So Many Thanks! Soap, Pies, Culture and Apples!

Today, as I wind up my week, and in preparation for Thanks Giving, I think of all that God has blessed me with. At times work seems a burden, but as I look back at all I have learned, I am humbled. Not more than 12 years ago I lived day by day with the slightest of clue as to how to sustainably take care of my family. Sure, I knew how to get good deals at the supermarket, but really and truly, I had no skills that were worth much merit in the kitchen. I had failed to learn all I could as a young woman, while still under the protective arms of my mother. And there I was out in the world, and didn't even know how long to cook potatoes. Might I note..it wasn't for lack of my mother trying to teach me, but my own ignorance that kept me so blind to the world of homesteading. The kitchen is where it happens. 

Yesterday I made Tea Tree Soap. This morning, as I uncovered the bar that had been incubating under warm towels, I realized that it was through great grace that I have come to a point in my life where I cherish skills such as soap making. I truly believe that in the essence of a woman and mother, God created a desire for us to care for our families and gave us a certain sense of nurturing that only mothers have. In a small way, making soap fulfills that desire for me. I thank God for not only the desire, but for bringing me to a place where fulfilling that desire brings me such peace. 

Aren't those pastries lovely? Our Family dinner is planned for Monday, and so of course that is the perfect excuse for two sisters to bake the day away! She and I, with our youngest, wrestled the flour and created masterpieces! Beautiful and tasty. Absolutely! Thank you!

What's this? That's what I asked too. A friend of mine (who I might add is an amazing artist, who also exhibits at O'tooles) invited me to share in her Milk Kiefer Grains. I vaguely remembered something about Kiefer, but after the botched batches of Kombucha that I endured a few years ago, my ambitions with cultured drinks went wayward. Alas, the time was right and the grains are here and I am pumped to try it out! Thank You.

Lastly, here are the cinnamon and sugar apple slices that I have been waiting for months to make! (we ran out in March!). My dehydrator, with 9 shelves has been running 24/7 drying Chaga & Mushrooms, and so I called in backup! A good friend of mine (who BTW makes the best pies in town) just happened to have a dehydrator collecting dust and so was willing to lend me the air power to speed my drying pursuits. Horrah! 7 Trays and a motor to dry them! It's a factory here now. Perfect! Thank You!

Fall...and too much to do!

I have been working steadily for the past few months...I believe it started back then the last drops of snow melted. Oie! The spring was rejuvenating. Summer brought warm refreshing days full with motivation. Fall. Oh fall, how I always feel your burden. By the end of the season my arms are tired and my cupboards are nearly full..but then, oh then, there is always more! No wonder I go in a state of hibernation come November. This year, along with the canning and harvest for our own family, I have been working steadily on building a business. Making soaps, jams, jellies, lip balms, cleansers, and the list goes on. In the midst of stocking inventory, working the garden, and putting up the forever cans of preserves, we come upon hunting season. Now in full swing. Yesterday, as my husband and I talked about our schedule, finding time to do our chores, came the realization that the push time (crunch time) is on. Time for hunting? Time for apples? Time for Dehydrating those mushrooms? Need to make more deodorant? Dan's work? The garlic...yes, it's almost planted. Carrots in the fridge..waiting for me. School. Children. Among all of this, I am tired. As is the way, every year at this time. What refreshes me, is when I look at all that has been accomplished. I take a walk to the cellar and gaze at the rows of neatly stacked bottles, the bags of potatoes, the shelves of dried foods, I see the Grocery bill, which rarely exceeds $70 a week for a family of 5 (and this week will include the 4 bushels of apples my husband wants to winter store). Yes, of course we have all the time in the world for all of these things. It is our blessing. I will note though, that this winter I will be stocking up (WAY UP) on soaps. I intend to stock up so much in fact so as to not have that extra chore awaiting me during the busiest time of year. Any products that can be made ahead of time will be prepped in the slower winter months..hindsight aeh? I have been refreshed though, in the midst of the season. The leaves have fallen here, and with that comes the last press to prep for winter. Yesterday we put up our cauliflower and the last of the broccoli. Pulled and cleaned out the spinach bed to make way for the Garlic. Dan wonderfully turned the soil in with rabbit manure and today I will open the cloves of garlic to select the best of cloves for planting. While the air was still crisp and dawn was drawing near he went off to hunt for birds, and to also retrieve the 100lbs of potatoes we had dug and left at his parents. For today, I have more dehydrating to do, and will make and print labels for dried mushrooms to sell at the Gallery. Also make soap, and catch up on laundry and make deodorant. Later this afternoon I am to meet a young gentleman at the Gallery to be interviewed. He is interested in covering my business venture in the local paper that he writes for. He is particularly interested in my dedication to support local businesses, and my practices in foraging for use in the products. I am excited about the chance to be written about, but I am not the best speaker..somehow I know, all that is in my heart, won't make it out. I'll forget something terribly important that I wanted to share. With luck, my products will speak for themselves. 

How to make Jerky

How we make our jerky

Every year, about this time, we end up with a little surplus of ground meat. A favourite at our house is the salty, protein filled, teriyaki jerky. My first dehydrator was a cheap...a useless machine. It had no temperature gauge, and ran very hot...which I suppose may be okay for jerky..but not so nice for my fruits. A few years ago, I scored a better dehydrator at a second hand shop for only $14. It's perfect. 

First off, when making jerky, be sure to have good quality, fresh ground meat. 

A local butcher is a great place to look. 

We don't measure so much when we make ours...here we have aprox 5 lbs meat, and have sprinkled close to 2tbs of Kosher salt on top. You cna adjust the salt content to suit your tastes. Sometimes, I don't use any at all...but it will store longer when you use salt. Mix in well. I let this sit for a few hours to soak in well. Some suggest letting it sit for longer, but 2-3 hrs will do.

Next we work in a seasoning. The sky is the limit here...choose whatever you like. You could purchase specially made seasonings just for jerky, or make your own. We use a 475 ml bottle of our favourite Teriyki sauce. I'd love to make my own sauce...but have not come across a good recipe that we all love. If you have one you cherish, please share :)

Once the seasoning has been worked in well, we use our Nesco Jerkey Pump to squeeze out strips of raw meat onto our dehydrator trays.

 Once the Dehydrator is full (we have 9 trays), I set the temperature to 155f and leave it to do it's work. I usually check back in an hour or so to flip the strips. This can be a sticky mess if the meat has not dried enough. So if it is still pretty wet, I wait longer.

 While we are waiting, here is where I found my 2 year old. He learned from his older bothers how to do this...you see, they climb up and over the banister to avoid the baby gate....and Griffen's legs are just a little short of freedom..so he just hangs out here.

When I turned on the dehydrator it was early afternoon..so at bedtime the jerky was nearly done...but not completely. So, I set the heat on low and left it to finish over night. In the morning Cylas exclaimed, "It's as hard as bark but tastes awesome...can I have another piece?" I haven't quite figured out the art of having dry, yet tender jerky...mine is always dry dry...but equally yummy. Have you tips on making your jerky tender? Care to share?

I managed to bottle 4 quarts before they had devoured it.

Homeschooled Shrooms

 Homeschooled Shrooms

We learn, where ever, when ever, always.

A few weeks ago, our class of 5 were out hunting, and doing some foraging. We found some Oyster Mushrooms. I wrote about that and our discoveries here. Today was day 10 of our mycelium growth and it seemed to be ready for planting. So, we did just that. Here is our progress.

Carter is stirring the soil/compost mixture that we heated in the microwave...it was frozen from storage in our garage, so it both needed to be thawed and heated thoroughly to 140deg F. This ensures any seeds, micro's or fungi is not already living in the soil.

Cylas has noted that worm poop smells distinctly gross..and exclaimed that he will puke. In math, they have been learning about temperature, and so reading the thermometer was a breeze :) 

 Here, we are sterilizing the bin that will host our growing mushrooms...Carter noted the sauna effect...and so both stressed boys relaxed in the steam. No, mama did not give them facials.

 After my class mates took off out of pure boredom from waiting on the kettle to heat, I was left solo to sterilize our growing medium...aka..food for our shrooms. We chose a mix of shredded paper and wood shavings.

 After soaking in boiling water, we squeezed out the excess, and allowed them to cool outside on the cold porch.

This is the point in our project where Cylas started to take an interest...I don't blame him. Who can resist white fuzz that smells awkwardly musty?

The boys take the mycelium covered strips of corregated cardboard and "plant" them on top of our soil/compst...

Here is a closeup of our fuzz.

My shroom boys posing with their batches :) I had taken a video of the boys covering their mycelium with the paper/wood mix..but it has failed to upload.
 I will try that again a little later

Here is our shroom garden...we named and dated the boxes, and added a humidity tent. Our storage room stays quite cool and dark, which these shrooms should appreciate. Stay tuned (follow my blog) for updates on our Oyster Mushroom Project

Fungi, storage, and our winter garden.

Fall has settled, bringing the end to the summers harvest and marking the turn towards colder days. We have taken rest after much work in storing and prepping for the coming winter, but all has not ended. Fall is a special season filled with a renewed flavor. Hunting has become a family affair, and a time to spend quietness in the forest and enjoy the abundance that God has given in nature. Here are a few of his blessings, and some of our fall projects. 

Above is our newly discovered Oyster Mushroom. I have long aspired to learn and forage for this special treat, and this year I was glad to have an experienced guide show me how to find, identify and harvest this delicate and tasteful food. There is much fear surrounding wild mushrooms, understandably, but Gods great gifts are everywhere, and plenty. Once learning and searching for knowledge on this food, I have found it is not such a mystery, as many may believe. These mushrooms are one of the easiest to identify, and in North America there are no highly toxic look-a-likes, which renders them quite safe for the amateur forager. In addition, I have discovered that this particular shroom is very simple to grow yourself at home...and we are attempting precisely that. Below shows my 2nd eldest checking on our mycelium growth, which has taken hold very well, and will soon be ready for planting.

In the above Photo is another form of fungi that has been an elusive treasure for our family. I learned about Chaga a good year ago, and ever since researching and learning all I could, I still could not find any growth. This fall, during our hunting treks, we hit gold. This fungi grows primarily on yellow birch and is full of antioxidants. Made into a tea, it's medicinal properties and benefits and plenty.

Below is out Carrot storage. Packed in moist shredded paper, out carrots are cool, firm, and still growing. I am well pleased to see that this new method (for us) to store these carrots has shown to be a great success. With little maintenance, they should stay fresh and crisp for the winter months.

Above is a photo of our onion harvest from the late summer. Many have dried out nicely and can be trimmed and stored on shelves...but to my amazement, many are still sporting fresh greens, and still growing! This is nice as they will remain ultra fresh for longer.

Below I have added a photo of the "web" in our laundry area. I am super cheap, and using a dryer for the winter months just seems like a waste when we have a warm area near our furnace that is well able to dry our clothing. I don't see the point in paying for all that heat and air circulation, just to have it blown out of the house. Drying our clothing this way takes 12-18 hrs to dry medium weight fabrics, so it's a little more time consuming, but works well for us. 

Lastly we have started a winter garden area in our available windows. Our ginger has taken off incredibly well, and our little sprout-lings look promising. We are taking a little gamble with the beans and peas, but with Gods good hand, we may have fresh pods and beans in mid winter. Below shows a close up of a tomato plant I have started using compost...I am a little baffled. There are a few different things growing in this pot...none of which I can identify as the Tomato that I planted....any ideas?? 

We went the garden and....Lady Ash Pickles!

 We have a garden in our back yard, but the bounty of our harvest comes mainly from the plot that we share with my folks. There is a good 2 acres that we plant yearly. We have brought home many good foods from our labours. 

My oldest two boys helped me gather onions, a cabbage, an overripe red pepper, and the last of our broccoli.

 And of course, our main produce for the week, cucumbers. We have big plans for these cukes! It is Lady Ash Pickles (or otherwise known as Mustard Pickles). The only difference between the two pickles are that the Lady Ash has the peel left on and with the mustard pickles, the peel is cut off. We also brought home some baby cukes to make a small batch of garlic dills. This will be my first attempt at dills. Any tips? Good recipe? A friend suggested I use the recipe here. I think I will try it out. Seems easy enough.

 So here we are, nearly half way through cutting, coring and dicing the cucumbers. I cut up enough for a 2 1/2X the recipe listed below, so 10 quarts of cukes. The trick is to get out all the seeds and dice them nice and fine. I will post the full recipe at the bottom of this post. Once I have all my cukes cut, then I pour the salt over top...I mix mine in just a little. Then you let it sit overnight.

 In the morning, I drain the water off the pickles, and then add the onions, vinegar, turmeric, celery & mustard seed, and the sugar. I heat to a simmer and let it cook for 45 minutes on med heat (without boiling). Make sure to stir. The smell is devine. At 45 minute, I turn up the heat and add in my bowl of sifted flour & ground mustard.

 Once the flour mixture has been blended, I keep the pickles on heat for an additional 15 minutes or so. Then I bottle them. Today I canned 20 baby food jars that I plan to use for gifts at Christmas time. (I pickle the old school way...which means sealer jars are not really needed)

I still have plenty of cucumbers left. Most my eldest will eat I am sure (He ate 4 just this morning). If by Monday morning, there are still lots, I may do another batch of Lady Ash. If there is not, we will visit the garden once again. I have not yet made my baby dills, but that will be another post I am sure..

Here is my family recipe that my mother, grandmother, and sister all use. 

Mustard Pickles:

4 quarts cukes (cut into chunks..do not peel, but remove seeds)

Add one cup salt (coarse sea salt) and let sit overnight.

In the morning Drain off water

add:1 quart diced onions,

1 pint vinegar,

1tbsp tumeric, 

1tsp celery seed,

1tsp mustard seed, 

3 cups white sugar. 

Cook on med heat 45 minutes (do not boil)

turn up heat to near boil, then add sifted: 1tbsp ground mustard & 4 heaping tbsp flour

cook and additional 15 min. 

Bottle & cover with hot jars & lids, being sure to wipe rims of any debris.

It is not necessary (as per this recipe) to use sealer jars or to hot water bath.

*it is recommended that you follow safe practices for canning.

 

Raw Milk? Well...maybe some cream for today

We journeyed out to our friends place to see about some milk. The lady of the house had just made cheese from yesterdays milk and so I was out of luck for getting some milk for today. I did however score this dandy jug of fresh cream, which I will be making butter & then cheese out of! We agreed I would come once a week for 3 Gallons of whole milk. While we were there the boys got to see the ducks, chickens, goats, dogs, and horses. Cy (my eldest of three boys) managed to sneak past the barking dogs to see the kittens inside the house, leaving Carter & Vinny to suffer tears in retreat of the intimidating dogs. Cater said the dogs were going to bite his leg off...

I'll post more about processing the butter later. Subscribe for the update.

The low down on Raw Milk

I was reading an article about Raw Milk and thought it was important to share with you. We have been using raw milk in our home for a while now as my father has a cow. However, recently there has not been enough milk to pass along to us. This evening we go to visit our friends who have an abundance of milk, and are willing to share! 

Raw milk is no doubt absolutely superior to pasteurized . Our family loves it! We make yogurt, cheese, & butter from our milk. I am excited to have made a new connection for us to be able to bring home some good milk, as the grocery store milk does not compare. Perhaps I will post a little more later detailing out trip.