March 2012 Seedlings

What an amazing day today is!  I was able to work a couple more sections of the garden.  I have to be really careful as it's full of poison ivy.  That is what happens when you clear a wooded area. 
I've planted a bunch of seeds in starter containers. 
I have a slew of seedlings at my mother's house.  I, unfortunately, don't make it there enough and they're not faring too well.  I should really get there more often to water them.  I used egg cartons, which is economical and easy.  But, when you forget about them...

For our home, since we don't have a suitable place for a lot of seedlings to sprout, I bought a tray (yes, by the hated Burpee) with a pad to hold in moisture so watering isn't a priority.  And there's a cover, so it acts like a greenhouse.  I have to admit...it's pretty awesome.  My seeds sprouted in less than a week.  I have a bazillion kale seedlings and about 25 tomato seedlings.  I can't wait to transplant them into bigger containers and then into our community garden. 



Tomatoes up front.




Reaching for the sun...




Pretty Kale.




First round of poison ivy from the other day. 



Day 2 GAPS Intro - beef soups

For dinner last night I had a bowl of hamburg and broccoli soup. 

Two cups of broth, a handful of broccoli, a premade grass fed hamburg patty and some sea salt and pepper.  I boiled it for 25 minutes, making sure to cut up the patty intermittently.  It was frozen to begin with.  If you just used some ground beef it would be just as yummy. 

The soup was pretty good.  I was actually a little shocked. 

Instead of snacking last night, I made another bowl of soup. 

I cut up some steak, about a palm-sized piece.  Added a small zucchini, some leek, clove of garlic and a carrot.  Let that boil for 30 minutes.  That was delicious, too. 

I think my favorite was the ground beef and broccoli one.  I didn't take any pictures...I just plum forgot. 

Today I feel fine.  I started the day off with probiotics and water.  Then 16oz of chicken broth. 

I have some boiled onion, carrot and chicken soup waiting to cool.  I used a whole red onion, one carrot and the meat from two chicken legs (no thigh).  Boil 25 minutes. 

I'll be making some ginger tea this morning, too.  While I like broth, I can't drink it without salt, which leaves me thirsty.  And water isn't my favorite.  The Gut and Psychology Syndrome book (pg. 148) says I can have ginger, mint or chamomile tea.  Use 1 teaspoon of grated ginger and steep in hot water. 

I have an appointment this morning.  I think that'll be the toughest part of this - leaving the house for extended periods of time.  I'll bring some tea and some broth.  That'll have to tie me over until lunch. 

Starting GAPS Intro for Skin Issues...

I have decided to try to heal my skin by starting the GAPS intro diet.  We tried GAPS before, but that didn't work out so well. 
I have this skin problem that I'd like solved.  I'm thinking that there's something wrong with my gut, so I'm starting there.  At least if I heal my gut and nothing is resolved then I can look elsewhere for help.
I'm not claiming to be a medical professional, this is just my own journey. 

I began this morning with some probiotics and a 1/2 cup of water.  I waited half and hour and then had a cup of chicken broth.  I had a simple soup of 1/2 a red onion and 2 green pieces from a leek sauteed in a tsp of coconut oil.  I added boiled chicken and 2 cups of broth. 

From taking the probiotics to eating the soup, it took 2 hours.  This is because I have children. I also had started cooking down some blood orange marmalade.  This is not GAPS friendly, but I will hold onto it until I can eat it...on warm buttered toast.  I'm not going to lie.  This is going to be hard.  The rest of my family is not doing GAPS, so I am cooking for them and me.  I'm hoping these posts help to keep me in check.  I'm also hoping to the first stage for a few days.  Fingers crossed.

I get a lot of my inspiration for eating healthy and doing GAPS via these sites:

Nourished Kitchen

Food Renegade

Health, Home & Happiness

Nourishing Days

On the Putting Up Bandwagon and other ramblings

If my husband were to turn to me on our wedding day and said, "7 years from now we'll have 3 boys whom we homeschool, chickens, a rooster and we'll be farming land so we have enough crops to put up for the winter" I'd have laughed in his face. 

Here we are.  Homeschooling 3 boys, chicken farmers with a harmless and skittish rooster, and clearing out another plot of land so we can fill it with enough veggie seeds so we can hopefully live through the non-growing seasons without spending a fortune in the grocery store.  Huh.

We've been having crazy weather in New England.  Today was about 40 degrees, but two days ago it hit 60 degrees.  In February.  In NEW ENGLAND.  I had that itch to start doing yard work.  I started clearing out another plot of land for gardening.  We're going to turn this into our community garden of sorts.  There are two other families that don't have the space to garden who will help keep the garden and in turn will reap it's benefits. 

Eli and I began clearing it out.  Cutting down saplings and thorny vines.  Mowing over dead leaves and finding sprigs of green underneath...waiting for Spring.  My daffodils are starting to come up.  There's about 2 inches of daffodil shoots showing.  Upon mowing over one area, however, we came across something very disheartening - rubbish.  Our house is in the woodsier part of town.  Our home is old.  They buried their trash.  Sunbeam bread bags.  Nissen bread bags.  Chip bags.  Foam meat trays.  Leather shoes.  Plastic and glass medicine bottles.  It's disgusting.  I can't even use a shovel to dig it out because there's no give: just layers of rubbish.  In twenty minutes, the boy and I filled a tall kitchen bag full of trash.  It didn't even come close to being all that's there.  I'm going to have to put in a barrier separating that part of the area from the others, I think.  I have to do some research.  I'm sure all the chemicals leeched out of the plastics 20 years ago.  This stuff was clearly at least 25 years old. 

I'd like to move towards no shopping for 2-3 months, aside from milk and the occasional dinner party necessities.  I thought I canned and froze a lot this past Summer.  It's almost gone.  We ate our last chicken last month.  Our berries and tomatoes were gone in November.  I have one bag of frozen peaches I keep saving for who knows what.  I have another small bag of frozen wax beans.  I do have plenty of peppers though.  We don't eat a lot of peppers. 

My Garden Goals:
1.  Grow broccoli.  It never seems to work out very well.  I'm starting my seedlings tomorrow. 
2.  Increase tomato plants to 60.  We only had 4 this year, and we had tomatoes from the csa.
3.  Buy 2 apple trees.
4.  Build an arbor for the grape vines growing wildly everywhere.
5.  Build a chicken wire cage of sorts and plant 4 blueberry bushes in it.
6.  Go to Bee school.  I want bees and honey.

Meat Goals:

1.  Increase meat birds to 75.  We had 31 when it was all said and done last year.  Clearly, we need more.
2.  Get 1/4 cow.
3.  Find out more about 1/2 a hog.
4.  Hmmm...we'll need a new freezer.
5.  We'll also need our electrician to come and update the electrical box to hold 220. 

House Goals:  (may as well throw those in)

1.  Mudroom addition. 
2.  Think about fixing the bulkhead.

I don't have any related pictures so I'll leave you with these because every blog post needs pictures:

My yummy green smoothie



The tiniest egg...not sure why...our chickens have been laying for months.  My kids think there's something different inside...like a tiny chicken or something.  I'm a little afraid to crack it open, I have to admit.



Gingerbread Cookies

I got our recipe from Simply Recipes.  I have a tendency to try to stay away from things I have to roll out.  I have this notion that it's hard.  I know, I sound like a weenie.  Rolling out dough used to be this thing only accomplished bakers did.  I was not an accomplished baker.  So I avoided it.  Pillsbury made a fine pie crust.  And there's nothing wrong with chocolate chip cookies.  Well, now that I care about my food, Pillsbury no longer makes the cut.  And when your kids want gingerbread cookies, telling them that chocolate chip cookie shaped men are the same is not an option.  I'm getting better at it.  I can now roll out the dough less than 1/2 an inch thick.  Confidence is key, I think.  I still don't know the specifics of the whys and hows of it all.  Nor do I really care to.  I just know that this recipe worked well.  The cookies came out beautifully.  Although, they did stick to the cookie sheet.  I also used a cookie sheet I rarely use because it simply sucks, but when you've got Legos on one and Playdoh on the other, the choices are limited.  The boys inhaled the cookies.  I swear.  They were there and then they were gone.  All that was left were little voices telling me I hated them because I was obviously lying about the non-existence of any more cookies.  This is what happens when you indulge your children right before bed.  The Royal Icing came out beautifully as well.  This was just a good cookie.  Thanks, Simply Recipes.  It really was simple.

Making Raw Butter

After all that holiday cheer with trimming the tree and all, the kids wanted to make gingerbread cookies.  However, we did not have enough butter.  Enter in Ms. Resourceful.  I grabbed the pitcher of raw milk.  The cream was sitting right on top.  I scooped it right off and poured it into some canning jars.  I ended up with 2 cups without dipping into the milk.  There was still about a 1/2 inch of cream sitting on top, but I didn't want to risk dipping into the milk.  Plus, that cream is yummy in the milk!
I put the lids on, handed them to the kids and told them to shake.  I hope this video makes you smile.  It makes me giggle...a lot.

I've made butter with pasteurized cream before. It doesn't take that long. This took forever. My kids shook, and shook. I ended up holding a jar in each hand and shook. And shook. And shook. I finally poured them into a bowl, grabbed the beaters and beat that cream. And beat. And beat. I didn't time it, but it took at least five minutes on the highest speed available before it even began to resemble something that had been whipped. I then poured it back into the jars.



Add caption



Once I put the whipped cream into the jars I started shaking again.  It quickly turned consistency. 



Before shaking and after shaking




Starting to separate the buttermilk




Buttermilk surrounding the butter




1 gallon of milk yielded 3/4 cup of butter

It took longer than anticipated, but it was such a great experience for us.  My boys were amazed at the transformation.  It was also very satisfying to be able to create butter for the cookies we then made.  I love really knowing what we put into our bodies.  

CSA Fun

We headed to our csa today to pick up our last share.  I am not looking forward to buying vegetables next week!  And sometimes, it's not just about the vegetables...

Gorgeous oranges and yellows



Mud puddles to boys are like flames for moths.




It's all fun and games until there is mud in your eye




Brussel Sprouts




"I am all muddy!"



Sinister contemplating



Rethinking the whole mud-jumping idea




Muddy lashes




Yes, there's a child lying in the muddiness...




Grabbing mud for mud ball throwing...this never ends well.

 



Dry and toasty with Pirate Booty





Mud-laden garments



Fall Cookin'

I love Fall.  The smells, the sights, the sounds, the feel.  I love it all.  As soon as there is even a hint of it, I begin apple picking.  I start to check on my pumpkins and squash in the garden.  I take time to look up into the trees for signs of reds and yellows in the leaves.  I start to look on the ground for brown ones.  And I cook.  A lot.  Fall cooking is so much different for me than summer cooking.  Summer cooking is more pasta salads, grillin', and tossing things together.  When fall arrives the oven gets all the love and attention it has yearned for over the past few months.  As does my crockpot.  The apples made a new home in the crockpot for a few days.  Crockpot applesauce is the easiest.  Fill with cored and cut apples.  Add sugar if you like.  Some cinnamon and about a cup of water.  Turn on low overnight and the next morning you've got a vat of applesauce.  I usually start mine a couple hours before bedtime and right before I head up, I mash down whatever is in the crock.  I also check to make sure there'll be enough water so that it won't burn.  Don't be afraid to put in an extra 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water if you're unsure.  If you let the apples cook a little longer, the water will evaporate.  Burned applesauce, however, is hard to recover from. 
Squash.  Butternut.  Acorn.  Sweet Dumpling.  Yum. 

Sweet Dumpling Squash

Slice the Sweet Dumpling Squash in half and take out the seeds and stringy bits.  Fill with a generous dash of cinnamon, a small dash of nutmeg, a couple pinches of brown sugar, pat of butter and drizzle with maple syrup.  This is the only way my boys will eat squash....because it tastes like candy.  Diabetics...Beware!

A local mushroom picker stopped by my csa and dropped off some gigantic wild mushrooms.  They were absolutely amazing to look at.  At $10lb I had to buy one.  Mine was a good pound and a half.  It was a little intimidating at first.  Then I grabbed that sucker and took hold.  I said to it, "you'll be fabulous in butter!"  Isn't everything?  I took about 1/2 a stick of butter and threw it into a skillet.  Then I added pieces of the mushroom, some garlic and scallions, because they were in my csa share.  I was feeling frisky, so I doused it with some vanilla bourbon I had brewing.  I had a bottle of bourbon, added some sliced vanilla beans and it's been sitting in my basement for months now.  I digress.  Back to mushrooms.  I added a bit of salt and then after stirring off the alcohol (which really doesn't happen as fast as people think.  It actually takes a lot longer than a few minutes for all the alcohol to go away.) I added some half and half, because I didn't have cream. 



Mmmm...mushrooms, garlic and scallion...ready to get sauced!

I received some freshly picked cranberries and baked a cranberry coffee cake.  Holy cow it was yummy!

I don't have pictures, but it was beautiful...trust me.  I made an apple cake, but somehow forgot to add in the sugar.  

Apple cake.

It was still applelicious and I sprinkled sugar on top to add some sweetness. 

Loaf after loaf of bread has been baked.  And donuts.  I had no idea I could make my own donuts...in an oven. 



Chocolate glazed donut

I bought a donut pan.  I got a recipe off the world wide interweb.  And I tweaked it.  The thing with donut making is that you already have an idea of how a donut should taste.  We like our donuts sweet and sticky.  The cakier donuts are not our cup of tea. 

Baked Chocolate Donuts...adapted from Lara Ferroni

2 cups unbleached flour
5 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup whole milk
3 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs

Grease donut pan with butter.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix dry ingredients well to make sure that the baking soda and powder get evenly distributed and are not cakey or clumpy. 
In another bowl, whisk together wet ingredients.
Add to the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stirring gently to combine.  Don't over mix or your donuts will be rubbery.  And no one wants to eat a rubber donut.
Fill each cup 3/4 full.  I use a piping bag, but it can get messy and my hands hurt.  You can also use a spoon.  Make sure not to cover the hole.
Bake for about 12-15 minutes.  The donuts should be springy when touched.  Turn out onto a cooling rack or plate before glazing.  Sometimes we glaze, sometimes we sprinkle with sugar. 

Another Round of Apple Picking

We pick apples.  A lot.  More like, I run around and pick apples while the kids eat them, chase one another and roll around on the ground.  Either way, it's fun had by all.  I get my apples.  The kids get exercise and healthy food.  What more could you ask for?
One of our favorite places to visit is Wojick's.  It's a family run farm with a good variety of apples.  They, unlike Tougas Family Farm, spray pesticides liberally.  I asked someone there if they spray their apples.  She looked at me, dead pan, and said, "Yes.  Make sure to wash your apples before eating them."  I try not to buy produce that's sprayed, however, spraying means cheaper.  I own soap and have access to water.  We simply wash our apples prior to consuming.  By cheaper, I mean 50% cheaper than other places that practice IPM (Integrated Pest Management) or follow organic practices.  I'm all for organic, but when I'm putting up quart after quart of applesauce, I simply cannot afford organic.  Now that I'm all on the defensive...
Wojick's has a tractor/wagon ride that was Silas' favorite.  He would have liked to ride it all day long.  There's also a corn maze.  And they're open at night, in the dark.  Spooky!  We'll be heading there tomorrow night if the rain holds off. 
I've also discovered a feature on my camera that "enhances" my pictures.  I think I found my new love.  Eli was there, I swear.  He was just more interested in not being near the camera. 



Fun with corn husks, a la Charlie Chaplin...




My little farmer boy



You love the enhancements, don't you?  You should.  My life seems so much prettier with them. 

Camping Eats

Camping, for some reason, always inspires thoughts of hot dogs, beans and s'mores.  While I am a big fan of all three, the thought of eating all three all week makes me want to, well, think of other options. 

I decided to try out hobo packs after reading an article from Simple Bites.  These are not a new creation, but I've never tried them before.  I wanted something everyone would voraciously eat after a long day of canoeing or swimming or ...camping.  I decided on pork kabobs, burritos and beef stew packets.  For the beef stew I used this recipe.  I didn't use bouillon, but I did use some balsamic marinade.  I also par cooked the veggies for a few minutes before adding them to the meat.  After I mixed everything all together, I put them in packets, labeled and froze them.  I also did bean, beef and cheese burritos in the same manner...prepped, assembled, labeled and froze.  For the pork kabobs, I marinated the pork in barbecue sauce overnight.  Then I froze the pork.  All the packets stayed frozen until I needed them.  I put the pork on the bottom of the cooler, beef stew somewhere in the middle and the burritos on top for the 2nd night.  All items were thawed for cooking and still a wee bit frozen. 

I bought wooden skewers for the kabobs and soaked them in water all day.  I laid them out in a shallow aluminum pan, poured water in and let them sit while we went on a canoe trip.  I am happy to say that the skewers did not burn at all and they were not hot to the touch when I grabbed them to turn over the kabobs.  I wanted to buy pineapple for the kabobs, but forgot.  We had tomatoes and baby bella mushrooms left, so that's what made it onto the skewers.  Those were marinated with the pork for an hour, just to give the mushrooms some extra moisture. 

We didn't eat hot dogs once on our trip. 

We also didn't eat s'mores.  Two reasons for that.  Number one...I thought I didn't bring the graham crackers and the chocolate was smooshy.  Number two...we brought campfire cookie dough and the makings for an over-the-fire oven.  This is not my recipe at all.  And I can't remember where I found it.  I have a list of sites it could be from, but I haven't been able to find it.  But, it was so yummy, I need to share it.  This is the recipe with my adaptations.  Tweak it anyway you like.

Campfire Cookies (Yield approx. 40 cookies)

2 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt (Kosher salt works well)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened 
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3/4 of a bag of dark Chocolate Chips 
1 package chocolate graham crackers
Mini-Marshmallows for topping

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Beat butter, sugars and vanilla in a large bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, incorporating after each addition.
3. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in another bowl and gradually add to the batter. Stir in chocolate chips and graham cracker crumbles.
4. Chill dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. (This will help your cookies to rise, as the butter bakes up better cold).
5. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of dough onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
6. Press 3 mini-marshmallows (or more, if you'd like!) into the top of each cookie.
7. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheet, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

You can bake it in an oven at home or you can try what I did.  I took a cardboard box and covered it in tin foil.  This was not an easy task.  I put five cookies on a small aluminum baking sheet and waited.  Nothing was  happening.  Right.  I need to keep the heat in.  So I made a door.

and kept the door from opening with sticks.  It was a very arduous process.  Well, not really.  Just a lot of waiting.  And more waiting. 

Then my brain started working.  Why in the world was I using a gigantic box when I could get the same effect from using my cast iron skillet?  So, that's what I did.  I put the baking sheet in the skillet (if attempting, please make sure you are always careful around all things aflame and hot) and covered the skillet with foil.  Within 15 minutes they were done.  They were delicious.  The rest of the cookie dough was eaten raw because I was not waiting another hour for 5 more cookies. 

I will make these again.  At home.  In an oven with dials and timers and digital options.