Telling My Story

Winter Carrots

2012-01-24T16:10:00.002-05:00

We've had a rather warm winter so far which led me to believe that today might be a good day to pick the last of my carrots.

There was no snow and the ground was only just a bit frozen. I found my nephews play shovel and dug up these beauties.

Ah, my winter carrots! I'm still enjoying my garden in January!

Applesauce

2011-10-14T17:02:00.001-04:00

I found myself with a fair number of apples recently.

About 6 lbs, actually.

I quartered 'em, added cinnamon, and cooked 'em in the slow cooker.

About 2 hours later I had 8 cups of applesauce!

I froze 2 cups per baggie and can now enjoy applesauce all winter! The work is already done!

Curing Butternut Squash

2011-10-01T16:50:00.000-04:00

I did some research (read: found a few articles online) on how to cure Butternut Squash. There were many contradictions so I simply followed the best advice from all sites.

I gently washed the veggie, quickly dipped it in a bleach/water combo and then set them to dry. I kept them in my kitchen for two weeks before moving them to cold storage.

In my home, cold storage is in my office where the heat doesn't seem to circulate. It's currently 55* in there.

The tomatoes of Late September

2011-09-25T16:46:00.001-04:00

In order to take down the tomato structure at the end of the season, I harvested all of my tomatoes. I set many out on my table and watched them ripen, one by one.

My garden tomatoes are now stored neatly in my freezer, ready for some great recipe!

Digging Potatoes

2011-09-18T16:56:00.002-04:00

I seem to have lost the picture of my nephews helping me dig up these potatoes.

It was a family affair.

One night after work/school, we got out the shovels and went out to the garden. I turned the dirt over, and the boys sat on their haunches and hunted for the warm potatoes.

This was our harvest:

I'm pretty happy with it!
I dusted off the dirt, sorted them by size, put them in brown paper bags and am storing them in the garage. Cold storage, at it's most convenient!

Eggplant Parmigiana

2011-09-05T14:01:00.000-04:00

These beauties were ready for harvest which meant that I needed to get ready to spend a few hours cooking. Once again, Mom came to the rescue! Seriously, I'm freaking out lately that starting my new job coincides with the height of harvest season. I'm wondering how to keep up with my garden, food processing, and yet still find time to give 110% to teaching. Mom said she'd come over and help me for a few hours. So we made three 9x13 pans of Eggplant Parmigiana.

First, harvest these when they are deep purple, glossy, and lovely.

The recipe I have been using is actually from The Food Network. I caught it one day while watching "Throwdown with Bobby Flay". I've been making this recipe ever since.

Mike's Deli Famous Eggplant Parmigiana

Oil (I used bacon grease)

2 lg eggplants (I used four, fresh from the garden)

flour

4 eggs (I used 9 eggs for 4 eggplants)

bread crumbs (I saved bread last year when I worked at AlpenRose)

1 quart marinara sauce (I use homemade)

8 oz sliced dry mozzarella (I used shredded, but I do prefer the slices)

4 oz grated Romano (totally forgot this part)

I cut 'em open and simply had to admire them. How amazing that this comes from one little seed.

We set up stations in the kitchen. First I sliced the eggplants, then Mom dipped each one in flour, egg, and bread crumbs.

Next, I fried the battered eggplant in bacon grease. It smelled GOOD in my house!

When I had enough fried up, I put some marinara on the bottom of a 9x13 pan, then a layer of eggplant, a layer of sauce, and a layer of cheese. Repeat.

Oven ready! Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.

Thanks to Mom's help, we went from start to finish in under 2 hours. We also made three 9x13 pans, which will probably feed me until Christmas.

Oh! And we figured out the math! Each piece cost a mere 39 cents! This is why I garden, people!!

The Garden: Early September

2011-09-02T13:04:00.000-04:00

A garden in early September is a lesson in patience.

I planted the seeds for Butternut Squash on April 7. I have cuddled, transplanted, watered, untangled, downsized, and touched these veggies for five months. And even though they look ready, they are not ready. Caleb is itching to harvest them, as am I.

Chloe was by my side today. I asked her if she is strong enough to lift one of the squash. She promptly demonstrated her strength and then sorta rolled her eyes at me. She's four. I love her.

A few days ago I harvested the remaining corn and then immediately put the plants in the compost bin. These days the compost bin fills at an alarming rate, yet I am always able to shove more garden in there. It collapses quickly and makes way for more.

These boxes are emptying with each new day. Mom says we could probably harvest the potatoes as the plants are slowly dying (that's how you know when to harvest them). But neither of us is ready for actual potatoes in our kitchen so we decided that they're better in the ground for a few more days.

With the corn and beans out of the way, the carrots are finally visible. I'm not holding out much hope for them, because they were sort of snuffed out all summer. Note to self: don't plant carrots next to giant vegetables.

I've been busy being a new adjunct professor and Mom has really stepped in to help me out. She paid Caleb $2 to go outside and harvest the tomatoes for me. This is what remains. And when he brought them into the house, she washed & cored & diced them for my freezer.

I have four beautiful eggplant growing in my garden. They are simply lovely.

A flower box full of lavender. Any ideas on what to do with it? I'm thinking of drying it out and setting it around my house so that I may enjoy the smell. Or maybe I'll make some tea?

Just two months ago I was training these vines to climb vertical. They obeyed and prospered and now they fade.

This empty space is where 10 zucchini and 10 summer squash plants lived for the summer. Now, they are slowly decomposing and we'll use their remains next year to add nutrients to their former home. Ah, that's a beautiful idea.

Today's harvest: two buckets of tomatoes, a cantaloupe, and the last zucchini.

The Garden: Late August

2011-08-31T13:01:00.000-04:00

Today I went to the garden for a quick minute to harvest a few things. Mom was taking care of g, so they both came out to the garden with me. g would not look at the camera. She's sassy, that little one.

I need to start ripping up the plants as they start to fade and die. I've read a lot about composting (as this is my first year) and everything says that the compost needs a full year to decompose. It also says that I need a variety of materials in the bin (greens and browns) in order to work well. So, I figure I may as well start with the stuff dying in the garden.

On the other hand, it's hard to see my garden die so quickly. I swear that I just planted it a few weeks ago. So much time goes into the planning/planting stage and then it blossoms, blooms, and harvests way too quickly. This year, in particular, seemed to move extra fast.

My acorn squash plants. Lots of green. Lots of vine. About a dozen squash.

The cantaloupe vines are dying on their feet but I'm not ready to rip them up just yet.

My cucumber plants were INCREDIBLE this year. Two years ago, I started growing cukes, but the vines quickly died when I went to Europe for 10 days and they went unwatered. Last year, the cukes never really survived and I don't know what went wrong. This year, however, was amazing! I'm still harvesting about 8 cucumbers A WEEK. I have already canned 10 QUARTS of pickles. TEN. Not to mention the countless that I ate raw or sold to friends.

Tomatoes suspended in air.

Peppers turning red.

Good nieghbors: an eggplant and a pepper.

Today's harvest: The rest of the corn (7 or 8 ears), 5 squash, 8 cukes, and a few tomatoes.

Today's harvest

2011-08-22T11:58:00.005-04:00

Harvest season is still going strong!

I was at the garden for a mere 30 minutes today. Mom filled the bucket of tomatoes while I puttered around pulling random weeds, putting used corn stalks in the compost bin, and counting cantaloupe and cucumbers (seriously, the cucumbers are never-ending!).

Today we filled another tub with tomatoes, harvested 4 ears of corn, a cantaloupe, a cucumber & a zucchini.

Guess what I'm having for lunch?!

White Caps 2011

2011-08-21T17:23:00.002-04:00

Two cute nieces watching a ball game.

Seth, Dad & Mom just chillin' in the shade.
Dawn and I (and our adult bevvies!).

Another cutie niece!

Caleb had a lot of questions about the game. He even went off and sat by himself and really watched it!

Matt & g.

Debra & g.
Chloe and her favorite Uncle Matt!

The family!

The Garden: Mid-August, Part 2

2011-08-19T17:12:00.007-04:00

Another gorgeous day in the garden!

I'm trying to rip up the plants as they cease production. Below is a giant summer squash plant which measures at least 5 feet long. It was HUGE. I can't believe that all comes from ONE seed.

Squash Patch 2011.

I'm growing acorn squash, summer squash, zucchini, and butternut squash. It's a tangled mess in there but all the veggies are quite cozy.
A green pepper/eggplant box now that the prolific yellow bean vines are gone!

Potato Row.

Peaches from Farmers Market.

Today's harvest included tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, squash, my first CANTALOUPE of the season, and corn! I may or may not have eaten four ears of corn for lunch.

Farmers Market 2011

2011-08-17T14:07:00.009-04:00

I love local farmers, but I think you already knew that. I love going to Farmers Market, even if I don't buy anything. I love how busy the Holland Farmers Market is. Word on the street, (from a local farmer) is that the Holland Market is the busiest one in the area. That's something to be proud of, yes?

My Mom has been taking us to Market since we were little. As adults, my sisters and I have carried on the tradition. My Dad probably goes the most as he buys a cookie every Wednesday and Saturday. That man has quite the sweet tooth!

CJ Organics.

Grassfiields Farms! This is where I get my weekly milk but they also come to Market to sell their amazing cheeses, eggs, and meats.

Visser Farms. These good people are my all-time favorite farmers. They are also an "anchor store" at Market and you can see why!

Visser Farm stand.

I buy the majority of my local seasonal fruits from these farmers based out of Fennville. Today, I cleaned out their supply of Red Haven peaches.
This row of tents is a beautiful site!

Food Preservation: getting ready for winter

2011-08-16T23:39:00.007-04:00

It's that time of the year when I start thinking about preserving food for the winter. Granted, I eat as many fresh veggies from my garden as I am physically able, but a girl can only eat so much!

The other day I went to Farmers Market and bought ten onions, ten red peppers, and five green peppers. They look so beautiful sitting out on my counter.
Over the last few days my parents have been harvesting my tomatoes. I told Mom to freeze them and I would be able to use them later this season. Yesterday I took home all of the tomatoes they'd harvested so far, both the frozen ones and the freshly picked ones. I took off their leaves, cored out their middle, and got them ready for my freezer. All said and done, I already have three gallons of tomatoes!

After working in my kitchen for three amazingly fun (for me) hours, this is what I produced:

-I shredded the ten onions (middle bowl) and froze them in one cup portions.

-I sliced about six cucumbers (bottom right) and turned them into four quarts of fermented pickles (for a grand total of six quarts!).

-I prepped and chopped my tomatoes (two bowls, bottom left).

-I diced ten red peppers (top bowl) and saved them in two cup servings.

-I shredded five summer squash (upper left) and froze them in two cup servings (to be used in Summer Squash Bread this winter).

-I roasted, chopped, and froze four summer squash (far right) in two cup servings (to be used in my Roasted Veggie Lasagna).

Meanwhile, all the veggies looked so yummy so I diced up a zucchini, summer squash, half of an onion and red pepper. I tossed them in olive oil, salt & pepper and roasted them at 425 for 30 minutes. I ate the entire 9x13 pan.

The Garden: Mid-August

2011-08-15T23:10:00.007-04:00

I spent an hour in my garden this morning.

I ripped up the pumpkin plants because they weren't bearing any fruit. I trimmed the butternut squash vines because at this point they are all foliage and not necessarily more veggies. I ripped up about 8 corn stalks that were also not producing anything. It's sad that I am already getting rid of pieces of my garden. Gardening season passes so quickly here in Michigan!

I also had to dig up the remnants of a lilac bush. I grunted and pulled and shoveled it right out of the ground. Then I leveled the dirt and placed my 2nd compost bin over it. The first one is nearly full and the 2nd one was needed today after all the ripping up I did.

Mom came out with me and we harvested eight ears of corn! Yeah! She said it tastes MUCH BETTER than the corn I grew last year. It's amazing how the quality of the soil affects the quality of the food.

Upon closer inspection, I realized that my onion crop didn't work. Again. I also noted that I should be growing about eight eggplants and am only growing two. The pepper plants are also not producing very much. I blame the grossly overgrown yellow bean vines. I think they choked out their veggie neighbors.

You can note that my garden is turning yellow as the oldest part of the vines start to die.

The butternut squash is not yet ready to harvest and my nephew is impatiently waiting!

Tomato jungle.
The acorn squash is at Least 20 feet long. It's actually running out of room to grow.

Eggplant and Pepper. Good eats!

Oh lands, I love this picture. The melons are not ready yet either but they sure do look pretty!
Today's harvest: one lone zucchini, four summer squash, corn, cucumbers, and a tomato.

Fermented Cucumbers

2011-08-12T15:42:00.003-04:00

I have a lot of cucumbers.

I dare say that I have TOO MANY cucumbers.

Lately, I've been eating about 4 a week and while I love them, I need to find something ELSE to do with them.

I turned to Nourishing Traditions for help.

1. Choose 4 or 5 cucumbers and slice 'em up.

2. You will also need water, sea salt, whey, dill seed, and mustard seed. I do not like the taste of mustard so I did not use this ingredient. I mean, I don't even have it in my house.

3. Put cukes in jars.

3.5 Mix 1 cup water with 2T salt, 2T dill, and 4T whey.

4. Pour mixture over cukes. Add more water to cover the cucumbers and set jars on the counter for 2 days and then transfer to cold storage.

Before:
After:

How to dry mint

2011-08-11T13:35:00.005-04:00

This year in my garden I grew four different types of flowers in order to attract bees. It worked. The bonus part is that two of the four flowers are also herbs which can be dried for tea. I love the duality of these flowers: first they help pollinate my veggie garden and then they give their life for me to enjoy throughout the winter. Such simple love.

Today I harvested a handful of mint leaves. Soon, I will harvest the lavender (it may or may not be growing out of control).

First, I snipped off the leaves that had no bug bites and had no brown spots. The rest of the plant gave its life to the compost bin.
I washed the leaves (oh they smell so good!).

I snipped off the flowers and will dry them too. Why not, right?!

Finally, I laid the leaves and flowers out in my dehydrator. I am drying them at 95 degrees for 24 hours. This winter I will use 1 teaspoon of dried mint per cup of tea! I love it!

I drink Raw Milk

2011-08-09T23:37:00.009-04:00

I lived on a dairy farm from age 6-14. I drank milk straight from the tank during that time. When I was 14 we sold the farm and moved and Mom started to buy milk from the grocer. I hated milk from the store because it tasted like plastic and left me with terrible stomach cramps. I stopped drinking milk when I was 18 because I believed that I was lactose intolerant.

And then in 2010 my sister bought a cow share from Grassfields Farms. We both did research on the nature of milk and why raw milk is better for ones health than pasteurized milk. I drank this raw milk a few times and never got sick! For Christmas 2010 I asked for my own cow share.

Every Saturday Debra & I get our share of milk from our cows. This past Saturday it was my turn to get the milk (usually our Dad graciously gets the milk for us! Thanks Dad!) and I took my camera along!

The farm is located in Coopersville, MI.

I think one of these is my cow.
There is even a store at the farm! Cheese, meat, eggs, and other local goodies are for sale!

In the milk house, pouring the liquid gold.

This is my share - I get 1.5 gallons a week. Debra gets 3 gallons a week.
Milk tank.

With my milk I make butter and yogurt. Sometimes I even drink it!

As one veggie ends, another one begins

2011-08-03T15:05:00.012-04:00

I had a lot of work to do today and getting to the garden was #1 on my list. I knew I couldn't stay long and I tried to work fast. The kicker is that I am so easily enchanted when I get there that I 'waste' time just puttering around.

I've created my own Enchanted Garden.

For the past few weeks I have harvested countless squash, zucchini, yellow beans, and cucumbers. Today I noticed that those four veggies have reached their peak and are making way for August veggies. I discovered peppers, an eggplant, acorn squash, and lots of corn. I love how all things have a season, even in a summer garden.

Pictured here is mint. I grew mint this year in an effort to attract bees to my garden, and it worked! But this serves a dual purpose as well. Soon I will harvest some leaves, dry them, and store them for winter tea. Oh yum!
Two cantaloupe just hanging around. There are 8 cantaloupe this size and about 8 more itty bitty ones ready to grow. I can't wait to pair the freshly picked fruit with my homemade yogurt.

Acorn squash!

Eggplant!

Green peppers!

Just a smidge of chaos.

A better view of how I am growing my vertical cantaloupe.

And my vertical cucumbers.

Today's harvest.

A day in the Kitchen: Part 4: Random shots

2011-07-27T12:37:00.005-04:00

I took a brief break in the middle of cooking in order to capture the building storm. Notice that the front of my patio is FLOODED.

I've been saving for one of these and today I finally bought a Chef's Mat!! It will help my back and feet during the hours that I stand in my kitchen!

I reduce, reuse, recycle as much as I can.

I wash out my used ziploc bags and use them until they get holes in them. I'm sure I take that a bit too far. Anyways, I recently discovered that beer bottles make great places to dry the bags.

My kitchen mess! I love it! I was very, very busy!

A day in the Kitchen: Part 3: Salsa

2011-07-27T12:34:00.004-04:00

I ran out of salsa in mid-May.

I was completely okay with running out of salsa because I knew that other people were enjoying it.

Today I decided to dedicate the entire day to messing up my kitchen.

While the garden isn't currently producing the ingredients involved in making salsa, my freezer was full of little baggies of the very veggies I needed! I made salsa out of the extra stuff from last year's garden. I'm so smart!

I thawed tomatoes, green & red peppers, and onions and I didn't produce ANY trash in the process! Double bonus!

I followed my favorite recipe and let it simmer for two hours.

And I canned 11 pints of salsa! Want some?!

A day in the Kitchen: Part 2: Summer Squash Bread

2011-07-27T12:28:00.001-04:00

I am growing summer squash.

There is a lot of summer squash in my garden.

I try to sell some of it.

I grill it.

I grill it and freeze it.

I grill it and eat it.

I even grill it, chill it, and then eat it.

But I'm running out of ideas for so much summer squash.

I looked up recipes for "what in the world to do with summer squash" and found a Summer Squash Bread recipe.

Prep work.

Shred the summer squash, preferably in a pretty red Kitchen Aid Food Processor. It makes all the food taste better.

Assemble ingredients.

Mix everything, preferably in a pretty red Kitchen Aid Mixer.

Okay, this is where things started to go wrong. The recipe says to grease a 9x13 pan yet it shows a picture of a LOAF of bread. So I thought, "maybe it makes two loaves? why would they suggest a 9x13 pan? Am I making squash cake?!"

It really does only make one loaf and it should be a 9x9 pan.

And this should've been my first clue that I forgot to add BAKING POWDER.

I nibbled on the end of the bread and liked what I tasted. I'm making it again on Friday and will certainly remember to add ALL of the ingredients!

A day in the Kitchen: Part 1: Pesto

2011-07-27T12:25:00.004-04:00

The basil plant which grows on my patio was starting to flower. Uh oh.

I crushed almonds, shredded a block of parmesan cheese, pulled out the olive oil and crushed garlic, and finally, I took a bowl outside and harvested beautiful basil leaves.

Time for pesto!
Mix and blend!

Um, I may have bought new little jars today in order to freeze my pesto. Aren't they precious?!

From where I sit

2011-07-26T17:23:00.001-04:00

What a perfect day off.

This is my current view:

Another Harvest

2011-07-25T12:18:00.006-04:00

A brilliant Monday morning and Mom emailed me, "It's time to pick beans again today. Are you coming over?" Of course! I puttered around my house for the morning and then went over to the garden for the afternoon.

It was hot. As rainy and stormy as it was just three days ago during my last visit, today was the opposite. The sun was brilliant and shining and super hot. Today I wore my garden hat in order to provide shade. After picking (more!) beans, I sat on a bucket and pruned the tomato plants. I worked it out so that I could sit in their shade while I worked.

Still, I was happy to be there.

What I like about the photo below is that it shows a new angle of my garden. From here I am facing the three rows of garden boxes. On the far right is the boxes of corn, carrots, onions, and potatoes. In the middle are the two tomato boxes (and behind them a trillion beans), and on the left are the boxes of strawberries. On the far left you can see the gates of climbing cucumbers and cantaloupe. I love the varying height and depth of this picture. And so much green!

I grow corn.

I'm fascinated with these flowers. They are tall and bushy and fuzzy and purple.

Today's harvest of beans, zucchini, tomatoes, and cucumbers.

And one green pepper.

No rainstorm can stop me!

2011-07-22T12:09:00.003-04:00

I knew I had to get over to the garden today. Lately, I have to go every other day because there is Always something new to harvest. What I don't understand is how I can pick Everything that is ripe and ready, and then 48 hours something new is ripe and ready. Does the garden really grow that much in two days?!

When I woke up, there was a massive rain storm, but I'm a determined sort of person. I put on long pants, a t-shirt, a rain jacket with a hoodie, and over my hoodie I wore my garden hat. I was ready to get wet.

And I got soaked to the skin. Like, dripping wet from my nose and glasses. I had to borrow a towel from Mom just so I could drive home.

Oh my lands, but I stayed and worked in my garden for about 90 minutes. I had the best time! The rain wasn't cold, and the thunder & lightening weren't right over my head. Besides, I had beans to pick and tomatoes to prune.

Last Fall, Caleb & I saved some pumpkin seeds. I kept them safe in an envelope and about two months ago we planted them in the garden. I had no idea if they would grow, much less produce anything, but look here! A baby pumpkin!! The plant itself is gigantic!

During the course of the day I gave my garden a much-needed hair cut and threw it all in my new-this-year compost bin. I'm so happy that she's getting full!

Did I ever tell you that the beans I bought were mis-labeled? Yes, it's true. I unintentionally bought vine beans instead of bush beans. They are getting a bit carried away and I don't much like harvesting from them because I didn't know that I was supposed to grow them vertical. At the very least, I would've built a structure for them. Anyways, this picture was taken After I harvested and you can see that I just toss the plant around as I forage for beans!
These are the insane potato plants which hang over their box, across the mulch, and drape themselves on the sidewalk.

I was hoping to show you just how many tomatoes I'm growing but it all blends together in the lush green pictures. The blurriness in the photo is caused by the rain.

I told you it was storming, right?

Dad has been working on the strawberry plants!

Like I said earlier, I gave my squash plants a hair cut. I cut all the vines that were not producing any butternut squash and then I ripped up anything that wasn't producing at all. Then I re-arranged the remainder of the plants and tried to untangle the mess. It's all manner of chaos in there but I surely love it.

Today's rainy bean harvest.

Harvest season started early

2011-07-20T13:48:00.008-04:00

Harvest season started early because of an amazing greenhouse tucked into the corner of my garden. I am now going to my garden 3 times a week in order to keep up with the vegetables growing there. Yesterday I thought I might pick just a few yellow beans, but look at what happened!! Pictured here is, um, I dunno, let's say 5 lbs or more of yellow/green beans. I also picked several zucchini, squash, and cucumbers. Let's not forget that I was just at my garden on Saturday and did some harvesting then! At this rate, I definitely will have extra food for sale so please let me know if you are interested.

The soil has not had any commercial fertilizer or pesticides or weed killer since 2008. I use organic fertilizer and no weed killer (save for my bare hands! Argh!). Many of my seeds are non-GMO and the rest are from a local nursery. My prices are comparable to grocery store prices but my veggies taste MUCH better because they are picked in their prime and full of nutrients (unlike the grocer store veggies).
What I absolutely love about my garden is the sheer depth of it. Unlike Straight Row Gardening, my garden has no beginning or end. My garden looks full and deep and wide and even tall! I actually love that you can't tell where one plant meets another plant.

I took this picture of my tomatoes at eye level which means that my tomatoes are nearly 6 ft tall.

Vertical cantaloupe! I've already found 3 cantaloupe hanging on the vine, can you see them?

Remember this little ceramic boy who protects my garden? Well, he's overrun now.

There must be at least two dozen butternut squash veggies in my garden and we're just waiting for them to turn yellow. I stuck my foot in the picture in order to demonstrate the size of the veggie.

The Garden: Mid-July Part 2

2011-07-14T01:24:00.008-04:00

Summer squash.
Cherry tomatoes.

Um, this is the "Squash Patch of 2011" It's filled with zucchini, summer squash, butternut squash, acorn squash, and pumpkin.

An itty bitty acorn squash.

Cantaloupe! Hanging on the vine! Vertically!
Dangling cucumbers!

Butternut squash.
I actually left today feeling very overwhelmed. I hope I can keep up with this thing!

The Garden: Mid-July Part 1

2011-07-13T13:14:00.001-04:00

It has been nearly two weeks since I've spent any serious time in my garden. I just knew that I should check things out today. On my way there, I figured there wouldn't be much to do and would, at most, be there a mere 20 minutes.

I left 90 minutes later and was nearly late for work!

Part of me losing track of time in my garden is due to the fact that I can just "find" work to do. I like to putter around. I weeded. Then I weeded some more. I am sure that I touched every plant at least once. I marveled. I probably even sang a song. It was a horribly hot day today but at least it wasn't raining!

About 10 days ago I ripped up the lettuce and the cold frames and decided to reroute the acorn squash. It has promptly taken over the entire space.
Today I ripped up the sugar peas and decided not to hassle with them again next year. I also think the acorn squash are going to keep right on growing here!

Pretty flowers.

I spent quite a bit of time trying to untangle the vines. They were growing all crazy and all over the place. I gently unlaced them and guided them in the way they should go. Now they are about to loop over the top of the gate and then who knows where they'll go next?! I can't believe how great they are doing!

Tomatoes.

This particular pathway is 22 inches wide. However, my garden is so amazing that it is overwhelming the pathway and I CAN NO LONGER WALK THROUGH HERE. Well, I can, but I have to tip toe very carefully. What craziness!

Today's harvest is a mere 48 hours after the last harvest! A cucumber, 7 summer squash, and 3 zucchini!
Dad caught a picture of me working in the garden.

I got a job. Sorta.

2011-07-06T13:37:00.002-04:00

I work a lunch shift only once a week. I absolutely dislike working at lunch and three out of four weeks a month I try to give my lunch shift away. It's a small shift with only three hours but I usually make $20-$25 and let's face it, I'd rather be at home or in my garden during the day.

On Thursday, May 5, I was working my weekly lunch shift and serving three very nice ladies. When I returned to their table to refill their drinks, I overheard them talking about breakfast and pancakes or maybe it was french toast? I cannot resist talking about food and I do love a good breakfast so I joined their conversation, uninvited.

"Are you talking about breakfast?! Last summer I lost my teaching job and I started working the breakfast shift at AlpenRose. They have a great breakfast menu!"

These kind ladies did not hear anything I said after, "...I lost my teaching job..." and what followed was a series of questions for me. They asked, "What did you teach? Have you thought about teaching at the college level? Do you have a Masters degree?" I answered that Yes, I've always wanted to be a professor but I just don't know how to break into the college teaching world. And it doesn't seem to be a sustainable job (to just teach a few classes). Finally, they said, "We all work at Davenport University. She's the Director of the Spanish Dept and she's the Director of Student Services and she's the Director of.... Just send us your resume soon!"

My shift ended about an hour later and I ran home to email them my resume. About 10 hours later they requested my college transcripts, which I hand delivered the very next day. And a week after that, I received an email which said I'd made it to the next round and would be interviewed on Friday, June 3 and would I kindly fill out all of the attached paperwork?

During those three weeks, I spent every free moment of my time prepping for the interview and filling out paperwork. I bought an interview outfit. I got my hair cut. I practiced walking in high heels. I invited people over so that I could practice my lesson plan to a live audience. I got READY.

June 3 came and went and the morning went off without a hitch. I left feeling really confident. By June 20 I received an email which said I WAS HIRED!! It said that I'd now be placed in the pool of adjunct professors and sometimes I might not teach at all. I was just so happy to have a chance to teach again! On Thursday, June 23, I returned to the Holland campus with more paperwork and was able to learn more about being an adjunct. It sounds as though most of the classes for Fall 2011 have already been assigned a professor and I might not teach again until Winter 2012. I emailed them when I returned home and said, "I can teach Spanish, History, Freshman Seminar, Diversity in society, Comparative Religion, and Geography." And then I said, "I will teach at the Holland campus and/or the Grand Rapids campus. I will teach as many classes per semester as I am allowed. I want to teach." And later I learned that this email was forwarded around along with some stellar words about the new hire!

I am still hoping to teach this fall, but I'm not sure that's going to happen. I continue to be grateful for the small things in my life like paying the bills while waitressing and never being hungry.

The Garden: After 3 months

2011-07-05T12:24:00.008-04:00

The climbers are climbing and it's working! I already have cucumbers mid-way up the vine!
Potato land. I've been growing potatoes for the last three years and this is by far the best I've seen them. I can only assume it's because of the awesomeness of Square Foot Gardening. Right?!

Apparently I bought viney yellow beans instead of bush yellow beans. The bean plants are OUT OF CONTROL and I fear that they are going to choke out their vegetable neighbors. However, they are a sight to behold and I think they're crazy!
Chloe grabbed my hand and showed me the tomatoes! They're closer to her eye level than to mine. I love having little ones in my garden!

DO YOU SEE THE BEE?! If you look on the flower on the left, you'll see a bee doing it's work on the flower. YES! Bring your friends along, little bee! Come play in my garden!

Perfection, if I do say so myself.

Our first zucchini! Caleb found it, asked if he could pick it, and then promptly did. I'm so happy to share my garden with my nephews and nieces.

Me in my garden

2011-07-03T12:17:00.004-04:00

My Sister's Garden!

2011-06-29T11:24:00.012-04:00

Last summer, my nephews & niece fell in love with gardening right along side of me. They were in my garden every day, brushing off the tops of carrots, looking for something to harvest, and digging for worms. It was a good summer.

Then they bought and moved into their own house in Zeeland. Throughout the winter Dawn and I talked about where she could set up a garden in her new yard, what to plant, and how to make it the most fun for her kids. I told her about the ease of Square Foot Gardening and loaned her my book.

In April, someone made the 4x4 ft boxes for her. In May, her in-laws were in town for a week and they planted the garden as a family. Isn't that what Nanna's and Poppa's are for?!

Each child has their own box and was given the freedom to plant whatever they wanted, where ever they wanted, on their own. When I show up for church on Sunday, they are all outside, sitting on their haunches, poking around in the garden. "Titi! Come look! We have strawberries!" and then a little hand grabs my hand, and we wander around and marvel at what happens when a seed goes into dirt.

The Williams Family and Their Garden:

Pictured here are Dawn and each of the kids standing by their box. Precious.
Caleb did not plant tomatoes in his box because he does NOT like them. He's certain that he will have beans in just a few days.

"Titi. Take my picture over here too." He's in training to be the next Master Gardener.

Levi and his strawberries. Recently he said that his favorite color is red because tomatoes are red, strawberries are red, watermelon is red....

Seth. He planted marigolds in his box.

Chloe, oh my stars. She's 4 but already practicing for her Senior Pictures.

Chloe already has tomatoes on the vine!

An overview of the boxes -

What kind of garden would it be without a ceramic turtle?!

Sugar-free Strawberry Jam

2011-06-27T21:26:00.006-04:00

Tonight I made Sugar-free Strawberry Jam -

I mashed the pretty little berries...

I re-used clean glass jars -

Then I heated sugar-free pectin mixed with white grape juice. Next, I added the strawberries and honey and gently poured the jam in the jars.

Jam! So pretty!

The Garden: Late June

2011-06-27T12:05:00.001-04:00

Late afternoon sun-

Bachelor buttons & daisies!
Acorn squash!

Zucchini

Vine climbers

My beautiful garden

2011-06-23T12:54:00.008-04:00

Last year I only took pictures of my garden every six or seven days. This year, however, I've gone a bit overboard and I want to fully acknowledge that I'm crazy about documenting the growth of my garden.

That being said, I have no intention to take less pictures. :)

It has been raining for the last three days and it's also quite warm which seems to be some sort of perfect combo to make my garden double in size. I went over today just to pick up the berries that my Dad graciously picked for me (in the rain). I was wearing nice dress clothes but that did not deter me from puttering about in the mud. Silly me. I saw a lot of work that needs to be done, like trimming the tomatoes, and tying up the vines.

These tomato structures were laced just in time, if you ask me. These tomatoes are going wild in their little laser cage. I have to trim off the bottom six inches of each plant and work on pushing the plant through the trappings. If I don't do it soon, it's gonna get crazy!
What do you think? Based on this picture alone, do you think Square Foot Gardening really works?!

I'd say so! Look at my amazing boxes just overflowing with green plants! So lush!

Just four days ago, I tied up these vines as high as they could go, about 6 inches off the ground. Today I noted that they need to be tied again, about 18 inches off the ground. What in the world?!

Also, four days ago there was one lone Bachelor Button, but now there about 6 or 7. There is also a DAISY!
This butternut squash plant leaves me speechless.

These are the images that I need to remember in the dead of winter.

Gardening with my nephew

2011-06-21T12:46:00.001-04:00

I pulled up to my parents house at the same moment that my sister and Caleb did. I'd barely opened my car door, but Caleb had already bounded out of his mini-van and was greeting me as I tried to get out of the car. He was certainly excited about something. I thought he was going to tell me about his upcoming camping trip. But no...

He said, "TITI! THERE ARE A LOT OF STRAWBERRIES TO PICK! COME ON! I'LL HELP YOU! LET'S GO!"

I replied, "Well, hello there, sweetie. Thanks for helping! Let me drop off some stuff at Oma's house first and I'll meet you in the garden!"

He also had to "garden" for worms, you know, to take along camping in hopes of going fishing!

"TITI! Check out this fat worm!"
We picked for quite awhile. Meanwhile, I am swatting away the mosquitos because THEY LOVE ME. At one point I said, "Caleb! There are so many mosquitos!" He replied, "Remember what you always say, Titi, they love you!" Yes, yes they do. I said, "I must be really sweet."

We continued picking in silence and then Caleb said, "Titi. I think that you are sweet in two ways." And I said, "What do you mean, Caleb?" And then he melted my heart, that boy. He replied, "Well, you're sweet because you are delicious. But you are also sweet because you are very nice."

Sightings! In the garden!

2011-06-20T12:49:00.008-04:00

It's always exciting when I start to see the "fruit" of my labor as it slowly appears. Today there were several "sightings!" in the garden. Lots of clapping for glee and general bouts of joy.

Below, please note the one lone purple Bachelor Button. Please remember that these were started in the greenhouse on April 7th! Awesome!

Check out my yellow summer squash! YES!

A sugar pea! A lone sugar pea!

Caleb found this mini green pepper and made me hurry over so that he could show it to me! He's precious.
There's no official sighting here, but just a helluva lot of potatoes.

I'm growing an insane amount of yellow beans.

Green. So much lovely green.

Home grown strawberries

2011-06-17T21:10:00.007-04:00

A few days ago I bought basil plants from Boeve Farms at Farmer's Market. I had to buy potting soil, a few new pots, and I also purchased more basil seeds. Today I set everything out on my patio and proceeded to transplant/plant basil. Last winter I ran out of pesto entirely too soon and I do not want that to happen again!

On my patio I am also growing oregano (orange pot) and romaine lettuce (green pot, not doing so well).
I also harvested lettuce this week and pictured here is about 1/8 of what is available. Time for some rockin' summer salads!

Mom emailed me this morning and said, "The strawberries need to be picked today. Do you want to come over?"

I said, "YES!" and guess what? I was able to spend a full hour in my garden, alone! I was so happy! I wandered around, watered a few plants, pulled a few weeds, and then set about picking strawberries. I was hot & sweaty and about as happy as a person can be.

When I got home, I promptly cleaned and sorted the berries. Of course, I also made short cake. It's what's for dinner.

The Garden: MId-June

2011-06-15T23:08:00.010-04:00

My garden is at my parent's house, just five miles away. There are moments in my life when I want to go there, wander around, pray, thank God for earth, and simply soak in the wonder of seeds and sunshine.

I never get to do that.

I cannot prove it, but I think my parents have installed hidden cameras. You see, less then three minutes after I arrive, someone comes out of the house to chat with me, without fail. I don't mind this, of course, but I'm starting to wonder if I will ever get to experience my garden all by my lonesome.

Earlier tonight I called my mom to see if they were home, or if they were out running errands. They were gone! I could go to the garden and be alone! Yes! I scurried out of my house as fast as I could and sped to their house. Unfortunately, it rained today and the rain brought out the mosquitos. They nearly carried me away and I had to leave after just 20 minutes of puttering around.

I still want to enjoy my garden alone. Some day I will. And before I left, I was able to take a few pictures.

Corn, onions, potatoes.

A fabulous view from the eastern end. I love all the green!

Droopy strawberries. Lots of 'em.
I thought this was so cool! The cucumbers and cantaloupe are finally big enough for me to start training. I set the tallest ones up and through the gate and eventually, they will start to send out little feelers and fasten themselves to the gate.

Click on the photo to make it bigger...it's such a great picture.

I'm growing squash...
...lots and lots of squash.
More ceramic figurines - a boy and a duck.
I think I'm in love.

Weeding in the rain

2011-06-10T15:49:00.013-04:00

Some people talk and write about their kids.

Others talk and write about their pets.

I have no children or pets to write about, but I have a garden.

And oh, I love to talk about my garden.

The garden has been fully planted for exactly two weeks. We started the seedlings three months ago and I can already tell the difference. I'm quite sure that I'll see veggies a full 8 weeks earlier than I have in the past. Yes!

We've been busy working on various projects in the garden, from a greenhouse to new sprinkling. Lately, we've started to work on the smaller projects like staking the tomatoes and weeding. Today I went over to weed for a few hours and the skies decided to unload a downpour. I was soaked, but not deterred. In fact, three little nephews came outside with me in the pouring rain! We picked strawberries and ate them on the spot, with the rain coming down around us. While I continued to weed, they found puddles and spouts with which to entertain themselves.

It was a fabulous day.

My parents have a small collection of ceramic garden figurines. A few weeks ago I found a duck and set it next to a flower box and left it there. Apparently, my Dad found several others and set them around the remaining flower boxes. Today I found them and giggled out loud because I absolutely love them. Pictured here is a forlorn froggie who faithfully guards my flowers.
Here is evidence of what a greenhouse does for a garden. It's the 10th of June and I am growing itty bitty zucchini!
Lettuce!
Caleb discovered that the sugar peas are flowering which usually means that the veggie isn't far behind!
My Dad set up the wire gates for me yesterday. The plan is to train the cantaloupe and cucumbers to grow up the gate. I'm sure it will work!

Another lovely view of the garden! The yellow beans, corn, carrots, and potatoes are all officially up. I did lose one pepper plant, but everything else is thriving!

I swear that I planted the potatoes in nice little rows but apparently they want to grow in their own creative pattern. Silly taters.
Tomatoes!
The garden is incredibly green due to the rain all morning. Dad laid down black weed paper stuff (official name) in order to reduce the weeds and used wood to anchor the paper. Over all, she's a pretty little garden, eh?

Staking the tomatoes

2011-06-06T13:31:00.001-04:00

It has been more than a week since I last worked on my garden. I've been busy looking for a job! But today was the day to work on some projects. My 7 yo nephew, Levi, wanted to come along and help me pull up weeds. Instead, he dug up the big weeds and transplanted them into his very own Weed Garden. Such a silly boy.
I really don't like the paving stones along the left of the boxes. I trip on them more than I care to admit and am waiting for the day when I do a full face plant. Anyways, in the last few days the seeds I planted on the 27th have started to make an appearance! The corn, carrots, beans, and potatoes have all come up!

Today we stake the tomatoes! This is a trick which my cousin, Greg, taught me. Instead of using those flimsy tomato cages he built his own sort of trellis system. We are using 8 ft stakes and a lot of twine in order to ensure that the plants stay off the ground and reach their full potential.

Strawberries!

It's time to put down some sort of non-chemical weed control! This year, I chose to buy black garden paper to put down between the rows.
Latest view of the garden -

Final Planting

2011-05-29T15:18:00.010-04:00

Earlier this week, my garden was finally & officially planted. Mom and I went to a local nursery where I purchased green peppers, red peppers, eggplants, onions, potatoes, corn, and yellow beans. And tomatoes! We planted a total of 32 tomatoes!

A row of zucchini -
A random potato plant trying to make a comeback from last summer! There are about three of these throughout the garden -

Sugar peas -

Strawberries -

It's done! Everything has been planted and now we just need some great weather! I also need to spread some mulch and finish the flower boxes.

Dawn sat in the chair while I worked and it was nice to have her company. Caleb flitted about.

The Garden: Mid-May

2011-05-18T17:19:00.009-04:00

After digging around for a few days, Dad was unable to locate the piping that he needed in order to fix the sprinkling. I received a message over the weekend that the garden had been put back together and I could come over any time and start planting! Of course, then it rained over the weekend and I had to work. Timing is everything, right?

Not only did I have the day off today, but it wasn't raining either! I headed over to the garden for a few hours this afternoon and set about transplanting my seedlings into their final summer home. Mom came outside with me and sat in a chair for a bit until she just couldn't take it anymore! Eventually, she popped out of her chair and joined me in the dirt.

A few days ago my parents took all of my seedlings and moved them outside so that they could start to "harden" in real temperatures. This is everything I transplanted today.

I cannot get over how amazing these strawberries look! Just 9 days ago they were half this size. They've grown tremendously in this muggy weather and there are dozens of blossoms.

A few weeks ago we decided to dedicate two entire boxes to tomatoes which means 32 plants total! We also purchased 8 plants from Visser Farms about two weeks ago and have been nursing them in our greenhouse. I'd still like to plant 24 more tomato plants because a girl can never have enough tomatoes, right?

This is the new & improved western end of the garden. On the far right I planted the cantaloupe and cucumbers which will eventually grow up a trellis. The trellis will be installed in just a few more weeks. By the time the vines are big enough to cast a shadow, the shadow will fall on the strawberries, which will no longer be in season. Quite a plan, eh?!

The 2nd row contains summer squash, the 3rd row is zucchini, and the remaining two rows are butternut squash (a new addition this year).

Meanwhile, Mom took it upon herself to transplant my flowers into the flower boxes. One box down, two to go!
Sugar peas!

This is the prettiest thing I've seen in quite awhile.

I have yet to plant any seeds in the boxes but hope to have start & finish within the next 7-10 days, weather permitting.

How is your garden coming along?

Mixed Berry Scones

2011-05-14T21:32:00.016-04:00

For the last ten years I have been saving scone recipes. I've saved them from the tops of yogurt containers, from bags of cinnamon chips, as well as searches on the internet. In particular, I've wanted to make scones with swirls of cream cheese and jam, the way that Great Harvest Bread Co. makes their scones. I love their scones, but their store packed up and moved out of town way too soon.

I love scones and I need to learn how to make them. Finally, I woke up the other day and decided, "today is the day!" and I made my first

batch of scones.

I did one more search online and found the following recipe from King Arthur Flour. I liked it for three reasons, a) I use King Arthur flour, b) I have plenty of milk and like a moist scone, and c) I wanted cream cheese in my scone.

You will need:

3 1/4 cups Perfect Pastry Blend or King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter

1 cup dried apricots

1 large egg

2 tsps vanilla extract

1/4 cup milk, plus 1-2 tbls more

sugar for garnish

I used KA unbleached all-purpose flour and if I were to make it according to the Nourishing Traditions method, I would soak the flour overnight in whey. Next time. I also used less sugar, because that's what I do when I bake. Finally, I opted to use dried mixed berries instead of apricots.

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2) In a bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

3) In another bowl, whisk together the vanilla, milk, and egg. Set aside.

4) Using a pastry blender, cut the butter and cream cheese into the flour mixture. The recipe says to do so until the butter/cheese are the size of peas.

5) Stir in the mixed berries.

6) Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix with a fork (or your hands) until completely moistened.

7) Move the dough to parchment paper (be sure to flour it). Fold the dough over several times until no longer crumbly and then pat it down to about 3/4 of an inch thickness. You can make a circle or a square.

8) Brush the dough with milk and sprinkle with sugar.

9) Cut the dough into triangles and then move the pieces about 2 inches apart from each other for even baking.

10) Bake for 18 minutes until the tops are golden brown.

A garden under construction

2011-05-10T00:05:00.007-04:00

Since last summer my Dad has talked about "fixing" the sprinkling in my garden. The garden is situated in what used to be the corner of their yard and it has automatic sprinkling. However, as the garden grew, we realized that one corner of it did not receive water and those plants did not thrive. I didn't even ask my Dad to fix it but he decided that it needed to be done.

They dug a few trenches in an effort to create more sprinkling and they managed to not undo my boxes! Yeah! And apparently my nephews spent the day there and had themselves a grand old time playing in the dirt! Excellent!

A new trench for laying pipe. And a blue truck. Every garden should have a blue truck.

My sugar peas look as though they're doing well!

I can't get over how great my seedlings are doing. They were planted five weeks ago and look at them! Hopefully the garden will be ready for them in about a week.

Mom & I were really nervous about these flowers because it took nearly four weeks for them to sprout but now look! They're doing so well!

The Garden: Is ready!

2011-05-03T12:58:00.005-04:00

Today I put the finishing touches on my garden and now I'm waiting for the last frost so I can transplant my seedlings. Hopefully we can start planting in just two weeks.

A friend of the family donated the light mulch that you see here. I spent my time today filling and emptying the wheelbarrow of mulch and gently spreading it between the boxes. This is to reduce the amount of weeds in the garden. For the last two years we've used cut grass but I'm allergic to grass so while it was a cheap solution, it wasn't a good one. The grass also tended to get moldy, to which I am also allergic!

I ran out of light mulch and finished the job with some of my parents mulch (which they use around their landscaping). I don't care that it doesn't match because it's not for looks, although, I still think it looks great!

My three flower boxes-

Sometime in mid-April I planted sugar peas and look! They're breaking ground!

Mom and I debated for most of the morning on whether or not to buy tomatoes today. We went to Visser Farms, "just to have a look" and after walking through all of their greenhouses, we left with 8 tomato plants! Phil sold us the plants and the pots which we promptly took home and filled. We then set the plants in our greenhouse and we can hopefully put them in the garden in just a few weeks.

I've done absolutely everything I can to get the garden ready. I spread fertilizer, laid the foundation, readied the compost bins, planted seeds in the greenhouse, and spread mulch. Now, I sit and wait and dream of what will be!

The Garden: Getting Started

2011-05-02T12:51:00.004-04:00

The wheelbarrow has returned and I returned with it! Time to get serious!

Mom planted these strawberries last May when they were scrawny, stringy little things about 3 inches long. They looked like little roots. Only a few berries arrived last year and they lasted about 2 hours until a nephew would find them and pop it in their mouth. This year, the strawberries have actually grown into a real strawberry patch! I had no idea what to expect but they have literally taken over 3 of the boxes. My nephews will have so much fun!

It took me just over two hours to move the dirt from one side of the garden to fill the boxes on the other side. I wanted to use the dirt that I spent so much time prepping last year but was on the Western end of the garden. The excess dirt had to be leveled anyway, so I was really doing two things at once (leveling and filling boxes). Each box is filled with compost, hummus (manure), and peat moss. Oh, and lots of love.

Next to the greenhouse you can see a big black container which is one of two new compost bins that I've added this year.

After filling the boxes, I gently turned over the dirt in the "open area" and then leveled it with a rake. It was hard work but very rewarding. I also set out the three flower boxes and filled them with dirt as well.

The Garden: Late April

2011-04-30T12:46:00.008-04:00

We've had some really uncooperative weather lately when it comes to gardening. We've had several hail storms, lots of rain, and even a bit of snow! And it seems that every day that is remotely nice, finds me at work. While the days that I have off are full of gray clouds and cold. I haven't been able to spend a lot of time prepping my garden to get it ready for planting.

Today I had big plans to level my relocated garden boxes, fill them with dirt, and hopefully plant some more seeds.

Check out my seedlings! We planted these on April 7 and look how well they are doing! Nearly every seed has broken ground and I'm looking forward to the day that I can transplant them. Pictured here we have zucchini, summer squash, cantelope, cucumbers, and butternut squash.

When I arrived at my parents house I learned that my sister is borrowing their wheelbarrow. I'm stubborn, though, and tried to use a little red wagon to haul the dirt around. It didn't work but I sure had fun trying! I did manage to level the boxes and add hummus and peat moss. Now I just need a wheelbarrow!

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

2011-04-29T09:15:00.008-04:00

Due to my food allergies, I started making vegetarian lasagna about 7 years ago. At first, I strictly followed a recipe from my then-favorite cookbook by Betty Crocker. Looking back, it was an incredibly tedious recipe to make as it took about an hour to chop all of the fresh veggies. The more I made it, the more I changed the recipe to suit my personal tastes. Of course, a few years later I found out I was also allergic to tomatoes so I stopped making lasagna altogether.

One of the first meals I had after I got rid of my food allergies was a lasagna!

I love lasagna. I love how hearty it is. I love that one piece is an entire meal on my plate. It warms me on cold days and fills me on lean days. Some people say that making a lasagna is incredibly expensive, but given my talent for preserving food, my lasagna is relatively inexpensive.

Several years ago I stopped following a recipe and each lasagna that I make is unique, depending on what I have in the freezer. My lasagna making actually starts in the fall as I harvest and process veggies from my garden and while that may sound very time consuming, it's also the part that makes my lasagna affordable.

In the fall:

- roast and can red peppers

- grill and freeze summer squash & zucchini

- shred and freeze onions (this is one of the most time saving practices I can think of!)

- roast and puree a pumpkin

- blanche and freeze spinach

- chop and freeze green peppers

- can/freeze marinara sauce

- dry oregano

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

2 cups grilled summer squash & zucchini

1 onion

1 roasted red pepper, chopped

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

2 tsp chopped garlic

1 cup spinach, chopped

1/2 - 1 cup green peppers, chopped

1 jar marinara

1 egg

1 tsp oregano

15 oz ricotta (or sometimes I make Farmer's Cheese)

3 cups mozzarella, divided

6 lasagna noodles (or 9, depending on your preference)

I use my large electric fry pan so that I have enough room for stirring, but you can also use a large pan on the stove.

Boil lasagna noodles for about 5 minutes (I even boil the no-cook noodles because I think they just work better that way!). Drain and set aside. I lay them flat on a plate as soon as I drain them.

Drizzle 2 tsp-ish olive oil in the pan and add onions and peppers (which are raw) and saute for about a minute. Then add the garlic and continue cooking until the onions and peppers are cooked. Add the grilled summer squash & zucchini, spinach, pumpkin puree (this will help thicken everything and it adds a nice roasted flavor), roasted red peppers. Mix well.

Meanwhile, pour about 1/2 cup of marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

Mix one egg with the ricotta, 1 cup of mozzarella, and oregano.

Add the remainder of the marinara sauce to the fry pan and mix well. Turn off the heat because everything in the pan has already been cooked!

Layer 3 noodles in the bottom of your pan.

Top with half of the cheese mixture (I kind of 'paint' the noodles with the cheese)

Top with half of the vegetable mixture.

Layer 3 more noodles.

Top with remaining cheese mixture.

Top with remaining vegetable mixture.

Top with 2 cups mozzarella.

Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes. This recipe is SO adaptable, just add your favorite veggies together! It's also SUPER easy to make a gluten-free version by just substituting the noodles for gluten-free lasagna noodles.

What is your favorite meal? What is your favorite lasagna recipe?

How to not make mozzarella

2011-04-28T13:32:00.010-04:00

As I mentioned, I took a cheese-making class a few weeks ago. We were sent home with a few ounces of citric acid and rennet, enough to make about 2 or 3 batches of mozzarella at home. Yesterday I picked up a gallon of whole milk from the grocer and headed over to Deb's house so that we could try our hand at making mozzarella.

You will need:

rennet

citric acid

1 gallon of milk, raw or pasteurized but not ultra-pasteurized.

colander

big pot

spoons

thermometer

Citric acid and rennet (the rennet can also come in tablets).

Heat the milk to 50-55 degrees. Meanwhile, mix the citric acid in 1/4 cup of non-chlorinated water (or milk). When the milk is 50-55 degrees, add the citric acid. Stir occasionally.

Continue to heat milk to 88-90 degrees. Meanwhile, mix the rennet in 1/4 cup of non-chlorinated water (or milk). When the milk has reached 88-90 (NO WARMER), add the rennet and remove from heat. Do not stir, but you can take your spoon and move it up and down in the pot for a bit, then let it sit still.

After 5-10 minutes the curds will separate from the whey. You can see here that the curds are moving inward and pushing the whey to the edges of the pot. It should become quite solid.

When the curds are solid (maybe 10 minutes), take your knife and cut the curd into 1 inch pieces. Then scoop them out with a ladle and place the curds in a colander.

This, I think, is where things went wrong for me. Although I waited 5-10 minutes for my curds to solidify, I probably should've waited longer. When I scooped my curds, they were a runny mess, and still full of whey. Also, I forgot to scoop them into a colander, and instead I set them in another pot which means that the whey never had a chance to drain.

After trying to get the whey out, we decided to strain the whole mess through a cloth napkin. This really helped, but I think it was already too late to save the cheese. We pressed onward, nonetheless.

This was our curd/whey mess.

I was stubborn enough to keep trying to squeeze the whey out. Eventually I did make dry cheese balls.

The next proper step is to save the whey and heat it to 170. Then, take the cheese balls and dip them in the whey for a minute or two in order to warm them and then stretch them!

We did the above step and after setting the cheese balls in the hot whey for 15 minutes, without anything happening, we officially gave up!

These are the cheese balls we managed to make. Pathetic little things.

I continued in my stubbornness and crumbled the cheese balls over my pizza.

I want to try again, as soon as possible. Anyone wanna come over to help?!

Cheese making

2011-04-25T12:22:00.005-04:00

A few weeks ago I took a cheese making class at Grassfield Farms. For a mere $30 I learned how to make mozzarella, ricotta, and cream cheese. And to top it off, we were all sent home with the ingredients to make mozzarella in our homes. I am hoping to try it this week with my sister. I'm hopeful that it will work!

The Garden: Mid-April

2011-04-12T19:33:00.010-04:00

It was a beautiful day today in Michigan. I also had the day off!

Mom came over around 1 p.m. and we read up on greenhouse-ing. Mom had a few questions about watering, temperature, etc. We flipped through my gardening books and talked about what changes to make for this year. We ran over to Meijer, bought more seeds (tomatoes, green/red peppers, eggplants, and morning glories), plus a few more things for the garden. We were Only going to plant a few seeds today but because the day was gorgeous, I got a little carried away. After five hours, I finally called it a day.

We planted our first set of seeds just 5 days ago, and look! The bachelor buttons are already poking through the dirt!

Here I am mixing manure, peat moss, and soil. It's all very glamorous.

We planted tomato, green/red peppers, and eggplant in peat containers. We're also trying to keep them moist by keeping them on a wet towel. We read that this is a good idea for starting veggies in a greenhouse.

After mixing the soil, I spread it in my cold frames and then I planted a lettuce mix and spinach.

I also planted Sugar Peas!

After much discussion, I (we) decided that I should just level off the garden today (it was rototilled once already) by hand and then set the boxes down. I also decided to redesign the garden and moved ALL of the boxes to the eastern end of the garden. This process took me about 90 minutes and I'm sure I'll be sore tomorrow!
All of the boxes are 2 feet apart, in all directions. This leaves a 2 foot space to walk to the greenhouse, which is perfect because we're not wasting any garden space. Also, this year we're going to add mulch to the walkways. I spent a good amount of time trying to level the walkways, as well as the boxes.

I still have a few hours of leveling to do, but it was time to quit for the day. The Western side of the garden will now be planted with cantelope, squash, and maybe potatoes. We're all excited about how the new layout will work.

Spring Fling Giveaway!

2011-04-08T22:47:00.002-04:00

I just entered to win in this contest and you can too!

And in an email they said, "If one of your readers is chosen at random, you win the same prize! That’s right. If 100 of your readers click on it and sign up for the giveaway, it’s like getting 100 extra chances to win!"

Do it! Enter to win a Kitchen Aid Mixer, a years supply of King Arthur Flour (my favorite brand!), and $50 in cash to spend in the kitchen!

Our Greenhouse

2011-04-07T13:22:00.007-04:00

Here are the pictures that I promised you!

Our new greenhouse is tucked into the North East corner of the garden where the two buildings come together. It faces South West. In the Spring it will receive about 7 hours of sunlight a day and in the Summer it will get about 12 hours of sun a day. It is 6x8 feet, with the door on the far right, which leads into an aisle. There are three shelves on the left. The top of the green house also has windows which can be propped open to help circulate air when it's warm out.

I wanted to demonstrate the size of the green house so I stretched out against it. I am 5'9" so that should give you an idea....

Mom said, "Take a picture of me inside it!" She's only 5'1". She is also super excited about having a greenhouse. I hope that together we'll make good use of it!

Here are the three shelves:

Today Mom & I got some flats filled with dirt from Visser Farms. We decided to plant our seeds early which means we can hopefully do some transplanting by mid-May. If all goes well, we'll have vegetables a full four weeks earlier than last year!

We started four different types of flowers which reportedly attract bees. I need bees! I also started cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash, butternut squash, and cantelope.

The Garden

2011-04-06T13:38:00.007-04:00

Last year my friend, Dan, built six boxes for me and each one measured 4x4 feet. The majority of my garden was planted within these boxes. I was able to control the quality of the soil, not waste any water, and save space in my backyard garden. Three of those boxes were planted with strawberries which have since taken over each of their respective boxes. In order to replace those three boxes, we built three more boxes, which brings our 4x4 ft boxes to a grand total of nine!

I also have two cold frames which each measure 2x6 feet.

This year I also asked for flower boxes and now I have three of them, each measuring 1x3 feet. These boxes will be filled with flowers which will hopefully attract bees.

At the end of last year we realized that the soil in the garden needed some work. My Dad bought 2 cubic feet of compost (or was it 4 cubic feet?) which we spread around the garden. Into that compost we planted rye, which is known for adding rich nutrients into the soil. As spring neared, I realized that somehow all of that rye would have to get turned into the garden. Of course, I hurt my right thumb a few months ago and I can hardly hang on to a shovel. I called a friend of the family who has been working the soil for me and will soon rototill it as well.

In order to make the rototilling easier, I removed three of the boxes today. I hope I don't regret that later. My hope is that it will be easier to level out the garden, which was a problem last year (I had too many puddles). It's hard work to put the boxes in and fill them with the proper mix of soil, but I'm not afraid of a day of hard labor!

You can see where the boxes were...and I'll put them back in the same spot. I do hope to reap the reward of all the work we put into fixing the soil. In the meantime, I'm having a good time tromping around in the dirt.

Greenhouse in The Garden

2011-04-05T15:41:00.004-04:00

About a month ago my Dad and I went out for Breakfast. I arrived carrying an armload of gardening books, grids, and seed catalogs. We sat and talked and brainstormed for more than two hours and came up with a plan for The Garden 2011.

At one point I jokingly said, "I wish I had a greenhouse. Maybe one day, in like, 2 to 5 years. Wouldn't that be nice?"

And within three weeks my Father hired someone who built a lovely little 6x8 ft greenhouse in our garden. It's as cute as can be and soon I'll take a picture and share it with ya'll.

The addition of a greenhouse means that Mom & I are now brainstorming when and how to start seedlings just 6 weeks early. Instead of waiting for the last frost in mid-May and sowing directly into the ground, we can jump start our plants and then transplant in mid-May.

This year I also ordered seeds from Seeds of Change which specializes in non-GMO and organic seeds. This has become increasingly important to me. In addition to vegetable seeds I also purchased four varieties of flowers which are reported to attract bees to the garden. I need bees!

Later this week my Mom & I will brave the weather and step outside and hopefully get our hands dirty as we start to plan the itty bitty seeds. I can't wait!

___

In other news, I have officially started Cooking for other people. I just fulfilled my first order! I roasted a lovely chicken which produced 5 cups of diced chicken as well as about 10 cups of broth. Additionally, my first client also purchased several bags of shredded carrots and sliced peaches.

If you or someone you know is in need of nutrient dense food, please let me know! All of my food is local and much of it is organic. If it's not grown locally, then it's probably pasta or mozzarella cheese, which I don't (yet) know how to make.

Here are a few meal ideas:

Meatloaf

Roasted Vegetarian Lasagna

Pot Pie (Chicken or Vegetarian)

Brown Rice Casserole

Potato Soup

Sourdough Bread

I am also selling Side Dishes like fermented cabbage, fermented beets, and fermented turnips. I also have frozen strawberries, peaches, tomatoes, green peppers, and red peppers for sale.

Or, if you know of a meal that you'd like me to make for you, just let me know! I also will meet the needs of those who suffer from food allergies. I know what it's like to suffer from those.

Eat well!

Pastured Chicken and Chicken Broth: Part 2

2011-03-25T14:42:00.008-04:00

Earlier this year I attempted to make chicken broth from 2 (pastured) chicken breasts. I made it up as I went along and then proceeded to blog about it, as if I were an expert.

I've learned a lot since then and it's time to write a Part 2. I have yet to perfect how to make chicken broth, so hopefully there will be a Part 3 in the near future.

Pastured chicken is a bit "tougher" than commercial chicken. It has not been injected with fillers or salt water or whatever it is that they stick in a store-bought chicken. The meat is, (how do I say this?) not as available or hearty or plentiful? as store-bought birds.

You will need:

-a pastured chicken, thawed

- salt & pepper

- butter or ghee, melted

- an onion or three, diced

- maybe a lemon, sliced

- seasonings, like parsley or thyme or rosemary

Step 1: Assemble ingredients. Peel the skin away from the meat of the bird in order to form a pocket, be careful!

Step 2: Mix butter and herbs together and stuff into the pocket of skin. Stuff a few onions in there too. Spread butter mixture, salt & pepper, all over the outside of the bird. Stuff the cavity of the bird with more lemons, onions, and herbs. Thank the bird for her life and the life she'll continue to give you and your family.

Step 3: Place bird in an oven pre-heated to 425. Roast the lovely lady for about 25-30 minutes. Check for doneness and continue roasting until meat is fully cooked. Do not overbake as her meat will only get tougher. Look how pretty she is!
Step 4: Allow bird to cool and then strip every morsel of meat that you can find. This part can be a bit addicting for me, as I seek to retrieve every last bit of bird. I usually gather about 4 cups of diced meat by the end.
Step 5: Throw the carcass into crockpot and over with water. Simmer in pot for 8-10 hours. About halfway through, try to crack the bird-bones in half, which will allow the nutrient-rich bone marrow to seep into your broth.
Step 6: Pour broth into containers and set in the fridge for a few hours. The broth should form a "gel", at which point you have achieved great success. Mine has never gelled, but I'm always happy for the amazing broth.

Step 7: Freeze the broth in 2 cup portions and use in soups, rice dishes, etc. When a recipe calls for water, use chicken broth instead. Also, chicken broth is a wonderful juice for breakfast when you feel a cold coming on!
Step 8: Use cooked chicken in a variety of wonderful meals! I save mine in 2 cup portions. My birds cost me about $13, so this is a bit pricey compared to Tyson but totally worth it!

What are your favorite chicken recipes?

Vegetable (or Chicken) Pot Pie

2011-03-24T15:21:00.005-04:00

In 1996 my roommate, Sandy, made an amazing pot pie and I asked her for the recipe. I've been making variations of the recipe ever since and I'm sure it has never been the same way twice. In fact, I've tweaked it so much that it barely resembles the original!

Here is her recipe:

1/2 cup mayo

2 tbls flour

1 tsp instant chicken bouillon

1/8 tsp pepper

3/4 cup milk

1 1/2 cups chicken, cooked & diced

10 oz mixed veggies, diced

4 oz crescent rolls

Combine mayo, flour, bouillon, and pepper in medium sauce pan. Gradually add milk.

Cook, stirring constantly, over low heat until thickened. Add veggies and chicken and mix together throughly, coating it all in the sauce.

Pour the mixture into a medium-sized casserole dish (it's not big enough for a 9x13).

Unroll the crescent rolls and lay the dough, flat, over the mixture.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until crust is golden brown.

It's a great recipe and incredibly easy to alter! For years I was allergic to chicken so I always made this into a veggie pot pie. And somehow I always added too many veggies and so I had to increase the sauce, etc.

Last week I bought another Veggie Box from Visser Farms and it included parsnips, potatoes, carrots, and turnips. I decided to make a Pot Pie filled with these Root Veggies.

Root Veggie Pot Pie:

3/4 cup mayo

3 tbls flour

1 veggie bouillon cube (I hate to admit that I have these in the house, but I do)

pepper (to taste)

Adobo seasoning (I add A LOT of this!)

1 1/3 cups milk

Follow the previous directions to make the sauce. This is enough sauce to add to plenty of veggies to make a 9x13 pan. I like the sauce, so I tend to add more milk.

2 turnips

4-6 parsnips

2 or 3 potatoes

4-6 carrots

1 bag of frozen corn

Chop the root veggies into bite-sized pieces. Cook the veggies for about 10 minutes in boiling water. They do not have to be completely done because they will continue to cook in the oven.

Add the veggies to the sauce mix and toss together well.

Cover the mixture with a homemade pie crust (from Nourishing Traditions):

1 1/3 cups unbleached white flour

pinch of sea salt

pinch of sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, frozen

2 egg yolks

3 rounded tbls water

Sift flour, sea salt, and sugar into food processor. Cut butter into about 16 pieces and then distribute evenly over flour. Pulse a few times until butter is pea-sized. Beat eggs briefly with a fork and then add to mixture and pulse once or twice. Have water ready. Turn on processor and add water. Stop processor immediately. Turn crust into parchment paper or waxed paper and form a ball. Refrigerate for several hours.

Roll out dough with rolling pin into the shape of the pan you will use for the Pot Pie. Bake the pie crust, by itself, for 10 minutes at 350 and then transfer it to cover the Pot Pie.

Bake the entire Pot Pie for 15-20 minutes at 350. It's amazing, I promise!

Seven Day Sourdough Bread

2011-03-22T22:29:00.007-04:00

I'm not a bread person.

Sometimes my sister jokes that it would be easier if I were the one who is gluten-intolerant, instead of her. She's absolutely right. For the entire year of 2009 I did not buy a loaf of bread. I don't even like sandwiches, which means I might not even be an American.

I just think that bread takes up a lot of space in my stomach when I'm eating and there are other things I'd rather eat. You hear?

And while all of that is true, I still have been itching to make sourdough bread. Apparently sourdough bread is one of the best breads to eat, along with bread made from sprouted grains. It is fermented and carries very low levels of phytic acid, which is good. Also, once a starter is made, it can last for months or even years.

The following recipe is from Nourishing Traditions-

To make the starter:

2 cups freshly ground rye flour

2 cups cold water

cheesecloth (unnecessary in the winter)

6 cups freshly ground rye flour

cold water

"Best results for sourdough starter are obtained from rye rather than wheat flour, perhaps because rye contains a lower phytate content than wheat. You will need two gallon-sized bowls (holds 16 cups). Total time to make the starter is 7 days."

To make the bread:

2 quarts sourdough starter

13 cups spelt, kamut, or hard winter wheat

2 1/2 tbls sea salt

about 1 1/2 cups cold water

(I cut this all in half and still made 2 loaves of bread which will probably take me 6 months to eat!)

Step 1: Assemble equipment.

Step 2: In gallon-sized bowl, mix flour with 2 cups of cold water. The mixture should be quite soupy. Cover with a double layer of cheesecloth to keep out the bugs.

Step 3: The next day and every day for the next 7 days, transfer the starter to the other clean bowl and add 1 cup rye plus enough cold water to make it soupy again.

Step 4: Repeat again and again. Around Day 3 or 4 the starter will begin to bubble and develop a wine-like aroma. It should go through a bubbly, frothy stage and then subside.

Step 5: After 7 days, place starter, salt, and 1 cup water in a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until the salt crystals have dissolved. Slowly mix in the flour. Towards the end you will find it easier to mix with your hands (at this point I put it in my KA Mixer). You may add 1/2 cup of water if dough becomes too thick. Knead for 10-15 minutes, if kneading by hand.

Step 6: Divide the dough into loaves and let rise for 4-12 hours. You may put it in bread pans, if you'd like. I let mine rise freely.

Step 7: Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes. Allow to cool before slicing.

It's a very, very heavy bread and I might try a lighter flour the next time around. It does make excellent french toast and a great crust for pizza-on-a-slice.

Potato & Pesto Soup

2011-03-22T13:50:00.010-04:00

Currently, I have an abundance of potatoes in my house. Luckily, I love potato soup!

The following recipe is from an Italian-themed cookbook that I borrowed from my neighbor last year. I photocopied every recipe that looked interesting to me, but I never wrote down the name of the book. I prefer to give credit where credit is due.

Potato & Pesto Soup:

3 slices smoked, fatty bacon (I skipped the bacon)

1 lb floury potatoes (aka russet)

1 lb onions

2 tbsp butter

2 1/2 cups chicken stock (I made chicken stock 2 months ago!)

2 1/2 cups milk (my weekly ration always comes in handy!)

3/4 cup dried conchigliette

2/3 cup heavy cream (fresh from my milk ration!)

chopped fresh parsley

salt & pepper

Pesto Sauce:

1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley (I used 1/3 cup of dried parsley)

2 garlic gloves, crushed

2/3 cup pine kernels, crushed (I used almonds from my crispy nuts recipe)

2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped (I bought a little tube of basil, already processed)

2/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated

2/3 cup olive oil

Step 1: Fry the bacon in a large pot over medium heat for 4 minutes.

Step 2: Add the chopped potatoes and onions to the pan and cook for 12 minutes.

Step 3: Add the stock and milk to the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes then add the pasta and simmer for another 10-12 minutes.

Step 4: Make the pesto!

Step 5: Stir in the cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Finally, add fresh parsley, salt & pepper, and 2 tbsp pesto sauce.

I made this recipe last year for my house church and the soup disappeared immediately. It's incredibly tasty. I do prefer my potato soup to be a bit thicker, so next time I think I'll add some flour when I add the milk and stock.

No Grocery Store: Day 21

2011-03-21T14:16:00.003-04:00

This morning I made a list of things to fetch from my deep freeze because I want to spend tomorrow in my kitchen, cooking.

Check out that stash and I barely put a dent in the food still frozen in the freezer. I was able to pull out 8 cups of chicken broth, 2 cups on onions, 6 cups of corn, pumpkin puree, cherries, blueberries, peaches (lots of peaches), mozzarella cheese, and grilled summer squash & zucchini. And like I mentioned yesterday, I am going to use these ingredients in making a Roasted Veggie Lasagna, Potato Pesto Soup, and a crock pot pot roast. My house is going to smell amazing!

Also, while digging around in the freezer I realized just how many peaches I put up for the winter. I think I'm going to start selling them by the bag. I bought bushels of peaches at Farmers Market, so you know they're local. And then I painstakingly peeled them all, and froze them into two cup servings. If you'd like to buy some peaches, let me know, they are $2/bag!

No Grocery Store: Day 20

2011-03-20T14:14:00.004-04:00

Today is the first day of Spring. We made it through another winter!

I just finished up a fantastic lunch of meatloaf, cabbage, and mashed potatoes. While this may seem like a simple and cozy meal for a cold day, let's look a little closer. The meatloaf was made with local ground beef, homemade ketchup (from local ingredients), raw local cream, local onions, local pastured eggs, crumbs from local bread, and patio-grown herbs. The cabbage was locally grown and turned into homemade fermented cabbage. The potatoes were also locally grown and mixed with local raw milk and homemade local raw butter.

Notice a (beautiful) theme? And to top it off, it's the perfect nutrient dense meal and it's liquid companion was a glass of raw milk!

It's Day 20 of No Grocery Store and I'm sittin' pretty. I've barely accessed the fruits and veggies stashed in my deep freeze and I'm starting to think I won't have time to empty it before it's time to fill it once again. I find that to be a remarkable thing.

While I was making lunch today I also made a list of "Kitchen Work" that I'd like to accomplish this week:

- Veggie Pot Pie from root veggies and the pie crust from Nourishing Traditions

- Potato Pesto Soup (Amazing soup!!)

- Shred several pounds of carrots

- Make carrot cake

- Do something with that Rutabaga I got this week in my Veggie Box

- Make yogurt and butter

- Pull out fruit from freezer and make it a priority to eat it

- If time, make a Roasted Veggie Lasagna

And even though it's been nearly three weeks since my last trip to the grocer, and I've compiled a rather large "Kitchen Work" list, I still do NOT need anything from the store! I'm starting to think that it might be mid-April before my next trip to the local Big Box Food Supplier.

Now, if only I had more time in my week.

The Garden: 2011

2011-03-19T14:26:00.001-04:00

I've never remembered to plant lettuce or snow peas in early spring, but this year I am getting an early start! Today I went over to The Garden, turned up the soil (and turned in the rye), and set up my cold frames. I still do not have my seeds, but I thought I'd start warming up the dirt anyway.

Coconut Macaroons

2011-03-16T08:24:00.008-04:00

As you may already know, I am trying to slowly wean myself off of sugar by the end of 2011. Meanwhile, I am trying to slowly add Fermented Veggies to my weekly diet. It's a good thing that I have given myself an entire year to make the change because I daily struggle with a sweet tooth, which I never even knew I had! Initially, I thought my struggle would be sorting out how to add fermented veggies but the truth of the matter is that I daily fight the urge to have sweets.

Bah!

Thankfully, the Weston A Price Foundation offers several versions of sweets in their Healthy 4 Life publication! YES!

Last week I finally made Coconut Macaroons:
-4 egg whites (preferably from pastured chickens!)
-pinch of salt
-1/2 cup of Rapadura or maple sugar
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-2 cups unsweetened desiccated coconut (finely cut)

Step 1: Mix 4 egg whites and a pinch of salt.

Step 2: Mix until the egg whites form a stiff peak. (See how pretty?! Oh I love my new KA Mixer!)
Step 3: In a separate bowl mix together the coconut, sugar, and vanilla.

Step 4: Slowly add the coconut mixture to the egg whites and mix thoroughly.

Step 5: Drop batter by the tablespoon onto buttered parchment paper. It will make 2 dozen cookies.

Step 6: Bake macaroons at 350 for 30 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 200 and bake for an additional 60 minutes. The cookies will be VERY crunchy and the next time I make them I will probably take them out of the oven after 45-50 minutes.

They are Amazing when dipped in a hot beverage! They are also gluten-free and dairy-free, how perfect is that?! Please make them as soon as possible and tell me how much you love them.

Stuffed Pasta Shells

2011-03-15T17:54:00.007-04:00

Four weeks ago I spent the day cooking in order to fill my freezer with nutrient dense meals that I could take to work with me. On that day I made Pesto Chicken Pasta, Potato Soup, Chicken Pot Pie with Root Veggies and some amazing muffins and breads. The meals were all nutrient dense, amazing, and disappeared too quickly.

Last week I finished off the last meal and I also realized that it was time to make more cheese. I did not need to make cheese for the sake of cheese (though I love it so), but rather because I was running low on whey and lately whey has become as much of a staple in my kitchen as salt and olive oil. I needed to have another cooking day which involved making and using Farmer's Cheese. Lucky for me, I also stocked up on pasta shells just a few days before "giving up the grocer" for a month.

As usual, I did not follow a recipe but instead I threw together a bunch of flavors and ingredients that I like to experience when they are mixed.

Stuffed Pasta Shells:

- large pasta shells

- an egg (from a pastured chicken)

- home made Farmer's Cheese (or ricotta)

- 2 cups mozzarella

- herbs (oregano, parsley, or your favorites)

- 6 oz spinach (either cooked and frozen or freshly cooked)

- artichoke hearts, chopped

- pinch of salt

- quart of marinara sauce (mine is home made)

Step 1: I made the Farmer's Cheese and then I immediately mixed in an egg, the herbs, a pinch of salt, 1 cup of mozzarella, cooked spinach, and chopped artichokes in a medium sized bowl.

Step 2: I cooked the pasta shells for about 9 minutes until they were just shy of being done. I've found that when I cook them to package directions they will easily tear when being stuffed. Besides, they're going to be cooked thoroughly in the oven later anyway!

Step 3: Take a tablespoon and carefully stuff the cheese mixture into individual shells. See how pretty it looks?!

Step 4: Cover the stuffed shells with a quart of marinara sauce and the remaining cup of mozzarella cheese.

Step 5: Bake shells for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Enjoy!

Local Food. Local Farmers.

2011-03-12T14:19:00.003-05:00

It's cold outside today. I mean, it's the kind of cold that makes you turn your back into the wind, zip your zipper as high as it can go, and search for a drive-thru coffee shop. And it's gray outside. I know we just saw the sun yesterday but I've already forgotten what she looks like. The snow is slowly retreating which only leaves an ugly gray streak of what was once beautiful. I heard that flowers are peeking and pushing through the ground in various gardens around town but from the feel of today, it feels like six more weeks of winter.

For the month of March I stopped buying my food from the grocery store. And because it's March and not July, I can't stop by the local farm stand and pick up some fresh yellow beans or juicy peaches, warmed by the sun. No, the sky is the color of slate and garden stands are still packed up for the winter.

I began this month thinking that it would be easy. I know, I know, sometimes I'm a bit cocky with my optimism. But I have a freezer full of fruit and vegetables from last summer, I get milk (yogurt, butter, cheese) every Saturday, and Visser Farms is just around the corner. I also have jars and shelves full of marinara sauce, bbq sauce, roasted red peppers, salsa, and ketchup. I did stock up on pasta shells and cheddar cheese on February 28th, just in case.

Today is Day 12 and I still don't need to buy anything from the grocer. On Day 8 I made stuffed pasta shells and a brown rice casserole which equals about a dozen meals total. Today I received my weekly milk share and I also bought two dozen eggs from Chef Helmut. My fridge is still full, which amazes even me. Honestly, I'm a bit nervous about what to eat every day because although I have five jars of fermented veggies in my fridge, I can't make a meal out of them. I have 54 meals to go and I'm not sure if I can find 54 meals in my stockpile.

I'm already wondering what sort of meals I'm going to throw together towards the end of this month. Hopefully I won't be licking fresh butter from a spoon! I'm really enjoying this adventure and I'm learning to appreciate the connections I have with the people who grow my food.

Do you know where your food comes from?

How to make butter:

2011-03-02T15:07:00.010-05:00

I get more than just milk from my weekly raw milk share. In addition to milk that hasn't been messed with and de-natured and is still good for my body, I also have the chance to create wholesome milk by-products in my kitchen.

First, let's talk about how margarine is made (the following excerpt is from Nourishing Traditions). "...Manufacturers begin with the cheapest oils -- soy, corn, cottonseed or canola, already rancid from the extraction process -- and mix them with tiny metal particles -- usually nickel oxide. The oil with its nickel catalyst is then subjected to hydrogen gas in a high-pressure, high-temperature reactor. Next, soap-like emulsifiers and starch are squeezed into the mixture to give it a better consistency; the oil is yet again subjected to high-temperatures when it is steam-cleaned. This removes its unpleasant odor. Margarine's natural color, an unappetizing grey, is removed by bleach. Dyes and strong flavors must then be added to make it resemble butter. Finally, the mixture is compressed and packaged in blocks or tubs and sold as health food."

Have you ever tried to soften/melt margarine in the microwave? Have you ever had it sparkle and pop? Do you think that's normal? Or perhaps a result of having NICKEL in the fake-butter?!

Now, let's make some real, raw, homemade butter!

You will need:

-heavy cream

-a mixer, preferably a red one

-cold water

-spatula

-two glass jars

Step one: Immediately when my milk comes home, I transfer it to wide-mouth containers. After about 12 hours the cream rises to the top and I am able to easily scoop it out. It takes me about two days to get all the cream off the milk. Meanwhile, I put the cream in a small container. If I don't have time to make butter or if there is less than one cup of cream, I will freeze the cream for another week.
Step two: pull out the cream.

Step three: assemble the mixer, two glass jars, cold water, cream, and a spatula.

Step four: Some people say that the temperature of the cream doesn't matter. I've found that it does matter. The cream needs to be between 60-65 degrees and I usually use a warm water bath to warm the cream. Once it is warmed, pour it into the mixing bowl and slowly speed the mixer to full speed. Beat for 3-5 minutes and you should notice the butter clumps on the side of the bowl.

Step five: Using your spatula, gather the butter clumps together, and pour the butter milk into a new container. Freeze the butter milk and save for baking!

Step six: return the butter clumps to the mixing bowl, add cold water, and mix again for about a minute. Pour off the milky water. This step is done in order to ensure that all of the butter milk is out of the butter. The butter will last longer if there is no liquid left in it. Repeat this step until the water is clear after mixing (usually 3 or 4 times).
Step seven: You've made BUTTER!!

Apply generous amounts of butter to your veggies, oatmeal, bread, and muffins! Enjoy!

Trash

2011-02-22T16:16:00.004-05:00

The average American produces 4.4 lbs of garbage a day.

This astounds me, quite honestly, and I want to talk trash for a day.

It has been over five years since I last purchased garbage bags. I re-use the plastic bags from the grocery store. Also, I don't use plastic bags from the grocery store to take home my groceries but it seems that I have a never-ending supply of their bags. My mom saves and gives them to me and I suppose it's our way of working together to reduce and reuse, though I do most of the reducing and reusing.

It has been more than three years since I last had paper products in the house. I stopped using paper towels, paper plates, paper napkins, etc. back in 2008. There has never been a day, while cooking or cleaning, that I have wished for paper towels. And I have cloth napkins coming out of my ears. I also have a healthy collection of dish towels which really come in handy when I'm working in the kitchen. I need to buy towels which are dark instead of white so that I can't see the stains when they appear.

For the life of me, I cannot figure out how I produce 4.4 lbs of trash a day. I only take out my grocery-store-trash-bag about once every 3 or 4 weeks. In fact, I doubt that bag is even 4.4 lbs after a month of living under my sink. Sometimes I take out the trash just because it seems like a good idea, not because the bag is full. Also, I recycle Everything plus paper.

A benefit of buying so much of my food from local farmers is that I no longer produce as much trash as I did when I bought my food solely from the grocer. Take a look:

-I never ever produce trash when I drink milk, eat yogurt, use butter, buttermilk, whey, or homemade farmers cheese. The milk arrives in two glass containers and after they are emptied, I simply wash them and reuse them the next week. When I am processing the milk at home into its various forms, I use glass or stainless steel containers. Add up how much plastic I used to recycle or throw out in order to have products and it's astounding! How many containers do you use up for these products in a month?

-I get my honey from a local supplier in a glass jar and I have to return the jar to him in order to have it refilled. Honey is a staple in my home.

-Eggs come from Chef Helmut and he sends the eggs home to me in egg cartons which I return to be refilled. No trash (well, except for the egg shell which I will soon compost).

-I've taken to canning Marinara Sauce, Ketchup, BBQ Sauce, Roasted Red Peppers, and Salsa. When I use those items throughout the year there is no trash involved. I wash out the jar and reuse the lid on jars filled with dry goods.

-All summer I freeze produce from my garden as well as from Farmer's Market. The waste I produce in the summer is suitable for compost, but so far I throw it in the trash. Hopefully this year I will start a compost pile. Meanwhile, I fill my freezer with local produce to be used all winter. I do store the goods in plastic bags. However, once I have thawed and used the product I do not toss the bag. I will reuse that bag over and over until a hole appears, and then it is tossed in the garbage.

-When I get home from any trip to the grocer, I immediately de-plastic all of my groceries. I open up the chocolate chips and put them in a glass jar. I repeat this move with sugar, flour, oats, crackers, rice, popcorn, dried fruit, etc. Even on those days when all of that wrapping is landing in the trash, I still don't fill the container. What's fun, though, is the day that I bake or cook and realize on That day nothing went in the trash!

It seems that America's addiction to fast food, processed food, and our reliance on plastic as the only acceptable means to package food, has produced a country burdened with trash.

For the month of March I am going to "give up the grocery store" as it were. I will not buy any food at the grocer, but only from local farmers. I'm interested to see how much trash will leave my house during that time. My bet is that since not a lot of trash will be coming in, not very much will leave either.

What is your take on trash?

Pesto Chicken Pasta

2011-02-19T08:37:00.006-05:00

Earlier this week I spent the day cooking. I made several loaves of bread, the beet kvass, and three main dishes. When the meals have cooled from the hot oven, I portion them into small glass containers and freeze them in individual servings. The day before work I choose a meal, let it thaw overnight, and then take it to work with me. I really can't afford to eat where I work, even after my 50% off discount. Besides, this is what I did for the last six years of my life as a teacher.

Pesto Chicken Pasta

- 2 cups pastured chicken, cooked and diced

- 2-3 cups small pasta (I used tri-colored bow-tie from Meijer. I buy pasta with the least number of ingredients)

- 6-12 ounces artichokes, diced (depending on how much you love 'em)

- prepared pesto (I make pesto late in August and freeze it in small jars)

- parmesan cheese

- olive oil

- salt

Step 1: Assemble ingredients plus a pot for cooking the pasta and a pan for heating the rest of the ingredients.

Step 2: In pan, heat olive oil and toss in the cooked chicken, diced artichokes, and pesto. Heat through. You could even start with sauteing some onion first and then adding the remainder of the ingredients. Salt to taste.
Step 3: Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions.

Step 4: Mourn the fact that you did not preserve enough pesto. Make a mental note (maybe even a real note) to make more this year.

Step 5: Shred the parmesan with a red cheese shredder. Everything tastes better with red kitchen utensils. Trust me on this.

Step 6: If you're lucky, everything will be ready at the same moment. Drain the noodles and toss them in with the chicken and artichokes. Stir lightly until mixed well. Top with freshly shredded parmesan cheese.

What do you eat at work?

Pork Chops & Cabbage

2011-02-18T08:15:00.003-05:00

When I waitress at night I get really, really hungry. The smells in the kitchen combined with being on my feet for 8 or 9 hours makes me go a little crazy. Lately, I've been eating lunch later in the day in order to prolong my hunger at work.

I am trying to eat nutrient dense meals in order to give my body the type of energy it needs. And also, I spent the better part of January making fermented veggies and have since learned that I love them when paired with a yummy protein. I am noticing that the more I eat fermented veggies, the less I crave sugar. This is good news all by itself.

You will need:

- Boneless Pork Chops

- Homemade BBQ sauce

- Fermented cabbage

Step 1: Thaw the frozen chops that you purchased at the grocer a few weeks ago. I bought a package, divided them, and refroze them.
Step 2: Find your homemade BBQ sauce and admire it for a moment.

Step 3: I spooned the sauce into the baggie while it thawed so that it thawed and marinated at the same time for several hours.

Step 4: Preheat oven to 325.

Step 5: Bake the chops for about 25 minutes until cooked through.

Step 6: Find fermented red cabbage in the fridge. You may have thought you were pulling out the beets since they all look the same, but one taste and you realized it was cabbage.

Step 7: Make a nice little pile of cabbage on your plate and place the pork chop on top! Enjoy!

What do you eat for lunch? Does it keep you satisfied?

How to make Crispy Nuts

2011-02-17T09:22:00.007-05:00

According to WAPF, "Nuts are very nutritious foods, but like grains and legumes, nuts contain substances that can block the uptake of minerals and also irritate the digestive tract. Roasting eliminates some of these anti-nutrients, but the best way to prepare nuts is to make 'crispy nuts.' This preparation technique makes nuts much more digestible. Crispy nuts make an excellent snack especially when combined with cheese, whole raw milk or meat."

Crispy Nuts:
4 cups raw walnuts, pecans, almonds, macadamia nuts, cashews or peanuts
about 6 cups of warm water
2 tbls unrefined salt

Step 1: Assemble raw nuts, a clean towel, a large bowl, warm water, and salt. Oh, and a food dehydrator.

*The nuts pictured here were purchased at Meijer and were $3.99 for 16 ounces. The raw pecans were $7.99 so I didn't buy them.
Step 2: Pour the bag of raw nuts in a bowl and cover with warm water and sea salt. Cover with towel. Soak for 7 hours. (Soak cashews for only 6).

Step 3: Drain and rinse the soaked nuts.

Step 4: Arrange the nuts evenly on the trays of the food dehydrator. If you do not have a food dehydrator, you can spread the nuts on stainless steel baking sheets and place in a warm oven (150-170 degrees). My oven does not go that low nor do I have stainless steel baking sheets.

Step 5: Set the dehydrator to 155 degrees and leave the nuts alone for about 36 hours. The recipe says anywhere from 24-48 hours and I've found that the nuts are perfectly done around 36 hours. You'll know they are done when they are dry and break easily in your hands.

Step 6: Store in an airtight container. Don't worry about how long they'll last because you will eat them all before they have a chance to expire!

As I have slowly switched over to meals which are nutrient dense, I have also weaned myself from the need to snack. I also learned that it really was a need to snack and not a want. I was genuinely hungry throughout the day due to my nutrient poor meals. My cupboards have been slowly purged of snack food save for a few endorsed by Sally Fallon.

Apparently popcorn popped with a hot air popper is on the Good List.

This alone is good news.

I rarely snack now but sometimes after a very long shift I come home hungry. I started making Crispy Nuts and taking them to work in a little baggie. They are also great when I just need a little something to get me through the night to breakfast. I also add them to my oatmeal, crushed in salads, and this summer I will use them in pesto.

Almond Poppy Seed Muffins

2011-02-16T08:44:00.001-05:00

Through reading Nourishing Traditions I learned that it's important and vital to soak flour in whey overnight before baking with it. At first, I would only make recipes from the cookbook which reminded me to soak the flour overnight. Once, I was making my famous biscotti and realized that I didn't soak the flour and was unsure why it didn't occur to me.

I am getting better at this.
But only a little bit better.

As early as last week I knew that Monday was going to be a big cooking/baking day. I drew up a list of things to make, searched for all of the ingredients, and dedicated my day to the kitchen. I even wrote myself notes like, "Remember to make beet kvass on Monday" and "Soak 4.5 cups of flour for muffins and 3 cups of flour for bread."

I got home from work late Sunday evening, around 11:30 and in the previous 4.5 days I'd worked 42 hours. I was beat, is what I'm trying to tell you. So while I remembered to soak my flour overnight, I failed to notice that I used homemade lemonade instead of whey.

This is what the saying, "baby steps" means. Heh.

I used the flour anyway because lemons are acidic and they do the job just fine, even if the dough was a bit sticky!

Almond Poppy Seed Muffins from Two Sisters Cookbook

Wet Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of honey

1 cup butter, melted

3 eggs

1 3/4 cups milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 tsp almond extract

Dry Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups flour

2 tbls baking powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup poppy seeds

Step 1: Soak the flour overnight in whey (Ahem, not lemonade). For every 3 cups of flour, use 2 cups of whey/kefir/buttermilk/yogurt

Step 2: Assemble the remaining ingredients. Begin by mixing the wet ingredients and slowly mixing in the flour, followed by the dry ingredients.
Step 3: Bake muffins for 20 minutes at 350. The recipe claims that it will make 18 muffins.
Step 4: After you have made 18 muffins, you can also pour the remaining batter in a bread loaf and make Almond Poppy Seed Bread.
Step 5: Smother with homemade raw milk butter and enjoy!

Beet Kvass

2011-02-15T13:53:00.006-05:00

I had never heard of Beet Kvass until I attended the Wise Traditions Conference last November. It was there, on our breaks between sessions, that Debra and I wandered around, mouths agape, looking for something to drink. There was plenty of raw milk, kefir, kombucha, and yes, beet kvass.

We never did get around to trying it.

Last week, however, I realized that I had 3 quarts of fermented beets in my fridge and another 3 lbs of beets in my crisper. I had absolutely no idea what to do with the beets until I remembered Beet Kvass.

I turned to Sally Fallon (whom my mother refers to as my Bible Study Leader) and found the recipe.

I made it yesterday.

Beet Kvass:

3 medium or 2 large organic beets, peeled and chopped up coarsely

1/4 cup whey

1 tablespoon sea salt

filtered water

Step one: Assemble beets, peeler, cutting board, water, salt, and whey.

Step two: Ensure that you are, in fact, using whey and not lemonade. They look similar, you see, and sometimes late at night people may or may not get them confused. Not that I know of any such person or have ever done that myself.

Step three: Ask your mom (who happens to be over for the day) to peel and chop the beets. Make her some coffee for her efforts. While you're at it, pour yourself a cup too.

Step four: Divide the beets between two one-quart jars. Add 2 tbls of whey to each jar. Add salt to each jar. Add water to each jar. You get the idea.

Step five: Set on counter for two days and then transfer to fridge.

Step six: Drink one four-ounce glass morning, noon, and night to promote regularity, digestion, and to clean the liver.

Fallon continues, "This drink is valuable for its medicinal qualities and as a digestive aid. Beets are just loaded with nutrients. [A small glass 3x a day] is an excellent blood tonic,... alkalizes the blood,... and is a good treatment for kidney stones and other ailments. Beet kvass may also be used in place of vinegar in salad dressings and as an addition to soups."

She also says, "When most of the liquid has been drunk, you may fill up the container with water and keep at room temperature another two days. The resulting brew will be slightly less strong than the first. After the second brew, discard the beets and start again. You may, however, reserve some of the liquid and use this as your inoculant instead of the whey."

Bottoms up!

Making Farmer's Cheese

2011-02-09T11:49:00.012-05:00

Since I began receiving my weekly raw milk supply from Green Pastures, I have also been teaching myself a variety of new techniques in the kitchen. If you told me in October that I'd make my own yogurt or cheese or butter, I'd have told you that I'm lactose intolerant and have no use for milk.

I was wrong.

It turns out that I became lactose intolerant when my family sold the dairy farm and my Mom had to buy pasteurized milk at the grocer. And now that I am back on raw milk I have absolutely no problems with digestion or stomach cramping. Amazing.

However, I do live alone and the weekly allotment of milk overwhelms me each and every Saturday. What am I going to do with all this milk?!

I'm going to play!

How to make Farmer's Cheese:

Step 1: Assemble a large pot, 8 cups of milk, vinegar, cheese cloth, a strainer, and a glass of wine.

Step 2: Pour 8 cups of milk (1/2 gallon) into large pot and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the milk from scorching on the bottom of the pot.
Step 3: Drink wine.

Step 4: When the milk begins to boil (small bubbles will appear at the edges) remove milk from heat and add 4 tablespoons of vinegar. The milk will begin to curdle within 10 minutes.

Step 5: Have some more wine. Pictured here is homemade Peach Wine.

Step 6: Cut out a square of cheesecloth large enough to line the strainer.

Step 7: Line the strainer with the cheesecloth and place over a large bowl.

Step 8: Pour curdled milk through cheesecloth.

Step 9: Squeeze the cheese until no more whey drips out. In this attempt, the cheesecloth folded over at some point and the cheese started to spill out. And here I was trying to show my guests how 'easy' it is to make cheese at home.

Step 10: You've made Farmer's Cheese!

Step 11: You've also made about 6-7 cups of whey! Freeze whey in small portions and use in a variety of recipes. In the summer, you can pour the whey over the vegetables in your garden for added nutrition.
Farmer's Cheese has the consistency of ricotta cheese. On this night, we immediately added an egg, some herbs, and mozzarella cheese to our homemade cheese and used the mixture in a delightful Roasted Vegetarian Lasagna. Only two ingredients came from the store: the noodles and the mozzarella.

According to Nourishing Traditions, "Research has shown that regular consumption of cultured dairy products lowers cholesterol and protects against bone loss. In addition, cultured dairy products provide beneficial bacteria and lactic acid to the digestive tract. These friendly creatures and their by-products keep pathogens at bay, guard against infectious illness and aid in the fullest possible digestion of all food we consume." - Sally Fallon

Pancakes

2011-01-31T10:14:00.009-05:00

I make yogurt on Mondays. There have been weeks when I make it on a Tuesday but I never, ever make it on Sunday. Yet it was Sunday afternoon when I realized that I was out of yogurt, oatmeal, and down to only one egg. Oops.

Lately I've realized that I rarely go to the grocery store. I have a refrigerator full of fermented veggies, a freezer full of frozen fruit, and cupboards full of homemade canned goods. Every Saturday I get a new shipment of milk and I just have to call Chef Helmut for more eggs. When I want more fresh vegetables I call Visser Farms and reserve a Veggie Box for pick-up on Friday (which I just received a few days ago).

When I realized late Sunday afternoon that I didn't have anything to eat for breakfast this morning I was only concerned for a moment. I refused to go to the grocery store - that just was not an option. And while I've never been a fan of pancakes because I am not a fan of soggy bread (which is what pancakes taste like to me) I thought I'd give pancakes one more chance.

Step 1: Assemble the following ingredients: apples, an egg, buttermilk, and flour.

Step 2: Pancake recipe from Nourishing Traditions-
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp butter

Step 3: Peel and chop apples and toss into pot. Add 1 tsp cinnamon. This will top the pancakes. Simmer down to desired consistency.

Step 4: Mix together the flour & buttermilk. Soak overnight.

Step 5: In the morning, mix butter, egg, baking soda, and salt with flour mixture. Pour batter into a skillet and fry. I made my pancakes quite crispy!

Step 6: Top pancakes with butter, Grade B Maple Syrup, and cinnamon apples. Serve with a side of bacon. Enjoy!

I have to say that I loved every single bite, which surprised me. They were crispy and very flavorful. I have enough batter to make pancakes for at least 2 more days!

Soaked Oats

2011-01-27T08:14:00.008-05:00

After I returned from the Wise Traditions Conference I was determined to switch my meals to Nutrient Dense meals. I heard a great analogy at the conference, "Think of your body as a fire. When we feed our body mostly processed foods and sugars we are trying to feed our fire with paper. We are never fully satisfied with our meals and therefore we continue to eat. Instead, it's best to feed the body logs. Eat nutrient dense meals three times a day and you won't have the urge to snack."

For 15+ years I ate Grape Nuts and Vanilla yogurt for breakfast. I thought this was a healthy meal. And then I read about how cereal is created via heat extraction and how bad cereal is for digestion. I started making yogurt about 6 weeks ago. I also started to make my own breakfast cereal from scratch, as well as eating eggs and bacon once or twice a week.

The biggest change for me has been eating oatmeal and yogurt about 5 mornings a week.

The first time I tried to buy rolled oats at Meijer I stared at the 6 shelves of oatmeal options and was completely overwhelmed. It turns out that I bought the wrong kind! I bought instant and wasn't suppose to. The second time I tried I was successful at buying steel cut oats. Last week I tried another kind - Bob's Red Mill whole oats.

The key to eating oatmeal the Weston A Price way is to soak the oats overnight. According to Nourishing Traditions (a cookbook by Sally Fallon and founder of the WAPF) this is why we must soak our non-instant oats, "All grains contain phytic acid (an organic acid in which phosphorus is bound) in the outer layer or bran. Untreated phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, and especially zinc in the intestinal tract and block absorption. This is why a diet high in unfermented whole grains may lead to serious mineral deficiencies and bone loss." She continues to say, "Soaking allows enzymes, lactobacilli and other helpful organisms to break down and neutralize the phytic acid."

Once a week I soak enough oats for the week using a recipe from Healthy 4 Life (another publication by WAPF).

You will need:

- 2 cups rolled oats or steel cut oats (not quick oats)

- 2 tbls yogurt or whey or lemon juice or vinegar

- 2 cups warm water

- a mason jar
Step 1: Combine 2 cups water, 2 tbls yogurt (or whatever you're using), and 2 cups oats.

Step 2: Set on counter overnight.

Step 3: In the morning, bring an additional 2 cups of water to boil and add soaked oats. Cook for 10 minutes.

I also add cinnamon and slivered almonds to my oats as they are cooking. When finished I put some oatmeal, yogurt, and swirls of honey in a bowl. It's awesome and keeps me satisfied for about 6 hours. Talk about a nutrient dense meal!

I put the remainder of the oatmeal in the fridge and warm each morning as needed. When I'm lucky, I use up my yogurt and oatmeal at the same rate!

A "Nourishing Traditions" Meal

2011-01-26T08:33:00.013-05:00

The other day Debra and I were discussing "eating the Weston Price way" - you know, like normal sisters do. Right?

Debra had a really busy season of Holiday-ness and January was topsy-turvy too, so I invited my sister and her family over for a meal straight out of "Healthy 4 Life" - a cookbook published by the Weston A Price Foundation. While her last six weeks have been crazy, I've been cooking, processing, and prepping in the kitchen.

Meatloaf from Healthy 4 Life:

- 1.5 lbs ground beef (I used 2 lbs. Also, my beef was a donation from my mother one day when I cleaned her house. She bought a cow from her neighbor so this is local beef!)

- 2 eggs (I buy mine from a local chef)

- 1 cup bread crumbs (I used gluten free crumbs for Debra)

- 1/2 cup cream (over the last two days I've been skimming the cream off the top of my raw milk)

- 1 small onion, chopped (I chop and freeze onions a dozen at a time throughout the summer. Mine are from Visser Farms)

- 2 tsp dried fresh herbs (I grew parsley on my patio all summer and dehydrated it myself)

- 1 tsp unrefined salt

- 1 jar organic tomato paste

Step 1: Assemble ingredients (and take pride in how local they are! Or how they came from your garden!).

Step 2: Mix beef, onions, eggs, herbs and salt together.

Step 3: In separate bowl, mix cream and crumbs together. Let sit for a minute and then add to beef mixture.

Step 4: Shape into a loaf and place in a greased Pyrex pan.

Step 5: Enlist the help of your 2 year old niece.

Step 6: Say "yes!" when your 7 year old niece wants to spread the tomato paste over the top of the loaf.

Step 7: Bake for one hour at 350 degrees.

And here is when the beautiful meal came together in a way that serves our bodies best. The meatloaf was served with baked sweet potato smeared in raw homemade butter. Also, a side of cooked carrots and sauerkraut.

The 2 year old niece was singing and humming while she ate dinner! What great little noises for an Auntie to hear!

For dessert I thawed several cups of peaches which I bought at Farmers Market last summer. I have about 120 cups of peeled, quartered, and frozen peaches in my deep freeze. The 7 yo and I mixed raw milk with our peaches and I must say that it was amazing. And it's good to eat cream with peaches because the animal fat helps to slow the introduction of sugar (from the peaches) into the blood stream. Bonus!

______________________

After spending a weekend at the Wise Traditions Conference (put on by the Weston A Price Foundation) I left completely overwhelmed. I wondered how to follow so many "rules" at meal time or how to squeeze in the time to do so much planned ahead prep-work. It turns out that these things have come naturally to me and I am thriving in the kitchen. What I love about this meal is that it's the sort of meal that my Grandma or Mom would make but with just a few twists. Turns out they know what they're doing!

How to make Raw Milk Yogurt

2011-01-25T11:07:00.011-05:00

What you need:

- 3.5 cups of raw milk

- a quart-sized mason jar

- a candy thermometer

- 2 tbls yogurt starter*

- pots

Step 1: Boil 4 cups of water and pour it into the mason jar in order to sterilize it. I also stick the thermometer in there to have it sterilized as well. We don't want any bacteria to ruin the yogurt cultures.

Step 2: Pour the extra hot water into your mug and make some tea, preferably Chai.

Step 3: Boil water to 110 degrees. Normally, my water gets too hot so I have to cool it to 110 with more water. So I boil about half the water that I need. You'll need enough water to fill your crock pot minus the mason jar - maybe 10 cups?

Step 4: Bring 3.5 cups of raw milk to 110 degrees.

Step 5: Drink Chai.

Step 6: When milk has reached 110 degrees, add 2 tbls of yogurt culture to the milk and mix well.

Step 7: Pour the milk/yogurt mixture into sterilized mason jar.

Step 8: Put mason jar into a crock pot inside of a beach/picnic cooler. Fill the crock pot with 110 degree water, ensuring that the water covers the yogurt. You do not need to put a lid on the yogurt but I do in order to make sure no water gets in the yogurt.

Step 9: Shut the cooler for 8 hours in order to let the yogurt cultures inoculate the milk.

Step 10: Remove yogurt from it's humid home and move to fridge. Remove 2 tbls of yogurt and freeze in order to use to start your next batch.
Step 11: Enjoy yogurt with honey or fruit!

*I used Brown Cow Organic Plain Yogurt as my initial starter culture. I bought a pint and froze it in small glass jars. I used one starter, and now I use a starter from the previous week. When my yogurt becomes thin and runny then I'll use a new starter from Brown Cow.

Glass Jars

2011-01-24T13:47:00.006-05:00

This morning I took pictures of my fridge. I'm sure this makes me weird, among other things.

I wanted to show you what my fridge looks like after I've been working these last weeks on making so much from scratch. Also, I've run out of glass jars. Soon you'll see why.

Pictured above from left to right: dried apricots (the package said to refrigerate after opening), fermented red cabbage, sauerkraut, chicken broth, and fermented beets.

Pictured above from left to right: whey, raw milk, fermented turnips with beets, chicken broth, and fermented beets (again). The tall glass container in the back left is lemonade and the pitcher on the right in the back is more raw milk.

The middle shelf is housing my yogurt culture and my local eggs. Usually there is also a mason jar filled with yogurt and another glass container filled with steel cut oatmeal. I finished them both for breakfast today.

In the crisper, underneath, I have whole wheat tortillas, radishes, and home made butter. On the door I have vats of animal fat/grease used when I cook, some beer, homemade french dressing, and parmesan cheese (the real kind).

What does your fridge look like?

Fermented Red Cabbage

2011-01-23T12:30:00.008-05:00

Saturday afternoon I made Fermented Red Cabbage!

Step 1: Buy a red cabbage from a local farmer. I bought this one from Visser Farms, of course!

Step 2: Halve the cabbage and the cut out the core.

Step 3: Cut each half into smaller sections.

Step 4: Shred the pretty cabbage in a food processor, preferably a red one.

Step 5: Place the shredded cabbage in a large bowl. Procure a wooden mallet, or in my case, a potato masher.

Step 6: Add 4 tbls whey and 1 tbls sea salt

Step 7: Mash the mixture with all of your might. Your arms will hurt. You might even cuss. I even stopped for a bit and took a nap.

Step 8: Eventually you will note that liquid appears. You will sing praises to your Creator.

Step 9: Place the mixture into a quart-sized mason jar. It will fit; I promise.

Step 10: Set the jar on the counter for 3ish days and then transfer to the fridge. The cabbage will keep for several months and will be ready to eat in a few weeks.

Fermented Beets and Fermented Turnips

2011-01-22T10:27:00.017-05:00

As I mentioned in my previous post I do not have a digital camera. I've been doing plenty of exciting things in the kitchen and I so wish I could've documented it all for you in the form of pictures. Yesterday, my sister Debra loaned me their extra camera and I set right to work!

__________

My New Years Resolution for 2011 is to get off of sugar and to add fermented veggies to my meals. Yesterday I made fermented beets and turnips and they should be ready to eat in just a few weeks.

On the left are my local turnips and on the right are my local beets. They came last week in my "Veggie Box" from Visser Farms.

I peeled them with my brand new veggie peeler.

And then sliced them. Actually, I made two versions. In one version I used mostly sliced turnips and a few beets.

In the second version I used mostly shredded beets and a few turnips.

In the sliced version, I added whey (leftover from when I made cheese) and some sea salt and they will set on the counter for 3 days and then move to the fridge.

In the shredded version I pounded them with a potato masher along with some sea salt. I put both versions in glass jars and now I just wait until they are nicely fermented!

Recipe from "Healthy 4 Life" a publication of the WAP Foundation:
Pickled Beets

about 2 lbs beets

1 1/2 tbls sea salt

one quart jar

Peel the beets and cut off the ends. Hand grate them or use a food processor. Transfer the beets to a large bowl, sprinkling with salt as you go. Pound with a wooden mallet until the juices appear. Transfer to glass jar, pushing them down as you go. The top of the beets should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar and the liquid should cover the beets. Transfer the jar to the fridge and the beets will be ready in 1-4 weeks.

Recipe from "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon

Pickled Turnips

2 1/2 cups turnips, peeled and sliced

3/4 cup beets, peeled and sliced

1 medium onion, peeled and sliced (I omitted this)

1 tbls sea salt

4 tbls whey or 1 additional tbls salt

1 cup filtered water

one quart jar

Mix vegetables and place in a quart-sized, wide mouth jar. Press down lightly with a wooden pounder. Mix water with whey and salt and pour over vegetables. The top of the veggies should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and leave at room temperature for 3 days and then transfer to cold storage.

It's broke

2011-01-05T11:30:00.003-05:00

I've not been blogging because my digital camera is broken. I would LOVE to take pics of how I make yogurt and cheese and butter. I'd love to show you how I made sauerkraut last week. Last night I made Crispy Nuts and at this very moment I am making Breakfast Cereal. I'd love to tell you all of these things but it's just no fun without pictures! My camera is busted. For good.

Do you know of anyone who received a new camera for Christmas and they don't know what to do with their old one? I'm not in a financial place to buy a new one and would LOVE a donation!

Also, my oven light burned out.

My DVD/VHS home theater system has been laid to rest.

My patio door is broken and locked in place with a 2x4.

I could use some shelving in my laundry room.

The toilet in my guest bathroom WAS broken but I've since fixed it. :)

After 4 months of having a busted kitchen sink I finally got that fixed too!

The filters on my heater need to be changed. Badly.

I need help and there's no two ways about it. I'm no good at asking for help either so this is my small and simple way of doing so.

Raw Milk By-products

2010-12-21T21:09:00.003-05:00

On December 11, 2010 I received my first share of Raw Milk!

I've been playing ever since. So far I've made Yogurt, Butter, and Farmer's Cheese.

Yogurt -

For about two weeks prior to my first raw milk delivery I spent hours online reading recipes, tips, and advice on how to make yogurt from raw milk. When the day finally came for me to make it at home I combined several recipes together...and held my breath.

First, I sterilize a quart jar and candy thermometer with boiling water. Meanwhile, I warm 4 cups of raw milk over medium heat until it reaches 110 degrees. Also, in a separate pot I am warming about 8-10 cups of water to 110 degrees.

When the milk reaches 110 degrees I remove it from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons of plain organic yogurt (and now that I've made yogurt I can save 2 tablespoons from this batch and use it as starter for the next batch and so on and so forth until the yogurt is too runny. Then use a store bought plain organic yogurt again).

Pour the heated milk into the sterilized quart jar. Put this jar into a crock pot. Fill the crock pot with the water warmed to 110 degrees. Put the crock pot inside of a summer cooler and shut the lid tightly. Leave alone for 8 hours. Remove the yogurt and put in the fridge to thicken a bit more! YUM!

Butter -

The first time I tried to make butter I skimmed the heavy cream from my raw milk and ... you know what? It's a long and sorry story and I'll skip it altogether.

The 2nd time I tried I went to the store and bought heavy cream. Then I went to my sister's house to use her Kitchen Aid Mixer. I warmed the cream up a bit by using a hot water bath. The cream should be between 60-65 degrees. I poured the cream into the mixer and turned it to high. Within about 90 seconds we made whipped cream and by 3 minutes we had BUTTER!

Using a spatula I pushed all the butter over to one side of the bowl and poured out the buttermilk, which I saved and later froze for future use. Then I poured ice cold water into the bowl until it nearly covered the butter. This step is necessary in order to continue pulling the butter milk from the butter. If butter milk is left in the butter then the butter will spoil quickly. Also, the water will not mix with the butter so it helps to speed up the process.

I put the mixer to medium and whipped the butter for a minute or two. I poured the water down the drain. I did this step about three times until the water runs clear. Finally, push the rest of the water out with the spatula and VIOLA! Butter!

When my 2nd batch of Raw Milk arrived 4 days ago I immediately poured the milk into wide mouth containers so that I could easily skim the cream off the top. For the last 3 days I have been skimming the cream off and pouring it into a separate jar. When the jar was full (about 2 cups) I took the heavy cream to my sister's house in order to use her mixer again. However, this time I forgot the thermometer and the cream was too cold. I blended it for 10 minutes (if not more!) and it never became butter, only whipped cream. I returned home, warmed the cream in a warm water bath and tried again. It worked! In less than 2 minutes I had butter! I followed the steps through to finish (drained the butter milk and used cold water to press out more butter milk). Tonight I successfully made butter from raw milk! Yeah!

Farmer's Cheese -

I used 8 cups of raw milk, a pinch of salt, and gently warmed it over medium heat until it just barely started to boil and bubble. Remove from heat and add 2 tablespoons vinegar. The cheese will curdle within 10 minutes (if not immediately). Pour through a strainer lined with cheese cloth. The liquid is whey and is fantastic in other recipes and full of nutrients. Whey can be frozen. Using a spoon or your hand, push the cheese against the cheese cloth to squeeze out more whey. Then wrap the cheese cloth around the cheese and squeeze hard! This will make about 1 cup of cheese.

Farmer's Cheese is a cross between ricotta and cream cheese. It is bland by itself but many people mix in herbs to create new flavors. Apparently it also melts well and is good for pasta dishes.

No Shopping Confessions

2010-11-22T15:24:00.004-05:00

It took until the middle of this summer to realize what was happening. And while I've not officially given up buying clothes again - it does seem as though I've done the next best thing which is to say that I've not bought very many clothes. At all.

This restriction was not intentional or even thought out. It just happened. I think when the first rumblings of losing my job started in March I realized that I should conserve my resources for better things besides new and pretty clothes. And honestly, most days I look into my closet and feel as though I own too many clothes. My mother gets annoyed with how often I want to get rid of things. But having less makes me happier. Having more makes me feel...crowded.

I've never been a believer in retail therapy (though I am related to people who seem to find great comfort in it). Shopping makes me feel horribly guilty. The moment I take something home I feel as though I've wasted money and should return said item. So I think subconsciously (or consciously, who's to say for sure?) I wanted to buy things with intention. I mean, I wanted to buy things that I needed, not just things that I wanted. Okay, I bought one thing that I wanted. I'll tell you about that later.

I just went through my closet and drawers and made a list of my purchases for 2010:

Pajamas - $5 at Meijer last winter

Denim Dress - I bought this specifically to wear during Spring Break. I ran all over town for a day looking for the right dress. I found it at the local GAP outlet and paid too much for it. I love it.

Gray work out pants - $10 at Meijer

Two work out shirts - $30 at Target (that's my best guess, at least)

Two work out undergarments - $40 at Target (also a best guess)

Running shorts - $15 at Target

Running shoes - $100 at Gizelle Sports

Summer pajamas - 50% off at a GAP outlet

Red cotton dress - $13 at Meijer

2 pairs of leggings - $20 at Kohls

Four summer t-shirts to wear everyday - $40-$50 total

Beach cover-up - a total waste of money but seemed like a good idea at the time. Bah.

Yoga pants - 50% off at a GAP outlet and worth every penny

Black pants - $15 at Target. I bought these for my AlpenRose uniform.

That's it.

And I still have a closet full of clothes that are never worn because I am not teaching this year. Most days I don't wake up and put on teacher clothes. No, most days I wake up and put on those yummy yoga pants or my black pants I bought for waitressing. I am incredibly tempted to purge my closet of teacher clothes, but I won't. I will admit, though, that looking at them every day does make me quite sad.

As you can see I also spent a good amount of money on Exercise Things. I wish I could tell you that I am still working out, but I'm not. That ship sailed when I had to get up at 5 a.m. every day and then stand on my feet for 9 hours. I'm hoping to pick up the exercise habit again within the next few weeks, even if it just means an hour on the Wii.

I'd like to think that what I am experiencing this year is a residual effect of giving up clothes 4 years ago. It just feels right (to me) to live on less. I want to keep living on less. I will admit, however, that sometimes when I go a great length of time living under restriction that I just want to Break Free and Go Crazy! I get such a strong desire to go out and spend money for the sake of spending money. Lately, though, I'm living on 40% of my previous income so there isn't any extra money to go out and spend. And while it is good for me to practice restraint from time to time that doesn't mean I enjoy it every day. Just most days.

I'm interested to see what my spending habits will be like over the next year or so. I do hope to get a teaching job next fall and I wonder how my life will change if my income also changes? Or will this simple way of living continue and become my normal way of life?

Pastured Chicken and Chicken Broth

2010-11-18T15:52:00.012-05:00

Today was my very first attempt at roasting pastured chicken and then making chicken broth. I did just a little bit of research including requesting advice and tips on facebook. I'm sure that counts as research.

Here is what I did:

The recipe called for a clove of garlic (I used organic chopped garlic), 1/4 cup fresh parsley (I used dried parsley from my garden), pepper, sea salt, and 1/4 cup of butter.

A few weeks ago I asked my Dad to pick up some chicken for me during his weekly run to get Debra's raw milk share. Featured in today's recipe are 4 boneless chicken breasts from Grassfields farms. I didn't know they were boneless until today. Oh well.

My pot (purchased in Philadelphia!).

I roasted the chicken at 300 degrees for 35 minutes. First, I melted the butter and added the ingredients listed above and brushed it all over the chicken. And with about 10 minutes left to go, I did that again. I will also publicly admit that I used "fake" chicken broth while roasting it (from Trader Joe's) because it's boneless and I needed some broth!

After the chicken was done, I skinned it and found the fatty parts I don't want and added them back to the pan. I also chopped up some onion and tossed that in there too. I simmered this for close to two hours - occasionally adding more water.

Meanwhile, I diced the chicken breast and then tossed it in my homemade BBQ sauce! I also boiled some potatoes too. Tomorrow for lunch: bbq chicken and potatoes sauteed in bacon grease.

After about two hours I removed the broth from the stove and fixed up a way to pour it into a jar through a strainer. It made about 1 cup, maybe a smidge more.

All in all, I'm pleased as punch.

Wise Traditions: Day 3 & 4

2010-11-17T10:15:00.005-05:00

I've decided there is no possible way for me to reproduce my notes for you here. I mean, I heard fantastic speakers morning, noon, and night and took pages of notes on them all. Or, instead of taking notes I got the hand out and followed along as best I could. What I can do for you, instead, is talk about some of the main points I took away from the conference.

Sally spent three sessions discussing the work and research of Dr. Price. Dr. Price was a Dentist in the 1920s and 1930s who wanted to find a cure for cavities. He decided that there must be people some where with good dental health and he went in search of them! He travelled around the world with his camera and took pictures of children and adults and their teeth. He interviewed families and took copious notes on his findings. In all, he found only 14 cultures that had been untouched by Westernized processed foods. And while those cultures had nothing in common culturally-speaking, they had one thing in common - their diet.

And I'm here to tell you that a picture is worth a thousand words. It doesn't take much convincing to return to a traditional diet after seeing the pictures that the good Doctor took. Full smiles with beautiful straight teeth. Perfectly round faces with enough room for all those straight teeth. And then there were pictures of the children from the same villages or surrounding areas whose parents had already transitioned to the Western diet. Their teeth were crooked and horrible. By the 2nd generation their faces had narrowed so much that "their jaws hung on their skull" - and this is how we define beauty today! Yet, having a narrow jaw and small chin makes us prone to numerous health problems. The Queen Mother of Hormone Glands sits on the back side of your jaw bone and when the jaw is too narrow the gland doesn't have enough room. This squished gland can lead to allergies, asthma and other health problems. And, when the jaw is too narrow the teeth grow in crazy ways and wisdom teeth become impacted. In one traditional culture, there was a high suicide rate among the teenagers because their teeth hurt so much!

So - what are the common elements of the traditional diet? For the full list you can go to this website: Weston A Price Foundation. Or, I'll write about how this lecture has already impacted me.

1) Return to raw milk.

God did not make a mistake when he created milk with butterfat. Science does not need to "improve" it by pasteurizing it or removing the fat from it. For thousands of years cultures drank milk straight from the cow, yet in my parents lifetime this became unacceptable and even illegal in some states! Now, all milk has to be pasteurized and homogenized in order to be bought and sold in stores (at last in Michigan). Milk is natures perfect food and does not need to be tampered with. Drink raw milk from pastured cows.

2) Eat by-products of pastured animals.

Not only should we drink raw milk from cows raised on pasture (instead of grain) but we should also consume raw butter and raw sour cream and raw yogurt and raw kefir and raw cheese from these same cows. Raw is better for our health, for our nutrition, and most importantly - our bodies know exactly what to do with the ingredients in raw milk. When we denature food through pasteurization or removing the good fat then our bodies are thrown into confusion and they have to fight harder for the nutrients they crave.

3) Get off sugar.

4) Eat fermented vegetables.

Some veggies are best eaten raw - like leaf lettuce. Other veggies are best eaten cooked - like potatoes or eggplant. And still other vegetables are best eaten if they are fermented - like carrots, cabbage, beets, etc. Fermentation allows the enzymes naturally present in food to begin digestion before you start to eat. Eating fermented vegetables, like sauerkraut, actually enhances the vegetable and the nutrients your body will derive from eating them. Apparently traditional diets had already figured this out and I'm not sure why we've travelled so far from this. Yes, it will take a retraining of our sweetened taste buds but it is certainly possible and GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH. As I've mentioned in previous posts it is my goal for 2011 to ferment vegetables.

5) Eat animal fat/animal by-products/bone broth.

Again, these are the foods our bodies were designed to eat. Dr. Price could not find one single vegetarian diet during his travels. All cultures consume animal products in some way, even if it means eating insects or sea worms. The cells in our bodies need fat and yes, they need cholesterol to live a long and healthy life. Give your cells what they need. Make 'em happy. Eat pastured meat and make bone broth from the carcass.

6) Stay away from carbs and yes, even fruit. Okay, moderate your fruit intake. This was especially hard for me to hear because I pride myself on the amount of fruit I eat in a day.

Sally stressed several times the importance of following a traditional diet and her reasons really shook me up. Studies have been done on rats and mice who are given a diet based on processed foods. And, like humans, the effects began in the 2nd generation. The rats lost their hair and had other abnormalities. Most frightening, however, was the fact that the 3rd generation lost the ability to reproduce itself. There was wide spread infertility. And, in humans we've already seen this trend. Additionally, women who are raised on a Western diet have an oval cervix instead of a round one which can lead to problems during labor and delivery.

To be sure, there is more that I learned but those are the things I am working through right now. I'm seriously considering buy a cow share so that I can get my hands on pastured raw milk. Until last weekend I had not had a glass of milk in over 20 years because I was told that I am lactose intolerant. And it's true, when my family switched from drinking raw milk to store-bought milk I definitely could no longer process it. I was 12. I drank raw milk - straight from the cow - from age 6 - 12 and am now considering making the switch back. I'd love to make my own yogurt and butter but we'll take this one step at a time.

Several months ago I made the switch to pastured chickens and eggs. Tomorrow I am going to roast 4 chicken breasts and Friday I'll try my hand at making bone broth.

If I have learned anything on this journey it's to take the time to process new information instead of changing everything at once. If I try to do too much at once I get overwhelmed and can't manage all the new changes.

I'd love to hear your feedback, thoughts, questions, and ideas.

To our health!