Small Harvest and Other Fun

I harvested a handful of green onions and chives before the very cold weather moved in (more so than before).  The chickens are not happy.  I'm not happy, but trying to find the joy in the days either way.

My kitchen has been in full force the last few days.  My goodness, I have never felt overwhelmed with baking and cooking, but it has taken over in whirlwind lately.  These photos were not even everything that was getting baked/cooked or mixed up.

Despite the need to get meals made around here, I managed to squeeze in a trip to the library book sale.  I only brought home three books, but snagged some free magazines too.  

I used to read magazines when Mom was with us.  She'd pass her magazines onto me to read.  When she passed, I no longer read magazines.  I never thought to borrow some from our library.  

In light of garden season moving in slowly (thanks to this colder weather), we've been enjoying our empty nest life.  Yes, we have repairs, a coop to finish building and so on, but some times we need a little fun too.

Johnny Cash/June Carter Tribute band

Righteous Brothers Concert

Over the last three months, we've been enjoying outdoor walks, hikes, hiking trails in other towns/cities, and we even hiked a not-so-easy waterfall (so proud of our healthy lifestyle, and progress in staying fit).

We have also been to a few concerts too.  We have not been to concerts during all of our long, busy years (and years) of raising all the kids and working jobs, so it's been a huge enjoyment.

One concert was a Johnny Cash Tribute band (very good, the guy was from Nashville), and we had the priviledge to see the Farewell tour concert of the Righteous Brothers.  Bill Medley is 84 years old, and he put on a fantastic concert.

Bill Medley also wrote a book, and you know I bought a copy.  It's on my list to read after a few more books.  In fact, I have had fun window shopping on our outings too, and that is how I have found advent gifts for Christmas.

My newest suncatcher I purchased recently.  Just ignore my dirty winter window.  It's not been conducive weather to clean the outside of the windows just yet.

Nothing earth shattering news for blogland today, and I bought myself some fun pens. One of my daughter's bought me a pen set for my birthday/Mother's Day(?) and I am down to one pen now.

The one on the top in gold says "Good Days Start with Coffee" the next says "Drink Coffee.  Be Nice" (ha ha!), and the last says "Caffeinated and Motivated."

Small Harvest and Other Fun ©  April 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

This and That ~ Welcome April

 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.

The hyacinths are popping up now.

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.  

We finished this puzzle.  Will colder days be coming to an end?  Well.  Welcome April!  We woke up to 23°F this morning.  We have had snow all the way to Easter, so it's not impossible, although we'd like to have Spring stay put.

This and That ~ Welcome April ©  April 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Spring is in the Air

Spring air is such an intoxicating aroma.  The best part of March is being able to open the windows and let in fresh air.  However, this weekend is bringing in stormy weather.  

First sign of spring daffodils popping up.  They are coming in much later this spring.

Green onions in the herb garden are starting to spring back into delicious-ness.

Spring is in the Air  ©  March 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

What's Cooking?

 

We are still enjoying our home canned herbed tomato sauce (Ball Recipe).  Our newest, and favorite way to use our frozen (previously roasted) spaghetti squash is with the sauce and homemade meatballs (also previously frozen, with oats, not bread crumbs).  It's delicious and easy.   

To make this in the crock pot I thaw the spaghetti squash and squeeze out any water first.  I layer that in the crock pot, with sauce, then the cooked meatballs (cooked from frozen), then more sauce.  I set it on low all day to enjoy later.

We are also using the freshly snipped green onions from the herb garden.  

I have a few items in the freezer we are highlighting on our menus right now, so we make sure they are eaten.  Those items are the ones we grew a lot of last garden season.  

Green beans top the list.  I'm planning on a few sides with those.  We have plenty of diced and sliced bell peppers, more spaghetti squash, shredded zucchini, and pumpkin (just to name a few).

Every year the garden produces differently, and it all depends on what and how much we plant.  There were years we got zero zucchini, and last year it was the largest producing year of all years.  I think we ate it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack.

The chickens are patiently waiting on us to get their new home finished.  I'm patiently waiting too.  I have a few new breakfast recipes too try soon.

What's Cooking?   © May 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Brr! Spring yet?

 

We woke up to a windchill (feels like) 19°F this morning, and snow on the ground.  My poor green onions.  They were looking so grand, and now I'm concerned with any pear and apple blossoms (which I have yet to determine).  I'm hoping the fruit trees are behind, and will be bountiful this year.  I am sure the red raspberry and black berry bushes are okay, but now I'm concerned about my spring harvest of herbs.  Good gravy!

Both of us hunkered in last night, as the sun disappeared, and the gray skies appeared.  The cold has not moved out just yet.

Stay warm friends.  Looks like a perfect weekend for some popcorn, movies and handiwork.  Or some card playing and sipping hot tea.

Our town's Easter egg hunt started this morning at dawn for ages 6 and up.  They will be freezing cold, and no, there is no sun today.  As of this post anyway.   Gosh, I remember doing an Easter egg hunt in our backyard, and there was a lot of snow, when the kids were younger.  

I'm going to go brew a hot steamy pot of organic coffee, and start breakfast soon.  Enjoy your weekend, no matter what your weather is.  Hopefully, it's not as crazy as our weather.

Brr!  Spring yet?  © Mar 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Freezing Green Onions ~ Vegetable Garden ~ Raccoon ~ Chicks ~ Homemade Shower Bombs

I decided to freeze some green onions.  I think they are pretty hearty in cold weather, but froze some anyway.

We had two good garden days - tilled up more, decided to keep two raised beds, and rip out the other two, layered cardboard between them and piled it high with mulch the county workers left us from the tree they cut down.

Tilled even more, planted the radishes, carrots, beets, and green and wax beans.  The kale bed is weeded.  I just need to add some soil and get that planted.

Due to the weather my mini velociraptors were moved to the smaller coop finally.  So glad to get them out of the house.

Whelp.  I saw a raccoon for the first time in a few years.  It came right up to the door looking for cat food.  I'll be on the look out to see if it was passing through or hunkering down in a pile of old barn wood or in one of the barns.  

I made homemade shower bombs to lift my spirits.  I used sweet orange (builds up immunity) and peppermint.  They were a fail.

They turned out nice after they dried, but they did not give off any aroma from the essential oils.  You'd have to add a ton of  essential oil to it, so I won't be making them again.  It was fun to make, but disappointing it didn't work.

Rain is arriving soon.  One rain barrel is already flipped over, and flowers have been moved outside to plant later.  If the rain lets up to a light rain, I can start to harden my veggie plants today.  

Garlic, Fresh Tomatoes and Green onions

Easy Layered Dip
1 - 8 oz. cream cheese
2 cloves of garlic minced
1-2 Roma tomatoes (or your choice) chopped
Green onions, snipped
Mozzarella cheese, finely shredded

Set cream cheese out to soften.  Once soft, cream it with the minced garlic.  Spread it onto a serving plate (I use a regular dinner plate).  Top it with chopped tomatoes, and green onions.  Add shredded cheese to cover, to your taste.

Refrigerate for several hours for the garlic and cream cheese to infuse flavors.  Serve with crackers of your choice, and set the dip out for a few minutes to soften again (or it will be difficult to "dip" your crackers).

Cheesy Potatoes from Scratch ~ How they Rated and Other Self-Sufficient Tidbits

Easter Sunday I decided to make my cheesy potatoes from organic potatoes (not frozen), and eliminate all the processed ingredients (canned mushroom soup, Velveeta cheese etc).

The results?

Windy Weekend ~ Layered Dip ~ Goat Gone Wild

Saturday the weather was so nice, but a bit windy.  In reality, the wind was a good thing - drying up the wet ground.  Sunday was windy and in the upper 70's.  Tuesday we will dip down to a high of 40°F.  Today is is raining and everything is wet again.  The weather is playing games with my allergies, but I am dealing with it.