No Root Cellar? No Basement? Have lots of Spaghetti Squash?

 I've been freezing our spaghetti squash.  I do not have a root cellar, or basement, and the garage is not ideal for storage. 

I had one more on the counter too.  I always tell myself not to plant so many, but here they are again.  I had one more on another counter.

Day 1:  I roasted 4 spaghetti squash in my largest pan.  I cut them across and not length-wise, so I could fit more in my pan.

Day 2: 

I used the jar lifter hack to fill my freezer bags.

I have never frozen baked spaghetti squash, so I had to do some reading on this.  Everything I read, said to let the baked squash sit in a strainer (in a bowl), in the refrigerator over night.

I did that, and then bagged it for the freezer. 

1 pound spaghetti squash = 1 1/4 cup cooked strands.  I'm using this method to mark the bags going into the freezer.  It's a first time doing this, so I am hoping for good results when thawed.

TIP:  I had no idea this worked, but there is a YouTube video on sealing freezer bags with a method to remove the air, without a seal/store system.  Or vacuum (I am out of my bags for my vacuum).

You fill a tub or pot with water, large enough to dip your freeze bag into it.  Seal the bag up to a corner, and dip the bag into the water.  The water pushed the air out, and as you get the bag dipped down to a corner, close the rest of the seal.

The only downside, is you now have to dry off your bag before placing in the freezer.  Also, it did not work as well for the squash.  The straw method to remove air worked better in this case, but the heavier your food is the better the water dip method works (for example for meat).

Video to watch is here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrZPLF0ezw8

Homemade "Jiffy" Corn Muffin Mix

 

The very popular "grocery" item during the holidays contains "bioengineered" ingredients. It's a new word for "gmo" (genetically modified) on so called food products now.

You can make this homemade.

Find the recipe for it HERE.

Hillbilly Hen House

 The recent days have been in the high 60's and low 70's, up until Friday.  We dipped just a hair, and the rain moved in.  The rain did not stop me from working on the new coop.  I've dubbed it the "Hillbilly" hen house, ha ha!  We've had to do some crazy work in order to make things work with what we have.  Nothing seems to come together straight, nor level, but it's getting done.

I decided to do things a big backwards, but it's a race against the clock with painting trim.  Instead of waiting for a day to measure and cut the trim, then paint it, I just painted what we had.  I can touch up later, but it's painted now, before the weather gets too cold.  The weather is quickly changing here.

I bought my husband that wrist wrap that is on his wrist. It is magnetic and holds the screws for him.  Now he needs a carpenters apron and/or a tool belt.

Measure Twice

 We know that what you read for measurements at the hardware stores are not actually the real measurement when buying lumber.  We were so consumed in just getting what we needed and getting back home, neither of us realized what he was basing the coop door on.

He bought 10 inch wide boards, and the actual width is smaller.  Always shop with a measuring tape.  We knew this, and like I said, I think the stress of just getting it done was upon our brains.

When they built the door, it came short of what we intended it to be.  Another eye roller moment, and another set back to get it all just right.

Measure and measure twice when buying materials while building something.  

Any who, the door was taken back down to paint, and I spent almost 4 hours painting the coop.  I ran out of paint, but the only areas left to paint are the very top front and back, where I need a partner present to climb our tallest ladder.

I took advantage of our 60°F day, and will continue to this week, as the weather returns to the 40's next week.  

In hindsight, we should have painted the upper pieces before attaching them.  Live and learn.

As you can see we still need to "button" this coop up with a roof.  The run will mostly get built (all depends on the weather) next spring, but we can finagle a fence for the winter.

We are making progress, but there still is a lot to finish (indoor sliding door, outside trim on the entire coop and such).  Once the roof is on, we can work on the inside, get the run door cut, ramp built etc.  

We will recycle perch posts from the old coop, as well as the roosts we installed in there.  We may recycle a roost from the barn, but recycling what we have in any way helps.  I'm just hoping and praying for some good weather days to paint the trim before it's too cold (and get it installed).

Measure Twice © Nov 2023 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Happy Homemaker Monday

All of my plant cuttings from the herb garden did not produce roots.  I had sage, basil, two cuttings of parsley, and one of spearmint, and they all died off.  I'm wondering if it was too late in the season.  I really want an indoor sage plant, so I may be looking for seeds or a plant soon.

Our weekend went way too fast.  Saturday was a wash for a work day, due to an event that pretty much took over the entire day.  We worked on the chicken coop Sunday, but we both agreed that we do need help with the roofing.  

Today I will be joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. 

The weather . . .

We will be running about in the lower 60's for the high this week.

Right now I am . . .

Sipping coffee, posting this.

Thinking and pondering . . .

 I have a bottle of coconut syrup I need to use up.  Any suggestions other than topping pancakes/waffles?

Oh!  I might be good on yogurt and granola.  Mmm.

How I am feeling . . .

I am really not feeling the holiday motivation at all. I would much rather prefer to stay in, watch movies, crochet or whatever.  I have no motivation to host any meal this season. 

On the breakfast plate . . .

Scrambled eggs, turkey sausage scramble with bell peppers and onions.  Coffee.

On the menu . . .

-Crockpot steak/potatoes, side of asparagus or brussel sprouts
-Crock pot pork chops, sheet pan root vegetables
-Sheet pan chicken and sweet potatoes, creamed corn

On my reading pile . . .

On my TV this week . . .

Movies on Amazon Prime.

Looking around the  house . . .

Well, I still need to preserve some squash, so those are still in the kitchen.  I need to measure and cut my under the sink mat, and put everything back where it belongs.  We are still putting things back to their homes from all the projects.  My husband finally went through a few boxes and sorted and purged.

To-Do List . . .

More like a week long to-do list, as I am working on deep cleaning projects that I abandoned during all these projects.  Hence a lot of crock pot or sheet pan meals this week.

-Laundry

-dishes

-take trash out
-Dust
-Wash rugs
-Clean out fridge
-Work on front porch clean up

-start baking and freezing the last of the spaghetti squash

-work on upstairs flooring

-paint chicken coop door, partial trim

From the camera . . .

We pieced the upper back with scraps, to avoid having to purchase another sheet, and to use what we have.  

Something to share . . .

Come back my blog in a few days.  If you crochet that is.  I will be sharing a post about the yarn stash and how the baby washcloths are going.

Thanksgiving Tips/DIY Ideas and Recipes . . .

I have no holiday mojo this season (literally zero), but I have made a new pea dish.  I am waiting on a review from a taste tester (other than us).  Post to follow this week.

Devotional, Bible Verses, Prayers . . .

No current prayer requests.

Happy Homemaker Monday © Nov 2023 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Homemade Garlic Powder

 

The tool on the left is used for removing the garlic skins.  you place the garlic inside the tube and roll it with your hand.  The tool on the right is used to slice the garlic.

You put the top piece of the slicer back on top and twist the bottom as you press down the top. I have learned to not over fill this, making it much easier.

I know this is a repeat post, and I do make it yearly most garden seasons.  If you have never made garlic powder you can click on my post below on how I make it, after the garlic is dehydrated.  

My very first years making garlic powder, I would hand peel, and hand slice.  

How to Dehydrate Garlic and Make Garlic Powder

Tips:

-Use latex gloves.

-Rinse all the tools/knife if you are not going to do dishes right away.  Garlic dries rock hard, making washing things difficult.

-I only have 4 mats for my dehydrator, so I use parchment paper some times, so that I don't lose the very small bits of the garlic.  I do recommend parchment paper over simply using your trays.  It is much easier to un-stick the garlic from the paper, push it to the center, and fold the paper in half to slide it into your grinder.  It makes way less mess, and clean up much easier.

-Save your garlic skins to make broth or flavor other dishes.  Store the skins in a freezer bag.

Homemade Garlic Powder © Nov 2023 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Freezing Apples ~ Apple Crisp ~ Baking Powder ~ Local Sage Sausage Trial

 

I finally got around to freezing some of our apples.  They are keeping fresh pretty well in the fridge.  By the way, when the directions say to bang your baking sheet on the counter, it really works.  It freed up the frozen apple slices right away, making bagging it easy.

While the apple slices were flash freezing, I baked us an apple crisp.  A different recipe, and one that was actually in my recipe box.  We haven't baked a lot over the years with apples, due to lack of harvest, but this was good.  No brown sugar oddly.  My husband said it "tastes like apple pie."

I made biscuits a few days ago, and realized they did not rise as usual.  I opened my cupboard to check the expiration date on my baking powder and it literally expired the same day.  I have not been using it as much lately.  Note:  be sure to check your label when buying baking powder, as one popular brand contains bio-engineered ingredients.  It's easy to miss when you are shopping.  Our closest store only had two left on the shelves (of non-gmo), and a bunch of the other two brands they carry.

I decided to taste test the local sage sausage, by making us biscuits and gravy.  I have not made it in a long, long time. Anyway, it tasted wonderful!  We are lucky to have a local butcher.  It is more expensive, but it's not like we eat sage sausage every week.  We will be back to stock up on it for winter.

On a side note, the same grocery store was sold out of the organic butter we buy regularly.  I typically freeze some for winter.  I don't know if any other stores carry comparable butter, but I'm now on the hunt for some.  I start my sausage gravy using butter vs. oil.  What do you start your sausage gravy with?

Update on the butter - 2nd store had one box of organic butter, unsalted was sold out.

Homemade Condensed Mushroom Soup ~ Freezer Friendly

Shallots, Organic Baby Bella Mushrooms

 I have been making homemade condensed mushroom soup, for the freezer.  The link still works on my older blog post, but I do not add the thyme to mine.  I never know what I am going to use it for, so I leave that out, but the link for the recipe is on this:  Blogpost.

The original recipe calls for cremini mushrooms.  I used to find them in the stores, prior to covid, but all I can locate here, are organic white or baby bella (so I buy the baby bella).  I did some research and baby bellas are basically the same as cremini mushrooms.

Mushrooms are very healthy for us, and I love this recipe, as it uses butter.  Organic store bought condensed soup contains soy oil and other soy products.  The recipe does contain a bit of flour, but I adapt the entire recipe using all organic/non-gmo ingredients.  There is no corn starch in this recipe.

It smells so good when it's being made.  The link goes to a recipe site, and she had recipes for cream of chicken and cream of celery too.  If I want a comfort meal, it typically involves homemade mushroom soup.

Another repeat for most readers, and oddly, I seem to have re-stocked the same time last year.

This and That ~ Questions

 Somewhere, in an undisclosed location....

I have installed a 3M hook to hold this multi-tool.  I am just frustrated trying to find a screwdriver in this place.  Until the garage is completely purged and organized, it will be where I can access it, and in hope that my husband does not find it (ha ha!).  Projects, repairs, and renovations have been crazy busy this past year and a half.

I also have this for whatever vehicle I am driving at the time.  

Over the summer, during tomato season  I was intrigued to find a recipe by Ball, that uses the jam/jelly maker.  It's a small batch recipe for 2 pints of pizza sauce.  Has anyone tried this sauce recipe?  I did not freeze any whole tomatoes this year, so this is on the try-it list for next tomato garden season.

I have a question.  It may sound dumb to some of you, but I have never read an e-book from our library.  They have a cookbook I want to look at, but I have never "ordered" an e-book from their catalog.  I do not own a kindle.  I do not wish to read it on my cell phone.  Do you download it to your PC and read it that way?  Also, if that is the case, will it take up a lot of space on my PC?  I would love to look at this cookbook, but like I said, I have never placed a hold on an e-book via their catalog.   

One more question on canning:  is there a tested recipe for canning Queso?  I am seeing recipes online, but prefer a Ball recipe or BHG tested recipe.  I once spent time and ingredients on a jam recipe I found in a Taste of Home magazine.  It turned out terrible, made way too much and did not taste good.  I emailed them and asked if it was a tested recipe.  They never answered me.  So....asking here first.  I'll be digging out canning recipes.  Thoughts?  I'm looking for a real recipe, no velveeta.

How I Grind My Dried Hot Peppers ~ Garlic Honey ~ Winter Medicinal Preparedness ~ New Meat Source

I forgot to load the photos yesterday, on how I grind my dehydrated hot peppers.  I also use this method for grinding other dried foods, like garlic powder or onion powder.

I have an electric coffee grinder that I specifically use for this purpose.  The inner piece is removeable, making it easy to wash for the next use, and the cord winds up, and is stored in the lower inside of it.

I use mini funnels to pour the ground hot peppers into a spice jar or recycled glass jar.  The color and flavor of our "Fire Powder" varies due to the mix of hot peppers.

 I mentioned making a new "medicinal" and here it is . . .

Garlic Honey.  You fill your jar about halfway with cloves of garlic (instructions say add how many you want on most that I have read), fill the jar with raw honey and cap it.  You have to burp the jar daily for about 2 weeks.  Some instructions say to flip the jar each day to coat the garlic with the honey.  

Need a boost?  Take some honey.  Feeling sick?  Eat the garlic.

I'll let you know if this was worth making or not.  Raw honey is not cheap around here.  Have you made and utilized garlic honey?  I would love to hear your feedback on it.  I'm late on getting winter medicinals made, but back at it now.

Speaking of medicine and illnesses, we did have covid.  We are finally back to feeling somewhat "normal."  There were employees going to work with covid, and not staying home, so the spread continued after my husband stayed home.  I guess these people were not showing many signs, but enough to know they should have stayed home.

Moving on to some chit chat . . .

We discovered a butcher with non-gmo/free range/no antibiotics within a 2 1/2 hour drive from our homestead.  We picked up a turkey tenderloin, 1 # sausage, 1 # ground beef, and a slice of smoked ham.   

We have already tasted the turkey and it was delicious!  We are talking a real turkey tenderloin.  Not that stuff at the grocery store they pump with sodium. 

We have also tried the sausage.  It does contain brown sugar, but it is not anywhere as sweet as what you buy in grocery stores, and it tastes almost like they smoked the meat for it.  We have also now tried the ground beef by grilling burgers.  The ham will be part of today's breakfast.  We will be taking a cooler back before winter, and stocking up.  

It's a small locally owned business in the Amish community.  They only accept cash/check, and are closed on Sunday.  We are looking forward to a trip to re-stock now.  We may try other cuts of their meats as well.  They do cut their bacon thick, which we are not a fan of (thick cut), but we my try it after another trip there.

Tuesday Tidbits ~ Dehydrating Hot Peppers ~ Ground Fire Powder ~ Using the Last of the Garden Hot Peppers

 I'll admit, the cooler weather has been nice lately.  We've had to turn a few heaters on too.  The rain is moving in, and for several days.  

If you blinked, you would have literally missed this beautiful sky Monday morning.  It was there one minute, and gone the next.  I was lucky to get the camera in time.

Wash, slice and dehydrate the mix of garden hot peppers.  Keep those seeds for more heat in the "fire powder."  I used my mats to keep those seeds.  In the past, I used parchment paper.

Dehydrate according to you dehydrator instructions.  I have a small coffee grinder I used for grinding herbs, and I when these are dry, I grind them up, and pour them into a recycled spice jar and label.

It's a great way to use up all those leftover hot peppers in your garden.  You could freeze them too, but I find that drying them and grinding them, makes a nice spice flavor to add to meals.

Garden Re-Cap ~ Tip for Baking with Pie Pumpkin Puree

 

I took a walk out to the bell peppers, and brought in the last 28 of them.  Even the smaller ones are very thick and smell wonderful.

As for the hot peppers?

There are a few baby jalapenos on some plants, but that is it.  Oddly, the 3 Anaheim plants have tons of flowers.  It's pretty cold here now, so I'll be pulling the plants in a day or so.

We harvested the pie pumpkins, spaghetti squash, and there was only one very small acorn squash.

I follow King Arthur's Blog, and they shared a tip for when you bake with your pie pumpkin puree:  Blog Post Here.

Freezing Apples ~ Learned Something New ~ Apple Crisp ~ Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes

 Something I learned about preserving apples. . .

You can freeze them!  I'm so excited to find this out.  Am I the last to know this method?  If I knew, I have totally forgotten. You can find instructions at Freezing Apples.

I've canned apple pie filling, and canned apple sauce, but never froze any.  I'm keeping these instructions, in case I need to do this.  We do not have a root cellar.  A fridge will keep apples only so long, so I'm sharing this today for those who did not know.

There may not be an apple pie right now, but I managed an apple crisp.  It's smaller, less sugar, and flour carbs for my husband too.  I'm not saying I won't bake a pie, it's just not happening right now.

Honestly, I think these would be a great idea to freeze for those days you just don't have time or don't feel good.   The recipe states you can freeze them up to 2 months.

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes (Lemon and Zest recipe online).  It makes 8, and I used 2 small apples from our trees.  It calls for one apple, but I'm dwindling down in supply.

I have found an apple pie (actually several) in one of my pie cookbooks I have.