Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Barter and other Tidbits


Hubby found someone at work who was willing to share some garlic.  We bartered, and gave him a jar of homemade Cinnamon-Blueberry Jam.

Monday, September 29, 2014

Happy Homemaker Monday


I'm joining Diary of a Stay at Home Mom today.

Weekend Fun ~ Back to the Grind


We earned two free nights at the campground.  Not knowing how the weather will be in October, we decided to go.  We still came home during the daytime (some of it anyway) to get work completed.


We enjoyed the campfire again, on quiet cool evenings.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

So Good!



I just tasted our first batch of applesauce.  I enjoyed it with a sprinkle of organic cinnamon.  Absolutely delicious. 

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Alias ~ 1 Year


One year ago (9-25-13), we drove to the county dog shelter.  The shelter is a "kill" shelter.

Friday, September 26, 2014

Homemade Applesauce


I was starving for a good breakfast, so I tossed onions, potatoes, green pepper and zucchini in a pan to cook for

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Garden and Porch Time


I spent about three hours pulling monstrous size weeds from the garden, just so I could get to the potatoes.  Mission somewhat accomplished.  I have about six feet left to dig up yet.  There is nothing worse than leaning down to pull a weed, only to be poked in the eye by five foot foxtail.  Ouch!  And the kids thought they'd get to eat at the table this week, ha ha!  Not.  That photo only shows a portion of them.  My goal is to get all of them dug up before I even start canning the rest.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Tuesday Tidbits



I made my first cabbage and egg omelet.  That is not red cabbage either.  It's leftover cabbage I had previously cooked up with beets from the garden.   I fried it in a small bit of non-gmo organic canola oil, then added a tiny bit of organic soy sauce.  I poured in two scrambled eggs.  I simply used salt and pepper and a bit if cheese in the middle.  Absolutely delicious!    Mama Pea over at A Home Grown Journal, mentioned cabbage for breakfast (with eggs).  I just had to try it.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Needle Tatting


I checked the garden.  It's still too wet to dig potatoes.  I think I will start bringing in corn this week and drying it in the sun on good sunny days.  I picked more jalapenos and hot banana peppers too.   

I ended up starting the day yesterday by cleaning up my "work" area by the computer.  I ended up sorting everything into piles before tackling each one.  I had a "file it" pile, a "put it in a binder" pile, a "shred it" pile, a "needs paid" pile, "put it back where it belongs" pile, "ask the kids if they need it any longer" pile, and a "recipe" pile.  Needless to day, a few of those piles were left for today to take care of, but things are looking much tidier.

Monday, September 22, 2014

Clearing the Mess ~ Rainbow


I'll admit, the computer sometimes interferes with my ability to be prudent with time well spent.  I'm getting better at it.



The weekend went by too fast.  Laundry was put out early, recycling was gathered and delivered,

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Dirty Work


Like many of you, I have been madly ripping out my garden (and a long way from being finished).  I still have potatoes, a few pie pumpkins, popcorn and a small bit of pinto beans to harvest.  It's been such a blessing this year.

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Carrots are finally done.....

It was another long day of indoor and outdoor chores yesterday. 



Dinner was in the crock pot early in anticipation of

Friday, September 19, 2014

Soda Pop Jelly ~ "Pop Test"


The nail polish on my nails is no longer there.  I'm back to the garden and more preserving again.  It will be a treat when I get the next break, but wood splitting is about to take over too.

Hubby and I were at the Farmer's market a while back, and he told me he wanted to buy "Root beer" jelly.  I looked at him and cringed.  I really should be roasting more pie pumpkins, pulling more out of the garden, and so forth.  I knew he wanted me to make it vs. him buy it, so I did.  

Well, I decided that if I made this, that there would be a consolation prize for me.  Hm.  Maybe a new purse perhaps?  I'll have to think on that and get back with Hubby on that "prize" but I needed to make the jelly first. 




The first challenge was . . .

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Cooler weather ~ Dinners "on the fly"


Cooler weather means it's time to fill the jar of homemade hot chocolate.  Mmmm!   It also means I have to get laundry on the clothesline much earlier to completely dry.

Dinners here have been,what I call "on the fly."  I take whatever is in the garden and cook what ever comes to my mind.  

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Preparing for Flu Season and other Tidbits


Two weeks ago, I placed dried elderberries and raw honey in a canning jar.  I let it sit in a warm location to infuse.  



 The result?  

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Laundry Soap ~ Stitched Cards

A few asked how I make my laundry detergent.  I simply grate a bar of unscented homemade goat's milk soap (you can use a bar of Zote as well), add 8 cups of water, and heat until melted.  I then add 1 1/2 cups borax and 1 1/2 cups washing soda, and continue to heat and stir until dissolved. . .

Monday, September 15, 2014

Weekend Travel

The reason my laundry was up before the sunrise last Friday?  A college campus tour.   After traveling 260 miles round trip and paying $12.50 in road toll fees, we are pretty sure our next child will be attending college there.

The Hubs drove.  Need I say more?  If my brother and sister-in-law were driving behind us, they would have been gasping.  


On our way home, we passed an A & W drive-in.  Remember those?  We had one in our home town growing up.  We passed it, Hubby pulled off the road, then pulled a "Dukes of Hazard" straight across all lanes of traffic, and up (yes, up) the the entrance to the drive-in.  Needless to say, any projectiles in the car went flying.  People were staring at us.  I was shrinking in my seat and trying to recover, and make sure we were still all okay.  So after that, I really needed a weekend off.



We went camping.  

Friday, September 12, 2014

Hankering for a getaway


(photo from a previous trip)

Hubby and I have checked the campground on the island - booked solid.  Everyone else must have the same idea.  Other than non-electric sites that have no water view.  I love the water because it's very relaxing and I can enjoy the sunrises every morning.  It bums me out we can't go.

I'll get over it.  Maybe. 

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Random Tidbits

(tomatoes heating for freezing tomato juice)

(ketchup reducing)

Yesterday while more ketchup was reducing on the stove, and in another pot I was heating tomatoes for tomato juice, I took my lunch to the porch.  It was kind of my "five minutes" to myself part of the day.
 
I picked more green and red bell peppers, and wandered around checking the tomatoes.  There are more green ones on the larger tomato plants yet.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Homemade Barbecue Sauce ~ Taste Testing



(early morning, before the sunrise, cup of coffee in a snowflake coffee cup I got from Mom)

While I've been busy canning and gardening, the spiders have been busy - webs all over the inside and outside of our home.  I  have been busy and knocking them all down.   I'm still preserving with tomatoes. 

This morning's sunrise was beautiful.  It slowly turned into a gray sky today, and rain is in the forecast.  Actually they are telling us to expect strong thunderstorms starting around noon. 

Monday, September 8, 2014

Happy Homemaker Monday

Joining Happy Homemaker Monday, with Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.

Canning it Up



I canned more pints of pizza sauce.  There was no voting on what to can, considering we had just made pizzas the night before.  I'm exhausted this morning.  I was sealing jars way past 7pm, and still had laundry that needed to come off the line.  On a Sunday no less. 

After getting the laundry down. . .

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Sunday Sunrise

While most folks are out buying fall mums for their garden, I was out searching for clearance priced rose bushes. Why?

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Blueberries and Red Onions?



The thought of blueberries and onions peeked my curiosity.  So, in honor of my Aunt, I picked a recipe from the Country Woman magazine she sent me.  I chose "Savory Blueberry Onion Jam."   The recipe uses a lot of red onions and some blueberries.  It even uses honey. 

Friday, September 5, 2014

Corn Cob Syrup ~ More Tomatoes




I did not go looking for this recipe.  I found it in a library book - Pearls of Wisdom, Tops, Shortcuts, and Recipes from a Country Home, by Deborah S. Tukua, who adapted their recipe from Countryside Magazine.  The actual color is more of a amber brown than the color it shows in the photo.

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Taco Soup ~ Praying Mantis



I'm up before the sun is again.  The weather is to be in the upper 80's, but it said to feel like 90's.  I need to water flowers before I start canning today.

I spent part of the day yesterday on the phone, making appointments. 

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Canning Pizza Sauce



Yesterday, I canned homemade pizza sauce for the first time.  I have never had this many tomatoes, so it is a blessing.  We'll be popping open a jar of this to make grilled pizzas this week.  I'll let you know how it tastes and which recipe I adapted.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Corn Relish ~ Random Tidbits


Hubby promised to do one job yesterday, so I opted for canning something quicker than tomato sauce related.  I used most of the leftover corn (off the cob) and picked some green and red peppers - corn relish.



I've never canned corn relish before, but I think it will be versatile - omelets, fish, chicken, sausage, burgers.  

Monday, September 1, 2014

Home Preserving ~ Tomato Paste



Yesterday, after laundry was on the line, I decided to start with 20 lbs. of paste tomatoes, a few bay leaves and followed the instructions in Keeping the Harvest, by Nancy Chioffi and Gretchen Mead.