It was one of those mornings where you just know it's going to be a good day. The morning news reported that it was 27 degrees outside and that we would warm up to 50 or so by the time the afternoon rolled around. We were still snuggled in and not really ready to leave the warmth of the blankets behind. As most people do, we discussed what plans the day held for us and with that talk, we began to feel restless and before long we were dressed and downstairs preparing to head over to the meat market.
I went outside and started the truck so it could warm up while we got ready. Yes, it's that time of year for us here in middle TN. Each morning, the woods are coated with white frost and the ground sparkles as the suns shines down on it, gently melting the frost away as we watch. We park with our windshields aiming towards the rising sun so the frost there will melt too. This winter weather takes forethought, or at the very least, much extra time in the morning if you plan to leave the farm.
You don't even consider going outside without a coat, scarf and gloves unless you're just plain used it, which I'm not. Even if your only thought is getting the truck warmed up, you'll want to dress for the occasion. When you see your breath, you know it's coat weather! The dogs don't seem to mind the cold indeed they seem to enjoy it. They jump up and down at the sight of us and wag their tails to no end until we go give them a good morning pat on the head or scratch down the back. They don't know it yet, but we're on our way to get them more bones!
All bundled up, truck warmed up, heater on and ready to go, we leave the farm just a few minutes before 7:00am. The meat market opens at 7:00 and if you're late, you may not get a sausage biscuit - you don't want to miss out on those! Just ask Dizzy Debbie if you don't believe me! lol The trip is about 15 miles from the house, which isn't bad at all when you consider the haul you're fixing to bring home. The roads are empty, maybe one or two cars pass us - if that. Around here, one or two cars means someone left the gate open... lol!
There is a hunter on the side of the road, orange vest on and rifle over his shoulder. Whether he got a deer or not, we can't tell. We don't see one near him if he did, but perhaps he's just getting started on his hunt. The church parking lot is empty at this hour but later on we know it will be packed. As we drive by, we see smoke rising from the chimneys of the houses where a nice fire is keeping the residents warm within. I close my eyes and imagine I smell bacon frying...mmmm what a nice morning it is.
We turn on the dirt road that leads to the market and we see a horse standing out in the cold. He's as close to the shed as he can get but won't go inside even though there's room for him. I guess he doesn't like the tractor and boat that he has to share space with. Maybe he just wants to feel the sun on his back as it begins to win over the coldness of the morning.
There are mowed hay fields, split rail fences that keep the cows in their pastures, there are tractors and wagons and old farm trucks all parked and waiting for the work ahead that the daylight hours surely will bring. It seems like we're the only two people on earth at a time like this. It's not a disturbing thought lol!
The meat market doesn't disappoint us. We each have a sausage biscuit and move on down the line ordering the beef, pork, rabbit (well, not for me but others buy it), etc. as we go. For me it was hamburger meat, a nice beef roast, a package of stew meat and a small package of souse. Souse? Have you ever had it? It's kind of like sausage but not exactly. I don't know how else to describe it but it's good. Fresh off the farm is better than any souse I've ever tasted. My mom has had it and she likes it too so I'm not the only one who eats strange foods :) I bet Rebecca would love it. We slice it thin and put it on crackers or toast. You can heat it up or eat it cold - either way, it's good!
Because we bought so much stuff, the meat man threw in a free jar of molasses! It's way too sweet for the diabetic in our house, but I can enjoy it on pancakes, in bran muffins, or mixed with a little bit of butter on my biscuit. Oh the delights we get from the trip to the meat market! Once you've been, you have to go back! The dogs made out like little bandits as the meat man hooked us up with about 30 lbs of bones to go along with our purchases - pretty cool, huh? :) :) :) :) happy happy happy!
Back home on the farm, our purchases boxed up and a bag of bones in the back, we get everything unloaded, feed the horses and give the dogs their bones! They were so excited they were finding it difficult to sit still. They did sit still however, otherwise, they wouldn't get the bones. They're learning! Good boys!
Inside the cabin is warm as I begin to fix breakfast. We're not all that hungry after eating the sausage biscuits at the meat market so breakfast is light. We're having thinly sliced baked ham with mayonnaise biscuits - maybe just a drizzle of honey?? mmm oh yeah, on a hot biscuit - Any Day!!
Wally goes down to the barn to work on his truck while I get started on my chicken broth. I still make it every week and I still consume about a cup or so a day. I don't know if it's working or not but my joints don't seem to be having near the trouble they used to. Not only that but it's warm, warm, warm and that's a good thing on a cold, cold, morning haha! Brew yourself a pot and see if you don't start to look forward to it every day :) If nothing else, you'll think about me! lol
I had much to do in the kitchen as we were invited to Pee Wee's for a brunch of sorts. It actually turned into a late lunch but that's just the way things go sometimes. I brought some of our ham, green bean casserole, dressing and cranberry sauce. I had already cooked some turnips for Darryl so everything was set out by the time we arrived. On Sunday Pee Wee's doesn't open until 1:00pm so by the time we got there at almost 2:00, the place was packed. The word packed has a whole different meaning at Pee Wee's Place. If there are 10-15 people, it's packed lol!
We had a good time. The food was good, the people were having fun and everyone seemed to be feeling the holiday spirit. With our bellies full and the bad news about the Packers losing their first game of the year, we headed on down the back roads to home. Football isn't as big here as NASCAR is but when the racing season is through, everyone seems to like football - you gotta have something! What else is there to watch on Sunday? During racing season our Sunday's revolve around what time the race comes on. We want to be in front of the tv for every mile of it :)
This is one of my last three days of working this year. It's Tuesday and I'm off tomorrow. I'm working Thursday and a half day on Friday then I won't be back with you until January 3rd. WOW!!! I'm really looking forward to the time off and while no snow is predicted for Christmas, it will at least be frosty. I'm quite content with frosty!
I tried a new recipe folks and it's one we'll enjoy for many years to come providing the budget allows for it. My girlfriend Kris, the one who signed me up for FB (we'll go there later) told me about her mom making a prime rib dinner for Christmas every year. It's their family tradition and I thought it sounded wonderful so I asked how she went about it. Talk about easy! Yes, this hunk of meat is costly but if you add up what it would cost to eat prime rib in a restaurant, you'll see that you are actually saving money. As Daiana would say, "you have to consider the savings!" LOL
I went to Pulix and purchased a 5 pound prime rib roast. Since it is a roast, it does cook in the oven and it cooks at a low temperature for a long time. We seasoned ours with salt and pepper as instructed by Kris' mom and then into the oven it went. No cover - it's not necessary.
When that hunk of meat came out of the oven all I could say was WOO HOO!!!! It smelled wonderful, it looked picture perfect (although I actually forgot to photograph it) and the taste was out of this world! It was so tender a butter knife cut through it. mmm mmm GOOD!
Now you may have noticed that I started this section by telling you it was a Christmas tradition for Kris and her mom and that we would make it our tradition too. Well, I bought the prime rib for Wally and I for Christmas but it didn't make it that far. I bought it on Thursday and we ate it on Friday. hahahahahahahaha That's just how we are. It looked too good to wrap it up and freeze it and besides, we needed to do a trial run so we could make sure we were doing it right LOL hahahahahaha Seriously, it was difficult to pass up :)
The next day, I was back at Publix getting another one that DID make it into the freezer and WILL come out for our newly defined Christmas tradition :) Don't tell Rebecca and Jarrett or we'll never get another bite of one of those roasts!! lol
Our compliments to Publix! They were the least expensive of the other grocery stores and that doesn't happen too often. Food Lion's cost was $2.00 more per pound so we left that one there. Gotta love Publix!
As this will be my final posting for the year, it only seems fitting to tell you another little story about our Christmases at home growing up...I believe I was in my early teens and I was big time into Rock-n-Roll music. I loved Peter Frampton, Fleetwood Mac, Jimmy Buffet, Steve Miller Band, Rod Stewart and, of course, Elton John. I loved all those good old bands and many more...
For Christmas I asked for the "Fampton Comes Alive album,"who didn't? I asked for the Rod Stewart album, "A Night on the Town" and Steve Miller's "Fly Like an Eagle." I couldn't have been more excited than to see every single one of them under the tree that Christmas morning!!! Not only that but I got the Fleetwood Mac album too!! My parents had somehow managed to afford all those things when I knew good and well that money was very tight.
That wasn't the end of my presents either...I got some of those fluffy, tall, weed-like things that were so popular back then. You stuck them in a vase or jar or bottle and they were died all sorts of colors from purple to red to blue and green. They stood about 4-5 feet tall and kind of resembled a feather. Do you remember what I'm talking about?
Oh it was the best Christmas ever for a teen aged girl. I could decorate my room and listen to my favorite music for hours on end. I did too - I replayed those albums over and over, never getting enough of "Do You Feel Like I Do?" or "Fly Like an Eagle."
Of course it wasn't just my room. At this point, Neccy and I shared a room as did Dougy and Davey. Being so close to the same age, Neccy and I liked the same things when it came to music and room decor. We hadn't quite caught the cleaning bug so our room wasn't always the tidiest it could be but when we got stuff for Christmas to decorate it, man we got the cleaning wheels rolling and had it looking ship shape in no time!!!
My mom probably wishes she had bought us room decorations years before LOL!!!
Forever fondly in our hearts remain my grandma, Gene Graffuis, our dear and loving friend, William Pattishall and our big man with a big heart, Sam Tanner. Aunt Karen's brother Ronnie, and my sweet and ornery friend Lori Jo McKean and above all, my Dad. May they all rest in peace.
In the hopes that all your Christmas wishes come true, from our country cabin to you and your families, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! and thanks for still reading my ramblings :) Love to everyone!
"Christmas is forever, not for just one day,
for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away
like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf.
The good you do for others is good you do yourself..."
~Norman Wesley Brooks, "Let Every Day Be Christmas," 1976
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
If you don't enjoy reading about what's cooking at our house as days go by, then this might not be a post you will enjoy as I plan to tell you all about the Thanksgiving meal on our menu :) Indeed I wish all of you could be here to partake of it in person but alas I realize that can't always happen just because I want it to.
The Menu Looks Like This:
Roasted Turkey
Baked Ham
Green Bean Casserole
Butternut Squash Puree
Mashed Turnips
Collard Greens
Whole Wheat Bread Stuffing with Barley
Turkey Gravy
Fresh Sourdough Bread
Baked Apples
The turkey is a 20 pounder and no, we won't eat all of it but yes, we will have plenty of leftovers for my turkey frame soup with stuffing dumplins. After all, that is the goal :) The bird goes into the roaster so my oven is free for the ham. I mix softened butter with fresh sage, thyme and poultry seasoning then rub it all up under the skin. I rub more butter on the outside of the skin and then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. I set it aside to await the stuffing mmm mmm good!
The turkey cooks covered and I baste it about every half hour or so, more or less. I want the skin to be crispy and brown so basting helps make this happen. The butter on the outside of the skin helps too but I think it's the basting that really does the trick. In any event, I know the turkey is done when the leg bone comes out of the bird with no resistance. If the breast meat is a little dry, well, that's why you make gravy. Me - I'm a dark meat eater so I load my plate with the leg and thigh meat and even though I put gravy on it, it's not necessary. The dark meat stays tender and juicy! Oh, and I suppose you can tell it's done when the stopper thing pops out! What is that thing called anyway? lol
For the stuffing I make my own breadcrumbs with 4 or 5 slices of whole wheat bread. I cube it, season it with seasoning salt and garlic powder then slip it into a 250 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes. When it comes out, it's dry enough to crumble and ready to become stuffing!
I cook the barley in chicken broth then mix it together with sauteed onions and celery which have been seasoned with salt and pepper. I chop an apple and some walnuts and into the mix they go. I crumble and cook some sage flavored sausage and combine it with the barley. I melt about half a stick of butter and then mix everything together until it just holds together when you get a handful of it. Now - stuff it into the cavities of the bird. If all of it won't fit, wrap the remainder in foil and set it in the oven to cook by itself.
From the bird comes the giblets which are not to be wasted in this house - oh no!! They are rinsed and dropped into a pot of water where they will boil down until the meat pulls from the neck bone. Once done, I'll pick a little meat off the bone and maybe chop the gizzard but mostly I want the flavored water for my gravy. It's like gold. Gravy from a jar you say? PA-LEEZE say it ain't so!! LOL Just kidding! However you see fit to make your gravy is fine with me - just don't expect the same here :) hahahahaha
While the turkey roasts the ham gets ready for cooking. It's so easy it doesn't even need directions. Basically, open the bag, pour juices into your roasting/baking pan, add the ham, cover and cook as directed. If you want all the surrounding fat to be browned nicely, when you have about 20 minutes of cooking time left, uncover the ham. That's it! I've known people to use pineapples and cherries and glazes of all sorts but for us, right out of the bag seems to be just fine :) :)
For the green bean casserole, I make it the old fashioned way with french style green beans, cream of mushroom soup and Durkee (or now French's) fried onions. This is such a Thanksgiving classic I can't imagine a dinner without it. I do make it frequently throughout the year as it is so quick and it goes a long way when you have company. I've seen the ads and commercials where they use regular green beans but we all know that those beans just don't do it justice. They don't take on the flavors like they should. It has to be french style beans, hands down, no questions asked, done deal. Right?
Next up, Butternut Squash Puree. Now this recipe can be simple or complex but you know me, I'm going with simple. I split the squash longways and remove the seeds and pulp. I put a little pat of butter in the cup of the squash and sprinkle it with a very small amount of olive oil, plenty of salt and a pinch or two of ground cayenne pepper. I top it off with some nutmeg and slide it into the oven for about an hour at 350 degrees. Depending on the size of the squash, it could take longer. This dish is made the night before as it's one of those that is best the day after. Perfect. That works for me!
When the squash is fork tender, take it out of the oven and let it cool. When you an touch it, using a spoon, you want to scoop out all the insides of it that you can. Using a hand mixer or blender or whatever you have, blend in a little splash of evaporated milk and a tablespoon of melted butter (optional). That's it! Some people like to swirl in sour cream...I'm not a big fan but you could certainly try it. I do like to swirl in some maple syrup, sorghum or sometimes even honey just to sweeten it up a bit. The options are endless!
Mashed turnips are just like mashed potatoes but with a much smaller amount of milk. You'll notice the turnips are very watery so draining them is a must. I drain them, press them and drain them some more. I even put them back in the hot pot so some of the water will evaporate but I still find them to be a bit watery. The trick is to get them to take on the flavor more than the texture of potatoes. I use the masher Aunt Karen gave me when I first moved into my apartment back when Jarrett was a baby. I had no idea how to cook and she knew it. I guess she also knew I'd sooner or later have to learn and a masher would come in handy. I have used it more times that I can count and wouldn't trade it for the world!
When you begin the mashing process, add plenty of salt and pepper and however much butter you think yours need - mine need about 3 tablespoons! lol! Cheese is a good option here and I've found that velveeta or shredded cheddar work well - you want something really cheesy tasting because turnips can have an unexpected little bite to them unless seasoned well. Turnips mash easier than potatoes and because of that, I don't even need my mixer - I can just mash with the masher and stir in the rest until I like how it tastes. This is so simple! Even someone who is not a big fan of turnips will like this recipe - it really does seem as if you're eating potatoes but you aren't filling up on all that starch...give it a try. Let me know what you think?
Collard greens bring bright color to the Thanksgiving table and when they're fresh from the garden, they bring nutrients beyond compare. Collards to have to be washed over and over again. If you have the time, it's a good thing to try and wash over each leaf, front and back, with your hands. This helps get the grit from where it deposits in the veins of the leaves.
The collards I'll be cooking came from my CSA basket so I know they were fresh picked on the farm that day. I also know the farmers don't have endless hours to be cleaning the greens so unlike the grocery store greens, these may have the occasional bug as well as the grit from the ground where they were planted. Do not be alarmed :) The farm produce has been certified "Naturally Grown" which is similar to organically grown but less expensive to maintain. In short there are no pesticides used on any of the vegetables so some bugs do come along from time to time. I'll save the explanation of Naturally Grown vs. Organically Grown for another day or you can reference them via Google if you so choose.
After rinsing the greens, I like to remove the hard stems running up the middle. Parts of the stem will get tender in the cooking process but unlike turnip greens, the stems from collard greens tend to stay tough. They are easy enough to remove as all you need do is fold the leaves together and grasp the stem end in one hand and the leaves in the other. Gently tear the leaves downward until the stem comes free. Easy as pie!! LOL
You can chop your collards or leave them whole. I find them easier to eat when they have been chopped up. They don't have to be perfect, heck, you can even tear them into pieces if you don't feel like breaking out the knife! Drop them into salted, cold water and add whatever meat you are using for seasoning. I like to cut a bit of the fat from the ham and drop that in, maybe some ham bouillon, some uncooked bacon, whatever you have on hand that you would normally season beans with, will work with greens.
I always add a splash of vinegar and even a little bit of sweetener. I let the greens come to a boil and then turn them down to simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour. They'll be tender way before this time expires but I want them tender and tasty and I find a low, slow cook works best for collard greens. There are many ways to cook these greens and it seems everyone has their own flavorful recipe. Feel free to share it with me as I'm always open to new ways of cooking the beloved greens that are the bounty of the fall harvest!
Whole Wheat Bread Stuffing with Barley. That sounds pretty boring like it is but rest assured this stuffing will stand the test with it's sweet and savory flavor and wholesome goodness aplenty. I make my own bread crumbs so I know for sure they are whole wheat. If you don't have an aversion to white breads, feel free to use that instead but you will suffer the loss of some of the best nutrients available found in whole wheat.
I cut the bread into cubes, season them with seasoning salt, garlic powder, pepper and poultry seasoning. Slide them into a 250 degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until they are hard enough to make crumbs when crushed. While that goes on, heat water or chicken stock to a boil and add the barley so it can cook for about 45 minutes. I used pearl barley. It has more flavor and more of the original grain so you know what that means... yes, more nutritional value! You can cook the sausage while all of this goes on or take care of that the night before - that's my preference. I saute the onions and celery the night before too. That smell is the first real sign of the Thanksgiving feast to come!
What is it about that combination that smells so reminiscent of the holidays? For me, it's likely the memory of my Mom cooking it for her stuffing way back when we all lived at home. It's a soft scent but clearly unmistakable and one that makes holiday cooking complete...for me :)
So the barley, onions & celery, sausage and bread are ready to come together. Mix them up with one egg and season however you see fit. If you like, add a chopped apple and some chopped walnuts. It's all optional at this point. Get it all mixed together and stuff the bird!! I stuff both ends...there's usually enough for both ends and still some leftover to go into the oven by itself. Of all the things on the menu for Thanksgiving, the stuffing takes longest to prepare but it is by far the most worthy of your time. There's just nothing like the stuffing that comes from the bird. It's all stuck together and moist from the juices dripping on it and the flavor can't be beat! Dressing is good, don't get me wrong, but stuffing ROCKS!!! LOL!!
Wow - after that, it's kind of hard to move on to the gravy hahahahaha but move on I must so here's how I make mine. Pour the drippings into a cup or bowl or bag or whatever you have available to set in the freezer so the fat can separate from the real juice. Keep in mind, whatever you season your turkey with will be the flavor of your gravy too. Once separated, discard the fat or give it to your dogs :) They'll love it! Or, you can refreeze it and use it for seasoning other dishes in days to come. Can you believe they actually sell chicken fat in a jar in the grocery store? Why go to that extra expense when it so easy to render it out yourself? That will be a subject for another day too...
So you have your drippings and you have the water from cooking the giblets. The amount of gravy will be dependent upon the amount of juice you have so I can't give you exact measurements here. I mix Wondra gravy flour into the cooled water from the giblets until it makes a slurry - which just means all the lumps are gone LOL I heat the turkey drippings in a pot and then slowly whisk in the slurry making sure it combines well as I add it.
Once all of the slurry has been added, let the gravy come to a boil, stirring or whisking constantly - and I do mean constantly otherwise, you'll find you have a bunch of mush on the pan bottom instead of it turning into thickened gravy...trust me - it happens! hahahahahahaha You can add salt, pepper, poultry seasoning or whatever you like at this time but in most cases, if you seasoned your bird well enough, the drippings will be seasoned well enough too. For me, I like to pour gravy over the turkey, the stuffing and the taters, or, as in our case, the turnips!
I have to admit I cheat on the fresh bread. It is fresh, but it comes from a bread maker. I use that thing all the time! You just add the mix, plug it in, set the timer and away it goes. Three hours later you have fresh baked bread that is hot enough to melt butter in just a couple seconds!! Pour your gravy over that and taste it, would you? Okay - I'll do it for you! hahahaha Bet my Mom and Neccy would do it in a heartbeat! The bread maker was given to me and I have no idea what it cost but I do know this, it would have been worth it to buy it because it is simply irresistible when that bread comes from the maker. The cabin smells like the Merita Bread Factory... lol!!!!
Sauteed apples will be dessert if we have any room left at all. I don't remember the recipe off the top of my head but it was simple ingredients like sweetener, cinnamon, and something else I can't think of right now. The sliced apples get soft as they cook and they release their natural sweetness into the liquefied sweetener. Not much sugar or splenda is needed for this one. Sorry I can't remember the recipe...I've only made it once.
After all that food you need to take a walk but who in their right mind does? LOL Not us, that's for sure. We'll sit around and watch a little tv and then maybe gather up enough strength to take some scraps to the dogs. Once I get up and moving again, it's "let the clean-up begin!!" It would be too much on me to try and make my turkey stock the same day so everything goes into bags or bowls and into the refrigerator or freezer for another day. But as I'm putting it away, the recipes are flowing through my brain for what's to be cooked in the days to come.
The days are shorter now and darkness begins to set in around 4:00 in the afternoon. When that happens, it doesn't take much to get us to go to bed. In fact, it's hard to stay up even knowing we have no business going to bed that early. The roosters have crowed their goodnights to us and are resting comfortably in the tree outside the front door. The dogs have full bellies and are napping in the leaves that surround their house. The temperature drops quickly and the heater gets turned on in the cabin. Try as we might, we can't stay up much past 6:30-7:00. If you've been here, you know exactly what I'm talking about. And it's just those things that we find we are thankful for...
I know I've told a few of you already but because so many of you ask how our animals are doing, it's best you know that we have just Colt, Ruger and the roosters and horses. The old dogs, Smith and Wesson, have passed on and we miss them dearly. We hoped they would make it through another winter but we also kind of knew it was unlikely to happen. They sure were some good ole' boys and they made the farm what it is just by having lived there. They were 15 years old and lived very spoiled lives, never knowing what it was like to live in a city or near a main road or highway. They never saw an ambulance or even a tractor trailer. They knew only the woods and pastures of their home and since they stayed so long, it seems they must have loved it. May they both rest in doggy peacefulness.
We can only be thankful for having them while we did and enjoying their antics as much as we do Colt and Ruger's antics. Those guys keep us on our toes and while they were only around Smith and Wesson for about 11 months, they learned a lot from them! They sit when told, they never step foot in the house even with all the doors wide open. They come when we call them - for the most part - and they love affection. We'll tend them as well as we did Smith and Wesson and they'll be a joy to us for years to come.
The deer are out in numbers and I finally saw the 6 point buck that Darryl and Wally told me about. Yes, there he stood right in the front yard, about 10 feet from the big oak tree. Oh sure I took a shot at him and, of course, I missed. It wasn't for lack of trying! I think I was just too nervous. Wally said he'll back and I won't be so nervous next time. Gosh I sure hope so. People are beginning to think I'm too chicken to shoot one and that's just not the case! I'll show them - one of these days lol!!
I did have the pleasure of seeing some young deer at play in the yard. The evening was closing in on us and I noticed there were two deer in the back yard eating grass along the edge of the woods. I watched them until they ran off and then went back to cleaning the kitchen. A few minutes later, Wally called me into the living room to look out the front door. Well there were 5 or 6 deer eating grass and a couple of them were quite young. Those youngsters took to jumping and kicking up their heals like nothing I've ever seen before! It was such a sight to see and one I'll probably never see again and I couldn't take my eyes off of them. The one little deer would jump up and bring all four feet together before coming to a landing again. I asked Wally if he thought maybe the little guy was showing off for the females but he said it was more likely he had just learned he could jump and was going to keep doing it just for the sheer pleasure of being able to. Sounded pretty good to me.
They jumped and kicked and played for a good half hour before they all ran off into the woods as they are known to do. No - I didn't take a shot at any of them. They were too young and having too much fun! Their mommas were tempting...hmmmmm
The basket deliveries are over for the year and I feel healthier for having eaten all that came from them. I'm already looking forward to next year but content knowing the farmers have provided well for us and will do so again come spring. I was very excited to see the baby beets in the basket and I roasted just a few night before last. I couldn't imagine that I would like them any better than I already did but as it turns out there was quite a bit more to like! Roasting them brought out so much more sweetness than I ever knew existed. Give it a try - what if you find you do like beets after all????
Hey everyone, enjoy your holiday and remember our soldiers out there making things safe for us while we pig out on Thanksgiving Day! Sorry to cut this short, believe it or not I had lots more to say but duty calls :)
"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 1900 - 1944
The Menu Looks Like This:
Roasted Turkey
Baked Ham
Green Bean Casserole
Butternut Squash Puree
Mashed Turnips
Collard Greens
Whole Wheat Bread Stuffing with Barley
Turkey Gravy
Fresh Sourdough Bread
Baked Apples
The turkey is a 20 pounder and no, we won't eat all of it but yes, we will have plenty of leftovers for my turkey frame soup with stuffing dumplins. After all, that is the goal :) The bird goes into the roaster so my oven is free for the ham. I mix softened butter with fresh sage, thyme and poultry seasoning then rub it all up under the skin. I rub more butter on the outside of the skin and then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. I set it aside to await the stuffing mmm mmm good!
The turkey cooks covered and I baste it about every half hour or so, more or less. I want the skin to be crispy and brown so basting helps make this happen. The butter on the outside of the skin helps too but I think it's the basting that really does the trick. In any event, I know the turkey is done when the leg bone comes out of the bird with no resistance. If the breast meat is a little dry, well, that's why you make gravy. Me - I'm a dark meat eater so I load my plate with the leg and thigh meat and even though I put gravy on it, it's not necessary. The dark meat stays tender and juicy! Oh, and I suppose you can tell it's done when the stopper thing pops out! What is that thing called anyway? lol
For the stuffing I make my own breadcrumbs with 4 or 5 slices of whole wheat bread. I cube it, season it with seasoning salt and garlic powder then slip it into a 250 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes. When it comes out, it's dry enough to crumble and ready to become stuffing!
I cook the barley in chicken broth then mix it together with sauteed onions and celery which have been seasoned with salt and pepper. I chop an apple and some walnuts and into the mix they go. I crumble and cook some sage flavored sausage and combine it with the barley. I melt about half a stick of butter and then mix everything together until it just holds together when you get a handful of it. Now - stuff it into the cavities of the bird. If all of it won't fit, wrap the remainder in foil and set it in the oven to cook by itself.
From the bird comes the giblets which are not to be wasted in this house - oh no!! They are rinsed and dropped into a pot of water where they will boil down until the meat pulls from the neck bone. Once done, I'll pick a little meat off the bone and maybe chop the gizzard but mostly I want the flavored water for my gravy. It's like gold. Gravy from a jar you say? PA-LEEZE say it ain't so!! LOL Just kidding! However you see fit to make your gravy is fine with me - just don't expect the same here :) hahahahaha
While the turkey roasts the ham gets ready for cooking. It's so easy it doesn't even need directions. Basically, open the bag, pour juices into your roasting/baking pan, add the ham, cover and cook as directed. If you want all the surrounding fat to be browned nicely, when you have about 20 minutes of cooking time left, uncover the ham. That's it! I've known people to use pineapples and cherries and glazes of all sorts but for us, right out of the bag seems to be just fine :) :)
For the green bean casserole, I make it the old fashioned way with french style green beans, cream of mushroom soup and Durkee (or now French's) fried onions. This is such a Thanksgiving classic I can't imagine a dinner without it. I do make it frequently throughout the year as it is so quick and it goes a long way when you have company. I've seen the ads and commercials where they use regular green beans but we all know that those beans just don't do it justice. They don't take on the flavors like they should. It has to be french style beans, hands down, no questions asked, done deal. Right?
Next up, Butternut Squash Puree. Now this recipe can be simple or complex but you know me, I'm going with simple. I split the squash longways and remove the seeds and pulp. I put a little pat of butter in the cup of the squash and sprinkle it with a very small amount of olive oil, plenty of salt and a pinch or two of ground cayenne pepper. I top it off with some nutmeg and slide it into the oven for about an hour at 350 degrees. Depending on the size of the squash, it could take longer. This dish is made the night before as it's one of those that is best the day after. Perfect. That works for me!
When the squash is fork tender, take it out of the oven and let it cool. When you an touch it, using a spoon, you want to scoop out all the insides of it that you can. Using a hand mixer or blender or whatever you have, blend in a little splash of evaporated milk and a tablespoon of melted butter (optional). That's it! Some people like to swirl in sour cream...I'm not a big fan but you could certainly try it. I do like to swirl in some maple syrup, sorghum or sometimes even honey just to sweeten it up a bit. The options are endless!
Mashed turnips are just like mashed potatoes but with a much smaller amount of milk. You'll notice the turnips are very watery so draining them is a must. I drain them, press them and drain them some more. I even put them back in the hot pot so some of the water will evaporate but I still find them to be a bit watery. The trick is to get them to take on the flavor more than the texture of potatoes. I use the masher Aunt Karen gave me when I first moved into my apartment back when Jarrett was a baby. I had no idea how to cook and she knew it. I guess she also knew I'd sooner or later have to learn and a masher would come in handy. I have used it more times that I can count and wouldn't trade it for the world!
When you begin the mashing process, add plenty of salt and pepper and however much butter you think yours need - mine need about 3 tablespoons! lol! Cheese is a good option here and I've found that velveeta or shredded cheddar work well - you want something really cheesy tasting because turnips can have an unexpected little bite to them unless seasoned well. Turnips mash easier than potatoes and because of that, I don't even need my mixer - I can just mash with the masher and stir in the rest until I like how it tastes. This is so simple! Even someone who is not a big fan of turnips will like this recipe - it really does seem as if you're eating potatoes but you aren't filling up on all that starch...give it a try. Let me know what you think?
Collard greens bring bright color to the Thanksgiving table and when they're fresh from the garden, they bring nutrients beyond compare. Collards to have to be washed over and over again. If you have the time, it's a good thing to try and wash over each leaf, front and back, with your hands. This helps get the grit from where it deposits in the veins of the leaves.
The collards I'll be cooking came from my CSA basket so I know they were fresh picked on the farm that day. I also know the farmers don't have endless hours to be cleaning the greens so unlike the grocery store greens, these may have the occasional bug as well as the grit from the ground where they were planted. Do not be alarmed :) The farm produce has been certified "Naturally Grown" which is similar to organically grown but less expensive to maintain. In short there are no pesticides used on any of the vegetables so some bugs do come along from time to time. I'll save the explanation of Naturally Grown vs. Organically Grown for another day or you can reference them via Google if you so choose.
After rinsing the greens, I like to remove the hard stems running up the middle. Parts of the stem will get tender in the cooking process but unlike turnip greens, the stems from collard greens tend to stay tough. They are easy enough to remove as all you need do is fold the leaves together and grasp the stem end in one hand and the leaves in the other. Gently tear the leaves downward until the stem comes free. Easy as pie!! LOL
You can chop your collards or leave them whole. I find them easier to eat when they have been chopped up. They don't have to be perfect, heck, you can even tear them into pieces if you don't feel like breaking out the knife! Drop them into salted, cold water and add whatever meat you are using for seasoning. I like to cut a bit of the fat from the ham and drop that in, maybe some ham bouillon, some uncooked bacon, whatever you have on hand that you would normally season beans with, will work with greens.
I always add a splash of vinegar and even a little bit of sweetener. I let the greens come to a boil and then turn them down to simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour. They'll be tender way before this time expires but I want them tender and tasty and I find a low, slow cook works best for collard greens. There are many ways to cook these greens and it seems everyone has their own flavorful recipe. Feel free to share it with me as I'm always open to new ways of cooking the beloved greens that are the bounty of the fall harvest!
Whole Wheat Bread Stuffing with Barley. That sounds pretty boring like it is but rest assured this stuffing will stand the test with it's sweet and savory flavor and wholesome goodness aplenty. I make my own bread crumbs so I know for sure they are whole wheat. If you don't have an aversion to white breads, feel free to use that instead but you will suffer the loss of some of the best nutrients available found in whole wheat.
I cut the bread into cubes, season them with seasoning salt, garlic powder, pepper and poultry seasoning. Slide them into a 250 degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until they are hard enough to make crumbs when crushed. While that goes on, heat water or chicken stock to a boil and add the barley so it can cook for about 45 minutes. I used pearl barley. It has more flavor and more of the original grain so you know what that means... yes, more nutritional value! You can cook the sausage while all of this goes on or take care of that the night before - that's my preference. I saute the onions and celery the night before too. That smell is the first real sign of the Thanksgiving feast to come!
What is it about that combination that smells so reminiscent of the holidays? For me, it's likely the memory of my Mom cooking it for her stuffing way back when we all lived at home. It's a soft scent but clearly unmistakable and one that makes holiday cooking complete...for me :)
So the barley, onions & celery, sausage and bread are ready to come together. Mix them up with one egg and season however you see fit. If you like, add a chopped apple and some chopped walnuts. It's all optional at this point. Get it all mixed together and stuff the bird!! I stuff both ends...there's usually enough for both ends and still some leftover to go into the oven by itself. Of all the things on the menu for Thanksgiving, the stuffing takes longest to prepare but it is by far the most worthy of your time. There's just nothing like the stuffing that comes from the bird. It's all stuck together and moist from the juices dripping on it and the flavor can't be beat! Dressing is good, don't get me wrong, but stuffing ROCKS!!! LOL!!
Wow - after that, it's kind of hard to move on to the gravy hahahahaha but move on I must so here's how I make mine. Pour the drippings into a cup or bowl or bag or whatever you have available to set in the freezer so the fat can separate from the real juice. Keep in mind, whatever you season your turkey with will be the flavor of your gravy too. Once separated, discard the fat or give it to your dogs :) They'll love it! Or, you can refreeze it and use it for seasoning other dishes in days to come. Can you believe they actually sell chicken fat in a jar in the grocery store? Why go to that extra expense when it so easy to render it out yourself? That will be a subject for another day too...
So you have your drippings and you have the water from cooking the giblets. The amount of gravy will be dependent upon the amount of juice you have so I can't give you exact measurements here. I mix Wondra gravy flour into the cooled water from the giblets until it makes a slurry - which just means all the lumps are gone LOL I heat the turkey drippings in a pot and then slowly whisk in the slurry making sure it combines well as I add it.
Once all of the slurry has been added, let the gravy come to a boil, stirring or whisking constantly - and I do mean constantly otherwise, you'll find you have a bunch of mush on the pan bottom instead of it turning into thickened gravy...trust me - it happens! hahahahahahaha You can add salt, pepper, poultry seasoning or whatever you like at this time but in most cases, if you seasoned your bird well enough, the drippings will be seasoned well enough too. For me, I like to pour gravy over the turkey, the stuffing and the taters, or, as in our case, the turnips!
I have to admit I cheat on the fresh bread. It is fresh, but it comes from a bread maker. I use that thing all the time! You just add the mix, plug it in, set the timer and away it goes. Three hours later you have fresh baked bread that is hot enough to melt butter in just a couple seconds!! Pour your gravy over that and taste it, would you? Okay - I'll do it for you! hahahaha Bet my Mom and Neccy would do it in a heartbeat! The bread maker was given to me and I have no idea what it cost but I do know this, it would have been worth it to buy it because it is simply irresistible when that bread comes from the maker. The cabin smells like the Merita Bread Factory... lol!!!!
Sauteed apples will be dessert if we have any room left at all. I don't remember the recipe off the top of my head but it was simple ingredients like sweetener, cinnamon, and something else I can't think of right now. The sliced apples get soft as they cook and they release their natural sweetness into the liquefied sweetener. Not much sugar or splenda is needed for this one. Sorry I can't remember the recipe...I've only made it once.
After all that food you need to take a walk but who in their right mind does? LOL Not us, that's for sure. We'll sit around and watch a little tv and then maybe gather up enough strength to take some scraps to the dogs. Once I get up and moving again, it's "let the clean-up begin!!" It would be too much on me to try and make my turkey stock the same day so everything goes into bags or bowls and into the refrigerator or freezer for another day. But as I'm putting it away, the recipes are flowing through my brain for what's to be cooked in the days to come.
The days are shorter now and darkness begins to set in around 4:00 in the afternoon. When that happens, it doesn't take much to get us to go to bed. In fact, it's hard to stay up even knowing we have no business going to bed that early. The roosters have crowed their goodnights to us and are resting comfortably in the tree outside the front door. The dogs have full bellies and are napping in the leaves that surround their house. The temperature drops quickly and the heater gets turned on in the cabin. Try as we might, we can't stay up much past 6:30-7:00. If you've been here, you know exactly what I'm talking about. And it's just those things that we find we are thankful for...
I know I've told a few of you already but because so many of you ask how our animals are doing, it's best you know that we have just Colt, Ruger and the roosters and horses. The old dogs, Smith and Wesson, have passed on and we miss them dearly. We hoped they would make it through another winter but we also kind of knew it was unlikely to happen. They sure were some good ole' boys and they made the farm what it is just by having lived there. They were 15 years old and lived very spoiled lives, never knowing what it was like to live in a city or near a main road or highway. They never saw an ambulance or even a tractor trailer. They knew only the woods and pastures of their home and since they stayed so long, it seems they must have loved it. May they both rest in doggy peacefulness.
We can only be thankful for having them while we did and enjoying their antics as much as we do Colt and Ruger's antics. Those guys keep us on our toes and while they were only around Smith and Wesson for about 11 months, they learned a lot from them! They sit when told, they never step foot in the house even with all the doors wide open. They come when we call them - for the most part - and they love affection. We'll tend them as well as we did Smith and Wesson and they'll be a joy to us for years to come.
The deer are out in numbers and I finally saw the 6 point buck that Darryl and Wally told me about. Yes, there he stood right in the front yard, about 10 feet from the big oak tree. Oh sure I took a shot at him and, of course, I missed. It wasn't for lack of trying! I think I was just too nervous. Wally said he'll back and I won't be so nervous next time. Gosh I sure hope so. People are beginning to think I'm too chicken to shoot one and that's just not the case! I'll show them - one of these days lol!!
I did have the pleasure of seeing some young deer at play in the yard. The evening was closing in on us and I noticed there were two deer in the back yard eating grass along the edge of the woods. I watched them until they ran off and then went back to cleaning the kitchen. A few minutes later, Wally called me into the living room to look out the front door. Well there were 5 or 6 deer eating grass and a couple of them were quite young. Those youngsters took to jumping and kicking up their heals like nothing I've ever seen before! It was such a sight to see and one I'll probably never see again and I couldn't take my eyes off of them. The one little deer would jump up and bring all four feet together before coming to a landing again. I asked Wally if he thought maybe the little guy was showing off for the females but he said it was more likely he had just learned he could jump and was going to keep doing it just for the sheer pleasure of being able to. Sounded pretty good to me.
They jumped and kicked and played for a good half hour before they all ran off into the woods as they are known to do. No - I didn't take a shot at any of them. They were too young and having too much fun! Their mommas were tempting...hmmmmm
The basket deliveries are over for the year and I feel healthier for having eaten all that came from them. I'm already looking forward to next year but content knowing the farmers have provided well for us and will do so again come spring. I was very excited to see the baby beets in the basket and I roasted just a few night before last. I couldn't imagine that I would like them any better than I already did but as it turns out there was quite a bit more to like! Roasting them brought out so much more sweetness than I ever knew existed. Give it a try - what if you find you do like beets after all????
Hey everyone, enjoy your holiday and remember our soldiers out there making things safe for us while we pig out on Thanksgiving Day! Sorry to cut this short, believe it or not I had lots more to say but duty calls :)
"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 1900 - 1944
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Fall to Winter, 70s to 30s, Leaves, No Leaves, Things They Are A Changing...
My oh my what a wonderful time to be in Tennessee - I wish every last one of you could be here to see the amazing things Mother Nature is capable of! It's true most of the leaves have fallen from the trees and they now blanket the land for miles and miles. The November winds blow them round and round and no matter how much raking goes on, still they blow! I just get the biggest kick out of watching the people rake the leaves only to have them blow back up on them within minutes :) :) Why waste your time when you can be out in this beautiful weather doing something fun? Well, maybe raking leaves is fun for some folks? I didn't mind it at my house in FL but to even think of raking this yard would be a joke!
All we really need to do is throw some scratch feed out for the roosters and they'll rake all day until it's gone! LOL We threw some out in front of the horse stall and they cleared the path for us in two days - good boys! Since they are back home and sleeping in the tree in the front yard, we went ahead and bought them more feed to get them through the winter. They still don't care for Colt and Ruger but they know to seek higher ground when the boys are off the chain! For the first time I think I can say I now know what that saying means...lol!
Their growth spurt seems to have slowed a bit and Wally says that's because they're coming up on their one year birthday. We know they were born around Thanksgiving but we don't know the exact date. From what he says, they'll continue to still grow just not as fast as this first year. They're filling out too - not sure if that's because of colder weather or just natural for them? Either way - these guys are big and fast on their feet and a joy to watch when they're playing in the yard.
Smokey and Rebel have started to get their winter coats and they look fit as can be. The grass isn't as sweet now that it's colder outside so we get a visit from them every morning. They each get a scratch on the head and then two scoops of sweet feed. I'm not fooled into believing they come up for the scratch on the head... hahahahaha! I bring them carrot ends and scrapings and apple cores when I have them. They'll eat celery and squash hulls too. The only thing I've seen Rebel turn his nose up at is cabbage. He didn't care for it but Smokey ate it like there was no tomorrow :) :)
Smith is doing well all things considered. He still likes sleeping away his days on the sunlit porch and still gets up to hang out with us while Colt and Ruger run around the yard. He has no desire to join them but I imagine he's remembering him and his brother doing the same thing when they were that age. If dogs have memories, I'm sure his are good. He has only ever known this farm and probably has the woods memorized better than I ever will!! I've come a long way in a year and a half but there are 164 acres for me to learn so it's going to take some time LOL
If you've visited the flickr site, you've seen my baskets and my turnip casserole. I've been cooking up some pretty good stuff here lately. If only you could be here to feast on it with us... well, there's plenty of time for that :) I bought a bag of chicken leg quarters the other day and we decided to grill them after being on the 4 wheelers for 3-4 hours. I had already seasoned them and Wally was starting the grill while I made corn and honey/butter carrots to go with them.
Oops! The gas had leaked out of the grill and we had none - dang! It wasn't that big of a deal except for that I was now faced with cooking 10 lbs of chicken leg quarters in the oven. I've never done that before. I've cooked skinless, boneless, breasts in the oven, sure - but leg quarters? They were meant for the grill! Well I fitted them all into two big pans and covered them with foil. I set the temperature at 350 degrees and set the timer for one hour. I had no idea if they would be cooked, over-cooked or under-cooked. I was banking on under-cooked.
We went up on the deck to enjoy the remaining sunshine, before the temperatures outside started to drop, and our friends Steve and Sherri joined us. They had been out on the 4 wheelers with us so we invited them to stay for dinner. They did. So Wally tied a rope to the cooler handle and then tossed the rope up to the deck where I was waiting to catch it. Of course I didn't catch it, rather it bonked me on the head but either way, I was to hoist the cooler up so we could all hang out and drink a couple beers until dinner was ready.
It was a perfect late afternoon on the deck. The sun was warming us and though there was a cool breeze, it wasn't so cold as to force us inside for a good hour - which was convenient because that's exactly how much time I was hoping the chicken would take LOL We talked about our ride and planned to go to Hidden Valley Lakes the following day. When the sun dropped behind the cabin, we made our way back inside and as soon as I opened the door, the buzzer on the oven went off.
Talk about good timing! I pulled the chicken out and stabbed one piece in the thigh to see if the juices would run clear. Guess what??? They did!! LOL I honestly thought they would need more time but the one hour was perfect. The chicken rested for about 15 minutes while I finished up the carrots, peas and corn. I had no idea if our guests were picky about what they ate so I figured I better put up a few offerings so everyone had something to choose from. Good thing I did too because apparently some people are not big fans of peas and carrots like I am hahahahahaha The corn was gone but I still had a few carrots left and plenty of peas LOL!
Now this chicken is exactly the kind of chicken that Dizzy Debbie would try to eat the skin off of everyone's piece. It came out super crispy and super flavorful. All I used to season it was McCormick's Chicken Seasoning and a little garlic powder. I didn't cover it in the oven so maybe that's why it was crispy - not sure - like I said, this was my first attempt. It was really good and even I was impressed. Those old leg bones just slipped right out and left the meat in tact. Perfect! For those of you who are wondering, we did give the bones to the dogs and they never blinked an eye - just gobbled them right up! So much for worrying about them choking - not these guys! lol
I'll have to make it for Dizzy next time she comes up because she can't be trusted to cook anything without burning it - this according to her! She says her kids like blackened everything hahahahahahahaha! Guess they're just used to it that way :)
I have an abundance of fresh-from-the-garden turnips so I made the turnip casserole again. Do you remember the Justin Wilson recipe I wrote about last year? Well, anyway...As I said on the flickr photos, it's basically turnips, cheese, onions and seasonings all layered in a casserole dish. Thanks to Beverly I have one of those handy slicer things so it made short work of slicing the turnips and onions. Best of all they come out the same size every time! Love it! You do have to mix up a few eggs, salt, pepper and just a touch of hot sauce but once that has been poured over everything, you set it in the oven and let it go.
The top and sides get all crunchy and the middle stays cheesy and softened - almost like a lasagna after it sits in the fridge for a day... mmmm it was so good, we ate it before it cooled! I don't even remember what kind of meat we had with it LOL hahahahaha I still have a few turnips left so I'm planning to prepare them like mashed potatoes - I'll have to let you know how they turn out.
There are only two more baskets left for this year and in one we're going to get a pound of Jacob's grass-fed ground beef. He is the son of the farmer who provides me with my veggie CSA basket every week and he is going to start his own Beef CSA next year. It works pretty much the same as the veggie CSA except you get beef instead. Or in addition to...
So to get their customers interested, the farmers are including a pound of beef in our baskets this next week coming up. I can't wait!! You know me and my hamburger fetish, well, this will be a delightful taste test for me! Jacob is not even in his 20s yet and he not only helps on the farm with tons of chores, he also helps with the building of their house (yes, they're all 4 still in the camper), is a volunteer fire-fighter for Centerville and now he's raising his own cattle to boot! His parents must surely be proud of that boy!
I've been thinking about writing a little story about my farmers over there at Beaver Dam Creek Farm and sending it to the local paper. They could use some publicity and you never know - maybe it would drum up some more business for them if I did??? They work so hard to provide good food to their customers and I can only imagine what goes into running the farm. Any little bit helps, right?
I guess it's time to move on to the subject of Thanksgiving. For me Thanksgiving is a day of being in the kitchen, cooking up tried and true recipes, watching football and hanging out with family and friends. We're expecting just a few people but I'm planning to cook lots of food. No one goes home without leftovers - except of gravy because there just simply is never enough turkey gravy to go around no matter what I do. LOL
I'm going to cook a big turkey and a smaller ham. We'll have green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, home-made sour dough bread, barley stuffing and maybe some of my canned turnip greens. Maybe a sugar free pie for dessert - mmm I'm making myself hungry!! Of course I'll save the turkey carcass and boil it down the next day. There's always room for turkey and rice, turkey soup with stuffing dumplings and everyone's favorite - the turkey sandwich!! If you aren't going to use your turkey drippings, I'd appreciate you freezing them and saving them for me... hahahahaha I could use them for soup come January :) :) :)
Whatever your plans are for food and fun, remember our service men and women who are taking care to ensure our safety every day and night while we go about our business without a care in the world.
Tell me how you're planning to spend the day, I'd love to hear all about it! Oh and by the way, GOOOOOOOOOOO PACKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol - sorry, couldn't resist!!
All we really need to do is throw some scratch feed out for the roosters and they'll rake all day until it's gone! LOL We threw some out in front of the horse stall and they cleared the path for us in two days - good boys! Since they are back home and sleeping in the tree in the front yard, we went ahead and bought them more feed to get them through the winter. They still don't care for Colt and Ruger but they know to seek higher ground when the boys are off the chain! For the first time I think I can say I now know what that saying means...lol!
Their growth spurt seems to have slowed a bit and Wally says that's because they're coming up on their one year birthday. We know they were born around Thanksgiving but we don't know the exact date. From what he says, they'll continue to still grow just not as fast as this first year. They're filling out too - not sure if that's because of colder weather or just natural for them? Either way - these guys are big and fast on their feet and a joy to watch when they're playing in the yard.
Smokey and Rebel have started to get their winter coats and they look fit as can be. The grass isn't as sweet now that it's colder outside so we get a visit from them every morning. They each get a scratch on the head and then two scoops of sweet feed. I'm not fooled into believing they come up for the scratch on the head... hahahahaha! I bring them carrot ends and scrapings and apple cores when I have them. They'll eat celery and squash hulls too. The only thing I've seen Rebel turn his nose up at is cabbage. He didn't care for it but Smokey ate it like there was no tomorrow :) :)
Smith is doing well all things considered. He still likes sleeping away his days on the sunlit porch and still gets up to hang out with us while Colt and Ruger run around the yard. He has no desire to join them but I imagine he's remembering him and his brother doing the same thing when they were that age. If dogs have memories, I'm sure his are good. He has only ever known this farm and probably has the woods memorized better than I ever will!! I've come a long way in a year and a half but there are 164 acres for me to learn so it's going to take some time LOL
If you've visited the flickr site, you've seen my baskets and my turnip casserole. I've been cooking up some pretty good stuff here lately. If only you could be here to feast on it with us... well, there's plenty of time for that :) I bought a bag of chicken leg quarters the other day and we decided to grill them after being on the 4 wheelers for 3-4 hours. I had already seasoned them and Wally was starting the grill while I made corn and honey/butter carrots to go with them.
Oops! The gas had leaked out of the grill and we had none - dang! It wasn't that big of a deal except for that I was now faced with cooking 10 lbs of chicken leg quarters in the oven. I've never done that before. I've cooked skinless, boneless, breasts in the oven, sure - but leg quarters? They were meant for the grill! Well I fitted them all into two big pans and covered them with foil. I set the temperature at 350 degrees and set the timer for one hour. I had no idea if they would be cooked, over-cooked or under-cooked. I was banking on under-cooked.
We went up on the deck to enjoy the remaining sunshine, before the temperatures outside started to drop, and our friends Steve and Sherri joined us. They had been out on the 4 wheelers with us so we invited them to stay for dinner. They did. So Wally tied a rope to the cooler handle and then tossed the rope up to the deck where I was waiting to catch it. Of course I didn't catch it, rather it bonked me on the head but either way, I was to hoist the cooler up so we could all hang out and drink a couple beers until dinner was ready.
It was a perfect late afternoon on the deck. The sun was warming us and though there was a cool breeze, it wasn't so cold as to force us inside for a good hour - which was convenient because that's exactly how much time I was hoping the chicken would take LOL We talked about our ride and planned to go to Hidden Valley Lakes the following day. When the sun dropped behind the cabin, we made our way back inside and as soon as I opened the door, the buzzer on the oven went off.
Talk about good timing! I pulled the chicken out and stabbed one piece in the thigh to see if the juices would run clear. Guess what??? They did!! LOL I honestly thought they would need more time but the one hour was perfect. The chicken rested for about 15 minutes while I finished up the carrots, peas and corn. I had no idea if our guests were picky about what they ate so I figured I better put up a few offerings so everyone had something to choose from. Good thing I did too because apparently some people are not big fans of peas and carrots like I am hahahahahaha The corn was gone but I still had a few carrots left and plenty of peas LOL!
Now this chicken is exactly the kind of chicken that Dizzy Debbie would try to eat the skin off of everyone's piece. It came out super crispy and super flavorful. All I used to season it was McCormick's Chicken Seasoning and a little garlic powder. I didn't cover it in the oven so maybe that's why it was crispy - not sure - like I said, this was my first attempt. It was really good and even I was impressed. Those old leg bones just slipped right out and left the meat in tact. Perfect! For those of you who are wondering, we did give the bones to the dogs and they never blinked an eye - just gobbled them right up! So much for worrying about them choking - not these guys! lol
I'll have to make it for Dizzy next time she comes up because she can't be trusted to cook anything without burning it - this according to her! She says her kids like blackened everything hahahahahahahaha! Guess they're just used to it that way :)
I have an abundance of fresh-from-the-garden turnips so I made the turnip casserole again. Do you remember the Justin Wilson recipe I wrote about last year? Well, anyway...As I said on the flickr photos, it's basically turnips, cheese, onions and seasonings all layered in a casserole dish. Thanks to Beverly I have one of those handy slicer things so it made short work of slicing the turnips and onions. Best of all they come out the same size every time! Love it! You do have to mix up a few eggs, salt, pepper and just a touch of hot sauce but once that has been poured over everything, you set it in the oven and let it go.
The top and sides get all crunchy and the middle stays cheesy and softened - almost like a lasagna after it sits in the fridge for a day... mmmm it was so good, we ate it before it cooled! I don't even remember what kind of meat we had with it LOL hahahahaha I still have a few turnips left so I'm planning to prepare them like mashed potatoes - I'll have to let you know how they turn out.
There are only two more baskets left for this year and in one we're going to get a pound of Jacob's grass-fed ground beef. He is the son of the farmer who provides me with my veggie CSA basket every week and he is going to start his own Beef CSA next year. It works pretty much the same as the veggie CSA except you get beef instead. Or in addition to...
So to get their customers interested, the farmers are including a pound of beef in our baskets this next week coming up. I can't wait!! You know me and my hamburger fetish, well, this will be a delightful taste test for me! Jacob is not even in his 20s yet and he not only helps on the farm with tons of chores, he also helps with the building of their house (yes, they're all 4 still in the camper), is a volunteer fire-fighter for Centerville and now he's raising his own cattle to boot! His parents must surely be proud of that boy!
I've been thinking about writing a little story about my farmers over there at Beaver Dam Creek Farm and sending it to the local paper. They could use some publicity and you never know - maybe it would drum up some more business for them if I did??? They work so hard to provide good food to their customers and I can only imagine what goes into running the farm. Any little bit helps, right?
I guess it's time to move on to the subject of Thanksgiving. For me Thanksgiving is a day of being in the kitchen, cooking up tried and true recipes, watching football and hanging out with family and friends. We're expecting just a few people but I'm planning to cook lots of food. No one goes home without leftovers - except of gravy because there just simply is never enough turkey gravy to go around no matter what I do. LOL
I'm going to cook a big turkey and a smaller ham. We'll have green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, home-made sour dough bread, barley stuffing and maybe some of my canned turnip greens. Maybe a sugar free pie for dessert - mmm I'm making myself hungry!! Of course I'll save the turkey carcass and boil it down the next day. There's always room for turkey and rice, turkey soup with stuffing dumplings and everyone's favorite - the turkey sandwich!! If you aren't going to use your turkey drippings, I'd appreciate you freezing them and saving them for me... hahahahaha I could use them for soup come January :) :) :)
Whatever your plans are for food and fun, remember our service men and women who are taking care to ensure our safety every day and night while we go about our business without a care in the world.
Tell me how you're planning to spend the day, I'd love to hear all about it! Oh and by the way, GOOOOOOOOOOO PACKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol - sorry, couldn't resist!!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
I'm a Blogger Slacker If I Ever Saw One...hahahaha!
In my defense, things have been pretty busy around the farm lately and I've also taken advantage of the beautiful fall weather by using up some vacation days. I've had a couple of 4 day weekends that were just awesome and we've been busy winterizing the cabin, the trailer and the barn. Who knew there was so much work to do just to get ready for winter?? I guess Wally took care of all that stuff last year without me even being aware of it because I sure don't remember any of it! LOL Well, I do remember that we had to shut off the water to Dizzy's apartment so it wouldn't freeze and cause the pipes to break.
We have had a couple of visits from the horses, who tend to stay mostly in the lower pasture where the grass grows lush and full. We didn't ride them at all this summer and it's not looking good for fall either. There's just so much going on we haven't found the time. I'm sure it doesn't bother the horses at all - lol!
They haven't changed a bit. Rebel comes right up and sticks his nose over the fence waiting for us to give him something to eat while Smokey hangs back making sure no one touches him or even tries to! As soon as we pick up their buckets, here they come. They go right into their stall and stomp and snort until sweet feed comes their way. Of course I make Smokey come to me so I can scratch his head before he gets anything to eat. He still lets me which always surprises me since he's so skittish. I do remember the days when he wouldn't let me touch him at all unless he was tied to the hitchin post - do you remember those stories from when I first moved here? I'll have to go read some of the old posts and see how far I've come learning the country life :)
When it comes to the horses, Colt and Ruger just don't know what to think. They act like they're king of the hill until the horses come up and then they're faced with these two huge animals that can clearly kick their behinds... LOL it's pretty funny to watch them interact. The dogs won't go under the fence if the horses are there but buddy you let those horses take off towards the bottom of the hill and the dogs make a beeline for that gate. As big as Ruger is, he can still slip under there like it's nothing and he's gone in a minute if we aren't there to call him back. They currently act like they don't have to listen to me when I call them so guess what? That's right, back in training.... well, they will be one year old in November so I'm hoping (fingers crossed) they'll start listening just a little better. hahahahaha!
Ruger seems fascinated with the horses while Colt is very standoff-ish. Colt circles the woods outside the stall but won't go close enough to touch the horses. Ruger will walk right up to the stall but hesitates to make a sound or even sniff around. He just sits there and watches them eat. I'm sure he's curious about just what the heck they are eating - especially since he isn't getting any of it himself - but he's not brave enough to try and take it from them... LOL They aren't allowed to bark at the horses either - you can imagine what training them for that was like...
It's hard to believe the "puppies" will be a year old in a month. They've gotten so big and so rambunctious! We talked about how they used to hide up under the front porch and they wouldn't come out for anyone but Neccy. Now, they wouldn't even be able to fit their big heads under that porch. They can fit under the back porch but they have no interest in getting under it. All they want to do is run, run, run and then sit and hang out with us or torture poor old Smith. We don't let them of course but if we weren't around, they would be all over him.
Speaking of Smith, he's been getting the royal treatment lately. He has a dog pillow! He actually likes it too! He sleeps on it every night and doesn't want to leave it in the morning. We had to get him something to rest those old bones on. He just plops right down on it and sleeps like a baby. There would be no point getting one for Colt and Ruger, they would just tear it to shreds! Now that it's getting cooler at night, Smith needed something. He's just too old to have to go through another winter without being as warm and comfortable as we can make it for him.
Colt and Ruger don't seem to feel any temperature changes whatsoever. They sleep outside the dog house unless it's raining and even when it was 34 degrees the other morning, there they were - up and wagging their tails as I drove by at 5:00 am. Crazy boys!
The two lonely roosters still make a daily pass by the back door and if I can, I go throw out some scratch feed for them. Sometimes they want it, sometimes they just wander off into the woods without even touching it. They are completely wild now and will shy away at the slightest movement. I still hang out with them and talk to them when they do eat the scratch feed but things are different with them. They know how to survive and apparently being buddies with me isn't part of the program any longer. Maybe when winter sets in fully? They'll need me and my scratch feed then... hahahahaha!
We're still talking about building a hen house and getting some chickens come spring time. I know I said the same thing last year but this time we really plan to do something about it. Sure the eggs will be nice to have but also the roosters will be much happier with some hens to live with and they'll be safer in a coop than out there in the woods roosting on their tree limbs. There's a used car dealership (very small one) in Fairview and they have hen houses for sale by the side of the building. They're kind of fancy compared to what we were thinking about but it wouldn't hurt to stop in and see what they go for. Might be easier to buy one than build one considering the lack of available time.
So Fall is upon us here in southwest middle Tennessee and the leaves are a sight to see. I posted pictures on the flickr site so you can see what I mean. Around every corner is another beautiful picture just waiting to be taken. You have to be quick though because if you don't get the picture today, it's going to look completely different come tomorrow.
As I drive the winding back roads, the leaves blow all around my car. They swirl from the road up into the air and make a little colorful leaf tornado right in front of me. There are people out raking them into piles only to have a gust of wind come and blow them all back into the yard! Pumpkin bags are stuffed full of them and I'm sure many a kid has been piling them up simply to jump into the pile and scatter them out once again. Who needs video games when there are leaves on the ground???
As I said earlier, I have taken a couple of 4 day weekends this month and the time was wisely spent outside as much as possible. The temperatures can't decide where they want to be so it's kind of cold in the morning, warm in the afternoon and then chilly come evening. The heater is on at night and then the windows and doors are open during the day. The sunshine and breeze dry my clothes on the line but soon those days will end and I'll be back using the dryer instead.
We packed a bag and took off in the Camaro headed for Fall Creek Falls (you can google it). What a magnificent place to see!! If you don't ever go anywhere else on a vacation, go to this park in October. They have cabins, they have tent or camper camping and there is even an Inn for those of you who prefer to stay inside. Why you would want to stay inside here is beyond me but I know some of you would (Kat, Marcia, Kelly...lol). The road winds around the mountain and the whole way up the leaves are changing, the temperature is slowly dropping and try as you might, you can't see the bottom until you reach the plateau.
We stopped to see the waterfalls and walked a little ways down the nature trail. I wasn't up for a 2 mile hike in the mountains so that little venture was short. But the falls were beautiful and the surroundings were clean and quiet. They have a boat ramp, a gift shop, and a restaurant. There are picnic tables with grills everywhere you look. There are even pavilions you can use by simply giving them a reservation and a deposit which is refunded when you leave, providing you clean up your mess. There are miles and miles of hiking trails and numerous look-out points to stop and take pictures.
I know you're sick of hearing just how beautiful the state of Tennessee is but Fall Creek Falls is the epitome of beautiful and I highly recommend it as a vacation spot for kids and adults of all ages. Bring a jacket because it does get a bit chilly here for you FL weather people! lol Hey, if you decide to vacation here, give us a call, we can make a trip over in just about 2 and half hours. I'll bring the chili!
While the park was an amazing sight to see, the farm holds treasures for the eyes if you prefer not to leave it. Our trees changed colors a bit sooner and they are still in transition though many of them have lost their leaves and the limbs alone are visible. I think it's a pretty cool time of year actually. The squirrels are hunting acorns and hiding them all over the place, including in the glove box of the truck! How the heck do they get in there anyway??
Birds are flying south for the winter in huge flocks against the bright blue background of the sky. I wish I could get a picture of that scene - literally thousands of them fly by over the hills in the front yard. It sounds like the wind is blowing but it's really the birds flying by. The dogs stand on their hind legs barking their heads off when the birds fly by. The birds don't even know they exist.
There are birds that stay of course, and those are the ones cleaning out the feeder on the back porch! I've seen two blue birds perched on it but don't know what kind of birds they are. They don't look like Blue Jays because the feathers on their heads aren't the same. They have black bellies and they aren't very big. The Blue Jays here get enormous and wouldn't be able to perch on that little bird feeder I have. Winter will be a good time to get the bird book back out and see what I can learn about them.
We also have yellow finches that live in the two big oak trees out by the grill. They must have been building their nests the other day because they were busy flying back and forth from the woods to the oak trees over and over again. I even saw one pull a piece of bark off the hitching post and take it back into the oak tree. I'll be on the look-out for baby finches come springtime :) :) :)
Hmmmm maybe they have finch food at the co-op?? I'll just have to check next time I'm by there. If I put out finch food I'm sure to see them more regularly :) :) If I feed them, they will come! LOL
I think I already wrote about my tomato plants making a come-back, but I can't really remember. The plants I bought at the co-op put out a few tomatoes during the growing season but were somewhat of a disappointment over all. Then, just the other day, I was headed out to feed the horses and low and behold, there were tomatoes all over the vines! This time more than there were the first time. We ended up having to pick 4 of them because of a freeze warning (that never came) so fried green tomatoes were up on the menu. I checked the plants yesterday and there are about 15 tomatoes in all. They are small and definitely at risk of a freeze this late in the year but hey, I'll cover them and see how they do. If they never turn red, we'll just have fried green tomatoes again!
All the other garden plants seem to be thriving in these cooler temperatures but I do have to hand water as we haven't had much in the way of rain. The irises over by Dizzy's apartment are all bright green and standing tall - no flowers mind you - just the leaves but always a good sign of things to come. The geraniums got moved inside and they now sit on tables in a sunny location off the front porch. They are blooming like crazy and they brighten up the room with those big, red flowers.
The hyacinths sprouted from the ground but grew no further than that. I'm hoping they'll save their bloom for springtime but there's no way to tell at this point. The day lilies went through a dormant period but now the leaves are bushy and green and very lush and full. I know the spring will bring lots of beautiful day lilies just as it did this year. Now that Dizzy helped me plant some in the new garden, there's no doubt I'll have lots of color in lots of places in the yard. woo hoo!!!
All the mums are blooming. Two plants bloomed with white flowers and yellow centers. Yesterday as we were walking the dogs we noticed that half the blooms had turned purple. I mean purple like the crayon! I don't understand how the plant can be snow white one day and then in just a couple more days, completely turning purple??? Go figure...
As you know it's hunting season here. No - I didn't kill a deer. But I do have plans to :) However, if you remember my luck last hunting season, you shouldn't be too concerned. Although I do have a long distance contact lens for my right eye now so maybe my luck will change. That being said, Wally shot at a deer the other day and we think he just wounded it.
We headed out in the direction of where it ran off into the woods and old Smith came with us. He brought me right up to the little bit of blood that fell and then he was off on a mission. He searched as long as his old legs would carry him and we searched even further. All to no avail. As I said, I think the deer was only wounded because we saw no sign of it after searching about 15 yards into the woods.
We didn't want the animal to suffer so the next morning, we started out again. Clothed in my jo-veralls and my timberland boots, we headed off into the woods. I know we were there because we had a job to do but for me, this was exploring the garden of Eden. I thought I would be turned around and lost in no time but that wasn't the case at all. No matter how far in we went, and we went a long ways in, I still knew approximately where I was and where I would come out depending on which way I headed.
Now I'm not the most coordinated pea in the pod so Wally quickly realized the need for me a walking stick. Man that thing made life much easier! I was tromping through the woods, using my stick to balance myself and rustling up the leaves with it in case of a snake. I was following anything that looked like a trail and loving every minute of it! Wally took off in one direction, leaving me to wander wherever I wanted.
I stayed on the blood trail for a good mile into the woods and old Smith lingered behind, stopping now and then to get a break. He stayed on the high side of the hills while I made my way down into the valleys and back up again. That deer was making some ground! About every 3 or 4 feet I would stop and look out on the ground another 2 or 3 feet around me in search of a droplet to indicate which way to go. Wally started calling me "Running Bear" though I don't know why - I wasn't running at all. LOL
I had my methods and they were pretty well honed after about an hour in the woods. For me my vision was best when squatting down. Imagine how difficult it was to spot a droplet of red when the floor of the woods was covered in all those pretty leaves that have been falling?? Close to impossible I tell ya... but on I went and every so often Wally would come back around and find me. He was always surprised to see me still on the trail. If you've ever been here before, I'll give you an idea of where we were. We started at the top of the hill to the left of the outhouse and worked our way down until we were at the foot of the hill and to the left of the trails at the bottom of the front yard. When we came out into the clearing, we were on the 4 wheeler trail just at the point where you turn right to go to the swimmin hole.
Looking up that hill on a 4 wheeler is pretty exciting because you know it's going to be a cool ride. Looking up that hill on my own two feet... not so much excitement going on. LOL! But I had my walking stick and I was still in the woods - loving the life - so up we started. I want to say I made it a little past half way when I had to take a break. Whew, was I ever winded! Trudging around in the woods was nothing compared to hiking up that hill!
Well, I made it to the gate and you know what comes next... the hill that is the front yard! This one is by far a greater distance than that which I had already travelled. Onward we walked, walking stick in hand, boyfriend by my side, breath getting more and more shallow as upward we went. When finally I had to take a break and sit down, Wally said he would go get the 4 wheeler and come back for me. Thank goodness... I mean, I could have done it but with him willing to do that for me instead, why the heck not take him up on it? LOL I already knew I would be sore the next day...
Back at the cabin we plopped in our chairs and chilled out for a few minutes going over what we found and didn't find. We found tires and wheels that someone had tried to steal but didn't make it out of the woods with them. Wally said it had been years since he had seen them and didn't know what had happened to them. LOL He found some bird feathers and asked Running Bear what she thought that meant. I told him it looked like a bird had lost some feathers to me... hahahahahaha! We found some garbage and a place where someone had put a deer feeder. It was just on the other side of our property but clearly meant to bring the deer down in that direction.
There was nothing we could do about it but we will keep watch on that area to see where they put their deer stand. They can hunt in the opposite direction but hunting in our direction is against the law and it's posted so they know it very well indeed.
It may sound as if we were out in the woods all day when in fact we were only out there for about 4 hours. Well it was Monday and that means picking up my CSA basket in Centerville at 4:00 so we got cleaned up, loaded a cooler and headed for the Diner for a cheeseburger. From there it was off to town! The day was perfect for a ride and my hair was blowing in the wind. The basket had turnips and greens, bok choy, lettuce, red and green peppers, scallions, a tomato (woo hoo!) a bag of mixed greens for sauteing, a bag of potatoes and some little Serrano peppers at the very bottom. It was a heavy basket to say the least!
I'll have to take pictures of the turnips. They are a beautiful, creamy, white color and will soon be made into a turnip casserole and if I have enough (pretty sure I do) I'm planning to make them like you would mashed potatoes... a little milk and butter and lots of salt and pepper! mmm mmm can't wait!
Speaking of greens, turnip greens are in season big time right now. I bought some from Hilda since I didn't know they were coming in my basket and spent the better part of Sunday morning rinsing, cooking and canning them. Yep, that's right. I canned turnip greens to put up for the winter! Oh my what a pretty sight they are sitting on the bar. I have a picture to put on flickr so you can see them and rave about them to all your friends. hahahahahaha!
I wasn't even sure it was an option but I remembered seeing something about leafy greens in my canning book and sure enough, there it was. I opted for not using the canner and have found that if the food is hot enough, the jars will seal just the same. They make take a bit longer but you still get the pleasure of hearing the pop, pop, pop as they seal :) :) :) After 8 jars were done, Wally insisted on us having the last batch for dinner...lol I guess I can understand that since they had been cooking almost all day and the house smelled like it too. No, Kris, turnip greens don't stink... I don't know what you must be thinking of LOL! Maybe the ones you have had just weren't cooked in the right manner?? hahaha...
My days have been filled with all the sights and sounds of fall and it's not over yet. We have a Halloween party to go to this weekend if it's not too cold for me on Saturday and I'm off work on Halloween Monday so maybe I'll get to see some little kiddies out in their costumes. They won't come down to the cabin but we'll be out and about if the day is nice and you know how kids are, they'll get started before dark if given the option!
I hope you have fun at your Halloween parties and I sure hope you take me up on the suggestion to go see Fall Creek Falls on your vacation - you won't regret it.
"Hold on, man. We don't go anywhere with "scary," "spooky," "haunted," or "forbidden" in the title." ~From Scooby-Doo
Here's just one more since I liked it when I read it...
"On Hallowe'en the thing you must do
Is pretend that nothing can frighten you
And if somethin' scares you and you want to run
Just let on like it's Hallowe'en fun."
~Author Unknown
We have had a couple of visits from the horses, who tend to stay mostly in the lower pasture where the grass grows lush and full. We didn't ride them at all this summer and it's not looking good for fall either. There's just so much going on we haven't found the time. I'm sure it doesn't bother the horses at all - lol!
They haven't changed a bit. Rebel comes right up and sticks his nose over the fence waiting for us to give him something to eat while Smokey hangs back making sure no one touches him or even tries to! As soon as we pick up their buckets, here they come. They go right into their stall and stomp and snort until sweet feed comes their way. Of course I make Smokey come to me so I can scratch his head before he gets anything to eat. He still lets me which always surprises me since he's so skittish. I do remember the days when he wouldn't let me touch him at all unless he was tied to the hitchin post - do you remember those stories from when I first moved here? I'll have to go read some of the old posts and see how far I've come learning the country life :)
When it comes to the horses, Colt and Ruger just don't know what to think. They act like they're king of the hill until the horses come up and then they're faced with these two huge animals that can clearly kick their behinds... LOL it's pretty funny to watch them interact. The dogs won't go under the fence if the horses are there but buddy you let those horses take off towards the bottom of the hill and the dogs make a beeline for that gate. As big as Ruger is, he can still slip under there like it's nothing and he's gone in a minute if we aren't there to call him back. They currently act like they don't have to listen to me when I call them so guess what? That's right, back in training.... well, they will be one year old in November so I'm hoping (fingers crossed) they'll start listening just a little better. hahahahaha!
Ruger seems fascinated with the horses while Colt is very standoff-ish. Colt circles the woods outside the stall but won't go close enough to touch the horses. Ruger will walk right up to the stall but hesitates to make a sound or even sniff around. He just sits there and watches them eat. I'm sure he's curious about just what the heck they are eating - especially since he isn't getting any of it himself - but he's not brave enough to try and take it from them... LOL They aren't allowed to bark at the horses either - you can imagine what training them for that was like...
It's hard to believe the "puppies" will be a year old in a month. They've gotten so big and so rambunctious! We talked about how they used to hide up under the front porch and they wouldn't come out for anyone but Neccy. Now, they wouldn't even be able to fit their big heads under that porch. They can fit under the back porch but they have no interest in getting under it. All they want to do is run, run, run and then sit and hang out with us or torture poor old Smith. We don't let them of course but if we weren't around, they would be all over him.
Speaking of Smith, he's been getting the royal treatment lately. He has a dog pillow! He actually likes it too! He sleeps on it every night and doesn't want to leave it in the morning. We had to get him something to rest those old bones on. He just plops right down on it and sleeps like a baby. There would be no point getting one for Colt and Ruger, they would just tear it to shreds! Now that it's getting cooler at night, Smith needed something. He's just too old to have to go through another winter without being as warm and comfortable as we can make it for him.
Colt and Ruger don't seem to feel any temperature changes whatsoever. They sleep outside the dog house unless it's raining and even when it was 34 degrees the other morning, there they were - up and wagging their tails as I drove by at 5:00 am. Crazy boys!
The two lonely roosters still make a daily pass by the back door and if I can, I go throw out some scratch feed for them. Sometimes they want it, sometimes they just wander off into the woods without even touching it. They are completely wild now and will shy away at the slightest movement. I still hang out with them and talk to them when they do eat the scratch feed but things are different with them. They know how to survive and apparently being buddies with me isn't part of the program any longer. Maybe when winter sets in fully? They'll need me and my scratch feed then... hahahahaha!
We're still talking about building a hen house and getting some chickens come spring time. I know I said the same thing last year but this time we really plan to do something about it. Sure the eggs will be nice to have but also the roosters will be much happier with some hens to live with and they'll be safer in a coop than out there in the woods roosting on their tree limbs. There's a used car dealership (very small one) in Fairview and they have hen houses for sale by the side of the building. They're kind of fancy compared to what we were thinking about but it wouldn't hurt to stop in and see what they go for. Might be easier to buy one than build one considering the lack of available time.
So Fall is upon us here in southwest middle Tennessee and the leaves are a sight to see. I posted pictures on the flickr site so you can see what I mean. Around every corner is another beautiful picture just waiting to be taken. You have to be quick though because if you don't get the picture today, it's going to look completely different come tomorrow.
As I drive the winding back roads, the leaves blow all around my car. They swirl from the road up into the air and make a little colorful leaf tornado right in front of me. There are people out raking them into piles only to have a gust of wind come and blow them all back into the yard! Pumpkin bags are stuffed full of them and I'm sure many a kid has been piling them up simply to jump into the pile and scatter them out once again. Who needs video games when there are leaves on the ground???
As I said earlier, I have taken a couple of 4 day weekends this month and the time was wisely spent outside as much as possible. The temperatures can't decide where they want to be so it's kind of cold in the morning, warm in the afternoon and then chilly come evening. The heater is on at night and then the windows and doors are open during the day. The sunshine and breeze dry my clothes on the line but soon those days will end and I'll be back using the dryer instead.
We packed a bag and took off in the Camaro headed for Fall Creek Falls (you can google it). What a magnificent place to see!! If you don't ever go anywhere else on a vacation, go to this park in October. They have cabins, they have tent or camper camping and there is even an Inn for those of you who prefer to stay inside. Why you would want to stay inside here is beyond me but I know some of you would (Kat, Marcia, Kelly...lol). The road winds around the mountain and the whole way up the leaves are changing, the temperature is slowly dropping and try as you might, you can't see the bottom until you reach the plateau.
We stopped to see the waterfalls and walked a little ways down the nature trail. I wasn't up for a 2 mile hike in the mountains so that little venture was short. But the falls were beautiful and the surroundings were clean and quiet. They have a boat ramp, a gift shop, and a restaurant. There are picnic tables with grills everywhere you look. There are even pavilions you can use by simply giving them a reservation and a deposit which is refunded when you leave, providing you clean up your mess. There are miles and miles of hiking trails and numerous look-out points to stop and take pictures.
I know you're sick of hearing just how beautiful the state of Tennessee is but Fall Creek Falls is the epitome of beautiful and I highly recommend it as a vacation spot for kids and adults of all ages. Bring a jacket because it does get a bit chilly here for you FL weather people! lol Hey, if you decide to vacation here, give us a call, we can make a trip over in just about 2 and half hours. I'll bring the chili!
While the park was an amazing sight to see, the farm holds treasures for the eyes if you prefer not to leave it. Our trees changed colors a bit sooner and they are still in transition though many of them have lost their leaves and the limbs alone are visible. I think it's a pretty cool time of year actually. The squirrels are hunting acorns and hiding them all over the place, including in the glove box of the truck! How the heck do they get in there anyway??
Birds are flying south for the winter in huge flocks against the bright blue background of the sky. I wish I could get a picture of that scene - literally thousands of them fly by over the hills in the front yard. It sounds like the wind is blowing but it's really the birds flying by. The dogs stand on their hind legs barking their heads off when the birds fly by. The birds don't even know they exist.
There are birds that stay of course, and those are the ones cleaning out the feeder on the back porch! I've seen two blue birds perched on it but don't know what kind of birds they are. They don't look like Blue Jays because the feathers on their heads aren't the same. They have black bellies and they aren't very big. The Blue Jays here get enormous and wouldn't be able to perch on that little bird feeder I have. Winter will be a good time to get the bird book back out and see what I can learn about them.
We also have yellow finches that live in the two big oak trees out by the grill. They must have been building their nests the other day because they were busy flying back and forth from the woods to the oak trees over and over again. I even saw one pull a piece of bark off the hitching post and take it back into the oak tree. I'll be on the look-out for baby finches come springtime :) :) :)
Hmmmm maybe they have finch food at the co-op?? I'll just have to check next time I'm by there. If I put out finch food I'm sure to see them more regularly :) :) If I feed them, they will come! LOL
I think I already wrote about my tomato plants making a come-back, but I can't really remember. The plants I bought at the co-op put out a few tomatoes during the growing season but were somewhat of a disappointment over all. Then, just the other day, I was headed out to feed the horses and low and behold, there were tomatoes all over the vines! This time more than there were the first time. We ended up having to pick 4 of them because of a freeze warning (that never came) so fried green tomatoes were up on the menu. I checked the plants yesterday and there are about 15 tomatoes in all. They are small and definitely at risk of a freeze this late in the year but hey, I'll cover them and see how they do. If they never turn red, we'll just have fried green tomatoes again!
All the other garden plants seem to be thriving in these cooler temperatures but I do have to hand water as we haven't had much in the way of rain. The irises over by Dizzy's apartment are all bright green and standing tall - no flowers mind you - just the leaves but always a good sign of things to come. The geraniums got moved inside and they now sit on tables in a sunny location off the front porch. They are blooming like crazy and they brighten up the room with those big, red flowers.
The hyacinths sprouted from the ground but grew no further than that. I'm hoping they'll save their bloom for springtime but there's no way to tell at this point. The day lilies went through a dormant period but now the leaves are bushy and green and very lush and full. I know the spring will bring lots of beautiful day lilies just as it did this year. Now that Dizzy helped me plant some in the new garden, there's no doubt I'll have lots of color in lots of places in the yard. woo hoo!!!
All the mums are blooming. Two plants bloomed with white flowers and yellow centers. Yesterday as we were walking the dogs we noticed that half the blooms had turned purple. I mean purple like the crayon! I don't understand how the plant can be snow white one day and then in just a couple more days, completely turning purple??? Go figure...
As you know it's hunting season here. No - I didn't kill a deer. But I do have plans to :) However, if you remember my luck last hunting season, you shouldn't be too concerned. Although I do have a long distance contact lens for my right eye now so maybe my luck will change. That being said, Wally shot at a deer the other day and we think he just wounded it.
We headed out in the direction of where it ran off into the woods and old Smith came with us. He brought me right up to the little bit of blood that fell and then he was off on a mission. He searched as long as his old legs would carry him and we searched even further. All to no avail. As I said, I think the deer was only wounded because we saw no sign of it after searching about 15 yards into the woods.
We didn't want the animal to suffer so the next morning, we started out again. Clothed in my jo-veralls and my timberland boots, we headed off into the woods. I know we were there because we had a job to do but for me, this was exploring the garden of Eden. I thought I would be turned around and lost in no time but that wasn't the case at all. No matter how far in we went, and we went a long ways in, I still knew approximately where I was and where I would come out depending on which way I headed.
Now I'm not the most coordinated pea in the pod so Wally quickly realized the need for me a walking stick. Man that thing made life much easier! I was tromping through the woods, using my stick to balance myself and rustling up the leaves with it in case of a snake. I was following anything that looked like a trail and loving every minute of it! Wally took off in one direction, leaving me to wander wherever I wanted.
I stayed on the blood trail for a good mile into the woods and old Smith lingered behind, stopping now and then to get a break. He stayed on the high side of the hills while I made my way down into the valleys and back up again. That deer was making some ground! About every 3 or 4 feet I would stop and look out on the ground another 2 or 3 feet around me in search of a droplet to indicate which way to go. Wally started calling me "Running Bear" though I don't know why - I wasn't running at all. LOL
I had my methods and they were pretty well honed after about an hour in the woods. For me my vision was best when squatting down. Imagine how difficult it was to spot a droplet of red when the floor of the woods was covered in all those pretty leaves that have been falling?? Close to impossible I tell ya... but on I went and every so often Wally would come back around and find me. He was always surprised to see me still on the trail. If you've ever been here before, I'll give you an idea of where we were. We started at the top of the hill to the left of the outhouse and worked our way down until we were at the foot of the hill and to the left of the trails at the bottom of the front yard. When we came out into the clearing, we were on the 4 wheeler trail just at the point where you turn right to go to the swimmin hole.
Looking up that hill on a 4 wheeler is pretty exciting because you know it's going to be a cool ride. Looking up that hill on my own two feet... not so much excitement going on. LOL! But I had my walking stick and I was still in the woods - loving the life - so up we started. I want to say I made it a little past half way when I had to take a break. Whew, was I ever winded! Trudging around in the woods was nothing compared to hiking up that hill!
Well, I made it to the gate and you know what comes next... the hill that is the front yard! This one is by far a greater distance than that which I had already travelled. Onward we walked, walking stick in hand, boyfriend by my side, breath getting more and more shallow as upward we went. When finally I had to take a break and sit down, Wally said he would go get the 4 wheeler and come back for me. Thank goodness... I mean, I could have done it but with him willing to do that for me instead, why the heck not take him up on it? LOL I already knew I would be sore the next day...
Back at the cabin we plopped in our chairs and chilled out for a few minutes going over what we found and didn't find. We found tires and wheels that someone had tried to steal but didn't make it out of the woods with them. Wally said it had been years since he had seen them and didn't know what had happened to them. LOL He found some bird feathers and asked Running Bear what she thought that meant. I told him it looked like a bird had lost some feathers to me... hahahahahaha! We found some garbage and a place where someone had put a deer feeder. It was just on the other side of our property but clearly meant to bring the deer down in that direction.
There was nothing we could do about it but we will keep watch on that area to see where they put their deer stand. They can hunt in the opposite direction but hunting in our direction is against the law and it's posted so they know it very well indeed.
It may sound as if we were out in the woods all day when in fact we were only out there for about 4 hours. Well it was Monday and that means picking up my CSA basket in Centerville at 4:00 so we got cleaned up, loaded a cooler and headed for the Diner for a cheeseburger. From there it was off to town! The day was perfect for a ride and my hair was blowing in the wind. The basket had turnips and greens, bok choy, lettuce, red and green peppers, scallions, a tomato (woo hoo!) a bag of mixed greens for sauteing, a bag of potatoes and some little Serrano peppers at the very bottom. It was a heavy basket to say the least!
I'll have to take pictures of the turnips. They are a beautiful, creamy, white color and will soon be made into a turnip casserole and if I have enough (pretty sure I do) I'm planning to make them like you would mashed potatoes... a little milk and butter and lots of salt and pepper! mmm mmm can't wait!
Speaking of greens, turnip greens are in season big time right now. I bought some from Hilda since I didn't know they were coming in my basket and spent the better part of Sunday morning rinsing, cooking and canning them. Yep, that's right. I canned turnip greens to put up for the winter! Oh my what a pretty sight they are sitting on the bar. I have a picture to put on flickr so you can see them and rave about them to all your friends. hahahahahaha!
I wasn't even sure it was an option but I remembered seeing something about leafy greens in my canning book and sure enough, there it was. I opted for not using the canner and have found that if the food is hot enough, the jars will seal just the same. They make take a bit longer but you still get the pleasure of hearing the pop, pop, pop as they seal :) :) :) After 8 jars were done, Wally insisted on us having the last batch for dinner...lol I guess I can understand that since they had been cooking almost all day and the house smelled like it too. No, Kris, turnip greens don't stink... I don't know what you must be thinking of LOL! Maybe the ones you have had just weren't cooked in the right manner?? hahaha...
My days have been filled with all the sights and sounds of fall and it's not over yet. We have a Halloween party to go to this weekend if it's not too cold for me on Saturday and I'm off work on Halloween Monday so maybe I'll get to see some little kiddies out in their costumes. They won't come down to the cabin but we'll be out and about if the day is nice and you know how kids are, they'll get started before dark if given the option!
I hope you have fun at your Halloween parties and I sure hope you take me up on the suggestion to go see Fall Creek Falls on your vacation - you won't regret it.
"Hold on, man. We don't go anywhere with "scary," "spooky," "haunted," or "forbidden" in the title." ~From Scooby-Doo
Here's just one more since I liked it when I read it...
"On Hallowe'en the thing you must do
Is pretend that nothing can frighten you
And if somethin' scares you and you want to run
Just let on like it's Hallowe'en fun."
~Author Unknown
Friday, October 7, 2011
I Know, I Know, It's About Darn Time...
I sat here thinking about all that's been going on with me, the farm, the animals, the plants, the weather, etc. and I realized that since it's been so long since I posted anything, you probably want to hear about it all. Rather than try to keep things in any kind of chronological order, I'll just let the words flow as they come to me and hope you can follow without too much of a struggle.
My last post was on 9/13/11 and shortly thereafter we made a trip to Florida for my grandma's (on my Mom's side) funeral services. She had a full and active life and gave all of us plenty of memories to smile about as we think of her in days to come. May she rest in peace.
I was the fortunate recipient of her couch, which she called a 'Davenport' and a couple of her tables. The furniture belonged to my great grandmother and my grandma inherited it from her. I've no idea the age but certainly it would be in the 90 year range.
I also brought home with me a box that hung on the wall where she kept her mail. That box is painted red and it has a rooster on the front of it. I'll have to post a picture so you can see how cool it is. Uncle Dee said it was likely made by my great grandfather, Pap.
The couch cushions are in need of being recovered so I'm in search of a seamstress here who might be up to the task. Ernie's mama made new cushions for the chair (that goes with the couch) but she's feeling under the weather these days so it really wouldn't be fair to ask it of her. Hey Ernie, we hope she's feeling much better by the time you read this posting.
The one table needed just a bit of cleaning but as I was washing it off, I realized I liked it just the way it was. It even has a metal tag on the underside that tells where it was made, by whom, and it's numbered. None of that really means much to me since I've no plans to ever sell it but it is a good quality table and one I'll use for years and years to come just as my family members before me did.
Family pictures have all of us seated on the couch with the round table at the end still holding a lamp as always. I don't know where the furniture will reside in the cabin but as soon as I know the best place, I'll take a picture and post it. It's really beautiful!
Speaking of roosters, my two remaining boys have come home to roost again. I guess the dogs have been tied long enough that the roosters feel comfortable back up at the cabin. They sleep in the tree off the front porch rather than the back porch and still crow every morning at 3:30 like clockwork. Oh how that makes me laugh!! They follow me out to the scratch feed bucket and I sprinkle out a scoopful for them to share. If I get home too late, they won't wait for me. They'll fly up into their tree and make those little cooing sounds until time to crow before finally falling asleep. Talk about an internal body clock - roosters were certainly built with one.
I'm still on a mission to get some Guinea Hens for the farm. Now these birds are really loud and they are very territorial from what I hear. Once you are around them for a while, they get used to you and they don't care for anyone else coming along. They make a loud, funny, kind of honking noise... not quite like a goose but similar! They get their feathers all ruffled up too - so funny! I hope they get along with roosters and puppies LOL!
Speaking of the puppies, who won't be a year old until November, they are getting bigger every day. Clearly I'm no match for them when they're out running free in the yard. They run so fast I'm pretty sure they could catch anything on the farm at this point. Colt is still the more coordinated of the two and he's very quick to cut back and forth while Ruger is chasing him. Ruger is the bigger of the two and even though he doesn't have Colt's coordination, he does have the speed and the bulk to catch him.
Colt will take off down the hill while Ruger sits and watches. Just when Colt thinks he needs to come looking for Ruger, Ruger will take off after him! Oh my gosh, it's like when Simba got pouncing lessons from ZaZu in the Lion King movie!! We laugh every time we see them playing like that. They come back to us panting and heaving and all slobbery from tangling with each other and they're so happy just to have the freedom to run.
Ruger doesn't jump on me anymore and rarely scratches me by putting that big old paw up on me. He's still learning that one... They both mind very well unless there's something in the yard they want to run after, like my roosters! In those cases, only Wally's voice will bring them back. It's like they don't even hear me. We're working on it though because they have to listen to both of us no matter what.
They do seem to be protective of me and if I'm not outside with them, they'll come up to the cabin door looking for me. When I walk away from them, they follow and if they happen to miss it when I leave, they'll come looking all around until they find me. I don't know if they would actually hurt anyone who came up but they would certainly make the person stop and think twice about approaching.
If you will recall from last year, the tulip and buttercup bulbs I planted were dug up several times by a certain pair of puppies... well, this year is apparently no exception. I planted a bunch of bulbs in the garden that Dizzy helped me with and when we got back from FL, I noticed that in one area, a big hole had been dug. Of course it was right up front and of course all the bulbs were gone. HMMM - it could have been any of the three.There's no way to tell. All I know is... Here we go again! hahahahaha
So I'm off to Fred's tonight to see if they still have bulbs for sale so I can replant. Whichever dog it was, he left the hole nice and deep so it won't be hard to plant... I'll just have to find enough soft dirt to pile into the hole to cover the bulbs. They better leave it alone this time!!!!!
On the bright side, they didn't dig up the whole garden and the hyacinths I planted have sprung from the ground. I didn't think they would come up until spring but low and behold, they're here! The package said to plant now for spring flowering but Claudia said they might bloom now and again in the spring. Okay by me!
Everything seems to be thriving this time of year. The irises are getting greener and the leaves are standing up again. The day lilies in the new garden are growing nicely - I wasn't sure they would make it but they seem to be doing fine and even the allium leaves are starting anew along the driveway and in the garden Dizzy Debbie helped with. I should be in flower heaven come springtime next year!
The 4 o'clocks I planted in that big metal bowl should bloom any day now - we'll soon know what colors I have! I also have more to transplant if I find the time. They're doing okay in the windowsill but I know they would be happier outside in the dirt. Maybe this weekend???
Down at the split in the driveway the little pumpkin plant finally gave up the ghost. It bloomed one more time but just couldn't hang in there. I've plenty of seeds to plant next year, thank you Kris! So pumpkins are what we have to look forward to - we have to have something now don't we? LOL
There are wild flowers everywhere and they're very tempting to pick and bring inside but I've found they don't really care to be picked and die within a day or so when I try. So in the yard they stay and that's okay too. I get to enjoy them while the dogs are running wild and playing in the yard. I hope to someday be able to identify them all but for now I'm happy just seeing them out there. Purple and yellow seem to be the colors most often in appearance and those two colors go very well together. I could have fields of them if only we didn't have to ever mow! Hahahahaha I doubt Wally would appreciate that very much!
Being in Florida really brought back the memories of humidity. Now that it's Fall up here, there is no more humidity - not that we get nearly what FL gets but we do get some. The temperatures get into the 80s during the day and the 50s at night. We've had some 40s and even a couple of 30s but those aren't supposed to be here permanently for another month or so. I love the 50s at night - it's perfect for grilling, sitting on the porch, riding the 4 wheelers, you name it. We're outside most evenings until just after dark which is really late for us. We used to be in bed by dark :) :)
With the weather like it is, we want to be out there as much as possible because we know what's in store for us in the next month or so...brrrrrr LOL We took a ride on the motorcycle the other night and it was absolutely beautiful! I wore my jacket, of course, but really only needed it on the way home. Too bad for us we ran into some rain and we were soaked by the time we got down the driveway. Ah not to worry - if you ride you're eventually going to get rained on and your clothes will dry! lol!
Oh before I forget - this is what the almanac had to say for October:
"And now the frost is seen in morn, overspreading fields with white,
the farmer gathers in his corn with pleasure and delight."
In my travels I find that this is very true. All the corn fields have been picked and plowed under. I didn't get to witness this picking and plowing but it's clear it happen whether I was there to see it or not. The fields are empty but for the paths the machines took down the rows. Oh to be a farmer - I could really get into that!
The corn stalks are dried and browned in the sun and people here use them for their Fall decorations. I see them on the corners of lawns and tied up with bows of orange and yellow at mailboxes all over town. You know that makes me anxious to get my Fall decorations out and set up. I'm hoping Wally will take me to get some straw bales this weekend. Now I know what they mean when they say "you can feel it in the air." It's really true and it makes you want to be a part of it. Well, it does me anyway...lol! But then you knew that, didn't you?
My CSA baskets have been overflowing with squash, sweet potatoes, peppers and now the beautiful addition of a pumpkin!!! You can bet I immediately took it into the living room and set it on the glass table with my sweet potato vine.. the orange of the pumpkin and the green of the vine look so pretty together!! Of course, I had to windex the table first hahahaha sometimes that gets overlooked in my cleaning process.
The squash was spaghetti squash this week. Easy to cook, very good to eat and super nutritious! There are two ways to cook it; in the oven or the microwave. The oven obviously takes longer but some people prefer the texture better when it comes from the oven. Also, it takes about an hour in the oven whereas the microwave takes only about 15-20 minutes.
Cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. Cook it via the method of your choice. After it cooks, take a fork and start shredding the pulp. As it shreds it will begin to look just like spaghetti!! You can top it with spaghetti sauce, alfredo sauce, butter and garlic, salsa, black beans and cilantro, the options are endless :)
I've been in the process of rotating the freezer inventory. As you know, things on the top tend to get eaten first and that stuff on the bottom, well, it just kind of gets lost in the shuffle. So, I've been on a mission. We have had everything from shredded pork sandwiches, to beef pot roasts to chicken breasts and even some fried catfish. About all that's left is bacon - which will keep and which we will always have :) and some pork shoulder and a bag or two of vegetables. I think there's a steamfresh bag of broccoli with cheese sauce that we'll probably have with dinner tonight and there is also a bag of my homemade spaghetti sauce. It will keep because it has only been in there since early summer when the tomatoes first started coming in.
Now I won't feel so bad when I start going back to the meat man and stocking up again! He opens his secret barn/shed doors the weekend of Thanksgiving and you better believe I'll be there at 7am when that happens. I'm ready for some fresh sausage, some fresh ground beef and some awesome, tenderized, pork tenderloin!!
I bet the dogs are ready for some big cow and pig bones too! Remember last year, the dogs were so small they could hide their bones under the front porch? Not anymore!! They're too big to even get under the front porch now. They could probably get under the back porch but they never do. They don't seem to be interested.
Everyone is happy with the meat man starts selling again :) :) :) Even Dizzy Debbie - if she could only be here for it!
Speaking of food, yesterday was my first trip to the grocery store since before we went to Florida. Well, I had to pick up milk, bread and butter but this was my first real trip since FL. What didn't I need? I bought fruit, peas, lettuce (the basket lettuce was gone after two lunch salads), celery, carrots, yogurt, cheese, chuck-eye steaks for dinner, a picnic ham and dried butter beans for a recipe I found in the FoodNetwork magazine. I bought some G2 gatorade stuff, some tea bags, and some cereal for Wally. I bought cream of mushroom soup -can you believe I was out of that? I bought a couple of mums - which the bagger carelessly broke branches on and I was forced to trade it for another one and I bought some turkey lunch meat. All that barely fit in my little, teeny, tiny trunk!!
Yeah so back to the mums... I picked out a perfect pink one and a perfect yellow one. Of course the bagger broke the branches on the pink one so I had to go swap it out. Of course there were no others that were perfect because I already had the most perfect one. I had to settle for another yellow one instead darn it!
As it turns out, I'm pretty happy with the two yellow ones. They are about the same size and they are both just about to bloom. I have them on the front porch right now but if I get my straw bales, and I'm pretty sure I will, they'll all go down to the split in the driveway just like they did last year. Things will be set up a little different this year because now I know where all my scarecrows are! I found them when we were straightening up the storage trailer - hahaha go figure!
They were stacked neatly beside my Publix Pilgrim collection which will also be hauled out at some point between now and Thanksgiving. Can you believe it's less than two months away? Wow time sure does fly! As far as I know, it will be just me and Wally for Thanksgiving this year. Others have been invited but so far we don't know who, if anyone, is coming.
Not to worry - I'll still cook my big bird and I'll still make my barley stuffing and green bean casserole. I may even go out on a limb and make the country ham biscuits for breakfast. Gosh I haven't thought about those in a long time...hmmmm now I'm thinking I may not want to wait for Thanksgiving for those! lol!
Can't remember if I mentioned it or not but the hummingbirds took their leave while we were in Florida. I filled the feeders the day we left and after a week, they were still just as full. The regular feeders were filled too and I can see where the birds have been getting at one of them pretty steadily. The one on the back porch is dwindling down but the one on the front porch hasn't been touched. Go figure - it was the opposite last year!
The leaves started changing and some turned yellow and red but then they abruptly stopped. I don't know what caused that to happen but no changes have really come about in a week or so. I still carry my camera with me wherever I go but I'm still waiting for the real changes to come. We're supposed to get some rain and some cooler temperatures next week - maybe that's what it will take to get them going again? I'm certainly no expert on leaves changing!!!
We did have a good time in FL despite the reason for our being there. It was so good to see everyone and I wish I had more time to spend with each of you so we could get caught up. Jack cooked some incredible pulled pork and his cowboy beans were just as good as ever!! I told Neccy he should go into the pork business instead of the tree business LOL! He's got that recipe down pat. mmmm I'd like another plate of it right now :) :)
I'm sure I've left out a few things that I wanted to mention but time is tight and I must sign off for today. Enjoy this month of October as it typically treats us with nice weather no matter where you live. I'll try to get on here a little more often so I don't have to keep hearing how horrible I am for keeping you at bay...lol!! It's nice to know you miss my postings :) and don't forget to check out the flickr photos. As soon as the leaves start changing again, I'll be out there getting pictures for you.
"How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg."~Abraham Lincoln
HAVE A NICE WEEKEND!!!
My last post was on 9/13/11 and shortly thereafter we made a trip to Florida for my grandma's (on my Mom's side) funeral services. She had a full and active life and gave all of us plenty of memories to smile about as we think of her in days to come. May she rest in peace.
I was the fortunate recipient of her couch, which she called a 'Davenport' and a couple of her tables. The furniture belonged to my great grandmother and my grandma inherited it from her. I've no idea the age but certainly it would be in the 90 year range.
I also brought home with me a box that hung on the wall where she kept her mail. That box is painted red and it has a rooster on the front of it. I'll have to post a picture so you can see how cool it is. Uncle Dee said it was likely made by my great grandfather, Pap.
The couch cushions are in need of being recovered so I'm in search of a seamstress here who might be up to the task. Ernie's mama made new cushions for the chair (that goes with the couch) but she's feeling under the weather these days so it really wouldn't be fair to ask it of her. Hey Ernie, we hope she's feeling much better by the time you read this posting.
The one table needed just a bit of cleaning but as I was washing it off, I realized I liked it just the way it was. It even has a metal tag on the underside that tells where it was made, by whom, and it's numbered. None of that really means much to me since I've no plans to ever sell it but it is a good quality table and one I'll use for years and years to come just as my family members before me did.
Family pictures have all of us seated on the couch with the round table at the end still holding a lamp as always. I don't know where the furniture will reside in the cabin but as soon as I know the best place, I'll take a picture and post it. It's really beautiful!
Speaking of roosters, my two remaining boys have come home to roost again. I guess the dogs have been tied long enough that the roosters feel comfortable back up at the cabin. They sleep in the tree off the front porch rather than the back porch and still crow every morning at 3:30 like clockwork. Oh how that makes me laugh!! They follow me out to the scratch feed bucket and I sprinkle out a scoopful for them to share. If I get home too late, they won't wait for me. They'll fly up into their tree and make those little cooing sounds until time to crow before finally falling asleep. Talk about an internal body clock - roosters were certainly built with one.
I'm still on a mission to get some Guinea Hens for the farm. Now these birds are really loud and they are very territorial from what I hear. Once you are around them for a while, they get used to you and they don't care for anyone else coming along. They make a loud, funny, kind of honking noise... not quite like a goose but similar! They get their feathers all ruffled up too - so funny! I hope they get along with roosters and puppies LOL!
Speaking of the puppies, who won't be a year old until November, they are getting bigger every day. Clearly I'm no match for them when they're out running free in the yard. They run so fast I'm pretty sure they could catch anything on the farm at this point. Colt is still the more coordinated of the two and he's very quick to cut back and forth while Ruger is chasing him. Ruger is the bigger of the two and even though he doesn't have Colt's coordination, he does have the speed and the bulk to catch him.
Colt will take off down the hill while Ruger sits and watches. Just when Colt thinks he needs to come looking for Ruger, Ruger will take off after him! Oh my gosh, it's like when Simba got pouncing lessons from ZaZu in the Lion King movie!! We laugh every time we see them playing like that. They come back to us panting and heaving and all slobbery from tangling with each other and they're so happy just to have the freedom to run.
Ruger doesn't jump on me anymore and rarely scratches me by putting that big old paw up on me. He's still learning that one... They both mind very well unless there's something in the yard they want to run after, like my roosters! In those cases, only Wally's voice will bring them back. It's like they don't even hear me. We're working on it though because they have to listen to both of us no matter what.
They do seem to be protective of me and if I'm not outside with them, they'll come up to the cabin door looking for me. When I walk away from them, they follow and if they happen to miss it when I leave, they'll come looking all around until they find me. I don't know if they would actually hurt anyone who came up but they would certainly make the person stop and think twice about approaching.
If you will recall from last year, the tulip and buttercup bulbs I planted were dug up several times by a certain pair of puppies... well, this year is apparently no exception. I planted a bunch of bulbs in the garden that Dizzy helped me with and when we got back from FL, I noticed that in one area, a big hole had been dug. Of course it was right up front and of course all the bulbs were gone. HMMM - it could have been any of the three.There's no way to tell. All I know is... Here we go again! hahahahaha
So I'm off to Fred's tonight to see if they still have bulbs for sale so I can replant. Whichever dog it was, he left the hole nice and deep so it won't be hard to plant... I'll just have to find enough soft dirt to pile into the hole to cover the bulbs. They better leave it alone this time!!!!!
On the bright side, they didn't dig up the whole garden and the hyacinths I planted have sprung from the ground. I didn't think they would come up until spring but low and behold, they're here! The package said to plant now for spring flowering but Claudia said they might bloom now and again in the spring. Okay by me!
Everything seems to be thriving this time of year. The irises are getting greener and the leaves are standing up again. The day lilies in the new garden are growing nicely - I wasn't sure they would make it but they seem to be doing fine and even the allium leaves are starting anew along the driveway and in the garden Dizzy Debbie helped with. I should be in flower heaven come springtime next year!
The 4 o'clocks I planted in that big metal bowl should bloom any day now - we'll soon know what colors I have! I also have more to transplant if I find the time. They're doing okay in the windowsill but I know they would be happier outside in the dirt. Maybe this weekend???
Down at the split in the driveway the little pumpkin plant finally gave up the ghost. It bloomed one more time but just couldn't hang in there. I've plenty of seeds to plant next year, thank you Kris! So pumpkins are what we have to look forward to - we have to have something now don't we? LOL
There are wild flowers everywhere and they're very tempting to pick and bring inside but I've found they don't really care to be picked and die within a day or so when I try. So in the yard they stay and that's okay too. I get to enjoy them while the dogs are running wild and playing in the yard. I hope to someday be able to identify them all but for now I'm happy just seeing them out there. Purple and yellow seem to be the colors most often in appearance and those two colors go very well together. I could have fields of them if only we didn't have to ever mow! Hahahahaha I doubt Wally would appreciate that very much!
Being in Florida really brought back the memories of humidity. Now that it's Fall up here, there is no more humidity - not that we get nearly what FL gets but we do get some. The temperatures get into the 80s during the day and the 50s at night. We've had some 40s and even a couple of 30s but those aren't supposed to be here permanently for another month or so. I love the 50s at night - it's perfect for grilling, sitting on the porch, riding the 4 wheelers, you name it. We're outside most evenings until just after dark which is really late for us. We used to be in bed by dark :) :)
With the weather like it is, we want to be out there as much as possible because we know what's in store for us in the next month or so...brrrrrr LOL We took a ride on the motorcycle the other night and it was absolutely beautiful! I wore my jacket, of course, but really only needed it on the way home. Too bad for us we ran into some rain and we were soaked by the time we got down the driveway. Ah not to worry - if you ride you're eventually going to get rained on and your clothes will dry! lol!
Oh before I forget - this is what the almanac had to say for October:
"And now the frost is seen in morn, overspreading fields with white,
the farmer gathers in his corn with pleasure and delight."
In my travels I find that this is very true. All the corn fields have been picked and plowed under. I didn't get to witness this picking and plowing but it's clear it happen whether I was there to see it or not. The fields are empty but for the paths the machines took down the rows. Oh to be a farmer - I could really get into that!
The corn stalks are dried and browned in the sun and people here use them for their Fall decorations. I see them on the corners of lawns and tied up with bows of orange and yellow at mailboxes all over town. You know that makes me anxious to get my Fall decorations out and set up. I'm hoping Wally will take me to get some straw bales this weekend. Now I know what they mean when they say "you can feel it in the air." It's really true and it makes you want to be a part of it. Well, it does me anyway...lol! But then you knew that, didn't you?
My CSA baskets have been overflowing with squash, sweet potatoes, peppers and now the beautiful addition of a pumpkin!!! You can bet I immediately took it into the living room and set it on the glass table with my sweet potato vine.. the orange of the pumpkin and the green of the vine look so pretty together!! Of course, I had to windex the table first hahahaha sometimes that gets overlooked in my cleaning process.
The squash was spaghetti squash this week. Easy to cook, very good to eat and super nutritious! There are two ways to cook it; in the oven or the microwave. The oven obviously takes longer but some people prefer the texture better when it comes from the oven. Also, it takes about an hour in the oven whereas the microwave takes only about 15-20 minutes.
Cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. Cook it via the method of your choice. After it cooks, take a fork and start shredding the pulp. As it shreds it will begin to look just like spaghetti!! You can top it with spaghetti sauce, alfredo sauce, butter and garlic, salsa, black beans and cilantro, the options are endless :)
I've been in the process of rotating the freezer inventory. As you know, things on the top tend to get eaten first and that stuff on the bottom, well, it just kind of gets lost in the shuffle. So, I've been on a mission. We have had everything from shredded pork sandwiches, to beef pot roasts to chicken breasts and even some fried catfish. About all that's left is bacon - which will keep and which we will always have :) and some pork shoulder and a bag or two of vegetables. I think there's a steamfresh bag of broccoli with cheese sauce that we'll probably have with dinner tonight and there is also a bag of my homemade spaghetti sauce. It will keep because it has only been in there since early summer when the tomatoes first started coming in.
Now I won't feel so bad when I start going back to the meat man and stocking up again! He opens his secret barn/shed doors the weekend of Thanksgiving and you better believe I'll be there at 7am when that happens. I'm ready for some fresh sausage, some fresh ground beef and some awesome, tenderized, pork tenderloin!!
I bet the dogs are ready for some big cow and pig bones too! Remember last year, the dogs were so small they could hide their bones under the front porch? Not anymore!! They're too big to even get under the front porch now. They could probably get under the back porch but they never do. They don't seem to be interested.
Everyone is happy with the meat man starts selling again :) :) :) Even Dizzy Debbie - if she could only be here for it!
Speaking of food, yesterday was my first trip to the grocery store since before we went to Florida. Well, I had to pick up milk, bread and butter but this was my first real trip since FL. What didn't I need? I bought fruit, peas, lettuce (the basket lettuce was gone after two lunch salads), celery, carrots, yogurt, cheese, chuck-eye steaks for dinner, a picnic ham and dried butter beans for a recipe I found in the FoodNetwork magazine. I bought some G2 gatorade stuff, some tea bags, and some cereal for Wally. I bought cream of mushroom soup -can you believe I was out of that? I bought a couple of mums - which the bagger carelessly broke branches on and I was forced to trade it for another one and I bought some turkey lunch meat. All that barely fit in my little, teeny, tiny trunk!!
Yeah so back to the mums... I picked out a perfect pink one and a perfect yellow one. Of course the bagger broke the branches on the pink one so I had to go swap it out. Of course there were no others that were perfect because I already had the most perfect one. I had to settle for another yellow one instead darn it!
As it turns out, I'm pretty happy with the two yellow ones. They are about the same size and they are both just about to bloom. I have them on the front porch right now but if I get my straw bales, and I'm pretty sure I will, they'll all go down to the split in the driveway just like they did last year. Things will be set up a little different this year because now I know where all my scarecrows are! I found them when we were straightening up the storage trailer - hahaha go figure!
They were stacked neatly beside my Publix Pilgrim collection which will also be hauled out at some point between now and Thanksgiving. Can you believe it's less than two months away? Wow time sure does fly! As far as I know, it will be just me and Wally for Thanksgiving this year. Others have been invited but so far we don't know who, if anyone, is coming.
Not to worry - I'll still cook my big bird and I'll still make my barley stuffing and green bean casserole. I may even go out on a limb and make the country ham biscuits for breakfast. Gosh I haven't thought about those in a long time...hmmmm now I'm thinking I may not want to wait for Thanksgiving for those! lol!
Can't remember if I mentioned it or not but the hummingbirds took their leave while we were in Florida. I filled the feeders the day we left and after a week, they were still just as full. The regular feeders were filled too and I can see where the birds have been getting at one of them pretty steadily. The one on the back porch is dwindling down but the one on the front porch hasn't been touched. Go figure - it was the opposite last year!
The leaves started changing and some turned yellow and red but then they abruptly stopped. I don't know what caused that to happen but no changes have really come about in a week or so. I still carry my camera with me wherever I go but I'm still waiting for the real changes to come. We're supposed to get some rain and some cooler temperatures next week - maybe that's what it will take to get them going again? I'm certainly no expert on leaves changing!!!
We did have a good time in FL despite the reason for our being there. It was so good to see everyone and I wish I had more time to spend with each of you so we could get caught up. Jack cooked some incredible pulled pork and his cowboy beans were just as good as ever!! I told Neccy he should go into the pork business instead of the tree business LOL! He's got that recipe down pat. mmmm I'd like another plate of it right now :) :)
I'm sure I've left out a few things that I wanted to mention but time is tight and I must sign off for today. Enjoy this month of October as it typically treats us with nice weather no matter where you live. I'll try to get on here a little more often so I don't have to keep hearing how horrible I am for keeping you at bay...lol!! It's nice to know you miss my postings :) and don't forget to check out the flickr photos. As soon as the leaves start changing again, I'll be out there getting pictures for you.
"How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg."~Abraham Lincoln
HAVE A NICE WEEKEND!!!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Time for a Post, if only just a few minutes...
Things have been busy, busy, busy on the farm these days. The dogs are all doing well; Ruger has almost given up the bad habits he learned while he was a runaway lol and Colt continues to cling to my side no matter where I'm going or what I'm doing. Smith has good days and bad but hey, he's old, he's allowed to. He gets around in his own way and still gets excited to see us when we're outside. Which is a lot lately!
That brings me to the weather...it's absolutely wonderful! Highs in the low 80s, lows in the high 50-60 degree range. Mornings are chilly enough to warrant the heater in my car even if only for a few minutes. Afternoons are nice enough to roll down the windows and let the air blow through the car. It's such a welcome relief after the heat of the summer when it seemed never to end.
The grass is green again after a few rain showers. The trees have begun their transition from green to gold with any measure of orange and red in between the stages. A few in the front yard are completely gold and along the driveway, lots of leaves have turned red. It appears to me the sumac is the first to begin changing. It's also kind of strange how the same tree in our yard will still be green while out on the paved road, it's red. Quite the mystery going on there, huh?
My goal this weekend will be to get pictures of these changes although really they aren't in full swing as I write this. I've been told the time to plant bulbs is now. I bought three bags of them at Fred's the other day and I planted them in the garden that Dizzy built and down by the split in the driveway. Keep your fingers crossed that they'll do better this year and no puppies will dig them up... lol!!
I planted red tulips, yellow daffodils (aka buttercups) and blue hyacinths (pictures on the flickr site). I also transplanted the 4 o'clocks that I had in pots on the front porch. They were getting leggy so I figured I better do it before it gets too cold. Of course they are expected to die back in the winter but being a perennial, they'll come back in the spring. The seeds were mixed so I should have all different colors :) 'thank you Sydna!'
We took a trip to Cane Creek Market over the weekend and boy was that ever a treat! Just getting there kept my eyes peeled to the scenery. There are no traffic lights for miles and miles. There were only a few vehicles. As we came around a corner, we saw a horse and buggy with a family of about 8 riding down the road.
The women had bonnets on their heads and all were wearing homemade dresses with very little design. The men had straw hats and wore shirts and pants that were obviously homemade but also obviously well made. The kids were similarly dressed and looked at us like we were the strangers. I guess we were out there.
All along the road there were signs posted for things you could buy. Fresh eggs, raw milk, goat's milk soap, firewood and hay. These folks are like the Amish in Pennsylvania but here they are called Mennonites. They live under the same circumstances - without electricity or running water other than a well. They manage well enough and their places are very neat and tidy. Nothing is fancy but everything is sturdy and constructed with a knowledge and care you just don't see in the modern world. I was fascinated and could have spent all day but alas we needed to get to the market.
The market held all kinds of treasures and for me it could have meant a good hour going up and down the aisles. Wally wasn't quite as enthusiastic as I was so he was done in short order. They do have electricity in the market but that's because it's for public use. Here is where you could find hard or soft, red winter wheat, ground or whole. They keep barley and rolled oats in 5 lb bags. They have local honey, local soaps, local candles and a beautiful display of stock pots and kitchen accessory - most are hand made.
They have homemade butter with the ingredients listed as cream and salt. They have cheese curds, both white and yellow. All manner of cheeses line the refrigerator and all are made by the Mennonite ladies. Those bonnets and hats the family was wearing are also on sale here. Whoever sewed them, definitely knew what she was doing.
They have hard candy treats for kids and adults alike. They have every type of flour and sugar you could imagine and so many spices they fill a cabinet on one wall. They have offerings of jellies, jams and preserves in as many flavors as you can think of. There is a bookshelf full of cookbooks - please someone pull me out of this place!!!!!! LOL
My haul went like this: a 4 lb bag of birdseed, a bag of okra chips (more on these), a bag of yellow cheese curds, a quart jar of honey, a container of dried cilantro, a bag of beef jerky and a block of pepper jack cheese. All I can say is it's a good thing this market isn't any closer to home. Shopping here was delightful and I could go every day to see what's new. I'm pretty sure it wasn't quite so enjoyable for Wally but he did enjoy the ride there and back. We took the camaro and rolled down the windows and just rode peacefully for hours.
Back to the bag of okra chips...these were strange. It looked like regular okra but when I bit into a pod, it was salty and hollow and crunchy just like a potato chip! I have no idea how they did that. They somehow got all the slimy stuff out of it and it was great! It tasted like okra but it was airy in the middle - those people are pretty amazing!
Sunday Darryl came over to work on his dad's truck. Before they got started they put a whole pork shoulder on the smoker so it could cook all day while they worked. There wasn't an inch on the farm where you couldn't smell that pork cooking in the smoker! It made me so hungry I didn't think I'd make it to supper. To go with it, I took the butternut squash that I had roasted earlier in the week and scooped out the pulp. I added some milk and butter and used the immersion blender to smooth it out. I spooned the filling into a pie shell and baked it for about 45 minutes. Holy cow!!! It had the texture of sweat potato pie but it was different being as it was squash. It was good though :) wish you could have tried it!
Darryl gave me a bag of purple hull peas that had already been shelled so I cooked those too. Rebecca has got to try these. As much as she likes boiled peanuts, she'll love purple hull peas. They taste so much alike!
I had the laundry out on the line, the smoker was smoking up the farm, the dogs were playing in the yard and I couldn't help but think what a fine day it was in my little world. If any day was a good one for a hammock, that would have been it :) :)
I filled my bird feeders with the seed from the market and filled the hummingbird feeders one last time before they leave me. Soon the little blue birds will be back at the feeders filling their bellies instead. The roosters have started coming back up to the house now that the dogs stay mostly on the line. They slept in the tree off the front porch one night but have since moved back to the trees down the hill. I'm hoping they'll come back when it starts to get cold because they need to be sleeping up under the porch like they did last year. I don't want rooster pops in the trees when winter comes hahahahahaha!
We're down to just two of them now. They will still follow me over to Dizzy's apartment where we keep their scratch feed but once they've eaten their fill, they waddle off down the hill or into the woods. I'm hoping we can get more soon. They are very entertaining when dogs aren't chasing them all over the place :) although my guests sleeping in the room below them may not agree... lol!
The deer are everywhere now and the hunters have started their target practice. I hear the gun shots going over morning, noon and night. There are 4 deer that come up every day and eat the grass down by the split in the driveway. This has been their routine for a couple weeks now up until yesterday. They came as close as the fire pit. I know you don't know where that is unless you've been here but it's about 25 yards from the outdoor kitchen. The outdoor kitchen is about 30 feet from the house (?) give or take. The deer are so close I don't need binoculars to see them! woo hoo!!! There are two grown females and two young babies. One of the babies still has spots but they'll soon be gone as it doesn't take long for them to be fully grown.
Hunting season starts September 24th and I called my eye doctor just the other day to see about getting the long distance contact lens for my right eye. This year I hope to be able to see a deer well enough to, uh, well, harvest it... :) That's as nice as I can put it for Kat, Kris, and those others of you who are anti-hunting.
The turkeys tend to stay down in the horse pasture and all those babies have grown up too. It's now hard to tell the young ones from the older ones except they still follow their mommas around instead of venturing out on their own lol!!
My farmer took a couple weeks off in between tilling the summer gardens and picking the beginning of the fall gardens so this week was the first delivery in two weeks. She loaded us up! We have two big sweet potatoes, two eggplants (one purple, one white!), a big handful of hot peppers, three sweet peppers, a little basket of tomatoes, a bunch of mint, a spaghetti squash, a bag of potatoes and a bag of purple okra. WOW!! I'm thinking maybe a stuffed eggplant kind of recipe... I hear there's a good one in the Justin Wilson cookbook so I'll have to check it out. If only I knew how the Mennonites made those okra chips! So much to learn up here even after a year and a half!
You're welcome to come see the leaves changing and enjoy some homemade foods. We'll be happy to show you the back roads and the little Cane Creek Market. In case you can't make it up, I'm learning how to can my soup so winter will have us all warm and full bellied together :) In the meantime, plant something in your garden or pick a flower to bring inside. Surely it won't be long before your weather cools some too??
"The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain." ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
That brings me to the weather...it's absolutely wonderful! Highs in the low 80s, lows in the high 50-60 degree range. Mornings are chilly enough to warrant the heater in my car even if only for a few minutes. Afternoons are nice enough to roll down the windows and let the air blow through the car. It's such a welcome relief after the heat of the summer when it seemed never to end.
The grass is green again after a few rain showers. The trees have begun their transition from green to gold with any measure of orange and red in between the stages. A few in the front yard are completely gold and along the driveway, lots of leaves have turned red. It appears to me the sumac is the first to begin changing. It's also kind of strange how the same tree in our yard will still be green while out on the paved road, it's red. Quite the mystery going on there, huh?
My goal this weekend will be to get pictures of these changes although really they aren't in full swing as I write this. I've been told the time to plant bulbs is now. I bought three bags of them at Fred's the other day and I planted them in the garden that Dizzy built and down by the split in the driveway. Keep your fingers crossed that they'll do better this year and no puppies will dig them up... lol!!
I planted red tulips, yellow daffodils (aka buttercups) and blue hyacinths (pictures on the flickr site). I also transplanted the 4 o'clocks that I had in pots on the front porch. They were getting leggy so I figured I better do it before it gets too cold. Of course they are expected to die back in the winter but being a perennial, they'll come back in the spring. The seeds were mixed so I should have all different colors :) 'thank you Sydna!'
We took a trip to Cane Creek Market over the weekend and boy was that ever a treat! Just getting there kept my eyes peeled to the scenery. There are no traffic lights for miles and miles. There were only a few vehicles. As we came around a corner, we saw a horse and buggy with a family of about 8 riding down the road.
The women had bonnets on their heads and all were wearing homemade dresses with very little design. The men had straw hats and wore shirts and pants that were obviously homemade but also obviously well made. The kids were similarly dressed and looked at us like we were the strangers. I guess we were out there.
All along the road there were signs posted for things you could buy. Fresh eggs, raw milk, goat's milk soap, firewood and hay. These folks are like the Amish in Pennsylvania but here they are called Mennonites. They live under the same circumstances - without electricity or running water other than a well. They manage well enough and their places are very neat and tidy. Nothing is fancy but everything is sturdy and constructed with a knowledge and care you just don't see in the modern world. I was fascinated and could have spent all day but alas we needed to get to the market.
The market held all kinds of treasures and for me it could have meant a good hour going up and down the aisles. Wally wasn't quite as enthusiastic as I was so he was done in short order. They do have electricity in the market but that's because it's for public use. Here is where you could find hard or soft, red winter wheat, ground or whole. They keep barley and rolled oats in 5 lb bags. They have local honey, local soaps, local candles and a beautiful display of stock pots and kitchen accessory - most are hand made.
They have homemade butter with the ingredients listed as cream and salt. They have cheese curds, both white and yellow. All manner of cheeses line the refrigerator and all are made by the Mennonite ladies. Those bonnets and hats the family was wearing are also on sale here. Whoever sewed them, definitely knew what she was doing.
They have hard candy treats for kids and adults alike. They have every type of flour and sugar you could imagine and so many spices they fill a cabinet on one wall. They have offerings of jellies, jams and preserves in as many flavors as you can think of. There is a bookshelf full of cookbooks - please someone pull me out of this place!!!!!! LOL
My haul went like this: a 4 lb bag of birdseed, a bag of okra chips (more on these), a bag of yellow cheese curds, a quart jar of honey, a container of dried cilantro, a bag of beef jerky and a block of pepper jack cheese. All I can say is it's a good thing this market isn't any closer to home. Shopping here was delightful and I could go every day to see what's new. I'm pretty sure it wasn't quite so enjoyable for Wally but he did enjoy the ride there and back. We took the camaro and rolled down the windows and just rode peacefully for hours.
Back to the bag of okra chips...these were strange. It looked like regular okra but when I bit into a pod, it was salty and hollow and crunchy just like a potato chip! I have no idea how they did that. They somehow got all the slimy stuff out of it and it was great! It tasted like okra but it was airy in the middle - those people are pretty amazing!
Sunday Darryl came over to work on his dad's truck. Before they got started they put a whole pork shoulder on the smoker so it could cook all day while they worked. There wasn't an inch on the farm where you couldn't smell that pork cooking in the smoker! It made me so hungry I didn't think I'd make it to supper. To go with it, I took the butternut squash that I had roasted earlier in the week and scooped out the pulp. I added some milk and butter and used the immersion blender to smooth it out. I spooned the filling into a pie shell and baked it for about 45 minutes. Holy cow!!! It had the texture of sweat potato pie but it was different being as it was squash. It was good though :) wish you could have tried it!
Darryl gave me a bag of purple hull peas that had already been shelled so I cooked those too. Rebecca has got to try these. As much as she likes boiled peanuts, she'll love purple hull peas. They taste so much alike!
I had the laundry out on the line, the smoker was smoking up the farm, the dogs were playing in the yard and I couldn't help but think what a fine day it was in my little world. If any day was a good one for a hammock, that would have been it :) :)
I filled my bird feeders with the seed from the market and filled the hummingbird feeders one last time before they leave me. Soon the little blue birds will be back at the feeders filling their bellies instead. The roosters have started coming back up to the house now that the dogs stay mostly on the line. They slept in the tree off the front porch one night but have since moved back to the trees down the hill. I'm hoping they'll come back when it starts to get cold because they need to be sleeping up under the porch like they did last year. I don't want rooster pops in the trees when winter comes hahahahahaha!
We're down to just two of them now. They will still follow me over to Dizzy's apartment where we keep their scratch feed but once they've eaten their fill, they waddle off down the hill or into the woods. I'm hoping we can get more soon. They are very entertaining when dogs aren't chasing them all over the place :) although my guests sleeping in the room below them may not agree... lol!
The deer are everywhere now and the hunters have started their target practice. I hear the gun shots going over morning, noon and night. There are 4 deer that come up every day and eat the grass down by the split in the driveway. This has been their routine for a couple weeks now up until yesterday. They came as close as the fire pit. I know you don't know where that is unless you've been here but it's about 25 yards from the outdoor kitchen. The outdoor kitchen is about 30 feet from the house (?) give or take. The deer are so close I don't need binoculars to see them! woo hoo!!! There are two grown females and two young babies. One of the babies still has spots but they'll soon be gone as it doesn't take long for them to be fully grown.
Hunting season starts September 24th and I called my eye doctor just the other day to see about getting the long distance contact lens for my right eye. This year I hope to be able to see a deer well enough to, uh, well, harvest it... :) That's as nice as I can put it for Kat, Kris, and those others of you who are anti-hunting.
The turkeys tend to stay down in the horse pasture and all those babies have grown up too. It's now hard to tell the young ones from the older ones except they still follow their mommas around instead of venturing out on their own lol!!
My farmer took a couple weeks off in between tilling the summer gardens and picking the beginning of the fall gardens so this week was the first delivery in two weeks. She loaded us up! We have two big sweet potatoes, two eggplants (one purple, one white!), a big handful of hot peppers, three sweet peppers, a little basket of tomatoes, a bunch of mint, a spaghetti squash, a bag of potatoes and a bag of purple okra. WOW!! I'm thinking maybe a stuffed eggplant kind of recipe... I hear there's a good one in the Justin Wilson cookbook so I'll have to check it out. If only I knew how the Mennonites made those okra chips! So much to learn up here even after a year and a half!
You're welcome to come see the leaves changing and enjoy some homemade foods. We'll be happy to show you the back roads and the little Cane Creek Market. In case you can't make it up, I'm learning how to can my soup so winter will have us all warm and full bellied together :) In the meantime, plant something in your garden or pick a flower to bring inside. Surely it won't be long before your weather cools some too??
"The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain." ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Monday, August 29, 2011
Pickling Peppers and Other Weekend News...
I have never before made pickled peppers and I have yet to try the ones that I pickled over the weekend. They sure do look good but they have to soak in their brine for a couple weeks before we'll be able to give them a try.
I was given the recipe and found it to be so easy, I couldn't resist trying it out. I was also given the peppers which made it sound even better. A friend of mine down at Pee Wee's gave me enough jalapeno peppers to fill four pint jars and she gave me enough sweet banana peppers to fill two quart jars and one pint jar. So I'm set for peppers for quite some time. If they turn out to be any good.
So the recipe goes like this (Kat, I'm pretty sure you'll skip this part but Mike might be interested if he grew jalapeno peppers this year haha): take your jalapeno peppers and cut the stem ends off of them. In a quart jar mix 60% vinegar with 40% water and then add about a tablespoon of canning salt. You can use regular salt but your brine might turn cloudy on you. It won't hurt anything, it just doesn't look as pretty.
Wash your pint jars and rings in very hot, very soapy water and let them air dry. When the jars are dry, pack the jalapeno peppers into them as tightly as you possibly can. Pour the brine mixture over them and put the lids on the jars. That's it!!! Really!!!
I want to say I probably had about 2-3 lbs of jalapeno peppers and they filled the four pint jars with no room to spare. In fact, I had one lone pepper left and couldn't squeeze it into any of the four jars. So that kind of gives you an idea of how many peppers and jars you'll need.
The sweet banana peppers I did the same way except I didn't cut the ends off. In hind sight I realize I should have because the stem ends turned a brownish color that isn't as pretty as the one pint jar where I did cut off the stem ends. You can see the pictures on the attached flickr site. Tell me which ones are your favorite????
The flickr site was updated today. I've had some troubles with it lately but I'm hoping today it will be back to normal. There are pictures of the chow-chow and pear preserves from last week and pickled peppers and outdoor pictures from this weekend.
Saturday and Sunday our temperatures were in the upper 80s. That may not sound like much but believe me it was a welcome relief. Saturday I hung clothes on the line and didn't even sweat! I staked my tomato plant again. This is one that insists on falling over no matter what I do. In all there are about 10 tomatoes still ripening on the vines and with new flowers just beginning to bloom, I may even get a few more before the season is completely over. The farmers may be done with their tomatoes but mine went in a little later than most so I'm still enjoying picking one or two here or there as days go by.
We let Colt and Ruger run free for a couple hours both days and stayed outside as much as we could while it was still nice enough to do so. They are doing better about sitting with us without pawing us or slobbering all over us! But they are still puppies and they do love to run and play so we sit out there on the benches and watch them as they go.
Saturday morning I took out a pork shoulder that I bought on sale at Food Lion. I poured on a little bit of Dale's seasoning the rubbed it down with some bbq rub. I poked holes all in it then stuffed them with slices of fresh garlic. Wally got the fire going for the smoker and put the meat into a cast iron skillet. He filled the skillet with beer to tenderize it and by mid-afternoon it was slowly smoking to tasty perfection.
Well now man can not live on pork alone (hahahaha) so we had ranch potato salad and fried eggplant to go with it. When the meat came out of that smoker, the top (layer of fat) was brown and crispy while the inside had a pink smoke ring and was so tender it fell apart when I tried to slice it.
As much as I wanted to eat that fat, I had to let it go. If Dizzy Debbie were here, she would have eaten it all. It was probably only a few bites but boy did they ever look yummy. I figured the fried eggplant would be enough fat for one day :) :)
Not to keep going on about food but it seems it was a food weekend. I got another recipe from the friend who showed me how to make fried chicken. This one she calls steak and gravy. Now this is a little bit trickier mainly because gravy is a little bit tricky. I took the round steak (she suggested), cut it into steak looking pieces, seasoned it and browned it in some oil in the cast iron skillet. It doesn't get cooked in the skillet but you do want to brown it just a little.
Once it browns, lay it in a casserole dish big enough to hold all your steak pieces and the gravy. You may or may not need to add more oil for the gravy but what I had looked to be just right. I let the oil get hot then sprinkled in about 2 tbsps of flour. When that got blended in, it was still too loose so I added another couple tbsps of flour. Now it was looking good. It gets to the point where it's almost a crumble of flour.
Once the flour gets together like that, you start adding water. Stir the water in until it's combined with the flour and keep adding more water until your gravy is the consistency that YOU like. I like mine not too thick, not too thin. I also added my salt and pepper at this point. When the gravy is how you like it seasoned, pour it over the steaks in the casserole dish.
The dish goes into a 350 degree oven for about and hour, maybe and hour and 15 minutes depending on the thickness of the steak. Using round steak calls for a long cooking time because it tends to be kind of tough. The gravy and the cooking time help to tenderize the steak and imparts a great deal of flavor. We could smell them way before they ever got done. The casserole came out of the oven hot and bubbly and I wished I had made some sourdough bread well in advance for sopping up all that gravy!
I cooked my purple hull peas and the acorn squash from the CSA basket to go with our steak and gravy. Talk about a Sunday afternoon dinner that will make you put your feet up and just sit a while...woohooo this one sure did it. We didn't feel like moving when that feast was over LOL
Of course we did get up and move around though. I cleaned up the kitchen while Wally took care of some stuff that needed done outside. This would be so easy to make for a crowd and a little goes a long way. It was very flavorful and tender and I just don't see how anyone could not like it. It might be better suited to a cool weather dinner but other than that, it's on my list to make again!
That list continues to grow!
I supposed if you weren't able to make the gravy home-made, you could use the packet gravy or the wondra gravy mix. Either one would work just fine so long as there is enough of it to cover the steak and allow it to cook without drying up.
I hope you enjoy these recipes yourself sometime soon. Otherwise, I'll just have to come down there and cook them for you myself!! LOL Just kidding. That's going to be a while yet :) :)
This weekend I'm hoping to make it to the Fair On The Square in Centerville. They'll have music, food, arts & crafts and all kinds of good stuff going on. It should be a fun time and with any luck we'll have nice weather like we did this past weekend.
We rode the 4 wheelers out on the back roads and didn't see another single vehicle even though we were out for about 2 hours. We crossed the creek at the concrete bridge (that's underwater) and rode tree lined dirt roads watching for deer and other wild animals all along the way. It was dark outside so the going is a bit slower in order to avoid the holes in the roads. It was nice and cool and next time, I do believe I'll have to carry a jacket. Can you believe it's finally that nice at night where a jacket is required???? Wow the summer heat seems to have gone on forever this year.
There are just a few varieties of trees whose leaves have started turning yellow and red. The full onset of fall isn't here yet but you can somehow sense that it's coming. I was tempted to get the winter clothes out of storage and wash them in preparation of the cool temperatures to come. Ha! Not quite yet deary... we're supposed to be back up to 95 degrees by Wednesday...hahahahaha the joke is on me :)
I won't get a CSA basket for a couple of weeks. As the summer crops are in decline, they haven't enough to fill all the baskets. They take this extra bit of crops to the farmer's market on Saturday and sell them to make extra money. Those of us in the CSA are welcome to buy some of these extra crops and we get them at a discount but my refrigerator is still full from all that I haven't had a chance to eat yet.
The butternut squash is still fresh and so is the patty pan (the last two of the year). I have another bag of green beans and a bag of okra (that's going to get chopped up and frozen for gumbo when it gets cold outside) and one last bag of purple viking potatoes. I have 4 green peppers and two red peppers still to eat and basil that has rooted in the glass of water much like the 4 o'clocks did. LOL Guess I'll plant it and grown my own!
I hope you're enjoying the late summer/early fall harvest wherever you happen to be. I can't wait for the sweet potatoes, beets, turnips and carrots to start filling my baskets again! This one week seems like it's taking forever and I still have another one to go!
September quickly approaches - can you believe how fast August went by? With September comes football season and I'm ready for some MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL. I still like watching the races but football seems to go hand in hand with all the fall festivites around here. Pretty soon we'll be in long sleeves...hahahaha!
"A dog can express more with his tail in seconds than his owner can express with his tongue in hours."~Author Unknown
I was given the recipe and found it to be so easy, I couldn't resist trying it out. I was also given the peppers which made it sound even better. A friend of mine down at Pee Wee's gave me enough jalapeno peppers to fill four pint jars and she gave me enough sweet banana peppers to fill two quart jars and one pint jar. So I'm set for peppers for quite some time. If they turn out to be any good.
So the recipe goes like this (Kat, I'm pretty sure you'll skip this part but Mike might be interested if he grew jalapeno peppers this year haha): take your jalapeno peppers and cut the stem ends off of them. In a quart jar mix 60% vinegar with 40% water and then add about a tablespoon of canning salt. You can use regular salt but your brine might turn cloudy on you. It won't hurt anything, it just doesn't look as pretty.
Wash your pint jars and rings in very hot, very soapy water and let them air dry. When the jars are dry, pack the jalapeno peppers into them as tightly as you possibly can. Pour the brine mixture over them and put the lids on the jars. That's it!!! Really!!!
I want to say I probably had about 2-3 lbs of jalapeno peppers and they filled the four pint jars with no room to spare. In fact, I had one lone pepper left and couldn't squeeze it into any of the four jars. So that kind of gives you an idea of how many peppers and jars you'll need.
The sweet banana peppers I did the same way except I didn't cut the ends off. In hind sight I realize I should have because the stem ends turned a brownish color that isn't as pretty as the one pint jar where I did cut off the stem ends. You can see the pictures on the attached flickr site. Tell me which ones are your favorite????
The flickr site was updated today. I've had some troubles with it lately but I'm hoping today it will be back to normal. There are pictures of the chow-chow and pear preserves from last week and pickled peppers and outdoor pictures from this weekend.
Saturday and Sunday our temperatures were in the upper 80s. That may not sound like much but believe me it was a welcome relief. Saturday I hung clothes on the line and didn't even sweat! I staked my tomato plant again. This is one that insists on falling over no matter what I do. In all there are about 10 tomatoes still ripening on the vines and with new flowers just beginning to bloom, I may even get a few more before the season is completely over. The farmers may be done with their tomatoes but mine went in a little later than most so I'm still enjoying picking one or two here or there as days go by.
We let Colt and Ruger run free for a couple hours both days and stayed outside as much as we could while it was still nice enough to do so. They are doing better about sitting with us without pawing us or slobbering all over us! But they are still puppies and they do love to run and play so we sit out there on the benches and watch them as they go.
Saturday morning I took out a pork shoulder that I bought on sale at Food Lion. I poured on a little bit of Dale's seasoning the rubbed it down with some bbq rub. I poked holes all in it then stuffed them with slices of fresh garlic. Wally got the fire going for the smoker and put the meat into a cast iron skillet. He filled the skillet with beer to tenderize it and by mid-afternoon it was slowly smoking to tasty perfection.
Well now man can not live on pork alone (hahahaha) so we had ranch potato salad and fried eggplant to go with it. When the meat came out of that smoker, the top (layer of fat) was brown and crispy while the inside had a pink smoke ring and was so tender it fell apart when I tried to slice it.
As much as I wanted to eat that fat, I had to let it go. If Dizzy Debbie were here, she would have eaten it all. It was probably only a few bites but boy did they ever look yummy. I figured the fried eggplant would be enough fat for one day :) :)
Not to keep going on about food but it seems it was a food weekend. I got another recipe from the friend who showed me how to make fried chicken. This one she calls steak and gravy. Now this is a little bit trickier mainly because gravy is a little bit tricky. I took the round steak (she suggested), cut it into steak looking pieces, seasoned it and browned it in some oil in the cast iron skillet. It doesn't get cooked in the skillet but you do want to brown it just a little.
Once it browns, lay it in a casserole dish big enough to hold all your steak pieces and the gravy. You may or may not need to add more oil for the gravy but what I had looked to be just right. I let the oil get hot then sprinkled in about 2 tbsps of flour. When that got blended in, it was still too loose so I added another couple tbsps of flour. Now it was looking good. It gets to the point where it's almost a crumble of flour.
Once the flour gets together like that, you start adding water. Stir the water in until it's combined with the flour and keep adding more water until your gravy is the consistency that YOU like. I like mine not too thick, not too thin. I also added my salt and pepper at this point. When the gravy is how you like it seasoned, pour it over the steaks in the casserole dish.
The dish goes into a 350 degree oven for about and hour, maybe and hour and 15 minutes depending on the thickness of the steak. Using round steak calls for a long cooking time because it tends to be kind of tough. The gravy and the cooking time help to tenderize the steak and imparts a great deal of flavor. We could smell them way before they ever got done. The casserole came out of the oven hot and bubbly and I wished I had made some sourdough bread well in advance for sopping up all that gravy!
I cooked my purple hull peas and the acorn squash from the CSA basket to go with our steak and gravy. Talk about a Sunday afternoon dinner that will make you put your feet up and just sit a while...woohooo this one sure did it. We didn't feel like moving when that feast was over LOL
Of course we did get up and move around though. I cleaned up the kitchen while Wally took care of some stuff that needed done outside. This would be so easy to make for a crowd and a little goes a long way. It was very flavorful and tender and I just don't see how anyone could not like it. It might be better suited to a cool weather dinner but other than that, it's on my list to make again!
That list continues to grow!
I supposed if you weren't able to make the gravy home-made, you could use the packet gravy or the wondra gravy mix. Either one would work just fine so long as there is enough of it to cover the steak and allow it to cook without drying up.
I hope you enjoy these recipes yourself sometime soon. Otherwise, I'll just have to come down there and cook them for you myself!! LOL Just kidding. That's going to be a while yet :) :)
This weekend I'm hoping to make it to the Fair On The Square in Centerville. They'll have music, food, arts & crafts and all kinds of good stuff going on. It should be a fun time and with any luck we'll have nice weather like we did this past weekend.
We rode the 4 wheelers out on the back roads and didn't see another single vehicle even though we were out for about 2 hours. We crossed the creek at the concrete bridge (that's underwater) and rode tree lined dirt roads watching for deer and other wild animals all along the way. It was dark outside so the going is a bit slower in order to avoid the holes in the roads. It was nice and cool and next time, I do believe I'll have to carry a jacket. Can you believe it's finally that nice at night where a jacket is required???? Wow the summer heat seems to have gone on forever this year.
There are just a few varieties of trees whose leaves have started turning yellow and red. The full onset of fall isn't here yet but you can somehow sense that it's coming. I was tempted to get the winter clothes out of storage and wash them in preparation of the cool temperatures to come. Ha! Not quite yet deary... we're supposed to be back up to 95 degrees by Wednesday...hahahahaha the joke is on me :)
I won't get a CSA basket for a couple of weeks. As the summer crops are in decline, they haven't enough to fill all the baskets. They take this extra bit of crops to the farmer's market on Saturday and sell them to make extra money. Those of us in the CSA are welcome to buy some of these extra crops and we get them at a discount but my refrigerator is still full from all that I haven't had a chance to eat yet.
The butternut squash is still fresh and so is the patty pan (the last two of the year). I have another bag of green beans and a bag of okra (that's going to get chopped up and frozen for gumbo when it gets cold outside) and one last bag of purple viking potatoes. I have 4 green peppers and two red peppers still to eat and basil that has rooted in the glass of water much like the 4 o'clocks did. LOL Guess I'll plant it and grown my own!
I hope you're enjoying the late summer/early fall harvest wherever you happen to be. I can't wait for the sweet potatoes, beets, turnips and carrots to start filling my baskets again! This one week seems like it's taking forever and I still have another one to go!
September quickly approaches - can you believe how fast August went by? With September comes football season and I'm ready for some MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL. I still like watching the races but football seems to go hand in hand with all the fall festivites around here. Pretty soon we'll be in long sleeves...hahahaha!
"A dog can express more with his tail in seconds than his owner can express with his tongue in hours."~Author Unknown
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