Twisted Tuesday 7 27 2010

If at first you don't succeed try, try again!

This has been a very hectic week for us. We have had some illness in the family and it has been very troubling to us. SO... this post is more what has not been twisting in our kitchen this week and how it has effected us or not effected us. You will have to read on to see!

I am very happy to say that one of our dear friends came by today. She had a look see at our little buck and came bearing unexpected presents of GOLD!!! Liquid gold that is! With the pro-biotic pearls that make all that gold right inside! We finally have some dairy Kefir grains!!!!!!! Woot! What a happy Tuesday morning :)

This week as i have been so concerned with my family I have been a total slacker.

I have not:

Soaked any grains
made any sourdough bread
made in bread at all
made any yogurt
made any cheese

In fact I have not made much of our food at all! All because our family was sick and I was a scatter brain and now we are paying the price. I was so delighted to tell my Nurse Practitioner that I had not had a migraine in months thank you very much. Well I broke that record after eating non grass fed meat that was certainly not organic either. I will NEVER do that again! I would rather starve and have blood sugar problems :'(

I also have not had any problems with irritable bowels since we switched to soaking our grains and eating primarily sourdough. Plus all the yogurt we make has been a huge help for sure epecially with some of us on antibiotics right now. But wait... I haven't been making yogurt and the last is gone and drum roll please, we have been eating store bought bread and deli food. We have been out and running so much for testing. In fact last night we ate at, eep! Wendy's! I know can you believe it? Arrrrrrrrrg! I don't do these things! I though it would be OK just once.

Oh dear me I will not be doing these things ever again! Just speaking for myself alone with the migraine that wouldn't quit and the cramping about like giving birth I will make the time. I will make a list instead of thinking about making that list next time I feel overwhelmed with our schedule.

In fact I will go make that list now! So I don't have to make it in the heat of the moment and put it off because I don't ever want to feel this way again!

Last but not least I find myself very dehydrated. I have been working on this all day and still the room is spinning as I sit here typing...good thing I don't need to see the keyboard. I certainly hope I don't have to many spelling errors. The more I try to think or concentrate the more it hurts :(

If I forget to post that list you make sure and keep me accountable! Who knows, it may help you start your own :) It will be going into my control journal with my other routines...why wasn't it there already? Hmmm.



Shared on the Tuesday Twister @ GNOWFGLINS
Shared on Two for Tuesdays Blog Hop Carnival
and Real food Wednesday 

Monday 'minders and Accomplishments

To do:

Mostly this week we are focusing on some lingering illness in our family. We have 2 Appointments both out of town.

Begin infusing oils for salves and lip balm.

Our regular provider is out of the office until Thursday so we won't be able to follow up with her then.

Today we see a specialist we trust and the children see the dentist! Hurray! 

This is going to be a very long day for Mommy!

Work on ward cookbook.

Render lard from new batch of leaf fat.

Add to this list as I am able since I won't know what is happening in our lives till after we see the Dr. :(


And as always continue de-cluttering junk out of the house and organizing what is left. This is on going! What is left the kids can sell at  our annual 'summer camp' for a fundraiser. They love it! This year we are 'Camp GIA' I can't take all the credit for this idea but it gets the kids involved in all the work and cleaning. It even motivates them and they have fun so I can't resist! Check out the Flylady page that explains the concept. The rest of course goes to Pickens :)

Andrew Gunther: USDA Admits Link Between Antibiotic Use by Big Ag and Human Health

Andrew Gunther: USDA Admits Link Between Antibiotic Use by Big Ag and Human Health

Chicken Habitat

For the hens I will be building 2 chicken tractors.

A tractor is a coop that is mobile in some way or another. Some tractors are very large (50 -100 or more) with wheels that you would have to pull with a mower, tractor or horses and have little to no fencing beyond the fence around the field it is in at the time. The chickens simply stay close to the tractor for the most part for shade food and water and a place to roost or lay eggs off the ground. You could feasibly make a boxed in fence run that was pretty huge and on wheels attached to the hen house if you felt the need. Or move it separately. What they need is safety from predators and inclement weather.

Others are medium sized with wheels and can house quite a few depending on dimensions and still be moved by one or two people. Barely. So be careful!

The ones we are going to make are compact but roomy. Perches and nest are above with plenty of wide ground space below. This will enable us to know where the chickens are at all times as well as keep them safe from predators and still allow them to be 'free' range.

These coops will be moved every second day or so. They will never run out of food this way. The chickens will aerate and fertilize the place they are in for those two days and then get moved to a fresh space ( 4-5 feet over, or the width of the foot print) where there is once again everything they need. We can even put this over a portion of the garden and have them do the work for us before planting time :) Here is a picture of the type of coop we will be building. They are very light weight and can be moved by one person if it has wheels or you move one end and then the other, however, they are light enough for my DD9 and I to move together. And they are simple easy and beautiful :) Perfect! If you would like a copy of the plans for this type of coop I can give you the link, just ask in the comment section :)

These little coop tractors will house enough chickens for a family to have eggs and are easy to make a little bigger or in half to make them smaller and are perfect for the urban back yard. No mess, no smell and lots of eggs. Children love it!

In many areas you can have chickens even in the city. Make sure there are no CC & R's barring it, if there are you may need to get creative as you will need to convince your neighbors that they will not be bothered, and check with the city officials if you are unsure. A safe way to appease you neighbors is to go rooster free :) Just know that eventually one hen will stop laying and pretend to be a rooster! Isn't that funny?!

We raise heritage breeds and allow our mother hens to hatch naturally but at times it is necessary to move them and there clutch and or brood to the broody coop for safety from the other chickens. We also raise chicks for other families and use these broody coops for those purposes when they just come from a hatchery and not our hens. Pics of the broody coops are forthcoming! We have been using these for about four years now and they are marvelous!

Our current large stationary coop area will now only be used for an intermediate pen. A pen to be used in between the broody coop and moving a to a knew home or to be butchered or to the tractor. Since we have been having drainage issues with this area and it is over inundated with nitrogen I will be adding ashes and tilling it up. We will then add drainage stones and pipe and sand before I put the soil back down with some nice compost and replant. It will be nice and green again.

Twisted Tuesday 7 20 2010

This week in our kitchen we have Made a wonderful ham! I got an old fashioned smoked ham from the gal at the market and we cooked it in the crock pot.

Method:

Put ham in crock pot before bed fill half up the side of the ham with water. Flip ham over in the morning enjoy anytime after 11pm Yumm!

NOTE obviously it was already cured and required no cooking or simple reheat but this was so delicious I had to share!

My first baked beans were the worlds best ever! That is really and truly saying something because I can't stand baked beans lol

Method:

Rinse and clean 1 cup beans. OR you can measure the broth described below and decide how much beans you can cook. Soak beans, I used Pinto, overnight (min 7 hours preferably at least 12 hours) In appropriate amount of water adding an acid (kombucha, why, buttermilk , vinegar) 1 T to each cup water.

If soaking on the stove bring to a good low simmer cover and turn off. If soaking in the crock pot turn on high for 1 hour then turn off. Skim of any scum, quickly so as not to lose heat though.

Next I took the rest of the big pieces of meat and the chucks of fatty material out of the juice in the crock pot. This left a lot of meat and some nice oils in the broth so I did not add anything to this but the ready to cook beans and I chopped up large onion. Add about 2 cups of brown sugar or drizzle in some grade B maple syrup or some molasses. Cook beans for a minimum of 12 hours.

We took this to the pot luck and we all enjoyed it so much and got so many compliments we decided to use the remaining juice to cook some more :) This time I added only the soaked beans and also some soaked rice. In fact I soaked the beans and rice together.

NOTE if your beans are more than a year old, for example you may have food storage built up. Beans can last for a long time but sometimes they get difficult to cook after a time and remain overly firm. Simply add a teaspoon or so of baking soda while they cook.

ALSO my mother always keeps hot water in a kettle or pot handy when cooking beans in case they need more water. I had plenty in mine but make sure you always add hot water or you cool the whole thing and it takes about an hour and a half to heat back up to cooking temperature. 1 ½ hours longer cooking = :(

ONE more thing :) There was a lot of juices left so we used a slotted spoon the first time but it was amazing anyway! I had never cooked it before and none of my friends are scratch cooks. Not like this anyway or not with the baked beans so I was up to my own devices. I could have used 3 cups or so had I n=known. The leftover juice was still awesome and the beans add rice were great in it. It was thick and sweet and oh so yummy! I added about 1 ½ cups beans and about ¾ or so cup of rice to the second batch.

I wish I had a picture! Maybe I can find one similar online :) This is NOT a can of baked beans! Not even a Dr. up can of baked beans lol the recipes got were something like: can pork and beans brown sugar and catchup. Tops with cheese. Eww!

This post is also part of Fight Back Friday's Blog Hop!
Pennywise Platter Thursday @ The Nourishing Gourmet
Twisted Tuesday Blog Hop @ GNOWFGLINS

At times I find that post can be shared long after it has been written as was this one. Sometimes it fits well in more than one link up or blog hop! I try to acknowledge all of them :) There really are some great blogs our there! Check them out for yourself! We are going to be adding some of our own Linky Love here @ Sustainability as well! Don't have a blog? Thats OK share with us in the comment section! Have fun with it!

Mending fences and Monday minders and Accomplishments

We mended the fence but not before the goats got out and into the neighbors tomatoes! Neither the neighbors nor our family were home at the time :( Oh dear! I suppose it doesn't matter that I gave her that tomato? … not so much. Have I mentioned they don't like animals? Not good. I feel terrible.

TO DO:

The barn has not been cleaned out as of yet. We got a good start on it but we are not done.

I have the design figured out for how I am going to redo the bunny portion of the barn. Did I tell you we bread some bunnies! Yay! We should have some babies in a few weeks! Keep your fingers crossed! Woot!

Must get on the firewood situation for winter.

Need more hay! Ahk! You cannot grow alfalfa in W Washington :(

Mend the fence. You guessed it. One of the goatlettes has figure out how to get out...again!

Need to finish getting the 'yards' and driveway cleaned up and get out the scythe to mow the tall grass :) Free grass hay! Now if only we can master the art of a proper hay stack! I have the gist but I am still thinking it is easier said then don. It must shed rain.... and we live in a temperate rain forest.

Till till till more of the yard to enlarge the garden.

Finish choosing winter veggie crops and start a plan for spring

Continue de-cluttering junk out of the house and organizing what is left. What we don't need the kids can sell at our families annual 'summer camp' for a fundraiser. They love it! This year we are Camp GIA. I cant take all the credit for this idea but it gets the kids involved in all the work and cleaning and they have fun doing it so I can't resist! Check out the Flylady page that explains this concept here! The rest of course goes to Pickens :)

ACCOMPLISHMENTS!

The chickens you ask? Well the excess roosters are surely in someones freezer or pot! I regret that they are not in mine but I thank God all the time for freecycle! Would you have thought to list something like that on freecycle? Well we do around here all the time. Very rural and tons of farmers and small farms like ours. I was so surprised and thrilled to see that the folks who showed up to collect them were from our favorite farm! I was blessed to help feed the people that help feed me :)

SO this post has been super but I haven't been able to get online at home for a few days and wanted to share all we have accomplished along with the minders :) I have taken some of the material out and will do a separate article on chicken housing :)

Yogurt Cheese (labneh) and Yogurt

This  Cream Cheese substitute is Fun and simple. A wonderful starting point for any budding cheese maker!

Supplies needed:

Medium size mixing bowl or other wide mouth container such as a pot

Large cloth napkin or tea towel (non Terry)

Rubber band or string

Strainer or colander for piece of mind :)

Ingredient:

1   32oz container of plain yogurt

1   tsp or so of salt

Method:

Line colander with cloth and place on bowl or other container. Pour yogurt into cloth lined colander. Gather up the edges to form a bag and hang or suspend bag over the bowl to drain. The colander is not needed I use it for piece of mind in case my bag falls. Some people simply leave the bag in the colander covered over with its own edges and do not hang this works as well. Leave to drain for several hours. 7 hours or even over night would be perfect :) Salt to taste.

You now have a spreadable cheese for the morning bagel or you could add salt herbs and onions for an herb spread or fruit and some sweetener for a fruit spread! You will never want  store bought again!

This should also leave you with about 12 oz of whey to be used in your cooking, fed to your pets or you plants.See note on whey at bottom of post :) Enjoy!

IF you would like to make your own yogurt to create your cheese from it i not so hard either! Did you know yogurt is considered a cheese? Cool huh!

Supplies needed:

Pot with lid (or use plate for lid) or double boiler if handy

Kitchen thermometer

Spoon

Ingredients:

!/2 Gallon milk (NOT ultra pasturised it will not make anything)

small container of plain yogurt

Method:

Bring milk to 185 F in your pot stirring constantly to prevent scorching (unless in double boiler) boiling is unnecessary. Cool milk in sink of cold water or simply let stand until it reaches 110-115 F. Add 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt to the milk and stir well. Keep milk no cooler than 110 for 7 hours. I put a lid on it and put it in my warmed and turned off oven with the light left on overnight. This works very well for us. 

If you make your yogurt cheese form this yogurt you will have yogurt left over for your enjoyment as well as eating the yogurt cheese. Feel free to add vanilla and sweetener to it for a vanilla yogurt or add some fruit as well for the yogurt of your choice! Have fun with it and dont forget to share in the posts below!

NOTE: Whey is also used to make cheeses like Ricotta and Mysost and the whey will keep in the fridge for 6 months.