My Life Is Not My Own

It has been a while since I posted. SO much has been going on in my life....

First, last Thursday the neighbor fell and broke her leg, and three toes. I have been trying to do all I can for them from sitting with the lady, to helping run errands, and watching 4 year old twins. Then I got a neverending volunteering gig this week to which I have to report to again sometime in the morning. Chores around here have been demanding as well. Husband started a new job Tuesday so all chores then fell to me alone, with our daughter in school too, no one else is here to help out. I have been running like MAD trying to get everything set up, trying to get everyone took care of, trying to make sure everyone has their needs met, and schedules are doable, animals are fed etc. etc.....and I'm tired LOL!!

So, needless to say this will be a short post. I apologize. I just have so much in my head right now with dates, to do lists, schedule clashes that need sorted, and a new member of the household...I just can't form a coherent thought and hold onto it for long at this point.

Today was hectic with the early call to drive 45 minutes to pick up our friend, then the neighbor needed a break so I had the twins here for several hours. I did manage to get a lot of housework done, and a lot of cooking. I made bread and pizzas for us and the neighbors. I got laundry completed, and floors completed. Just so much more to do....

I AM NOT COMPLAINING! I love the people in my life, and love the busy crazy way sometimes I just get so caught up in everything and everybody to the point of exhaustion. I have terrific friends, neighbors, and family, and thank God every day for each one of them and their impact on my life. My people make me a better person, and make me want to strive to be nothing less than the best. Be the change you want to see, and love like your life depends on it!! And this, my friends, a blessed life does make : )

Homemade Mayonnaise tutorial as promised....

I thought I'd shrivel up and die when I figured out I was allergic to soy, and EVERY mayonnaise under the sun has soybean or vegetable oil in them, even the olive oil kind has soybean oil as well!!! A lot of people who have soy allergy can tolerate the soybean oils. I'm one of the lucky ones, who can't tolerate even the oil, or the lecithin. I have been a lifelong purchaser of Kraft Mayo, up until about 2 years ago. I had previously attempted homemade mayo with a hand mixer....to no avail. BUT...I got me a little gem of an immersion blender to make the job easy, and I am a complete convert now. It is a base for SO MANY things! I absolutely love making my own now!! The cost of homemade versus store bought...Kraft you can sometimes get for $2 a jar IF you find it on sale. Homemade, 33 cents worth of eggs, a penny's worth of salt, 2 cents worth of vinegar, and about 75 cents worth of oil(or less, I use canola) and you have the makings for a pint of mayo! So total for homemade...approximately  $1.11 per pint, which is $2.22 per quart, but the knowing EXACTLY what you're eating is PRICELESS!!

I'll start by giving you the ingredient list:
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2-2 cups oil of your choice.

You start by breaking the eggs into a bowl that will hold approximately a quart so you don't have a lot of splattering going on later.


Then you want to add your salt.


The next step is to add in your vinegar. After adding the vinegar I give it a good thorough mixing, though you don't have to at this point. I just like to have the egg, vinegar, and salt blended pretty well before the next step, which is THE MOST important step! When you get to this step, you want to JUST ADD A DROP OR TWO of oil, mix, add another drop or two, mix, and then sloooooooooooooowly pour the oil into while the immersion blender works it's magic.


It will look like that above until you get about 1 cup of the oil added, then it will begin to thicken like this...


The real secret to getting it creamy and thick is keep adding oil until you are happy with the consistency of the mayonnaise. The oil is the secret to the whole process, less oil, makes a thin mayo, more makes it thicker and creamier. I add oil until the mayonnaise can stand on it's own a bit in the bowl like this



When I get to the point where the mayonnaise is thick enough to make little peaks on the surface, then that is the consistency I am looking for. This is why the recipe calls for a wide measurement range of oil. You can taylor it to your own likes. You can add any additional ingredients once the mayonnaise is the right consistency. I add a little sugar for my neighbor, who is partial to Miracle Whip type salad dressing rather than my beloved Kraft knock off. This will keep in the refrigerator for about 3 weeks, at which time, it may begin to seperate and look oily on the surface. It can still be used, but usually by that time, we are ready to make more anyway.

Enjoy the condiments!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

What do you eat?

Today was grocery shopping day for me. I began filling my cart with the usual things, potatoes, flour, milk, a few fruits and several veggies, and beef. I did get a few canned items and odds and ends, but not many. Most things I buy have to be cooked, or are an ingredient in cooking, and if not, they come in natural packaging....also known as PEELINGS! I couldn't help myself, as friends had brought up packaged products they see everyone else buying. When someone tells you not to look, THAT is always when you look. So, I looked. Sue me. LOL!

Which brings me to my question. Why? I know my life is simpler, by choice in a lot of ways, by force in some others with our crazy food allergies here. It just makes me wonder though do people not have time to cook anymore? I couldn't get my cart down the isles of prepackaged junk foods, the chip isle was heavily trafficked, as was the soda isle, the candy isle, and the frozen junk isle. I had no problem navigating the fresh foods isle, or the dairy isle, as there was hardly anyone there. So, why? Why have folks began to buy all of the quick easy meals, and not the good stuff? I don't get it at all!

I did glance in a few carts of passers by, one with "the screaming begging child" you know the one, you see that kid every time you go to the store too. She/he is surrounded by sugar rush in a box, and screaming for more. Then there are the carts with TV dinners strewn about the bottom, and maybe a jar of peanut butter. I believe the peanut butter is to ensure proper ammounts of protein are consumed considering all the mystery meat in those plastic covered microwaveable trays they are passing off as food these days. I just don't get it.

Tomatoes from my little slice of earth are magical little red balls of FLAVOR, and not cardboard or water flavor either. Mouthwatering, sweet, juicy, hearty flavor, in my favorite natural packaging called peelings! YUM! If I can't grow my own, I buy and trade for them with neighbors, and with my Amish friends.

My point is simple. Like many things that go out of fashion, quilting, REAL quality carpentry, and a home not just being defined as a dwelling place of people with similar genetic make up, is real food going out of style as well? Not here, for sure. But as a general thing, are we done with picking dinner out of the back yard? Our society has lost so much, it saddens me to see yet another loss, to the hustle and bustle of everyday life. We work to live and live to work these days.

My thoughts on others shopping and eating habits today made me more appreciative of the hard work we do here to raise a portion of our own foods, meat included. I was glad to slop the pig, feed the chickens, gather eggs, and feed our rabbits. I was glad to pull stubborn weeds from the veggie garden. I guess sometimes all you need is a renewed perspective. I hope more folks begin to feel the way I do, and at a minimum shop local farmers markets, and butcher shops, rather than buying trucked in plastic flavored meals. It's a good thing! Good food feeds the body and soul!

Just my opinion.

Homemade Honey Barbecue Sauce

I made barbecue chicken for dinner last night, and had no sauce, so we tossed together a few things we had on hand for this great sauce recipe! I love love love this recipe, and I don't even like it as much as my hubby does! This is so easy to make at home, and you can tweak it to suit your taste. We enjoy a sweet, yet tangy sauce, with a little spice, which is optional. The local honeys health benfits are just the beginning of the many reasons to make your own! Here is the basic ingredients:

Honey Barbecue Sauce

1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup local honey(you can sub. cane syrup, or maple as well)
1 medium chopped yellow onion or 4 tablespoons minced
2 tablespoons chilli powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 teaspoon tomato paste or ketchup
1 tablespoon hot sauce optional

Just add all the ingredients in a saucepot on medium heat, and let cook, stirring occassionally until it is the thickness you want. Don't be afraid to tweak the ingredients to your personal liking, this is a difficult recipe to mess up! I have added everything from lemon juice for a bit more tang, to extra honey, and it always turns out great! It is soooo very delicious to make baked beans using this sauce. I like to make it thin for meats on the grill. With the honey, it sticks really well instead of all just sliding off the meat into the coals, so a little goes a long way! I hope those of you who try this enjoy it as much as we do. My family won't let me buy sauce anymore, they want the homemade "good stuff." That's the best compliment a cook can get : )

Farm Tour 2012

The farm was eerily quiet today, aside from the hog getting out this morning, we didn't really hear a peep from anyone. With my daughter back in school, everything was rather laid back today, and I think the animals were all just enjoying the peacefulness, so did I! I figured while everyone was calm, we'd do a photo shoot for future referrence, and just because all our animals are just cute LOL!

I hope you all enjoy the pictures!

These are the newest additions to the farm. My guinea trio. They keep beating up my chickens and stealing the young ducks food, so they're incarcerated until I can build them a large pen to stay in. It's a shame though, they are voracious tick eaters! I was hoping they would range nicely with the other flocks.

These are the victims of our most recent domestic violence from the new kids. These are fawn and white runner duck juvenilles.

This is my Delaware rooster, looking a little rough in this picture, but he's the bird boss around here alongside the turkey tom.

This is most of the Heritage Bronze turkey family here on the farm. Some of the boys are out playing in the woods still. We have a total of 9, and only one female hatched this year. It's gonna be a mighty nice Thanksgiving this year though!

This is one of our meat breed doe rabbits. She has a beautiful litter of kits when we breed her. We are holding off for some cooler weather right now though, for the health of the females. They don't do as well in the heat of the Summer, so it's best to let them rest a few months.

This little gorgeous lady is my Standard Rex doe I got from a friend. We have a nice buck to pair her up with when the weather breaks. These rabbits have the velvet fur, and they are so soft and sweet natured. They make great pets for kids.

This is my fawn and white Runner duck female. Her mate is apparently camera shy. We got these ducks for their laying ability. Duck eggs are the BEST for baked goods, and I bake a LOT! Their eggs make great mayonnaise as well.

This is future bacon and the self appointed hog dog. She thinks she's protecting me, it's rather sweet. She's a good dog!

Happy dog saved Momma from a big beastie LOL! Just look at that smile!

And of course, she has to lay down and roll after a hard days work!

We do have many more animals than are pictured here. We allow most of them to free range, so long as they behave themselves. The dog keeps out any unwanted guests. She is a great farm dog, and we have introduced a prodigy into the mix since she will soon be 9 years old. She was born here, before this was a farm, and she has been a great girl with all the animals, she's such a blessing to us! She is training a Coon Hound/Pyrenes mix to take her position as stock protector. I don't think she'll think "foot warmer" is a demotion when the time comes for her official retirement. She stays at my feet constantly now. Where I go, she goes, and in my opinion, there is no greater dog on the planet!

I hope everyone enjoys the photos!

Homemade Ranch Dressing

What a week we had here on the farm! I was SO very glad for today, for the rest, and for the release of stress that has plagued me all week. When you have a mischeivous teenager, a new pup, bills piling up, and run a farm, Sunday is the best day of the week!!

Today I did manage to make some homemade ranch dressing, and made enough to split with the neighbors in the process. I didn't take pictures this time, but will do a tutorial soon. I make a base of homemade mayonnaise, then add the right spices and seasoning to make it ranch dressing, and wow is it good! Without the homemade mayonnaise base it is really a very simple recipe. It is better and cost less than what you get in the store. So, here it is if you'd like to give it a try....

Homemade Ranch Dressing
2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped chives
1 tablespoon minced onion or 1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

You simply incorporate all ingredients well and let chill for a bit before using. This allows all the flavors to blend and the final product is wonderful! If you start making this, you'll never want to buy storebought again! I began making this several years ago, when we found out my youngest daughter has an MSG intolerance and we couldn't find a brand she could safely consume. We have never even looked back! I hope your family enjoys it as much as we do!

Online perks!

In this economy, lots of folks are hurting, my family included. So I figured I would share a few ways I get perks online to ease the lack of cash flow that many of us are experienceing these days.

For instance, Swagbucks. Swagbucks is basically a search engine like Google or any other, with the exception that you actually get "paid" to use Swagbucks to perform your searches. I have been using it for a couple years now, and have gotten many Amazon gift card codes to use online. I bought a lot of my garden seed from Amazon with Swagbucks this year. It is free to sign up and use, and it does take time to get enough bucks for a "prize" but I do enough internet searches, it just makes sense to get something out of it! Today is Mega Swagbucks day, where you can get larger ammounts of points for searches, so give it a try! I've gotten 27 Swagbucks today! There is a sign up link on the right, as I have their widget here on the blog for convenience.

Another thing I like to do is collect and enter the My Coke Rewards points. Again, it is free, and easy to sign up, collect points, and redeem them for some nice prizes. I have gotten lots of free sodas, a lunch bag for my daughter for school, t-shirts, hats, Blockbuster movie nights, and many other things from MCR. You don't even have to purchase to play. If you know someone who drinks Coca Cola products and doesn't use their points, collect them and use them yourself! My neighbor saves the caps for me. The codes are printed on the inside of bottle caps, and the cardboard you pull off the fridge packs. All you have to do is sign up, enter the codes every week, and cash them in for prizes. Shipping is even free! I got my Sprite cap, and a t-shirt in the mail today from MCR! Last week I got free coupons for McDonald's new Hot N' Spicy chicken McNuggets for the kiddos...my young ones like spicy, and it's a nice treat for them.





It's not much, but every little bit counts. That is just a few of the things I do online to close the gap we have in income. Neither of those take much time per day, and the rewards are enough to make it worth the few minutes a day spent. Besides, everybody can use a free t-shirt once in a while  : )

Homemade Mop Pic Tutorial

Farming and homesteading goes hand in hand with frugality. And yet again, today, one of "those" moments crossed my path. When in need of something, ALWAYS do an internet search to see if you can make it, before going out to purchase whatever it is you need. You may be pleasantly suprised. You may even save MUCH more money in the long run, because in my experience, handmade/homemade items, outlast mass produced store bought items, and are generally easy to make yourself.

So, I killed my mop today. I hated it anyway, and was due a new one. The mop was one of those cheap string mops you get at the grocery store, that leave their strings behind as they get old and wear out. I wound up finishing the floor on hands and knees with what was left of the mop head this afternoon. So, out of necessity comes invention. Money is a bit tight to be replacing things we can make ourselves here, so I did an internet search, and couldn't find step by step pictures for anything like I had in mind. They just had text tutorials, so here I present you with pictures on a simple way to make a WASHABLE(love that idea) mop that will last longer than those cheap grocery store string slinger mops.

All that is required for this project is, about 30 minutes and a few items as follows:
~one old bath towel
~good cloth cutting scissors
~an old broom/mop handle, or dowel rod
~about a 6 inch length of wire

First, you want to take off the hem from both of the long sides of your towel.
 
Lay one hem aside for a later step, and fold your towel in half lengthwise like this:


Begin cutting 1 to 2 inch strip from the edges of the towel inward. Do not cut all the way through the towel, leave about an inch before the fold to hold the "mop" in one piece for ease of washing. If you look, you'll be able to see where my cuts stop right below my thumb in this photo.


Next you'll want to roll the folded edge of the towel around the end of your handle, and tie it off tight with a piece of wire.

Remember the piece of hem you saved from the first step? This is where it comes into play, and it really is strictly for looks to hide that ugly wire the mop is held together with, that you can see in the last photo. Just wrap it around, and tie it off like in this picture:

Now you have a final product, that should look similar to my new mop here.


I have yet to use it, as I had already finished mopping today, but it seems to be exactly what I was looking for! Cost $0, my favorite price!! At worst, if you purchased everything, you could still make this mop for around the same price as one of the cheap grocery store mops. To wash this one, you simply remove the wire, toss the mop head in the wash, and reattach once it is clean. Easy peasy!

Incubator hatch day CRISIS!

It has been a craptabulous kind of night. **YAAAAAWN** I've been up since around 1 a.m. when we had a storm blow through that sounded like it was gonna take the roof with it! Today is hatch day for 3 turkeys and 20 something chicks in my new Sportsman 1502. No power, no bator, no problem...well almost no problem. The power was out for 3 hours. I couldn't just sit on my hands and let the babies die for cryin out loud..so I put candles in the incubator to keep it warm. That wasn't too bad until an egg tray started to melt from being directly over the flame. NOT good! Thankfully, it had only a couple eggs in it that I could move to another tray. Either way, I had to open the door, releasing what little heat we had going on in there, and cut it out since one little spot had melted just enough to get stuck on the wire. Meanwhile a little baby turkey was screaming bloody murder at me to close the door, he was getting cold! I did the best I could with what I had to do it with, and will update with hatch results to see if maybe I made a difference. The angry bird baby turkey is still alive, so hopefully that is a good indicator of success. I am SO very glad the storm woke me with that crazy wind, otherwise, three hours with no heat and every single baby would have been gone. Thank God I got up and figured out a way to help them!

I DO NOT recommend candles in an incubator! I would have much rather had a back up power system in place to run it for reasons such as this. I did have issues, and had to continually keep an eye on it due to the humidity needing to be just right for a proper hatch, and the temperature consolidated more above the candles since the fan was not operational, than it should have. I just pray we have a decent hatch rate after this. This was an absolute last ditch effort to save the chicks, otherwise, I would not have been so worried about keeping the temp and humidity up for non hatch days. Praise God it was ONLY for 3 hours though, LOL!!

Homemade Breadmaking Extravaganza!

So, today started out rainy, and as usual on the slow days, I try to get my baking done for the week. I started off the day with a simple white loaf for sandwiches through the week. I have come a long way since making my first loaf of bread for the starving masses here on the Farm. I have learned mostly through trial and error, collected some absolutely lovely base recipes, and finally, have found what works best for us. We like store bread to a degree, but since food allergies run amock here, we have tweaked a good solid basic bread recipe to our tastes, and by solid, I mean light and fluffy the way we like it. Here's the recipe we use. It makes a light tasty white bread that is mouthwateringly scrumptious disguised as a grilled cheese sandwich. Mmm mmm GOOD I tell ya! This will make a 2 pound loaf. I double it for my commercial size loaves, thanks to the neighbors who bought me the pans as a bribe for more bread!!

White Sandwich Bread
2 3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. oil
1 tablespoon yeast
1/8 c. sugar(we prefer local honey instead)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/8 c. lukewarm water
1 tsp. vinegar

You may add more sugar or honey to taste if you like a slightly sweeter bread. First, we add all of the wet ingredients into the mixing bowl. I do not proof my yeast, have never seen the need, but you may if you wish. I prefer to skip that step entirely. Next, you want to add your dry ingredients, saving the yeast for last, and sprinkle it evenly on top of the flour, so as it mixes, it is distributed well throughout the dough ball.

I use my KitchenAide mixer, and let rise and bake in the oven, because I've never liked the bread machine baking. You can do this in a machine though if you follow the manufacturer's instructions for your particular machine. The next thing is to preheat the oven to it's lowest setting, place the doughball in your greased pan, and set it in the oven to rise for 45 minutes. After which you bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until the top crust is golden brown.

Remove it to a wire cooling rack immediately upon taking out of the oven, and allow the bread to cool completely before cutting(IF you can stand to leave warm bread alone). My sweet well meaning husband is usually into mine before I can get it sliced and in the bread keeper!

In my experience, the best way to keep fresh homemade bread is in a sealed container in the refrigerator. I have a wonderful Lock & Lock bread container I keep ours in in the fridge, and it stays fresh for up to a week...maybe longer, it never lasts long enough to tell exactly how long it would last before molding or becoming stale. If I ever find out for sure just how long it will keep, I'll be sure to report back! 

Welcome to our farm!

Welcome to the farm! There is nothing better than working at home, making my own hours. Though the hours are long, and often difficult, I have never had a more rewarding job, or felt more purpose to my life than when I am tending our animals, gardens, and various children that don't belong to me. Everyone is welcome here, to sit and visit, have a tall cold glass of sweet iced tea, and join in the fun of various daily tasks. We very often have numerous short giggly guests running around here, helping pull weeds, collecting eggs from our hens, or gathered around the table for a home cooked meal. We are blessed beyond measure, happy as pigs in mud, and trying our best to live up to the expectations of our heavenly Father, even when we have no idea which path He wants us to take next. We live life one day at a time, within our means, as best we can, and hope to inspire and teach others to SLOW DOWN and enjoy the simple life with us. So, pull up a chair, and stay a while. There will be plenty of things to do and see once we get the blog up and running  full time. We have learned SO much since we started our little1.5 acre farmlette back in 08' and look forward to sharing our experiences and ideas with  ya'll soon!