Homestead Apprentice

Twysted Thystle

2012-02-02T10:45:00.002-07:00

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

2012-01-20T10:37:00.008-07:00

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

2011-04-22T15:05:00.004-06:00

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

2011-03-24T07:51:00.001-06:00

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

2011-03-22T12:19:00.002-06:00

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

2011-03-20T07:52:00.001-06:00

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

2011-03-09T07:05:00.003-07:00

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!

The Homestead Kitchen

2011-02-18T10:39:00.004-07:00

One thing that makes the Homestead Kitchen what it is, is the smell. The aroma that is stuck in the walls from day after day of baking. Whether it is sweet or savory, the house is usually wafting with some wonderful smell. The kitchen is my "office". This is where I am most of the time. The kids do their school work here, I do our farm paperwork and research, read and review cookbooks, test recipes, write recipes, etc. Our milk customers pickup their milk here. This is where it all happens. This is true for most families and remains true if you look back in time. This is the heart of our homes!

I have distinct memories of what it smelled like when we made bread, cookies, pies. We would get milk from a farm and I remember standing on tip-toe to dip my fingers into the cream. When I had my first drink of raw milk after twenty-something years, it took me back.

Most days, we bake something. Our daughter always asks, "what are we making today." Those days we don't bake, the kids and husband will pace the kitchen, "just looking". I know what it is that is missing. I miss it too!

Some of you don't bake much. Some feel they aren't good at it. Everyone can bake, you just can't give up. I probably have about 5 years of failures under my belt, if not more. Daughters used to spend most of their childhood baking and by the time they were married, were almost pros. That's not how it is today. When we are married, most of us are just starting to cook.

I encourage you all to learn to bake and teach it to your kids. Take one thing and make it over and over until you've mastered it and choose one more thing. If after 5 years, you still feel like you don't know what you are doing, come to my house and I'll teach you!

A Few Farm Pics

2011-02-15T11:04:00.012-07:00

A friend is hand milking Mira.

Thought this was a neat shot because you can catch a glimpse of the stream of milk coming out.

Scott has Mira trained to wait outside until he is done cleaning her pen. Usually he shuts her gait, but she is wondering why I didn't put a little scoop of grain outside for her. (Scott usually does that and I didn't know)

Is my pen done yet?

Farm Helper!

This is Simon and he has an identical brother named Zero.

This is Rascal hanging out with the Barred Rocks.

Cleaning the barn is a "Hay" day for the chickens!

Pickin' and Scratchin'!

Our little Billy goat Bandit!

Vitacost

2011-02-15T10:51:00.003-07:00

This is just a quick note to tell you about a website I've been looking over. A friend told me about it and I sat down to check out what is available. Vitacost.com is a discount online shop that has EVERYTHING! I found our expensive vitamins, cod liver oil, homeopathic remedies, dish and cleaning detergents, laundry soaps, cosmetics and much more for sometimes 1/2 the cost of the store. They have a flat shipping rate which was very inexpensive. You do have to know your products and which ones are good, like any other store, but I was really impressed with the cost and variety. I had to pass this one on!

Shame On You!

2011-02-04T12:28:00.003-07:00

Whole foods, Organic Valley and Stonyfield farms were well respected in the Organic community. They have decided to publicly OK GMO foods by saying that they still support non-GMO and organic agriculture, however they are looking to coexist with Monsanto's GMO products. This is a scientific impossibility since GMO foods are contaminating organic crops everyday and seed companies are finding more and more traces of it in the organic seeds. I would say a coexistence is out of the question.

Whole foods is no longer a place I will shop. In one light they support organic movements while in the shadows are supporting GMO foods.

Organic Valley and Stonyfield Farms, you are now off my shopping list. Here is a great article for you!

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_22449.cfm

The Future of Food - A Must See!

2011-02-02T16:26:00.003-07:00

My husband and I really enjoy watching documentaries and one of the areas we have been learning about a lot is our food. We have seen Food, Inc., A Beautiful Truth, and another film about big Ag. Have read many books, researched ingredients and have made positive changes in our lifestyles to reflect this type of learning. I considered myself pretty knowledgeable about food.

We are about half-way through this documentary and I was not one bit shocked about what they were saying but still found the information jaw-dropping! There was so much unveiling done in this movie that although, I already knew some of it, I still had no idea about a lot of what was being said.

How badly the Monsanto Corporation is attacking these farmers, the numbers of VIP's from Monsanto that are now controlling our legislature and in charge of the EPA and FDA, the amount of corruption our food industry has, the covered research, the viruses and bacteria used to create GMO foods, and the list goes on! If you have not yet seen this film, I would definately add it to your list. You will not be disappointed by it! I will probably watch it 2 or 3 more times just to pickup on things I have missed.

Because of this film, we are finally taking a final step to remove the remainder of these test tube foods from our diet. In the future I will try to post some of the things we have replaced with healthier real food options.

Take care!

Bagel Chips

2011-01-04T16:14:00.001-07:00

When I first thought of trying to make my children after school snacks, I did not think bagel chips would be well received. I tried a cinnamon sugar bagel chip and a garlic cheese one and was pleasantly surprised by how easy they were to make. The level of enthusiasm my kids showed for these crunchy snacks was also impressive.

These taste similar to store bought but better because they are fresh. The variations are endless so I will give you basic instructions and allow you to choose what to top with. I highly recommend the garlic cheese ones. Make a lot since they go fast!

Basic Bagel chip (the base for your creation)

Slice bagels in half and cut thin rounds to form the chips ( I bought pre-sliced and it was not pretty but still delicious).

Brush with melted butter
Add topping (your choice)
Bake for 10 minutes at 325 degrees, remove from oven, and turn chips over,
Brush this side with melted butter and top with topping, bake for another 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and serve.

I used a cinnamon raisin bagel and used cinnamon sugar as my topping and it would make a nice breakfast treat or desert.

I also chopped fresh garlic and melted the butter with the garlic brushed this garlic butter over the bagel slices and topped with Romano cheese.

These are so simple to make and almost any spice variation would work.

Have you ever made your own bagels? We did that once and the kids learned a lot and enjoyed eating warm fresh baked bagels straight from the oven. To see our post on how to make your own bagels click here.

I'm Sending You Away For Christmas

2010-12-15T10:02:00.000-07:00

Well I am busy beyond belief right now and I now Mishaun is in over her head and up to her knees in the barn with animal issues. You are all on my mind and as I struggle to find affordable gifts for Christmas I thought you might just be struggling along with me. Since we did not all create something as fantastic as facebook like Time Magazine's person of the year the young Mark Zuckerberg, we probably could use some ideas on frugality. So...here we go I am sending you away from this blog to places that will hopefully help you find affordable if not down right cheap Christmas gifts. I hope you come back to us.

63 Gift Ideas for Under $10

Top Ten Homemade Edible Christmas Gifts
I really like the Top Ten Homemade Edible Christmas Gifts, if you scroll down at the bottom there are more gift idea lists like the top 10 ideas for dad.

50 Homemade Gift ideas from around the web.
This one is great if you have kids and they enjoy making gifts. I sincerely believe that the homemade kid gifts are the best because the kids get so much out of creating and giving of themselves.

Gifts in a jar
I seriously love this idea. I mean you can literally get all those people you hardly know but you have to buy for every year or your secret santa anything and put it in a jar and you got a gift in a jar. LOVE IT. I always ask myself would I want a gift in a jar? YES I really would. If Mishaun milked that lovely Jersey cow of hers and put it in a jar and gave it to me I would be thrilled because number one I don't get good cow's milk like that, and number two I would have an awesome jar I could reuse.

Well there is a wealth of information and I am off to the thrift store to see if there are any empty jars that look really neat that I could put things in to give as gifts. They are usually under a dollar there. Check out the dollar store for ribbons and wrapping and even little ornaments that can be used in crafts and table centerpieces.

If I don't write before Christmas I am wishing all you dear readers a very blessed Christmas.

For the Cold Weather Folks!

2010-11-14T20:51:00.003-07:00

It seems I'm in the tip mood today. Here's another good tip that comes in handy for us and thought I would share. We usually have a spare freezer with meat in it. Once we get into our cold weather season, the freezer goes outside in a protected area and gets unplugged for the winter. This saves quite a bit on the electric bill and if you get an unusually warm day, just plug it in for the hot part of the day and unplug it when it cools off again.

For All You Slow Cookers Out There!

2010-11-14T20:39:00.002-07:00

This idea is definitely blog worthy! A friend from one of the neighboring ranches was up here today to get a rooster and was kind enough to share this with me. I loved it!

If you have unused or old slow cookers laying around, they can be used for watering the chickens in the winter time. This idea is best used outside, because the bottom of a slow cooker can get hot. Just fill them with water and plug them in. There are usually 2 or 3 settings and they use less power than an expensive water heater or special heated chicken feeder.

You can use these for other animal waters too. Just make sure not to use them for small animals that could fall in.

Thanks Judy for sharing this idea!

Wood Stove Cooking!

2010-11-12T10:33:00.004-07:00

One of my biggest desires is to have a cook stove. In our living room there is a wood burning stove and there are plans to change it to a cook stove. It will be a while though. Well, we had a cold morning and I decided to dive in and cook on our wood burner. Although the space was tight, we cooked our entire breakfast of eggs, toast and sausage on the stove.

Once the wood burning stove got to about 400 - 500 degrees, the food started to cook really well and fast. The toast we did on a cookie sheet and when it toasted on one side we flipped it over, like pancakes. The eggs cooked fast and required constant stirring and supervision. The sausage cooked too fast on the outside and I had to dampen down the stove and then it slowed the browning. I used cast iron and stainless steel cookware.

If you have a metal coil, burner, rack or hot pad you could use this as a burner on the stove to slow cook items. Just make sure there is no coating on it. This would keep the bottom from burning on soups and stews.

The overall experience was not as complicated as I expected and all I did was pay attention to temperature and hot spots. The kids were in awe at cooking this way and the meal was terrific!

Green Smoothie

2010-11-10T13:25:00.003-07:00

This is my favorite green smoothie recipe. My friend taught me how to make it and she got it from her sister who is inspiring to us! I try to have one of these daily when the ingredients are available and it has boosted my energy and brightened my skin. I make a batch and pour it in a jar to keep in the fridge. When I need a boost, I pour a small cup and it fills me up. I love the refreshing taste of this one and is great for replacing a small meal!

1 or 2 cucumbers
2 handfuls of greens (any kind will do)
1/2 of a lime, squeeze juice into the smoothie (not the whole lime)
2 avocados (1 if you don't like it thick)
almond, rice or coconut milk
1 cup ice, more if you need it colder
Maple syrup to taste

Soap Making for Christmas

2010-11-05T11:36:00.005-06:00

Melt and pour soap making my seem pretty un-homesteady, but it does make a unique and fun homemade gift. One year I got a kit...yes I know...but I wasn't so self-sufficient at the time and the kit allowed my kids (with my help) to make really fun soaps for their teachers. For the teacher gift I always try to make it homemade because for a child there is no better way to give a gift. They do not work and thus have no income. Yes we can bring them to the store and they can pick something out but the care and effort that goes into the homemade gift gives the child a better understanding of what it means to give. The sacrifice and the love that goes into the homemade gift and what this teaches is priceless.

So many different things can be used for soap molds. I used a combo of things I had in the house. Yogurt containers and little jello molds being my favorite. If you buy a kit all you need is there and I highly recommend this as you will need to buy the supplies anyway.

Once you have a kit is is amazingly easy. Melt the soap, add the scents (that is the fun part), and pour into molds, the best part is when it is ready to take out of the mold and voila! The most amazing part for the kids is that it really worked and you have soap.

When I did this I went to the thrift store and bought pretty little plates they ranged from 29 cents to 2.00. We arranged the soaps on the plate covered it with saran wrap and attached a label and a ribbon. It presented quite nicely and was received with enthusiasm.

Growing Soybeans

2010-11-02T09:55:00.000-06:00

Look at all the beans on this plant!

This year was the first year I grew soybeans. Here in Minnesota when you drive past the farmer's fields you are guaranteed to see corn and soybeans and not much else, which is sad but I won't go off on that tangent. When I decided I would grow soybeans my country neighbors might wonder why on earth a city person would want that in their garden...oh yes dear farmers they are edible when green. I think more and more we Americans are learning the joys of eating soybeans....and the controversy over their health benefits...again I'm not going there. We love edamame which are green soybeans boiled in salted water. In Japan this is a popular snack but here we are just beginning to see these treats in the stores. I bought many a bag of edamame at Trader Joe's this past winter and thought I should freeze these myself. They did not disappoint. At first I thought I wasn't going to get anything, then hundreds of blossoms appeared followed by an amazing amount of beans. They were easy to pick, easy to clean, and easy to freeze.

The little balls on the root is nitrogen that the plant produces and puts into the soil.

I just boiled them until they turned a little greener and put them under cold water to stop the cooking process and popped them in the freezer.

Here is a link I thought might be helpful in learning about how to prepare edamame.

Pumpkin Seeds

2010-11-01T10:08:00.000-06:00

Well I kind of dropped the ball on getting a pumpkin seed post out there while it was still October. Almost everyone I know saves the seeds and roasts them in their oven and everyone seems to have their own way of doing it. So I do realize this is a post that you really do not need. Nevertheless pumpkin seeds are one of my favorite things so I feel compelled to post on them.
When I was young my parents would soak the seeds in salted water overnight and roast them the next day. Since I cannot wait that long I take them from the pumpkin to the sink and do a very quick rinse making sure that all the guts do not rinse away because cooked up and crusted all over the seeds the guts add a lot of flavor. I put them on a baking sheet pour more olive oil than I should all over them and use huge salt crystals or when the good ones aren't available just plain old Kosher salt and roast them in the oven at a low temp.

There are all sorts of things you could use to flavor them cumin or chili pepper to give them spice but I love the combo of olive oil and salt.

Here are the best fifty pumpkin recipes at cooks.com.

Saving Seeds

2010-10-30T09:32:00.000-06:00

I don't like to save seeds from too many plants. I do not have the patience for the little seeds my ADD takes over and before ya know it I am weeding the garden and not picking off seeds. One thing I can handle is green bean or pole bean seeds. I love saving beans though because they dry right on the vine and they are so easy to shell into a container and pop it in the fridge until spring. In springtime I love knowing I have plenty of bean seeds in the fridge and its one less thing I need to worry about when starting the garden. I made a little video to show you just how easy this is. My son loves getting the seeds out. This year I just mixed them all up and he is separating them...I was careless in writing down what I was growing so I only know the variety of one of the beans. I do know they all were heirloom and they all grew very nicely therefore they are saveable.

Here is a video to show you how easy this is but also how much my five-year-old loves this.

Popcorn Balls!

2010-10-26T10:45:00.005-06:00

Ah (chuckle), nothing dehairs a couch like a toddler and a popcorn ball! Our 2 year old has yet to finish a popcorn ball before it is covered completely by hair.

This morning we wake up to blustering wind and snow, an 18 degree morning. We have a fire in the fireplace and decided it was time to make some popcorn balls. Last year, I found an old-fashioned recipe on the internet, called Grandpa's Popcorn Balls. We loved it and it is now a family tradition to make every fall before Halloween.

Very easy to make and the kids help. It is nice to have a candy thermometer for this one.

Grandpa's Popcorn Balls
2 C. Sugar
1/4 C. water
1 C. light corn syrup (am going to try with brown rice syrup for substitute)
1 Stick of butter
1 tsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
salt to taste
Popped popcorn (1 C. kernels)

1. Pop your popcorn and place in large bowl.

2. Put 1st 4 ingredients in a saucepan (I like tall ones) and cook until the candy thermometer reads 300 degrees or is at the hard crack stage.

3. Remove from heat and add vinegar and vanilla. Stir well.
4. Pour over popcorn and mix. Salt and mix more.
5. When it is cool, grease hands and make into balls.

Wrap in plastic wrap if you want to keep them for a while and enjoy! Oh, it never fails that I burn myself while making these because I can't resist caramel-like substances. Please avoid the temptation to lick it. Candy will be cool on the outside and still very hot on the inside. Although this may seem like common sense, your sense might be skewed when breathing the aroma of homemade candy and seeing the gooey caramel-like topping!

All about Popcorn

2010-10-25T10:39:00.007-06:00

Oh my! This book is amazing! I got this book from the library because we love having popcorn on our movie night and I thought it looked so fun. Lately, our popcorn has turned out hard, dense and tasted horrible. I have spent more hours than I want to admit worrying about it because we buy very good organic popcorn in bulk at a wonderful price. I was worried my 25lb. bag went from best to no good!

Thanks to this book, I learned all about popcorn and we now have "heavenly" popcorn on our movie nights! This popcorn is so yummy now. In case you want to skip the book (not recommended) here is how we revived our popcorn.

Popcorn does best if kept in a sealed jar in the fridge. If you popcorn turns into a duds, add a little water at the bottom of the jar and put back in the fridge. The popcorn will absorb the water and turn into very big fluffy kernels.

Popcorn is made when the moisture inside the kernel heats up and explodes. If there isn't enough moisture, there is no explosion.

Popcorn, has a long life and can be revived with a little water and patience! Add butter and salt and prepare for a popcorn experience that will "explode" your taste buds!

Alley and her Puppies!

2010-10-25T10:25:00.004-06:00

Born on Saturday, October 23rd, early morning.Eight beautiful and healthy baby St. Bernards. Mom is doing great and had a nice delivery. Alley is a wonderful and attentive mother.

Halloween Costumes

2010-10-23T07:44:00.008-06:00

There is only one more week until Halloween and if you have kids hopefully you have your costumes. The kids love to dress up and head out for candy on Halloween. Their energy is amazing they could walk for miles, if we let them, to fill up their plastic pumpkins. The best part is afterwards when they come home and dump their contents on the floor to categorize and count. I stay home to hand out candy while my husband enjoys perpetual childhood by never missing a year of trick o'treating. As a tradition I make hot apple cider and pumpkin seeds so when they all come back freezing they have a hot drink to warm them up and something healthy so they don't just eat candy.

We are fortunate to live a mile away from a very cool thrift store. I can find anything in this store. I needed a dress for a wedding and I shopped and shopped and shopped with no luck at all and I went on over to thrift store and guess what was waiting for me? A lovely black classic cut Banana Republic dress and just the other day I decided to check it out to find a jacket for my son and I found a Columbia jacket as good as new. He was thrilled. One super cool thing about this particular store is they have a huge Halloween section. My kids both found their costume there for very cheap. I do not like to make costumes but I will not spend 30.00 at Target on a new one so having a thrift store that has used costumes and clothes that can be made into costumes is very nice. If you have a Savers nearby I know they also have a Halloween section it is really economical to check your local thrift store first.

My favorite homemade costume and all my kids wore this costume, is a dog made out of sweat pants and a cap. White sweat pants, white sweat shirt, and white cap (or any color you would like). Cut spots out of felt from the craft store and glue or sew spots to costume. Tail can be made out of furry fabric or felt just cut a tail shape, if you want to get fancy you can sew a tail shape and pit it to bottom of sweat pants. For the hat, and this is what makes the costume, large google eyes glued on front and a pom pom glued center on the bill attach ears (fur fabric cut into ear shapes that hang down...think hound dog). There you have your dog. It is very easy to make and it has lasted us for years. My kids used to dress up in it and pretend to be a dog they absolutely love this costume. It is also a very innocent and sweet costume in contrast to all the scary and violent costumes available.

Here are some links to online homemade costume ideas.
http://www.robinsfyi.com/holidays/halloween/costumes.htm

http://www.essortment.com/hobbies/halloweencostum_sdla.htm

http://www.costumepage.org/hallocst.html

You can also head down to the library and usually find a book or two with costume ideas in it. Here are some titles I found.

Amazon.com Widgets

Pumpkin Carving

2010-10-20T17:24:00.004-06:00

Years ago when I was young and Halloween still thrilled me I used to carve elaborate pumpkins. I bought the kits and became crazed in my quest for perfectionism as I worked away for hours. I was so proud of my creations. The fact that one can make such elaborate pictures on a pumpkin is rather amazing. Taking my kids around trick o' treating I noted everyone else had just mediocre jagged faces and not a soul had such a sophisticated pumpkin as I had. It was serious. I had to have the best pumpkins. Now that I have four kids the pumpkins are carved by the kids and while I still long to do the fancy pumpkin the kids enjoy making jagged triangle eyes and a toothless grin or a mad one with sharp down turned eyebrows and fangs. They take pride in their simple faces and I proudly display them on the steps with candles lighting up the features. My favorite part is the guts but we will talk pumpkin seeds later.

Why not go for a fancy pumpkin this year? I might just get an extra one for me. Here is a great website that offers FREE downloads of the patterns they have tutorials and a whole bunch of good stuff for pumpkin carving on there.

Talking pumpkins reminds me of my favorite pumpkin soup recipe it is so perfect for October I will share that with you soon as well.

Keep Your Chickens Warm

2010-10-18T08:16:00.004-06:00

There is 68 days until Christmas and I am busy coming up with homemade gift ideas for you. I am making a list of my favorites and some old standbys. I know some of you buy gifts for your pets and so I thought I would share this chicken bonnet that you can make. It is so funny looking I would like to make one and put it on my chickens just so I can watch them run around with bonnets and laugh at them. I have often wondered what they would look like with little hats on. I thought this picture was so funny I had to share it with you. It is from Mother Earth News. There is also the chicken diaper which really makes me wonder how many people put diapers on their chickens. Can you picture yourself changing chicken diapers? I do love my mystery bantam so much and have become so attached to him/her. I am beginning to think he may be a rooster and if he is he will be coming inside the house to live with us. He is so little he can live in a bird cage or a indoor rabbit cage. I may just get nutty enough to put diapers on him. If I do I think I will keep that a secret.
I do not want to take their picture and post it on this blog so please click over and admire the chicken bonnet it is really hilarious. Click on the link for chicken sweaters and you will be treated to a Youtube video of chickens prancing about in knitted sweaters and a Santa chicken. I wonder what the chickens think of their sweaters and hats. My chickens have endured fifteen below weather and act like they do not even notice the cold. I lock them inside their house when it gets that cold but gee maybe I should be putting sweaters on them too.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Happy-Homesteader/Chicken-Fashion.aspx

It's Time to Eat Them Apples!

2010-10-17T15:18:00.003-06:00

We have had an usually warm October here in Minnesota. So warm in fact that I actually saw a butterfly yesterday and was saddened that he only had a few more days left to flutter about. Our freeze is coming any day now and the air has a new hint of cold in it. Last week it was down right summery this week the garden is bare the sky is gray and many of the trees are already completely bare. It is definitely fall. My yearly craving of apple desert fell upon me today and I baked up some apple crisp. It was so delicious I thought I would share it with you. I took the recipe from Epicurious and I modified it just a bit by cutting the sugar in half and adding brandy instead of lemon juice. I also used dried currants instead of dried cherries and I omitted the chrystalized ginger and used normal ginger in the apples. Maybe I rewrote the recipe and I should post my version? Well I must give credit where credit is due and lead you to the web page I got it from. If you have not been on Epicurious before and you like to cook it is a great website that never steers me wrong.

Here is the best apple crisp I have had in years! Thank you epicurious!

Refridgerator Pickles

2010-10-13T09:25:00.004-06:00

I never make pickles and my kids absolutely go nuts over them when I buy a jar they eat the entire jar right away so I thought I should probably make some. I figured if I did refrigerator pickles they wouldn't last long enough to go bad so I went to the farmers market, bought a ton of cukes, and got busy making Kosher Dills.

Growing up mom made pickles but they were always the sweet bread and butter pickles, the ones with mustard seed and turmeric in them. I love the crunchy spicy kosher dill spears and so do my kids so I went to the Internet to look for recipes. Many of the recipes did not have spice in them and some did not have garlic so I combined different recipes and the result was wonderful. I even played around at the end when I ran out of brine. I am pretty convinced that you cannot screw this up. Taste the brine to make sure it is right add what you would like to suit your tastes. Extra spice if you like it hot etc.

They turned out crunchy and a little spicy we were somewhat kid friendly but my kids love spicy food and did not find these too hot for them.

I encourage you to play around with this recipe double it or decrease it based on how many cucumbers you have.

Spicy Kosher Dills
2 Cups Vinegar
2 Cups water
6 T Kosher salt
16-20 cucumbers
8 cloves garlic
2 T pickling spice
1 large bunch dill (really as much as you like)
1/2 tsp pepper flakes

Combine water, vinegar, and salt until dissolved and pickling spice. Cut cucumbers into spears.
Place 1/4 tsp garlic, 1 dill sprig in jar, fill with cucumbers halfway, add another 1/4 tsp garlic, another dill sprig and fill it the rest of the way.

Put jars into fridge and wait a day or two. The next day they were tasty enough for us to eat. The kids thought it was so magical and were amazed that they tasted like pickles. How could that be when just yesterday they were cucumbers? They stayed crunchy and they went fast.

Musings on Loving and Atrracting Bats

2010-10-12T08:57:00.001-06:00

It is only because of my lack of time and my amazing procrastination skills that I do not have bat houses in my yard. I always wonder if they really work in attracting bats. Whenever I see them I make an effort to look up into the box to see if it is occupied. I have yet to be successful in that endeavor.

Now if you are like most people you may be squishing up your nose (did you just relax your face?) and wondering why anyone in their right mind would like to attract bats. Are thoughts of rabies and leathery wings getting stuck in your hair entering your mind? I have never been conditioned to be afraid of bats and in fact am inexplicably attracted to them.

Bats are one of my favorite creatures. I am mesmerized by their elusive flittiness in the evening sky. In the spring when the days were long my husband and I took evening walks with the dog and we were often blessed with the sight of the sporadic flight of the bats overhead. I always stopped and gasped taking in the sight with delight, usually exclaiming "Oh! A bat!" They are available to me every evening but every time I see them I get so excited as if I am spotting some elusive and rare creature. I am so full of excitement each time I have a bat sighting.

Back to bat housing. If you are like me I don't need to convince you that you may want bats in your night sky and thus sleeping nearby during the day. Most people however do not see the point so let me further entice you. Bats eat tons of mosquitoes and here in Minnesota where we call the mosquito our state bird, losing thousands of mosquitoes to bats is a very good thing. The chances of getting sick from a mosquito bite here are a lot greater than getting sick from a bat. In the rural part of our state West Nile Virus is becoming more and more common. One bat can eat thousands of insects during the hours they feed at dusk and dawn. So now that I have you all convinced...here is a link on attracting bats .

Here are some bat house plans. I promise they will not fly into your hair and you will not get rabies from them flying overhead. I've read that less than .5% of bats have rabies and the likelihood that you will encounter one of them and get bit is so incredibly small. Of course a bat that finds its way into your home should be dealt with carefully. I personally would try to catch without harming it and set it free outside but I should probably also mention that a call to animal control might be helpful.
For those of you who like me are in love with bats here is a website you might enjoy where bat lovers can come together and share their bat experiences, there is also Q&A and many other pages to explore.

Four Meals from One Chicken

2010-09-20T12:26:00.003-06:00

We cooked our first roasting chicken and yielded four meals from it. First, we made a Herb Roasted Chicken.

Herb Roasted Chicken
Rub broiler with oil and season with salt, pepper, garlic, seasoning salt or poultry rub, Herbs de Provence. Slide a few chunks of butter up under the skin around neck and back area. Stuff the inside of the chicken with onion, garlic, rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley and a few slices of orange or lemon if you have them on hand.
Bake @375 for about 45 min. to an hour.

After this meal, save the carcass, all meat and bones (in a zip-lock and into the freezer) and the juice drippings from the pan by deglazing the pan. Place it over heat and scrape all goodies off the roasting pan, if it is dry, add a little water. Pour into a container and freeze this.

Meal 2 & 3: Boil juices (pan deglazing) and leftover bones and meat in a stock pot and boil to make a stock. Stain liquid (saving parts) and make a basic chicken soup. You can cream this and usually get two batches of chicken pot pie.

Chicken Soup
To the chicken stock add: Onion, carrot, celery, garlic. Season to taste with garlic, salt and pepper, poultry seasoning and favorite seasoning salt (I use Mountain Rose Herbs seasoning salt). Add some leftover chicken pieces from the roasting chicken.

Chicken Pot Pie
9-inch double pie crust (top and bottom)

To cream the chicken soup, make a rue by melting about 6 Tbsp. butter and adding 6 Tbsp. of flour. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes. Ladle soup stock from soup into the flour mix and stir. Keep doing this until you have a nice creamy sauce. Add to the chicken soup. Mixture should thicken slightly. If it is still to runny, make a paste by adding some of the soup stock to a few Tbsp. of flour and mixing. Then stir this mixture into the soup until you have a creamy consistency.

Pour into an unbaked pie shell with top and bottom. Bake @ 350 until crust is golden and inside is bubbly.

Stock:
All the stuff you strained from the stock up above is still usable for another round of stock. Put it in your slow cooker and cover with water. Put on low and cook for 12 - 24 hours. I usually just let it go overnight. This will extract the marrow from the bones and make another batch of really good stock.

Now that is getting the most out of a meal!

Home Grown Chickens! Slaughter Day!

2010-09-20T12:03:00.005-06:00

This August, we butchered our first crop of meat birds and it went very well! We have done deer before and I remember it being a long task. I was anticipating this with the chickens, however, was pleasantly surprised.

The first thing we did was to separate our meat birds from the laying birds and confine them. This made them easy to catch and there was no mistaking the layers.

Then we placed them in the killing cone.
This can be made easier by swinging the birds overhead in a circle to make them dizzy and disoriented or holding them upside-down for a while to trance them. We didn't find either method necessary. Cut head off and allow chicken to bleed out.

We then setup two nooses hung from a 2x4. The bled chickens were dipped in boiling water (about 20 seconds or the skin pulls off when you pluck) and hung from the nooses by their feet (a simple slip knot). Having two of them allowed us to have two plucking stations at the same time.

After they were plucked we used a torch to burn off the pin feathers and then they went into a tub of cold water. From there, they were gutted and cleaned and put on ice. After all the chickens were done, we wrapped and froze them.

My husband and I were able to do 12 birds in 3 hours. It went quickly and was not overwhelming at all. Scott was very quick at cleaning out the birds and I plucked as quickly as I could. I think next time we will put a little tutorial together but there are great videos on YouTube. Once again, the internet is an indispensable resource.

The chicken turned out to be a little bit chewier than factory birds but the flavor was terrific and the meat was juicy. For the first timer, I would really encourage you to give this a try. It is not as overwhelming as it seems and very rewarding.

Was it hard to kill birds we raised in a loving environment? I did not have to be the one to kill them this time, but yes, it's always hard and I wouldn't want it any other way. Each person will handle it differently, but for me, compassion is given to every animal we raise no matter the purpose!

You never know it all!

2010-08-06T10:44:00.002-06:00

Experience tells you that you never know it all and I am reminded today of how true this is. I usually only share things I know and have learned, but I feel this is just as important.

A good friend of mine has been helping me to learn with the cows. We have a cow, Otis that has a pot belly and is bone thin. I figured, ah, worms! The dogs at some poop and got thin. I was certain it was worms.

Went to the local feed store and bought a dewormer and fly spray (another problem I had all figured out). $62 later, got home and read the fly spray and found out it is toxic and the ingredients are labeled as "other ingredients". They won't say what's in it.

The dewormer I got was for beef cattle and would have harmed if not killed our Dairy Cow's unborn calf which is in final stages of pregnancy.

When I got on the phone with my friend, she patiently waited while I disclosed my findings and then when I was all finished took a breath and educated me. I am never prepared for this because I read so much before I come to a conclusion on something. I am always so sure and it seems like I am always so wrong. Research is research and a sure necessity of farming and homesteading, but it is still not experience! It is so wonderful to be able to pick up the phone and say, "have you ever seen this?" So, when you are taking on a new project and buying all those books, don't forget to find a few experienced folks out there who don't mind sharing. Sometimes it just doesn't matter what the book says!

Hannah a.k.a. Sexing Expert

2010-08-06T08:17:00.002-06:00

Our daughter, Hannah, is 4 years old and has learned how to sex every animal that crosses her path. Even her toy animals get flipped over and inspected, to which, she will announce whether it is girl or boy.

When she came to me and told me she thought Lilly our barn cat was a boy, my first reaction was, "I don't think so!" We had sweet Lilly from a kitten and is the sweetest cat. However, we were experiencing some fighting between the cats trying to establish a pecking order. I told her about this and she didn't buy it.

With hands on her hips, she said, "No, Mom! She has the same stuff Otis has behind her! She IS a boy!"

Without losing a beat, Charlotte the other barn cat ran buy with Lilly right behind her and sure enough, it turns out Lilly is a boy. So, of course we had to rename him. His new name is Lynx. I just can't believe it took us so long to notice. We hold him all the time. I guess we just never looked!

Otis vs. The Water trough

2010-07-26T11:02:00.003-06:00

Last night, I heard Otis, the bull, messing with something over in his pen. The dogs were on alert as I locked up animals for the night, however, I kept hearing Otis' horns hitting something. As I walked up to the house, I heard something big, behind the house, moving through the woods. I checked it out and found nothing (later, found out it was a bear). I opted to not walk to the cow pen in the dark and by myself.

This morning, we found out Otis was playing with the water trough, a huge outdoor trough. I found it laying way down in the woods. He was picking it up and throwing it with his head. I went to retrieve it and it is so heavy that I can only manage to drag it up the hill and through the trees. Otis got behind the trough and pushed the trough and I up the hill! I was a little worried he might pick both of us up and toss us, but he was a complete gentleman. ; )

Filling the water trough involves getting the skid steer with forks on it and hauling it up to the hose! So, we decided to hang an old tire in the trees that he can hit with his head for fun. I also heard they like to push empty 55 gal. drums around. I have to chuckle because it is amusing to try to figure out toys for a cow, but well worth it because we don't want him to start on the fence!

Brahmas

2010-07-22T11:07:00.005-06:00

This spring, I got a phone call from someone asking if I would like 4 Brahmas (chicks)! Of course, I never say, "no" to chickens! I promised I would post pictures and an update and am very late in doing so! I have to say, the summer got away from me with the addition of a baby goat, many chicks, 2 cows and a garden.
Well here they are and are one of my favorite groups of birds. They adjusted well to their coop mates and have grown tremendously. They are more white than they were before and are lightening up, but incredibly beautiful!

They love free ranging outside and you can truly see their delight in scratching through the flowers and grass. These are great birds! Oh, just a quick note, it is incredibly hard to get a picture of them all together, so I hope these will do!

Mira and Otis

2010-07-22T10:35:00.006-06:00

Well, they are finally here after what seemed like a very long week. I thought the day would never get here. After much anticipation, the cows arrived, calm as could be. They inspected their new surroundings, surveyed the pen and did a few bucking kicks in the air as if to say, "YAHOO!"

Working with a large animal is so different than the smaller livestock. For the first few days, my heart would skip a beat when I was in the pen with them. I'm finally getting more relaxed and getting used to them. Despite some very normal butterflies in the stomach, I am delighted to have them here.Otis has been nothing but friendly and even laid his head on me when I scratched his neck this morning. They both seem very happy! I will quit boring you with details now and share some pictures.

This is Mira, short for Miracle. She was supposed to be a still born and her mother was very sick when she had her. The vet said she would be still born and she came out alive and perfectly healthy! She is 1/2 Jersey and 1/2 Angus. Her calf is due in September. She is sooooooo sweet!

Otis is a year old and has been worked with from a baby to not use his head, ha! Usually, we want our animals to use their heads! Not so in this case! He has been nothing but a gentleman since he arrived and as nervous as I am about keeping a bull, I really love him!

I went out late morning to take pictures and when I did, Otis was curled up like a baby sleeping. They have been hanging out in their enclosure a lot and I really wish they would go in the yard so I can clean in there!

I will post some more pictures late on! We are still trying to get everyone settled in and on a consistent schedule!

Don't mess with a Country Girl

2010-07-12T08:27:00.002-06:00

This was something a friend sent me and I got a good laugh out of it! Wanted to share a little country humor with you all!
Never irritate a woman who can operate a backhoe...

Women are Angels...And when someone breaks our wings...We simply continue to fly....on a broomstick...We are flexible like that...

Bringing the Cows Home

2010-07-11T09:34:00.003-06:00

Today my husband works hard to finish up fencing. The cow pen is almost done and he has agreed to let me take on a Bull as well. I'm excited about this, but know I have my work cutout for me. Managing a Jersey Bull will not be an easy task!

The Bull's name is Otis and he is a pure bred Jersey Bull. Our friends have worked hard taming him and training him and he is much sweeter than your average Jersey Bull. From what we have been told, they will kill you and are the meanest breed. Otis is different. He listens, as well as a bull can and is very sweet. He loves having his chin scratched and is best buds with the cow we are getting. Which puts me at ease that she won't have to make the move alone. In September, Mira will have a baby, which will give us 3 cows. A small herd and a big adventure!

Bandit

2010-07-09T22:06:00.004-06:00

Here is our little baby Bandit! He is quite the affectionate little guy! He gets very excited when we come to see him and greets us happily by rushing over for our affection and wagging his tail. Then he runs around all over and plays with us.

Already, I'm faced with the task of selling him and I am sad today as I post the ad. How will he get along without us? He is attached to us and we have to take him away from his Mama at 2 months old. He can breed at that age and it's a bad idea to run him with does. It breaks my heart though to think of our little barn without him. Hannah is so bonded with him and we already had the talk. She is sad and trying to work out every scenario to keep him.

Our dog, Jersey, has guarded the barn since the day he was born and still sits there just watching him. She is a great guardian!

I pray that we can find a good and loving home for him where he will be loved!

How did we get here?

2010-07-09T21:43:00.004-06:00

Two years ago, I was that person that would make trips to Wal-mart and Sams club and load up with cart loads of mass produced crap! Just a short 1 year later, I found myself drinking raw milk, making bread and buying goats and chickens. Another short 1 year later, we are completing a cow pen and getting ready to pickup our first cow.

Our little farm supports meat and egg chickens, 4 dogs, 6 goats (3 for dairy), barn cats and a big fat rabbit, who is a pet. We have a garden, all of our food is acquired without a store, we produce our own dairy products and make everything ourselves. We have completely dumped the convenience lifestyle for a lifestyle that could reach the stars.

This life is filled with hard work, blood, sweat and tears. But there is more! There is a peace at dawn that I've been blessed to experience, the first egg that we waited months for and now we are collecting eggs to feed ourselves and others. The patience and care that goes into hand milking a goat. The gratitude and bond we feel for our animals.

We have seen animals pull through some amazing battles for life, experienced the miracle of birth and humbly assisted the pathway for death. Gracie, our chicken has survived 2 dog attacks, 3 fox raids (2 in which she was the target and one where the fox left her with 4 puncture wounds) and a rooster that disowned her and tries to kill her every chance he gets. Now we have another chicken in our little hospital that has it's back and neck literally ripped open and seems to be doing fine. A dog that walked in the footsteps of death with a nasty infection and is now healthy again! A barn cat that survived a dog attack with severe neck wounds and infection. These animals never fail to amaze me and it seems daily how we witness God's perfection on our little farm.

I think back and wonder how we got here? It all happened so fast! I feel as if we were swept into a whirlwind! Just 2 years ago, I was a person that I wouldn't recognize today...

Cherries Are Here!

2010-06-25T10:24:00.011-06:00

Many years ago I bought a cherry tree that was discounted because it was the end of season. It was cheap and the best money I have ever spent on my garden. In Minnesota it gets cold in winter. Really cold. Thirty below zero cold with bitter windshields. It's amazing to me that anything comes back in the spring. It can be blistering hot and humid here in the summer and when that happens the gardens get lush and grass is emerald green. If we only had our summers and no winter I think maybe we could grow normal sweet cherries here...like the kind in the grocery store. But alas we must put up with only sour cherries. Nankin cherry bushes give a whole bunch of sour cherries, think pies and preserves but unless you like the puckering body shaking head turning eye squeezing sour taste don't eat these cherries. Now my little cherry tree gives cherries and they are of course sour BUT we can eat them with only a little bit of puckering and maybe a little wince. They are a pleasant sour. Usually this little tree has only given me about two cups of cherries and I cannot do anything with them other then freeze them and make my favorite chocolate cherry cake. If you haven't tried this cake yet you are missing out, I blogged about it last year, click here for that blog. This year this tree gave me a large bowl approximately five cups of cherries and there is still quite a bit hanging on the tree. It must be all the bunny poop I fertilized with.

I actually had enough to make a cherry pie! I have never in my life made a cherry pie. Cherries being so expensive in the store I never would have thought to do so. Pie cherries are so hard to find too.

A quick search on my favorite recipe site, epicurious, gave me plenty of pie recipes to choose from. I used the Traditional Cherry Pie recipe. I cannot get the link to work but I found they all seem to follow the same basic ingredients. I used tapioca to thicken it (make sure it is quick cooking tapioca) and only butter in the crust. It turned out marvelous once it was completely cooled. I tried to cut into it when it was still warm and was disappointed with how runny everything was. The next day the insides were thick and it was delicious. Sour but delicious. I would add a bit more sugar next time. I threw in a little almond extract too which added a lot for flavor. Vanilla ice cream is a necessity with this pie!

The picture does not do it any justice as I do not have a camera and have to use my computer. Food is especially hard to photograph.
If anyone asks me what fruit tree I would recommend. Cherries would be IT. If you could only have one tree make it a cherry tree because it gives you so much yield for just one tree. Gallons of cherries will be yours! I have never had a pest problem with this tree. Apples get wormy if you do not spray. With apples I have tried fly traps and just letting it grow with out anything and the worms are always there. Not so with these cherries. Not a single worm or bug on them. My peach trees have holes all over the leaves. Not so with my cherry tree. It is a beautiful flowering tree in the spring and has lovely shiny bark with dark green leaves in summer. With the fruit on them they are gorgeous.

Rhubarb Pie

2010-06-14T16:30:00.003-06:00

It has been raining for several days and despite the warm weather we just had, we awoke to snow yesterday morning! That's right snow, in the middle of June. Ice, once again, on the water buckets, trudging through thick cold mud and clouds so low they dragged the ground.

A little disheartening, to say the least. But when you are a farm girl at heart, no matter the weather, you don't sulk. You do your chores, then you come in, warm up and make pie! With a fire in the wood stove and a rhubarb pie well on the way, the day was looking brighter already!

This recipe was my Mom's and brings a lot of memories of cooking with her in the kitchen. I've been rolling out pie dough before I could reach the counter and rhubarb pie was a regular dish in our house. I could almost feel her there with me as I prepared the pie we so often made together. Hope this one leaves you with some fond memories!

Rhubarb Pie

Pie Crust
1 C. flour, plus some for dusting
4-5 C. rhubarb, diced
2 - 3 C. cinnamon and sugar (2 C. sugar, plus 1 Tbsp. cinnamon)
1 stick of butter, diced

1. Toss flour with diced rhubarb and butter.
2. Pour into prepared pie crust and top liberally with cinnamon and sugar mixture. It will seem like too much, but you will need a lot.
3. Cover with top pie crust, make slits and bake.
4. 375 degrees for 45 min - 1 hour. (crust will be browned and inside bubbly)
5. Sprinkle immediately with Cinnamon and Sugar when you take out of the oven.

Pie Crust

2 C. flour
1 C. butter
sprinkle with salt
6 Tbsp. cold water

1. Mix butter and flour in mixer.
2. When it looks crumbly, add cold water and sprinkle with salt.
3. Roll 1/2 dough on a floured surface (it will feel sticky), once it is rolled out, it shouldn't be sticky.

*Roll out any extra dough and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake in oven at 350 degrees until golden brown.

Are you Kidding?

2010-06-04T14:08:00.010-06:00

Yesterday, our family got to experience kidding for the first time! Although, we were not as prepared as we would have liked to be, everything went smooth. It was very calm and if you've ever had a baby, instincts really do guide you. I did need to read up on what my part was and how to do my part. Fiasco Farms was indispensable in helping me through this. I cannot give them enough kudos for the sight they have prepared and the information and pictures. I would've been lost without them and they really helped me to relax and enjoy the birth!

The first thing that happened was Dazzle had mucus hanging from her opening. I figured this was the mucus plug. When a goat is getting ready to kid, the ligaments on either side of the tail disappear or get soft and will actually appear dented in. The back near the tail will go from straight to slightly arched and she held her tail up.

Next we saw the "bubble" which is the amniotic fluid. Sometimes you see the sack and sometimes you don't. We saw the sack and it was filled with fluid (above). Some of the fluid had spilled onto the bedding and Dazzle quickly cleaned it up between contractions!

Within a few hard contractions we saw two hooves poking out. This meant the baby was positioned right and in "diving" position. Whew!

A couple more strenuous pushes revealed a tiny head. The head is the hardest part! We were able to see his little mouth moving.

A final push and the baby slid right out onto the hay. We picked him up and held him upside down while we cleared some of the mucus. He sneezed and snorted a little bit and very quickly, we got him in front of his Mama.

Mama got right to work cleaning and cleaning him. She didn't rest or take a break. She licked him until he was completely dry and clean and then started on the pen. Cleaning up all mucus and blood. Yes, they eat it. I think this is so they don't attract predators in the wild. I helped her out cleaning up the dirty hay so she would sit down and rest. We held baby up to her teat to get his first drinks of colostrum. Within the hour he was dry, standing and head bumping her udder for more. We would hold the teat to his mouth and every time it slipped out, he would howl for us to put it back. Too funny! By evening he was nursing on his own.

Next came the afterbirth. Yes, she was cleaning her whole pen before the afterbirth came out. She passed her afterbirth and again, promptly ate it. We removed what was left before she could finish and quickly cleaned up the hay.

She went back to work on baby and licking him to perfection. Then gently nudging him to get him up and moving around on those shaky legs. Mama got some warm molasses water, a few raisins and her grain to help her get her strength back and by dusk was finally resting.

She is a very good Mama! Loving and affectionate! She also liked having us with her. Oliver and Hannah got to see the whole thing and had many questions during the birth. Hannah got to pet a wet baby fresh out of it's mother and did not shy away. This is a beautiful thing to me that she did not consider it gross. Dazzle licked us all along with the baby and welcomed our encouragement.

This is such an intimate and private time to share with your animals and the whole time she would murmur to her baby very softly. To see how much she loved and cared for him was so amazing.

Popover Pancakes

2010-06-01T07:29:00.006-06:00

Today was one of those rare mornings that I felt like I had a lot of time. Everything just worked for me. I was able to get up and get ready before the bus came for the kids. I even brushed my teeth. Usually my greatest accomplishment by the time that bus arrives at 7:15 is the fact that I am awake enough to hug my kids as they head out the door. I should really say kid as many mornings my daughter doesn't speak on the way out and I am lucky to get a good-bye. With teenagers ya never know what you're gonna get, but lately she has been very sweet and said good-bye to me.

When my five-year-old, Caleb, who doesn't go to school, requested popover pancakes, also known as dutch babies or pannekoeken, for breakfast I thought, "why not?" I have no bread in the house so something easy like toast was out and I had not made one of these in years. We named these pancakes popover pancakes when my daughter was very young because they reminded us of popovers. They are like a giant popover. My fifteen-year-old daughter whips up these pancakes like she's pouring a bowl of cereal. She memorized the recipe years ago and she makes them for herself every weekend. Since she sleeps in until noon or later we are long past breakfast by the time she makes hers so we might pick at the left overs but never really enjoy it like a breakfast.

This recipe is so easy. I had forgotten how simple it is to make these, only four ingredients go into the batter and butter for the pan makes a total of five. What comes out of the oven is a puffed golden delicious eggy popover-like creation that will impress everyone with your amazing baking skills. I top mine with syrup my kids prefer powdered sugar atop theirs. Fresh berries would be good with powdered sugar and it is even good plain. I tried to make this once in high altitude (at Mishaun's house) and it tasted good but never puffed up.

This recipe comes from The Joy of Cooking under the name Dutch Baby. This recipe serves two of us to double pour batter into a 9x13 pan. Melt butter in the pan in the oven.

Popover Pancake

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

In large bowl mix:

1/2 Cup milk
1/2 Cup all purpose flour
1/4 C sugar
2 large eggs

Melt in a 10 inch ovenproof skillet (cast iron is ideal) over medium heat: 4 tablespoons of butter. (I usually cut that down to 2).

Tilt the pan so that the butter coats the sides. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and cook, without stirring, for 1 minute. Place the skillet in the oven and bake in a 425 degree oven until the pancake is puffed and golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately, for the pancake loses its puff, and therefore its drama, almost immediately.

The Busyness of Saturday

2010-05-29T09:03:00.006-06:00

Today is Saturday I caught up on my sleep and stayed in bed until 8:30 thanks to the charity of my dear husband who got up at our normal time to be with the boys. I feel so much better having had a couple of hours of extra sleep. Saturday may have started out restful but we have so much work scheduled to pack into this day we know we will not accomplish it all but we are going to probably nearly kill ourselves trying.

There is always laundry to do on Saturday and there is still last Saturday's laundry that I never got the chance to put away. I hang out the laundry to dry so laundry must be done first. We are also washing windows today. Tom does the outside and I do the inside. I purchased all of my seedlings and really want to get them all in the garden today and I have compost to spread and grass clippings to sprinkle. My teenage daughter said she needs clothes and wants me to take her shopping today something I just dread. There is more but I know we will not accomplish it all so why mention all I want to do.

In order to get some things done faster we decided to call today family cleaning day even though we aren't planning on doing a ton of cleaning. I told the kids that if they help us accomplish our work today that after they can have ice cream. I have not purchased ice cream in a long time so it is a rare treat for them lately. They were very enthusiastic and have signed on to some jobs. I have harder jobs that I have attached a price to for my older boy, like cleaning out the chicken coop, it is a lot of work and being only ten and a little on the wimpy side he will quit long before he is ahead if there isn't a price attached. In summer I give them all chores that they must do for free. I remind them that they get to live here, and eat our food, and get to have clothes and toys all for free so as card carrying members of this family they need to pitch in. I don't like to give an allowance for doing basic chores so I have attached a price for extras if they want to pick up some that aren't on their chore list. They do not get an allowance but get paid for doing extra work. I don't understand giving kids money for nothing because they start believing that just because they exist they are entitled to a lot.

Kids love doing certain jobs and family cleaning day is a way to teach them the proper way of doing certain chores that aren't a daily chore. Incorporating kids in cleaning doesn't just give them a sense of belonging and importance but life skills. How sad it would be if our kids flew the nest without knowing how to care for themselves. If you are a homesteader kids not only learn basic life skills but they learn self-sufficiency. They know how to thin vegetables, plant seeds, bake bread, make jam, can food. They may not know exactly how to do those things but hey are learning and have an idea but the hope is that by the time they are adults they will have a very good understanding of all these things.

Oatmeal From The Whole Groat

2010-05-28T06:50:00.012-06:00

This morning I am making oatmeal for breakfast using the whole oat groat. I like it so much more than rolled oats. I spent many mornings at Children's Hospital with my daughter and I always ate oatmeal for breakfast as that was the only healthy choice for breakfast. Their oatmeal was amazing. It had these creamy little pearls instead of the flat rolled oats we usually have. I could not understand how they got their oatmeal so puffy. After making my own chicken feed I had a lot of oat groats in the house and even when I was using them for feed the light bulb did not go on that these were the amazing wonders that the hospital oatmeal was made out of.

A few weeks ago, after looking for crockpot oatmeal recipes I had my great aha moment and decided to cook up some oat groats and voila the most amazingly delicious hearty and wholesome oatmeal was on my dining room table. I was so happy!
Since oat groats are not processed as much they retain the most nutrients.

Oat Groat Oatmeal
1 Cup Oats to 3 Cups water simmer for two hours. (Good food takes time).
I like to top mine with brown sugar and craisins with just a little bit of milk.

To speed up the cooking process you can soak the grains overnight. This not only speeds up the process but it is better for you too. Soaking grains reduces phytic acid which when digested interferes with nutrient absorption. Here is a fascinating article on phytic acid from the Westin A. Price Foundation.

You could also try this in the crockpot. Add 1 Cup oats to 4 cups water for 8-9 hours on low. I haven't tried this yet so I do not know how good it is in the crock pot.

I have made a lot of it at one time and kept it in the fridge to re-heat the next day. This is not as good as freshly made oatmeal but good enough to do and a big save timer for those days when you might not have two hours to wait for breakfast....probably most days. Remember that making the oatmeal is not really time consuming as you can go on with your day while your oatmeal cooks so don't be overwhelmed by its long cooking time. It is definitely worth the wait.

Rhubarb Cake

2010-05-26T14:07:00.000-06:00

When we were little my mom used to make use of the rhubarb that grew in our garden. She may have made more than I remember but what I do remember is tart rhubarb pies that I did not much care for and melt in your mouth delicious rhubarb cake. Believe it or not I have not tried the famed strawberry-rhubarb pie or jams but just as my mother did I stick to the straight forward rhubarb pie and rhubarb cake. This year I made rhubarb cake twice so to be fair to my husband who loves the pie I need to make that next.
Since there are five people scarfing it down with abandon,when I make the cake it is gone in one day. I will eat it for breakfast if it is available and snack on it throughout the day. So consider yourself warned if you decide to make this it will put your will power to the test and no doubt weaken all defenses. I have a certain amount of strength when it comes to not overeating but when this cake is here I turn into an absolute glutton.
I have no idea how this recipe came to our family but it has been a staple forever. My mom had given it to me verbally over the phone and I wrote it down. When she died I did not find this recipe among her things so I am grateful that I have it. This cake brings me right back to being a little girl and getting excited for the cake to be done. I remember watching my mother make it and dipping the extra rhubarb in sugar and eating it tortured by its tartness at the same time loving the sugared sweetness. Peeling back the strings of the rhubarb always brings me back to my childhood kitchen, back to the table, my stick of rhubarb dipping in the sugar.

Mom's Rhubarb Cake

1 1/2 C brown sugar
2 C flour
1 C buttermilk (or homemade kefir)
1/2 C butter (or shortening)
1 1/2-2 C Rhubarb (cut into one inch pieces ...or personal preference)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg slightly beaten
1 tsp salt

Top With:
1/2 C sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Grease and flour 9 x 13 pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In bowl of electric mixer cream butter add brown sugar mix well. Add beaten egg to mixture and mix. Add buttermilk and vanilla and mix. Add 1 1/2 C flour, baking soda, and salt and mix.

(I know I am saying mix a lot here but like I said this was given to me verbally. Be careful not to over mix or it will get tough just mix enough to incorporate do not beat the heck out of it.)

In separate bowl mix cut rhubarb with 1/2 C flour and add to cake batter. Pour batter into prepared cake pan.
Sprinkle topping over batter
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes

Grow Your Own Garlic

2010-05-17T16:30:00.000-06:00

Have you ever grown garlic? I remember trying once many years ago but I had planted it at the wrong time and was not impressed with the results. I buy so much garlic and it goes into absolutely everything we eat for dinner, and now from our facebook page I learned about garlic tincture and cannot wait to try that for the common cold!

Last fall I planted my second crop of garlic. I went to the store and purchased organic red garlic and organic white garlic. I dug little holes in the back yard and dropped individual cloves into the holes. Now that it is spring the long shoots are up. I couldn't believe it worked! The squirrels haven't even tried to dig them up. I live up north in the frozen tundra of Minnesota so it is best here to plant in the fall. One can plant garlic in the spring here but usually the result is a smaller bulb than fall planted garlic. In the south it is usually planted in February or March. Fall planted garlic should be planted around Mid-October and November. This far north it is not uncommon to have snow in November so I did October just to be safe. It should be done after the first frost. If the snow cover is good that year it protects the garlic below but just to be safe cover with straw. I used leaves to cover mine but we did have an impressive snow cover this year.

So now that I have these nice little green shoots I was wondering when is it okay to pick the garlic. I have been so tempted to pull one up to see how well its doing under there but I want to actually be able to use the garlic I planted so I resist the urge. They say you have to wait until the leaves are brown before you pick.

Once the garlic is picked it is very important that it is dried otherwise it will simply rot. Hang garlic in a dry place for about two weeks and then take them down, brush the dirt off of them but do not wash them.

Where to plant garlic: Garlic needs a good sunny location but it is also good to keep in mind how garlic can help your other crops. Garlic planted next to lettuce and cabbage will keep the aphids and other garden pests off of them. (Unfortunately it does nothing to deter chickens).

If all goes well I will be harvesting my garlic soon and drying and best of all I will have the satisfaction of using it!

Simplicity!

2010-05-14T10:29:00.003-06:00

I can't help but having simplicity on my mind...In our crazy world, so many of us are seeking simplicity and it never really hit home until I started experiencing it. Yes, it seems strange that simplicity is something to experience but we've complicated our world so much around us that we don't even realize how simple it can be.

About a month ago, I decided I would wash dishes by hand. I've read how it actually uses more power and more water to do this. The lightest wash on our dishwasher runs for 86 minutes. I fill one small sink with soapy water to wash dishes. It just didn't add up! There is NO WAY, that running the sink for 2 or 3 minutes uses more water than running two sprayers for 86 minutes. Well, it took me 15 minutes to wash, rinse and dry the dishes. What I assumed was coffee stains on my mugs washed off with ease and these dishes sparkled. No extra rinse agents, just water. The dishwasher was using up detergent, water, electricity and the dishes did not come out clean or dry. The dishwasher is a decent Maytag dishwasher, designed like the others on the market. It's an Energystar! I say that with a bit of sarcasm because we had a sales person at the appliance store tell us that usually if they are energy efficient they take a lot longer to run! This is so crazy, do you ever feel like shaking the world and yelling WAKE UP! Do we really just say,
"oh...ok...that makes sense"? The point is to use LESS!

We have been washing dishes by hand for about the last month, love how clean they are getting! I love that my cookware and utensils are staying in great shape because they aren't subjected to the harsh environment of the dishwasher.

When I wash our laundry we use our clothes line to dry the clothes. I try to use the lowest setting on our new energystar front load washer because the others take an hour to wash clothes! Got to love that Energystar! The lowest setting still takes 38 minutes per load. The clothes are not any cleaner either.

My husband has been playing around with a small turbine in the yard. We have been running it, although it needs tweaking. We are getting some feed from it. This is at a time when all the hot water pumps are running in the house and we are still heating.

Our electric bill went from $160 to $100. That is a big difference. Because we made a choice to simplify.

But it takes more time? No, what you lose in time you gain back in other places. For example, I have to spend 10-15 minutes hanging laundry on the line, but I am not waiting an hour for each load to dry. So laundry is washed, dried, folded and put away in a few hours. It used to take a day or two.

There are other benefits I've noticed. It is a wonderful feeling to be outside in the sunshine hanging laundry. The kids are playing all around you, they tend to gather and visit with you when you do these simple tasks and are not rushing around. The chickens are scratching near by and you listen to the birds, the chicken chat, the kids...it's intoxicating.

Washing dishes? Theraputic? The wonderful smell of the soap, warm water, clean dishes and taking the time to just take a breath and observe. I love looking out the window as I wash dishes. Something, I don't take the time to do normally! Or, turning on music and singing songs with the kids.

This is all simplicity! It's not harder than how I did it before and it really doesn't take much time. It not more wasteful! Oh and by the way, the price on a new dishwasher...we won't even go there! There is so much to gain in "being still"!

Our Other New Member, Dolly!

2010-05-11T15:06:00.002-06:00

Here's Dolly! Hannah's sweet little baby rabbit has quickly adapted to living here with us. She has taken well to Rusty and even befriended our cat!

Introducing Rusty!

2010-05-11T14:54:00.003-06:00

About 5 years ago, I went down to our neighbors at the Royal Ranch and asked them if they would adopt our bunny Lucy! They took her and have had several house rabbits ever since. Last week, I received an email from the Royal Ranch asking if I would like to adopt Rusty as a companion for a baby bunny we found. After losing his mate, Rusty was in mourning. It's funny how we have made a full circle!

I was so thrilled to be adopting a house rabbit and didn't really know how much I had missed having them around. Rusty is coming out of his shell and this picture shows him lounging in his favorite spot by the fireplace.

He is finally showing off his personality a little bit. He's been playing with the cat and racing on the carpet. What a sweetheart he is. He loves being petted and when I stop petting his head, he nips me for more! He has quickly become one of our favorite family members.

Animal Feed Co-op

2010-05-07T10:13:00.002-06:00

We are so excited to have found an affordable source of feed and start a co-op! This is all happening so much faster than I had imagined but all the pieces are falling into place and we are making really good feed available to people in our area and for an affordable price. Feed can be your biggest expense sometimes and to be able to help others and share what we have learned is so rewarding! We are supporting good farming, pure products and local farmers! If you would like to do the same in your area, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I would be thrilled to help you get setup!

The Urban Homesteader Contemplates becoming Rural

2010-05-06T21:44:00.010-06:00

For as long as I can remember I have been longing and pining to be on a farm. Not to be dramatic but I have a real fear of dying before I get there. Of course when I imagine heaven it is very rural but I want to live this earthly life in the country. There always seems to be things standing between me and my dream so I began to say to myself, "When the time is right our farm will become available to us," or "Our farm isn't ready for us yet."

When I was little on the way home from my cousin's farm in Wisconsin, sitting in the back seat my head pressed against the glass, eyes taking in every cow and horse we passed I would ask my parents why we can't live on a farm. They always told me how much I would hate it because farm kids had a lot of chores to do. The farm people who lived in those houses and owned those cows were so mysterious to me. What was their life like.... and their kids had to work? Then there were all the stories of farm machinery mishaps my parents would mention once in a while involving the loss of members and don't forget the guy across the street doesn't have a thumb for just that reason.

We used to pick corn at the U-pick farms when we were little. I love corn fields despite the little rash I always got from the stalks rubbing against my arms and the little corn worms we saw on the ears. My mother exposed us to the country quite a bit and in those days it was only a fifteen minute drive whereas now urban sprawl has made the country a lot further away. I remember going to a farm that we used to buy raw milk from. The farmer put it in those giant glass mayonaise or pickle jars and the cream at the top was such a thing of wonder to us. I used to hang over the fence to pet the cow that gave us that milk and wished that we could have one of those in our back yard. I still kinda wish that.

A few years ago we went exploring in the country and the kids were sick of being in the car so we all piled out and walked on the gravel road to stretch our legs. I remember all of us being stunned by the beauty of the sound of bugs, the grandeur of the big sky and soybean fields as far as our eyes could see. One of my kids gasped and said, "Can we live here?" I get an ache in my gut from longing to be surrounded by fields, trees, and open sky. I love to stand next to a corn field and hear the rustling of the corn stalks in the wind and the cacophony of insects chirping. There is such inexplicable beauty in the sounds of the country. Then there is the smell...that mixture of earth and fresh air with a hint of manure. I love it.

I began to search in earnest for a hobby farm about four years ago and we looked at several. My husband, Tom, was not as keen on the idea as I was but God bless him he saw how much I wanted it and looked at houses with me driving an hour to see something we knew we weren't going to buy. I was a Realtor at the time so I could get us in. He did not like the idea of the drive to his work and at the time he did not see the point of trying to be more self-sufficient. He loved the country but he felt he needed to win the lottery to get there.

After living with ducks, chickens, and bunnies and seeing how incredibly awesome it is to go out back to get your breakfast, and after realizing that the eggs produced by our three lovely ladies in the hen house just are not enough to feed us, I think he started wanting a little more. Watching our son enjoy 4-H, seeing that we need so much more space for a garden and wishing we could raise turkeys for meat along with other animals for that purpose and even desiring to sell at the farmer's market has made him really want more space to do the things we cannot do here in the city. If someone would have told me two years ago that my husband would have these desires I would have laughed. Not mister I-need-to-bike-to-work, I-don't-want-to-get-dirty-and-have-a bunch-of-animals. Uh-uh.

Well this very same husband approached me on Monday with his dream farm. Now I have been looking at farms for years and continue to do so knowing full well that now is not the time to be moving. We have a sick child who requires full time nursing care. Our lives are on hold and have been for two years. I took a look at the lap top screen he held in front of me as he raved about this five acre farm in Cannon Falls. I liked what I saw, pastures, sheep, fencing, a huge garden with deer fencing, a large hen house, a large house with four bedrooms, a well cared for property. I thought the man had lost his mind. He never looks for farms, that is my job. I am the farm hunter he is the naysayer. Confused by this role reversal I told him now is not the time. "I know I know, but we could have an animal for milk you could have goats or sheep." I wonder if he has been possessed or re-programmed. He pretty much talked about that farm every time I saw him since he showed me the MLS listing on the computer. Then Tuesday I get a call from him from work telling me he is taking the day off so we can drive down and look at the outside of it.

I really did not want to. I was delighted that Tom was acting the way he was. He wants a farm now too! Thank you God my prayers are answered Tom and I share the same goal. I still thought this was crazy, but then...I saw the property.

I actually was in love with it when the gravel road curved a sharp right and we rode down past grass grazing cows and farther down was THE farm. I was smitten. The land was gorgeous. Rolling hills, lots of trees, sooo much space, amazing views. Lots of privacy but close enough to your neighbors for it not to be scary.

Now my mind was completely gone with excitement and hasn't returned since. We drove to the end of the road, parked the car in front of a pasture of horses and crunched numbers. We could actually afford it!

The entire ride home I talked about how impossible it is and Tom had an answer to everything I had to say. We would be closer to the Mayo in Rochester, we can get nurses in Cannon Falls, we are one mile from the nearest hospital. I started talking to my nurses about it an many said they would follow us there. One of them asked, "What's stopping you?" That made me think. What is stopping me? Our daughter would be closer to one of the best hospitals in the world, one we spent a lot of time at. We can still get our nurses. There really isn't any reason not to go for it. All we would need to do is sell our house. Which could be difficult in this market but we are in a position to rent it out and still be able to buy that farm.

The crazy thing is is that Tom and I have ourselves moved in there these few days since we looked at the outside on our little drive-by. We think of it as ours. I keep reminding him that we haven't even seen the inside of the house and might hate it, unlikely based on the pictures we have seen, but still we might not like it. What does everyone say when they want something but aren't sure if they can have it? If it is meant to be it will be. I leave this to providence. I always said our farm is out there waiting for us at the end of a long gravel driveway. I will hear the insects calling and the corn stalks blowing in the wind on a daily basis...well in summer at least.

Presto It's Pesto!

2010-05-05T20:53:00.003-06:00

There has been so much raving about my pesto recipe that I had to blog it and share it with you all. I think this might be the best cold remedy ever invented. I say that because it is loaded with garlic. Garlic is good for fighting colds and raising your immune system. Anyone who tries it can't stop eating it! I hope you filled your garden with Basil this spring!

Mishaun's Pesto

1 C. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 C. Parmasean Cheese
1/2 C. Asiago Cheese
1 C. Almonds
2 C. Basil (packed)
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
1/2 Stick of Butter
4-5 cloves garlic

Blend in a blender until smooth and creamy. Slather on absolutely everything edible! Mix with pasta noodles, spread on french bread and toast it, marinate chicken, spread on grilled chicken or steak, on your eggs, on baked potatoes, with crackers, dip with bread chunks....Ok, you get the idea!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies!!!!

2010-05-04T07:16:00.003-06:00

I have had energy lately, which for me translates into lots and lots of baking. I had a major disaster in making bread yesterday. I tried to make millet bread which had rye, wheat, and white flour in it, as well as millet. It raised a little in the bowl but I thought it was a bit heavy looking. Once it baked, I ended up with two hard boulders. I thought I would whip up some chocolate chip cookies to make up for my loss.

Years ago, when I had less children and more time, I set out on a quest for THE perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. I always ended up with little cakes when I made them. At first I tried different people's recipes and they are all basically the same. Some have less butter or sugar but a chocolate chip cookie recipe is basically butter, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips. Now there is definitely personal preference that goes into finding the perfect cookie. I like mine melt in your mouth moist and chewy with a slightly crisp exterior. I also like a bit of heartiness to the cookie so I always add oats. I experimented with less sugar and found that brown sugar is an essential ingredient in the type of cookie I like. Butter also is key. If you replace butter with Crisco it loses a lot in flavor and if its replaced with canola oil the cookie takes on a completely different texture than what I like. Butter is crucial! If we reduce the amount of butter it ruins the cookie. If I did not have kids there would be nuts and Craisins in there to make it a bit more hearty but the one time I did that the outcry was such that I will never make that mistake again. So after much experimenting here is what I came up with.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

2 sticks of butter
1/2 C of granulated sugar
3/4 C of brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 C white flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 Cups of old fashioned rolled oats
a lot of chocolate chips (eyeball it.)

Preheat oven to 375. In the bowl of an electric mixer, put two sticks of butter, mix until very creamy. Add sugar and blend until smooth and light. Add brown sugar and mix. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated. Add vanilla. Mix. Add flour, oatmeal, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips and mix. Use a Tbsp. to place the dough onto ungreased cookie sheets (air bake are the best). Bake for 12-14 minutes and enjoy!

William and The Girls

2010-05-03T09:52:00.010-06:00

Here is a picture of William our new rooster! A friend gave him to us after our other one took chunks from our daughter's leg. He is so friendly and has even learned to come to the chicken call. He isn't very afraid of us anymore. The first picture is of Dorrey (yellow chicken), our fattest chicken and friendliest and Rosie, the other friendly and nosey chicken. Dorrey talks to us and knows her name. If we lock her in the run to go somewhere she sits at the door and complains to us very loudly with the most hideous sorrowful calls, then looks to see if we noticed. Rosie has her beak in everything I am doing and is not afraid of anything. She walks underneath our dogs and trys to steal food from under their noses. I can't believe the character these girls have!

Mishaun

2010-05-01T07:27:00.004-06:00

Hi, I suppose I should introduce myself a little bit also! First, I would like to say, we have really enjoyed documenting our projects and receiving your comments on them.

Aspen Hill Farm is the name of our little 35 acre farm. It has only just developed into a small farm this past year, driven by the desire to raise our own food. It is named for a small hill covered in Aspen trees directly behind our property. There is a deer trail and our children, goats and dogs get to go hiking there when the weather is nice.

My husband builds everything for us or finds deals to setup our barns and enclosures. I dream of adding a barn to our farm, but for now, we do everything with small pole barns and sheds. We name all our animals and love them dearly! This consists of 5 goats, 4 dogs, 3 cats, lots of chickens, 7 turkeys and a bunny! Yes, we are growing and adding a cow soon! I care for this lot of animals, visit with them and train them. The kids are involved with the whole process and name most of these animals. I am mother and teacher to 3 children ages 2, 4, and 5. They are involved in everything and I wouldn't dream of doing any of it without them. They love their home/farm and it provides them endless entertainment.

WE are homemakers! My husband is too! He works out of the home most of the week. Although he is working during this time and usually more, we have him with us for lunches, breakfasts and dinners. Our kids love to be able to knock on his office window and show him a chicken they are holding or a cool bug they have found! He keeps everything running and functioning. He is the fix all for anything that breaks and builds us everything we need. He steps in when I am unable and is my companion and best friend. None of it is possible without him!

On a personal note, I try to share everything I learn. I've been teaching bread making and milking and hope to add a chicken and goat care class too! Writing the blog has been a wonderful experience and great way to document. Although, I want it to be so much more, there is only time for so much and the blog doesn't get the attention we always want. I truly enjoy doing everything from scratch and love the quality that results in my work.

I am also working on turning some of the kids' adventures with all their animals into a good collection of children's stories. I don't care so much about being published but I want our children to have the stories for themselves. I will try to publish them, but what happens happens!

My passion is farming. It is heartbreaking how such a beautiful thing has been twisted, tortured and manipulated into such an evil monopoly. We hope to bring you back to the place where food is blessing and a life is a miracle. Production is pure and excess is sold to pay for feed. There is a certain romance to how life works here and I imagine that is why so many of us are drawn to it!

Thanks for following us and please share with us your comments. It helps us to know how we can help!

Confessions of an Urban Homesteader

2010-04-28T14:50:00.001-06:00

Happy one year anniversary Homestead Apprentice! It was last April that Mishaun and I decided to start this blog. Mishaun has been doing all this great stuff to be more self sufficient and I happened to be doing things like tapping my back yard Maple and keeping chickens.

The people in my life were so curious about all these crazy things I do, they had so many questions and seemed so interested. With all this interest I decided there had to be a blog. I could not do the blog alone and here is where the confession part comes in...I am not really what you would call a homesteader. More like a homesteader wannabe. So I went to the only person I knew who really was, my sister Mishaun. She grudgingly agreed and once on board she was the driving force of this blog. I plopped a recipe on once in a while but she informed you about goat feed and chicken feed and all kinds of real homesteading things.

More confessing: I am more of a cross between June Cleaver and Martha Stewart with a longing to be a true farm girl. I am a stay at home mom of four children that is the only part of me that is really like June Cleaver, well that and the unusually large amount of time I spend in the kitchen. I never wear pearls except for the ones that inadvertently get stuck to the back of my pants during beading projects with the kids. I do get crafty once in a while and I love to cook which is where Martha comes in, and Martha did turn the world onto the idea of backyard chickens.

I love the idea of self-sufficiency basically because I hate shopping and hate my dependency on big corporations. I hate that it costs about $4.00 for a head of organic broccoli and in winter beets cost me $1.00/individual beet. That is where my garden comes in and my homesteading. I despise grocery stores but I still need to go at least once a week. Mishaun rarely needs to go. We live in Minnesota, so we only have access to fresh home grown produce for a few months out of the year. I do make pizza on Fridays completely from scratch except for last Friday when I plopped my sore body down on the couch and asked my husband what is for dinner. He is never presented with that question so his shocked expression was so worth uttering those words. We ended up with sandwiches, rice, and sausage. A weird mixture of leftovers.

Well since I am being so honest I will also tell you that sometimes, when there is a sale I buy my own laundry detergent. I loved making it but most of the time I just don't do it. I also have never had a successful compost heap, something I am hoping to change this year.

The blog has been and continues to be a learning experience. I never knew there was a word for my odd love of doing everything from scratch and basically the hard way. I love getting eggs from my hens in the back yard, love making my own yogurt, making pizza from scratch, and eating what comes from the garden. I love spreading my homemade jelly on my peanut butter sandwiches. I wish I had more self-sufficient skills like sewing, knitting, rug making, and carpentry, but that is what this blog is all about. Learning from each other. When I do something completely amazing like make yogurt in the crock pot I love to share it with all of you and even when I do something ordinary like pick strawberries from the strawberry patch I get excited and want to share the joy. Since I want this blog to be useful to you, I haven't shared too many of my failures, which come abundantly, like the time I tried to grind sprouted wheat in my food processor and blew the motor.

In reflection I realized that we wanted this blog to be so helpful to you that we have left it a bit impersonal. The fact that you know very little about the authors has been intentional in the humble belief that you would care little for who we are but only what we can offer you. This belief has left a bit of separation between you the reader and us the authors, a gap we hope to close. In our introductory post we do not describe ourselves at all but leave you to wonder who we are. We did not tell you that we are sisters who grew up in the city but long for the country. Mishaun made that dream a reality and lives in the mountains of Colorado on a beautiful acreage where she home schools her kids ages 2, 4, and 5. She raises goats, turkeys, chickens, and soon cows. She has two Saint Bernards that she will soon breed and two other dogs who are learning not to eat all her chickens. The name of her farm is Aspen Hill Farm. We both have husbands who prefer gooey white bread and Twinkies to our wonderful homemade delights. Hopefully we will succeed in teaching them what real food is. I, Jennifer, am older than Mishaun by three years and live in a suburb of Minneapolis in Minnesota. I have four children ages 2,5,10, and 15. My two-year-old suffers from a rare complication of cancer (she had neuroblastoma at 8 months) called Paraneoplastic syndrome and I suffer daily with watching my little girl deteriorate and pray for a miracle so that she will not leave us. This blog and all I write about is a good distraction from my sorrow of having a child who is so sick. We have twenty-four hour nursing care for her in our home and I love sharing homesteading ideas with our nurses who have all taught me many things.
There is a trend right now toward self-sufficiency that may have been spurred by our economy or the realization of how our food is produced and delivered to us. Start talking to people and you will find that people are seriously interested in starting a garden or making their own food (especially yogurt and Kombucha). Raising chickens in your back yard is not such a crazy idea anymore.

Great Tomato Soup

2010-04-24T18:58:00.000-06:00

This soup recipe is a quick simple recipe. I was fixing lunch and wanted some tomato soup to go with sandwiches. I was able to throw this together from ingredients at home. I found a recipe online, but didn't really care for it. So, I wrote this one. I think this one has much more flavor, simpler steps, and better texture. If you like chunky soups, you can omit blending it. An immersion blender works great here. Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches!

1 stick butter

1/2 chopped onion

4 stocks celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

4-5 garlic cloves, minced

6 Tbsp. flour

4 c. milk

2 c. cream

3 tsp. sugar

2 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained

salt, pepper, garlic powder (to taste)

1/4 - 1/2 c. fresh basil, minced

grated Parmesan (topping)

1. Saute onion, celery, carrot, garlic in butter until soft.

2. Add flour, cook and stir for a couple minutes.

3. Gradually add milk, then cream.

4. Heat just under a boil when mixture starts to thicken.

5. Add sugar, diced tomato and seasonings.

6. Cook until heated and thickened.

7. Add Basil.

8. Blend until smooth in a blender or with an immersion blender.

9. Top with fresh grated Parmesan and serve with bread or grilled cheese sandwiches.

Enjoy!

Hydroponic Gardening

2010-04-23T16:53:00.000-06:00

I first heard of hydroponic gardening a couple of years ago in a magazine article. The article was about a family who started a hydroponic garden as a home school project. They had fish in water and plants on top; it all was very mysterious to me. Lately I see hydroponic farming and gardening in all kinds of publications. Turns out Hydroponics goes a little further back then when I discovered it ...thousands of years back but lately it seems as if we are hearing a lot more about this interesting way of gardening. I cannot wait to try it because space is an issue here for me and so is poor soil quality. In a hydroponic garden plants grow in less space with no need of chemical pesticides or fungicide. One can grow five times the amount of plants in a given space than traditional soil gardening.

What exactly is hydroponic gardening? Etymology of the the word Hydroponics gives us the big clue that water is invovled. Formed in English from hydro-, comb. form of Gk. hydor "water" + -ponics, from Gk. ponein "to labor, toil," from ponos "labor" Online Etymology Dictionary.

Basically it is growing plants in water instead of soil. The water is oxygenated and has added nutrients usually a 20-20-20 fertilizer. Do you remember the vases with pitiful little beta swimming around in them that held a lily? Supposedly it was its own little eco-system, except for the fact that Betas are carnivores and they needed to be fed, well that is hydroponics. The fish waste is the fertilizer for the plant. You can opt to do a fish hydroponic garden if this interests you, even though I mentioned it a couple of times already fish really aren't a necessary part of hydroponic gardening. The fish part could be fun and I think it is a great learning tool for the kids, and homeschoolers you can teach about the nitrogen cycle and all kinds of fun stuff with this biology lesson. I am putting this link here just to give you an idea of how to make a fish hydroponic garden, here is a link.

If you live in an apartment and have a balcony to grow plants on this is a great way to get a lot of produce from a small amount of space. If you live where it is difficult to build a garden because of rocky soil or clay soil hydroponics is definitely the way to go.

Hydroponically grown plants grow at a faster rate than soil planted vegetables due to the higher level of oxygen. When you make your own hydroponic system one of the important elements is oxygen. A fish tank bubble stone will be required and this helps move the water and oxygenate the water producing large and healthy plants. Why was everything so big when the dinosaurs roamed the earth? Extra oxygen! This video demonstrates how much faster and healthier the plants can be in hydroponics.

Believe it or not hydroponic gardens require less water than soil gardens, and soil erosion is not a problem since there is no soil, this is a great solution to many of our environmental problems created by commercial farming.

On a farming level this is becoming a lucrative business. The May/June 2010 issue of Hobby Farms has an article about a family who started a hydroponic lettuce farm and the orders have gone through the roof. They sell to local restaurants who love using a local farmer and love the freshness of the lettuce and the unique varieties they provide. Demand is so high they need to put in two more green houses. Their start up costs were $100,000.00 but they bought everything new and state of the art. They said that they will buy their next green houses used in order to cut back on cost.

As with all things there are both advantages and disadvantages of hydroponic gardening. One of the disadvantages is the start up costs in hydroponic gardening/farming are high since it requires a lot of equipment if you plan to make an income from it. It also requires the use of electricity.

Unless I find a better plan or can purchase a system for the same cost I plan to have two home made plastic bins turned hydroponic on my patio in addition to what I have growing in my garden. I think it will be a fun experiment and a great way to get more veggies from the space you have. Vegetables that can grow this way include tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, peas, eggplant, peppers, greens, squash, greens, the possibilities are endless.

There are different hydroponic systems you can start with. Ebb and Flow, most common and most preferred, is a system that automatically delivers nutrients to the plants that sit on a tray. The water is continuously drained out and flows back into the growing pan. When they flow back in they deliver nutrients and stale air is pushed out. As the water is pulled out (ebb) the plants receive fresh oxygen as fresh air is pulled into the root system. This process repeats four to eight times a day. If you want to purchase this system from a garden store it will cost you anywhere from $80.00-$400.00 or more depending on how deluxe you go. Of course you can make this system for a lot cheaper. Here is a YouTube video that demonstrates quite nicely what a homemade ebb and flow system can look like and shows exactly how ebb and flow works.

Wick system: This is probably the least preferred method because it can be tricky to get the right amount of moisture in the wick system. There is a water reservoir but the plants are separate from it because they sit high above it, nutrients and water are delivered by a nylon rope or string that is in the reservoir connected to the plants.

The Aeroponics Method: Plants are not in any sort of growing medium but are in little pots that are suspended in a large tub (plastic bin) that holds the nutrient water mixture. The roots remain in the air and are sprayed with the water solution using a pump spray that sprays a fine mist delivering oxygen and nutrients to the roots. This system can be difficult to make because the parts can be pricey and it is hard to assemble correctly. The little sprayers will clog instantly if the correct fertilizer isn't used. This is the hardest system to master and to maintain being that it is the most temperamental. Despite the challenges this can be made at home. The link is a video that demonstrates how to make your own aeroponic garden this design eliminates the clogging spray head problem and the start up expense.

Deep Water Culture is a good choice for homemade hydroponics as it is one of the easiest hydroponic growing systems. A container holds about two inches of nutrient solution and plants in smaller containers are placed into the water solution. An aquarium pump adds oxygen and bubbles to the water to keep the roots from drowning. It is important to remember in this system that light must never get in to the solution because where there is light there is algae. If algae grows it will steal nutrients from your plants and as the algae dies it will attract fungus gnats. There is so much simplicity in this design that it is a wonderful choice for making at home. This video is from Sure To Grow and it is very informative.

This is not a comprehensive list.

Please let us know if you already do this and what your experiences have been. I would love to hear all about it. I leave you with a Discovery Channel video on Hydroponic large scale lettuce farming.

Amazon.com Widgets

Give Them a Good Old-Fashioned Beating!

2010-04-20T15:35:00.001-06:00

Your rugs that is!

Rug beating has all but died today and is a valuable house cleaning technique. It took a back seat to the vacuum cleaner. But, did you know that dirt gets lodged in the fibers of your rugs in layers and the vacuum cleaner doesn't get this dirt out. It settles to the base of your rugs where it rubs underneath, scratching the floors or wearing out finishes. (Hmmm...this is why the finish is getting worn out under one of my long runner rugs, even though I am vacuuming regularly.) Rug beating removes and loosens this deep down grime. So, I decided to give it a try.

A large rectangular rug in our basement was outside rolled up in a protected area. I unrolled it and hung it on a sturdy clothes line. I used a broom handle to beat the rug with. You could try a tennis racket or badmitten racket or a large stick if you don't have a beater. This rug was vacuumed every week when we had it in our basement. I started swinging and was amazed by the cascades of dirt that came out of this rug. My arm tired long before the rug released all the dirt. A "round two" is in order. The object of beating the rug is not to whack it hard but to whack quickly so the dirt cannot resettle into the rug.

A benefit of using a clothes line to beat the rugs is that the rug is in a great position for sun cleaning or hosing down. Sun cleaning is when the rug is allowed to bask in the sun. The sun's ultra-violet rays kill bacteria.

A note of caution should be added here. Some rugs are cheaply made (even though they may be expensive) and have a tendency to fall apart. If your rug sheds easily, this will probably make the rug fall apart. But most rugs can withstand a beating.

After the rug is beaten, it is an opportune time to vacuum. Dirt and dust is loosened and should be pulled up easily.

Rugs aren't the only thing to beat. Cushions, pillows, heavy blankets, comforters are all items that are tricky to wash and collect dust, dirt and dust mites. A nice touch is to mist the rugs down with some linen spray of water, vinegar and some eucalyptus essential oils (which kills dust mites).

Home Made Baby Food

2010-04-19T12:23:00.006-06:00

I have four children and have made my own baby food since as long as I can remember. My number one reason for doing it was cost since a little jar cost a whole lot more than the large jar I can make on my own. I also like the freshness of homemade. I don't give my other kids food out of a jar, I cook their food so why not cook for my baby as well?

Most parents I have spoken with have either considered making their own baby food or are already doing it for the same reasons I did it, cost and freshness with the added bonus of knowing exactly what your baby is eating. A homemade baby food is fresher and more healthful than a processed jar since some popular baby food companies add starch to their food as a filler, and according to an interesting article by CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) on what is in those little jars http://www.cspinet.org/reports/cheat1.html some only contained 30% fruit.

Another compelling reason to make your own is all of Hollywood is doing it so if you want to be IN then dahling make your own baby food. Well okay so that argument might only appeal to my fourteen-year-old daughter but I do find it interesting that just about every body is making their own.

My two-year-old daughter is tube fed because she has an autoimmune disease that makes it impossible for her to swallow. I have been blending organic fruits and veggies for her for about a year. Sadly most people who are tube fed are on a diet of canned formula which is basically corn syrup, canola oil, and added vitamins/minerals. I make her yogurt and kefir, blend soups and all kinds of foods and I will be doing this as long as she has this condition. Blending up food has become a way of life for me.

Here is the routine for making baby food:

* I usually pick a day to cook everything up.
* I only buy organic veggies and fruits for my daughter and I highly recommend for a baby who is just starting to eat that any food that should pass his/her lips are free from toxins. On his website, Dr. Sears says, “Buy organic fruits and vegetables. Your baby deserves pesticide-free foods.” I usually make broccoli, dinosaur kale, or spinach, a head of cauliflower, a bag of apples, a bag of pears, bananas, squash, pumpkin, or sweet potatoes.
* I bring a large pot of water to boil.
* While the water is boiling I clean, peel, cut, and throw the fruit/veg in the boiling water until they are soft.
* When they are done cooking I use a hand held blender, like this one, to puree them and I store them in a spaghetti jar. My daughter is almost three so her calorie requirements are greater than a six-month-old.
* If you have more than you can keep in the fridge a great way to store the baby food is to put this puree into ice-cube trays and store the frozen cubes in freezer bags and use as needed.
* I also make a whole grain cereal for her so she gets grains. I would not recommend freezing this cereal as it changes its texture and baby might not like it as much as freshly made. I change this recipe up depending upon what types of grains we have on hand. Lately I have been doing oat groats, millet, kamut, and brown rice.

If you are interested in finding recipes and more ideas for making baby food An incredibly comprehensive site I found is http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/index.htm. It has everything anybody would want to know about baby food. Baby food recipes, allergies, how to store and freeze, nutritonal information for different fruits and veggies it is THE BEST website on baby food. There are tons of different recipes on the site for just about every fruit and veggie including at what age to start. I like how they encourage parents to buy organic and inform us that certain fruits, such as peaches, are on the “dirty dozen” list for the highest level of toxins.

I can get my daughter to eat anything, a benefit of the tube, but try adding a little fresh lemon juice as a flavor enhancer instead of salt or sugar.

There is a lot of information and myths about nitrates in baby food. Certain foods such as spinach, beets, broccoli, cabbage and carrots, contain nitrates because it is a chemical found in the soil mostly due to the use of chemical fertilizers. Well water can also be high in nitrates. Here is what the AAP has to say about it:

AAP Statements from Policy Papers

"Because the intake of naturally occurring nitrates from foods such as green beans, carrots, squash, spinach, and beets can be as high as or higher than that from well water, these foods should be avoided before 3 months of age, " and

"1. The greatest risk of nitrate poisoning (methemoglobinemia) occurs in infants fed well water contaminated with nitrates. All prenatal and well-infant visits should include questions about the home water supply. If the source is a private well, the water should be tested for nitrate. The nitrate nitrogen concentration of the water should be <10 href="http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/116/3/784">American Academy of Pediatrics - Nitrate Statement

and "Because vegetables, including green beans, carrots, squash, spinach and beets, can have nitrate levels as high or higher than that of well water, infants should not eat these foods until after age 3 months."
AAP Well Water Statement

Children by the time they are six months have the stomach acid that adults do to handle the normal amounts of nitrates that we digest.

"Around the age of three months, an increase in the amount of hydrochloric acid in a baby's stomach kills most of the bacteria that convert nitrate to nitrite. By the time a baby is six months old, its digestive system is fully developed, and none of the nitrate-converting bacteria remain. In older children and adults, nitrate is absorbed and excreted, and methemoglobinemia is no longer a concern." Ohio state university extension Bulletin http://ohioline.osu.edu/b744/b744_2.html

I hope if you haven't already tried making your own baby food you consider doing so. It is incredibly easy, healthier, and I am sure a lot tastier.

Amazon.com Widgets

Hearty Farm House Breakfast

2010-04-18T07:08:00.005-06:00

Honey Bran Muffins with Bacon, Orange Juice or Coffee.

Try this for a very hearty quick breakfast! These muffins are delicious and with the bacon is a completely satisfying meal. These are completely healthy for you.

Double this recipe and store in the fridge or freezer. Then you will have a quick breakfast on hand. It's nice to keep a batch in the fridge and be able to make them by request.

Mishaun's Honey Bran Muffins

1 C. chopped raisins

1 C. boiling water

2 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 C. Honey

1/2 C. oil (sunflower)

2 eggs

2 C. milk

1/2 C. sour cream

1/2 tsp. salt

3 3/4 C. flour

3 -4 C. wheat bran (not bran cereal)

1. Soak raisins in boiling water and soda.

2. In mixing bowl, gently mix remaining ingredients.

3. Add raisin mixture. Mix gently.

4. Spoon into greased muffin pan. Leave some room to expand. (1/3 muffin cup)

5. Bake 375 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Serve with Bacon, Coffee and OJ!

Baby Rabbits Day Two

2010-04-15T12:52:00.003-06:00

At first glance yesterday I thought we had six babies but on second count there is actually nine! At about 8:30 last night I became panicked that the mother was not feeding these guys since I never saw her in the nest box. I made a quick run to the store to buy kitten bottles and kitten formula. Rabbits are extremely hard to hand rear and I certainly was not looking forward to hand rearing nine of them. I thought I better have it on hand just in case (no pun intended).

I still am not completely sure she is feeding them. I take a treat out to her so she sees my coming to her as a good thing and not a disruption. While she is happily munching I carefully lift the lid to peek inside and check the babies. Each time I do this I dread what I might find especially after last night's rain storm. The babies are all doing well and seem more vigorous today than yesterday. If I disturb them they leap a little forward I assume they are trying to launch themselves upon their mother's teat. They are blind and will be for a few weeks until their eyes open so it is amazing to watch what their instincts are.

I looked up some info on mother rabbits and how to know if babies are being fed and found that the mother will not hang out in the nest the way some mammals will. A rabbit in the wild will leave her babies hidden and sit nearby where she can keep an eye on the nest. Since baby rabbits do not have a smell the way adult rabbits do they are relatively safe from predators, but if the mother stays with them she may lure predators to her nest by her scent. In domesticated rabbits this instinct is present so we should not expect the mother to be in the nest box with her young.

She also does not feed her young very often in most cases mother rabbits feed their babies only once or twice a day and usually not on the day of birth. To know for certain if the mother is feeding her babies check for a full rounded belly. If she is not feeding them they will be meowing like kittens, have wrinkled skin, and have sunken tummies. I am not certain if mine are being fed yet but tonight after dusk I will go and check on them since rabbits feed their babies at dawn and dusk. If they had just been fed they will have nice round bellies. This morning their bellies were full and round.

Forgive my recent similar posts but I am excited to share all that I am learning. This is about as exciting as it gets on an urban homestead.

Baby Rabbits

2010-04-14T14:46:00.005-06:00

I knew my female rabbit was going to have babies last night when I noticed her being very busy inside her hutch. She constantly had fur hanging out of her mouth and when I checked the nest box there was a huge mound of fur in there. When I purchased her and her mate I wanted to make sure I had two does. We were assured that is what we had. I felt the urge to verify with a vet that we had two does so I took them to my vet to be looked at. Two vet techs and the vet looked and said they had no doubts that they were both females. I found it strange that the gray one always mounted the female but rabbits will do that to establish dominance.

Rabbits are very hard to sex and nearly impossible to sex before they are fully mature. I had gone to this web site to figure out how to sex them when I first suspected they may be different. I spent a good hour tormenting the rabbits by laying them on their backs and violating their dignity by poking around down there. I thought they looked different but could not tell which was what which is what led up to the vet visit.

About a month ago I went out to the rabbit hutch to discover a bloody blob underneath. I thought maybe some rodent met its demise under there but than I looked into the nest box and found a horrifying scene. Six naked baby rabbits that had been victim to their mother's lack of maternal instinct. Several of them had been partially eaten some were simply dead. I went right to my husband and told him what I had found fully expecting him to take care of it for me. He laughed and said, "No way! You wanted rabbits you have to deal with them." I begged and pleaded but nothing would get him to go out and remove them. I grabbed a little shovel and marched out there determined I could do this. I got one cold shriveled pinky onto the shovel and dumped it into the bag. That wasn't too bad so I took a deep breath and told myself how tough I was and tucked my shovel under the next lifeless kitten. It was difficult to get on my shovel and it flipped over displaying its entire insides as if mother had decided to perfectly dissect her baby just so I could get a rabbit anatomy lesson. I was so grossed out. I walked away and decided to plead with my husband some more. No luck. More deep breaths and tough talk and I finished the job.

Part of me was glad they were dead and part of me wished they had lived. I decided to do a little research to figure out why this mother had eaten her young. I wasn't even sure if it was her, actually I had suspected the male. As it turns out it is a common practice for does to eat their babies. Especially first time mothers. They can panic at the pain of them coming out and "help" them out with their teeth. If the mother is very stressed by her environment she will eat her young. In retrospect I think she was stressed by her mate. He was constantly on top of her. I also found out that does especially young ones lack maternal instinct. The first nest she built was very small in comparison to the nest she built this time. Which leads me to explain why there is a this time.

The very day of the baby rabbit incident we decided our male needed is own hutch. My husband built a hutch out of an old piece of furniture ( I will post how to do this some day). I removed the male as soon as I found the babies and put him in the chicken run. The problem with rabbits is they can conceive on the very day they deliver. Is there anything on earth more fertile? I was flabbergasted by that little bit of info. I hoped that she had not conceived on that fateful day as much as my kids hoped she did.

Last night when she was building my nest I knew it was going to happen soon and she had indeed conceived. My son and I checked on her several times throughout the day and finally we went out there and my son said she is all bloody. I held my breath and hoped it was her blood and not her kittens', I slowly lifted the lid and peered into the nest box. I saw one baby bunny wrinkled and pink. Is he breathing? Daring to touch him I reached out and found him warm than I saw the nest fur move and realized there were more. Upon further inspection I saw she had delivered six plump little kittens. Some were pink and some were grey like their dad. I have to say, despite the great unknown of what do we do with six rabbits I am delighted that she did not kill her babies. They were all warm with full looking bellies. They were not meowing as hungry baby rabbits will do so they seem to be well fed. I will keep a good eye on them and make sure they are being fed. If not I will be purchasing a kitten bottle and kitten milk and start being mommy bunny.

Feeding a Crowd

2010-04-13T15:39:00.002-06:00

Homesteaders have to have the ability to feed a large crowd at one point or another. It is always a good idea to have a couple tried and true recipes in your file. If you are doing a barn raising, a painting party, a reunion, or feeding a group of helpers stacking hay, this is a great recipe from ingredients you should have on hand. It is easy to make, serves large numbers, can be doubled or tripled and freezes well.

A good tip is to keep a large batch frozen in your freezer. If anything comes up and there isn't a lot of time, which always happens at spring time, you have a meal that will feed crowds and only needs to be popped into the slow-cooker!

Another good tip is, when you test these recipes, make enough to freeze. It is always a blessing to have a meal ready to go when you can't make a home cooked meal. It is better than processed food and much heartier!

Sloppy Joes

* some healthier options have been included in parentheses next to the ingredients

2 lb.s ground beef (turkey, bison, venison, elk)
1 C. cooked rice (brown rice)
2 C. diced tomato (canned or fresh), optional
1 diced green bell pepper, optional (can use a spicy pepper also, use your favorite kind)
1 medium diced onion
2 C. tomato sauce
garlic powder, salt, pepper - to taste
1 C. ketchup
4 tsp. yellow mustard
1/2 tsp. mustard powder
1/4 C. brown sugar (sucanat)

(If you are one of those that likes to sneak veggies into your dishes, you can blend 1 garlic clove, 2 carrots, 1 celery in a blender and mix it in. Adjust the seasoning.)

*adjust the last 5 ingredients to taste

Serve on hamburger buns or homemade rolls.

1. Cook rice.
2. Saute onion, add ground meat and cook until browned.
3. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until well blended. At this point, you can just put everything in the slow-cooker on low.

Spring Planting

2010-04-09T13:59:00.003-06:00

I got out in the garden early this year. Living in Minnesota one has to take advantage of a good weather day. It can still be a little snowy this time a year I remember one year the tulips were blooming and we got snow. That was so rare but I nearly cried for my ruined tulips. Fist toward the sky..then at myself for living here I really mourned for those tulips. This is the time of year for those in the more northern climes to get those cold weather crops into the ground.

All greens...Spinach, collards, kale, cabbage and lettuce can be planted now and should be planted before the soil gets too warm. They need cool soil to germinate. I make a salad with every dinner so we spend a lot on lettuce in the winter and get very excited about the "free" lettuce that is soon to come our way. I know I should do cold frames but it is hard enough to get out in winter here let alone try to garden. I like to sow a couple different varieties. This year I did an organic head lettuce called Great Lakes and an Organic Romaine called Jericho. In two weeks I will sow some more so they don't all need to be harvested at the same time.

I only planted a small row of spinach and plan to sow another row every ten days for a more continuous spinach crop.

I planted mammoth sunflowers near these greens because when summer gets hot the sunflower will shade the greens and hopefully allow them to last longer. If they work out I should also be able to harvest thousands of sunflower seeds. Be careful if you do this because the roots can really take over your garden so give them some space from what you plant nearby and make sure you get shaded what you want shaded but not the veggies that might need full sun throughout the day.

I planted snow peas around a decorative trellis. I was able to plant almost the entire seed packet around this one round trellis. I made a row around it and planted one inch apart and made a row on the inside as well. They wont all germinate but the ones that do will cover the entire trellis and only took up one square foot of garden space.

Happy Planting!

Action Alert from Cornucopia Institute

2010-04-08T14:16:00.001-06:00

Since many of readers share our concern with organic standards I thought I would share this action alert from Cornucopia Institute.

Action Alert:

National Organic Program's New Organic Standards Exempt Beef Cattle from Pasture

Support New Alternative Three-Tiered Label System

Comments due April 19th, 2010

Should organic ruminants such as a dairy cows and beef cattle -- which have evolved to eat grass -- be permitted to be kept in feedlots or should they be required by USDA organic regulations to obtain at least a portion of their feed directly from pasture?

According to the USDA's new organic pasture rule, released in February 2010, pasture grazing is required in organic dairy production, but organic beef cattle may be exempt from obtaining any of their feed from pasture during the last four months of their lives.

The New Pasture Rule's Exemption for Beef Cattle

The rule states that organic producers must "maintain all ruminant animals on pasture," but, in an apparent contradiction, may simultaneously also utilize "dry lots, yards or feedlots" for grain finishing of slaughter stock, such as beef cattle, during the last 120 days or one-fifth of the animal's life, whichever is shorter. During these 120 days, these organic animals are exempt from the requirement to obtain at least 30% dry matter intake (DMI) from pasture.

The USDA is seeking comments as to whether or not the current language should be strengthened or weakened. The final determination on this language will more clearly define how organic beef is produced.

A comprehensive analysis of this issue can be found at: http://www.cornucopia.org/2010/04/position-paper-organic-feedlotgrass-based-beef/

Current Practices in the Organic Beef Industry

To gain a deeper understanding of current practices in the organic beef industry, Cornucopia surveyed organic beef producers from across the nation. Results of the survey revealed that 80% of organic beef producers graze their beef cattle on pasture until slaughter, never confining them to a feedlot. In fact, 60% of organic beef producers never feed any grain to their cattle (100% grass-fed), while 20% maintain their cattle on pasture but provide small amounts of grain. The new rule's exemption for ruminant slaughter stock from obtaining feed from pasture is therefore not needed by the vast majority of organic beef producers.

Yet, the remaining one-fifth of the nation's organic beef producers are currently using feedlots for finishing, The Cornucopia Institute understands that there is support from some stakeholders for an exemption from obtaining 30% DMI from pasture for ruminant slaughter stock. These farmers, ranchers and feedlot operators currently likely produce a majority of the nation's organic meat supply.

Cornucopia's Proposal for Three-Tiered Labeling System

Given the well-documented benefits of pasture grazing, for environmental protection, animal welfare, food safety and consumer health, Cornucopia proposes a three-tiered labeling system for organic meat from ruminants.

Under the proposed system, three labels would be used for organic meat from ruminants:

1. "Organic – Grain Finished" – For meat from animals that needed the exemption from pasture during the last 120 days (might include finishing in feedlots).

2. "Organic – Pasture/Grain Finished" – For meat from animals that were maintained on pasture until slaughter, obtained at least 30% of their feed intake from pasture during the grazing season but received small amounts of grain supplementation at some point.

3. "Organic – 100% Grass Fed" – For meat from animals that were 100% grass-fed, never receiving any grain in their diet.

Rationale for Three-Tiered Labeling System

Since organic farmers are making arguments on behalf of the three production systems (all currently in use), it would be beneficial for organic producers and consumers to be able to easily differentiate them in the marketplace, with a clear label for each one.

Consumers are increasingly interested in grass-fed meats, and some might be surprised to find out that "organic" and "grass-fed" are not synonymous. The environmental advantages of grass-based livestock agriculture, its nutritional superiority as well as animal welfare benefits, are reported not only in scientific articles, but are also covered extensively in the popular media, ranging from Mother Earth News to Time Magazine, Forbes and the Oprah Winfrey Show.

On the other hand, promoters of organic grain-fed beef strongly believe that consumer preference and the marketplace dictate their production practices. American consumers are accustomed to the texture and flavor of meat from corn-fed feedlot cattle, and the USDA's grading system for meat rewards high levels of intramuscular fat in beef—which is more easily achieved through finishing cattle on grain instead of grass.

A three-tiered labeling system will allow the marketplace to determine the viability of each production system, as well as creating economic opportunity for farmers who want to raise organic beef matching the demands and desires of organic consumers.

There are arguments in favor of each production system, which are outlined in greater detail in The Cornucopia Institute's full-length position paper, available at:

http://www.cornucopia.org/2010/04/position-paper-organic-feedlotgrass-based-beef/

Send Your Comments to the USDA

While the exemption, allowing organic beef producers to use feedlots for grain finishing, has been published in the final rule, the NOP is accepting comments until April 19th from organic beef and other ruminant producers and the general public.

We urge both organic producers and consumers to share their thoughts with the USDA before the April 19th deadline, including expressing their support for a three-tiered labeling system.

Send your comments to the USDA before the April 19th deadline.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SENDING COMMENTS

To send comments electronically:

1. Visit www.regulations.gov.
2. Select "Submit a comment"
3. Enter "AMS-TM-06-0198" in the search bar
4. Click "Submit a Comment" (to the right of the first search result)

To send comments by USPS mail:

Address mailed comments to:

Toni Strother, Agricultural Marketing Specialist
National Organic Program, USDA–AMS–TMP–NOP
Room 2646–So., Ag Stop 0268
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20250–0268

Clearly identify your comment with the docket number: AMS–TM–06–0198; TM–05–14FR.

MORE: USDA'S request for comments:

The USDA asks that comments "clearly indicate whether you support §205.239(d) as published in this final rule, in full or in part, and the reason(s) for your position. Please include only relevant information and data to support your position."

The new rule's exemption, §205.239(d), reads as follows:

(d) Ruminant slaughter stock, typically grain finished, shall be maintained on pasture for each day that the finishing period corresponds with the grazing season for the geographical location: Except, That, yards, feeding pads, or feedlots may be used to provide finish feeding rations. During the finishing period, ruminant slaughter stock shall be exempt from the minimum 30 percent DMI requirement from grazing. Yards, feeding pads, or feedlots used to provide finish feeding rations shall be large enough to allow all ruminant slaughter stock occupying the yard, feeding pad, or feed lot to feed simultaneously without crowding and without competition for food. The finishing period shall not exceed one fifth (1/5) of the animal's total life or 120 days, whichever is shorter.

USDA definitions added in new rule:

Dry lot: A fenced area that may be covered with concrete, but that has little or no vegetative cover.
Feedlot: A dry lot for the controlled feeding of livestock.
Graze: (1) The consumption of standing or residual forage by livestock. (2) To put livestock to feed on standing or residual forage.
Yard: An area for feeding, exercising, and outdoor access for livestock during the non-grazing season and a high traffic area where animals may receive supplemental feeding during the grazing season.

USDA existing definitions of interest:

Pasture: Land used for livestock grazing that is managed to provide feed value and maintain or improve soil, water, and vegetative resources.

The full action alert on the organic beef cattle exemption can be viewed at: http://www.cornucopia.org/2010/04/national-organic-program%E2%80%99s-new-organic-standards-exempt-beef-cattle-from-pasture/

Images of the Homestead

2010-04-08T05:55:00.003-06:00

Okay well since I live in a neighborhood and not on a farm I guess it is really images of the backyard. I am trying to be as self sufficient as I can on my quarter acre. We have a good size garden and plenty of space. There is actually quite a lot you can do on a lot my size and I am not doing it all. I enjoy having jams and jellies stocked in the basement that I made, working in the garden and eating the fruits of my labor. I love having chickens and getting eggs from the backyard.

This is one of our Angora rabbits. It is amazing how much wool comes off of him when we brush him. I would like to hand spin it and knit something or sell it to someone who might want it. We also have a white Angora. They stay outside all the time. Our cold Minnesota winters are harsh but they did great with all that warm wool. They produce a ton of fertilizer for the garden and the nice thing about rabbit poop is it doesn't need to compost first.

Here is the bare root peach trees we planted last year. Peaches in Minnesota are a rare site so I am excited to see how they do. We got Reliant and Contender both created to be in survive in cold weather. I hope to add a plum, pear, and apple tree to the yard.

Here are two of our three chickens. Our city allows us to have three but I am thinking of getting more. We are a large family and three eggs a day isn't cutting it. They are awesome layers. They laid all through winter.

Here they are as youngsters sitting on the garden fence.

The dog must be kept away from the chickens. She feels most living things must be destroyed this is good for keeping rabbits and people out of the back yard.

This little cherry tree gives an amazing amount of tart cherries. If only it would grow! It has stayed little. I did a little pruning but I am not sure if I did not prune enough or it needs more fertilizer or what. It gives abundant fruit but has not grown since we planted it many years ago. I usually make chocolate cherry cake (see recipes) out of what this tree gives me but I really want enough to do jam or pies.

Here is the garlic coming up that I planted last fall. Tons of it is coming up. I can't wait to see how it does. Hopefully the rabbits leave it alone.

Eggs from our chickens. I forgot one yesterday so we had four waiting for me.

My coop is actually a dog house I bought on Craigslist that we put on legs and added a window that we also bought very cheaply on Craigslist. The coop is inside of the run that is covered on top and all around to keep predators away. We have had several hawks sitting on top of it looking at the tasty treats below. The nest boxes are in the back.

Banana Bread

2010-04-07T14:20:00.006-06:00

I had a small pile of past ripe bananas that were calling out to me for days to make bread out of them. I have been making the same recipe for years and am not even sure where I got it from. It is very basic and can be made in one bowl.

Super Quick and Easy Banana Bread

3-4 ripe bananas

1/4 cup melted butter

1 cup sugar (I usually put 1/2 cup in)

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon baking soda

Chocolate chips (as many as you want!)

Preheat oven to 350F. Mash the bananas in a bowl. Add all the remaing ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon. Bake in a buttered loaf pan until a toothpick stuck into the bread comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Slice and serve.

French Bread

2010-04-01T16:33:00.007-06:00

During bread making today, we made some french bread. I told a friend who was making bread with us that the recipe was on the blog. I went to check and it isn't out here yet, so I thought I would get it up.

This is really fun and simple to make! If you use a pizza stone, you won't need a cookie sheet. Otherwise, bake on a greased cookie sheet. This bread makes fantastic french toast!

French Bread
2 1/2 C. warm water
2 TB Yeast
1 TB Honey
2 tsp Salt
2 TB Oil
6 C. flour

1. Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl in the order seen above. Knead in mixer for 6 - 10 minutes. Form baguette loaves and slash the top.
2. Let rise until doubled in size (15 - 20 min.).
3. Bake @ 350 for 25 min.

This recipe is from the urbanhomemaker! Check out their website http://www.urbanhomemaker.com/ for bread making supplies and appliances.

Homemade Nut Butters

2010-03-31T16:04:00.002-06:00

One of my friends made this for me at her house in the blender and I had to try it! It was so incredibly simple. We made Almond Butter because I had almonds already roasted in the freezer. You can do this with cashews or peanuts also. The best part is, as always, being able to control the ingredients as much as you want and to make it as yummy as you want. Lucky this is so easy because once you start there is no going back!

Almond Butter:

1/2 C. almonds
drizzle oil - you have to add oil as you go to make it the right consistency.
sea salt - couple pinches, too taste

Blend up and continue scraping sides. Blending and add oil a little at a time until you get the right consistency.

Next time we want to try peanuts with a little butter, oil, sea salt and maybe some honey! Cinnamon is also a good addition. Chocolate...mmmm. The possibilities are endless!

Make Yogurt In The Slow Cooker

2010-03-19T07:15:00.002-06:00

I have had a failed attempt at making yogurt and figured I needed a yogurt maker to have success. I bought some yogurt culture a while ago and figured I would give it another try. I found this amazing slow cooking blog that I highly recommend. A Year of Slow Cooking is the only place I have been going to lately for slow cooking recipes. I was so excited to see the yogurt recipe. I had my doubts that it would work since yogurt can be difficult but in the morning when I lifted the lid on the slow cooker I was totally amazed to see thick white yogurt. It tastes good too. I mixed it with a little honey. Plain tastes just like plain store bought yogurt but it only costs what a half gallon of milk will cost you. If you have your own milk animal, like Mishaun does, then its a real deal. You don't have to buy yogurt culture you can also use plain yogurt that has live culture in it. Here is the link: Slow Cooker Yogurt.

Redefining Life

2010-03-02T11:59:00.002-07:00

Success, good times, accomplishments, achieving great things. Ahhhh...these are the moments in life when we are on top of the world! This is when we define what we have gained and how far we have come! When something goes right, when it works, when everything flows. So many of us define ourselves and our lives by these moments.

I think we have this all backwards. I think it is the hard times in life that define us. The sad times, when it doesn't work, when we lose our jobs, when we have been brought to our knees. These are the times when we are humbled, our character grows, we persevere, we get strong, we develop compassion, tenderness, and submit ourselves to change.

These are the times that we should rejoice in and be greatful for. We should embrace these hardships with everything we have and wait in anxious excitement for what the result will be.

The good times are a result of the growth and the reward for our perseverance!

English Muffins

2010-02-25T14:40:00.002-07:00

Thank you Nourishing Heart and Home for this wonderful blog about making English Muffins. Tried them and they were gone before the sun went down. Here is a link. They are very easy and delicious!
http://nourishingcookbook.blogspot.com/2009/01/plain-cinnamon-raisin-english-muffins.html

Sticky Stainless Steel

2010-02-25T14:32:00.003-07:00

I find so many stainless steel pots and pans in the thrift stores. I think a lot of people buy them and realize that unless they are cured or broken in, everything sticks. So, I am posting this because I think a lot of people just discard these sets from frustration.

Stainless Steel cookware works really well if you cure it. Treat it a lot like cast iron. Don't bake it, it will get a sticky film, but gently oil the surface after all uses. Don't use soaps or detergents. You can get everything off with hot water. After several uses, your pots will be beautiful to cook in. Sometimes, they do still stick, but usually it is not so bad. After a while, you will find that you don't need to oil it anymore and it cleans up very nicely.

Raw Milk Symposium

2010-02-22T13:45:00.002-07:00

For those living near or in Wisconsin there is a Raw Milk Symposium that looks very interesting. I like that they are having an MD speak we don't hear much support for raw milk from the medical community. Sally Fallon who is the author of the very interesting book Nourishing Traditions will be there as well.

2nd Annual International Raw Milk Symposium
April, 10, 2010 -Madison, Wisconsin
Sponsored by the Farm-to-Consumer Foundation.
Invited Speakers - Sally Fallon Morell, Michael Schmidt, Mark McAfee, Ted Beals, M.D., David Gumpert, Tim Wightman, Dr. Ton Barrs, Sylvia Onusic, Ph.D., Fund attorney and more.

There are other events including how to make cheese and fermented beverages, all over the country and in the UK on the Weston A Price foundation website.

http://www.westonap rice.org/ Calendar. html

Sweet Sour Cabbage

2010-02-20T14:30:00.004-07:00

Here is an heirloom recipe that belonged to my grandmother for Sweet Sour Cabbage. Cabbage has too many health benefits to list here but a simple search will amaze you by how much this one veggie can do for you. Its packed with vitimins and antioxidents and is what I consider a power food.

Sweet Sour Cabbage

4-6 Cups Shredded cabbage
8 Strips diced bacon
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
a dash of pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp dry mustard
3 tbsp. vinegar
1 tbsp. water

Boil cabbage, drain. Fry bacon, add other ingredients. Keep hot and pour over hot cabbage.

Making Bubbles!!!

2010-02-19T15:30:00.001-07:00

This is ridiculously simple, but until now, I bought bubbles at the store! True confession!

1 C. of warm water
5 Tbsp. dish detergent

1. Mix well

Homeschooling and Homesteading

2010-02-19T15:12:00.001-07:00

Homeschooling and Homesteading are a great match! That is not to say that if you homestead, you homeschool. However, if you do have a homestead, homeschooling fits in so well! There are so many hands on experiences that contribute to growth and learning. The responsibilities are a consistent reality and learning happens so naturally. So, to make this short and sweet I decided to post some fun tools for you homeschoolers out there. Oh, and for the non-homeschoolers, these tools are really fun for kids who are in school too!

Books: Games for Reading, Games for Math, Games for Writing, and Games for Learning by Peggy Kaye.

The Old Schoolhouse:
http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/
http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/FF/Jamins-Freebies-2-19-10.htm (sign up at The Old Schoolhouse Store)
http://www.currclick.com/ (look at free section)

A free e-book from Charlotte Mason: Free and Easy Days There are a lot of freebies and good ideas at Simply Charlotte Mason website.

These are some of my favorite places to do downloads. Make coloring books, workbooks, lapbooks for the kids to keep in the car and to bring to places where they have to do quiet activities. They can learn and kill time all at the same time. We like to make custom covers for our kids using a 3-ring folder. They can decorate them and color them how they want, then we just swap out the pages when we want to.

These sites also lead to all kinds of craft blogs and other helpful blogs. These are golden in my big book of Homeschooling!

Versatile Yaks

2010-02-17T20:27:00.001-07:00

Have you ever thought of adding a Yak to your Homestead? These versatile animals are an incredible asset to a small family farm. A friend talked about this with me and led me to do some research. Here are some brief points I have found.
Fiber: soft cashmere type undercoat that can be spun and a tougher outer fiber that can be woven.
Temperament: Calm and docile animals (remembering, all animals have an individual personality).
Packing: Can carry a heavy load, are very sure footed in steep and difficult terrain.
Dairy: 7% butterfat rating, which is more than a Jersey cow. This may vary a bit between breeds. That makes their milk wonderful for butter, cheese, ice cream and other dairy products.
Breeding Stock: They are great for breeding and cross breeding with other cattle types.
Efficient: Eat very little and browse much like a goat.
Meat: Great lean meat with tender composition and delicate flavor.

I will leave details on this subject for your own research, this is just a brief summary of what I have learned about them. Researching is part of the journey!

Heirloom Recipe For Potato Pancakes

2010-02-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

Mishaun and I lost our mother a month ago. If you are a regular follower of this blog that is one of the reasons we have been absent. Amongst the treasures that we have from her was a box full of family recipes. Our mom was born in 1941 and these recipes were her mother's as well as her own. They date back to the thirties through to the fifties. I thought it would be fun to share. Many of them call for lard as it was a commonly used ingredient in the past. Adjust them as you see fit, these are not tested. (I will write exactly as they are written on the card...these are not reader friendly I could change them to make them so but where is the fun in that?)

Potato Pancakes------Best--------

21/2 C. raw grated potatoes
2 C flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 C milk
2 eggs
2 tbsp shortening

Method

Beat eggs, add salt, melted shortening, and milk.
Sift flour, add baking powder, add after grated potatoes have been added.
Fry on a hot griddle.

Tough, Resilient...

2009-12-27T17:01:00.000-07:00

A friend recently told me that I'm tough and resilient. It's funny how what others see can be so different from how you think of yourself. It's not part of my self perception. I started thinking about it and asked myself, am I tough or strong? We all have our weaknesses and I am no different. How many times a day do I say, "God, give me strength" or "God, keep me disciplined"?

Surely, it's hard to get motivated to get up early and go out in the cold. But when you care about your animals, their needs trump "I don't want to" every time. Homesteading has really brought out a great realization in me. I don't think I can capture the words to describe how my mind has been ignited. I try to do these little diary entries to share what I can draw from the experiences. However, some of them, there are no words for.

There is a certain toughness that resides in you to have to do some of the tasks at hand. Like, when it's time to say good-bye to an animal that has been well cared for. I've seen some veteran farmers choke at that one. I think that is the greatest compliment to exist between a human and an animal. It shows a well nurtured relationship. There is nothing wrong with putting your heart into a living thing and our world tries to separate that. I truly believe that if you are putting it on your plate, you should be connected to how it is cared for.

It takes toughness be kicked, trampled, or thrown by your animals and still show no fear. It takes resilience to fail 20 times and stand yourself up to try again. Resilience is how you talk yourself out of quitting when the going gets tough. The difference between being resilient or not is whether you decide to quit an experience or learn from it. Resilience makes you tough and toughness builds resilience.

The question is will you be tough enough when the time calls for it and will you be resilient enough to continue on?

Puppy School

2009-12-27T07:34:00.001-07:00

We are in the throws of puppy training right now! A new adventure brough on by our love of Saint Bernards, my husband proposed breeding them. Which, of course, I was thrilled! I love these dogs! We purchased two puppies and have been dedicated to bonding with them and training them. They learn so fast. I have put together some pointers for those of you who are in the same shoes right now.

1. Bonding: Keep puppy with you as much as possible. Some people wear their babies when they are born. Do this with your puppy. No don't wear them, but keep them at your side 24/7. Give little treats and say their name a lot. S0 puppy learns that being by you is great and everytime you so much as whisper their name, they perk up to see what you have for them. You can use cheese, cheerios, bread cubes. Treats should be small and yummy!

2. First commands: Sit, Come, Stay! Puppy should sit before all treats and food are given. Unless they are treats given when being cuddled. Start working the commands as young as possible and reward each one with treats and lots of praise. Get excited. Like kids, puppies like a big dramatic reward when they do it right!

3. Dominate: Rolling the puppy on it's back and talking very soothingly to it and holding it there teaches him to submit. This should always be done when you are obtaining a large dog. This is a very gentle action and loving. You will use this later in training the dog to not kill your farm animals and in disobedience. When puppy makes the mistake of not obeying you, you should roll him onto his back, especially when puppy is getting too excited.

4. Redirection: Puppies respond well to redirection. When they are chewing something or getting into trouble. It works well to give them something they can do instead of trying to scold the bad out of them.

5. Boundaries: Teach boundaries early. Start by blocking of restricted areas and closing doors. Slowly remove blockades and teach them to stay out of restricted areas. Roll up a newspaper with a rubber band holding it and use this to swat the pup when they cross the boundaries and give a firm "Out" command. Always connect a command with correction, not a general "no". That way they know exactly what they are supposed to do. Swatting with a rolled up newspaper makes a loud noise but doesn't hurt. Do not roll a tight newpaper, it is only for a noise effect, not a pain effect.

Hope these pointers help with some new puppies! Have a great time puppy training!

The Beaten Path!

2009-12-22T12:39:00.001-07:00

As I go out to care for animals each day, I look at the snow-trodden paths that go to the Buck pen, the chicken coop, the doe barn and the only phrase that enters my mind is, "there it is, the beaten path." It is a reminder of how the yard sleeps during the colder and shorter days of winter. The consistent responsibility of caring for animals. The yard no longer buzzes with the daily outdoor activity that it sees in the summer. There are single, well traveled paths leading through the snow.

This path will always be there and as long as the animals are and there is solidity in that!

For Those Who Enjoyed Back to Basics

2009-12-05T12:03:00.000-07:00

For those who liked the book Back to Basics by Abigail Gehring she has a new book out called

Homesteading: A Back to Basics Guide to Growing Your Own Food, Canning, Keeping Chickens, Generating Your Own Energy, Crafting, Herbal Medicine, and More

Here is the link to check out the book on Amazon. I can't wait to read it and get inspired.

Planning a Monthly Menu

2009-12-04T07:07:00.000-07:00

There is no doubt that having a plan always saves money. I have been doing a monthly grocery planning menu for three months and we have saved so much on our food expense mostly because we aren't having emergency take-out nights for when I did not know what to make for dinner. There are many different ways to go about a menu. Some people clip coupons and menu plan based on what is on sale. I don't have the time or patience for that and because we try to eat all organic and meat that is grass fed locally raised it is a tad bit harder. What I do is if I am at the co-op and they have a great deal on meat I will buy it and stick it in the freezer and use it the following month.

I have also bought a quarter cow from a local farmer who raises grass fed beef. See the benefits to eating grass fed beef here. I encourage you to support your local farmers and experience the superior taste of fresh farm raised chicken, beef, eggs, milk, and produce.

The hardest part of menu planning is that first month. The first thing I do is print a calendar off of the computer. I use a lot of ...(don't laugh) Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazines for inspiration. I also gather my favorite cookbooks. Step two is setting up camp on the table with the computer. This will take at least an hour. I use Cozi for their online list-making this gives me a place to store my lists as I lose everything that is not saved on a computer. The lists made on Cozi can be emailed to you or sent to your phone as a text message. You could also use the Cozi Calendar to write your menu on, but I like to hand write mine. The nice thing about Cozi is I can use the list option and create one list that is titled 1st half of December and another list that is titled 2nd half of December to save for the second grocery trip. When I need to go the 2nd half of the month I just print out my list and I am done.

Creating the menu: In order to make this easier I have made food days. Tuesdays are Pasta nights, Wednesdays are always crock pot night because we have church activities that night and it is hard to make dinner on time. Fridays are pizza night so I fill in every Friday with the word PIZZA!, than Saturday is Soup night. This has made it easier to look for what I want to prepare on those nights. If I know a meal is going to be large I write in leftovers the following day.

If I am using a specific recipe I write down the magazine or cookbook I got the recipe from. For example if its Martha's I write MS Dec 2007 p.45 as well as the title of the recipe. If I decide we are having chili on a particular day, I write it in that day on the calander, than go to the Cozi list and type in, ground beef, tomatoes, etc. I do not fill in the entire calendar and then go back to do the list or I would forget too many things.

Once that initial Menu is made the following month you can write down what you want to make again. You might come up with a food for every day of the week. How about Taco night? Chili night? Breakfast night?

Once that Menu is all done you can proudly display it on the fridge and sigh in satisfaction at how organized you are and say to yourself throughout the month..."I wonder whats for dinner tonight," as you wander toward you fridge and gaze upon your masterpiece to find the answer.

Soothe Your Skin With Yogurt and Oatmeal

2009-11-19T21:06:00.000-07:00

This time of year my face gets chapped and sore. I have sensitive skin and most products on the shelf are not only toxic but are really hard on my skin. I think people are beginning to realize that many of our products have known carcinogens in them and other chemicals that can be absorbed into our bodies and wreck havoc on our endocrine system and reproductive system as well as cause a myriad of other problems. Even so called natural products can have harmful chemicals in them.

There is a website called skin deep created by the environmental working group to help us know what is in our products. Take a product you use...shampoo, face soap, baby wash and do a search on it within the site and it will tell you on a scale from 0-10 how dangerous the product is.

With my face inflamed I decided to avoid all products and go to my kitchen for help. I could take oatmeal and grind it into a powder and add a little water to make a face wash. I could also buy this for $10.00 off of a natural facial product website.

I decided to make a mask and it was very soothing for my skin.

Yogurt Oatmeal Mask

Take 1 Cup of plain yogurt (the more natural and pure the better...organic if possible).
add 1/2 cup of oats.
Spread this mixture over your face and wait 10-15 minutes. I heated a wet washcloth in the microwave to allow the steam to open up my pours.
My red blotches disappeared and I had rosy healthy looking skin for hours afterward.

Dishwasher Detergent

2009-11-18T06:33:00.000-07:00

Two items that I always like to keep on hand is Washing Soda (different from baking soda) and Borax. These two ingredients are the base to most things "clean". They are versatile ingredients and the base for many things. I always find myself running to get my box of borax or washing soda when I get in a pinch.

Last week was one of those pinches. I ran out of dish detergent. Time to make a batch! I got my borax and washing soda and made a wonderful batch of dish detergent that gets the dishes very clean. Here is the recipe!

1 C. Washing Soda
1 C. Borax
1 Tbsp. Salt (cheap stuff, don't use your expensive sea salts on this)
2 Tbsp. Citric Acid (this keeps the dishes from getting cloudy)

Put 2 Tbsp. in the dishwasher and run the load!

Making Goat Cheese

2009-11-17T07:51:00.000-07:00

We are making our first batch of goat cheese today! No heat is required and it isn't neccessary to add rennet.

Simply pour Fresh Goat's Milk into a 1 quart jar and let sit on the counter for 24 - 48 hours. When you tip it, it will be solid like Jello. The longer it goes the more tart it will be.

Place strainer, lined with cheese cloth, over a bowl and drain. Tie the ends of the cheese cloth with a string and hang above the bowl to drip. Once it is done dripping, season it to taste with any seasonings and herbs you like. Then refridgerate. Here are some ideas below on how you can season the cheese.

Herbs de Provence
Salt
Garlic (roasted or sauteed)

Chives
Salt
Garlic (sauteed or roasted)
or garlic powder can be used

Roasted Garlic
Butter
Salt

Pepper
Salt
Garlic Powder

These are just some examples. Experiment with your favorite blends and see what you can come up with. And of course, if you come up with something yummy, don't forget to share it with us!

Got REAL Milk?

2009-11-16T14:36:00.000-07:00

Whew! Boy are we learning...and fast! Milk is such a highly delicate and incredible substance. Educate yourself as much as you can about milk because it will truly enlighten you.

Real Milk (by this I mean unpasteurized) is very touchy. I can taste, almost immediately, any changes I have made to my animals' surroundings, feed or care. I have found as I change hay, change bedding, change feed, change barn mates, all this comes out in the milk. Now, this can be highly frustrating when you are trying to produce a generic substance, but milk is a far cry from generic. The process of elimination can be exhausting to try to get that rich beautiful flavor. However, no matter how much I want to pull my hair out, I remind myself how good this is. This is actually a comfort because I know when my milk gets off, to sniff around for the aftertaste. I mean that literally. The smell of the object throwing off your milk will be what the off-taste tastes like, if you can make sense of that. Here are some things that will effect milk flavor.

Chilling process: Chill milk in ice bath in the fridge. The idea is to drop the temperature as quickly as possible to 35 degrees.

Hay: No mustard plants in your hay. (first cut) Make sure your hay is pure, fresh and clean. The greener the better. Know your mix. Alfalfa, Grass/alfalfa mix, Grass mix. (A quick note, make sure your hay is of good quality. I got some free hay that was old and dirty. Oh, they ate it all right and our milk tasted just like it.)

Grain: What mix of grains do you have? Corn is preferred rolled, oats and barley should be flaked, beans can throw off flavor depending on the kind of bean. Too much grain will cause diarrhea, too much change in grain too fast can cause bloat. There are all kinds of mixes suitable for goats. Some throw off the milk flavor and some don't. This is a trial and error one.

Water: Fresh clean water is essential to good milk. If your plastic buckets absorb a barn smell, you will have that taste in your milk. Warm water should be given in the winter or cold days. If debree gets in the water, your milk will taste like whatever is floating, if it taints the water flavor.

A Buck: If your buck is staying with your doe, you will taste him. (This goes for any stinky animal)

Bedding: Soiled or stinky bedding will change the flavor of your milk, even if you wash the udders. Keep the barns very clean. Also, the smell of the bedding you use, can come through in your milk. (I once used that same free hay for bedding, once again, the taste ended up in the milk)

Browse: If your animals are allowed to browse too much of one plant, it will come through in the milk. Too much pine, will taste like pine, for example.

Grooming: A good brushing is recommended before milking. When hairs or debree fall into the milk, it can taint the whole bucket.

Equipment: Make sure your equipment is thoroughly clean. If you hand milk, this means your hands and milking pail. Make sure these items are also in good condition. Scratches and chips can harbor bacteria that taints the milk flavor. Cleanliness is very important.

Milking order/technique: Pump the first to squirts from each nipple into a dump cup. These first squirts contain a majority of the bad bacteria and any germs or bacteria that may have ventured into the nipple opening.

If I have forgotten anything, please add your comments. The above is not true of all animals. This is where their individuality will show through. Not all factors effect milking animals the same way and each one is different. The above list is a general guide.

Back to Basics

2009-11-04T08:51:00.000-07:00

I am sure if you are interested in homesteading you are aware of a book called Back to Basics edited by Abigail R. Gehring. I have not seen a more detailed or comprehensive guide on what the book calls "traditional skills." Everything you might want to know is within its green cover. Subjects include: How to buy land and build on it. What kind of building do you want to build? Log cabin, Adobe, Stone house? You will need a barn so it tells ya how to raise one and how to develop a water supply, and how about a sauna or hot tub?...its all in there. The chapter called "sanitation" refers to how to build toilets. There is an incinerating toilet which burns the refuse; it takes fifteen minutes to burn after which it is cooled by a blower. It is fueled by natural or liquid propane gas, there is a pit privy or basic out house, composting toilet, chemical toilet, freezer, vacuum toilets, and nonaqueous flushing toilet. Who knew there was so much to know about toilets?

Every homestead needs a fireplace so there is a chapter on construction and design of fireplaces. Fences and walls and brick pavements.

There is a section on energy from wood, water wind and sun, and then the books gets fun as it delves into gardening and raising livestock...including fish farming and beekeeping.

Then there is preserving your harvest, your meat and fish, making your own dairy products, maple sugaring, homemade beverages, bread baking, regional cooking, and cooking with wood.

Part five of the book is dedicated to skills and crafts for house and homestead and is a very fun chapter for crafters as it is filled with old time skills. Dying, spinning, weaving, rug making, quilting, rope and twine, tanning and leatherwork, woodworking, broommaking, scrimshaw, household recipes, metalworking, stenciling, flower drying and pressed flowers, gourd craft, soapmaking, candlemaking, basketry.

The end of the books is an interesting compilation of recreational activites such as making a dulcimer, holiday celebrations, canoeing and kayaking, wilderness camping, outdoors in winter, fishing and living with nature.

I got this book from the library to preview it but it is definitely one I want as a reference on my book shelf. It is packed with recipes and projects and amazingly comprehensive.

Here is the amazon link to read more.

Do you have skills?

2009-10-30T12:01:00.000-06:00

Hey, is there a certain skill or hobby that is something you are interested in and maybe sort of good at? Is it a Homemaking or Homesteading skill? How about teaching a class? A lot of these skills are lost these days in our youth. Advertise at your local library or homeschooling group to teach an informal class. Help to educate others with what you know. Even if you are not a pro, the best teaching is sometimes passing on what you know to others.

The Romance of Homesteading

2009-10-30T08:53:00.000-06:00

The romance of homesteading is gone. It is no longer the warm beautiful mornings where it was easy to get up and have that moment of peace with the animals. We are now neck deep in a winter-like fall. The snow is a foot deep and it is cold out. Now is when you learn if this is really for you. The alarm is going off at 5am and the wind is whipping the snow into peaks outside. You have to pull yourself from an unfinished sleep, warm bed and dress for cold. When you head outside, the only thing that isn't covered is your eyes. Not by choice, but neccessity. With a headlamp strapped on, you and the dog head out into the dark. You are hauling pails of warm water for the animals, throwing hay down, cleaning stalls, giving grain and last of all milking. This is when you find what you are made of. There is no more sleeping in and everything is carefully planned around the care of your animals.

Yes! This is what I am made of. I love it! When dawn breaks and that pink line is visible in the sky. You stop and feel like you've stollen a moment from God. This is when each egg becomes a miracle, every pail of milk a blessing, and prayers are thankful. Then it's back to work.

It's Tallow Tonight

2009-10-27T20:57:00.001-06:00

It's time to make more soap. I looked into all the oils I needed to make all the soap and it cost over $100. I filled my cart and then emptied it again. There has got to be a better way. When in doubt, look back. Digging around on the internet on how our ancestors made soap, I found some recipes for the old-fashioned lye soap and decided to give it a shot.

My husband got a deer this year and in effort to use every bit of the animal we saved the fat to make tallow. I found this great step-by-step tutorial on it and it is a lot easier than I thought it would be. The soap made from pure animal tallow is soft, creamy and lathers well. I'm putting it to the test. Here is a great how-to on rendering.

http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/soapmakingoils/ss/rendertallow.htm

I will follow-up and post results.

Oh and if you don't hunt, ask a good butcher for the fat or your grocery store. Chances are you will walk away with plenty of fat for no cost.

Baby food

2009-10-20T13:26:00.000-06:00

Baby's first food for us always meant the box of powder that you mix into a gruel. The kids all accepted it but it wasn't until I found the book Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford that I realized baby food doesn't have to come from powder in a box. It should come directly from whole grains so it is rich in nutrients and wholesome for baby. I have modified the baby cereal recipe to whatever I have on hand. My daughter is two but has a disease that requires her to be fed through a Gastric tube so I puree this cereal so she can get whole grains into her diet. I would avoid using wheat until baby is older since so many people are allergic to it.

Here is the recipe:

Use as much as you need. I make a large batch and freeze it so I use one cup of each.

1/3 each: brown rice
sweet brown rice
oat graots, millet, kamut, or quinoa

Presoak all ingredients for six or more hours, and discard the soaking water. Add 6-7 Cups of water for each cup of grain. Bring ingredients almost to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, 2-3 hours. I use a immersion blender to blend it smooth.

This is a lot healthier than anything you can buy and it tastes good too.

I highly recommend this book as it is packed with information on how foods can help with all kinds of ailments. It merges eastern traditions with modern and western ideas. It is a huge tome and a great reference.

Made From Scratch

2009-10-11T09:04:00.001-06:00

I just finished reading this book and poured through it! I wasn't expecting to find much information but ended up walking away with some new ideas to try and had so much fun reading this book that I am sad it is over. I don't want it to end. I was happy to find that the author keeps a blog, which I have on my list to pour through the archives!

www.coldantlerfarm.blogspot.com

This is a must read for homesteaders and thank you Jenna Woginrich!

I name a chicken after all inspirations to our homestead. Our next Chicken is going to be named Jenna!

Put Lemons To Good Use

2009-09-29T07:09:00.000-06:00

Lately I haven't bought lemons but I used to buy a bagful every time I went to the grocery store because they seem to be a common ingredient in almost everything I make. I am trying to buy local and avoid unneccessary costs, therefore, lemons have been cut from the grocery list of late. I still buy some once in a while and inevitably some of them start going bad before I can use them.

To avoid wasting your lemons use them in cleaning.

You don't necessarily need a lemon for this but the smell is nice. Put a slice of lemon in a bowl of water in your microwave to get the hard stuff off the side, heat the water until the microwave is full of steam. The steam from the water softens any dried up crud inside the microwave.

I like to cut a lemon in half and rub it all over the cutting board to clean it.

Dipping the lemon half in salt adds some abrasion and is great for cleaning copper bottom pots.

I recently canned grape jelly and in the process of making the jelly I got some pretty good stains on the counter top. A good soak in lemon juice and a wipe up with baking soda got rid of the stain when all other cleaners failed.

When I need just the juice of a lemon I always zest it first. The zest of a lemon is the peel (but not the white part). If you don't have a zester use a grater and grate the peel from the lemon. I stick it in the freezer and when I need the zest I have a bagful in the freezer.

Peels can also be put into the garbage disposal in your sink to freshen it.

The lemon tree in my grandmother's back yard provided them with an abundance of lemons every year. If you live in a warm climate you can use your home grown lemons for making homemade cleaners including bleach. It is not practical for us northerners to add a cup of lemon juice to our wash every week but we can use them when they are on hand.