Dec 29, 2014

News from Up North

Christmas is over, but the blessings remain.  The children are still home, the tree is still up, and the love of Christ is still very real.

All four of the kids were here during Christmas and are hanging around for my daughter's wedding on New Year's Day.  Yep, she's getting married to a wonderful man.  If she let's me, I'll share some photos of the bride and groom.

***********************************

So, what did you get for Christmas??  I am so totally spoiled this year.  I have a pair of Steger Mukluks from my children, a gift certificate for a Shetland ewe (to be picked up next week) from great friends and a promise from my honey that I can buy an essential oil distiller when he goes back to work. (That will be another post.)  So now I have nothing left on my wish list-oh yeah, a new pair of Carharts would be nice....

*****************************************

Our weather has changed and it's now an acceptable winter temp out there.  Those 30-40 degrees above zero were just too strange.  I got to pick the ice out of the donkey's nostrils this morning.  That's normal.

*************************************

That's the end of another edition of News from Up North.  Be blessed.


Dec 15, 2014

A Lard Press!!

So what do you do with a lard press?  Our local on line auction company had one up for sale.  It sounded like something I really needed.  :)
I looked it up and found that it does some really cool things.

Yes, it presses lard.  It also has a sausage stuffer that you can use to make sausage.  It can be used as a fruit press for pressing apples for apple cider!! And....someone suggested trying to use it for a cheese press.  I've wanted an apple press and a cheese press for a long time.  I paid too much for this contraption, but I'm going to get my money out of it.

Dec 9, 2014

The Cranberry Experience

This post should have been written over a month ago, but better late than never?

Reading my profile info it states that we try new things.  So in keeping with that, I tried harvesting tame cranberries.  Much different than picking the wild ones.

There's a cranberry farm just 50 miles from here and I had the opportunity to help harvest in exchange for fresh cranberries.  I felt like I was in an Ocean Spray commercial.  Standing in water with hip waders and a rake, guiding the little guys to the suction hose which took them to the top of a semi trailer and poured them in.


I was paid with almost 20 gallons of cranberries.  What a blessing!  The sink was full, the pots were full, juicers full, you get the picture.  I canned cranberry sauce, whole cranberries, cranberry juice, cranberry syrup, and cranberry jelly.  I froze cranberries and I dehydrated cranberries.

I don't think that I'll harvest cranberries again, but I'm thankful for the experience and thankful for my good friend who talked me into it.

Blessings from Glory Farm.

Dec 2, 2014

Chores by Moonlight

The moon over the clothesline.

The weather outside is balmy.  The thermometer reads 16 degrees, but it is truly a gorgeous night out there.  There are moon shadows.  The moon is waxing or waning or whatever it does, not full, but the light is so bright that I didn't need a flashlight to do chores tonight. 

My day was full and so chores were put on the back burner until after dark, which happens early these days.

These pictures are dark, my camera-not so good.  Walking by the excavator it looked like the arm was out to grab me.
I had to walk by the growling grill in the machine shed.
The cows are dark silhouettes against the moonlight.  I wish I could capture what I see and not what my camera sees.

Oh well, you get the idea.  It's a beautiful night and a walk with my honey would be great.
Good night and God bless.




Nov 22, 2014

Things are up in the air

 Winter is here, but today we have a respite from the cold.  The thermometer says 36 degrees and there's not a bit of wind.  We've been getting the homestead buckled up for winter.  Today I'm cleaning out the extra boards and siding from in front of my barn. The turkeys and chickens are butchered and in the freezer. I picked up a breeding pair of Royal Palms.
Aren't they beautiful birds?


 I finished siding my barn today and patching up the sheep shed. We've had timberwolves around at night and I don't want them in with my sheep!




 My husband took advantage of the gorgeous weather to finish siding the north side of the house. Here's a picture of how he elevated his homemade scaffolding. Don't call OSHA, please

                                                                                                     
My coffee break is over and I want to get outside before we lose the sun. Hope your day is glorious. From Glory Farm

Sep 28, 2014

Always Learning

The internet is a great tool for living frugally and sustainably. I'm learning new things, practical things, all the time. And so I share. There are some of you who already know so much more than I do, please bear with me.

Foraging-It means free food. Can't beat that. I have hops, ginger,cranberries, lamb's quarters (wild quinoa), wild amaranth, etc., to harvest this time of year. I went to harvest the amaranth seeds and found that they were already blown to the wind.
Wild Amaranth 

 So I harvested the seed from the lamb's quarters. These I'll use in breads.
Lamb's Quarters seeds 

I winnowed them, washed them and roasted them. I didn't end up with a lot, but it's a cool project.During the process I came upon a series of videos on Youtube called Joe and Zach Survival. You can find information on making curly dock flour, clover flour, spruce honey, and a whole mess of really cool things.

Another new project was making homemade Macaroni and Cheese mix. I found a great recipe on Food Storage Made Easy. It makes six mixes and you just buy a big box of elbow macaroni.

 Macaroni and Cheese Mix
 heaping 1 cup instant dry milk
 heaping 1/2 cup cornstarch
 2 cups cheese powder
 Mix well and store in an airtight container. To make macaroni and cheese: 2 cups cooked noodles heaping 1/2 cup macaroni and cheese mix 3/4 cup water 1 tablespoon butter. Mix until blended.**

 **Last new idea was more like a realization. Everytime that I make stir fry, I make too much rice. It either goes out to the dog or the chickens after a week in the refrigerator. Then I realized I could just dehydrate it and have minute rice on those evenings when everything is so busy. These types of things make me happy. Now if I could just learn how to put paragraph breaks in my blog....I think I just figured it out.  Happy again.
That's all for now, catch ya later.

Sep 13, 2014

Morning Update

They predicted frost last night and they were right. I went out to check on my tender plants and here's what I found. This is a tomato plant that wasn't covered.
It didn't make it. So I pulled back the tarps on the rest of the tomatoes and this is what I found. They made it!
My main garden is in an area that is more prone to frost, so when I pulled back the tarp on the pumpkins, this is what I found.
You win some, you lose some. I still had frost in the front yard at 9:30 this morning.
I don't think I've shown you my new chickens. Well, I've had them for about four months. They're cream brabanters,
which took me two years to finally find. Here's a couple of pictures of my turkeys. I'm saving the breeding pair, the rest will be butchered in a month and a half. They're Red Bourbons. I think I'd like to try Royal Palms next.
Yep, there are ducks in there, too. I picked up two sheep this week. They're both wethers and very affectionate. They're for fiber and for company for my Angora goat. They were raised in a petting zoo, so you can imagine how affectionate. I cannot think of names for these two. I've asked friends and family and no one has been able to come up with names. Here's a couple, not very good, pictures of them.
That's the update from our place. Enjoy this wonderful fall weather. Have a blessed day. Glory Farm

Sep 10, 2014

Sept. 10

It's definitely nasty out there. Rain and wind and cold. Weather man says that we could have frost this week. So, I'm trying to find enough covers to keep my garden for just a little while longer. The pumpkins are turning orange and the tomatoes are turning red. Today it's off to the dentist and then a road trip to pick up a couple of sheep. Not sure of the breed, but the price is right, free. I really don't like shearing sheep, takes me way too long to do one. My honey doesn't like it either, but he's a lot faster than I am. I really do like the fiber to mix with my mohair and angora. I'll get pictures and post of the new members of the farm. Be a blessing. Glory Farm

Aug 26, 2014

Summer

Yea..it's been awhile. My life isn't all that exciting, so you didn't miss anything. My garden is 1/6 the size of what it normally is. Still getting enough produce to can and dehydrate. Our cattle have been battling foot rot this summer, thinking it's because of all the wet weather we've had. Have to go and give more antibiotics today. My honey has been putting up hay and working construction for the summer. He's back teaching at the college as of yesterday. Dear son is working for a truck farmer and he's in football. It's his senior year! So hard to believe. I've been working 4-5 days a week all summer and now that's almost over. I work on Friday and then can stay home and play farmer for the rest of the year. I've fallen so far behind on everything here. We've had a population explosion in spiders. They're everywhere. On the bright side, we don't have much of a fly problem. So, there are the bits and pieces. Honestly, I just haven't felt inspired to write. Maybe as the days grow shorter and darker I'll get more creative. Or not. Be blessed. From Glory Farm

May 21, 2014

Spring!

It's spring-finally. Thermometer said 75 degrees yesterday! PTL!! Looking at my yard, I see another sign of spring-where's that lawnmower? My favorite sign of spring is the new life on the farm. While my goats aren't bred, we still have calves being born, turkey eggs in the incubator ready to hatch in about a week, chicks arriving in the mail tomorrow, baby Angora bunnies, and one old bantam hen dutifully hatching a batch in the barn.
This is Sugar. Her momma didn't make it after the birth, but Sugar is a big, healthy heifer who loves to eat. Not sure what to do with her. She may end up on Craig's list because my honey and I are both working and she needs to be fed at least three times a day. I need to get the brooders ready for the chicks and turkey poults. I have two apple trees to put in the ground. The soil is too wet to start my garden, yet. Slightly frustrating, but I don't have control over the weather. I'll post pictures of more of the babies later today or tomorrow after the chicks come in. (I like pictures.) Go with God. From Glory Farm

Apr 2, 2014

A Farm Sitting Business??

I've joked about starting one because my husband and I do take care of farms around here while our neighbors go on vacation. We never charge them, but it usually works into a barter type deal. Now that I'm seriously thinking about leaving my present job, I'd like to find something to make up for the decrease in income. So.....I'm looking to anyone who may be reading this that has some advice to share. I'm thinking that checking on insurance for this venture would be the first thing to do. I've googled this topic and printed out some information. Have any of you ever tried this? We do live in a predominately agricultural community. Maybe go into this with a partner? Just thinking on the blog again. From Glory Farm, Rhonda

Feb 24, 2014

Fruitful Day

Got a baking bug today. Asked honey what he wanted me to bake and he said Peach Upside Down Cake. So, okay, down to the cellar and I did have a jar of peaches left.
It's a cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of melted butter, peaches and I mixed up a yellow cake and poured over it. I use the Dinette Cake from the Betty Crocker cookbook and just doubled it. ************* As long as the oven's going I thought I should do all my baking for the week. Save on propane. So I looked in the freezer and pulled out some cranberries and some strawberries. ******************** Made these cranberry cookies:
1 12 oz. bag of cranberries** 2/3 cup powdered sugar** 3 1/2 cups flour** 1 t. cinnamon** 1 t. baking powder** 1 t. soda** 1/2 t. salt** 1 egg** 1 cup sugar** 3/4 cup brown sugar** 1/2 cup butter** 3 T. orange juice************ Slice cranberries in half and put in bowl sprinkle with powdered sugar. Let set 10 minutes. Cream butter, sugars, orange juice, and add beaten egg. Sift and add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, gradually. This gets a bit dry and I usually only put in 3 cups of flour. Add cranberries and stir gently. Drop onto greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.****************** Now some strawberry bread...
3 cups strawberries, mashed and drained** (I put some of the juice into the batter)** 1 1/4 cup oil (lard)** 4 eggs beaten** Mix all this together and add to the dry ingredients which are:** 3 cups flour** 2 cups sugar** 1 1/4 t. cinnamon** 1 t. salt** 1 t. baking soda** Mix everything together will and pour into two greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for an hour.******************************* Last-I threw some homemade mac and cheese in the oven with some ham for supper tonight. Now everything is done except the dishes. Help.

Good Morning!

Okay guys, time to get up-
Chester slowly coming to life.
Houston is bright eyed and bushy tailed. He's been outside and is ready for a nap. Have a wonderful, joy-filled day.

Jan 28, 2014

The Answer's in Layers

As any good musher knows (and as Mama Pea over at A Homegrown Journal, reminded me)the way to stay warm in bitter cold weather is layers. You layer, layer, layer. First you put on your "unmentionables", which I won't mention. Next is your long underwear. Under Armor is the "in" brand right now, but I'm not very "in".
Now you find a long sleeved T and a pair of leggings to go over the longjohns.
Alright, next a sweatshirt...
and some insulated windpants.
Don't forget your feet. A good pair of socks and some Smart Wools.
Okay, now you're set to read a good book. What if you decide you want to go outside? You'll need-a set of warm coveralls.
If it's really nasty, a jacket to go over the coveralls. (I don't usually need this.)
Some choppers, some liners, a neck gator, and a hat to wear under your hood-
And a good pair of boots...
I recommend Steger Mukluks. They are so very warm. I had a pair for 15 years and they are fantastic. Now, I have a pair of packs. So there you have it. Stay warm. :) P.S. Please excuse how cruddy the clothes look. They're my barn clothes and just look like it.

Jan 23, 2014

No End In Sight?

I guess this is the time of year when it's easy to get tired of winter and look longingly for spring. Maybe that's why I'm writing this blog of complaint. My mom says we're becoming weather wimps and I think she's right. * Our thermometer is down around -30 this morning with something of a wind chill. I don't really want to know. We've been in the deep freeze up here for about two months, I'm ready for some nicer weather. Oh, we have sun, thankfully, and every couple of weeks an unusually warm day. Tomorrow the high is supposed to be 31 and that's above zero! Then more bitter cold. I am grateful for the reprieve. By the end of the month the forecast is for highs in the teens and I guess I can look forward to that. * This morning it's comfort food-French Breakfast Muffins.
After baking, leave the oven door open and stand above it. So nice and warm. This is the type of weather that has me using the dryer and circulating all of the exhaust back into the basement. I'll take heat anyway that I can get it. :) + Well, the woodstove is going, the propane furnace is going and I'm going to finish up this muffin and tea and get ready to do chores. Stay warm.

Jan 15, 2014

Roo the Day

Roo-verb-Process of removing fleece by hand plucking * This is how I prefer to get the fiber off of my Angora rabbits. I only have four, so it isn't a full time job. Today was Charlie's turn to get a grooming. He gives so much fiber that it's amazing there's anything left of him. Here is Charlie after I pulled most of his fur.
And here's the pile of fiber-
My son said the pile is bigger than the rabbit! Good bunny. :)

Jan 13, 2014

Dyeing With Spices

I have a new project in mind that requires wool yarn. I have a bag of wool yarn that I purchased from Goodwill for 3.99. Unfortunately it's all white. I thought I'd try using spices to dye it. I've used commercial dyes, Kood-Aid dyes, natural dyes, so this is new for me. * First I tried chili powder which was supposed to give me a brick red color. Here's the yarn, pre-dye.
I used 1/4 cup chili powder for each 4 cups of water. So that was 2 cups total.
I put the powder in cloth bags and boiled it for an hour and a half.
I added a cup of vinegar for every four cups of dye bath.
This is the color of the dye.
I simmered the yarn in the dye bath for an hour and the color just didn't take. Either this isn't wool or the chili powder is too old? It's been sitting in my pantry for at least 6 years. :) So I decided to try dyeing with turmeric instead. Here's the comparison of the colors-
The top photo is the one with the chili powder. The color is a tan/very light brown. The bottom one is the turmeric. Too much color??? I love yellow-good thing. Paprika is good for dyeing, also. I buy my spices in bulk from the local buying club and they're very reasonable. * Now I'll do a sample swatch and see if this yarn will felt. If anyone tries dyeing this way, maybe you could share some photos of the end results.

Dec 29, 2014

News from Up North

Christmas is over, but the blessings remain.  The children are still home, the tree is still up, and the love of Christ is still very real.

All four of the kids were here during Christmas and are hanging around for my daughter's wedding on New Year's Day.  Yep, she's getting married to a wonderful man.  If she let's me, I'll share some photos of the bride and groom.

***********************************

So, what did you get for Christmas??  I am so totally spoiled this year.  I have a pair of Steger Mukluks from my children, a gift certificate for a Shetland ewe (to be picked up next week) from great friends and a promise from my honey that I can buy an essential oil distiller when he goes back to work. (That will be another post.)  So now I have nothing left on my wish list-oh yeah, a new pair of Carharts would be nice....

*****************************************

Our weather has changed and it's now an acceptable winter temp out there.  Those 30-40 degrees above zero were just too strange.  I got to pick the ice out of the donkey's nostrils this morning.  That's normal.

*************************************

That's the end of another edition of News from Up North.  Be blessed.


Dec 15, 2014

A Lard Press!!

So what do you do with a lard press?  Our local on line auction company had one up for sale.  It sounded like something I really needed.  :)
I looked it up and found that it does some really cool things.

Yes, it presses lard.  It also has a sausage stuffer that you can use to make sausage.  It can be used as a fruit press for pressing apples for apple cider!! And....someone suggested trying to use it for a cheese press.  I've wanted an apple press and a cheese press for a long time.  I paid too much for this contraption, but I'm going to get my money out of it.

Dec 9, 2014

The Cranberry Experience

This post should have been written over a month ago, but better late than never?

Reading my profile info it states that we try new things.  So in keeping with that, I tried harvesting tame cranberries.  Much different than picking the wild ones.

There's a cranberry farm just 50 miles from here and I had the opportunity to help harvest in exchange for fresh cranberries.  I felt like I was in an Ocean Spray commercial.  Standing in water with hip waders and a rake, guiding the little guys to the suction hose which took them to the top of a semi trailer and poured them in.


I was paid with almost 20 gallons of cranberries.  What a blessing!  The sink was full, the pots were full, juicers full, you get the picture.  I canned cranberry sauce, whole cranberries, cranberry juice, cranberry syrup, and cranberry jelly.  I froze cranberries and I dehydrated cranberries.

I don't think that I'll harvest cranberries again, but I'm thankful for the experience and thankful for my good friend who talked me into it.

Blessings from Glory Farm.

Dec 2, 2014

Chores by Moonlight

The moon over the clothesline.

The weather outside is balmy.  The thermometer reads 16 degrees, but it is truly a gorgeous night out there.  There are moon shadows.  The moon is waxing or waning or whatever it does, not full, but the light is so bright that I didn't need a flashlight to do chores tonight. 

My day was full and so chores were put on the back burner until after dark, which happens early these days.

These pictures are dark, my camera-not so good.  Walking by the excavator it looked like the arm was out to grab me.
I had to walk by the growling grill in the machine shed.
The cows are dark silhouettes against the moonlight.  I wish I could capture what I see and not what my camera sees.

Oh well, you get the idea.  It's a beautiful night and a walk with my honey would be great.
Good night and God bless.




Nov 22, 2014

Things are up in the air

 Winter is here, but today we have a respite from the cold.  The thermometer says 36 degrees and there's not a bit of wind.  We've been getting the homestead buckled up for winter.  Today I'm cleaning out the extra boards and siding from in front of my barn. The turkeys and chickens are butchered and in the freezer. I picked up a breeding pair of Royal Palms.
Aren't they beautiful birds?


 I finished siding my barn today and patching up the sheep shed. We've had timberwolves around at night and I don't want them in with my sheep!




 My husband took advantage of the gorgeous weather to finish siding the north side of the house. Here's a picture of how he elevated his homemade scaffolding. Don't call OSHA, please

                                                                                                     
My coffee break is over and I want to get outside before we lose the sun. Hope your day is glorious. From Glory Farm

Sep 28, 2014

Always Learning

The internet is a great tool for living frugally and sustainably. I'm learning new things, practical things, all the time. And so I share. There are some of you who already know so much more than I do, please bear with me.

Foraging-It means free food. Can't beat that. I have hops, ginger,cranberries, lamb's quarters (wild quinoa), wild amaranth, etc., to harvest this time of year. I went to harvest the amaranth seeds and found that they were already blown to the wind.
Wild Amaranth 

 So I harvested the seed from the lamb's quarters. These I'll use in breads.
Lamb's Quarters seeds 

I winnowed them, washed them and roasted them. I didn't end up with a lot, but it's a cool project.During the process I came upon a series of videos on Youtube called Joe and Zach Survival. You can find information on making curly dock flour, clover flour, spruce honey, and a whole mess of really cool things.

Another new project was making homemade Macaroni and Cheese mix. I found a great recipe on Food Storage Made Easy. It makes six mixes and you just buy a big box of elbow macaroni.

 Macaroni and Cheese Mix
 heaping 1 cup instant dry milk
 heaping 1/2 cup cornstarch
 2 cups cheese powder
 Mix well and store in an airtight container. To make macaroni and cheese: 2 cups cooked noodles heaping 1/2 cup macaroni and cheese mix 3/4 cup water 1 tablespoon butter. Mix until blended.**

 **Last new idea was more like a realization. Everytime that I make stir fry, I make too much rice. It either goes out to the dog or the chickens after a week in the refrigerator. Then I realized I could just dehydrate it and have minute rice on those evenings when everything is so busy. These types of things make me happy. Now if I could just learn how to put paragraph breaks in my blog....I think I just figured it out.  Happy again.
That's all for now, catch ya later.

Sep 13, 2014

Morning Update

They predicted frost last night and they were right. I went out to check on my tender plants and here's what I found. This is a tomato plant that wasn't covered.
It didn't make it. So I pulled back the tarps on the rest of the tomatoes and this is what I found. They made it!
My main garden is in an area that is more prone to frost, so when I pulled back the tarp on the pumpkins, this is what I found.
You win some, you lose some. I still had frost in the front yard at 9:30 this morning.
I don't think I've shown you my new chickens. Well, I've had them for about four months. They're cream brabanters,
which took me two years to finally find. Here's a couple of pictures of my turkeys. I'm saving the breeding pair, the rest will be butchered in a month and a half. They're Red Bourbons. I think I'd like to try Royal Palms next.
Yep, there are ducks in there, too. I picked up two sheep this week. They're both wethers and very affectionate. They're for fiber and for company for my Angora goat. They were raised in a petting zoo, so you can imagine how affectionate. I cannot think of names for these two. I've asked friends and family and no one has been able to come up with names. Here's a couple, not very good, pictures of them.
That's the update from our place. Enjoy this wonderful fall weather. Have a blessed day. Glory Farm

Sep 10, 2014

Sept. 10

It's definitely nasty out there. Rain and wind and cold. Weather man says that we could have frost this week. So, I'm trying to find enough covers to keep my garden for just a little while longer. The pumpkins are turning orange and the tomatoes are turning red. Today it's off to the dentist and then a road trip to pick up a couple of sheep. Not sure of the breed, but the price is right, free. I really don't like shearing sheep, takes me way too long to do one. My honey doesn't like it either, but he's a lot faster than I am. I really do like the fiber to mix with my mohair and angora. I'll get pictures and post of the new members of the farm. Be a blessing. Glory Farm

Aug 26, 2014

Summer

Yea..it's been awhile. My life isn't all that exciting, so you didn't miss anything. My garden is 1/6 the size of what it normally is. Still getting enough produce to can and dehydrate. Our cattle have been battling foot rot this summer, thinking it's because of all the wet weather we've had. Have to go and give more antibiotics today. My honey has been putting up hay and working construction for the summer. He's back teaching at the college as of yesterday. Dear son is working for a truck farmer and he's in football. It's his senior year! So hard to believe. I've been working 4-5 days a week all summer and now that's almost over. I work on Friday and then can stay home and play farmer for the rest of the year. I've fallen so far behind on everything here. We've had a population explosion in spiders. They're everywhere. On the bright side, we don't have much of a fly problem. So, there are the bits and pieces. Honestly, I just haven't felt inspired to write. Maybe as the days grow shorter and darker I'll get more creative. Or not. Be blessed. From Glory Farm

May 21, 2014

Spring!

It's spring-finally. Thermometer said 75 degrees yesterday! PTL!! Looking at my yard, I see another sign of spring-where's that lawnmower? My favorite sign of spring is the new life on the farm. While my goats aren't bred, we still have calves being born, turkey eggs in the incubator ready to hatch in about a week, chicks arriving in the mail tomorrow, baby Angora bunnies, and one old bantam hen dutifully hatching a batch in the barn.
This is Sugar. Her momma didn't make it after the birth, but Sugar is a big, healthy heifer who loves to eat. Not sure what to do with her. She may end up on Craig's list because my honey and I are both working and she needs to be fed at least three times a day. I need to get the brooders ready for the chicks and turkey poults. I have two apple trees to put in the ground. The soil is too wet to start my garden, yet. Slightly frustrating, but I don't have control over the weather. I'll post pictures of more of the babies later today or tomorrow after the chicks come in. (I like pictures.) Go with God. From Glory Farm

Apr 2, 2014

A Farm Sitting Business??

I've joked about starting one because my husband and I do take care of farms around here while our neighbors go on vacation. We never charge them, but it usually works into a barter type deal. Now that I'm seriously thinking about leaving my present job, I'd like to find something to make up for the decrease in income. So.....I'm looking to anyone who may be reading this that has some advice to share. I'm thinking that checking on insurance for this venture would be the first thing to do. I've googled this topic and printed out some information. Have any of you ever tried this? We do live in a predominately agricultural community. Maybe go into this with a partner? Just thinking on the blog again. From Glory Farm, Rhonda

Feb 24, 2014

Fruitful Day

Got a baking bug today. Asked honey what he wanted me to bake and he said Peach Upside Down Cake. So, okay, down to the cellar and I did have a jar of peaches left.
It's a cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of melted butter, peaches and I mixed up a yellow cake and poured over it. I use the Dinette Cake from the Betty Crocker cookbook and just doubled it. ************* As long as the oven's going I thought I should do all my baking for the week. Save on propane. So I looked in the freezer and pulled out some cranberries and some strawberries. ******************** Made these cranberry cookies:
1 12 oz. bag of cranberries** 2/3 cup powdered sugar** 3 1/2 cups flour** 1 t. cinnamon** 1 t. baking powder** 1 t. soda** 1/2 t. salt** 1 egg** 1 cup sugar** 3/4 cup brown sugar** 1/2 cup butter** 3 T. orange juice************ Slice cranberries in half and put in bowl sprinkle with powdered sugar. Let set 10 minutes. Cream butter, sugars, orange juice, and add beaten egg. Sift and add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, gradually. This gets a bit dry and I usually only put in 3 cups of flour. Add cranberries and stir gently. Drop onto greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.****************** Now some strawberry bread...
3 cups strawberries, mashed and drained** (I put some of the juice into the batter)** 1 1/4 cup oil (lard)** 4 eggs beaten** Mix all this together and add to the dry ingredients which are:** 3 cups flour** 2 cups sugar** 1 1/4 t. cinnamon** 1 t. salt** 1 t. baking soda** Mix everything together will and pour into two greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for an hour.******************************* Last-I threw some homemade mac and cheese in the oven with some ham for supper tonight. Now everything is done except the dishes. Help.

Good Morning!

Okay guys, time to get up-
Chester slowly coming to life.
Houston is bright eyed and bushy tailed. He's been outside and is ready for a nap. Have a wonderful, joy-filled day.

Jan 28, 2014

The Answer's in Layers

As any good musher knows (and as Mama Pea over at A Homegrown Journal, reminded me)the way to stay warm in bitter cold weather is layers. You layer, layer, layer. First you put on your "unmentionables", which I won't mention. Next is your long underwear. Under Armor is the "in" brand right now, but I'm not very "in".
Now you find a long sleeved T and a pair of leggings to go over the longjohns.
Alright, next a sweatshirt...
and some insulated windpants.
Don't forget your feet. A good pair of socks and some Smart Wools.
Okay, now you're set to read a good book. What if you decide you want to go outside? You'll need-a set of warm coveralls.
If it's really nasty, a jacket to go over the coveralls. (I don't usually need this.)
Some choppers, some liners, a neck gator, and a hat to wear under your hood-
And a good pair of boots...
I recommend Steger Mukluks. They are so very warm. I had a pair for 15 years and they are fantastic. Now, I have a pair of packs. So there you have it. Stay warm. :) P.S. Please excuse how cruddy the clothes look. They're my barn clothes and just look like it.

Jan 23, 2014

No End In Sight?

I guess this is the time of year when it's easy to get tired of winter and look longingly for spring. Maybe that's why I'm writing this blog of complaint. My mom says we're becoming weather wimps and I think she's right. * Our thermometer is down around -30 this morning with something of a wind chill. I don't really want to know. We've been in the deep freeze up here for about two months, I'm ready for some nicer weather. Oh, we have sun, thankfully, and every couple of weeks an unusually warm day. Tomorrow the high is supposed to be 31 and that's above zero! Then more bitter cold. I am grateful for the reprieve. By the end of the month the forecast is for highs in the teens and I guess I can look forward to that. * This morning it's comfort food-French Breakfast Muffins.
After baking, leave the oven door open and stand above it. So nice and warm. This is the type of weather that has me using the dryer and circulating all of the exhaust back into the basement. I'll take heat anyway that I can get it. :) + Well, the woodstove is going, the propane furnace is going and I'm going to finish up this muffin and tea and get ready to do chores. Stay warm.

Jan 15, 2014

Roo the Day

Roo-verb-Process of removing fleece by hand plucking * This is how I prefer to get the fiber off of my Angora rabbits. I only have four, so it isn't a full time job. Today was Charlie's turn to get a grooming. He gives so much fiber that it's amazing there's anything left of him. Here is Charlie after I pulled most of his fur.
And here's the pile of fiber-
My son said the pile is bigger than the rabbit! Good bunny. :)

Jan 13, 2014

Dyeing With Spices

I have a new project in mind that requires wool yarn. I have a bag of wool yarn that I purchased from Goodwill for 3.99. Unfortunately it's all white. I thought I'd try using spices to dye it. I've used commercial dyes, Kood-Aid dyes, natural dyes, so this is new for me. * First I tried chili powder which was supposed to give me a brick red color. Here's the yarn, pre-dye.
I used 1/4 cup chili powder for each 4 cups of water. So that was 2 cups total.
I put the powder in cloth bags and boiled it for an hour and a half.
I added a cup of vinegar for every four cups of dye bath.
This is the color of the dye.
I simmered the yarn in the dye bath for an hour and the color just didn't take. Either this isn't wool or the chili powder is too old? It's been sitting in my pantry for at least 6 years. :) So I decided to try dyeing with turmeric instead. Here's the comparison of the colors-
The top photo is the one with the chili powder. The color is a tan/very light brown. The bottom one is the turmeric. Too much color??? I love yellow-good thing. Paprika is good for dyeing, also. I buy my spices in bulk from the local buying club and they're very reasonable. * Now I'll do a sample swatch and see if this yarn will felt. If anyone tries dyeing this way, maybe you could share some photos of the end results.