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.

 

Home Away From Home…

March 25, 2016

After Charming retired several years ago, he decided we needed a new RV camper so that we could take a trip across the United States.  (I didn’t bother weighing in on this particular decision because Charming had a camper when we got married and we’d traded up a time or two to accommodate family trips, so having a camper was like having an arm…we’d always had one.)  This time, we traded down as it would just be Charming and I on the trip and smaller is definitely better when you’re dragging your home behind you.  

Unfortunately, “The Big Adventure” (i.e. the trip across America) hasn’t yet materialized.  That little thing called “living” has gotten in the way.  At the time he decided that we needed the camper, I was still working so we didn’t have a big chunk of time to devote to The Big Adventure.  Shortly after I quit working, we started toying with the idea of buying land in an area that was more suited to our lifestyle.  We checked out several areas in Florida and Virginia.  I really love the mountains; Charming really likes warm weather.  We didn’t really have that many hard requirements, just pleasant weather most of the time and a place to grow a large garden.  We compromised on a Virginia property that meets many of our requirements…water for Charming, mountains for me, no oppressive heat in summer for Charming, room for a large garden for me, and peace and quiet for both of us.

The biggest stumbling block with this property for both of us is the house.  As I’ve said, it’s a “pre-fab” and not in great shape.  However, as with any home purchase, compromises must be made and the house was it.  So we are prepared for the long haul of renovating the house.  We travel to the property on a weekly basis and spend one to three days working there.

Luckily for us, Charming made the decision a couple of years ago to purchase the camper. A month or so ago, we moved it to the property, and I am so thankful each time we stay there.  It has everything we need to make life much more comfortable while we fix up the house.  (Prior to moving the camper there, we took day trips to the property and I found it necessary to “go” in the woods...numerous times.  Trust me, life is much better when you have a camper.)  The camper even has a TV and radio, so that we can watch movies after a day's work.  There are also outside speakers for the radio, which allows us to have music while we work outside.

Preparation for a trip to the farm includes me pre-cooking a couple of casseroles and other easy-to-fix foods that only require heating in the microwave.  Breakfast is cereal and milk.  Lunches consist of ham sandwiches and chips.  Snacks are fruit, microwave popcorn, or cookies/cakes that I baked at home.  We make do with a bit of preparation and the knowledge that we will eventually be moving into the house.  Since the camper is small, cleaning is a breeze and takes very little time.  That allows us to spend most of our time actually working to get the property in order.  Below are some pictures of our cozy home away from home.

Our "living room" includes a sofa with a lovely view of the bedroom.
We generally keep the curtains closed, but they have tie backs to hold
them open and let more light inside.  The camper came with a fairly
good-sized table, but we decided to purchase smaller folding TV
trays to put our food on when we eat.  These trays are kept behind
the sofa when not in use.

The bedroom has cabinets beside the bed where we hang our farm clothes.
There is a storage bin, as well as storage drawers, under the foot of the bed.
A ledge that overhangs the under-bed storage provides a great place for Jax
to sleep.  He has a nice towel and a pillow to keep him comfy all night.

The kitchen area has a TV, radio, propane stove/oven, sink, and microwave oven.
The TV pivots so we can either watch TV from the bed or on the sofa.  The camper
also has outside speakers so we can listen to the radio while we are working outside.

The potty in all its glory.  (Sure beats a trip to the woods.)
There is a skylight, with a fan/vent, over the shower.

The sink and refrigerator/freezer, with storage closet on the left.
The camper also came with a grill that attaches to the outside
of the camper, so we can cook outside as well.

What’s This Girl Gotta Do To Lose Weight?

March 19, 2016

Last week, we had a tree removal company take down that very large pine tree in the yard at the farm.  The two guys (father and son) who cut down the tree did a wonderful job.  They did exactly as Charming requested and did it in less time than they had said it would take.  (Although Charming insisted that I stay in the camper where I’d be “safe”, I was still able to take some pictures of the tree cutting process from the back window of the camper.)  After the tree was cut down, we spent the remaining two days cutting up the tree limbs, cutting the trunk of the tree into sections, and moving the leftover debris to a location at the edge of the property.  We ended up with three large sections of tree trunk that Charming will use for lumber in the future (he wants to buy a portable saw mill after we get settled in the house).  He cut the tree limbs into firewood that will dry out and then be used to heat our home after we move there.  

A large part of our time during this week’s trip was spent clearing up the area where Charming plans to build a large storage shed to store all of our excess “plunder” (as my sister, Joyce, would call it).  We stacked wood, filled in holes that were left by the pointy limbs as the tree hit the ground, filled in holes left by the removal of old clothes line posts, filled still more holes used by the previous landowners as fire pits, and started preparation on the site of the future storage shed.

I’m always whining about not being able to lose weight.  It seems that no matter how much less food I eat, my body tries to hang onto that weight.  Well, let me tell you, after a few days of stacking wood, moving brush, filling holes and barely noticing when it was time to eat, I came home three pounds lighter than when I left.  That leads me to the conclusion that living on a farm will not only give me the space to raise more healthy food; it will also force me to exercise which will make those extra pounds to come off.  So what’s this girl gotta do to lose weight?  Buy a farm and work my adoublescribble off!

                                                       

A few limbs into the tree removal process.

The top section of the tree in motion towards the ground.

The owner of the tree company uses the big saw to take down the tree trunk.

Jax wonders what happened to the tree.

"Hmmm...how do I pick up these sticks and run with them?"

My weight loss plan...stacking firewood between standing pine trees.

 

Charming Farming…

March 1, 2016

Yesterday we got back home after spending our first night “on the farm”.  Charming moved the camper over to the new place a week or so ago and we thought the weather was finally warm enough that our hineys wouldn’t freeze off during the night.  Even though the camper has a heater, the nights are a few degrees colder there than where we now live.

So, we got to the farm around Noon on Sunday.  (In future blog posts, I’ll be referring to the new place as “the farm” even though it has no where near the acreage or animals that a legitimate farm would have…but it’s bigger than anything we’ve ever owned so a farm it is.)  After transferring our food, tools, an extra blanket and other supplies from our truck to the camper, we had a quick lunch of gluten-free ham and biscuits, and then got to work. 

We had a list of things to accomplish…Charming wanted to take down a very, very, very tall pine tree that is next to the area where we will park our vehicles.  First, in order to cut the tree, we had to remove the clothes line which was in the line of where the tree would (hopefully) fall.  I envisioned many hours of hard labor digging up the three clothes line posts.  Luckily, with the newly purchased second-hand tractor, I didn’t even have to pick up a shovel.  Charming jumped on that tractor like he was Oliver from Green Acres.  He maneuvered the tractor’s boom thingy (I’m pretty sure this is not the technical term for this tool)  over each post and popped those things out of the ground like you’d pop frozen ice cubes out of an ice cube tray.  No hard labor for me.  Yay!

Next, Charming had plans to climb up into the tree and cut off the top section, then work down to the middle section and cut that off, before finally finishing up by cutting down the bottom section.  Keep in mind that the pine tree is probably around 70 feet tall and my Sweatie Pie (no, that’s not a misspelling, it’s what I actually call him when he’s hard at work) weighs ummmmm….let’s just say he’s a big boy (but I love every ounce of him, truly).  Keep in mind, as it will be important at the end of my story, that I repeatedly…at least seven times…asked Charming if he didn’t think it was a better idea to get a tree removal company to take down the tree rather than us attempting to do it ourselves and possibly getting injured in the process.  He assured me that, because he’d helped take down many trees for firewood when he was in his teens, it wouldn’t be a problem for him now.  To which I responded, “Well, ok then”.

So, Charming climbed up into the tree and found a good perch.  He dropped a rope, weighted with a wrench, down to me so I could tie the buck saw as well as the wrench onto the rope for him to pull back up and use to cut the tree.  He sawed for a short while and got about four inches into the tree before the sap gummed up the saw’s teeth.  At that point, he decided (hoped) that maybe he had weakened the tree enough that “Wonder Tractor” would be able to pull it over if he hooked a cable from the tree to the tractor.  So he sent down the rope again and I tied the cable to the rope and sent it back up to him to fasten to the tree.  Then he climbed down the tree to hook the cable up to the tractor and started to move the tractor slowly.  A small limb that crossed the cable broke off, but the tree didn’t budge an inch.  However, during the attempt, the cable had snapped and flew up into the tree.  Charming had to get off the tractor and knock the cable out of the tree with a ladder and a long piece of lumber.  He climbed back up the tree to refasten the cable, then climbed back down to give it a second try.  Again, the tree didn’t budge.  This didn’t seem to be nearly as much fun as pulling up the clothes line posts. 

I can say one thing’s for certain with my Charming.  He won’t beat his head against a brick wall (or a tree, in this case) if he knows he’s fighting a losing battle.  Since it was getting dark, he decided to climb the tree one final time to tether the cable from the tree to the tractor.  This would make the tree lean in the direction he wanted it to fall, just in case the tree decided to fall during the night.  We had a late supper in the camper.  After that, Charming and I were so tired (Charming from climbing up and down the tree and me from the stress of watching him climb up and down the tree) that we went to bed shortly thereafter.  Charming got up around midnight and again at around three o’clock.  I, being a light sleeper, woke up whenever he got up.  Finally, he ate some cereal around 5:00 a.m. and then took Jax outside to roam around the property.  (It’s amazing, you can do this when you live on a farm because the nearest neighbor lives a whole field away from you…and no one will think you’re some kind of roaming lunatic or a criminal.)

When Charming came back, he woke me up and said, “You know, I think maybe we should just get a tree company to come in and take that tree down.”  To which I responded, “Sure, Honey, I think that’s an excellent idea.” 

And the moral of this story is…If you feed an idea to your dear husband enough times, he’ll begin to think he came up with that idea on his own.

Charming lines up the "boom thingy" with the clothes line post.

Lifting the boom thingy makes the clothes line post pop out of the ground.

Then a quick turn around on the tractor to put the post next to the shed.

If you look really close you'll see Charming way up there in the tree (top center).

During the day Jax found a girl friend.  She belongs to our nearest neighbor.

Braggin’ Time…

February 15, 2016

Two posts in less than a week…I may be getting back my groove.  (If I ever had one!)  I’ve been anxious to let everyone know that one of my knitting designs has finally been published.  I am so excited about this I could…well…brag!

One night last year, I saw a posting on a yarn company’s (called Knit Picks) website asking for pattern design submissions for knitted items that use small amounts of yarn.  Hmmmmm…I thought…I should be able to come up with something for that.  Unable to sleep that night, my mind whirled with possibilities of small items to knit.  Had to be something that was a bit different than a hat or scarf because I wanted it to be noticed by the selection committee. 

Then an idea flew into my head.  Why not some kind of jewelry?  Small, wouldn’t take much yarn, should be quick to knit.  Ok then.  A necklace.  My mind whirled some more.  I came up with what I thought might be a good design and then went to sleep, hoping I’d remember my design when the morning came.  When I awoke, I skipped breakfast, skipped making the bed and skipped down to my craft room to find the yarn that would be suitable to make the necklace.  Ahhhhhhhh…found it!  (It should be noted that I have tons of yarn in my craft room, so if I can imagine a design then I most likely have some sort of suitable yarn to make it…I guess it does pay to be a pack rat!)

Anyhow, I knitted the necklace in just a few hours.  Then I took pictures of it and, before I my resolve and excitement could waiver at the thought of possible rejection, I uploaded that pattern to the submissions page on the company’s website.  There…done!  All I had to do at that point was to wait for the e-mail.  Several days (and prayers) later, I got the e-mail. 

Woohoo!  They had accepted my design…and they were willing to pay me to use the design!  God is, indeed, good to me. 

After several months of knitting the necklace over and over and revising the pattern over and over to make sure every stitch knitted up perfectly (I lean just a teensy weensy bit towards the obsessive/compulsive side), the pattern has been published in a collection called “Petite Presents” which is sold on the Knit Picks website.  Working with the people at Knit Picks was a wonderful experience and one I hope to repeat at some point in the future.  Click on the link below (in green) to check out the pattern and see what you think!  (Note: Click on the picture of the pretty model to bring up a bigger picture, then click on the arrow that points to the right to see more views of the necklace.)

http://www.knitpicks.com/patterns/Piney_Ridge_Necklace__D52002220.html

Long Time, No Write…

February 10, 2016

I’m embarrassed that I haven’t posted anything for months.  This is mostly due to a bout of extreme laziness on my part, but not entirely.  I can’t remember whether or not I previously mentioned (and I’m too lazy to go back and read my previous posts) that Charming ran for a seat in our local Board of Supervisors’ race.  I have to say that I was never fond of the idea of him serving in such a public capacity.  He (and I) had attended most of the Board of Supervisors’ meetings for the past several years.  He spoke at many of these meetings, voicing his opposition to proposed tax increases and anything that he felt might negatively impact the citizens of our county.  The election took place back in November and, although he did have a lot of community support, he did not win the election. 

Prior to the election, Charming and I had many discussions regarding whether or not he should “throw his hat into the ring” for the election.  We decided that he would run and if God wanted him to serve in that capacity then it would happen; if not, then He had something else in store for us.  At that time, we also discussed our options after the election.  After attending so many Board meetings, we both realized that Charming was essentially fighting a losing battle in trying to single-handedly convince the Board to not raise taxes.  Knowing where the newly elected Board members stand on raising taxes, we realize that it’s time to abandon the fight and move on.

We hope we will be able to live an average lifespan of about 85 years.  Since we are both in our early 50’s, we know that we need to act now to achieve any life goals that we are holding onto.  As you know by now, we like to grow as much of our own food as possible.  However, with the small town lot that we currently have, we can’t be as self-sufficient as we would like.  I love to knit, spin yarn, can food, make soap, grow vegetables and herbs, and anything else that relates to a farm-type life.  Charming likes to “fix” things and cut wood…and he’s great at that.  Our skills seem to point us in the direction of living a farm life. 

So…….we recently purchased about 12 acres in the western mountains of Virginia.  The property has a pre-fab house that is not in great shape, but Charming assures me that he will make it nice before we move into it.  He does wonderful work, so I know this will happen.  The place has enough land to allow us to grow as many crops as we want (a dedicated asparagus bed; pumpkin and winter squash patch; rows of corn for eating, popping, and making corn meal; tomatoes, carrots, beans, onions, sweet potatoes, and all the regular crops; chickens; and maybe even a sheep or two for knitting purposes. 

The land has a small river that runs through it and about 1/3 of the property is wooded.  (This will support Charming’s obsession with wood and heat our home as well.)  The property also has a small cottage that we eventually hope to renovate as well, but that may be several years down the road.  The road that leads to the property is a gravel road and fairly secluded.  The location of the property reminds me very much of the place where I grew up.  We’ve spent some time there since we purchased it and it is, indeed, extremely peaceful and quiet at our new “mini-farm”…just the way Charming and I like it.  

The "new" house...an older pre-fab, but Charming will turn it into
a castle for us so that we can live happily ever after in it.

Within the four posts in this picture is where the previous
owners had their garden.  We hope to have a garden that is
at least four times as big.

Our driveway runs alongside the board fence (in about the middle
of this picture).  The state road, which is gravel, runs along the
other side of the fence.

Here's the river that runs through the property.  It's situated
just about in the middle of the property.  Our own forest is
on the other side of the river.  We hope to be able to fill our
freezer with deer meat harvested from our own land.

Another view of the river.  There is a space along the river
where we will use as a picnic area.

I was standing by the river when I took this picture.  The
house looks so much nicer from this distance.

This shed is where we keep Charming's newly purchased
used tractor.  The left part of the shed is set up as a chicken
house...YAY!  (More pictures in next post of the "cottage"
that we plan to renovate...so Sis don't worry, we won't
make you sleep in the tractor shed when you come to visit.)

This is the inside of the tractor shed where Charming will do
tractor-related stuff.

Is It A Pumpkin Roll or Harvest Torte?

October 20, 2015

Whew…summer is over.  I say this with a mixture of sadness and relief.  Although highly productive, this summer’s garden was a challenge to say the least.  Charming has been busy most of the summer with another important project, so I was basically on my own in taking care of the garden.  It feels like I spent most of my summer tying up tomato plants.  They grew to almost six feet high and it seemed that the branches were constantly growing and escaping from their confines.  Some were in cages, some were tied to stakes.  It didn’t seem to matter which way we had set them up, they found ways to escape.

Also, it was a dry summer here in the Valley, so I had to carry water from the collection barrels and water the garden.  Granted, the collection barrels are close to the garden, but I still had to fill my watering can many, many times to get the job done properly.  

All of this aside, I am still in love with my garden.  I canned 163 quarts of food that will keep our visits to the grocery store at a minimum.  This doesn’t count the gazillion bags of beans, peppers, snow peas, and rhubarb that I’ve frozen this year.  Most of our regular diet comes from the things that I’ve canned.  When we do make trips to the grocery store, it’s almost always to purchase staples like milk, eggs, cheese, paper towels, toilet paper and other staples of that nature.  We also have to purchase our meats, but I do can meats like tenderloin, chicken for casseroles, sausage, and roast beef.  I usually buy these meats when they’re on sale and then can them for use later.  The tenderloin, chicken, and roast beef is great.  The sausage is good as well, if you use it within a year. 

Since we’re now into the fall and the winter garden has been put in, I’m switching gears to inside activities.  This includes baking, knitting and crocheting, and re-arranging the furniture in our house to make it more “family friendly”.  (Seems I’m always fighting clutter, while trying to actually live in the house.) 

Anyhow, I’ve tried a couple of recipes recently at the suggestion of my sister-in-law, Kim.  The first one was Baked Apple Cider Donuts.  These were so good and went so fast that I didn’t even get a chance to take a picture of them.  I’ve also been wanting a pumpkin roll, but gluten-free baking is not really conducive to “rolling”.  So Kim suggested I try turning the pumpkin roll into a Pumpkin Torte.  No why hadn’t I thought of that?!?!?  I tried it yesterday and it turned out great!  I couldn’t find the original recipe that Kim had given me years ago, so I found one online that sounded close.  I did have to re-vamp the recipe to make it gluten-free, but I’m used to that and did that without much difficulty.  On a whim (and since the Baked Apple Cider Donuts turned out so well), I decided to add a bit of cider to the recipe for the pumpkin torte so now I’m calling that my “secret” ingredient as it seems to make the batter rise more as it bakes.  I also decided to try to use my cake decorating skills and dress it up a bit.  With a bit more effort, and changing out the candy decorations, I think I could turn this into a stunning dessert for both fall and Christmas gatherings.  Look out family and friends…Pumpkin Torte is what’s on the menu at my house for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and any birthdays that fall in between these holidays!  

A small slathering of the cream cheese filling, a quick piping of green
cream cheese filling, and several pieces of candy corn and you've got a
"Harvest" them.  (I could've done a little better on centering the
decorations, but not too bad for a first attempt.)

To make it look a bit more finished, I cooled it in the refrigerator for
about 30 minutes, then used an electric knife to trim up the sides.
(Charming and Jax were happy to get the scraps.)  This makes
the torte look a bit more presentable.

Puppy Jax couldn't wait to get a taste!

Jax did get a small sampling.  My Harvest Torte was definitely
a winner for both Jax and Charming.