More Christmas

So, it's just about Christmas and that's what had been taking up time and energy around here. Thought I'd just share a few photos from the farm and Christmas pics.

We saw the lights of Bentleyville. Caroled all around our small town. That's a picture of my goat while she had her freedom. Found out she's been head-butting the rabbit cages in her spare time to knock their Bunny Bits on the ground. She broke up two rabbit cages so now she's in solitary. Today's Christmas pics. It's snowing a snow just like the Christmas movies. Big flakes floating softly to the ground. And the last pic is my new waffle iron. Isn't it cool? I can make animal shape with the waffle just like I attempt to do with the pancakes. Have a very blessed Christmas.

Growing Winter Greens

Another sustainable food source experiment. I've wondered how to keep greens available during the winter months if, for some reason, we were unable to purchase them. We live where -40 is a temperature we see a few times in the winter. Somewhere I read (could have been at Herrick Kimball's site http://thedeliberateagrarian.blogspot.com/) or I may have picked up some book I have, anyways, way back early homesteaders would dig up turnips, put them in pots and bring them in the house for the winter. The greens would grow and they would harvest them, then they would grow again. I decided to try it with beets.

I only have one, but it's growing quickly and I've been nibbling on it. I suppose if I were serious about it, I would have five or six in the house. Another source of fresh greens are sprouts. Use whole wheat, alfalfa, radish, onion, lentils, etc. Place in a quart jar, soak in the jar for 5-10 hours or so. Rinse, put cheesecloth, held in place by a canning rim, on the top of the jar. Place at a downward angle for drainage. Rinse sprouts 2-4 times a day. Once sprouted, they are full of vitamins. This is a good way to use up extra seed you may have harvested. God Bless.

It's Time For Pumpkin Pancakes

Fire in the woodstove, critters in the barn, winter is fast approaching.  I'm starting to crave those comfort foods that help me store up my winter layer of insulation. (You know, the lost in a blizzard kind,the good thing I have this extra layer of fat to keep me from freezing to death kind, the I'm going to hibernate and not come out until spring kind.)

  I've made apple squares, apple pies, doughnuts and muffins.  Now it's time for pumpkin pancakes.  I love these pancakes, but for some reason I only make them about once a year.

Pumpkin Pancakes

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 egg slightly beaten
2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup molasses or maple syrup
3-4 tablespoons buttermilk
2 tablespoons butter
powdered sugar for dusting

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice.  Set aside.  In another bowl beat egg slightly.  Add pumpkin puree, molasses or syrup, milk and melted butter.  Mix until smooth.  Blend in the dry ingredients all at once.  Mix until batter is smooth.  Allow batter to rest for 30 minutes or more.  Add more milk if batter is too stiff.
Spoon a heaping tablespoon of batter onto a lightly greased preheated griddle.  Flatten batter to about 1/2 inch thick.  Cook slowly until bubbles appear.  Turn.

I like maple syrup on my pancakes.
Anyways, give these a try and see what you think.

Banana Cappuccino

Sounds rather gross, eh? 
I have a recipe for vanilla cappuccino mix that is really tasty.  Decided with the cold weather that it was time to mix up a batch.  Grabbed some of the ingredients I needed at the grocery store and came home to put it together.
Vanilla Cappucino

1/3 cup instant coffee
1 cup instant dry milk
1/2 cup powdered coffee creamer
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding

Measure all of the ingredients into a blender.  Blend until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.  Store in an airtight container.  3 heaping tablespoons per 10 oz. of hot water.

Things were going great until I went to put in the vanilla pudding and read on the package "Banana Cream".  Because everything was already in the  blender, I threw the pudding in anyways.  Now I have instant banana cappuccino. It's really not as bad as it sounds.  I only have a couple of servings left and then I can refill my jar with the regular stuff.  I wonder what would have happened if it would have been pistachio??

Saving Seeds

Want to save money on your garden next year?  Saving your own seeds can make a big dent in your seed order.  I've been growing only open-pollinated varieties of produce for about five years now and each year I learn a bit more about saving seeds from these plants.

First are the annuals-seeds from tomatoes, cukes, peppers, lettuce, radishes, corn, squash, pumpkins, melons, broccoli, peas, beans are pretty easy to save.  You do have to watch for cross pollinating with squash and pumpkins.  I've had some pretty crazy creations in the squash bed.  Broccoli is a problem for me as far as saving seeds from it.  It never seems to develop seed heads after it has gone to flower.  There are some good books out there that tell you how to process the seeds before you package them up.  If you have a copy of Carla Emery's "Country Living", she has instructions on how to save most seeds.

Then there are the biennials-cabbage, beets, carrots,parsnips, parsley, rutabagas, kale.  I think that's all of them that I grow. These vegetables make seeds the second year of their growth.  I live in a zone 4 climate and most vegetables won't overwinter here.  I have mulched beets and carrots in an attempt to grow them the second year. The carrots came back up and I was able to get some seeds this year, but the beets never showed up.  Parsnips, parsley, rutabagas and kale will all come back for the second year as long as I mulch them in the fall.

This is radish seed and a seed pod.

Tomato seeds-red tomatoes on the top and yellow on the bottom.  Tomato seeds need to be fermented in water for a few days, poured into a strainer, rinsed thoroughly with water and then spread out to dry on a plate.

When saving bean seeds, I try to let the pods stay out on the plants until they are completely dried out. 

Here I'm attempting to harvest the carrot seeds

Remember to save seeds from mature, unblemished, and good looking vegetables.  These are the products you want your seeds to produce.

I'm definitely not an expert on saving seeds, but I am able to save not only seeds, but a chunk of money each year when I order my seeds.  And...because I can save all of this money, I can now buy more fruit trees and experimental plants!!

Happy fall gardening!!