Little Things That Matter...

April 27, 2016

Charming and I have been splitting our time between our current house and the farm.  I must admit that living at two different places is becoming easier than I had first imagined it to be.  While living at our current house provides more comfort items like a washing machine, fully functional kitchen, Internet, and over-the-air television, we know that we have to try to spend as many sunny (work) days at the farm as possible because there is so much work to be done there.  So we're willing to rough it a little.

This past week, Charming started building a large shed that will suit our storage needs.  The shed needs to be completed before he can start the renovation work on the house.  I try to help him with this work whenever possible, but my main priority at the farm has been coming up with ways to make Charming's life easier until the building/renovation process is completed.  I know some women might get offended by my saying that my main priority is to make my husband's life easier, but I see this as a very important task.  God saw fit to bestow on me some pretty darn good organizational and problem-solving skills and these skills have made quite a difference in how smoothly we are able to transition from one place to the other on a weekly basis.  (Yes, indeed, I am patting myself on the back.)  The payment for my work is having had Charming make a point to express on, several different occasions, how much he appreciates what I do and how it makes his life easier.

For instance, because we live in our camper when we’re at the farm, there is little room to prepare full meals with Jax under my feet on a constant basis.  So I prepare several days’ worth of meals prior to going to the farm.  I plan each meal around simple foods that are easy to prepare at home and then microwave them when we’re at the farm.  Casseroles are great for this as they contain meat and vegetables in one dish.  We eat from paper plates for easy clean up, so the only dishes I have to wash are the silverware and the casserole dish.  The sauerkraut that I made a couple of weeks ago has proven to be a great side dish for hamburgers and hot dogs.  (The sauerkraut turned out pretty well.  I like its tangy taste and, because it's not cooked, it keeps its crunchy taste.  In addition to the pleasant crunchy taste, the beneficial bacteria stays alive to help keep my tummy in good working order.)

Another of my ideas that Charming really appreciated was a simple solution to a problem that ate up quite a few minutes each day.  When taking lunch, supper, snack, and bathroom breaks, Charming would wash up at the water hose that's hooked up to the outside free-standing water spigot.  He would have to come to the camper to get the dish detergent to wash his hands and then return the dish detergent to the camper after he was finished.  I found an old hanging wire flower basket (without the hanging parts) that had been left by the previous owners.  I crocheted several strings and attached them to the basket.  I then hung the basket on the water hose reel and filled it with things like work gloves, a liquid hand soap dispenser, along with the attachments for the water hose.  This works like a charm and has saved Charming many steps and minutes during the day.  He was quite happy with my idea.

There are other ways that I've tried to help as much as I possibly can.  I've told Charming that, although I'm not a skilled woodworker/remodeler/farm hand, I'm willing to perform any "grunt work" that will help while he performs the hard work.  I am grateful for the work he is doing, in an effort to give us both a better life, and I know that he is grateful for each little thing that I do to help him out.  I am finding that this give and take is one of the secrets to being an extremely happy farm couple.

A top view of the water spigot basket with soap and other items.

A side view of the basket...not pretty, but functional and helpful.

Charming used a friend's post hole auger to dig holes for fruit trees.

After he dug the holes, I planted two apple and two peach trees.

I was tasked with removing the wire from two chicken coop doors.

So the back of an old lawn chair becomes my work bench.

Using pliers & a scraping tool, I removed A LOT of staples from the doors.

This left us with scrap lumber & wire to use in a project later.

I decided to turn this heavy-duty plastic rice bag into a tote for use on the farm.

With an awl, I poked holes around the turned-down top of the bag.

Using a tapestry needle, I added a blanket stitch to the holes around the top.

With the blanket stitch as a base, I doubled my yarn & crocheted handles.  Voila!

Charming constructed the first half of the shed floor & dug holes with the auger.

The shed will measure 16'x24' & will be 18" off the ground in case of flooding.

Foray Into Fermenting…

April 11, 2016

A few weeks ago, Charming got me several “how to” books related to farming and homesteading.  He knows that his lovely wife prefers reading “how to” books over any other type (other than the Bible, which I guess is the greatest “how to” book of them all).  What can I say?  I just love to learn how to “do stuff” and there seems to be an endless supply of books that teach you how to “do stuff”. 

The book I’m currently reading is called, “Fresh and Fermented” by Julie O’Brien.  It’s all about the benefits of eating fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, carrots and other fermented vegetables.  According to her book, fermented foods have been around since the beginning of recorded history and include such things as yogurt, salami, cheese, chocolate, coffee, and wine. 

I’m half way through the book and I’ve read that we all have good and bad bacteria within our bodies.  (Something that I try not to dwell on.)  The body uses its good bacteria to fight off any bad bacteria that enter into the system.  However, problems can arise when we take prescribed antibiotics because these medications can’t distinguish between good and bacteria.  So the good bacteria, as well as the bad, are killed off in the process.  This can weaken the body’s immune system, unless the good bacteria are replaced.  This is where fermented foods come in handy.  They provide the good bacteria, which helps build up the digestive system and, in turn, the immune system.  Good bacteria (like the probiotics found in home-made yogurt and sauerkraut) are said to help aid digestion and improve overall health.  With my gluten sensitivity, I need all the help I can get, so I’m on board with trying this. 

The book provides basic recipes for making fermented foods.  The author also includes recipes that camouflage the fermented foods in things like smoothies, salads, desserts, breakfast foods, dips, salsa and more.  Many of the recipes sound pretty good.  However, before I could try what I like to call the “camouflage recipes” I needed to make one of the basic fermented food recipes.  So last night I went to the store and bought some cabbage and sea salt.  I figure that because cabbage and sea salt are relatively cheap, it won’t be a big loss if it doesn’t turn out well.

I’m not a huge fan of sauerkraut, but then again, I’ve only had the store-bought kind.  I’ve heard that the home-made kind is much better.  So, today I made my first quart of sauerkraut!  It was surprisingly easy to do, didn’t take nearly as much time as I expected it would, and didn’t make the huge mess I expected it would.  (Although a mess still may be in the offing as the book instructs to place your finished jar into a bowl in case of spill-overs.)  Now all I have to do is wait from 1 – 3 weeks (with weekly taste-testings) to see how well my experiment worked.  I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning how to ferment vegetables.  Below are photos of my attempt and, yes, it really is as easy as it looks!

Ingredients to make your own sauerkraut are simple:  cabbage & sea salt.

Cut out the core and then cut cabbage into really fine slices.

Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sea salt and let sit for about 20 minutes.

Then knead, pound, smash for about 10 minutes until reduced by half.

Pack cabbage into jar, wedge in the core, and cover with brine. (Foam is o.k.)

 

Leave 1" space between brine and rim of jar. Tighten ring to "finger-tip" tight.