We have been using local beef tallow for maybe a year now, but it is $5.99/pound. We have located a better resource for buying it, and at a lower price of $2.49/pound. Thankfully, we can freeze it, so we are re-stocked for a while. We only fry fish (perch and walleye), and that is only when we are gifted the fish. Once a year I make homemade corn dogs with all beef hotdogs. I have used the beef tallow to grease pans, and that works great too.
I have been substituting oil with the tallow, for when I make steel cut oat patties, squash patties, or anything similar needing "oil" to pan "fry" or cook.
The same resource also sells local lard, and that can be frozen as well.
I have been checking around at prices for vanilla beans, and the online resource (for organic) is still the best price. In store prices seem to be high. The above photo was taken at a bulk Amish food store.
The daffodils are starting to bloom here. We have several varieties growing in the flower beds.
Green onions are continuing to spring back to life. I'll be adding them to meals very soon.
Chives are springing back to life as well, and they will soon be in our daily meals too. As you an see, I have not cleaned out the herb garden or even the flower beds. It's too soon, although it's tempting on warmer days around here.
April is bringing us a lot of rain. A lot. It's also bringing more back and forth weather, and with the warmer days, it's bringing in tiny ants.
I had to put out soaked cotton balls to get rid of the ants again. I mix a 50-50 solution of borax and granulated sugar. I add enough water to mix up a "paste" solution. I coat cotton balls with the solution, and put them on small pieces of waxed paper in the areas where the ants are coming in. The wax paper just makes clean up so much easier. Otherwise the borax mixture will leave a mess on the surface of where you place the cotton balls. The ants will devour it, but the borax kills the ants within a day or less.
12 comments:
Thanks for the ant tip. We have been getting them in the morning near the cat bowls. Somehow I think they are coming from the basement crawl space which has a dirt floor. I need to investigate.
We finally got measurable rain yesterday evening! Desperately needed here. I hope we don’t have another super dry summer.Daffodils are now fading out. One small lily if the valley plant is coming in and the tree pollen is bonkers. I am not doing well with that. Ugh.
I have used equal parts of borax and powdered sugar to kill ants
it is easy to clean up:)
We are getting the tiny ants to, especially when it is damp. The joy and aroma of the Hyacinths, one of my favorites. Every year I try to force them inside..no successful. I ordered vanilla beans from Amazon, I never thought Amish bulk store would have them, next time I'll get it there. I ordered a jar of Tallow from Townsends. I have not cooked with it, but use it as a moisturizer with a bit of Lavender oil in it. Chives, need to add that to my list.
We have winds howling here today and it's pretty chilly but no snow, thank goodness. I'm very cozy in our condo though and happy to be here. Today would have been my parents 81 wedding anniversary. I can't believe it. Time is flying by.
Blessings,
Betsy
What a good idea about the ants. 🐜 We haven’t had any in a long time. They usually come in the fall.
I’m seeing beef tallow all over - I buy my meat at the butcher’s and they have it. I don’t fry that much so don’t have a use for it yet. 2.49 a pound for it is very reasonable. More expensive than a pound of butter!
Katie C, we too are feeling the allergy responses to the weather. I am back to brewing us nettle tea here.
Far Side of Fifty, it always leaves a hard deposit on kitchen counter, so I have put the cotton balls on waxed paper now. No mess left at all.
Faith, check the price of your online vanilla beans. I found them a lot cheaper than the ones in the bulk Amish stores.
Betsy, a storm is brewing here. We shall see what actually happens. Blessings to you too.
Debby@My Shasta Home, yes the price is low so we froze some. I don't fry a lot here, so it should last a long time.
I am hearing more and more about tallow. I am not quite sure what the difference between lard and tallow is and I am on a farm. I prefer to have grease from our bacon to grease pans with. I use lard often as well.
Carol, tallow is beef tallow and lard is from pigs. I'm still doing research on their uses, but I have used lard for baking for a while now (which both are used a lot less than one would think).
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