My Home Farm

Handmade Gifts From the Heart

2011-12-12T18:17:00.001-05:00

This time of year can cause us all a great deal of stress … presents to buy, people to please, and it feels like there’s never enough money or time to go around. A few years ago I started keeping a “gift file” where I keep pages ripped from catalogs and notes on things I’ve seen throughout the year that might make a thoughtful gift for one of my loved ones. I also shop at antique stores for things that will make unique gifts for those people who appreciate things like that. Recently, I also began keeping a “handmade gifts” file where I write down ideas for things I can make that will cost very little but will still fit the bill for Christmas gifts. Here are a few of my favorites that can be done last minute…

*Gingersnaps in a Jar*

Buy a vintage quart-sized canning jar at an antique store (usually around $5) and fill with the following ingredients. Tie on a tag with the baking instructions and throw in a new wooden spoon or vintage pot holder and this gift is good to give.

Re-type or print out this tag and
affix to jar.

1 1/4cups packed dark brown sugar

2 1/4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Assemble the jar ~ Spoon the brown sugar into the jar and press down into an even layer. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt into a bowl. Using a funnel or spoon, add the flour mixture to the jar and tap lightly to form an even layer. Sprinkle the ginger, cinnamon, and cloves on top. Print out (or re-type) a tag with the baking instructions (at right) and attach to the jar with a fancy ribbon or piece of raffia.

*A Selection of Homemade Baked Goods*

Some crowd pleasers:

   * Peanut Butter Balls: http://bit.ly/uPwAAc

   * No-knead Bread: http://bit.ly/v4DFTn

   * Iced Sugar cookies (recipe below)

Wrap in tins, baskets, or bags, throw in a card, and hand deliver or overnight the package to special loved ones. Most of the cost of this gift will be incurred in the shipping, and will vary depending on where the recipient lives.

~Iced Sugar Cookies~

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 sticks butter
2/3 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Icing:

1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
4 teaspoons meringue powder (available online or on the bakers supply aisle, even Michael’s)
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons water
Sprinkles, optional

Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl and whisk to stir.

In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, beat well. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined.

Press dough into a ball and flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Roll out dough to ¼ -inch thickness and cut out cookies. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes until edges are lightly browned.

Icing: Combine the powdered sugar, meringue powder, and salt in a small bowl and whisk together. Gradually add the water, whisking until smooth. Using an offset spatula, spread on cookies and add sprinkles immediately. Let cookies dry for at least 1 hour before handling, preferably overnight.

My handmade soap wrapped in strips of scrapbooking paper,
in a dish stamped “Handmade in Italy” that I found
in an antique store for $5.

*Homemade Soap*

If you’re a soapmaker or would like to try, check out my soapmaking instructions here: http://bit.ly/vAQ3D5. Just make sure to cut the bars neatly (or use a special wavy cutting tool) and wrap with wrapping paper, or the kind of printed paper sold at craft stores (like Michael’s) for scrapbooking. Place the soaps in an interesting container from an antique or secondhand store and tie a ribbon or raffia around it. (I trawl my local Goodwill shop for home goods where they sell for 49 to 99 cents each.)

Note: Remember that homemade soap should cure for at least 2 weeks before using, so if you make it last minute, be sure to tell the recipient what date the soap can be used.

*Homemade Bird Treat Ornaments*

I saw this idea in the December 2011 issue of Garden Gate magazine …

3/4cup white or wheat flour

3 cups bird seed mix

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup raw peanuts

1/2 cup boiling water

1/4 ounce unflavored gelatin

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Measure the boiling water in a glass measuring cup. Add the gelatin to the water and stir until its dissolved. Add the corn syrup and mix well. Pour the liquid over the dry ingredients and mix well. It should be very thick and sticking together. Spoon the dough into muffin tins. Using the end of the handle of a wooden spoon, poke a hold through the middle of each “muffin” while it’s still wet. Allow the ornaments to harden for at least 3 hours, then dump out of the pan and tie a ribbon through the hole for hanging on trees outside. Your loved one will enjoy watching the birds snack on these ornaments all winter long.

One of my walnut cheese boards in the finishing process.

*Something Unique from Nature*

Nature provides some of the most beautiful gifts I can imagine. This year, I made a point to give away some of our farm’s bounty. My husband milled some downed walnut trees and I selected some nice planks to cut into 12” x 8” slabs for bread or cheese boards. I sanded the slabs down and applied food-safe Butcher’s Block wax as a finish. I affixed small rubber feet on the backsides so the board is slightly raised and won’t slip on a countertop or table. For more on this project, see my previous post here: http://bit.ly/vH6rZL

Enjoy your handmade holidays and don’t stress!

Homemade Reese's - A Halloween Tale & Treat

2011-10-31T11:42:00.002-04:00

Peanut butter balls - a delicious little Reese's-like truffle

Remember back in the day when folks actually used to give out homemade candies and goodies to trick-or-treaters? My sister and I would occasionally get a popcorn ball, or a small bag of chocolate chip cookies from the neighborhood old folks and we'd eat them just like the snack-sized candy bars that filled our plastic pumpkins. Then, the "razor blade in the candy bar" incident happened somewhere in America (who knows if it actually did happen or it was an urban legend) and moms everywhere recoiled in horror and suspicion over anything homemade at Halloween.

As I was out walking this morning I was thinking if there was a way to bring back the homemade Halloween treat for trick-or-treaters. Would kids even want them? I thought, I could put my peanut butter balls (recipe below) in individual little baggies with my return address label on it, then people would know they could "trust" the source. But then, no, I'd have to put an ingredient list on it too because every other child out there is gluten intolerant, lactose intolerant or has peanut allergies, et cetera, so they better know what they're getting. But then if some overly eager child ate the thing before mom could thoroughly vet it, I'd be asking for trouble ... in the form of a lawsuit. What a sad, sad state of affairs we find ourselves in these days.

So, do your family a favor and make these treats for yourselves ...

PEANUT BUTTER BALLS
I love chocolate. And I love peanut butter. And let’s not forget salt. When I was young, my mom used to make these delicious little balls of peanut butter and chocolate goodness that contain absolutely nothing healthful. But I firmly believe in all things in moderation and eating these once a year—whether that’s Halloween or Christmas—certainly won’t kill you; though they’re so addictive they might put you in a sugar coma! Consider yourself warned.

12 ounces crunchy peanut butter (not the “natural” kind that separates)

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

16 ounces powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 bag semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips (good quality with cocoa butter; make sure the ingredients do not contain nonfat milk)

Kosher or sea salt

In a large bowl, with your hands, mix together the peanut butter, butter, sugar, and vanilla. Make sure it’s thoroughly combined and mixed. Wash your hands. Roll the mixture into balls and drop onto a wax-paper lined baking sheet. Freeze for one hour.

Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler or microwave, according to the package instructions for melting. Using a skewer, a mini spatula, a spoon—whatever works—roll or dip the balls in the melted chocolate and place on the wax paper. You may have to patch up the sides with melted chocolate (this is where the mini spatula comes in handy) if the candies come out a little rough. If you’ve got any fingers free from melted chocolate, sprinkle a pinch of Kosher or sea salt on top. Place in the refrigerator or freezer for a little while to set up.

Seeing the Forest Through the Trees

2011-08-24T13:45:00.000-04:00

Buh-bye!

Here's a story I know many of you can relate to ... A few years ago, I was living a life of total deception. Deception regarding money, that is. I was working my editor-in-chief job in an office, believing that I needed all the trappings that go along with that title. If I wanted a new, expensive pair of shoes, well, I had a credit card. If I wanted new kitchen appliances, well, just open a Lowe's credit card! If I wanted new furniture, that's what credit cards are for! I was living well beyond my means, believing that "one day" I'd eventually pay off all those debts and the money I earned would actually be mine. Wrong.
Well, a change in "life circumstances" (as a friend calls it) occurred and I no longer had a paycheck that enabled me to keep riding that merry-go-round. I was faced with a huge reality check. I realized just how crushing and devastating all that debt really was. It caused fear in my heart (Will they come to get me? Will I have to file bankruptcy? How can I save face?) and an overwhelming feeling of helplessness. I immediately sold on Craigslist anything of value that could provide some cash. It's amazing how things looked differently to me. Why the hell did I spend $300 on that handbag ... those shoes ... that baubble? I ate through my freezer and pantry--no more shopping at Whole Foods--and somehow managed to survive. Every dime, every penny was cherished and every purchase, no matter how necessary (toilet paper!) was scrutinized. I went through a process of transformation. My mindset was that every time I felt the urge to whip out a credit card, I asked myself "Do you really need that? Or do you just want it? Why do you want it?"
Flash forward two years later, and the reason I'm writing this blog is because this morning I officially became debt free. I've been working for about a year and a half as a freelancer, and every time I'd get a paycheck for a writing or editing job, I'd put 3/4 of it toward that monster debt. My newly formed, farm-based bread business, The Local Loaf, funded groceries and provided needed cash flow. (Thank you Shannon Hayes for inspiring me to become a "Radical Homemaker.") The process caused all kinds of squabbles with my new husband ("Pay off those credit cards!"), and many "sacrifices" on my part--can you believe no haircut/color for 8 months?--but for the first time in my life I could see the forest through the trees. My husband's Midwestern upbringing and natural frugality, combined with our ever-increasing mission of self-sustainability and rejection of consumerism has led me to this day. Dave Ramsay's "I'm debt freeeeeeeeeee!" was also ringing in my ears. It has definitely been a journey to get here; but the journeys where I've learned the most have always been a result of having the least.
Now the fun can really start!

Bling My Barn

2011-07-10T20:40:00.002-04:00

barn before

Last Friday, just after finishing mowing the lawn, I was outside with the dogs. A red truck came idling up the drive, which is always concerning (I guess we live off a gravel road for a reason). The man behind the wheel asked if I had any interest in having my old barn painted and if so he could give me a quote and a good price since he and his crew had just finished painting our neighbor’s barn about 4 miles down the road. My first inclination was to shoo him away, saying I wasn’t interested because these types of approaches usually scare me, but then I thought ... it would be nice to have that old eye-sore made over. What’s the danger in getting a quote?

blinged barn

So, we ambled down to the barn in the stifling 95-degree heat and humidity and he described how he and his crew travels around, painting all the barns, outbuildings, even houses in the area every year. He said it would be great for him to round out the week with another job. We talked about the regional differences and colors of barns in the Midwest (red), as opposed to Kentucky (where I moved from, and where all the barns are black, for tobacco) and Tennessee (where he is from). He offered to do the job for little more than what paint would cost, so I made the call to the hubby at work. After asking a few more probing questions like “Are you a gypsy?” (kidding), we decided to take him up on the offer, quietly saying a prayer that it would all be OK. About an hour later, the paint truck rolled up with the crew and instantly our barn roof was being painted with a shiny aluminum asphalt paint. It took about an hour for it to be sprayed and finished. They came back the next morning and painted the body red—in about 3 hours. Incredible!

After they were done, we walked all the way around, pointed out some thin spots, one area of touch up, and asked that one of the pipe gates be wiped down from overspray, and they did it without consternation. Incredible … again!

So, as you can see the results at right, we’re quite pleased with the transformation. I guess sometimes you do have to step outside your comfort zone and take a chance … and give someone else a chance.

Double the Fun

2011-06-16T12:03:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago I was asked by Tabitha Alterman, the Mother Earth News and Natural Home & Garden food and gardening editor, to write a blog for their website. So, I asked myself if I had the time or motivation to do two blogs, and decided that I didn't. But ... I'm doing it anyway!
My new blog over there is called "Common Fare" and I'm writing mostly about food and cooking, including my Chocolate-Bacon Muffins (seen at right) and Lemon Polenta Cake. Click here for the recipes. I'm not sure what the deal is with the "Comment" function for the blogs there, but the situation looks a little bleak. Consider opening a user account and then you can Comment away your afternoons!
Hank and I have recently returned from the Mother Earth News Fair in Puyallup, Washington, which was a big hit. I did "The Art of No-Knead Artisan Bread" workshops on Saturday and Sunday from the prep kitchen at the Fairgrounds while behind me, Eating Well magazine's food editor, Jessie Price, sliced fish and prepared appetizers for her demonstration. It was a hoot, and she was great! What wasn't great was the oven at the fairgrounds. An electric range not capable of sustaining 475 degrees (and hardly even reaching it for that matter), yielded less-than-perfect loaves and downright despicable baguettes. Though it did make me want to hug my hard-working Kenmore Elite Pro gas range when I returned home. I realized I would not have my bread biz, The Local Loaf, without that crucial piece of equipment.
All in all, it's shaping up to be a busy summer. Lots of gardening, farming, and projects in the works, which I'll detail here soon. Love and miss you all!

A Woman's Workshop

2011-04-19T11:03:00.001-04:00

It seems like every other show on HGTV is about this new trend of creating a "Man Cave" for the man of the house. I guess that's a positive for men who need to escape, but at our house, we've just about completed the time-honored woman's workshop--that is, the kitchen. It's been about 6 weekends of grit, grime, and unpleasant surprises, but the end result is so worth it!

It's amazing what paint and a router tool can
accomplish when remodeling on a budget.

First of all, our Osage County, Kansas, four-square farmhouse is 105 years old. The former wallpaper in the kitchen dated to the early 1910s. And not in a good way. Stuck behind the cabinets (as the cabinets were added sometime mid-century), the old cherry-and-bluebird-printed paper was dirty and crackling. The shelves were covered in (last time I counted) about 5 layers of contact paper, followed by a layer of grime. The cabinets were everyone's favorite mid-tone wood grain, and the walls were wood paneled, of course. It was a "fabulous room of wood" akin to Ace Ventura's "fabulous room of death." The countertops were vintage laminate with a mauve tone. This all converged as a hot mess, but we decided to live with it for a time in order to determine what would work best for us, what we could afford, and what really needed to be hired out and what we could do ourselves.
We began with the cabinets, which we were NOT going to spend big money to replace. They were custom built for this house at some point and perfectly sound--just in need of a facelift. My handy husband read up on routering and transformed the flat, boring cabinet doors by routering a seam down the middle and rounding off the edges. We primed and painted the cabinets inside and out, using Valspar's Kitchen & Bath Enamel (a soft gloss paint so lovely it actually made painting FUN). Hinges, as we all know, are a complete nightmare to replace, so I painted the old ones a flat black and we bought new pulls and knobs online at a plumbing warehouse for a fraction of the Lowes price.

New sink and faucet, my handsewn curtain,
and a handmade Ball jar light fixture.

We replaced the old sink and leaky faucet with a single bowl cast iron sink and vintage style pewter faucet (again, both bought at a plumbing warehouse online for a fraction of the cost). The countertops were our one and only splurge ... an exotic granite that we both fell in love with at the slab warehouse in Lenexa. We hired a local tile man to do the subway-tile backsplash which he did in one day for a price so low I'm embarassed to report it. We couldn't even buy the tools to do it ourselves for what he charged! I finished it off with a handsewn burlap window curtain, some framed antique prints of vegetables, and a ball-jar light fixture that my husband made from scavenged parts. The only things left to do are install the schoolhouse lights, and the kitchen island my hubby is making from pine and walnut harvested from our farm. (I'll update with more photos when it's done). All in all, we did not have to take out a home equity line of credit to remodel our kitchen (we did have to use a little tax refund money for the granite though); we just had to put in alot of sweat equity to get it done. But we both agreed, we had fun doing it, we loved the late-winter indoor time together discovering each other's DIY skills and we just wouldn't have done it any other way.

The Great Do-Over

2011-03-15T09:01:00.000-04:00

Take a minute and think about one of life's great questions: If you could do one thing over, what would it be? Would it be a decision you made about a job, a house, a child, or a conversation about marriage or divorce? Would it be a day, or merely an instant in time? Over the past week, I've pondered this question over and over and for some reason mapped out the trajectory my life would have taken if I had done just one big thing differently ... where I'd be living today; what job I'd be working; how many kids I would've had; and the list goes on and on. The fact of the matter is that I love my life as it is now, so I wouldn't necessarily change its trajectory, but I would "do-over" an instant in time that occurred last week, but changed my life dramatically.
Last Monday was a regular day for me, in and out of the house, going back and forth between my writing/editing work and my house/farm work. Around 1:00 I decided to go outside and spray paint a silly fixture for our kitchen, so I let my two little dogs out. As I did my painting I looked over to the west and saw my Cairn Terrier, Pearl, gazing up at me, watching. Next I heard the mail man's SUV pull up. I called after Pearl, but she wasn't around. I called and called but she didn't come. I looked out at the road and saw the mail man pulling away and then I heard that sound. You know what sound I'm talking about. Can't even write it because I sob when I think about it.
Pearl was the great dog love of my life and she'll never be forgotten. If I could do one instant over, it would be that instead of going back to my work when I glanced over and saw her sitting there, I would have gone over and scooped her up, looked into her coal eyes, and told her how cute she was, just like I did practically every hour of every day, as crazy as that makes me sound.
Thank you to our friend, Matt Stallbaumer, for the beautiful painting of Pearl shown here, which he did in just a few days. It will hang proudly and prominently at home and will always remind me of her, and to love often and freely, even if it makes us incredibly vulnerable to pain.

Bacon = Love

2011-02-14T11:46:00.000-05:00

On this day of love, Valentine’s Day, what better time to salute the man I love? Now, I will get around to telling you how to make those little nuggets of joy you see pictured at right (it’s SO easy), but first, you have to read this …

For some couples, love “grows” on them over time and they learn to admire the not-so-annoying characteristics of their life partner. Not for me. From the first day I realized I love my then boyfriend, now husband, Hank (or Oscar Henry, more formally), I adored everything about him. A real man, through and through, he can change a tractor tire in the middle of a blizzard just as easily as he can whip up a Texas-style chili and cornbread dinner (as he did last night). He can build a home addition (our new mudroom) like a professional (even applying the Pythagorean theorem to the roof pitch!), just as he will steam clean the carpets when the two puppies have gotten a little out of hand. He goes to work in town every day, because that’s what must be done, but he will rush home at a moment’s notice when an animal is in distress and must be put down. He will build fence all day long in the summer heat, and the next day, scythe grass for our pigs—because the pigs love fresh greens, and because scything is good exercise, of course! I have a great man by my side, and he inspires and motivates me to be a great woman.

Now, about the bacon … what better way to say “I love you” to a man than with bacon? Chocolate-covered bacon, of course! I saw a segment on Cooking Channel (my new obsession, but thankfully hardly anything calls for “crème fraiche”) the other day about “pig candy” made by some business somewhere. It was simply bacon dipped in chocolate. The way you make it is:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the bacon on a rack, on top of a baking sheet (so the grease will drip down and not drown the bacon). Start checking for doneness after 20 minutes, but I cooked mine for about 35 minutes (this will depend on the thickness of your bacon and your oven). You want the bacon to be crisp and curled—not so crunchy it shatters, but not limp at all. Let cool for a few hours—you want all the grease to be dried.

Heat some semi-sweet chocolate chips on top of a double-boiler and stir until thoroughly melted. Dip the bacon, one slice at a time, into the melted chocolate and thoroughly coat. The chocolate will be a little thick, so just use your rubber spatula to scrape away the excess. Place the dipped slices on a clean drying rack and cool. When your sweetie comes home from work tonight, the chocolate-covered bacon will no doubt put a smile on his face. Now there’s no need to run to town for a box of Russell Stover. Happy Valentine's Day!

Heartbreak on the Back 40

2010-10-25T14:11:00.000-04:00

Cassie was born May 2, 2010. Rest in peace, little one.

This past September 30 we had 60 acres come out of the CRP after 10 years. We were tickled to finally be able to graze our Highland cattle on that land. Understandably the grass on the former CRP was quite tall and the ground fairly wild, but we opened the gates and watched them enjoy their formerly forbidden territory.

Sunday morning as we sat by our campfire sipping coffee, we noticed three (just three) of our cows up near the barn. The mister and I brooded and set off toward the southernmost pond with the dogs to find the others. We came to a clearing in the tall grass and instantly recognized it as a spot where the cattle had bedded down. However, we weren't prepared for what we saw next ... three hooves ... a ribcage ... and finally ... a calf head. There was beautiful Highland red hair strewn about, and it was still attached to the leg bones and head. We were exasperated and deeply saddened, trying to piece together what could have happened. It felt like an episode of CSI: The Prairie.

We walked further, toward the pond, still trying to find the others. They were right where we thought they'd be, and we knew immediately who the fallen calf had belonged to: Big Mama, as hers was missing from her side. The cows cautiously followed us back toward the "crime scene" and we could tell they were spooked. One by one, they approached the calf's head and sniffed, then slowly backed away when the moment of recognition was upon them. That was the moment I lost it ... when Big Mama sniffed her baby's head and backed away. I burst out in tears, unable to remain stoic and rancherly about the whole thing.

What we were able to deduce is that coyotes were the culprit. Either the calf died somehow, perhaps struck by lightning (the rib bones appeared "charred"), and coyotes moved in; or, a pack of coyotes surrounded a vulnerable calf and took it down. This would explain the cattle fleeing in different directions and ending up scattered the next morning. We've had intense coyote action for the last several weeks, with enormous roaming packs howling and waking us up at night.

I'm angry. I want our calves to live. And our sheep, and our chickens and turkeys. We've got a few nasty donkeys that really hate dogs. We're thinking of putting at least one in with the cattle and, the coyotes around here are officially on notice.

Chicken Slaughtering Day

2010-10-18T11:09:00.000-04:00

I know these photos will invoke a bit of squeamishness for some, but I just had to post them to show people the nature of at-home chicken processing.

About 10 weeks ago, we received a batch of Cornish Rock cross chicks (broilers) to raise for our year's worth of chicken. We penned them in our previous corn patch and fed them every day, despite the fact they liked to escape and dine on grass, the pig's corn, and other farmyard delights. A friend and co-worker of my husband's also raised broilers--Freedom Rangers--at the same time, so for the second year in a row, we all got together and did the processing at our farm. Wives, co-workers, neighbors and friends all took part in various stages, each person using their particular expertise to speed up the process.

With the help of modern equipment like killing cones (the most humane way to kill), a Featherman scalder and plucking machine, and traditional equipment like knives, plastic-covered tables, ice chests and a screened tent to aid in fly control, we all worked together to get it done. We processed and bagged 40 chickens in about 3 hours, including set up and clean up. Afterward, we ate a delightful lunch of quiche, salad and fresh-baked bread under the barn eaves and then our friends hurried home to get their chickens into the freezer.

For me, processing our chickens at home is an experience that brings me closer to God. We have raised these birds with the intention of them becoming our meat for the winter. We have been blessed with the ability to raise our own food, knowing its origins, and we have taken responsibility for its humane slaughter and clean processing. We are surrounded by friends who are doing the same, with reverance for every step of the process. It's a beautiful thing to be in touch with God, nature, and our ancestors, all in one afternoon.

saying a prayer

scalding

eviscerating

cooling down

ready for the freezer

Rendering Lard

2010-08-19T18:16:00.000-04:00

I just rendered my first batch of lard, made from the kidney fat from our own Mulefoot hogs. Isn't it gorgeous--there to the right? I've been reading up on traditional cooking, in particular Nina Planck's Real Food, and I am a 100% convert to "real" fats. No more "healthy" canola oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil or safflower oil! Planck documents, quite convincingly, that these oils are relatively new industrial creations, and are the real cause of obesity, heart disease and all the other modern diseases we Americans have been plagued with since switching to an industrial diet. These oils are present in just about every processed food on grocery store shelves.

As it turns out, there are all sorts of things our bodies need in traditional fats like lard, beef tallow, and butter, especially, and Planck gives us the research, the science and the dissenting views in her book. Most disturbing is how margarine is made and what's in it (metal particles, rancid vegetable oil, soaplike emulsifiers, bleach). I'll stick to sweet cream and salt, thanks, which is all that is in real butter. I will never touch margarine again, and living in the Midwest, that's not an easy thing to do if one dines out ... ever.

So, I am going to prepare some good old-fashioned country-style roast potatoes in lard, with their crispy, cracklin coat. Yum! Then some pastry shells for quiche ... then frying some eggplant ...

To render lard, all you do is chop up the fat (or run it through a food processor)--we got our local processor to do this at slaughter--and put it in a roasting pan. Roast in a preheated 225-degree oven for 30 minutes to an hour, until only liquid fat remains and a few bits of protein. Run through a piece of cheesecloth and store in a glass or stainless steel jar in the refrigerator or in the pantry. It will keep for 3-4 months this way.

Inspiration Among the Dust

2010-07-15T12:06:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago when my mom was visiting me in Kansas for the first time, I took her to a little town called Paxico, Kan., which is known for neat antique shops. One shop had just come into a huge collection of old cookbooks that they were selling for $3 to $10 each. Oh my, did I have a field day. This is just the kind of thing that gets me fired up!

One could look through old cookbooks and not see a thing of relevance for today's kitchen (think salad molds, Crisco, and steak tartare). However, amongst the gems I took home, including Melting Pot of Mennonite Cookery 1874-1974, BH&G's Heritage Cookbook (1975), The Art of Cooking and Serving (1937), and The Margaret Rudkin Pepperidge Farm Cookbook (1963), I found endless old-time recipes for basic, simple dishes, and some not-so-simple dishes that take a cook's intuition to figure out (love those kitchen-riddles).

The Melting Pot cookbook features recipes from all different ethnic (Mennonite) groups all over Europe including Dutch, Swiss, German, Polish, and even Russian. It includes so many neat little histories like a detailed description of hog slaughtering day, and the meals the women prepared during it, told by a Russian man, and of course, recipes. It struck me that most of the recipes are really like peasant cooking--very little spices or adulteration and few ingredients. A Dutch vegetable soup was comprised of just potatoes, carrots and celery, and "10 kernels of whole clove" and salt and pepper. The boiled potatoes recipe (also Dutch) was potatoes, water and salt, with a note of caution that the Dutch are very particular about the texture of their boiled potatoes. "Potatoes must be flaky when dished up!" Few instructions are given, and recipes don't indicate what to do with ingredients like vegetables; no "diced," "chopped," "minced," etc. I love to study these old cookbooks and see how dishes were prepared, and really, how recipes were written. I feel like it is training me a bit by making me think about cooking and why things are prepared the way they are. I've already got scores of pages marked for things I want to try like Dutch Pea Soup (better start planning now to acquire a pig's ear and a pig's trotter), and the more easy-to-come-by corn pudding, made from our heirloom corn, Hickory King, that we're growing on the farm.

Go hunting for some old cookbooks. I promise it will make your time in the kitchen more meaningful as you think about your ancestors and the old days.

Chance Meetings

2010-06-09T12:43:00.002-04:00

Well I've finally come up for air and decided that I will get to my blog today, at last! The last few months have been crazy ... crazy good ... and I continue to be blessed with opportunities in my new life. A few months ago at my fiance's urging, I started a bread scheme that involved sending him to work with a few loaves of my no-knead bread for folks to try. I then created a newsletter with weekly specials, added other farm products like our eggs and Mulefoot pork, and started taking orders. Customers now place their orders via e-mail and I bake twice a week, and everything gets delivered to their desks by Hank, without me ever having to make a trip to town. Hence, the name of my little business is "The Local Loaf, Artisan Bread Delivered to Your Desk."

Over Memorial Day weekend, we attended a wedding at a friend's farm and I was honored to provide the bread. I handed it over to the caterer and accidentally left my tote bag in their van. Upon trying to retrieve it a few days later, her and I struck up an e-mail conversation and it turns out they loved the bread, and now we are in talks to provide them with vegetables, meat, and bread, all from our farm!

And one more chance meeting ... while having a drink at our favorite neighborhood bar in Osage City, The Sportsman, a girl sat down next to us, obviously beat from a hard day's work. We asked what she did for a living and would you know, she runs a bakery down the street! She makes specialty cakes for weddings, parties, birthdays, etc. and wanted to sell bread but had no time to do it. I am now offering bread to her customers as well. So, my bread has taken on a life of it's own, appropriately, and I love providing people with homemade, wholesome food. In fact, I feel honored to do it, and I'd probably do it for free if I didn't have bills to pay!

In addition to The Local Loaf, I've been doing lots of freelance writing, food styling, recipe development and food photography for various magazines--my second favorite line of work after cooking. With the fall issue, I'll be working as the editor of The Heirloom Gardener, Baker Creek Heirloom Seed's magazine. I adore Emilee and Jere Gettle, and it is a joy to work with people who are all on the same page, editorially and ethically. I'm in love with this mixture of work--a little desk time, a little kitchen time, a little garden time--it doesn't get much better!

If you work at home, please post a message about what you do and how you like it. I'd love to hear your story. Until next time ...

He's Bonafide

2010-03-26T10:50:00.002-04:00

I'm happy to report that me and the mister are now ... officially ... engaged! Now how did this happen, being that we've both been in and out of marriages in the past? I truly believe that a couple must have some pretty significant things in common, mutual respect, and of course, unrelenting passion for each other and those things we love in life.
For us, we both love growing things, animals and doing as much for ourselves as possible. We get tremendous joy over silly farm things, or a new way to save money or reuse something. We think the other is simply brilliant, and we can't imagine our lives without each other. For me, it doesn't get much better than this.
This picture of us is pretty funny: him in a suit and me in a fancy dress. More like it would be the iconic American Gothic--overalls and a pitch fork. It was taken last October at my aunt's wedding in California. He led me around the dance floor all night to country tunes and I've never enjoyed a wedding more. I can't wait to plan ours, though it will probably entail a trip to the courthouse and a summer barbeque on the farm.

Did he present me with a multi-carat diamond ring? No, that would only hinder me in my daily chores (though I did get a ring I love). Our engagement weekend included driving to nearby Alma, Kansas, to purchase me my very own farm truck--a 1969 Chevy Longhorn, sage green with saddle brown interior. Though at the moment, it's parked outside my soon-to-be hubby's office in Topeka. Hmmm ... whose truck is it now?

They Made Me Think

2010-02-28T17:13:00.002-05:00

In the winter when "spare" time is easier to come by than in the spring or summer, reading and knitting are always battling each other in my mind for this rare commodity. But in the last few months, I've read a few books that have really caused me to think ... hard.

I gave Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work by Matthew B. Crawford to my sweetie for Christmas after reading a blurb about it in an airline magazine. It sounded right up his alley. After he devoured it in less than two days, I took it on so we could discuss it. The author is a PhD from the University of Chicago who, after doing a brief stint as a "knowledge worker" in a cubicle, went back to doing the kind of work that really satisfied him: running a motorcycle repair shop and working as a mechanic. The book explores the value of actually knowing how to do things in a day and age where skilled hands are becoming less and less important--and hard to come by. This book is quite heady, but I found myself nodding in understanding, alternating with looking up words in the dictionary!

My sister, Jennifer, sent me Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace With Marriage by Elizabeth Gilbert for my birthday with a post-it note attached saying "I haven't read this yet, so don't think I'm trying to send you some kind of message." Ha! Well, I skeptically began reading it because quite frankly it pertains to the near future, and I finished it in three days. The author and I had way too many similarities to count and I found her research and findings on the institution of marriage to be refreshing--and just what I needed. Marriage, in the old days, was a somewhat casual agreement between couples until the church hijacked it in the Middle Ages and made it an iron-clad contract that there was no getting out of. Through her cultural and historical anecdotes, Gilbert shows how marriage means different things in different cultures and how it has transformed through time. What it boils down to is that while marriage is good for a society (stabilizes people, procreation, families), government has always tried to interfere and prevent people from marrying because the bedroom--and what married couples do and say behind closed doors--is one bastion that cannot be controlled. The mister read it on one snowy Sunday and of course, we laid in bed--behind closed doors!--and analyzed its arguments.

Radical Homemakers: Reclaiming Domesticity From a Consumer Culture by Shannon Hayes has really got my head spinning (in a good way). Detailing the history of the homemaker, going back hundreds of years, she makes the case that the homemaker is making a comeback--to the way it was way back when households were units of production, rather than simply units of consumption. You see, homemakers used to produce things in their kitchens and on their land--growing food and preserving it, mostly. But around the 1950s and 60s when all the labor-saving devices and convenience foods and products began freeing homemakers from the "drudgery of the kitchen", Betty Friedan coincidentally documented the "bored housewife syndrome." Homemakers lost their purpose in life and became chauffeurs and shoppers, consumers rather than producers. Hayes' argument is extremely well thought out and laid and I encourage anyone interested in sustainable, low-impact and simple living, to rush out and get it. Get the book directly from Hayes on her website http://radicalhomemakers.com/

Food for thought and thought for food!

Pearl the Squirrel

2010-02-25T02:00:00.002-05:00

A couple of months ago, I got the best Christmas present ever ... Pearl, the Cairn Terrier. I haven't had my very own dog since I was in high school, so I can't tell you how much this little girl means to me.
Me and the mister had talked about "one day" getting a dog, but with so much going on--the move, impending winter and utter lack of daylight--I had put the idea on hiatus. But back in December, I took a road trip to Chicago with my sweetie's daughter (that's a whole 'nother post!), and as I was driving home, I got a text message from him with a picture of "Bailey" who looked like a sweet, fluffy rat--she was about that size! He had driven several hours to the breeder's farm and bought the dog as an early present for us. But hmmm ... that name. Bailey? Not so much. So I began racking my brain trying to come up with something more fitting. Whenever I'm trying to name something, I start trying on everything for size: "Des Moines Next 5 Exits." Des? Desi? McDonald's. Mac? Maggie? You get the idea. So, as the Roxy Music song "Mother of Pearl" came on my stereo and I was singing "Mother of Pearl ... I wouldn't trade you for another girl ..." I thought "that's IT!" Pearl. Loves it.
So now, as she grows more and more into the Toto dog she is (look at her picture below in my previous post--my, how she's grown!), she picks up a new nickname every day: Pearl the Squirrel (shortened to just "Squirrel" mostly), Pearly Squirrely, Munchie (short for Munchkin), Pearl Girl, and the list goes on. Nickname potential is a very important thing to consider when picking a name for a dog, I've learned!

I Hate To Say It ...

2010-02-15T16:13:00.000-05:00

I know this is dangerous ground to tread on, but I know a lot of you will relate. I am SICK and TIRED of social networking! I know, it's ironic that I use twitter, Facebook, etc. to get the word out about this blog, but honestly, most days the whole deal is hard for me to stomach.
You know what I'm talking about... you're perusing your News Feed on Facebook and somebody's cryptic status update catches your eye. You click on "read all comments" and try to figure out what's going on and all it is is a bunch of nonsense, each post more cryptic than the last. Then, you go to that person's page and start mining for details--info tab (has anything changed? relationship status? job? No) ... photos ... wall ... but alas, no details can be found. And then you ask yourself ... what am I doing? I don't even LIKE this person. Why do I care? And before you know it, you've wasted an hour when you could have been doing something--anything--more meaningful than this rubbish.
And then there's twitter ... it gets worse. Anyone can "follow" you and anyone can open an account with no information attached to it, so in other words, no recourse. (I realize you can limit who can follow you and ban people.) You can say and insinuate anything you want without ever having to take responsibility for it! What could possibly be more perfect for that drunk, solipsistic cyberstalker with time on her hands?
Now, back to Facebook--I'm not done with it yet. What's the deal with all those people collecting "friends" (like who really has 456 real friends?) and the people with more than 200 photos posted of themselves--all of themselves in various poses--with sunglasses! Without! With cocktails! At a bar with hair messed up! Rolling in the grass with flesh-and-blood friends! In a hot tub! Ugh. Do all us "friends" really need to know that much about your alls lives? I just don't get this living-life-through-Facebook phenomenon that's captivating the world. I long for the not-so-distant past (like the 90s!) where a lot of us didn't even have cell phones, let alone FB, Twitter and everything else. I also long for the days of old when I didn't even feel compelled to post something on these sites when something changed in my life ... "I saw a bird out the window!" "My dog took a crap!" (Yep, I'm guilty too.)
To my readers: I apologize for the curmudgeonly rant. I'm not that judgmental. I just wanted to get it off my chest and see if anyone else could relate. Ooh... the UPS truck just drove up! :)

It's OK To Love Your Life

2009-12-30T10:12:00.003-05:00

Each year around now, I turn contemplative, as the date dictates I should. Back when I was editing magazines, I'd write an editorial that outlined everything I had learned that year, and the goals I had for the following year. It was an exercise in humility ... did I do enough this year? Will my readers be sufficiently impressed? Are my goals lofty enough for next year? Ugh.

The year 2009 has been a tumultuous one for me. Virtually nothing is the same in my life today as it was a year ago. And I mean big stuff ... husband, home, job, pets, friends. As one new friend cogently stated "life circumstances changed." Indeed. But I'm not writing today to whine about all my self-induced change (because that's what it was) or lament about relics of the past. My message today is that I love my life; and it's OK for you to love yours as well.

I experienced a little epiphany the other day. As I sat on the floor playing with my early Christmas present from my sweetie, a 10-week-old Cairn Terrier puppy I named Pearl, I felt a twinge of guilt. At the moment just prior to that, amidst Pearl's puppy growling and air-twirling, I felt sheer and total bliss, utter happiness. My conscience said to me ... "shouldn't you be doing something that makes you miserable, like cleaning toilets, or 'querying' editors about writing assignments?" I texted my sweetie and asked: "What's up with that? Catholic guilt or something?" Why must I feel guilty about being truly happy, for once in a long, long time? The answer is that I don't. So it's true ... I don't have a high-powered office job anymore; I take care of a few dozen animals every day on this farm; I cook supper from scratch every night; I knit and sew the things we need like potholders, curtains and wash cloths; I clean, organize and do laundry; I cheer when I see dead rodents that the dogs or cats have killed outside (and sometimes inside!); and I wait with anticipation for my sweetie to get home from the office every night because ... I love this new life we've created together. (And I love him more than words can express.) For me, it's a life full of inquiry; so much more than when I sat in an office chair every day and was assigned the tasks of creating 5-year plans, performance evaluations, competitive analyses, and the like. Each day is different--I never know what I'll find when I step outside the door and into the barnyard--and by my own choosing.

I was chatting with MaryJane Butters on the phone last week and I shared my "epiphany" with her. She seconded my conclusion and said "yes, why can't we just sit and play with a puppy if we want to, or grandchildren" or whatever for that matter. It's OK to love your life exactly as it is, this day. Embrace those moments of clarity, silence the inner chatter, and revel in the bliss of a puppy's gentle yip or a grandbaby's smile. We don't have to feel guilty or busy ourselves with other, "more important" work because ... there simply isn't any.

I Heart George

2009-12-23T11:45:00.000-05:00

For about 6 months now, we've had a pair of Katahdin sheep at the farm: Missy, the bottle lamb, and Annie, a ewe. We were waiting until just the right time in fall to bring home our ram from Bryan Welch's farm, the publisher of GRIT, Mother Earth News and a bunch of other titles. So a few weekends ago, we loaded him up (no easy task) and into the pen with our ewes he went. After doing that thing where you squint your eyes and look at a new animal and try to decide what his name should be, I wanted to name him Ramses. He looked regal and I thought he should be named after a king. My sweetie scoffed and said "I'd rather call him George or something." Yes! That was it ... George: The perfect name for this handsome creature.

George is somewhat famous as far as we're concerned. He is the grandson of Wendell Berry's ram. (If you're unsure of who Wendell Berry is, do an Amazon search and you'll find pages and pages of novels, essays and poems, mostly about agriculture, by him.) And George, what an aristocratic ovine he is ... his big eyes, his gentle nature, his luxuriating ways. He is a quarter Cheviot, and 3/4 Katahdin; enough so that he doesn't need to be sheared. I have trained him, along with the ewes, to take molasses treats from my hand. He stares at me with his expressive eyes, sizes up whether I can be trusted, then darts in between the girls to get what's rightfully his. He smells the treat first, I press it into his lips and he gently takes it and steps back. I have no doubt that come Easter, we'll have spring lambs bouncing around the farm!

Book Club Beckons

2009-12-08T16:30:00.000-05:00

One of the things I knew I'd miss about my life in Lexington, Ky., was my book club. Having been in one for the past 10 years (one in California, and the other that I helped start in Kentucky), it has become an important part of my life. In the past, the Modus Operandi was always to hand select a group of 5 to 7 women with various things in common--work, horses, crafting, and of course, taste in books--and invite them to join the club. You always had to be careful who you invited, because group dynamics is so important in a situation like book club. You can't have people who are too opinionated, too quiet, too talkative, too this or too that. You also can't have people who never read the book because that just irritates the other members to no end. And, you always have to put some care and thought into your book selection because you are taking 5 to 7 peoples' lives (oops, I mean time) into your hands. In other words, if the book is a dud, you'll hear about it!

So, upon arrival here in Kansas, I set about organizing my next book club with a new MO. This time, I decided I couldn't wait around to be magically introduced to the fun, fabulous and intelligent women I was seeking, so I took matters into my own hands, via Craigslist! Under the community/groups tab, I posted a chirpy note, a la Joan Holloway (on Mad Men), recruiting cool ladies who loved to read ... the kind of books I like to read, not necessarily the ones Oprah wants us to read. I love historical fiction (like The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver or Serena, by Ron Rash) and memoirs (The Glass Castle, My Life in France) so anyone game for that type of book is in!
I got three responses for a total of four women--a mother/daughter duo, a 27-year-old single mom, and a retired reference librarian/cob-house-builder-farmer--and we meet for the first time this Saturday. I selected Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates and I already heard back that it was hated by two members. Hee hee. I loved it ... what dialog ... what messed up people! And so much to talk about, group dynamics aside. Can't wait to see how this cold-call book club turns out ... Ladies, this will be FUN!

Beautiful Bread

2009-11-16T11:32:00.001-05:00

This past weekend I took to kitchen experimenting. After seeing a blurb about Jim Lahey's book My Bread in Saveur, I literally drove straight to the bookstore in Topeka and bought it. I read the introduction about how he came to develop such a reverance for bread and wanted to produce loaves that are truly unique and extraordinary. He worked in many bakeries, traveled Europe (Italy mostly) and experimented with many different methods before he landed on his masterpiece method--the no-knead method. Seemed straight up my alley.

I combined the bread flour, yeast, water and salt and left it to sit for 18 hours. This morning I patted it with some flour and corn meal and turned it out onto a floured tea towel to rise for one more hour. Then I heated a cast iron pot at 475 degrees for 30 minutes and baked it covered for 30 minutes (remove the plastic knob on your lid first or else it will melt at that temperature; then plug hole with a little wad of foil). Took the cover off and baked for another 20 minutes. What I have now gracing my kitchen is the most gorgeous hunk of crackling gluten. As the snow falls here in Osage county for the first time this year, I'm planning a dinner around this bread ... chicken apple-spice sausage, baked butternut squash, a red-leaf lettuce salad with vinaigrette and this. My sweetie already emailed me to ask if next I was hand-churning butter. You know, it's not that hard to do...

The View From Here

2009-11-10T09:38:00.000-05:00

I write today from my little corner of the farmhouse in Kansas. I should be out feeding the pigs, goats and donkeys, but I've missed you all and I've missed telling my story. I'll get to them in a minute.

The last few days, ahem, weeks, have been life changing, but I believe for the best. Change is always difficult, especially for anyone who is even the slightest bit uncertain or emotionally unprepared. For me, my mind is always in a bit of hyperactive turmoil (just like Jim Lahey put it), so a new man, a new home, a new town, new animals, a new job ... wait ... can be oh-so-challenging.

But, like the horizon I snapped last night while out walking the farm, the future is vast and full of possibilities. In every corner of the land I see potential. There is so much work to be done on this farm--mainly fixing up and cleaning up--but with all hands on deck it's totally doable.

I have so many projects germinating in my mind, it's hard to decide which to focus on. It's a wonderful, blessed place to be in life--too many ideas but not enough money--because it lets one put things into perspective. It's humbling and I feel myself growing closer to God every day.

More Notes from the Nook later ... now I think I hear those goats bleating.

Desperately Seeking ... Sage

2009-10-23T12:08:00.001-04:00

The last two weeks have flown by as I've been packing and sorting, tossing and Goodwill-ing. And not only are the boxes piling up ... so is the tension! How on earth will I get all this done in one week?

I've got little time to write, but wanted to ask you all for tips on how to get through this stressful period. Got any tips for a 12-hour road trip in a moving truck, pulling a car trailer and three goats? Please help! And let's not forget the unloading, sorting and unpacking that will follow.

What Do We (Really) Need?

2009-10-14T16:13:00.003-04:00

With my new ultra-frugal mindset, I've been reveling in all this "simplifying." As I pack up the debris of my life in preparation for my impending move, I've begun to question my old ways. "Why did I need to buy that?" I've asked myself many times, rolling my eyes, as it gets tossed into the Goodwill box. I look around at some of my stuff with a whole new set of eyes. Things just look different now. I don't really need new clothes, new shoes, or that bauble from the Pottery Barn catalog. (I will make an exception for the Duluth Trading Company though!)

When you get down to brass tacks, what do we really need?

The things I need are this:

     1. The genuine, honest love of my partner
     2. A roof over my head (preferably with running water and electricity)
     3. Home-raised, home-cooked food*
     4. Work to occupy my mind and satisfy my innate curiosity
     5. Wide-open spaces to commune with nature and the night skies
I'm on the road to these simple pleasures, and I can't get there fast enough! In the meantime, I'm making this delicious soup with home-raised chicken:
*Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 cup carrots, shredded
1 cup celery, diced
2 packages (4 oz. each) long grain/wild rice mix with seasoning packets
5 cups chicken broth
5 cups water
Combine all ingredients in a greased slow cooker. Cook on low 4 to 6 hours or until rice is tender.

A Whirlwind Week

2009-10-11T10:55:00.003-04:00

Over the past week I visited California to attend my aunt's wedding. She met the man of her dreams and three months later, they got married. She's the most generous, genuine person I know, so of course I was overjoyed for her. I brought my Kansas sweetie along and he met my entire family. In a predominantly female family, I think the few males were elated to have a real man's man to reconnoiter. Oh yes, conversations about hunting and ear-sniffing coyotes and the differences between cowboys and farmers abounded. (Hint: farmers don't press creases into their jeans. And, farmers wear Levis; cowboys wear Wranglers.) My California kin are decidely cowboys, and me and the Mister are definitely farmers. Glad to have that all established.

As soon as I landed back in Kentucky, before I could say "Jack Rabbit," I hit the road and drove to upstate New York, almost 600 miles. Though I can't really divulge entirely what I'm working on just yet, I will say that it's a television show. We shot the pilot among the glorious fall color along beautiful Oatka Trail in Mumford. It's a breath of fresh air learning a new medium in which to communicate: challenging, but ultimately rewarding because I can feel myself growing by being pushed out of my comfort zone. I never had to face 55+ mph winds while trying to write an editorial from my desk! Stay tuned for progress reports on the show.

Extreme (Goat) Home Makeover

2009-10-01T14:30:00.006-04:00

This morning I continued to "strip" the barn as requested by the purchasers of my farm. By now I've hauled out about 20 cartloads of spent hay, and I couldn't help but mutter under my breath about how wasteful those spoiled little goats of mine are.What goes through their mind when they eat hay ... "oh, this isn't a good piece, I'll just let that fall out of my mouth." Their wasted hay always makes the greatest garden mulch for me, peppered with little pellets of nitrogen, but since I'm moving, it just needs to be hauled on out.

Where the goats are going in Kansas, they will not be living in the manner to which they've grown accustomed. In Kentucky, they have a four-stall horse barn, individual doghouses, Cool-A-Roo beds in the breezeway and a lovely, enclosed barnyard with logs to climb. They are simply pets, and they're spoiled. Rotten. My sweetie is "Mr. Range Animal" and thinks they are absurd. I've always known this to be true about my goats, but it is what it is. So, when we arrive in Kansas soon, the three Pygmy goats will be sharing space with a flock of chickens and their housing will consist of a converted Butler building to which we've cut windows and installed screening. The goat ghetto?

I actually think it will be a lot of fun to see them in their new surroundings, reacting to chickens and nibbling on all the new plants. I still need to figure out logistical points like getting them warm water in the winter, but I know it will all work out. Adventures in livestock ... sign me up!

Pickin' Up the Needles

2009-09-29T14:30:00.000-04:00

The fall weather beckons! There is a crispness in the air and it causes me to want to knit. For some reason I always put down my knitting in spring and pick it back up again in the fall. Even though it makes sense since so much goes on outside during that time, it's actually a really poor strategy, because if I had kept knitting through the summer, I'd have a slew of Christmas gifts ready by now. But ... I've had a few things going on in my life over the summer, so knitting has taken a back seat.

I searched for a long time for a craft that is a) cheap, b) doesn't require a bunch of obscure/expensive tools, and c) is portable. Knitting is perfect.

Since I'll be moving to the Topeka area, I found out about a great shop from friend Jenny Burtwistle called the Yarn Barn http://www.yarnbarn-ks.com/ in Lawrence. They offer tons of classes and I want to sign up for the Beginner Brush-up class where you can bring in an unfinished project and they'll help you finish it and start another. I started a basic shell (tank sweater) last fall and I would love nothing better than to be able to wear it finally.

I love the idea of sitting in a yarn shop, needles clacking, putting my hands to work. Working with one's hands is so important to me. Anyone can type on a keyboard, but learning an actual skill is so much more rewarding. I loved the classes I took at the Stitch Niche in Lexington. Amy taught me everything I know and all the women working there are always happy to answer questions. I know knitting is sort of "trendy" now, but deservedly so.

Husbanding Lunch

2009-09-28T17:41:00.005-04:00

Today I had lunch with veterinary columnist, Dr. Dianne Hellwig. Dianne and I have been friends for a few years, and we've even spent holidays together. She raises Rambouillet sheep, Spanish goats and horses. I can't remember the last time I actually had a 2 1/2-hour lunch with someone and didn't want it to end. I had time to have a leisurely lunch! In some ways she and I are in similar places in our lives. She has just emerged from the so-called hallowed ground of academia, while I've just come out of the rat race of corporate America. What did we learn from our experiences?

1. You're never too old to reinvent yourself
2. Your work stands on its own
3. Don't define yourself by your "job"
4. There are a lot of people out there who just don't care, but we can't dwell on that

Dianne spoke about while she was in school in the 1980s, the poultry experts were trying to figure out what magic formula they could feed chickens so they wouldn't develop aneurisms and die (from growing so fast). At the time she spoke up and said, "how about we don't engineer chickens to grow so fast?" That wasn't too popular, because common sense doesn't reign supreme in American agriculture. Profit does. Instead of a common sense solution to a problem, the current rationale is that we must invent a technological one.

I'm reading Gene Logsdon's novel The Last of the Husbandmen . It begins in 1940 and ends in 1985 and chronicles the "get big or get out" model of agriculture. When I told Dianne about the book, she remarked that when she was getting her degree, it was called "Animal Husbandry." Just after she graduated, it changed to "Animal Science." It echoes the fact that during that time, animals stopped being individuals for which we needed to husband--to care for--but merely science projects to be engineered to most efficiently feed the masses. It's a good read, and an entertaining way to learn about that period in our agricultural history. I certainly hope the pendulum is swinging back toward smaller, diversified family farms.

Money-saving Mode

2009-09-27T17:12:00.007-04:00

For the past few months, and especially in the past two weeks, I've been in serious money-saving mode. Like clamp down, for real. You gain a whole new perspective on life when suddenly you can't really afford organic broccoli or $5.99 packages of chicken sausage from Whole Foods.
So today is Sunday and I thought I would prepare some food for the week in real frugal fashion. The day began with me selling a tine dethatcher on Craigslist for $50. Bingo! Grocery money! So I went to the store and bought two frozen pie shells (store brand of course), a pint of half and half, conventional broccoli crowns, an on-sale bag of shredded mozzarella and an on-sale package of turkey polska kielbasa. For $9.81 I made two delicious quiches, which will last about a week and a half. Here's the recipe:

Farm-fresh quiche (makes one pie)
3 eggs (I used farm-fresh eggs from my sweetheart's flock in Kansas that I carried back last time I drove--10 hours!)
1 1/2 cups blanched broccoli
1 cup half-and-half, milk or cream
1/2 cup grated cheese (whatever you have)
pinch of cayenne
pinch of salt
9" prebaked pie shell
1 cooked polska kielbasa, sausage or bacon (optional)

Prebake the pie shell according to package directions (about 10 minutes) on a baking sheet. Lay in the blanched broccoli, then the cooked sausage. Whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, cheese, and spices. Pour the custard over the broccoli and sausage in the pie shell. Bake at 375 for about 35-40 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.

I also bought the cheapest lettuce on display at Kroger--a head of red-leaf lettuce for $1.59. I never buy salad dressing at the store, so I pulled these basic ingredients from the pantry and made my own:

Versatile Vinaigrette (from Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers)
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 cup olive oil

Whir all the ingredients together in a blender. Dressing will keep in fridge for weeks. Let it sit out for about 15 minutes before using to let the oils come to room temperature.

Now I will eat happily and well for the week!

Welcome to My Home Farm

2009-09-26T15:13:00.023-04:00

My Home Farm is about life, love, and the constant change on a farm.

For the past two weeks, I've had time to think. I mean, really think. For the first time in about 23 years, I have been without a job. I've never slept better in my life! No countless emails demanding immediate responses; no managers assigning endless tasks; no surly co-workers to contend with. Just time on the farm, doing what I want to do.

So what does a suddenly unemployed farm girl do with her time?

1. I've created this blog
2. I've made multiple batches of pesto and quiche for the freezer
3. I visited with my mom who flew out from California
4. I went prairie chicken hunting in Nebraska
5. I spent a week in Kansas at my sweetheart's farm
6. I sold my farm in Kentucky
7. And I just booked a moving truck!

Stay tuned for my adventures in moving and my new life in Kansas. There will be lots to say ...