Once upon a time the grass was green....

 This picture was taken by my front porch back in late May.  Oh, my how different things look now.  It is sad this drought so many of us are going through.  I was just looking through pictures tonight on my camera and was struck by the beauty we had this spring.  In the background you can see the large wind turbines that are a part of one of the nations largest wind farm.  I should take some pictures of the current "blonde" grass (as my husband calls it).  I guess that sounds much better than dead.

I will sing a song of thanksgiving.... today we did get some rain!  Not sure how much, but there was wet stuff coming down to the parched land!!  Praise God!!

What is it like in your neck of the woods?  Is the grass green or "blonde"??   We have lost so much.... hoping that things are still alive in root systems and will come back.  This kind of year really teaches me to not take for granted rain!

Have a BLESSED day,
BE a BLESSING!
Heather

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

 The garden is really starting to produce!  Time to start "putting up" the harvest.  We love cucumbers, but you can only eat so many of them fresh out of the garden.  I have tried several times to can pickles but they have always turned out a mushy mess!  So this year I decided to give refrigerator pickles a try and we LOVE them!!!!!  I have made 2 gallons in the last 2 weeks and my kids eat them like candy.  They are a hit that will definitely become a "putting up the harvest" tradition.  These pickles will store well in the fridge for a couple of months.  I will keep making them and hopefully we will have pickles till thanksgiving! 

Refrigerator Dill Pickles
**** I combined 2 recipes and I don't measure exactly.... feel free to modify as you wish.

Ingredients:
washed and sliced cucumbers  (however many you have)
salt
ice
Onion slices
Pepper slices (banana or green)

To make the liquid:
1 cup white vinegar
2 cups water
1/2 - 1 tsp garlic powder (depending on how much garlic flavor you want)
1-2 tsp dry dill weed (we really like the dill flavor so I use 2 tsp).... I buy dry dill weed at rural king.... they have spices cheap!!
1-2 tsp salt (again, this depends on how salty you like your pickles)


Directions:
1)  Wash and slice cucumbers and put them in a PLASTIC bowl.  It is important that you don't touch  the pickles with anything metal... only plastic or glass!!!

2)  Sprinkle liberally with salt and cover cucumber slices with ICE and let soak for 2-5 hours.  (this makes the cucumbers crispy)  I just leave this sitting on the counter for a few hours.

3)  Drain and rinse.  Drain and rinse again.

4)  Put slices in jars (you can use whatever you have).  Add in onion slices and peppers (optional).  You can also add garlic cloves instead of using garlic powder in the liquid.

5)  Fill jars with prepared liquid to cover cucumber slices.  If you need more liquid just mix up another batch.  It will save for later if you have too much.

6)  Let sit in fridge for 3 days and then EAT and ENJOY!!  The longer they sit the better they taste!!!  They will keep in fridge for a couple of months... not that any will last that long around here!!  LOL

Have a BLESSED day, BE a BLESSING! Heather

Farmer's Market here I come!!

Tomorrow will be the FIRST day for a local 2011 Farmer's Market and it will be the first day of my first season as a vender!!  I am very excited and a little nervous.  I will be selling produce from our garden (as soon as we have some) and flowers from my many flower beds.  However, I am specializing in Baking Mixes and Seasoning Mixes.  I LOVE to cook and bake from scratch and I believe that eating whole foods is best for our bodies and for our families.  I want to help others enjoy whole foods by helping them with some of the work.

Pray for me!  I really want this to be an opportunity to meet new people, develop new skills and also earn some income for our family.  I want to continue to be a stay at home housewife/mom so a job like this is perfect.


Have a BLESSED day, BE a BLESSING!
Heather

Home stead supper

My husband laughed at me for taking this picture, but I just HAD to!! This was the BEST meal we had this summer.... Why?? Everything we ate was either grown on our property or hunted by my husband! We had corn on the cob, broccoli, potatoes, venison and gravy, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, fresh peaches and blackberries for desert! YUMMY!!!!!!!!

Most of our meals have some element of 'home grown', but not usually the entire meal... it felt really, really good! I have to admit that it would take a ton more garden than I grow to do this every meal. My appreciation and respect for the pioneers of our great nation continues to grow. I so appreciate all I have learned in my life from my parents and grandparents about 'simple living'.

The best of both worlds...

Inside and outside..... This time of year I LOVE being able to get outside and play in the dirt. The breeze on my face, the warmth of the sun on my skin, the fragrance of blossoms teasing my nose, the feel of the freshly worked dirt in my hands and the promise of new life and fresh fruits of veggies. When I was little, from the time I could walk, my mom says I would always head straight for the sand box or closest mud puddle the moment I was allowed outside! I guess some things never change.... I just have made my 'playtime' productive!!

Inside my favorite thing to do is bake... followed closely with eating all the yummy things! Today was a day of the best of both worlds..... some time in the garden pulling weeds and some time in the kitchen baking. Can life get any better??

The garden is doing GREAT!!!!!! I finally have all 350 strawberry plants in the ground! Yee Haw!! I also finished planing our new grapes, black berries, raspberries, rhubarb, and bush cherries. I even dug up a small maple tree from the back area and moved it up by the house.... praying now that God does HIS thing and makes them all GROW!!

This evening in the kitchen I baked a batch of Double Chocolate Banana Muffins and my favorite breakfast: Peanut butter granola. Both recipes come from Homemakers Cottage, one of my favorite blogs.

Hope all is well with you! Are you enjoying spring?? Baked anything good lately??
ENJOY the MOMENT, for this is YOUR LIFE!!!!

Have a BLESSED day, BE a BLESSING!
Heather

Harvest and "putting up" ** Plus an unusual recipe!

Harvest time = "Putting Up" time!! It is a busy time of the year, but oh how good it will all taste as the snow flies over winter. I have to tell you that it just does my heart good to see the shelves filling up with beautiful jars of produce and the freezers gaining their share as well. My Aunt Edna blessed me on Friday with 14 doz ears of corn which equaled 24 stuffed quart bags of corn in the freezer (plus the MANY ears we ate while I was "putting up")! Thank you, Aunt Edna!!

I will not lie.... Some days are LONG when I am "putting up" the harvest and attempting to keep up with everything else.... attempting being the key word because my husband said this morning "Any chance I could get some clean work pants and underwear for tomorrow before work?" OOPS!! He is such a patient man... even rubbing in bengay into my aching back last night.... I think I am officially OLD!! LOL

One of the new crops I raised this summer is Spaghetti Squash. It grew great and has been fun cooking with. We LOVE making spaghetti bake with it and for fun I just had to try this Mock Coconut Cream Pie recipe. Guess what! We really enjoyed it!!! I used cold processed coconut oil instead of the called for butter (cold processed keeps the coconut flavor in the oil) so the pie really did taste like coconut!!! Way COOL!!! I'm sure I will be making it again and plan on raising even more of this yummy squash next year. I love that coconut oil is GOOD for you! I have been trying hard to incorporate more and more into our everyday diet. I will post some links soon on the goodness of coconut oil. If you are the adventurous sort (or just like to try unusual recipes) give this one a try... (by the way, a serving of Spaghetti Squash only has 35 calories!!!!!)

Mock Coconut Cream Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (or BUTTER), melted (cold processed coconut oil tastes like coconut)
  
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups cooked, shredded spaghetti squash
• 1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked (I used a graham cracker crust)
  
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
  
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon
  
• 1 1/2 cups whipped cream for garnish (optional) (We didn't use this)
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Beat the sugar and eggs together in a mixing bowl until light and frothy. Beat in the butter, lemon juice, and vanilla until well blended. Stir in the spaghetti squash. Pour the mixture into the prebaked pie shell. If desired, dust the top with nutmeg and cinnamon.
3. Bake the pie in preheated oven until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool on a rack before serving. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired.

Have a BLESSED day, BE a BLESSING!
Heather

Tour Tuesday!!!

It has been too long since I did a 'Tour Tuesday'! This afternoon I grabbed my camera and took a stroll through the garden. This is the biggest garden we have ever had...... I think that is a direct correlation to how *old* my children are... My youngest is FOUR!! My husband has also been helping me. We have enjoyed the time we have spent together out there.... His main job is to weed eat between the beds. This first picture was taken on my back steps... the view I see out my back door.


Here we are entering the garden at the 'front gate'....












Now looking in from the 'back gate'... you can see the back of the house off in the distance.
On the fence I have spaghetti squash, regular yellow squash and Zucchini growing..... YUMMY!



















The Tomatoes are growing like CRAZY!!!! Here I am standing behind the tomatoes... I am 5'9" and can barely see over them!!! If they produce as well as they have grown UP then we are in for a bumper crop!!


This year are garden is growing:
Tomatoes, squash (various kinds), lettuce, spinach, onions, peppers (various kinds), cabbage, broccoli, strawberries, cucumbers, green beans, sweat potatoes, mini gourds, birdhouse gourds, red raspberries and black berries.

I would LOVE to see your garden!! I am so enjoying the hours spent out there.... I feel so close to God and to my family while I am working with the plants. So now you can 'see' where I ENJOY part of my everyday!!!!

Now here is a BIG reason I LOVE the country life.... I looked out the window and caught a glimpse of some country visiting! You can see the wind turbines if you look in the back ground.... Good neighbors are such a BLESSING!!!!

Have a BLESSED day, BE a BLESSING!
Heather

Another reason I enjoy growing FLOWERS!

Fresh flowers on the table..... Simple... BEAUTIFUL!
God sure did a wonderful job creating fantastic beauty for us to enjoy. It has been my goal to create flower beds that give me fresh flowers for the table from Spring to Fall. The Holly bush gives me pretty foliage in the winter.

All the hard work in the flower beds are worth it! Nothing is better than God's creations!!!! Cultivating flowers (and veggies) makes me feel close to God. I pray more in the garden than anywhere else. Passing by the table and seeing the flowers is a constant reminder to me of Gods love!

What is your favorite flower?? Does gardening also cultivate your relationship with God?? Do you have a flower to recommend for me to grow??

Have a BLESSED day, BE a BLESSING!
Heather

The best time of the year!!!!

The famous song claims that Christmas is the "best time of the year", but NOT in my book!! What could possibly be better than a sunny warm day and a big bowl full of strawberries fresh from the garden patch??

Canning strawberry jam is my favorite way of locking up a little summer..... then in the dulls of winter we enjoy the jam and relish in the memories of a fine summer day!!! I just feel so much more ALIVE in the summer!!!!!!!


Have a BLESSED day, BE a BLESSING!
Heather

Victory Garden Friday!!!

Grow a Victory Garden!!!!

As I shared in more detail here, the "Victory Garden" campaign of the 1940's was very successful at inspiring folks to raise some of their own food. With the economic situation of today I am hoping that another Victory Garden grass roots effort will take off. If each of us just raised ONE thing! ONE meal!!

I have started some plants in my big south window. Container gardening and window gardening is possible for people with out room to plaint a traditional garden. Right now I have a flat of lettuce and one of spinach growing very nicely. (note the plastic wrap over the one flat. I do this until the seeds germinate. It keeps the soil very moist and warm.) These little plants won't ever make it to the garden in the spring... we will have eaten them up by them just in time to plant some more spring lettuce outside.

Sometimes we just have to think outside the box! Never gardened?? Live in an apartment?? Have a small yard?? You CAN grow some fresh veggies! They taste SO GOOD!! There are so many resources on-line for any type of gardening. With just a little research and learning you will be all set to grow some good home grown food!!!!

So for the cost of a pack of seeds and a little potting soil we will enjoy SEVERAL meals of FRESH lettuce and spinach. For more frugal tips visit Biblical Womanhood.

Have a BLESSED day, BE a BLESSING!
Heather

Give me a "V", Give me a "G"! Give me a Vegetable Garden!

Vegetable Garden!!!!
I bought some "spring mix" salad yesterday and eating it sure does have me ready for spring! As good as this salad has been, nothing compares to a salad fresh out of my own garden.

Back in the 1940's a campaign to encourage families (whether living in town, city or country) to plant a garden became known as the "victory garden" campaign. The nation had just come out of the Great Depression and were now in the thralls of WWII and war time shortages. People picked up on this Victory campaign and estimates are that in 1944 40% of all vegetables were grown in home gardens!!! WOW!! That is HUGE!! Please go to revive victory garden for more information about this campaign and also for basic gardening information. In our current economic situation gardening could really mean VICTORY for the food budget. (Long into winter is the harvest is preserved)

Now, I realize we live in a different world from the 1940's. Most people are VERY far removed from their food sources. However, I believe that gardening is very alive and that we can ALL grow something!

These are my garden grow boxes. Well, that is what they look like UNDER all the SNOW, but they are there!!!!! This picture was taken last April and before I planted last summer's garden.
A garden does't have to be fancy. When we lived in a duplex in town I planted 3 tomato plants along the south side of our building (under our living room window). It wasn't much of a garden, but those tomatoes tasted wonderful!!!! Every little bit counts.

How about you?? Are you a seasoned gardener or just now thinking about giving it a try?? What is your favorite thing to grow, or what do you dream of growing?? Every little bit counts! Think about it... If everyone grew JUST ONE meal of there own!!!!!!!!!

Have a BLESSED day, BE a BLESSING!
Heather

The Garden..... and gas prices....

The garden is almost completely planted!!!!! (I will post some pictures soon)
Yesterday I managed to get it almost all in.... (I only had an hour and a half window of time) Just have to get the rest of the tomatoes and peppers planted and I will plant my next batch of green beans in a couple of weeks. It rained last night and now we have a chance of rain the next 3 days!... PERFECT!!! I still need to get more flowers planted, but the veggies had to come first.

A life mission of ours to choose simplicity for our family. Well, if this wasn't already a goal the gas prices are certainly pushing us even harder. We have told the children that this summer is going to be different.... we are calling it our Little House on the Prairie summer. Usually the kids participate in a couple of VBS programs, softball/baseball, 4H and some summer enrichment programs offered through school. However, this year everything will be LIMITED! Gas prices officially hit $4.05 in our small town!!!!! YIKES!!!! Since we live so far out every drive is MILES.... this summer we are staying home! Robyn is playing softball, but we have told her we might have to pull her out if prices go much higher. We need a little car.... please pray that God leads us to a more fuel efficient option for our family. We are still participating in 4H... most of the work is done at home and then the fair is so much fun! Choosing simplicity when gas prices soar means for us the kids and I STAY HOME!!!! We have so much we can do here. I am really looking forward to this summer... we are going to make it a priority to build tons of memories!

Have a BLESSED day, Be a BLESSING and remember: GOD is our provider!!!!! He sees Gas Prices, He sees our needs.....!!!!!!
Heather

One way we save a ton is by having our meals planned. I can help you save money and get completely organized for supper!
www.simplefamilysupper.com

Tipster Tuesday! STRAWBERRIES!!!

Over at BeCentsable they are hosting Tipster Tuesday!
Last week my tip was about growing your own food. I thought I would continue with that topic since spring is around the corner for us (and has made it to some)! I am READY to get out there!

Growing STRAWBERRIES!!!!
Strawberries are easy to grow and home grown ones taste fantastic! I started mine in a 3 x5 grow bed we built... with the first season growth it filled in completely. It is important to pick off ALL flowers from the plants the first year. You want to give the plants time to establish their roots and send of new starts the first year. The second year you will have a wonderful crop! You can grow strawberries in the ground or in a container.... they are flexible! Go here for a good basic article on growing strawberries.
Start small, but you can grow some of your own food! Nothing tastes as good as something you have grown yourself and you KNOW what is in it/not in it!!!!!
Have a great day!
Heather

It is 5 o'clock.... What is for supper???
To end this daily stress join me at www.simplefamilysupper.com

Tipster Tuesday!

I have been asked by www.becentsable.blogspot.com to join in their Tipster Tuesday! I had to really think.... I don't feel like I really do anything special.... I 'm just a good old fashioned country girl that wants to live my life with the same practical ways my Grandmother's lived..... hmmmm.... what is a tip I could pass on??? Since I am also the "Simple Family Supper" lady I am going to pass on a tip that is related to cooking. Spring is just around the corner (though as I write this it is currently snowing, again, with 4-8 inches expected....) My mind is dreaming of my garden, I am ready to get my shovel out and start working in the dirt!

Frugal Tip:
Grow SOME of your OWN food!!!! Nothing compares to the freshness of something grown in your own yard and you can't beat the price.

Now, I can just hear you thinking that is fine for me, but you don't own 3 acres like I do....
Let me tell you, I don't have that big of a garden, but you would be surprised how much wonderful produce we grow.....

Start SMALL

Use ANY space you have: Container Gardens are wonderful!!!! Or, sneak some vegetable plants in with your flowers!

• Tomato plants will easily grow in a 5 gallon bucket as long as they can get at least 8 hours of sun.
• Stick a Zucchini plant in with some flowers.
• Grow a salad in a container. (Salad greens don't need very much sun... a few hours will do)
  
• Pot up a pepper plant with some flowers.
• Be creative: Even apartment dwellers can grow one or two things!!

Watch out for interesting containers that you can grow veggies in..... just make sure to add some drainage holes in the bottom and add a few inches of a drainage material. I just heard of something a little lighter and easier to access thing than rocks for the bottom of the pot: Styrofoam. Just break up some Styrofoam into pieces for the bottom 3-4 inches of the pot... It is light weight and gives the roots the air they need. Fill the rest of the pot with a good potting soil blend. Mix fertilizer in with the water once a week.

Do you garden??? What are your plans???
Have a great day!
Heather

It is 5 o'clock.... What is for supper???
To end this daily stress join me at www.simplefamilysupper.com