mine that told me this after we had moved them. If you slip a sock over their head, they calm down right away and stay calm. If the sock feels too thick or you think it might effect their breathing, cut breathing holes in it.
* For smaller poultry or animals one of my favorite transporter is a Rubbermaid bin with holes drilled in the lid. With some pine shavings for bedding it transports nicely, is safe and easy to clean when you are finished.

An 'F' in Pantry

The other day, while making shopping lists, which I keep neatly organized on a listing software, something struck me. This is not an "aha!" moment for me, but a moment of dismay. If I were to rate my pantry, I would say I'm flunking!

The assortment of packaged granola bars, condiments, noodles, canned goods (not in glass mason jars, but aluminum cans) glares at me. I'm hit with colors and marketing and commercialism!

Now, we have been homesteading and working at this for several years and am fairly proud to say that we make almost everything we eat. Why on earth do I have names shouting from my pantry like Jif, Smuckers, Nature Valley, Heinz! COME ON!

So, I went back over my shopping list and realized 90% of it could be made at home. So, now for the hard part. Doing it! First, I made a list of everything I could think of that we buy at the store. I will share that list with hopes that it might encourage some of you to share some recipes that really work great. I will definitely share some with you also. To meet my criteria, recipes have to be simple and basic. I don't like gourmet, trendy or hard to find ingredients. It has to be made with common household items that are usually on hand. So, here is the list!

1. Ice Cream (yes, I'm ashamed to say my ice cream doesn't go by the name of Abby or Mira, but Breyer's)
2. Jam
3. Cheese (mild/sharp cheddar, swiss, mozzarella)
4. Sour Cream
5. Cereal
6. Peanut Butter
7. Tomato Sauce, canned tomatoes, pizza sauce
8. Refried Beans
9. Cream Cheese
10. Ricotta & Cottage Cheese
11. Hamburger or Hotdog buns
12. Buttermilk
13. Fish
14. Ketchup, Mustard, BBQ, Mayo, Miracle Whip, Tartar sauce
15. Salad dressings
16. Honey
17. Crackers - soda and Graham
18. teas
19. Coffee
20. Seasoning packets
21. Corn/flour tortillas

Now the next step is to pick items off of that list. So, here's my plan.
#1, 3, 4, 9, 10, and 12....um we have two dairy cows...I plan on learning this throughout the summer and sharpening my skills...already have all the equipment, cultures, etc.

#13...I plan on learning how to fish well this year. We have many rocky mountain streams and mountain ponds with all kinds of trout. I will try to catch some fish and maybe freeze some for the winter months.

#11...Well, I already have a recipe and know how to do this one...Just have to stop being lazy!

#2 and #7...We are trying to put in a good berry patch, grapevine and tomato patch. If all goes well and we get a good harvest, this is on the to do list for fall. If not, I need to buy these in bulk from the co-op and get canning.

#8...I could use a quick tutorial on doing this and a good recipe, but will try to do this once we use up our last can.

#16...My husband is building us a bee room in the barn and we will hopefully get some hives going this summer or next summer.

#18...I love making our own teas and have started doing it. I finally duplicated my favorite sleepy time tea and made it better even. Almost there on this one...just using up the last box and will be done buying this at the store.

#17...I would love to find good cracker recipes. So far everything I've tried has been really yucky! We might have to just give up crackers. Will keep looking and keep trying.

So that is my goals for this year. Will tackle some of the others after I have accomplished the items I have listed above. After this list, the focus will be on growing more of our food. But, I think this is a good start! Whew!

Feeding the Birds

photo © 2008 Mark | more info (via: Wylio)

I have started to feed the birds.  It was something my mother was passionate about.  She probably spent a small fortune on quality bird seed to make sure her feathered friends did not go hungry.  When she died I took her feeders and as her spirit gently nudged me I hung feeders in the front yard and filled them with various seeds.  I enjoyed watching the birds come and go throughout the day and my kids are learning much about various types of birds.  There was that one day that we had fifteen cardinals we were so excited at the bright red swatches of color against the white snow.  The kids love it when the woodpeckers come and it makes me wonder why on earth a black and white speckled bird is so special, maybe its simply because he's not the usual chickadee or perhaps it's that triangle of red he carries on the back of his head.


I was at this blog today called Achorn Farm and I want to send you there to see a great tutorial on how to make suet bird feeders.  If you have kids home for spring break this is a great activity to do with them.  

A Food Revolution

I just learned of a cooking show that is going to air on ABC starting in April hosted by famed chef Jamie Oliver called Food Revolution.  What really excites me about this show is that finally something is hitting the mainstream that is going to teach people how to eat real food.  Jamie Oliver really wants to start a revolution in the way we eat.  He is also joining forces with Better Homes and Gardens magazine in a partnership to show folks how easy raising their own food can be.  The goals of this show is.


1.  Get people to eat healthier


2.  Help them to realize eating healthy can be affordable.


3.  Get people to demand healthy lunches at the kid's schools.


4.  Help to stop the obesity epidemic in this country.  (In his second season of the show, airing in April, he will be going to Huntington, West Virginia, known as the unhealthiest state in America.  He will try to convince the locals to change their ways.)


5. Encourage people to grow their own food.

I hope this show does start a revolution.  I think we are seeing a greater interest in healthy eating yet I am so dismayed by our ignorance as a nation to what good food is.  I mean there are people who think Corn Syrup is good for you because it comes from corn.  A huge portion of the country doesn't understand why it is better to eat organic than non-organic or they see it as a form of food snobbery. 


This show will be aired during prime time SUNDAY, MARCH 21 10|9c on ABC, followed by a 2-hour premiere on FRIDAY MARCH 26 8|7c.  

Thinking About Seeds

photo © 2007 Jennifer | more info (via: Wylio)

It's March and spring is so close.  It is actually raining instead of snowing here in the Artic Tundra aka Minnesota.  I can see grass in the backyard that had been hidden for months under record breaking snow banks.  Today is the first time I saw the flat stones that edge the pond and suddenly something has clicked inside my head like birds knowing its time to return to the north.  It is time to start thinking about the garden.  I started daydreaming about picking the first lettuce leaves out of the garden and having salads everyday.  I am debating whether starting seeds myself is worth it to me this year.  Last year I overdid it at the garden center and thought to myself, "Self,  I will start my own seeds next year."  I am not good at doing my own seeds, life is so busy around here and I forget about my little seedlings.  They end up getting watered inconsistently or growing leggy because I did not re-pot them into a bigger container.  There is something inside me, however, that always wants to try.  Yes I did not succeed last year or the year before that.  In fact the only time success happened is when my mom and I did it together and she had custody of the plants at her house.


Then there is that heirloom seed catalogue.  The one with a beautiful shiny cover of vegetable art.  The one that made me completely lose my mind and shell out seventy dollars for enough seeds to plant a ten acre garden.  I am scared to crack that baby open.  Self control and common sense walks right out the door as soon as my hands caress that shiny cover.  When I see rare watermelons and musk melon, incredible looking Heirloom tomatoes, unusual cucumbers, incredibly beautiful squashes, pumpkins, the part of my brain that governs logic and reason shuts down.
For now I debate with myself thinking if I just do one small tray of seeds I will not have much to lose but knowing my history I doubt myself.  I might need someone to sit down with me and hold me back from ordering the entire catalogue.
Information we posted about finding seeds.
A post I posted in 2009 about sowing lettuce and the amazing seeds catalogue from Bakers Creek.

Chicken Tacos

This chicken taco recipe was a true blessing the other day. I was short on time and the recipe I had took a lot of time to make. So quickly, I had to do a recipe make over. I love recipes that are practical, affordable, fast and easy. This one takes the cake! First, a few pointers.

*You can cook up boneless skinless chicken breast by putting them in a large skillet with 1/2 inch of water at the bottom and cover with a lid. Cook until tender, done in the middle, but not brown. Chicken will remain white. Cool on a plate and shred the chicken. Freeze in 1 qt. freezer bags for chicken ready to go! Use in chicken salad, chicken salad sandwiches, tacos, soups, salads, etc.

*This recipe will cook enough for a large family. If you have a large family, double it and freeze the filling for tacos, enchiladas, burritos, taco salads, with chips as a dip or whatever you would like to make it for. I love having fillings ready to go in the freezer.

Chicken Tacos

4 lbs. cooked shredded chicken (ground beef, shredded beef, mild fish)
2 C. green chili
1 C. sour cream
2 C. frozen corn (leftover or thawed and drained)
Taco or Mexican seasoning (Mexican seasoning from Mountain Rose Herbs)
Salt, Pepper, Garlic
black beans (optional)
Corn Tortillas
Toppings (cheese, lettuce, diced tomato, avocado)

1. In large skillet cook chicken in a little bit of Olive Oil and 2 Tbsp. butter until warmed. Season with salt, pepper, garlic and taco seasoning. Cook until chicken is mixed and well flavored.
2. Add green chili, sour cream, corn and beans. Mix well. Mixture should resemble a soft filling but not soupy.
3. Fry corn tortillas in a little bit of oil (not deep fry) until slightly browned but still flexible. Salt when you take off the skillet to put on a plate while still warm.
4. Fill taco shells with 2 tbsp. of filling and top with desired toppings.

We made enough filling for our family to eat dinner, froze 1 qt. and then had some of it leftover for lunch. I am going to make another big batch to freeze more and make a big batch of the shredded chicken and freeze that too! Hope this helps you all and is enjoyed by your families!