There are not a lot of luxuries in farming. Most of what we do is sweaty, dirty and involves hard work. But one small indulgence that I treat myself to is a periodic trip to the local mall to shop at "Bath and Body Works". Their lotions are wonderful, aromatic remedies to winter's harsh drying elements and the foaming hand soap is a fragrant delight for hand washing both in the kitchen and the bath. If you give them your e-mail address, they will send you all kinds of money saving coupons that actually can make their products quite affordable.
My favorite soap for dish washing is "Dawn". I buy the very large bottle at Costco. It is however, difficult to pour your dish soap from the huge bottle without getting way more than you need. I find it very frustrating to literally pour this extra down the drain and since I like to save money whenever possible, I have discovered a little trick to make my "Dawn" go a lot farther. I use a foaming dispenser to extend the soap, make using it easy and my favorite, save money. Here is how you do that: You will need: Concentrated dish soap of choice (I use Dawn) Foaming soap dispenser (I recycle the Bath and Body Works ones or you can buy one here) Water
In an 8 ounce bottle put approximately 1 tablespoon of your concentrated dish soap. Fill with water (approximately 7.5 ounces). Screw on the lid and gently agitate until the soap and water are combined without shaking and foaming the soap. It should look like this:
To use, dispense one pump of soap foam onto your sponge or dish cloth and wash the item to be washed. If you want to fill a sink and do a lot of dishes, just dispense several pumps into the sink and wash away. I have had my Costco bottle for 2 years and it is only half empty. Now you can use the extra money you save to buy some of the wonderful Bath and Body Works Lotion!! (My favorites are "Country Chic", "Butterfly Flower", and "Beautiful Day") Happy dish washing!!
I love these brisk fall days. Every one of them brings chilly mornings, sunny and bright afternoons and cool evenings. They are perfect for getting the last of the "summer" chores done. Today was spent cutting, splitting and stacking firewood for winter. Since this is our main source of heat, we must prepare for at least one full cord of wood per month, and a little extra in case it gets really cold. That means about 8 cords for an average winter. This one is supposed to be a cold one, so we have gathered up about 11 cords. Any that is not used this winter will be a head start for next winter.
The beauty of heating with wood is the fact that you don't just put it in the stove and get warmed once. Wood used as a heat source has the benefit of warming you several times; you get warmed when you cut it, when you split it, when you stack it and when you burn it. You can't say that with a gas or electric furnace now can you?
There is nothing better than coming in from the great outdoors where you have been doing a satisfying job like putting up wood only to have the comforting aroma of a Chicken and Corn Chowder that has been cooking all day in the crock pot greet your nose. It does not take very long to prepare, and if you have about 30 minutes to throw this together before you go out to work, you will be rewarded with a yummy supper when you are done. This is what it will look like:
Chicken and Corn Chowder
Here are the directions:
Chicken and Corn Chowder
3 or 4 skinless boneless breasts of chicken (or 8 skinless boneless chicken tenders) 3 tsp powdered chicken stock or 3 chicken bouillon cubes 1/4 cup dried onion flakes or 1/2 medium onion diced very fine 3 large or 4 medium carrots 2 large or 3 medium potatoes corn cut from 2 cobs or 1/2 package frozen whole kernel corn 3/4 cup whole milk 1/2 tsp garlic salt 1/2 tsp beaumond seasoning 1/4 tsp celery seed 1/2 tsp ground black pepper (or to taste) 1/3 cup all purpose flour Water
Place the chicken in a microwave safe dish and cook at high power for 10 minutes or until the chicken is slightly cooked. Shred the chicken with a fork (slightly cooking it helps make this step easier) and place in the crock pot with 2 cups of boiling water. Turn the crock pot on high. Add the bouillon and onion. Cut up the carrots and potatoes into coarse bite sized pieces and add to the chicken. Add the garlic salt, beaumond seasoning and celery seed. Add a bit more water if needed to cover everything, then place the lid on the crock pot. Allow to cook for at least 3 hours. At least one hour before serving, add the frozen corn, milk and black pepper. Whisk in the flour a little at a time to thicken adding a bit more if needed to your taste. Cook for an additional one to two hours on high. Serve with warm home made rolls or garlic bread if desired. Enjoy!!
We had another beautiful day. The leaves are beginning to turn color and fall to the ground. I decided to get the rest of the vegetables into storage before the snow flies. It was 60 degrees today, but that can change in a heartbeat. One of the biggest questions people ask is 'now that I've grown all these beautiful veggies, how do I best store them for the winter?' Many vegetables can be frozen or canned. Root veggies, however, lend themselves to fresh storage so you can enjoy the goodness of them for months to come. Some people leave them in the ground and just dig them as they need them. Unfortunately, our winters can be very unpredictable, sometimes raining for days on end, sometimes dumping 3 - 4 feet of snow with the ground frozen to 2 or 3 feet deep. This makes leaving them in the garden inconvenient. Since I prefer to have them easily at hand, I have tried several different ways of storage, sometimes ending up with a pile of moldy, soggy carrot mush, squishy beets, and wrinkly potatoes. But after some time and research, trial and error, I believe I have discovered a method that is successful.
First, we will start with potatoes. Once they have been dug out of the ground, if the weather permits, lay them out to dry a bit. Potatoes should be dry when they go into storage. If they are wet they will most certainly mold. Be sure that the potatoes are not cut, as in when you slice into one with the shovel or fork while digging them. Pick out all of the ones that have been damaged. Those potatoes should be used as soon as possible, but not left in storage as they will also mold and ruin many of the others. Now that they are dried off a bit, just put them in a cardboard box and into a garage or other area where the temperature will be below 50 degrees F but above freezing. That is how you store potatoes.
Beets are a different story entirely. Again, dig them up and dust off the dirt as much as possible. Be sure they are not damaged. In order to prevent them from drying out and shriveling, they must be kept moist. The best way to do that is to store them in damp sand. Put a layer of damp sand in a cardboard box that is resting on plywood or plastic so the bottom doesn't fall out. Add a layer of beets. It is best if they do not touch each other. Cover them with a layer of damp sand. Be sure they are completely covered. Add another layer of beets and another layer of sand. Continue in this manner until all of the beets are in the box. Finish with a layer of damp sand. Store in a cool area where the temperature will be between 50 degrees F and above freezing. And that is how you store beets.
Carrots are basically the same as beets. Dig them and dust off. Layer with sand as you did the beets. Finish off with a layer of sand. Store in an area that is between 50 degrees F and freezing.
The carrots and beets can be stored in plastic boxes if you'd like, be sure to put a good thick layer of sand 1- 1/2 to 2 inches in the bottom of the plastic container. This will give an area to absorb any excess fluid that may develop since the plastic does not breathe like the cardboard does. Leave the lid ajar and open it to let it air out if excess moisture is building up. Potatoes, should be stored in cardboard since it does breathe. If you must use plastic boxes, put a layer of dry sand underneath. Check them frequently to be sure that moisture is not building up in the box. Leave the lid off. Tip: Presuming you planted heirloom carrots and beets, you can take a couple of each that you stored fresh and plant them back in the garden in the spring. Allow them to go to seed and in the fall you can harvest the seed for future use. (Check out my earlier post from October 7. I show you in detail how to save the seed.) The small potatoes that collect at the bottom of the box can be planted in the spring. Just put 2 or three in each hole you dig and they will produce beautiful plants and potatoes next year.
I got home today from work a little early, which afforded me the time to work with the little heifer, Pansy. She has graduated to the larger halter with the help of a couple of new holes in the strap to allow me to tighten it a bit more. After about an hour and a half, she is leading a little better, but still needs some work. It is a perfect day to milk the cow, Violet again, so I put her in a separate corral where she could have access to lots of fresh green grass and water. Her calf is quite big now, so he drinks a lot. I only have time to leave her penned up for about 4 hours, so will probably only get a quart or so. But that is enough to make some ice cream. Since I have all this lovely pureed fresh pumpkin, it is time to make some ice cream with it. Here is how it is done: You will need: An Ice Cream Maker (read and follow the directions for use) Rock salt Ice Recipe for Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream (as follows - makes about 1- 1/2 quarts):
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together until well mixed. Pour pumpkin mixture into the ice cream maker's inner container and follow the manufacturer's directions for freezing the ice cream. You can enjoy the ice cream now, or scoop finished ice cream into a freezer safe container and store in the freezer. It should be used within one week for best flavor. Here is a picture of the finished product:
This is soooo good! Put some in a bowl, drizzle some caramel sauce over the top, and enjoy!!
This weekend was absolutely lovely. The weather was cool but sunny and dry. This time of year is very busy as we try to prepare for winter. There is wood to cut, and winterizing of the yard to do. This is also time to start saving seeds. Since the whole garden is now heirloom and open pollinated, I can save seeds from year to year. This time, I needed more of the Tendersweet carrots and the Detroit dark red beets. Since these two plants are biennials, it was necessary to save a couple of carrots and beets from last year and plant them into the garden this spring. These are just allowed to go to seed, and are not harvested as vegetables. Once they have bloomed, allow the blooms to fade and the seed heads to form. This is what they will look like: Carrots:
Beets:
You can either cut off the seed heads and shake the seeds off later, or just go ahead and shake them off still attached. Shake them into a bowl. Once you have removed the seeds, they will need a few days to dry out before storing them for next year. A paper plate with the name of the plant written on the corner works great for drying. Once the seeds have dried out, it is time to put them away for next year. I save my seeds in little glycerin envelopes, but you can just use paper envelopes if you don't have the glycerine ones. Don't forget to write the name of the vegetable, the variety and the year the seeds were saved on the outside of the package.
I also allow some of the green beans and yellow wax beans to "go to seed" which simply means, leave them until they become dried and brittle. Pick the dried pods and shell out the beans. Allow them to dry out just like you did the carrot and beet seeds and store them away for next year.
This was the first year I planted "Amish Pie" Pumpkins.
Now I must tell you that these are the most awesome pumpkins ever. It is an heirloom
and comes true to form when you save seeds. (Tip: Don't plant pumpkins
and summer squash anywhere near each other as they will cross
pollinate. They should be separated by at least 100 feet. Otherwise
your pumpkins will eventually start looking more like squash!) The insides are not gooey and stringy like regular pumpkins, instead the insides come out quite dry, the seeds are thicker and the meat is thicker. Save the seeds by allowing them to dry out on a paper plate as before, then store them in an envelope till next year. These pumpkins make the best pie. To get your pumpkin into something that can be made into pie, cut the pumpkin in half, remove seeds and core. Cut the pumpkin into wedges (like a cantaloupe) and peel. Cube the wedges down to 2" pieces and place into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 25 - 30 minutes until very soft. Puree in the blender or food processor. It is now ready to be frozen or made into pie, cookies, cakes, breads or whatever your heart desires. Speaking of pumpkin pie, Here is the recipe I always make, which is adapted from the "Libby's Pumpkin Pie" recipe that is found on the canned pumpkin. There are a few minor adjustments that I have made over the years. The crust comes from my Grandma Toftner:
Pumpkin Pie
You will need:
A large deep dish pie plate rolling pin pastry cutter large bowl medium bowl Recipe for crust (see below)
In a large bowl add: 2 eggs lightly beaten 1-3/4 cup pureed pumpkin 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/4 tsp ground cloves 1-1/2 cup fresh whole cows milk (or what ever milk you have available) Whisk the ingredients together until combined. Pour into prepared crust. Cover edges of crust with tin foil and bake at 425 degrees for 15 min. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue to bake for 40 - 50 minutes or until a butter knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool completely and refrigerate until cold. Top with ice cream or whipped cream and enjoy!!
Grandma Toftner's Pie Crust:
Each recipe makes one crust - for a double crust pie (such as apple) double the recipe.
1 cup all purpose flour, sifted 1/2 tsp salt 6 tbsp shortening (I only use Crisco brand) 3 tbsp ice water Using a pastry cutter combine the flour, salt and shortening until well blended in the medium bowl. Add ice water a little at a time while stirring with a butter knife and just until blended. Do not stir too much and only add as much water as needed to get the flour mixture to stick together. This should be slightly dry while not having excess flour left in the bottom of the bowl. Place in refrigerator while making the filling, or for at least 10 - 15 minutes. Roll out on a lightly floured surface, taking care to not work the dough too much as this will make it hard and less flaky. Fold the dough in half, place in a greased pie plate and open out. Lightly press the dough to fit the pie plate and trim off the excess with a butter knife. The bottom crust should always be thicker than the top crust. Flute the edges, fill and bake as instructed above. Enjoy! Tammie
We finally got a frost. Just before it came, we picked all the tomatoes we had on the plants. My table is covered in tomatoes:
So more canning is in order and I must find a good recipe for fried green tomatoes. In the meantime, I decided to make "Beef Ole", a recipe I got from my mother-in-law many years ago. It is very easy, filling, and makes good use of the tomatoes. You will need:
About 7 ripe tomatoes (if you don't have an abundance of tomatoes, a 15 oz can of tomato sauce will also work) 3 tbsp taco seasoning (any brand will do) 3 tbsp sloppy joe seasoning (any brand will do) 2 lbs ground beef 2 cups of chopped or shredded lettuce 1 cup diced fresh tomatoes 1 can sliced olives (if desired) 1/2 avocado diced (if desired) 1 cup shredded cheese taco sauce tortilla chips Peel, seed and coarsely cut up the tomatoes, allowing them to drain for a few minutes in a colander. Puree in the blender or food processor and cook over med-high heat stirring frequently until boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer and continue to stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook until reduced by about 1/2. This will take about 1 hour. In the meantime, place the ground beef in a large frying pan and add the seasonings. Cook completely until nicely browned. Add beef to the tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened to the desired consistency.
In a cereal bowl, place about 10 tortilla chips and lightly crush. Add a couple scoops of beef mixture over the chips. Top with shredded cheese, lettuce, tomato, olives and avocados. Drizzle some taco sauce over the top if desired and enjoy. This is great on a chilly evening.
