Urban Farm Girl

T-shirt yearn Part II

2011-01-24T09:10:00.000-06:00

So this is the tote I made with my t-shirt yarn. It is very thick and sturdy. I added a lining so that things wouldn't slip through the holes between the crochet stitches. The entire tote was made using a SC (single crochet) going round and round and round until the bag was the size I wanted it. I did crochet a flat bottom first. I made a chain of 6 and then just SC back and forth until I had a rectangle the size I wanted my bottom to be. I followed the directions on the blog I mentioned in my t-yarn post.

The straps were made on a round loom using 6 pegs and knit stitching a flat panel (not in the round). I slipped the first peg at the beginning of each row. That made the strap curl in but that worked out well. I let it curl then single crocheted fun fur through each edge to create a rope like strap (like an i-cord). I didn't use t-yarn for the strap. It was just too much for my little loom and I kept pulling the pegs off when I tried to knit off.

I used a blanket stitch to sew in my lining but I did a really BAD job so I will probably re-do it at some point. I was just too excited to get it all put together and show it off!

The entire project was done with recycled, found or already owned materials (except for the size P crochet hook I used). The man says I can't buy more yarn until I use up what I have *silly man* but then I did start thinking about wasteful it is to keep buying buying buying to the point that I might never use it all *gasp* and that maybe he had a point. Not to mention the whole REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE motto we try to live by. So I am on a mission to craft without buying new supplies!

T-Shirt Yarn

2011-01-20T11:14:00.002-06:00

From this to this:

Yarn! I am using it to crochet a bag I saw on this blog Anatomy of a Rag Bag Love reading this blog. Check it out!

To make the yarn I followed cutting directions I found on this blog:
t-shirt yarn

Dyeing for color!

2011-01-18T22:29:00.000-06:00

I read about using kool aid to dye wool and I just happened to have a light cream colored wool that I only used a tiny bit of so I decided to jump right in and give it a try. My 'flavor' was lemon lime for the green and cool blue raspberry for the blue. I wanted a variegated result so I dipped half my skein in one color and half in the other. By the way, kool aid dye does dye fingers and finger nails! I am allergic to latex and was out of my 'safe' gloves so I just used my hands. Oooppsies.

I noticed that the under side of the yarn was not getting any color so I flipped it and smooshed it and added another packet of kool aid in each color. I dissolved in hot water with a splash of vinegar. In the left dye bath where the blue is I put a sample swatch of a green wool I have that I am not super crazy about. It came out a really pretty emerald green so I went ahead and made up a batch of blue and put my green yarn in using the microwave method.
Before starting the dyeing process I had to re-twist my yarn. It was in those center pull skeins from craft store and I had to wrap them in hanks so that the dye could penetrate.

This Little Piggy

2011-01-17T22:57:00.000-06:00

This little piggy was suppose to be bunny but somehow it just squealed piggy piggy piggy. I ran across a cute style of crocheting called amigurumi and so I made up a bunch of fun little critters for the kids and cats to play with. I like amigurumi because it gives me instant gradification. I can finish in the time it takes to watch a show or movie.

This is a critter I made for my daughter and we think it is chipcat. She has a swirly chipmunk tail but kitty ears and little paws.

Check out http://www.freshstitches.com/amigurumi.php for cute pictures and patterns.

Yarn Inspired

2011-01-17T22:47:00.000-06:00

It's a new year and I haven't blogged in ages. We had to move to a much smaller home and give up many of our belongings to fit into this new home. It was tough but a bit freeing to feel so much lighter!

I have been adjusting to our new home, neighborhood and area of town. I have a tiny little garden, a little bit of earth to play in, wonderful neighbors and a roof over my head which I affectionately call "The Cottage" even though some might call it a Mobile Home.

Every winter I get yarn inspired. Maybe it is the idea if I make it (cold weather apparel) it will come. Surely if I knit everyone caps, scarves and mittens the snow fates will send flurries our way.

I love yarn. Even as a mediocre crocheter and a basic knitter I just love it. I love the feel, the colors, the smells, the way they are bundled, balled, skeined, and hanked. I wouldn't mind displaying my yarns as part of my home decor if I was sure my kitties wouldn't attack my lovely fibers!

So this year the deal with husband is this: Finish all those UFOs (unfinished objects) and put a big dent in the yarn stash before you buy more. Can you believe that? Sure, it sounds logical but what if....sales, the perfect color, that lovely alpaca in a color only available today, did I mention sale? What if there is a beauty and only a few available and it's now or never? What if I just need a treat? Ummmmm, well you up what you have and then you can shop! Sigh, he is being so responsible and mature but if there is suddenly a zombie apocalypse and yarn is the only material we have to make clothing and keep warm and he wouldn't let me stock up he is going to be sorry! He seems to think the zombies aren't concerned with alpaca vs wool vs bamboo vs green cotton. I am so making him a scarf and hat out of scratchy yarn in ugly colors. Shhhhh, just kidding. I probably wouldn't do that.

The top left is a felted water bottle I made for myself. It helps my bottle not sweat on my papers and seems to keep it cool longer. I got the pattern off gettinigpegged.com.
Next you see my LAL (loom a long) which is an oven mitt. In this photo is wet and blocked into shape. Once dried it looks much nicer. It works great for light cookie sheets or pans but not as well for taking the hot cast iron dutch oven out of oven.
Below is a scrubby-0 all from http://gettinitpegged.com/. I love it. I have one in the shower and use it to scrub down walls and door before I get out. We use in kitchen too.

And this water bottle cover I made from my mom for her birthday. It isn't the first one I made. The first one I made came out about big enough to keep a bottle of Tabasco sauce snugly! It was my first attempt at felting.

I'm on a roll. I am finishing a UFO - a market bag that I am knitting. The above projects were knitting using looms.

Where did all these apples come from?

2009-12-30T23:30:00.001-06:00

Do you ever do this? You go to the store and think hmmm, those look good and we don't have any of those I think I will get some. Then you go to the store again and think to yourself, hmmm, these are on sale and we haven't had any in a while, I think I shall surprise my family with a few. Then again, you head to the market and say to yourself, wow, what a deal, those are some nice looking whatjamajiggies, I must grab as many as I can stuff in a bag and bring them home to my loved ones so they will know that I truly heart them. Well in my case and in this instance it was apples. How I ended up with two refrigerators a total of 4 produce drawers full of apples is a mystery but wait! There were more! I found a bag of apples still sitting by the front door where one of the offspring sat it after bringing it in from the car. Crazy right? Not as crazy as finding ANOTHER bag of apples hiding in plain sight on the kitchen counter. I don't even know how many pounds of apples I found. How many pounds of apples do you think you could fit in fright car? I think that's about how many I had. There were fujis, braeburns, gala, cameo, golden delicious, red delicious, granny smiths and some jonagolds. Some were firm, some were not. Some were pretty, some were not. The only thing that all the apples had in common is that none of them were getting any fresher! I hate to waste anything so I had to get busy and fast.

First things first. Gather all the apples and give them a good bath. I used basic H and vinegar to wash them before doing anything else. Next I got out my handy dandy peeler/slicer/corer and used it to peel all these bad boys. I prefer to core my apples by hand because the gadget doesn't always get all the core and I hate little scratch bits of core in my appley treats.

If the apple is too soft or mealy it doesn't not peel well with the gadget so those went into a separate bowl. Mealy apples, as long as they aren't rotten dehydrate just fine. Firm apples went on to be cored, sliced and put in a large stock pot with some mulling spices, apple juice and agave. The apples destined for the Excalibur were cored and sliced and dipped in water with lemon juice in it. One the tray and into the dehydrators they went. I can hear them drying as I type.

I used 1/2 gallon of unsweetened apple juice and 1 cup of agave. I didn't want the apples super sweet. I wasn't going to use any sweetener but I had lots of granny smiths and they were super tart. My plan for these apples was just to have some canned apples that I could later use for cobblers, pork chops, as a topping for oat meal or a glaze for chicken or ham. I could always add sweetener and thickeners when I used them.

I was going to put the apples in pint jars raw and pour boiling juice over them but my canning books all said to boil the apples for 5 minutes first. This really broke the apples down. ~~Out of all that fruit I only got about 7 or 8 pints~~. Correction, I got 12 pints of apples and 5 half pints of pears. Not too bad after all! I also filled two dehydrators with apples. ~~I can't say if it was worth all the work or not.~~ After a good nights sleep I think it was worth the work. I haven't tried the canned apples yet and no one is opening any jars until my feet have stopped hurting from a day of standing over the sink cutting up apples.

My next canning adventure:

Canning turkey broth

Bread and Butter Jalapenos

2009-12-30T22:40:00.001-06:00

The last of my summer garden is now in jars labeled Bread and Butter Jalapenos 12/09. Our pepper garden is the only thing that grew really well this year. In fact it grew and grew and grew. I started dreading walking past it because I knew I would see more peppers that needed attention. Finally with the cold weather the peppers have packed up for the winter and I have little break. That is after canning 18 half pints of bread and butter jalapenos! The last of the peppers. My eyes were watering, my hands were burning (and I double gloved!), my clothing smelled like onion and garlic steam, my dish towels were stained from turmeric and there were sticky spots on the floor from goodness knows what! The job is done and I am glad.

My recipe which is a bit of this recipe and bit of that recipe with a twist.

6 lbs jalapeno peppers
4 large sweet onions, sliced
14 garlic cloves sliced thin

1/4 cup pickling salt

10-12 cups of ice cubes

5 cups vinegar

4 cups sugar

2 Tbs mustard seed

2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp celery seed

1/4 tsp ground cloves

Toss the peppers, onions and garlic with the salt in a large enamel pot then toss the ice cubes on top and let set for 3 hours (oops, mine sat overnight!). Drain the veggie mixture. Mix sugar, vinegar and spices in a large non-reactive pot until sugar is dissolved. Add the pepper mixture and boil for 4 minutes. Ladle into prepared jars and process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. This made 18 half pints (8oz jars).

I think these will be a great addition to deviled eggs, chicken salad, potato salad, hot dogs, and just about anything else you can think of!

Hot Cocoa

2009-12-30T22:13:00.000-06:00

This is one of the quick and easy gifts I gave this year. Everytime the bottled milk went on sale I bought some and saved the bottles. Most of the time it was organic milk and I got the milk free when I bought fruit or cereal. Cool deal if you ask me. I love the look of milk bottles. I have a few old milk bottles I found at yard sales but even the new ones tickle me. So old fashioned looking. This year I made up a HUGE batch of our fave hot cocoa mix. There are oodles of mixes online. Just do a google. I was able to scoop in enough mix for 10 servings in each bottle. I printed up the easy directions and added a cool cow image I found online. I used some jute and scrapbooking paper scraps to decorate the bottle. Making the big batch of cocoa mix took about 20 minutes but will probably make 5 or more bottles. The label and decorating of the bottle took about 5 minutes. So in under an hour I can have 5 or more handmade gifts.

Here are a few more cute ideas using milk bottles.

(country living magazine)

I think it would be cute to make up a batch of milk bath or bath salts and put that in a cute bottle. Tie on a pretty hand knitted wash cloth or one of those natural loofah sponges a long with some ribbon or raffia. Just google milk bath recipe.

To-Do

2009-12-23T13:58:00.002-06:00

(on the left a list of things under my bed, on the right my to-do list)

I am totally a list person. I love making lists. I love checking things off even more. To other list makers my lists would probably make them batty! To non-list makers they would probably run screaming. I don't know how my brain works when it makes lists, it just does. No rhyme or reason. No certain order. I see my lists not so much as a DO THIS IN THIS ORDER!!!! My list is more like a list of possibilities. Ideas should I find myself idea-less. So what does my current list contain?

~~Bathe dogs~~
~~shampoo couches~~
~~clean chicken coop~~
butcher chickens
make curtains for school room
organize pantry
sew hot pads
make dish towel dresses
school plan
pay bills (yuck!)
~~Get coop ready for broilers~~
~~move broilers to outdoor coop~~
pull weeds
plant potatoes
~~make shepherd costume for Christmas Eve play (notice this way at bottom and it's due tomorrow!)~~
Mop floors
paint end table
Mail Christmas goodies to Mom!
~~Clean back porch~~
~~Clean up backyard~~
~~Bread and butter jalapenos~~

So those are a few of the things floating around in my head. Their position on the list has no significance. Or maybe it does. There could be some deep psychological root to my list but I think it is just how I work!

Easy Stove-top Lasagna

2009-12-20T10:51:00.000-06:00

1 package of Italian turkey sausage
2 jars of fave spaghetti sauce
1 TB Mrs. Dash Garlic Herb seasoning
1 cup of ricotta (I used fat free)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup shredded mozzarella (part skim)
1 box of bow tie pasta (I use whole wheat)

Put water on to boil and cook pasta until it's almost done.
Brown turkey sausage in skillet. Drain and rinse off any additional fat. Add two jars of sauce. In a small bowl mix ricotta, Parmesan and Mrs. Dash. When pasta is done drain it and toss with sauce in skillet. Dollop the ricotta mixture over the top and sprinkle with the mozzarella. Cover and simmer on low or put oven safe skillet in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and ricotta is heated through.

I add 2 TB of dehydrated carrot powder and 1 TB of dehydrated kale powder to the sauce and simmer while the pasta cooks. It doesn't change flavor and adds and extra punch of nutrition! The carrots make the sauce a little less acidic tasting and the kids seem to like that.

Canned Coleslaw

2009-12-20T10:10:00.000-06:00

Surprisingly tasty! This recipe came from one of the many canning lists I am on. I was leery but gave it a try. I had a few beautiful heads of organic, locally grown cabbage from the farmer's market. I used my bosch to shred the cabbage.

Home Canned Coleslaw

3 lb cabbage
2 large carrots
1 medium onion
1 finely chopped bell pepper
1 tsp pickling salt (I use Real Salt)
2 c white vinegar
1½ c granulated sugar (I used 1 cup)
2 tsp celery seed

Remove the core from the cabbage and shred the cabbage and carrots. Finely dice the onion. Mix the onions into the shredded cabbage and carrots. Mix in the pickling salt. Mix well, cover and let sit at room temperature for 45 minutes to an hour. Drain the liquid. While the cabbage is sitting, mix the vinegar, sugar and celery seed in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute. Cool slightly. Pack cabbage mixture tightly into your jars. Ladle syrup over the cabbage. Adjust two piece lids. Process 15 minutes in boiling water bath canner. To serve: Use as is or drain then stir in salad dressing of your choice or mayonnaise.

When I made it I put about 1/4 cup of syrup in the bottom of each jar then packed my slaw in and poured the remaining syrup over the cabbage. Be sure to use a spatula to remove air bubbles and get the syrup to run down through cabbage.

3lb of cabbage was about 1 large head of cabbage.

Oh, one last thing! When you drain the liquid off the cabbage don't just throw it out. It is a sweet and tart vinegar and is great for tenderizing a roast. I poured it over a pork roast that I cooked overnight in the oven on low. It was very tender and flavorful!

Thrift Store Finds

2009-12-19T19:27:00.000-06:00

I took a quick side trip to the Salvation Army while out and about yesterday. I was tickled to find this super cool canning jar. It is called Le Parfait and is made in France (imagine something not made in China!!). It is a nice heavy jar and is quite large. It is .75 liter which I think is just over a pint. Maybe 2 1/2 to 3 cups. I looked online and found that 1) I got a great deal! and 2) I want more of these jars!

I picked up Country Living Handmade Country: Old-Fashioned Crafts and Timeless Keepsakes, a nice big coffee table style book with pretty pictures. I love these kinds of books but they are usually out of my budget. This one was only $1.49! I was so excited because I looked at some Country Living books at Half Price Books and the cheapest was $10.

I can't wait to go back when I have a little more pocket money. I am on a quest for 100% wool sweaters any color, any condition. I found some at a yard sale but The Man accidently threw them away!!! They were in a trash bag in the car. I plan to use them to make felted hot pads and coasters.

All I want for Christmas....

2009-12-19T14:39:00.000-06:00

Bubba finally lost his 2 front teeth. He lost one and the other was hanging there for weeks! It finally fell out. I told him now he can ask for his two front teeth for Christmas. I remember the old song but I guess my kids have never heard it because Bubba in all seriousness told me, "That's not what I want, I can chew stuff with my side TEEF, I want a toy or something!"

Close up of Walnut Babies

2009-12-19T14:28:00.001-06:00

Knitty Christmas

2009-12-19T14:25:00.001-06:00

I love love love these knitted or crocheted wash cloths. I use them in the kitchen all the time. I am making them for gifts this year and giving them with a bar of my homemade soap.

They are easy to knit. I use size 8 knitting needles. Here's how to do it.

Waffle Knit Wash Cloth

Use 100% cotton yarn. I like Sugar and Cream Yarn because it comes in so many pretty colors.

Directions:

Cast on 38 stitches.

Knit 3 rows for border.

Row 1: (right side): Knit.

Row 2: K 3, purl to last 3 stitches, k 3.

Row 3: K 3, (P 2, k 1) 10 times, p 2, k 3.

Row 4: K 3, (K 2, p 1) 10 times, k 5.

Repeat Row 1-4 approximately 12 times or until you reach the size you like. Knit 4 rows for your border and bind off as usual.

Walnut Shell Babies

2009-12-19T14:12:00.001-06:00

I love the idea of a homemade Christmas and with a much tighter budget this year we are making more than ever before. Pookie wanted to make gifts for her little friends so we did some googling and found these sweet little babies. The hardest part of the whole project was cracking the walnuts perfectly without breaking the shells. I found it was easier to pry them apart with a butter knife than to use a nutcracker.

A little scrap of fabric for the blanket wrapped around a cotton ball and hot glued into the walnut half made the babies body. A small wooden bead and a little tuft of yarn for the hair and sharpie markers for the eyes and rosebud mouth. A little bow glued on as a final tough makes this little baby a treasure for any little girl. The package we put her in originally had cupcake liners in it. I used a scrap of shimmery fabric to set the baby on. This will go to Pookie's BFF for Christmas.

This little twin set was made using a cotton ball cut in half and wrapped in two different fabrics. I used dried garbanzo beans for the baby heads. I was out of beads and I thought the garbanzo beans looked kind of like poochie little newborn faces. I added wooden discs and a toothpick painted black to make it look like a baby buggy. I had lots of fun making them and I think the girls will have lots of fun playing with them.

I feel fussy

2009-12-19T13:43:00.004-06:00

I feel fussy. I don't if it is the weather or the season or a combo of both but I am really struggling not to be ugly.

The weather has been bleak. It's a good thing I don't live in Seattle where it rains 200 days a year! It has been gray and damp. Not a full on rainstorm with thunder and the sound of water splashing through rain gutters. More like a giant unseen spray bottle set on mist for days on end. Everything is moist and soggy. Slick and muddy. My dogs don't want to go outside to potty. When we force them outside they run to what used to be our backyard but is now just a big mud puddle, do their business then run back in tracking doggy mud prints through the house. The cat won't go potty outside in the wet either so we have moved her little box to the garage. The dogs seem to think it is a snack dispenser because they go out and eat Kitty's poo then spend the night throwing up clumping cat litter poo. Now that I think about it I guess I could see why I might feel a little fussy! Did I mention that the cat poo gives my dogs bad bad gas? And that the cat getting up on the counter eating the kids leftovers gives her bad gas? So instead of the pine freshness of a Christmas Tree or cinnamon spice from the apple cider jelly I am making it smells like rotten eggs.

Ok, so I got it off my chest. Now to play the happy game. The constant mist has given everything much needed moisture. It will be much easier to weed my sad garden and flower beds. I can start getting my beds ready for early spring planting and can probably get some potatoes in the ground. Ummm, that's about all I have right now! If I could up with a happy reason for doggy gas and muddy foot prints I will be sure to share!

New School Year

2009-09-30T00:01:00.000-05:00

We have started the 2009-2010 school year! This is my 11th year homeschooling the kids. It has really flown by. I love it. It is hard, tiring, trying at times, rewarding, fun, and sometimes tedious and boring! I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Now that Bubba is in 2nd grade and a full blown school kid I am finding that teaching 4 different grades everyday is kind of time consuming! This year I have a 10th, 7th, 5th and 2nd grader.

TTO (the tall one), Nollie, Pookie and Bubba

To add all sorts of fun to our school day we adopted a kitten from a friend. She is great incentive to finish work quickly. Everyone wants to hold Kitty Diddle. She is a sweet little thing.
Isn't she pretty!

Polenta with Turkey Sausage and Greens

2009-09-29T23:39:00.001-05:00

This dish came out very tasty. Even the kids liked it. I was worried that the green stuff and the texture would be met with curled noses and tears. This recipe came from a Weight Watcher's cookbook that I found at a yard sale for a quarter! It is called Everybody Loves Chicken. It is a great cookbook and way worth the quarter.

Polenta with Turkey Sausage and Greens
Serves 6
1 cup of coarse ground cornmeal
4 cups of water
1/2 tsp salt

6 spicy Italian turkey sausage (I used sweet Italian because of the kids)
14oz can of mustard greens (just greens and water!)

Bring water to a boil, slowly whisk in cornmeal. Keep whisking and simmering until it is as thick as you like and smooth. It will thicken more as it sets.

Squeeze sausage out of casing into a skillet sprayed with cooking spray. Crumble and brown sausage until cooked through. Add can of mustard greens (Liquid and all! The liquid has lots of vitamins.)stir over low heat until greens are cooked through.

If counting Weight Watcher points measure out 1/2 cup of polenta into a bowl. Top with approximately 1/6 of the sausage and greens mixture. Sprinkle with 1/2 TB of parmesan cheese. 6pts.

Tastes good the next day for lunch too! Just heat it all in the microwave and chow down.

Cornmeal and canned greens are great food storage items. I buy popcorn (not microwave popcorn, the real deal!) in 50lb bags at Sam's. I grind that in my grain mill for cornmeal. Grind as needed to retain vitamins and to keep it as fresh as possible. If you grind more than you will use then freeze the rest.

This looked very pretty in the bowl. Kind of Italian Country comfort food. Unfortunetly I was too hungry to go find my camera! Instead I am posting a picture of the canned greens I buy. They are cheap and simple. No additives.

This meal is a great budget stretcher too.
Greens .59
Sausage reduced for quick sale - $2.00 (at my grocery store they ALWAYS have quick sale turkey sausage)
Cornmeal: Pennies for 1 cup of cornmeal.

Under $3 for the entire meal or aproximately .50 per serving.

Trials and Triumphs

2009-08-14T23:55:00.005-05:00

Being on the verge of loosing everything is a humbling place to be! How do we do it? How do we keep from loosing hope and not give in to despair? Well, a lot of prayer and faith that God will do what He says He will do:

"Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?"
Matthew 6:26

We have been blessed by so many people that allowed God to use them and listened to God when He laid it on their hearts to bless us. It has been amazing to see the Body of Christ encircle us and love on us.

During this time God has shown us that we each have unique gifts and this has been an opportunity to exercise those gifts.

As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
1 Peter 4:10

We have also learned a lot about prayer!

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,
Ephesians 6:18

I still have days where I feel downright picked on! I just want to stomp my feet and cry. I want to turn the air conditioner on without worrying about the bill, I want to buy my kids new shoes without having to plan months in advance and hope for a good deal at the Goodwill, I want a pedicure but then I remember that if I needed a pedicure God would provide and when the kids truly need shoes he will provide that too and even if we had a high paying job would I really want to crank up the air conditoner and have a $400 a month electric bill? Nah, not really and truthfully if I had $20 for a pedicure I think I would use it to bless someone else because you know what? We have been there and though $20 may not seem like much it might be exactly what someone else was praying for!

The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?
Psalm 27:1

'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

In you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.
Psalm 25:1

How do you make ends meet?

2009-08-14T23:13:00.008-05:00

I never thought it could happen to us but here we are, 8 months and still unemployed. He was laid off Jan. 5th. The day he got back from Christmas vacation he was called into the office and they rang in the New Year by dissolving his department.

How do you do it? How are you making it? I get asked that a lot.

Are we making it? Yes we are! We haven't been kicked out of our house yet, we haven't had the utilities turned off yet, the phone gets turned off every other month or so but that isn't vital to our existence although sometimes it feels like it!

No matter how much we cut back we still need cash. We haven't figured out how to live without it! There are utilities, prescriptions, gas for the car that drives my man around looking for jobs, insurance, property tax, etc. So how do we do it?

Farm Girl's Amazon store and Ebay is one way. I have been going through the house and making hard choices about what we REALLY need and what is just fluff. We had a lot of fluff! I am also listing things for friends that don't really have the time or inclination to sit for hours editing photos, researching prices and creating listings. They provide the merchandise, I do the leg work and they pay me a portion of the profits.

Freshly baked bread sells well and is popular with friends and neighbors. I also make jelly, chutney and preserves. I can all summer in preparation for the November craft fair season. I take jellies, fresh baked breads, cookies, fudge, and fresh eggs. All of my items are priced under $5 so I sell a lot of them.

I sell eggs from our chickens too but after buying chicken food we pretty much break even. At least we get our eggs free and they also provide meat and nice compost!

I do a little sewing here and there and I have been asked to teach classes on canning and preserving, gardening, cooking from scratch and other homemaking skills.

We have yard sales every couple months. Anytime someone I know is getting rid of something I ask if they mind if I take it and if it is okay to put it in a yard sale. I would never sell something someone gave me without asking them first and offering them the money I receive from it. Most people just tell me to keep it. I appreciate having more 'stuff' at my yard sales because it draws more crowds. I don't mind selling for other people at my yard sales as long as they have a set price in mind so they aren't disappointed if I go too low.

I keep my eyes open for rare books when I go to yard sales, goodwill or half price books. I try to keep up to date on what books fetch a good price in home school circles and then keep my eyes peeled. I have purchased books for $1 or $2 at goodwill and turned around and sold them online for $40-$50. Doesn't happen often but when it does it's great!

I coupon when I shop but I only use coupons on items that are already on sale for a good price and I try to only use coupons on things we really need and use. A lot of coupons are for convenience foods or junk food. I cook from scratch and try to stay away from junk food. I don't mind making a cobbler or homemade cookies but that is a far cry from Twinkies or florescent colored sugary goo. I have been known to buy a box of pop tarts occasionally and some easy meal starter mix to have on hand for the kids or the man to make if I am not able to.

I used to subscribe to Grocery Game and it was great. I don't subscribe anymore because after several months I got the hang of it. It is more time consuming to do it myself instead of downloading their easy list but doing it myself saves me $20 every 12 weeks. They have a 4 week trial that costs $1 so I would say try it and learn all you can. Before you sign up for the 4 week trial collect as many coupons from the Sunday paper as you can so you have a good collection. When they provide a list with the weekly sale they tell you which coupon to use on that product and the coupon called for may be one from a few weeks before. So it helps to have several weeks worth of coupons BEFORE your 4 week clock starts ticking.

Those are just a few things I do. What do you do to make ends meet?

Check out YouTube for some thrifty videos.

DIY Powdered Laundry Detergent

2009-08-12T23:56:00.003-05:00

This is a popular recipe found on several websites.

Powdered Laundry Detergent

2 cupsFels Naptha Soap
1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup
Borax
* Mix well and store in an airtight plastic container.
* Use 2 tablespoons per full load.

I do not like the way Zote or Fels Naptha smell. I mean I really DO NOT like them. Both have a very strong perfume smell that really bothers my sinuses so I use my homemade soap. My soap is just a plain basic bar made with lard and coconut oil. No scent, nothing special. I have also used Kirk's Castile for Hard water with good results. I found it at my local grocery store years ago but haven't seen it in a while. I have read that you can use Ivory or Sunlight bar soap too. I haven't tried them.

I have a high efficiency front loading washer and this detergent works great because it doesn't suds up. I use more than two tablespoons in my wash though. I use closer to 1/4 cup but your results may very. A lot depends on the hardness of your water and the soap you use and how dirty your clothes are!

I get a box of Oxy-clean like stuff at the Dollar Tree and mix that in with my batch of detergent for a little extra oomph. I quadruple my recipe because I figure if I am going to make I might as well make it last! I use the cheese grater attachment for my food processor to grate the soap. It is easier to grate several bars at once and store in a container you can scoop from. I use the #10 cans with lids that you might buy coffee in. I have one for grated soap, one for borax and one for washing soda. Much easier than trying to pour the borax or washing soda out of the boxes. When I quadruple it I use one box of the oxy stuff. I think it is about 2 cups.

I splurge on a big bottle of fabric softener. I didn't used to use fabric softener back when we dried our clothes in the dryer but now that I hang them I do like using the softener. The clothes come our pretty stiff on the line but it is much nicer with a little softener added to rinse. I only use about a tablespoon so the softener lasts for a long time. I have tried using the vinegar rinse instead but for line drying it just comes out too stiff. I don't use softener on whites or towels, I use vinegar. I like my towels kinda stiff, it's like a loofah! I don't use it on the white because they tough the sensitive parts and I am always worried the softener might irritate those parts.

Cost wise I figured out that it cost me about .05 a load even when using the oxy stuff from the dollar store. The HUGE of fabric softener cost $13 and has lasted me 6 months so far and is still half full. I have no idea how many loads I do in 6 months but I would say the cost is pennies a load. I have been using the homemade stuff for over a year now and it works great. I feel that the clothes are clean, they don't seem to be dingy and they seem to be wearing well.

There are recipes for liquid laundry detergent and I used to make it but the powdered is so much easier and I can whip it up in no time at all.

This one's for the ladies!

2009-08-11T00:21:00.002-05:00

Ok guys, you have been warned.

Reusable Cloth Menstrual Pads

I'm on this quest to figure out how to do it myself or do without. This one isn't a new one for me. I had a cloth diaper making business about 10 years ago and I made diapers, nursing pads and mama pads. I have used them myself for years. They are easy to make and can be made out of old t-shirts, old flannel shirts, sheets or towels. I would guess that every woman out there could make enough for herself and any other women in the house without having to buy a thing. Ok, you do need a sewing machine. I know they could be made by hand but a machine makes the job quicker and easier.

I will draw the line at posting pictures of my own personal collection here but here is a link with great instructions on how to make your own.

Make Your Own Pads

Here is another How To

Before you say NO WAY just think about it. Add up what you spend on feminine hygiene products and multiply that by how many cycles you have a year. Now multiply that by as many as 30 years! I'm just saying...

Another thought, suppose you become that 1 in 10 on food stamps or your household is counted as one of the unemployed. Imagine your monthly income being cut in half or more. Every penny counts in order to keep the lights on and the roof over your head. Where will you cut costs?

Cherry Berry Jelly

2009-08-10T23:18:00.005-05:00

This is a new fave for the kids. After pitting 25lbs or so of cherries I just couldn't bare to throw away all the pits with little bits of cherry still clinging to them. That was a lot of work and it seemed a shame to not make more out of what was left. I simmered the pits for about an hour until most the flesh fell off and I had a pan of dark cherry-ish liquid. I strained out the pits (and still couldn't stand to throw them away!) and poured the liquid through a Norpro Jelly Strainer and Bag I added enough berry juice to make 6 cups then followed the directions on the pectin box for making jelly. It turned out super yummy!

Oh, and the pits were dried well in the dehydrator. I will use some of them for heating pads and let the boys use the rest as sling shot ammunition.

Sprouts: Gardening on Your Window Sill

2009-08-10T22:43:00.002-05:00

Alfalfa Tea for the Garden

2009-08-10T21:59:00.003-05:00

Alfalfa Tea - a definition

The information posted here on my blog was found at Dave's Garden. Dave's a great resource for all things garden and then some. Consider joining, it is a very good investment!

Dry alfalfa is a good slow-release source of nitrogen, but since you will be "digesting" it by letting it ferment in water, the resulting tea is a soluble, fast-acting nitrogen source.

Also, by making alfalfa (or manure) tea, you don't have to worry about weed seeds sprouting from the fertilizer.

In addition to nitrogen, alfalfa supplies enzymes and trace elements that are not present in chemical nitrogen fertilizers.

The Mix:
Choose a garbage bin or barrel with no leaks and a tight fitting lid. Position it in an out of the way place - you don't want to have to move it once it's full. For a full size garbage bin (20 gallons) add 16 cups of alfalfa pellets or alfalfa meal (4 cups to every 5 gallons or 22 litres of water)

Add 1 - 2 cups of Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate crystals) (or one quarter to half a cup to 5 gallons) Optionally, add two tablespoons of Iron Chelate
Fill with water, put on a tight lid to prevent mosquitos from breeding in your "swamp"
Let stand for one week until it bubbles with fermentation. Your nose will tell you that it's ready.

Using it:

Apply alfalfa tea once per month in the spring and summer, especially after the first flush of flowers, to encourage repeat blooming. You can reduce or eliminate the Epsom salts in later batches.

Stop applying it in the fall, when you want the plants to start hardening off for the winter, and don't want to encourage soft new growth.

Put on some old clothes - you're going to get splashed, and you don't want to be socializing with anyone while wearing the alfalfa tea!

Scoop off the liquid with a bucket and apply.

Pour a gallon of tea per rose around the base of the plant; more for large climbers, less for potted roses and minis.

Soak small potted roses in a bucket of tea for 15 minutes each.

When you have scooped off most of the liquid, you will be left with a thick goop of alfalfa in the garbage bin. There are two ways to treat this:

Method A: You can add another quarter-cup of epsom salts, fill the garbage can one third of the way up again, and stir the mix briskly so that the alfalfa is suspended in the water. This slurry can be applied to your roses immediately. Choose the roses in the back of your beds for this tea, where the greenish brown puddle of alfalfa slurry won't be too visible.

Method B: Add the full dose of Epsom salts, refill to the top with water and let sit for another week. Use the liquid, and then bury the alfalfa dregs into your compost pile (by this time they will be pretty smelly)

Another Recipe:

ALFALFA TEA

32 GALLON TRASH CAN
10 CUPS ALFALFA PELLETS (obtained from feed stores)
1 CUP EPSOM SALTS
1 CUP FISH EMULSION

Add the pellets to the trash can. Fill trash can with water. Stir. Cover trash can tightly with lid. For the next three days stir "tea" several times a day in order to dissolve the pellets. Keep covered. On the third day add epsom salts and fish emulsion. It is ready to use on any vegetable, plant, tree or bush.

When all the "tea" is used, there will be enough pellet residue in the bottom of the trash can that you again fill the trash can with water and make more "tea".

Check out comments for a list of all the good stuff in alfalfa tea.

Save those jars!

2009-08-04T14:17:00.002-05:00

I have the jar adapter for my foodsaver so I can use mason jars but I am finding that I would rather save the mason/canning jars for actually canning. Those jars add up and are more precious than gold around here! Save your canning jars for canning and use the jars from store bought foods for vacuum sealing.

The sound starts off a little wonky on this video so turn it down if you are using headphones.

Supper with the Girls

2009-07-31T17:39:00.002-05:00

Meet the Girls!
I can't really tell who is who from this angle but
the kids would probably know. I stopped naming them
in case we eat them. I'm more likely to name them as I
butcher them. Fryer, roaster, casserole, broth...
For the time being, they are all named Layer until they
prove otherwise!

If you can't stand the heat....

2009-07-30T23:29:00.014-05:00

Yes, I really did take a picture of my thermostat! It's too hot to much else. The kids stand in the other room and blow me hugs because we don't want any heat sources that close to our bodies! My bubba doesn't want me to hug OR kiss him because he said I feel like hot and sticky stuff. Well, I nevah!

I am trying to keep the electric bill at least lower than the national deficit. We keep it off during the day and use it at night so we can sleep better. I just couldn't do it today. I set it to 80 and I still heard it come on several times and the coolest it got in the house was 83.

I know this is South Texas and all but it just seems hotter than usual. Every spring and fall I sing songs about the joy of living in Texas and write poetry about the perfectly beautiful days. Every summer I ask WHY!?!? This summer still seems worse than past summers. Maybe it is because we have only had 3" of rain so far this year. Last year we had so much rain that my chickens thought they were ducks and started quacking! They spent so much time in puddles I feared their feet would become webbed!

This summer has been dry. Everyone keeps saying it isn't as humid this year, and that sounds like a good thing but I think it isn't. Humid means moisture, moisture comes from rain, rain makes things green. Our grass isn't green, it is a nice straw color. I have always said that I wanted to get rid of the grass to make way for a bigger garden but in this heat and drought my garden is barely hanging on.

This really used to be grass. Very green tall grass that my happy hens loved to feast on. Now they dig holes and roll in the dirt. They always make the best of an awful situation! If life gives you dirt, take a dirt bath!

In the spirit of full disclosure (I would hate to be called dramatic or an exaggerator) I will admit that there still are a few small patches of green in my yard. Little oases of life that I feel guilty mowing when most everything else is dying.

This isn't just an excuse to show off my 'mid century' vintage thermostat! I wanted a good reason to show once again how clever I am. I'm not bragging, my mom tells me I am clever all the time. If I'm going to sweat my hiney off trying to save money by not using the AC during the day then why in the world would I add more heat to the house by using the stove or oven? I usually cook 3 times a day that can make the house unbearable. So here is where the clever comes in...

First I tried baking my bread in my big nesco roaster out on the back porch. The pans fit in just right. I set them on metal racks so the bottoms wouldn't burn. Everything came out great.

With the bread made we were able to have sandwiches for lunch instead of having to cook something.

Lunch out of the way, only one meal left. I put the last of our garden potatoes in the nesco and set it baking at 400. I cut up some sausage, poured BBQ sauce over it and topped with our homegrown bell peppers (store bought onions) and set them beside the potatoes. I cooked it all until the spuds were done and the BBQ sauce was sizzling. Came out wonderful. I even made dessert in it. Cinnamon rolls made with the extra bread dough from the bread I made earlier. The desserts rarely survive long enough for me to photograph so I am guessing the gang liked it.

If You Can't Stand the Heat
Get out of the Kitchen!
and onto the back porch

Update: many asked how I do my bread, what kind of pans I use, how long it takes, etc. so here are answers to some of those questions:

I use Norpro 8 Inch Nonstick Bread Pan bread pans that measure 8"x4"x3" deep. They can also be purchased at Urban Homemaker.

I use agave as my sweetener so when I bake my bread I use a lower temperature than you would if you used regular sugar. I bake my bread between 325 and 350 for 45 min. If using regular sugar the recipe calls for cooking it at 375. Some days it seems to cook quicker than others. It probably has to do with how much dough I put in each pan. My recipe actually fills 5 of the norpro pans but only 4 fit in the roaster. I put 4 loaves in for regular bread and the fifth dough ball gets turned into cinnamon bread which I also cook in the roaster after the first batch of bread is done.

I use a metal cooling rack on the bottom of my roaster to set my baking pans on. That keeps them from burning. I take the lid off to check if it is done otherwise I leave the lid on.

I have made cobbler, cinnamon rolls, casseroles, bacon and even toast in my roaster. I try and do all my cooking outside because I don't like to heat the house.

Baking Soda and Frugal Living

2009-07-20T13:28:00.003-05:00

I heard on the radio today that 1 in 10 Americans receives food stamps. They (who are THEY anyway?) say unemployment is down but where we sit unemployment is something we are learning a little too much about. If so many are unemployed or underemployed and receiving food stamps what are they doing to get by? According to the department of human services food stamps can only be used to purchase food items or seeds and plants that produce food. I wonder what people do about the other necessities. How about cleaning supplies, toiletries, diapers, feminine products, even tylenol or bandaids? That got me thinking. Which of these necessities can be made at home using food items that CAN be purchased with food stamps? What can be made using inexpensive or recycled household items? How can you buy toilet paper or pain reliever or allergy medicine if you don't have an income or your income is so tight that it all goes to pay for the roof over your head?

I thought I would start gathering these tips and ideas and trying them out to see which ones work.

I read on one blog about using baking soda as shampoo. You make a paste of baking soda and water and massage into wet hair and scalp then rinse. As a conditioner they recommended a rinse using 1:1 vinegar and water. I would probably use apple cider vinegar as I have heard it is good for dark hair like mine. I tried the baking soda shampoo experiment today and I have to say that although it did wash away the greasies my hair felt a bit dry and VERY tangled. This was only the first time to try it and I have heard sometimes the more natural or mild methods take time because of residue and build up on your hair. I might try it again. What I think would work better would be to dissolve the baking soda in some warm water and add a tiny bit of shampoo. I get shampoo for $1 at Dollar Tree. It is not the best shampoo but it is the cheapest unless I find a freebie deal at CVS or Walgreens. The baking soda makes the soap soapier so you can use less. I noticed that by sprinkling a little baking soda on my bath sponge after rubbing it on my bar of soap that I got very enthusiastic suds and the baking soda added some exfoliation properties.

The verdict: Baking soda alone as shampoo doesn't work for me but I think it would work to stretch shampoo and other bath soaps.

Even though it isn't a good shampoo substitute it is still a great ingredient to have on hand. I keep a large bag of baking soda and buy vinegar (white distilled) by the gallon to use in cleaning and laundry. Both items could be purchased with food stamps if needed. Both do double duty in cooking and cleaning.

Other uses for baking soda:
Baking Soda
60 uses for Baking Soda
How Stuff Works

Is there anything you won't can?!?

2009-07-20T13:25:00.001-05:00

Of course there are things I won't can! I would much rather dehydrate them! I definetly wouldn't can or dehydrate eggplant. Yuck! Or rattlesnake. I have never had rattlesnake but it would have to be a survival situation and then I wouldn't have my pressure canner now would I? Dazzle absolutely trusts that I would never can her. That is why she can sleep peacefully amongst the jars. She's awful bony anyway I will stick to chicken (you hear that, those of you out in the yard feasting on feed and not giving me any eggs?!?!?). Oh, and liver. Wouldn't can that either. See, there are things I won't can...

Oh Cherries!

2009-07-20T13:05:00.004-05:00

Cherries! Oh how I love thee,
plump and juicy, still clinging to a pip
with a perfect little green stem for holding
slightly warmed by the sun
sweet nectar
Cherries!

Okay, so poetry about food isn't really my gift! Making poetry with food is more like it. I was tickled...cherry red to take advantage of the super cherry sales this last week. I bought about 25lb of cherries. I ate about 10lbs while pitting (do the british call it pipping?) the rest. FYI don't eat 10lbs of cherries while pipping/pitting the rest unless you plan to stay real close to home the following day!

I canned cherries in white grape juice to use in cooking. I made Black Forest jam which is cherries in a chocolate amaretto sauce (see photo above) I dehydrated cherries and I ate cherries. I even saved all the pips, boiled them clean of any remaining flesh and dried them to use in a Pip Pillow that can be heated in the microwave.

I know George Washington did not chopped down a cherry tree, who would do such a thing?

You Lucky Dog You!

2009-07-20T11:51:00.005-05:00

Meet Lucky Dog. Lucky has been a part of our family for 5 years now. He was found on the side of the rode and I took him home with me. He was the most pathetic creature I had ever seen. His eyes were glued shut with eye gunk, he was missing patches of fur, he had this horrible horrible smell coming from his ears and nose. I was sure I was bring him home to die in comfort. I took him to our vet (we had two dogs already, both puppies about the same age as Lucky). Surprisingly he wasn't on death's door. He had an eye and ear infection, mange, parasites and fleas. We got meds and and instructions for cleaning all his ailing parts. I brought him home optimistic. Suddenly he took a turn for the worse. He wouldn't eat, wouldn't drink, wouldn't hardly move and he seemed to be twitching a lot. I took him back and the vet said it was distemper and considering his health he probably wasn't going to make it. On top of that my other puppies had just had their first distemper shot and so they probably won't yet 'safe' from distemper so I had to keep them isolated from Lucky. That meant keeping them in the backyard and taking Lucky in the front to potty. Not touching the well dogs until I had washed and changed my clothes after handling Lucky. The vet told me that I needed to prepare for the worst but pray for the best. Who knew that a person could get so attached to this mangy little pup I had known for only days. All God's creatures great and small I guess. I prayed he would get better, I prayed God would give me the wisdom to know when it was time to take him to the vet and have him put to sleep if he became uncomfortable and was suffering. I fed him pedialyte ever hour on the hour round the clock so he wouldn't get dehydrated. I finger fed him baby food meat and carrots and I gave him massages because he was having frequent seizures and twitching and his muscles were getting knotted up. I even took him to a homeopathic vet! I did this for 6 weeks and he made it.

That's one Lucky Dog my vet would say! He has nerve damage from the distemper so he has a constant tick or twitch that makes it look like he is enthusiastically chewing gum. Because the twitch has caused the muscles on one side of his face to shorten it pulls his tongue out to one side of his mouth. He can't keep it in his mouth. It hangs out in the most rogue way, making him look like a scoundrel. Especially when he is excited! The twitching caused all his teeth to fall out except two. He still manages to eat anything and we often find evidence of this when a child finds a barbie shoe or army man in Lucky's poo! He is a happy dog and his greatest ambition in life is escaping the hard to go visiting. No matter what we do he finds a way. In five years he has probably escaped 500 times! He can climb over, under, around or through any fence, barrier, blockade or maze of yard clutter to get out. Lucky's second greatest joy is napping. He has had nightmare's since he was a pup. I know I attach human emotion to my poochies so in my poochie mommy heart I wonder if he is reliving the day he was dumped on the side of the road and dreaming what life would be like if he weren't so doggone Lucky!

The Tall One-TTO

2009-06-17T00:59:00.000-05:00

As some may have noticed, I have decided not to use our real names on our blog. I know that I am putting it out there for all to see, giving people a glimpse into my backyard, my kitchen, my little patch of earth but I gotta keep a little privacy right? So this is The Tall One (TTO) that isn't usually what I call him. I often call him by his front name or any variety of expressions heard coming from the mouths of mamas all over the world. Sweetie, sugar, honey, baby and in his case Shoogie Boy (which is cutesy for Sugar Boy). Around about the time he turned 10 or 11 he asked me to please only call him that when no one was around. Now, at the wise old age of ALMOST 16 he would rather me never utter those words again so to show him that mama does respect his wishes I have named him TTO in this blog. It is short, accurate and not at all cutesy. Aw well, no matter what, no matter how tall, no matter how old he will always be my Shoogie Boy! And he IS cute, dontcha think?

When life gives you ugly oranges make marmalade!

2009-06-16T23:57:00.002-05:00

I'm always on the look out for a way to save money and make the most out of everything. I have been keeping my eye out for people that have more produce than they can handle. I found someone on craiglist that said they had an orange tree with sour oranges and we could have all that we could pick. I didn't think about it being June and many months past orange harvesting time! I drove out to the island with Farm Boy and we picked oranges. Lots and lots of oranges.
They looked pretty bad but they smelled good. I had such plans for all these free oranges. I would dehydrate, can, candy, juice and craft with them. What I ended up doing is making marmalade. The skins were too ugly to mess with dehydrating. The inside was dry, pithy and the seeds had started to sprout from the inside of the orange.

Most of the oranges were not usable. I juiced what I could and then used some organic oranges I purchased for the zest and peel in my marmalade. I put the juice and the thinly sliced organic oranges (seeds removed) in a stock pot with about 1 quart of water and set it to simmer.

The seeds went into a small saucepan with a cup of water and boiled them for 5 minutes to extract the pectin from the seeds. The seeds were strained and the liquid was added to the big pot to simmer. I let it simmer for a good while. An hour or more. Until the peels were very soft. Once the peels were soft I lined a colander with muslin and strained all the liquid from the oranges. I picked out the pretties peels and was able to easily slice off just the zest. It was much easier than the way I have done it in the past. I set the zest aside. I measured the liquid and then added 1 cup of sugar for each cup of juice I had plus a cup of water and brought it all to a boil. I boiled it and stirred constantly until the mixture jelled when dropped on a cold plate. I would say it took about 15 minutes.

I added the zest to the boiling mixture and turned off the heat. I then poured it into prepared jars and then processed it in a BWB for 15 minutes.

In the past I treated my citrus peels by trying to scrape as much of the white off as possible then boiling in a small amount of water with a pinch of baking soda and changing the water at least once. I think this is to get rid of the bitter flavor that some citrus peels have. Lime is especially bitter. I found that I didn't have to do that with this recipe. If I were using lime I would definitely do that.

I ended up with 7 cups of juice and it made 10 half pints of marmalade. It is very good if I do say so myself! We have already gone through two jars. It is wonderful on fresh biscuits or bread right out of the oven. I am sure it would make a wonderful glaze for pork, chicken or salmon.

Tomato what??? Part 2

2009-06-16T12:52:00.000-05:00

After the enchilada project I still had 4 cups left of tomato paste. I was tired and so done smelling tomato products and washing utensils with orange stains but still, I just couldn't bring myself to waste it and I knew that if I didn't do something that night it just wouldn't get done. I have a chronic pain condition so these kitchen extravaganzas of mine usually take me a few days to recover from so it was a Now or Never sorta thing!

I decided to try BBQ sauce. I was not using a recipe because none of the recipes I found called for 4 cups of tomato paste. I just made it up as I went and tasted it along the way. I gathered the ingredients that I thought would go well in BBQ sauce. I used Farmer Boy's homegrown jalapenos, onion, garlic, dehydrated bell pepper, dehydrated celery leaf, sugar, ginger, a pinch of cinnamon, apple cider vinegar and dry mustard.

My sous chef dumped the ingredients into my handy dandy Bosch Blender and gave it a whirl. **Notice the pan of encharitos under his arm made with my fab enchilada sauce**

We poured into a big stock pot and mixed it with the tomato paste and a blender full of water. It was very thick and tomatoey so I added more water and simmered. Still very NOT BBQ tasting. I added some liquid smoke and more water. Then I found a can of peach nectar in the cabinet and added that. It was starting to taste better. It isn't your KC Masterpiece or Kraft BBQ sauce, I would say it is more in line with the real stuff you get with authentic Texas BBQ.

After adding and simmering and adding and simmering I decided I just had to get some sleep. I dumped the whole batch in the crock pot and put it on low. It was Saturday night and we had church in the morning so I would let it slow cook until after church.

It mellowed and became more flavorful after slow cooking. I canned it in 12oz jars. Because of the high acid and vinegar used I just did a boiling water bath (BWB). We used it on the broilers I raised this spring. It was mighty good. Would it be too cliche to say it was Finger Lickin' Good?

Tomato What??

2009-06-16T11:19:00.000-05:00

A few months ago (ok last November!) I planned to can some spaghetti sauce. I bought a #10 can of tomato sauce for this project. Well, as with most of my plans something came up and I put the project on the back burner. Fast forward 7 months and now I am ready to do my spaghetti sauce. I found the big can and dusted it off. I rifled through drawers looking for my hand held can opener and finally was able to open this monster can. Uh oh, something is not right! I looked at the front of the can and realized I purchased tomato paste! Tomato paste being a thick paste is much more tomatoey than I needed for spaghetti sauce! As anyone that knows me knows, I just hate hate hate to waste. This tomato paste would probably equal about 90 gallons of tomato sauce if I watered it down.
I suppose I could have still made spaghetti sauce but since the fam was asking for encharitos for dinner and that required enchilada sauce I
decided to try canning that instead. I used about 2/3 of the can on my enchilada sauce. It made 13 - 12oz jars and 3 pint jars of sauce. Yeah! I used up almost all of my paste! I still had about 4 cups left and that went into another project.
I wish I could share a recipe but I just make my enchilada sauce by adding this and that and tasting it until it tastes the way I want it to. I pressure canned it just to be safe. It contains beef broth and a few other low/no acid ingredients.
It turned out great and the encaritos were a hit as usual! Now I will be able to make this family fave more often because I have the enchilada sauce on hand.

Freaky Red Bug

2009-06-03T07:46:00.000-05:00

What is this nasty little critter? Well after spending good amount of time googling "freaky red bug on pepper plants" I found that this little cutey (NOT) is the baby version of the Leaf Footed bug. The author/photographer seems to find great pleasure in watching these bugs but I very much hate to find them feasting on my jalapenos and tomatoes! I am keeping this army of bugs under control with a weekly spraying with Neem Oil.

Dehydrated Hash Browns

2009-06-01T23:09:00.000-05:00

I love playing with my dehydrator. If I can find a way to preserve food and save space I am a happy Farm Girl Wannabe! I grated and dried 10lbs of potatoes into instant, shelf stable hash browns. I peeled and grated the potatoes using the shredding attachment for my bosch universal kitchen machine. I set the shredded potatoes in a big bowl of cool water until all the potatoes were finished. This seemed to keep them from turning brown. Once they were all sliced I sat them in a colander and dipped them briefly in boiling water. I then spread them out on the mesh trays of my dehydrated set it to 125 and let them dry overnight. Don't toss out that big bowl of soaking water, your plants will love it!

To use the hash browns I soaked them in warm water along with dried onion, dried bell pepper, dried garlic for about 10 or 15 minutes. Drain well (save the soaking water!) and fry until all the veggies are tender. I poured a little of the soak water into the pan and covered it to help speed up the process. Salt and pepper according to taste. The soak water has the flavor the of the potatoes and other veggies in it. I usually save that water and use it as my liquid in the crock pot if I am slow cooking something for dinner that night. If not I toss it in the compost or in the chicken bucket.

Country Skillet Bake with Dumplings

2009-05-28T09:01:00.000-05:00

I used to sell seasoning mixes from a popular direct sales company. They were super convenient and always tasty but not as thrifty as I would like and they still contained ingredients that I would rather not feed my family. I try to follow the rule that if I can't pronounce it and it didn't grow, walk, swim or fly I don't feed it to my family! Most of the convenience foods out there start with a base of chicken or beef flavored bouillon or base. I have tried over the years to find them without MSG or some form of MSG but to no avail. So that left me with trying to make my own mixes. I have experimented and used my family as guinea pigs and think I have finally come up with some basic mixes that are free of hydrogenated oils, preservatives, MSG in it's many forms, anti-caking agents, modified food starches and other unpronounceable ingredients. Friends and family all agree that they are super yummy! And not only that, these mixes are healthy! One of my mixes is Good Day Roast seasoning mix. I used it to make this Country Skillet Bake with Dumplings. It was a hit and the only complaint I heard from the family is "That's all you made??? Next time you need to make double!"

This recipe uses my Good Day Roast mix, Multi-Mix and Bake-it-Better mix. All the mixes have unlimited possibilities!

Just send me an email if you would like the recipe or more info on the mixes.

(Mom's) Breakfast Cookies

2009-03-22T22:56:00.000-05:00

I used to call these Mom's Breakfast cookies because I made them for myself and made the kids another version that was higher in fat and lower in fiber. Well, as it usually goes with kids, they want what's yours! So now they are just Breakfast Cookies.

1 3/4 cup date sugar*
1 1/4 cup brown rice syrup*
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 - 15oz can of pumpkin
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 1/2 cups of rolled oats
2 cups of wheat or oat bran
1 cup of flax meal
3 cups of whole wheat flour*
1/2 cup whey protein powder (optional)
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 - 12oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Beat together sugar, syrup, oil, pumpkin, eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Scoop onto lightly greased cookie sheet. With damp hands; flatten cookies slightly before putting into the oven. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Don't over bake or they will be like hokey pucks! Makes about 60 cookies. If you are doing weight watchers it comes out to 2pts per cookie.

* I don't always have date sugar so I use a combo of xylitol and sucanat. If I don't have brown rice syrup I use agave or honey with a bit of molasses. You can use any oil you like. For the whole wheat flour sometimes I grind rice, barley, oats, or ezekiel mix and use that.

Hot Dog Buns

2009-03-12T16:34:00.004-05:00

Homemade Hot Dog or Hamburger Buns

1 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup unsalted butter
4 1/2 cups flour (unbleached, whole wheat, or a mix)
1 package instant yeast
1 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 egg, room temperature

Heat the milk, water, honey and butter until butter is melted. Check temperature. Depending on the temperature, let cool to 120F. Carefully beat in egg.

Mix 2 cups of the flour, yeast, and salt into the liquid mixture. Add the rest of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Beat well after each addition.

When the dough pulls together, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. This should take about 5 minutes. **I don't do this, I just let my bosch do all the work. Five minutes in the bosch on #2 power.**

Divide dough into 12 -16 equal pieces. This will depend on the size you want for the finished bun. Shape into smooth balls, flatten slightly, and place on a parchment paper covered baking sheet that has been sprinkled with cornmeal.

Let rise for 30 to 35 minutes. When buns have almost doubled bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

If you are making hot dog buns I find it easiest to roll the dough out into a large rectangle and cut into smaller rectangles. Let rise with sides touching. You can brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, coarse sea salt, or whatever you like. You can add dry onion soup mix for onion rolls. These are very versatile!

Re-purposed Roast Beef

2009-03-12T16:33:00.005-05:00

In case you haven't heard, times are tough! Everything costs more and but most of us aren't getting paid more. Some of us are getting paid less and many are no longer being paid! I don't know about you but around here it is becoming even more important to reduce, reuse, recycle.

I recently heard someone say 're-purpose' and I thought that sounded better than leftovers. It still catches the kids off guard so they don't moan at the thought of leftovers. Leftover seems to conjure up feelings of dread at being served last weeks over cooked meatloaf and soggy veggies even though we loves meatloaf and I don't make soggy veggies! So after having a pressure cooked pot roast that came out delicious Tuesday I needed a way to use the remaining beef for Wednesday's dinner. I have a family of 6 and only about 2 cups of chopped roast beef. I needed away to turn that into a filling meal for all of us. So I Googled leftover roast beef.

Leftover Roast Beef Casserole Recipe

When you make your roast, save about 1/2 cup of Au Jus for this casserole.

by Chef Carole in South Florida

40 min | 10 min prep

SERVES 4

2 cups leftover roast beef, cubed
1/2 cup au jus sauce
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can cream of broccoli soup
1 cup cooked rice
1/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

In a sprayed or buttered casserole dish mix the roast beef, au jus, soup, cooked rice, 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and milk.
melt the butter. Add the bread crumbs to the butter and mix together.
Spoon the topping over the roast beef mixture and add 1/2 cup of cheese over the topping.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.

As anyone that knows me knows, I don't follow recipes. I use them as a suggestion, inspiration if you will. So I am including my adjustments to this recipe. Normally I don't use canned soups because they are full of all kinds of scary things I can't pronounce. We try to abide by the 5 ingredients or less on the label rules but desperate times all for desperate measures! I keep a few cans on the shelf for desperate times. Our desperate time was trying to get everyone fed and to church on time!

I used a can of cheddar cheese soup and 2c of frozen chopped broccoli. I didn't have seasoned bread crumbs so I used panko and added some Tony Chachere's seasoning to the butter when I browned the panko. I used two cups of cooked rice to stretch the meal. We had plenty and it turned out very good. Even Bubba, my picky little dude had two servings.

I will add this one to the recipe binder and next time try to make my own cream of broccoli soup with 5 ingredients or less!

Canned Chicken

2008-12-22T01:27:00.000-06:00

Canned chicken is a pantry staple in my kitchen. I can use it to make quick soup, salads, casseroles, stir-fry and tacos or spaghetti. I have found store bought canned chicken to be very dry and flavorless. By canning my own I can control the ingredients, seasonings and my stuff doesn't get recalled! I can the chickens I butcher and also chicken I buy at a good price from the market.

My canned chicken has chicken and my homemade broth. My broth is cooked overnight with chicken bones, carrots, celery, garlic, onion, parsley and any other veggie or herbs that I have on hand at the time. I strain it through a cheese cloth to get a nice clear broth.

The store bought stuff looks something like this: Cooked Chicken Meat, Mechanically Separated Chicken Meat, Cooked Chicken Skins, Chicken Stock, Water, Contains Less than 2% of: Salt, Modified Food Starch, Sodium Phosphates, Natural Flavoring.

The store bought stuff doesn't look THAT bad but I would like to know what is in natural flavoring and what does mechanically separated mean? Why food starch and are sodium phosphates good for me?

Tamales!

2008-12-22T00:34:00.000-06:00

Tamales are a Christmas tradition down here in South Texas. You can buy them from the grocery store but they are not very good. Not once you have had homemade! People start placing their tamale orders as soon as there is a hint of cool weather coming. After years of looking for the perfect tamales I decided to try my hand at making them myself.

It isn't as hard has I thought it would be. It has become one of those family traditions that mark the approach of Christmas, family, cold fronts and good food!

I started asking around to find someone to teach me to make tamales but found that most people just didn't make them anymore. They ordered them or their grandmothers or aunts made them. Everyone said it was too much work. Too hard. So I did what I always do when I want to learn something, I googled it! I found this site and then used it as a guideline to come up with my own version. I am now making them for friends and family and have even received a few orders! This year I have made chicken, pork, beef, bean and I am trying a potato and bean (papas y frijoles) as a breakfast tamale.

Tamale making tips:
Keep a little bowl of water by your work space. If the masa is sticking where you don't want it to or isn't sticking where you want it to just dip your fingers or spreader in the water and pat the masa into place.

Keep a damp rag handy. You can use it to wipe your hands or wipe off your work surface if it starts to get a little messy.

Make your masa about the consistency of peanut butter. If it dries out add a little warm water or broth to it.

If your corn husk is really wide just tear part of it off. I save those scraps to line the bottom of the steamer and lay them over the top of the tamales before steaming.

MaSeCa brand masa is the brand of masa I prefer. I have tried a few others and the results were not as good. MaSeCa mixes up well and spreads nicer than the other brands.

The premade masa has an off smell and taste to me. I like being able to use the cooking broth from my meats and adjust the spices. If your masa doesn't taste good before it is a tamale it is probably not going to taste good after it is a tamale!

Don't let anyone tell you that you can't make tamales!

Bread Day

2008-12-22T00:25:00.000-06:00

Once a week I make lots of bread. I started out making it just for our family and I would take an extra loaf to a friend now and then. Soon I had friends showing up on my doorstep on bread day asking if maybe I had an extra loaf to spare. Soon I had a small following of bread junkies that show up with money in hand hoping to snatch up any extra loaves I have. I enjoy baking and I like that people like my bread and a little extra money for the fun jar is kinda nice too!

I make a whole wheat bread and often add goodies to it depending on my mood. I have started trying to make a good sour sourdough and while I have the sour part down but my dough always turns into a big blob when I bake it. Tasty but not pretty!

I bought my bread pans from The Urban Homemaker. I love these pans.

Bread Baking Day

2008-12-21T23:58:00.000-06:00

I usually make bread on Mondays. I get four loaves out of the recipe I use. With the Bosch Universal it is super easy. I can make up to 6 loaves at once but I only have 4 bread pans!

Here are my loaves, ready for the oven. They are rising nicely. It only takes about 45 minutes from the time I measure my ingredients to the time I put them in the oven. I bake them for about 45 minutes. So in less than two hours we have fresh bread!

Finished bread! They smell wonderful. One loaf is devoured right out of the oven and one loaf usually is taken to a friend or neighbor. The other two will be used for lunches or with dinner.

DIY Instant Oatmeal

2008-12-16T01:33:00.001-06:00

We love oatmeal and instant oatmeal is very convenient but it is also pricey and full of junk! Not to mention all the packaging that is wasted with those little packets (my kids would eat like 3 each morning). I started experimenting with making my own. I think it tastes much better and is certainly better for us.

I use old fashioned oats, powdered milk, powdered whey protein (keeps my blood sugar stable), brown sugar, and real salt for the basic oatmeal. I then add all sorts of nutritional extras. I have some kids that don't like chunks of dried fruit in theirs but they all like the flavor fruit adds so I throw dried fruit, nuts or seeds and some of the oats into the blender and blend into a fine powder. The last batch I made I used pumpkin seeds, dried raspberries and dried apples. I also add spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, pumpkin or apple pie spice. Whatever sounds good. I used to package serving sized portions into reusable zip bags but that was too time consuming and the kids would forget and throw my bags away. Now I just mix it well in a big rubber made container. I just make sure the brown sugar is completely mixed in.

Too serve just scoop the desired amount into a bowl and pour boiling water over it. Stir and let set a bit to thicken up.

I make a HUGE batch but it really only lasts about 2 weeks.

Instant Oatmeal
32 servings

8 cups old fashioned oats
4 cups of oats; powdered in blender
3 cups dry milk powder
2 cups of brown sugar
4 tsp. salt

Optional Extras: ground flax, nuts, seeds, whey protein, cinnamon, dried fruit, oat or wheat bran.

Mix well and store in an airtight container. Scoop desired amount into bowl and pour boiling water over it. **Stir and let set a minute to thicken. We just eyeball the water amount. After you make it a few times you get your oatmeal groove and know just how much to use.

** if you use 100% old fashioned oats it might need a minute in the microwave to thicken it up. Sometimes I use quick oats for the whole oats and old fashioned oats for the pulverized oats.

Easy Potato Chowder

2008-12-15T00:26:00.000-06:00

I love coming up with easy, cheap, hearty meals for my family. Lately I have been able to buy 20lbs of potatoes for about $5. They are usually $5.49 for a 5lb bag at my local grocery store but the small health food store has had them on special. I have been experimenting with potatoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

I started with about 6 slices of bacon chopped and cooked in my dutch oven. I used one potato per person (6 potatoes). Peeled and chopped an tossed in with the sizzling bacon. I also chopped half a large onion and minced some garlic. Saute all of it until the potatoes start to brown and the onion starts to soften.

I like to add a boost of nutrition whenever I can. I have baggies of steamed, pureed and frozen fruits and veggies so that I can easily add it to any meal. In this recipe I added pureed sweet potato and some dehydrated celery. I also used on jar of chicken broth. I added all of that to the potatoes and onions and then covered and turned the heat to low and let it simmer until the potatoes were cooked.

After the potatoes were cooked through I slowly stirred in 2 cups of milk. The milk I used was mixed from powdered milk but fresh or canned milk works just as well.

After the milk has been added and heated you can mash it a little to get a thicker soup. We like a creamy soup with some potato chunks. At this point you can season it to taste. Salt, pepper, Mrs. Dash and whatever else sounds tasty.

After the soup is done serve it with a crusty piece of bread and sprinkle the soup with Parmesan or any good cheese. Our total cost for this soup which served 6 hungry people (two of them teenage boys!) cost less than $2 for the entire pot!

Mango Jalapeno Jelly!

2008-12-15T00:25:00.000-06:00

I had a request for a mango jalapeno jelly and this is what I came up with. It is very pretty. A light amber color with festive confetti like bits of red and green peppers. It has a bit more heat than some of my other jalapeno blends. I am not sure why. Different batches of peppers seem to have different amounts of spice. This is a bit thicker than my regular jalapeno jelly. I think the mangoes definitely add more body to the jelly. It is really more like a jam. I really like the slightly tropical taste the mangoes add. It would be wonderful brushed on grilled shrimp or salmon. I plan to use it on pork loin this week.
I will be making this one again!

More Canning Adventures!

2008-12-15T00:24:00.000-06:00

I have been wanting to try making chutney but none of the recipes I found were just what I wanted. I decided to take several recipes and tweak them to get what I was looking for. This is a Cranberry Apple Chutney. It has a little of this and a little of that and lots of apples and cranberries. It looked so pretty in the pan. Very festive! Chutney is a little more work than just your typical jelly. It requires a long cooking time because it does not use powdered pectin. I stirred and boiled and stirred and boiled for a couple hours it seems.

This finished chutney doesn't look as bright and festive but it tastes wonderful! Sweet, tangy with just a little spice to it. My 5 taste testers gave it thumbs up. Even the pickiest tester that doesn't like 'stuff' in her food.

I will lie down and sleep in peace!

2008-10-14T00:10:00.000-05:00

Psalms 4:8
"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. "

Dazzle (the little fluff) likes to curl up and sleep in Lavender's bowl. She has full confidence that Lavender will find her too adorable to eat.
Perhaps Lavender feels more like this:
Matthew 25:35
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat..."

Seriously though, when I see Dazzle curl up in the FOOD bowl of a dog that weighs 50 pounds more than her it illustrates Psalms 4:8 for me. Maybe it will for you too!

Jalepeno Jelly

2008-10-14T00:01:00.000-05:00

Jalapeno jelly has become one of my most popular jellies. I started out just making it for my family but now I am making it for friends too. As the holidays approach I am scrambling to keep up with gift orders! I just sold 4 dozen jars at a craft fair and have orders for more. I am going to have to beef up my production.

So, what is a person to do with a pretty jar of Jalapeno Jelly? I think the most popular way to serve it is poured over cream cheese and served with good tortilla chips or crackers. I also use it on sandwiches like you would a chutney or relish. It makes a fabulous sauce for basting chicken, ham or pork. It is a wonderful dipping sauce for egg rolls. Just use anywhere you would use a sweet and sour sauce. How do YOU use jalapeno jelly?

Dinner on a Dime...or 5 dimes!

2008-10-13T23:28:00.000-05:00

I have been on a mission to see just how low I can go with my grocery budget. I have been working on creating meals that cost under $5 for all six of us. I have browsed the internet reading about depression era cooking and budget cooking.

You tube has a few clips from a lady named Clara. This is my version of her Poor Man's Meal. Here is my Bubba showing his appreciation for my culinary expertise! I am estimating that this meal cost about $2.50 for 6 big servings. That is under .50 per person. I added a handful of fresh green beans to my version and about 1/4 cup of italian dressing.

Here is Clara's version:

breakfast cookies

2008-08-29T10:13:00.001-05:00

Here is my Kid's Breakfast Cookies recipe. I have one I make for
myself that is different. More mama friendly (high fiber, lower fat
and chocolate!).

This makes a HUGE batch and I do it in my Bosch. DO NOT try to double
it in your Bosch!! It makes a ton. If you want less then just half
it.

1 1/2 c butter
3 c peanut butter
2 1/2 c sucanat, brown sugar or granulated sweetener of choice or a
combo of sweeteners
3 c white flour **
3 c wheat flour
1/2 c ground flax seed
5 c rolled oats
2 TB baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 TB cinnamon
2 big scoops of protein powder (optional. I like to use hemp protein)
6 eggs
2TB vanilla
1 c milk
1 c pumpkin, applesauce or pureed fruit or veggie of choice.
1 cup of mini-chocolate chips (yum!) optional

** I have used white flour or barley, rice, millet, or any other flour
I have on hand.

Cream all the wet stuff together. Add dry stuff and mix in. Drop on
cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 15 min.

It is a huge batch and looks intimidating but it will be so worth it
to have these in the freezer ready for a quick breakfast or snack.
They are sometimes a bit dry so a big glass of milk or kefir and a
cookie go great together and fill you up! Store in freezer and pull
out and microwave for a few seconds and it is like having a fresh
baked breakfast cookie!

Mutant Chickens

2008-08-09T23:14:00.000-05:00

Last spring I decided to try my hand at raising chickens for meat. I did a lot of reading and talked to other chicken owners about it. After a year of wondering if I could do it I finally took the plunge. Not a little plunge either! I ordered 20 day old Cornish X Broilers. They were suppose to be ready for the frying pan in just 6 short weeks! I also ordered 15 assorted bantam chicks and then the hatchery threw in an extra free chick to show their appreciation for my order. The day arrived and we received a call from the post office that they had a package for us. I was surprised at how many little chicks they were able to fit into a shoebox sized package! Boy where they noisy. The first thing we noticed was how much bigger the broilers were compared to the bantams. The next thing we noticed was that they really like to eat. Nothing else seems to matter to them. Just eating. Right away they were bigger, smellier, noisier. As they got bigger they started to have bald bellies which I guess is part of the convenience, easier to pluck. So we have these mutant, stinky, partially bald chicks that are suppose to be dinner. For two weeks we had these little monsters in our garage until we felt they were able to survive outdoors with shelter and a heat lamp. Silly me, I felt bad having them cooped up so I let them out twice a day to scratch around and get fresh grass. I also felt bad keeping them in relative darkness most the day so I gave them light! Well, after six weeks I did not have big fat broilers ready for the BBQ, I had very lean broilers that needed to gain weight! When it was all said and done these mutants weren't ready for butchering until they were about 16 weeks. I swore I would never do mutant chickens again. I would choose an heirloom breed that was a good meat bird. It would take about the same amount of time as my lucky broilers took. Now that I am down to the last few frozen birds I am rethinking the whole broiler thing. Maybe if I did it right this time, no free ranging, no bright lights, just 6 weeks of sitting around eating and getting fat. Or maybe not, the fam has let me know that I do not have their vote on this issue!

2008-08-09T11:11:00.000-05:00

Isn't this the most precious ear? I love these little ears. This is the ear that laid against the crook of my elbow as my darling nuzzled my breast as a baby. These are the ears that begged to hear "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" just one more time. This little ear has been red and feverish, bring tears to my sweet. It has been full of sand, evidence of a delightful day at the beach. This little ear belongs to the Sunshine of my world. When clouds darken my day, this little ear sprawls across my lap and I rub that sweet little lobe and she whispers to me "I will rub your ear mama, it will make you feel better."

Little Eggs

2008-07-31T23:46:00.000-05:00

Bubba and the Feather Footed

I am so excited! My bantams have started laying. Their eggs are just too cute. I am not sure who is laying. I can't even remember what kind of bantams I have. I know the silkies and I know I ordered partridge cochins, americanas I think and beyond that I can't remember! When I ordered 25 weeks ago I picked out alternates in case my first choice wasn't available. Then they packed all 43 of my chicks in one box! The broilers came with green dye on their heads. The others were not marked and to make matters worse they sent some free 'rare breeds' but didn't say which ones or what breeds.

The green one is the bantam egg

The bantam eggs are green. I think it is the bird we call Road Runner but I can't remember what she is. She is super fast though and likes to roost in my ficus tree if I don't put her in the coop at night. Who knows, there might be eggs up their in the old dove nest. The bantams were out the last two days so tomorrow we will have an egg hunt and make sure they aren't hiding them in the bushes like our big girls used to do.

Hidden Treasures

We have been getting eggs from our girls for over a year now and I still get excited when I go out and find eggs in the nest each day. It is a little blessing everyday.

eggs

2008-07-28T22:36:00.000-05:00

We are in full swing egg production! I would say we are getting about a dozen eggs a day. The little green eggs are from our bantams and they are so cute. They make a bite sized fried egg and are super cute for making pickled eggs.

Silkies and a BBQ

2008-07-28T22:35:00.000-05:00

Well, they aren't much to look at. Two silkies are about enough to feed 4 people on a diet! If I were planning a meal around bantams and everyone was going to be eating at home I think 4 birds would be good. There are 6 of us and two of us are teenage boys!

The brining was a hit. The meat was very flavorful and not tough or stringy at all. The darkness of the meat didn't seem to change the taste. I was expecting the stronger taste of thigh meat or something similar to dove. The bones were black. Coal black. Very strange.

Since we were going to have the BBQ going I made an apple cobbler and set it out on the grill to cook while we ate. I did it the same way as I did the blackberry cobbler. 12 coals on top and 12 underneath. It took about 30 minutes. It was very easy. I cheated on the crust because I used a homemade gourmet mix. I think it was Texas Cobbler. For the apple filling I just sliced up some apples and cooked them in a skillet with some brown sugar, coconut oil and cinnamon. A pinch of salt and a splash of lemon juice and a few minutes to let the sugar get syrupy was all it took. We had left cobbler so we will have it with a dollop of plain yogurt for breakfast. Yum!

Silkie Roosters

2008-07-27T23:53:00.000-05:00

We added 15 bantams to our backyard flock this spring. Five of them were black silkies. These are the coolest looking chickens. They look like a Jim Henson/George Lucas collaboration. We knew that when we ordered our bantams that we would end up with some roosters. Bantams don't come sexed so it is the luck of the draw. The plan was to butcher the roosters. Well out of 15 bantams only 3 seemed to be roosters. I thought we would have more than that! I butchered those 3 unlucky birds over a month ago. All seemed well in chickenville. Then the other morning we heard a strange noise. A cock-a-doodle-siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiighhhhh. Just a little noise. Cute really. We thought surely that wouldn't bother the neighbors. It wasn't very loud. We weren't even sure who was crowing and if they were really crowing. Maybe they were just pretending to be a rooster. Each day it got a bit louder and as the saying goes, practice makes perfect! My neighbors are way cool about our city flock and enjoy watching them and love the eggs but they aren't too keen on roosters. I knew this guy's days were numbered. The problem was I didn't know which bantam was the guilty one. Out of the 10 remaining bantams I was pretty sure it was one of the silkies. They are strange birds and I wasn't sure how to tell the difference between a rooster and a hen (or cockerel and pullet). Two seemed to have a slightly different comb and wattle. But wait, we only heard one crowing so maybe the strange comb wasn't the sign of a rooster. As I sat on the porch listening to my girls cackle over whose turn it was in the nest box I heard a cock-a-doodle-doooooooooooooooooooooo but mid doodle it seemed to start again. An echo? I don't think so, this is Texas, not a box canyon. Sure enough two late blooming roosters were trying to out doodle each other. The weird comb IS the sign of a rooster. I have butchered 18 chickens over the last 3 months. I don't have a problem with the butchering, I am farm girl, hear me squeal! I just wasn't looking forward to butchering the silkies. They are so fluffy and feathery. I wasn't sure what to do with all that fluff!

Might as well get to it. I wanted to take care of the crowing before it really annoyed our neighbors. I got into chicken butchering attire, pink rubber gloves that match my pink crocks. I gathered my knives and headed for the coop. I decided to use my lazy farm girl butchering technique. Bantams are smaller than regular chickens so it is a bit harder to dress them. The wings and back don't have a lot of meat and since silkies have fuzz all the way down to their extra fifth toe I knew I wasn't going to use the feet for broth. I decided I would skin them and just take the thigh, drumstick and breast. No need to gut or pluck. The silkies are known for their black skin (these are black silkies) and I considered plucking them just for the novelty of it but as the mosquitoes started fixing me in their sites, plucking seemed like more trouble than it was worth. Interesting FYI, their meat is darker too. The tendons, bone and meat are all dark gray. It is really strange. I wonder if it will taste like dark meat?

The other roosters I butchered were a bit stringy and tough. I decided to try brining these two to see if that would helped tenderize them. I used a brine mix that I found at Old World Market. It has rosemary, onion, garlic, cranberries and peppercorns. It is stronger flavored than what I usually make but I thought that if the meat is dark it might also have a stronger flavor and so the turkey brine might mellow it a bit. I mixed the brine with boiling water until the salt dissolved. Then I cooled it down and poured it over the chicken pieces. I put that in the frig and tomorrow we will throw them on the grill. Can't wait!

Do you have a Bubba?

2008-07-26T23:42:00.000-05:00

My youngest. We'll just call him Bubba! I didn't plan to call him Bubba, it isn't the

name on his birth certificate. I am a SoCal girl, we call people dude, not bubba but somehow this little guy is a bubba. What is a bubba? Well for starters look at the t-shirt. This was a new, clean t-shirt just minutes before this photo was taken. Notice the stretched out neck, the slight staining around the chest. The rumpled slept in look. A bubba puts on a clean shirt and immediately finds something to wipe on the front of it. Maybe toothpaste that was never rinsed off his chin, maybe a gigantic bugger that was just mined. Maybe a bit of breakfast milk or butter from toast. It doesn't really matter, it will wind up on the shirt. The stretched out neck is from reaching in to his shirt to make armpit farts. What can't be seen in the picture is that Bubba is most likely not wearing any pants. Just undies. Probably with spiderman or camouflage on them. If he is wearing pants you can bet money they are camouflage. The only acceptable substitution for camo is khaki or olive. So this is my little Bubba and he has stolen my heart! He likes to help me with just about any new adventure I jump into.

Blackberry Cobbler

2008-07-26T23:01:00.000-05:00

I have been wanting to try my hand at cast iron cookware for a while. I finally took the plunge. I picked up this dutch oven for under $10 at the sporting good store. It is Lodge Logics and came pre-seasoned. It does not have feet like some dutch ovens so to get heat on top and bottom it needs to be on a rack. I used my BBQ pit.

I prepared my coals just like when getting ready to BBQ. I placed 10-12 coals under the grate and another 10-12 on the lid. I let it cook for about 35 minutes. It smelled wonderful. The best part was that it didn't heat up my kitchen!

EASY BLACKBERRY COBBLER

1/2 c. butter

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. sugar

1 tbsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt

2/3 c. milk

1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen blackberries, thawed

Melt butter in casserole or dutch oven. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and milk in a small mixing bowl, mix well. Pour mixture over melted butter, do not stir. Spoon blackberries over batter; do not stir. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown. If you are cooking over the fire place 10 or so coals under the dutch oven and 10 or so on the lid of the dutch oven. After 35 minutes carefully lift the lid with lid lifter and see if it is bubbly and golden brown. Be careful, the dutch oven and handles get very very hot. Also be careful not to drop any coals onto your feet!

After we devoured the cobbler I washed the pan in hot water, towel dried and rubbed with a little beef tallow and set it back out on the cooling grill to season.