Stocking Up ~ Possibilities

Located some organic pork, so a batch of meatballs went into the freezer, and provided dinner recently. Gotta do this before the freezer fills up. 

Picked up 10# of blueberries, but almost didn't get them.  I lost track of the season.  Oops.

Got a bit of yellow squash in the freezer (again, not from my garden)

Got a bit of green beans in the freezer (again, not from my garden this year).

Scored a free book from the post office.  It's a small post office, and only open 2 hours a day.   They now have free books inside if you are lucky to get there during their hours.


We are talking about moving now.  Maybe within the next year or two.   We've been talking about it for a few days now.   We are sick of the weather issues here.   We are serious about it too.  We are also talking about some winter adventures to get out of the house this year, but if it's as bad as last winter, we'll be stuck here.  I guess we'll see.  

There is also the possibility of pulling the tomato stakes and mowing the darn thing down.  Seriously.  I picked tomatoes and all were rotten but one and there were only about 5 to pick.  

Our 20 year-old daughter came over to watch a movie with her younger sister.  Of course to play with the puppy too.  I had to laugh as I heard her moaning over her dinner.  I know she doesn't cook much and eats poorly, so I'm glad she comes over for dinner too.

....from the handiwork journal

It's a long shot, but if any of my crocheting followers have this yarn, and want to get rid of it (could barter too), I am looking for more of it.

It has been discontinued.  Pisgah yarn and dye, #198 Black Cherry (cotton, a variation of pinks, gray, black and white).  I've had a request for a set of hot pads, but I don't have enough of it to make another set.

....working on this beaded crocheted bracelet now.

. . . finished these two orders and got them shipped.

. . . and this bracelet.  I'm working on bracelets to stock up for the fall holiday craft show.  One person had to back out of her order (left her husband and doesn't have the money), and the other hasn't responded).

....spray painting more clipboards.  If you are making these, now is a good time to buy the pens for them.  They are on sale for $1.00 with school starting.  They need a few more coats of paint, and then I start painting a few more.

....still working on a set of hot pads.  Last piece to finish before I crochet them together.

....starting to make us some new washcloths, but with a new pattern.  The pattern is free online - Moss Stitch Washcloth (The Stitchin Mommy). I'm going to make more this winter for the camper too.

(old photo, but you get the idea)

....cutting up more egg cartons for campfire fire starters.

Tuesday Tidbits

Not from our garden, but organic.  I got 4 pint bags in the freezer so far.  Organic is pretty difficult to locate, so when I see it right now, I'm buyin' it.

Our first picking.  It's a meal, but nothing yet to freeze. Poo!  You can tell how horrible of a year it's been for us. 

It's still raining.  Yay!  The garden will love it.

Camping Trip!

Got back from our first camping trip last night.  Puppy spent the weekend with his buddies Zuri and King, and with the kids.

We really needed a weekend of camping too.  I took along some home canned hot pepper relish too.  We had guests Friday night, so I made some foil packet dinners to cook over the campfire with sausage, potatoes and beans.  Breakfast was easy to pack, meats, eggs, potatoes and bread for french toast.

What's your favorite "go-to" natural remedy to take in your "first aid" kit when traveling.  I take chickweed salve and homemade neosporin, and sometimes mullein tincture.  Would love to know what you suggest and why.  I'm considering digestive bitters next trip.

Friday morning I also baked us some Einkorn peanut butter cookies to take with us.  Mmm!

Before we left I made sure the bedding was already washed and back on the bed, Hubby's work clothes washed and dried, and so forth.  It really saves a headache of rushing around when we get back home.

Speaking of heading home, just before we got on the highway, someone rolled down their window at a light and told us a piece of metal was dragging.  Sure enough it was a jack on the camper that somehow came apart (can be easily fixed).  Thank goodness I took a yarn project.  We tied it up with some pretty cotton yarn (ha ha!).



Caption this . . .

Hubby not only left my garden hose in daughter's car, but left his coffee mug.  Although we have many half finished projects like this, we are getting some done too.

I dug out some home canned caramelized onions and home canned pizza sauce.  Guess what we had before going camping?  

Einkorn crust BBQ pulled pork pizzas with home grown green onions (which are limited in harvest this year).  Crust recipe is online with Einkorn Flour's website, caramelized onions recipe is from the Blue Ball canning book, and I hope to post the pizza sauce recipe during our tomato harvest.  San Marzano tomatoes make the best sauces.

Tip:  I was gifted a set of thin, flimsy cutting boards a few years ago.

They are great to slide under the pizza crust to move it to the pizza pan.  Works like a charm.

Update:  We let the rhubarb vodka sit longer and boy the next tasting was very good.  Hubby loved it.
As for the garden, we are lacking rain terribly here.  We go weeks without it, and I'm watering with well water right now.  The tomato plants are growing, but at snail's pace.


We are however, getting rain early.  I can't put the laundry on the line as planned (rain wasn't due until 4pm), but I'm thrilled we are getting rain.

I have much to do today.  I better get off the "Procrastination Station" and get to work.

Walnut Shell Campfire Starters

Winter is a good time for me to sit and make homemade campfire fire starters, but I recently made another dozen. You can get directions here.

These come in handy to take camping or for starting a backyard fire.

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Yield:  12

You don't even need a mixer for this dough!

Step 1: 

1/4 warm water with 2 1/4 tsp. yeast (or one packet) - allow to dissolve for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl add:

1 cup warm water

1/3 cup sugar

Stir.

Then add dissolved water and yeast

1 organic egg, beaten

2 tsp. homemade vanilla extract

Using a wooden spoon add 2 cups of organic all purpose flour.  Stir for at least 100 strokes with the wooden spoon.

 Cover bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and allow to sit for 15 minutes.

It will look like this after 15 minutes.

Step 2: 

Add:

1 1/2 tsp. salt

Then add:

4 Tbsp. organic butter, softened

Add:

1 3/4-2 cups more flour, adding it about 1/2 cup at a time.  Stir well each time you add flour.

Flour your hands and knead the dough right in the bowl when you can't stir it any long (2-3 minutes).

Step 3:

Place the dough on a floured surface (pastry cloth or counter), and knead for about 7 minutes.

Step 4:  Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl turning to coat each side and cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm area for about 1 hour (or until it doubles in size).

I use my dehydrator, since it's large enough.  I just place a pan in the bottom with water to keep the dough from drying out, and moisten a flour sack towel to cover it in the dehydrator.  Most dehydrators have "rising bread" selection.

Step 4:

Once dough has risen, remove from pan, and punch down.  Knead dough for about 1 minute on lightly floured surface, then cover with plastic wrap and let "rest" for 15 minutes.

Step 5:  

While dough is resting, mix these ingredients together in a bowl:

3/4 c. organic brown sugar, packed

3/4 c. organic pecans chopped

2 tsp. organic cinnamon

4 Tbsp. of softened organic butter

Butter a 9 x 13 baking pan.

Step 6:

On a floured surface, using a rolling pin, roll dough to a 12 x 16 inch rectangle.  Dough should not spring back.  If it does, let it rest longer.

  Place mixture from Step 5 onto the dough evenly, leaving 1 inch at the top and 1 inch at the bottom free.  Starting at the bottom, and moistening the 1 inch areas with water, roll the dough slightly tight (not loosely).

Using a knife score the dough to cut 12 rolls.  Place rolls in prepared pan, buttering the edges of each one lightly to keep them from sticking together in the pan.

Cover again (plastic wrap or use your dehydrator with a damp cloth over it) and allow to rise for 35-45 minutes.  Or when they have doubled in size.

Note:  I place a piece of parchment paper over the pan before covering with the moistened towel in my dehydrator

.

Step 7:

Heat oven to 350°F.  Remove plastic wrap from your pan and bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes.

At this point, after baking them, you can do what you want really.  I leave them to cool in the pan, frost later and take out to eat whenever.  

You can also remove them from the pan and place on a cooling rack, and drizzle the frosting so the sides get some too.

Icing

Mix together in a bowl

1 1/2 cups organic powdered sugar

2 1/2 Tbsp. organic milk (or light cream)

2 Tbsp. of melted organic butter

A few drops of homemade vanilla extract

Note:  You can also use organic walnuts vs. pecans.

Puppy Pics ~ Morning Fog ~ Pathetic Garden Harvest

I've been on "puppy duty" for a few days now.  He's such a good puppy too, but I think he senses I am a bit sad inside.  He's been stuck to me like glue, refuses to nap until his "Mom" comes home, and literally barks at me and whines, to get into my lap (ha ha!).  Before someone tells me ropes are bad for dogs, we soak it and freeze it for teething and we keep it frozen so he doesn't eat the string.

He knows "sit" and will go to the gate or door to tell us when he has to go out, and if I'm busy at the sink or whatever, he'll bark to tell me he has to go out.  He's very smart.

Ha ha!  If he could speak at this moment, it would be "But I don't wanna go back in yet!"  He is such a stinker, but a cute stinker.

His Mom came home with flowers and a treat for me.  She said here Mom, I knew you were missing Jesse and thanks for watching my dog.  It put a smile on my face for sure.

The early morning temperatures have been what we call "great camping weather."

Even the chickens are slacking right now.  I don't want to make predictions just yet on the tomatoes, but I have a bad feeling it'll be like last year - small, not all ripe at the same time, not enough to can everything we need restocked (you can't buy bulk organic paste tomatoes from local produce stands).  The beans remain small, and the plants too.  The green peppers are getting starts on them, but plants are half the size.  Knowing all of this, we are now even more set to NOT plant a garden at all next year if rain is as bad as this year.  The struggle is real.  I'm about ready to trade in the house for a motor-home, with a toy hauler, and just go.

Anyway, not meant to be a "negative" post, but sharing the reality of our garden this year.  Not all of us have it good.