Pioneer Woman at Heart

  I am finally in a slowdown (or sort of), and decided to start today with joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.  I will attempt to link up when she posts.  Update:  The link worked!  Thanks for the comment to let me know! The sugar pie pumpkins have all been processed.  I am thankful for that, but wish I had gone to the produce stand and purchased a few more spaghetti squash.  I missed my window on apple seconds, but will be more mindful next year. The weather in my neck of the woods . . . We had a rainy, fall weekend, which is delaying any outdoor work.  I have started filling another box of items to donate (we just don't need or use anymore).  Our highs will be in the 50's all week. Things that make me happy . . . -waking up to a clean kitchen -finding new patterns to use my yarn stash for -no bills in the mail (ha ha!) -hot coffee and porch time -completing a home repair job (some can linger and linger) Book I'm reading . . . (p...

  The weather is much to be desired this garden year.  We should have been picking weeks ago, canning and enjoying by now.  We literally just picked (yesterday) our first heirloom Shintokiwa cucumber (English variety).  One plant already died, the other two types of cucumbers are are not looking good. I picked two pickling cucumbers, and have put them in my vegetable storage containers, that keep them fresh longer.  In hopes to get more, and possible just get some relish canned this year. The humidity has been at it's worst , and with the lack of rain, the garden suffers.  The weather these next two days will be in the upper 90's, and the humidity at it's worst yet.  This morning the humidity is 92% already.   We have only gotten green beans from two plants so far, as we had to replant twice (after we finally fenced them). The tomatoes are at their worst ever.  They are very small, lack any production good enough to do any canning, and t...

I wish there was 6 of me to get all the "things" done around here right now.   Work has been done based on the weather and needs.  Basically, there are projects/jobs around here not completely finished.  It drives me bonkers, but we work on them daily.   If my husband was retired, it would be much different, but it's not the case.   On top of losing the tomatoes recently, we have a plethora of rabbits. Apparantly this is a wide case issue in the area this year.  Rabbit stew?  They are a huge problem if they continue to eat my herb garden and get into the vegetable/fruit garden.  It may come to that if grocery prices continue to rise. Is it me, or are prices soaring again?  I could not believe the cost of blueberries at the grocery store the other day. I actually considered going back to work vs. doing the garden/homesteading thing this year.  I also contemplated getting a part time job and still maintain a smaller garden....

  Winter is on the way.  These very short beautiful snippets of a sunrise are coming to an end.  We enjoyed one, mostly likely the last, grill out on the porch.   Stormy, rainy days moved in here and there, and the camper was finally cleaned out for the season.  Leaves are starting to change color around the area now. I use my melon baller to remove the seeds/stringy innards.  I use it for all of my squash.  It works great. We got 9 pie pumpkins this season.  One rotted before I could bring them inside, and we gave one to the chickens for a treat. I line my baking pans/sheets with parchment paper and roast at 350° for 60 minutes.  I typically check them, and continue roasting if necessary.  The above pie pumpkin (Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkins from Baker Creek), weighed in at a little over 5#!  Not all of them are that large, but wow!  Save those delicious seeds to roast.  Here is our favorite recipe:  Whiskey-Bacon ...

  I had a handful of mushrooms to dehydrate.  I used my smaller "Dash" dehydrator.  It has 5 trays, and I can dehydrate with how many trays I need.  They only thing I don't like, is no way to set a time on it.  I set and watch it, shutting it off when they are dry. Do you make mushroom powder?  I am reading up on that, but what I'm thinking, is why powder?  I just rehydrate for meals.  How would powder come in handy?  Thoughts on this? I didn't really get a definitive answer on blanching rutabaga or flash freezing, so I opted for blanching this time around.  We do love them, so I will be doing this every year.

  I decided to dehydrate some of the last of the green bell peppers.  Sorry for the bad photo.  I am using my cell camera for now.  My download cord to my actual camera died, so I need a new one (it's on the way). I made green bell pepper powder.  I will try this in scrambled eggs, sauces and dips for now.  It smells so good!  Have you made/used green bell pepper powder? Green Bell Pepper Powder ~ Dehydrating   © Oct 2023 by  Kristina  at  Pioneer Woman at Heart

Warning.  Grab a Java.  I did not mean for this to be long and winded, ha ha!  I also didn't realize it has no photos, so you may find that boring today. We are having another 87°F degree day today, and tomorrow.  We have been watching the weather closely, and so far, our area will not dip below 40°F this coming weekend.  It looks like possible rain for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, so if the two of us are feeling better, there will still be a delay on the chicken coop (my frustrated face here). Update on us:  my husband called our doctor yesterday, and there was no answer.  The answering machine said our doctor would be out today as well.  He was out last Friday.  So, my husband drove into town and went to one of the Urgent Care Clinics.   First, he asked once again for someone to look in his ear that has been bothering him for weeks. Low and behold (after me pestering him to go get it checked), they found a tiny ear bud that fell...

  The arrival of fall, and end of garden season (for the most part), is bittersweet.  I am thrilled to get a break from the work, but will really miss the fresh vegetables.  Next year I am planting cantaloupe and watermelons.  The price of fresh fruit this year was outrageous, and you can't really "clean" a cantaloupe from the store.  At least here, I know what is put on it or not put on it.  I may add honey dew to that list too. The last of the last yellow squash was taken care of.  I know I said I wasn't going to freeze any diced, but I was at the point of just being "done" with it. The last of the picked jalapenos were sliced and flash frozen for the up coming months.  I think we will have enough, although the hot peppers produced a lot less this year. Order is resuming in parts of the house, and it feels pretty darn good.  It's funny how just having all the sinks in the house clean at the same time can make a person feel more at...

  I finally got around to make a full batch of meatballs.  I like to get this done before the freezer fills up. One year I barely had room to flash freeze, and made a mess with meatballs stuck to the wire shelf above, ha ha!   While the meatballs were flash freezing, I shredded up the very last of the picked zucchini.  I made us a batch of the most delicious chocolate zucchini muffins I have ever had.  I found the recipe this year online, and it is a keeper.  Yum!  I uses Einkorn all-purpose flour. I had two pounds of pork, so I prepped it for homemade sausage with home grown sage.  I let it sit in the fridge overnight before cooking it, so the ingredients can produce good flavor.  I apparently have two different recipes for this, and I added extra seasonings, so this will be interesting. I saved a few boiled eggs for snacking, and topped some chicken salad with them.  I may add boiled eggs to my chicken salad next time.  ...

  The heat arrived in our area.  So hot, that they asked people to "conserve" energy.  Although I have been using our clothesline, the humidity is so bad, my laundry doesn't dry.  I have resorted to drying racks and my small indoor clothesline (in my utility room). I have a rechargeable fan for my treadmill upstairs, so I keep that charged in case of a power outage (we have one in the camper too), which reminds me I need batteries for the portable radio. Zucchini is still coming on.  I gave up trying to give it out for free.  No one stops to pick it up.  I just send the extras with my husband when he goes to work.  They are greatly accepted there. In fact, I hear they are fighting over it, ha ha!  I have tried to barter for other produce, but no one wants to do that either. I continue to experiment with new recipes, but we are not fond of anything baked with almond flour (but still trying recipes).  I I do like any recipes using einkorn ...

  Sorry for the bad photos above.  My camera battery died, and I tried using photos off my phone.  My preferred option to stock up sweet potatoes, is freezing them.  Click here to see that post. I made beet chips way back in 2012, before I even had a mandolin or a dehydrator, and they were delicious!  Info on that post, CLICK HERE We tried "chips" this time in the dehydrator.  My dehydrator guide book stated 125°F.  They literally tasted just like sweet potatoes.  I highly recommend, that if you want snacking "chips" to season them with maybe garlic, cayenne or other spice/herb.  I used a tiny bit of organic avocado oil and salt.  They are bland.  So season it up if you want flavor. You can also dehydrate just the sweet potatoes, and grind them into powder for smoothies etc.  I have not done that, but I may try it in the fall when it's cooler out.

  Just when I said there was "nothing" going on here....BAM!  Strawberries!  I'll be busy over the next few days.  I am cutting back on how many jars of jam I can for us this year.  I canned too many last year.  I do can our jam reduced sugar, so it's more fruit to the jar.  I freeze some for smoothies, crumbles, crisps, and pancakes.  Of course we eat some fresh too.   It'll keep me entertained indoors, as the Canadian wildfire smoke is choking us out in our state.  I noticed it two days ago.  The smoke is moving south, and we are in it's path, and it is very visible in the air (hazy). On the extreme clean front, I am now pulling boxes out of my tiny office.  Keep in mind we boxed up the kitchen a year and two months ago, and some boxes from that job were still in there.  It's the last room with carpet too. I found dishes from Mom's place, a lot of paperwork to shred or toss, 4 cones of black cotton yarn (gulp!), stu...

First time making a breakfast with butternut squash, but it was rather easy, and simple ingredients.  I pre-cut the squash the day before though.  I used the homemade turkey sausage I pre-cooked and froze as well.   I do need to freeze more spinach.  I better put that on my grocery list right now.  I would like to do a breakfast with ham, but it's hard to find.  The last "organic" ham we bought tasted terrible. I blanched and froze the other butternut squash I bought. The guy who was to come quote us for gutter cleaning 9 days a go, has not messaged, or even come out.  The guy to come give a free quote for the removal of the popcorn ceiling has also been a no-show, and not even a text message.  I guess we are going to do that ourselves now.  You just can't count on anyone anymore. Our handy-man's supply run was another long part of the day again.  The hardware stores, in either direction, are between 25 to 30 minute drives. ...