The Jersey Homesteader

The Return to the north

2011-01-17T08:55:00.000-05:00

The Return to the north

Monday January 17, 2011

The return to the north where there is lots

of snow. We are here in New Jersey for

a couple of days. I have to say it was wierd

coming back to my house.

All different kinds of emotions ran through

my brain. We seem to be at a spot that we

have not moved ahead. God is good though

he has a plan. My faith is in Him. He will carry

us through this season.

I will be moving my blog to new address.

So come on over as I begin my new adventure

in Kentucky.

http://thekentuckyhomesteader.blogspot.com/

There has been lots going on since October.

Moving to Kentucky and living with my Mom

has been an adjustment. God is good he has

placed in a great church in Kentucky.

We are truly blessed.

Our new home will be called Faith Lane Farm

You can follow our journey.

.http://woodlandirises.blogspot.com/

The Creek

2010-12-08T09:58:00.005-05:00

The Creek
Wednesday December 7, 2010

The last warm day we had I took
a walk down by the creek. Follow as we
walk through the gate.

Looking at all the little things down by the creek.
Its always interesting to see how crazy the
roots of trees will grow by the water.
For this creek its been awhile since it had
water in its bed. It also seems they grow
rocks here.

Snow

2010-12-05T14:46:00.002-05:00

Snow
December 5, 2010

Joy! Joy!
Light snow here in Kentucky.

2010-12-02T18:55:00.004-05:00

Raw Milk
Thursday December 2, 2010

Raw milk is something I love to drink.
Now, that I am surrounded by milk farms
I am hoping to get milk.

Well, we visited a small Amish farm
today.
I got a gallon of fresh milk.
Joy! Joy!

Living in Kentucky

2010-11-24T10:04:00.004-05:00

Living in Kentucky
Wednesday November 25, 2010

We are done with the move.
We have been in Kentucky for about
a week. Its been a very busy time for us.
Putting our belongings into storage.
Finding places for things at my mom's
home.
Our new adventure has begun.
We will start new relationships and
rebuild old ones. It is delightful to be
surrounded by siblings once again.
I love the feeling of a large family.

Our church family has been enlarged,
now it will include two churches.
The one we have in New Jersey and the
new one Mill Creek Baptist Church in
Kentucky.

Getting Ready For the move

2010-10-22T08:51:00.008-04:00

Getting Ready For the Move
Friday October 22, 2010

Moving from New Jersey to Kentucky
will be quite a change.
I am going from living in the woods, to the
rolling hills of Kentucky.

I have to say this week I am is liking the
open prairie feeling.

Saving the children

2010-10-15T10:04:00.006-04:00

Saving the Children
Friday October 15, 2010

Saving the children is something that lays
on my heart everyday.
I am not talking about my biological
children. I am talking about the children who
are not eating today.
There are people in Nicaragua who are scraping
the garbage for food.
This just bring tears to my eyes.

If you think you live on a tight budget.
There are people who are worse off than you.

There some things that God will lay on your
heart to do. I believe I will go to Nicaragua
to help the starving children.

My church has been involved with Beyond Partnership
in working with some pastors over there.

Please pray for my vision to help the people of
Nicaragua. My husband and want to teach people
how to grow their own food. Then there will not
be any more starving people.

Frugal Tip

2010-10-12T14:35:00.007-04:00

Frugal Tip
Tuesday October 12

If you had to grow what you ate, could you?
Well, I do try. Everyday I can learn something
new to improve my life as a homesteader.

Growing herbs for the winter is a fairly easy task.
Just cut, tie and hang.
I hang them right in my kitchen. When they dry
just take a large bowl and strip the leaves from the
stem and place in a glass jar. Label and you have
tea.

Growing mint is fairly easy as if you get one plant
it will turn into a large patch. Just remember
mint likes to spread. Putting them in pots first can
be one way to control their spreading. If you want
them in your garden put the whole pot right in the
soil. If your space is limited put on your deck.

Frugal tip is what did you pay for that one plant
probably will give an abundance of tea.
More than you could drink yourself.
So invite a friend over and share a cup of tea.

Frugal Tip

2010-10-05T08:06:00.005-04:00

Frugal Tip
Tuesday October 5, 2010

How not to go to the grocery store!
I avoid going to the grocery store on purpose.
You may ask Why?
It is a money trap!

Can you not go to the grocery store for
the whole month.
I know for some this may seem upsurd.
It may help you become a better planner.
I am all about planning as it helps me
with my daily life.

In the month of October it should be easy.
Lots of baking of items for the family.

Yesterday my daughter and I made
apple muffins for breakfast.
We got oh what did you make?
It is a great treat for my family. As we
don't buy cereal from the store.
What we eat for breakfast I am usually
coming up with by making something.
Whether it be pancakes, waffles,
muffins, eggs, yogurt to name a few.

Let me inspire you to see what you
can make this month!

Frugal Tip

2010-09-21T16:34:00.004-04:00

Frugal Tip
Tuesday September 21, 2010

In the fall I try to visit farms.
I buy fruit in bulk. Then I come home
and preserve the food.

Peaches probably are one of my favorite
items to get. This year I was able to buy
them for about 20 cents a peach. I buy
the seconds which aren't perfect, but
tasty. So far I have canned about 16
jars and froze about 16 jars.
I almost forgot last week I produced
one of my favorites,
Peach Butter. That will be all the
peach items for this year.

Saturday Sewing

2010-09-18T16:45:00.006-04:00

Saturday Sewing
Saturday September 19, 2010

Saturday sewing is always pleasant.
In the fall I always seem to start doing
a lot more sewing. Isn't it great to think
about different things you would like to make?
I love to do that. So today I am starting new
sewing project.

A nightgown!
I am attempting to do pleating on this
garment. Today I spent the afternoon
cutting the pattern out.

I was pondering again on how much
would a woman in pioneer days spend
sewing?

I am sure its a lot more than what I spend
doing? Once or twice a week. She probably
spent every evening sewing. Since her days
were spent preparing meals.

Just some thoughts !

2010-09-17T08:37:00.003-04:00

Geraniums in the Window

Friday September 17

It is the simple things of life that make
living worthwhile, the sweet fundamental
things such as love and duty, work
and rest, and living close to nature.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

What flowers are blooming in your garden?

2010-09-08T15:13:00.006-04:00

What Flowers are Blooming in your Garden?
Wednesday September 8, 2010

These are pink cosmos that we continue
to plant year after year. These guys got
really tall this year in the middle of the garden!

Four O' Clock Marbles, you got to love these
little flowers. The flowers open in the morning
and the evening. They are closed all day though.
The seeds are large and black when they are ready
to be collected. I have these with my lavender plants.
This group is multi colored. We purchased these
seeds from Select Seeds and they are heirloom
flowers.

Here is a flower I planted at the beginning
of July, Benary Zinnias.

Flowers on the Table
That is one good reason to grow
cut flowers.

Enjoy the flowers!
See Gods Glorious Work!

Raising A Son

2010-09-05T16:28:00.008-04:00

Raising A Son

I was thinking today about a few things.
The years have gone by when my boy was
young.

We would spend the afternoon at the beach.
Making sand castles and he was dreaming of
being a warrior.

He will always be my little warrior!

Tomato still coming in !

2010-09-01T16:40:00.003-04:00

Tomatoes Still Coming In!
Wednesday September 1, 2010

This tomato was just a lonely volunteer plant.
I pulled it up and stuck it right in the garden.
Look what it produced!
It weighed in at 12.2 oz
Nice!

Frugal Tip

2010-08-31T13:20:00.005-04:00

Frugal Tip
Tuesday
Tuesday August 31, 2010

Buying homeschool books can be
expensive. It definitly is an investment
into your childrens lives. I have learned
to buy these items on used curriculum sites.
Yahoo has many different types of message
boards you can be part of. There is also ebay
of course and craigs list.
Today I have been going through over 10 years
of education material. I am hoping to make my
load to Kentucky a lot lighter.

Why I homeschool?

2010-08-27T15:21:00.005-04:00

Why I homeschool?
Friday August 26, 2010

You wake up one morning and ask
Why do I homeschool? Well, I have
pondered this question many times.

I need to teach my children about Jesus.
Because this is what is important to my
husband and I. We don't care for the things
the world teaches our children.

I love teaching to my children in a family
environment. Where Jesus comes first.
Everyone learns how to live with each other.
It is important to teach children that family
comes first. When my first son was home with
us he was involved in the daily activities. He
helped make dinner and do other activites that
needed to be done. The best part is we did
it together. We learned many things about
each other both good and bad.

My son struggled with ADHD and we
learned how to help him through his diet.
Ritalin was never a consideration.
Through our trials we learned the
way God wanted us to be a family.

Becoming a christian while homeschooling
was how God became the center of our life.

Eggplant

2010-08-19T11:38:00.011-04:00

Eggplant
Thursday August 19, 2010

Eggplant got a slow start this year. To be
truthful, it always gets the backseat to
everything else. This year I have 15 plants.
They are all about the size of the eggplant in the
picture.

Below I planted a few late bloomers on the deck.
The deck gets a huge amount of sun. Why not
grow late season plants that still need the heat
to keep them producing. We will see which ones
do better, the ones in the garden or on the deck.

Happy growing!

Barley

2010-08-10T14:59:00.010-04:00

Barley
Tuesday August 10, 2010

What can you do with it?
Its very sensible to put it in your diet.
The cost is very small.
I bought barley for 1.79 lb, the
beans were 1.45 lb and the tomatoes
are from my garden.
Especially, when you come into
the kitchen and you want something
to eat. Here's a great cold salad.

Barley and White Bean Salad
with Parsley-Caper Dressing

Barley Salad

1 1/2 cups barley cooked in broth
15 oz of cooked navy beans
chopped parsley or basil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 medium garlic chopped
3 large tomatoes chopped

Cook your barley in chicken
broth for 25 minutes, then
add navy beans, chopped garlic
and onion to pot and let
them warm in the pan. Then,
place in bowl and add your dressing
and toss. Adding your dressing while
the barley and beans are warm is extremly
important. The flavors will soak in much better
when they are warm than cold. Then,
add the rest of the ingredients and chill.

Dressing for salad
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon of capers
1 1/4 cups chopped fresh parsley

Recipe taken from
A year in a Vegetarian Kitchen
by Jack Bishop

Planning

2010-08-05T13:32:00.009-04:00

Planning
Thursday August 5, 2010

Many, many years ago my husband and
I began thinking how we were going
live a more frugal lifestyle. I began
reading a book called The Tight Wad Gazette.
This is a great book showing how one family
starting saving money for their future home.
This idea to me seemed like a great plan.
Since, my dream was to one day leave NJ.
I must figure out a way to live more frugally
than I was already living. That is when I decided
every dollar counts. That means if I could save
a dollar on one thing whether in groceries. or
some other way. That dollar I saved would go
to pay extra on my mortgage. Month by month
I would track where I was saving. I began
investing a certain amount of time each week
devoted to working on my budget. If you don't
plan for something how will your dreams ever
become reality. The first step was to plan what
I was going to do and how was I going to get there.
Being a stay at home mom, I had the means to plan
for our future. Learning to plan many things in our
lives has helped us make these plans work.

The biggest way I know how to plan for is the food
budget. When you make all your own food you will
begin seeing how the savings will add up. This will
not just happen for you if you don't plan for it.

This will take some time so make sure you set time
aside for meal planning. Meal planning I also feel
helps you understand what you have in your cabinets.
You will know what is in your pantry. This is an area
to stop overspending.

Making clothes I feel is another way in savings. This
has been something I learn to plan into my week.
This works quite well in the winter. This is an
area I struggle with in the summer months.
I have only made a few items this summer for
my daughter. But I am on a role now.

I can start new everyday and strive to
do better. With the Lords help I can do
many things in His strength.

He's Always Been Faithful ~ Sara Groves

2010-07-29T10:20:00.004-04:00

He has always been faithful to me!
Thursday July 29, 2010

This song just touched my heart this morning.
As God continues to direct my families life.
The Lord is moving us out of New Jersey.
Our new home will be in Kentucky.

I have started a new blog called
Faith Lane Farm

Calendula

2010-07-16T14:31:00.007-04:00

Calendula
Friday July 16, 2010

Calendula is an annual that blooms in summer.
If you leave it in the same garden area it will
come up voluntarily. Here is another plant that
gives seeds generously. The secret is timing
if you want to collect the seeds.

I started growing this flower because it is
considered to be an herb. Being a soap
maker, I was looking for more plant material
to make soaps. I am hoping this year to dry
some of the flowers since I am growing this
in greater abundance. Making a tea from the
flower will be how I will add it to the soap.

The different tones of oranges and yellows
have always attracted my eye.

Simple Living

2010-07-10T06:06:00.008-04:00

Simple Living
Saturday July 10, 2010

Simple Living is something I have always strived
towards. That to me is living without worldly things.
Its not hard to see what kind of world we live in .

I received a letter yesterday from my
sponsored child. The best part about her
letter was her picture and how proud she was.
I sent her 10 dollars and she went and bought
food for her family. She was so proud.
This brought tears to my eyes and just
touched my heart. I think this is what
Jesus was talking about when he was
talking about loving each other.

Eating out seems to be something us Americans
seem to think we deserve. When we don't feel
like making dinner, we make excuses for
ourselves. I began thinking how some people
in this world just want to eat food.

Eating out to me is worldly, especially if
you think about 25.00 and how it could
be used. I can buy 25 lbs of wheat berries
for 25 dollars. That will last me about 2
months, maybe even 3 months. What do
I do with wheat berries? Wheat berries
turns into flour, which I then turn into
food. Like waffles, loaves of bread,
muffins, biscuits, or even a salad.

Growing food is also another example of
this idea. How much do you spend on
lettuce for dinner for your family?

What happens when you decide to grow the
lettuce. Did you know it only takes 22
days to grow lettuce in your garden.
You don't have a garden or the space.
You can grow lettuce in a rectangle
container at your back door.

Lets rethink how we think about food!

Collecting Seeds

2010-07-07T20:09:00.006-04:00

Collecting Seeds
Wednesday July 7,2010

Today while moving the water sprinkler
in the garden I started collecting seeds.
Cosmos are always the first flower to go
to seed. Thankfully, not at all at the
same time. Last year I was not
faithful at collecting seed.
Not always a bad thing though.
These are the annual flowers which
I like to call volunteers.

Cosmos Bright Lights

The early cosmos had some dry seeds.
Due to not having no more than a little more
than 1% rain fall in June. All's I can say is
New Jersey looks like its heading into a
drought.

Watering has become quite a chore.
Everything is dry. I do mulch which
is what probably is saving my plants
from dyeing.
Lets pray for rain!

Garlic Harvest

2010-06-30T14:23:00.003-04:00

Garlic Harvest
Wednesday July 1, 2010

The garlic harvest was plentiful this year.
I will be tying the garlic next. The best
thing about growing your own garlic is
not having to go to the store and buy it.

I love growing my own food.
I have always like how when you
need something for dinner you
go see what you got stored.
Storing food is not hard, it
just takes a little planning.
You must always need to be
thinking about the next growing
season.

What's Blooming

2010-06-25T19:53:00.005-04:00

What's Blooming
Friday June 25, 2010

The orange and yellow mixed in this flower
gives it a nice sunny look. I planted them
last summer and here they are when
there's not a lot of time.

This is the stately Wine Red Hollyhock,
that's what Rachel calls it. This plant
has climbed to 6 ft tall.

The raspberry's are coming. Slow and steady
that is . I had to revamp the whole bed
early this spring. Luckily I had some good
chicken manure.

This is one of my favorite flowers,
Zebrina.
You get thousands of seeds from
these little flowers. The flowers are
small but the plant is quite tall.
You will get many flowers on their
tall stalks. These were my
volunteers this year.

The Black Eyed Susan's.
Which it seems I have
everywhere.

Once you have them, they
are here for good.

Happy Blooming Days!

Bringing in the Wheat Harvest

2010-06-23T13:38:00.005-04:00

Bringing in the Wheat Harvest
Wednesday June 23, 2010

Most people assume growing wheat
is left to a large farm operation.

It is really about changing the way
we think about growing food.

If you think of farming on
a small scale we would start growing
plants they grow in the field.

Growing wheat has been a great experience.
I started out with a seed and went to a plant.
Then I waited and watched.
It has been 9 months since planting time.
Last week we started cutting down the wheat.
You may laugh, but here it goes. I did not have
a tool to cut with so what did I use.
Scissors.
I usually carry a pair of scissors in the
garden as you never know when your going
to need them.
I then wrapped them with twine and left them
in bundles.
Now they are drying.

Till next time we will be threshing.

Traveling to Kentucky

2010-06-18T12:37:00.006-04:00

Traveling to Kentucky
Friday June 18, 2010

We went on a road trip. Rachel got to spend
some time with her cousin in Kentucky. We
got to spend some with the family, it was a
great trip.
God has led us to an open door.
We are going to be property owners
in Springfield, Kentucky.
God is good! His timing is perfect!

Hand Sewing

2010-05-20T10:07:00.004-04:00

Hand Sewing
Thursday May 20

Hand sewing is something I love to do.
Last night I worked on Rachel's new tiered
skirt which is a nice light weight linen material.
I am hand sewing the tiers together. I like
how the gathers come out when they are done
the old fashion way.

When I go on trips with my husband
I can still work on my sewing projects. Last
weekend I went on a road trip to Hartford, Conn.
I finished all the of the tiers, but one.

I did get to go look at some historical dresses
at the art museum.
I love studying historical dresses.
So much more detail went into their garments.
It was a true inspiration.

Cool Season Vegetables

2010-05-18T11:50:00.006-04:00

Cool Season Vegetables
Tuesday May 18

Cool season vegetables are plentiful.
We are enjoying some very nourishing
food, which is great after the winter.

Due to being one of those people who try
to only eat whats in season. It sure was
nice to eat these vegetables. I am starting
to understand how great food taste when
you have to wait for its season.

We put most of these crops in late October
of last year. This is called overwintering,
which makes your spring work a lot easier.

The Iris's are Blooming

2010-05-12T11:49:00.004-04:00

The Iris's are Blooming
Wednesday May 12

My yard is full of color. Most of the Iris
flowers have bloomed. I plant them amongst
the vegetables in the garden. It gives you a
nice splash of color early in the season.

Tulips

2010-04-30T09:31:00.003-04:00

Tulips
Friday April 30

The love of flowers,
brings me joy!

Tulip is probably one of my
favorite flowers.

Frugal Tip

2010-04-27T10:58:00.006-04:00

Frugal Tip
Tuesday April 27

Frugal tip of the week, making waffles.

My family loves waffles. This is our
typical breakfast. Our biggest expense
is the syrup. In the spring when the
strawberries come into season I will make
strawberry syrup. Then in June blueberry
syrup will get made also. These are my
substuites for the maple syrup.

I can make these in large batches and
put them in the freezer.

Starting Seeds

2010-04-26T08:18:00.006-04:00

Starting Seeds

Monday April 26

This is how my husband started our seeds.
Amongst all the wedding activities he sat
down and began planting. This all happened
one day before the wedding, while I was
finishing my dress.

In a small amount of space you can start about
200 plants. We have two lights on top of our
refrigerator which helps with the germination.
Your biggest job at this stage is spraying the
soil with water. We also build our own soil,
using deyhdrated cow manure, peat moss,
triple phosphate.
These squares are called the mini blocks.
You can buy the tool from Johnny Seeds.
All the information came from Eliot Coleman's
book The New Organic Grower.

Whats coming up in the garden?

2010-04-21T14:09:00.006-04:00

Whats coming up in the garden?
Wednesday April 21

Red leaf lettuce

Rhubarb

Our two ducks

I have Iris's, daffodils, tulips and

apple trees in this bed.

These are my prize tulip this year.
They were the first to come up.
They open very large.

Enjoy spring!

Cutting Food Costs

2010-04-15T09:17:00.011-04:00

Thursday April 15
Cutting Food Costs

This is the time of the year where our food costs
start to decline. My husband and I love eating our
own produce. We are eating greens we planted
last fall, that we grew in our cold frame. This is
what I call the salad season, which means we are
eating local produce from the right season.
We are currently munching on broccoli we
put in last fall, it is quite tasty.

The Freedom Harvest Challenge that the Dervae Family
did last year I am attempting to do this year.
Click on the title for a link to the family site.

The Dress

2010-03-29T12:26:00.015-04:00

The Dress
Monday March 29

The Dress for the mother of the Groom.
The wedding has come and gone.
To accomplish my goal I had to focus
on what I had to accomplish. I choose
only to have a small amount of outside
distractions to get my goal accomplished.
The goal to make my dress.

My dear daughter in law helped me
pick out the material back in January.
Then I found a pattern on ebay for the
what I was looking for.

A friend of mine helped me work
on putting the dress together.
The dress is lined along with the
bodice. We then decided to add
some glitz which is the jacket. The
sleeves have the scalloped edges
the same as whats on the edge of
the hem. The picture is below.

The waistline we added some jeweled ribbon.
This is also around the neck line of the jacket.

My dearest brother is standing next to me.
It was such a joy to have my family with me.
The wedding was just beautiful.

Frugal Tip

2010-03-02T12:24:00.005-05:00

Frugal Tip
Tuesday March 2

Reading is one of my great joys
in life. Due to being a person who
always likes a new book. Being a
frugal woman, I buy my books used.
There are many sources of buying
books used. Half.com, ebay, and Amazon are
three places I buy from.
I do love to go to the bookstore and
look through books but rarely do I buy
from the store. For the price of one book
in the store, you might be able to buy
many used from another source.
Your local library is also a great place.

There is a giveaway that I thought I would mention.
A Joyful Chaos has a giveaway.

http://ajoyfulchaos.blogspot.com/2010/03/giveaway-time.html

Daily Sewing

2010-02-26T12:16:00.007-05:00

Daily Sewing
Friday February 26

Daily Sewing is something I have
been thinking about this week.

If you think about the amount of
sewing women used to do, it was
a lot!

I am setting aside my afternoons
for sewing projects. It also serves as
a resting time. Resting is something
we should do especially so were not
so worn out.

Becoming organized in my activities
during the day is especially important.
That way dinner time still can go as
planned.

Daily Sewing is a blog I follow.
I like her idea.
Check out the link by clicking
the title.

IF

2010-02-24T10:45:00.003-05:00

Wednesday February 24
IF

If my attitude be one of fear,
not faith, about one who has
disappointed me;
if I say "Just what I expected,"
if a fall occurs,

then I know nothing of Calvary love.

written by Amy Carmichael

Frugal Tip

2010-02-23T10:26:00.003-05:00

Frugal Tip
Tuesday February 23

Stacking Wood
Burning wood is one of the biggest
way we save money. When we moved
to our home in Jackson we payed for propane
to heat our house. Then one day we decided
there had to be a better way.
Burning wood seemed more economical.
Even if we don't cut enough wood ourselves.
We can buy wood since we live in the woods.

Keeping a fire going is something that
is part of my daily routine.
My kids call me the fire queen.
Thankfully, I have a house full of men.
The men chop the wood in the summer
and split it and stack it for the winter.

Thank you Lord for giving me boys first.

2010-02-17T10:19:00.003-05:00

Wednesday February 17

If
I cannot catch"the sound of noise
of rain
long before the rain falls,
and, going to some hilltop of the spirit,
as near to my God as I can,
have not faith to wait there with
my face between my kness,
though six times or sixty times I
am told" there arises a little
cloud out the sea,"
then I know nothing of Calvary love.

taken from If by Amy Carmichael

Tea

2010-02-09T08:49:00.007-05:00

Tea
Tuesday February 9

Chamomile is far my favorite tea to drink.
So instead of buying it in a box, which's cost
about three dollars . I bought the tea loose in bulk.
No packaging to throw away, and quite economical.
I am now learning drinking tea in this way the
flavor is much stronger.

A Shawl

2010-02-05T10:49:00.004-05:00

A Shawl
Friday February 5

A simple shawl for Rachel.
This has to be one of the easiest
pieces of clothing to make. I made
this shawl late one evening after dinner.
The fabric has such a softness to it.

Of course you know this has brought me
to looking for some more patterns for
shawls and capes. Since, I have not
accomplished making jackets for us
yet. If you have never tried one you
must consider this shawl is a great
beginner project.

Cold Frames

2010-02-01T10:33:00.014-05:00

Cold Frames
Monday Feburary 1

This cold frame sits outside my kitchen.
In the fall I put arugula in a container.
This is called over wintering. If your not
familiar with this its a great way to start
extra early. Basically, you start it at the
in the late fall and then it continues to slow
as the temperatures decline. In the very
early spring when the weather starts to
warm your plants start to come alive.
My dear husband made the frame and
then he placed some old windows on the
front. This way you can get into the frame.

Inside this glass box are vegetables. As
above they were put in the box in late fall.
Spinach, kale, lettuces, parsley plants are
growing inside. The big piece of
glass lifts up to allow air in.

The great concept behind this is that when its to
cold for seeds to germinate outside. No problem
they are already plants. They just need a little
warmth to get them going.

Your biggest job is timing. In the fall getting your
seeds germinated by a certain time is critical. Then
getting your plants into a protected place.

The rest your creator takes care of.

Hebrews 6:7
Lord that drinks in the rain often falling on it
and that produces a crop useful to those for
whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God.

Parsley plants

Winter Color

2010-01-29T09:47:00.003-05:00

Friday January 29

Winter Color

It is such a blessing to have a little
winter color.

In the fall when I ordered my bulbs I
included a Amaryllis bulb. I then
put it in a pot with some soil and
put in the basement for 4 weeks.
Then, after its cooling period I brought
it upstairs and it came alive.

Farm Show 2010

2010-01-27T08:46:00.011-05:00

Farm Show 2010
Wednesday January 27

Saturday is the New Jersey Northeast Organic
Farming Convention.
This year I will be a volunteer.
Eating Local is the talk I have choose to listen
to. This is a subject my family hears from me.
In my house buying tomatoes in January is
not something we do.
First off, where are you getting tomatoes in winter
when they are grown in July.

Watch Food, Inc on you tube.
This is a trailer on the movie.
We just watched it on Netflix.

Lets get rid of Warehouse Farming
and lets go back to Local Farming.

Living Simply

2010-01-25T10:22:00.008-05:00

Living Simply

Living Simply is the life I strive to live.
My husband and I live on one income.
We don't live the typical suburbia life.
Although, we are surrounded by suburbia.

Together my husband and try to grow our
own food. We are working towards a
self-sustaining style of living.

We purchased a video which I thought
was worth mentioning. Below is a link to a
documentary called A Journey Home.
What an inspiring film.

A New Dress

2010-01-24T09:16:00.006-05:00

Sunday January 24
A New Dress

I wanted to share a sewing project with you.
This is my frugul dress. I bought the material
at Joanne's for 6.98. I needed a dress for two weddings.

The picture you see is how I wore it too the first wedding.
My husband really liked the dress.

The dress is gathered in the front and the back.
No zippers or buttons, which made it very quick
to make. I got it done in 3 days.
I do believe I am going to add some black
material to the neckline.

Mother of the Groom

2010-01-21T12:25:00.007-05:00

Thursday January 21
Mother of the Groom

I have decided on a dress for my sons wedding.
The dress on the right of the picture which I pulled
from the Sew Beautiful Magazine. My only problem
is I have to come up with my own pattern.
I have purchased the material in a nice green.
Which will be accented with Ecru lace.

Sewing clothes

2010-01-14T17:18:00.007-05:00

Thursday January 14

Sewing the old Way

http://zipzipinkspot.blogspot.com/2009_11_01_archive.html

I came across a great blog that I would like to share.
For all the time I have been sewing I always struggled
with sewing gathers on the machine. This ladies blog
just cleared everything up for me.

Making my first tiered skirt was a bit overwhelming
for me. Layer by layer I got it done. I would set it up
at the end of the kitchen table. This way it was out,
this is a visual tactic for me. Sewing during the times
with children coming and going all at different times.
I found even when people were around I was still able
to do a little hand sewing. It was also a good
conversation piece.

I made the skirt from a light weight jean material. My daughter
Rachel likes to where jean material as it goes with everything.
After all the waiting for this skirt to be finished the men in
my house said it looked great on her.

Just one more way to be frugal.
Making clothes is a for sure way to save
on clothing cost in a family.

What are we cooking?

2009-10-07T11:45:00.004-04:00

What are We Cooking

Wednesday October 7

I am a day behind due to being out.

Tuesday Menu

Mike decided to have scrambled eggs in a flour

tortilla for breakfast.

Lunch-Mike brought the left over chicken cassserole.

Andrew slept overnight at the college

Rachel ate over a neighbor's house

Mom- Bible study Tuesday's will be different.

Dinner- Chicken Chili, thankfully I had already

cooked the chicken and the beans.

I did spend $10.oo for eggs, mushrooms, and cabbage,

a basket of tomatoes, carrots.

Wednesday Menu

Breakfast-Mike eggs and flour tortilla

Andrew still away

Rachel and Mom scrambled eggs and biscuits

Lunch-Mike still had lunch at work.

Mom and Rachel-Sausage Risotto

Dinner- Chicken Salad Sandwiches,

sliced beets, and Coleslaw.

Today I made sour cream with left over

milk. I will need that for my biscuit making.

Money spent today was rolls for dinner $3.20,

5.00-arugula. tomotoes, green onions.

The tomatoes are for future recipes.

Milk came today so that was 18.00

I added cheddar cheese.

Always trying to think ahead for a last

minute or a busy day.

My Menu For the Day

2009-10-05T10:43:00.003-04:00

My Menu For the Day

Monday October 4

The menu for Monday.

Breakfast for today was Oatmeal

and apples and onions and amish dish

I pulled together this morning.

Lunch for today- Andrew got a chicken

wrap along with an apple.

Mike got an chicken wrap along with an

apple. The wraps were the flour tortillas

I bought on Wednesday, filled with a cucumber

and lettuce from the garden.

Rachel and I will have left over Risotto.

Dinner is a chicken casserole-

this will mean I will be making homemade

noodles as I have decided not to buy them

right now. I have left over chicken from Friday.

Apple Salad which is a nice addition to dinner.

Apples,( which I had already from picking in

September)cranberries, celery, pecans and

mayonaise.

No money spent today.

A Busy Weekend

2009-10-05T10:22:00.002-04:00

A Busy Weekend

Monday October 5

A busy weekend with my family.

Saturday we went to a Purity Conference

with Rachel and Andrew at the church

he is doing an internship with this semester.

It was very eye opening.

You could say it was a day of not thinking

about what everyone was eating.

Breakfast consisted of oatmeal with raisens

and left over biscuits.

Lunch was pizza ordered out by everyone

at the conference.

Dinner I had left overs from Friday night,

Sausage Risotto. So, when we got home I warmed

this up for everyone along with some Italian Bread

which Mike picked up on Friday.

The only money spent on this day was the Pizza.

That was $5.00.

Everything else was something purchased in the

past.

Sunday October 4

Mike and Rachel went to Church early. They

left the house at 8:15, as Mike is on the worship

team. Rachel went to Sunday School and then

helped out in the nursery. I came later, Andrew

dropping me off at the church. He went to the new

church for worship leading(this is part of his internship).

Breakfast was perty much the same oatmeal

and some bannana bread. I also sent them with some

apples to eat, they do come in handy.

The bread my neighbor brought over on Friday.

Lunch was chicken and some egg noodles.

Dinner was out as it was Pastor Apreciation

Pot Luck Dinner at the church. We pick up some

fried chicken from the grocery store.

This costed $11.49 to bring to the church.

That was my busy weekend.

Friday's Menu

2009-10-02T16:06:00.003-04:00

Friday's Menu

Friday October 2

What's on your Menu today?

For breakfast which is served perty

early. My son Andrew commutes

to Pennsylvania to college, he leaves

the house by 7:30. Breakfast needs to be

ready early. Everyone had eggs and biscuits.

Yesterday, I spent most of my time in the kitchen.

In the afternoon I prepared a double batch of

Sour Cream biscuits for dinner, which also would

serve as breakfast. Potato and Corn Chowder for

dinner last night served for lunch for my husband,

my daughter and I today. I packed a lunch for Andrew

to take with him, Two chicken legs and three biscuits,

an apple.

The chicken I baked late last night, the kids will have for

dinner tonight as they go to youth group on Friday's.

Dinner for kids chicken and rice, fresh corn.

Dinner for my husband and I Sausage Rissotto,

Eggplant Polpettes, salad, bread(bought).

Money spent $3.00 for bread.

Have a relaxing evening.

Shopping Day

2009-10-01T08:52:00.003-04:00

Shopping Day

Wednesday September 30

My shopping day is a full day for me.

We made pancakes for breakfast and took

them in the car. We also brought hot chocolate

in the thermos along with water for drinks.

Rachel does her school work in the car.

We traveled to Pennsylvania for milk pickup.

I have joined a milk group which consists of three

families. Each of us travels to the farm to pickup

up milk for three families which is 7 gallons of milk.

I recieve 3 gallons a week.

The best part is we get a milk delivery and only

have to go once every 3 weeks.

I put out $75.64, that is paying for everyone's

milk plus buying one chuck roast. Just remember

next week I will get milk for free. Plus another

gallon of milk the following week.

The roast will be my one big ticket item for a

special dinner for my family. Due to no eating out I

try to buy something close to a gourmet meal.

This is grassfed meat, $26.00.

What is the cost you ask? We pay $7 for a gallon

of milk, which gives me milk and heavy cream.

I have learned to make sour cream, mozzarella

cheese, yogurt, butter, ricotta cheese, ice cream.

From that 7 dollars I gain all these.

My trip also consist of stopping at a Natural Food

Store in Princeton which is on the way up to the farm.

Yesterday I spent $79.36 on my groceries.

I bought 5 lbs of soft wheat berries- 9,66, 2.5 lbs of

red wheat berries-9.27 , walnuts-6.63, flour tortillias-5.59,

risotto-3.98, 6 lbs of onions-5.90, Pomegrate Juice-6.99,

mustard seed-1.39, Womens Vitamins.-29.95

I will keep track how much I use per meal, from

now till my next shopping.

The wheat berries I ground into flour.

The soft wheat berries are for anything

using all purpose flour.

The walnuts are for making granola.

Due to me stop buying any cereal

from the store. We are only buying

oatmeal, which we buy in in 50 lb

bag.

The flour tortillias are probably one

of my big ticket items. I am hoping

to start making these in the future.

These are a great item to have on hand

as I can make bean burrritos. Here is

another item we bought in bulk, pinto

beans in 25 lb bags.

Risotto is an italian rice, which

is a great item to have on hand.

Due to making my own chicken

broth this is an economical meal.

Rice, chicken broth, parmesan cheese,

a vegetable of some sort.

You can make as a main course or

as a side dish.

Onions are a staple item for my pantry.

Mustard seed is something I use

to make pickles.

Pomegrante is a juice I keep in my

pantry. I was told pomegrante juice

can help a womens health.

The herbal vitamins are a women

supplement.

After I dropped off my milk I also

stopped at an Organic Local Farm.

I spent 14.00 I got 3 egg plant,

11 sweet potatoes, 2 bunches of beets.

This is my grinder!

I follow a blog called the Cultivating Home

she has inspired me to join her on a jouney.

This jouney is called How Little Can I Spend!

http://cultivatinghome.blogspot.com/2009/09/how-little-can-i-spend.html

This journey I have been working on for awhile now.

Now, I will share with you my ideas and how I am

accomplishing this jouney.

This is something God has placed in my heart to do.

I do this for his glory!

Sewing Inspiration

2009-09-18T13:04:00.002-04:00

Sewing Inspiration

Friday September 18

This picture continues to inspire me to sew.

I am sitting today ready to finish

sewing unfinished projects.

The first one will be a little shirt for my

dear daughter.

This picture actually sits in my downstairs

bathroom. I do get to glance at it from time

to time.

A New Fruit

2009-09-16T11:17:00.002-04:00

A New Fruit

Wednesday September 16

My husband planted about 25 plants of these

little fruits. They are called ground cherries

and they grow from a plant similiar to a

tomato plant. In the picture below you

will see how small they are. They drop to

the ground when they are ripe.

They have been the talk this summer.

To anyone out there who may have a

grandmother who has them in her

recipe cards, I would love to hear

from you.

Frugul Tip

2009-09-01T20:42:00.010-04:00

Frugal Tip

Tuesday September 1

Growing greenbeans is one more way

to cut costs on the grocery bill.

Have you considered what you pay for

green beans at the produce stand?

To grow these green beans it cost 2.50

for a package of seeds.

I grow these

where ever I can fit them into the garden.

This year I started a new bed so I could have

a whole row just dedicated to green beans.

Actually, I grew two rows 16 feet long at the

beginning of the season. Then I put another

row in later , so that gave me three rows.

Then, I put more in between some green

pepper plants closer to the house.

One final section went in next to the kale

and cabbage plants. These were not all

planted at the same time so it gave me

beans all season.

So, far I have froze 3 gallon zip lock bags.

Plus, just eating them raw in the garden as

I am working.

Having these little gems in the freezer

in the winter is a great addition.

Now, that is what I call a savings!

Tomatoes

2009-08-26T09:57:00.004-04:00

Tomatoes

Wednesday August 26

This year they say was a bad year for tomatoes.

I have to agree, here in New Jersey we got a Tomato blight

on our tomatoes.

This is the crazy part, I did not to bad with my crop.

I did want to share a few things I tried this year.

First, my husband started them from seed, which

we had saved the seed from previous years.

Second, he built the soil using compost from our yard,

bone meal, rock phosphate. We put in 168 tomato

plants, heirloom ugly tomatoes, cherokee purple,

amish paste, san marzano. At the beginning of the

season I put bone meal down, I did this twice.

I read this will build your root system. In past

years I got more leaves than fruit, so I believe

this helped. I also put down a organic fertilizer,

Feed N Grow 4-24, which I got from a Organic

Farmer here in New Jersey. The organic fertilizer

did not go down until after fruit was producing.

Of course, the most important part is I put down compost

along with leaf mulch. I also wanted to share that I do

stake my plants with bamboo. Pruning is another

technique I do every year. This means getting rid of

the sucker leads, which is a perty big task in the beginning.

I also keep leaf branches away from the ground as I feel

this can add to fungul problems.

My creator, My God is my provider!

Psalm 104

He makes grass grow for the cattle, and

plants for a man to cultivate-bringing

forth food from the earth:

Making a new dress

2009-08-25T16:54:00.003-04:00

Rachel is getting a new dress

Tuesday August 25

I have been working on this dress for awhile now.

For me the summer is a hard time

to find time to sew.

I am determined to get this done.

We are using some iron materials with this

dress. I am also adding trim to the underside

of the dress at the hem.

Potatoes

2009-08-12T19:57:00.008-04:00

Wednesday August 12
Potatoes

We have havested 32 lbs!

These are the cages I built for what

I call no dig potatoes. Last year I lost

to the voles, they ate everything I put

in the ground. This year we came up

with a new plan. We planted 5 potatoes

seeds around the edge and then one in the

middle. We used composted leaf mulch

altrenately with straw. We did this in two

layers and then put more leaf mulch on top.

The straw seemed to help keep the mulch

cool, although the rain probably helped too.

I was very pleased with what we harvested.

I built 19 cages, I did purchase wire to build these.

I feel this was an investment, I will have them for

years to come. I am planning on building more for the

next growing season.

Frugal Tip

2009-07-21T09:18:00.006-04:00

Frugal Tip of the Week

Tuesday July 21

Eating soups is a great way to stretch the grocery bill.

Have you ever considered making your own chicken

stock? It is very easy with a few basic pantry items.

Not only is it economical but it is very nutritious for you.

When I get a whole chicken I will first roast it with a little

Olive Oil and Lemon juice with some thyme thrown

in the cavity. After, roasting I will take the meat off

of the bone and use for future use.

The next morning I put the bones from the chicken

and place in a large stock pot with water. Then I will

add my left over vegetables.

My left over vegetables came from saving ends of the

vegetables. If you don't do this nifty idea, just take and

cut up a onion, celery, carrots and add to your stock.

You may also want to add some herbs from your garden.

Thyme is always a favorite of mine to add to stock.

Simmer this for a few hours.

Now, just take out your vegetables and add them

to your compost bin.

Now you have chicken stock.

Soups and many other recipes

always call for a little chicken stock.

When I make brown rice I use chicken stock

instead of water. It does taste better.

Enjoy!

Flowers

2009-07-15T09:35:00.006-04:00

Flowers

Wednesday July 15

What kind of flowers are we growing this year.

This has been a great year to grow from seed.

This is the climbing nasturium .

The rose is one of those plants that comes back

year after year. This year I have been giving

my plant any left over milk products. They say

it helps with black spot. I have to say my rose

bush is doing okay this year. Even thought we have

a lot of rain.

Frugal Tip

2009-07-14T16:15:00.007-04:00

Frugal Tip of the week

Tuesday July 14

Growing your own food is a great way of being frugal.

I spend a great deal of time growing food. I have to

say it is a little more involved than just harvesting the

food. Planning I feel is the key to success.

In the winter my husband and I start planning on

what are we going to grow this year.

Than getting the plants started and make sure they

are well nourished. Over the years I have learned

a great deal about building your soil up.

I leave the success first of all to my creator who

provides all things. The books I choose to read help

educate my mind.

One of the best part of a family having a garden is the

whole family getting involved.

This year my husband started all the plants inside using

the Elliot Coleman way.

The book is called The New Organic Grower.

We only purchased a soil block maker for 30 dollars to make blocks,

which we purchased from Johnny Seeds. We also

made our own soil we did not purchase it. Although,

we did purchase a few minerals to add to composted soil.

My son and daughter help me with daily chores in the

garden such as watering and putting composted leaves on

the soil. Planting the actual plants and seeds is another task

that the children helped with.

My husband and I made pita bread a couple of weeks

ago. From the garden I am eating cucumbers and

lettuce. If your calculating the seeds that the food

was grown from cost 2.50 a piece, but this is only portion

of what I have gotten from that package.

The yogurt dressing is my homemade dressing.

Yogurt which I made a couple of days ahead of time.

Dill came from the garden.

This was a great lunch right after church.

My only preparation was I grilled the chicken

the night before. Here's for a quick lunch.

Dill Yogurt Dressing

Yogurt

chopped fresh or dried dill

1 garlic clove minced

Grow your own food and you will taste the difference.

The nutrition alone is far better than what you would

purchase at the store. Eating food a few feet from your

door is as local as you going to get.

Frugal Tip

2009-06-30T14:09:00.005-04:00

Frugal Tip of the Week

Tuesday June 30

When your a grower of vegetables and flowers collecting

seeds is a very important job. I wanted to let people know

about Blossom Swap.

http://www.blossomswap.com//www.blossomswap.com

This is one of my gardening links

I have posted on my blog. Its about swapping what you

have with someone else and you each get something.

People swap seeds, plants, magazines etc.

For those who are just starting out they can provide

postage. What a great tool to have!

After, your growing season don't forget to collect your seeds.

This will payoff.

Sweet Peas

2009-06-27T18:19:00.007-04:00

Saturday June 27

Sweet Peas

This was my first picking of my peas this year. What a

great harvest. Getting out in the garden very early in the

season has payed off. How early you ask, the end of

Februrary I was getting my site ready. I thought

I would be ready to put the peas in right at the

beginning of March. Wrong, here comes snow.

The peas went in after the snow,

According to my picture dates that would mean in the

first week of March.

If there were no stores to buy food from how hard

you would work to get the first crop in.

Maybe, next time I will just put them before the

snow melts. That would start the germination nice

and early.

We are having a great harvest due to good planning.

2009-06-26T08:54:00.005-04:00

Colorado

Friday June 26

My trip to Grand Junction Colorado.

The second week of June I was getting ready for

a trip with my husband to Colorado. Getting the

rest of the house ready for my departure. This was a

big undertaking. Thanks for a church family everything

worked out. My dear husband had a business trip out to

Grand Junction, so I joined him on this trip.

Due to me growing up in the midwest it was like

seeing old familiar places again.

This picture is me standing on the top of Grand Mesa.

It was very windy up there and quite chilly.

I have been on the east coast so long I think

I had forgotten how enormous the mountains

are. The last time I was here was when I was

a child.

We stayed in Grand Junction which was really nice.

I got to visit the town. There were so many

fabric stores in this area, it was amazing.

While my husband worked at the hospital I

was able to check out this fabric store.

This store had fabrics I can only look at online

at home. The people were so friendly there it

was just amazing.

I truly feel God brought us there and he blessed

our time together.

Yogurt

2009-06-06T09:26:00.006-04:00

Yogurt

Saturday June 6

Making yogurt took one day.

I used whole raw milk for this recipe.

8 cups of whole raw milk

1/2 cup yogurt culture

(store bought)

Place in crock pot for 2 1/2 hours on low.

After, the two and half hours turn off and leave

in the crock pot for 3 hours. Then, add your yogurt

culture and blend. Place towel around crockpot to

hold the heat in, and leave overnight.

The next morning put in container and refrigerate.

You have yogurt.

Now, you can't tell me you don't have time for that.

The kids and I had strawberries and yogurt for a treat.

Although, they added powder sugar to sweeten it up.

Enjoy!

Strawberries

2009-06-03T08:13:00.006-04:00

Strawberries

Wednesday June 3

Today I did my first picking of the strawberry bed.

Not too bad for the first picking.

I love growing strawberry's. The main

reason I like to grow strawberries is for

my freezer jam. As I do not buy jelly

from the store. Its just one of those things

I do. Growing up in the midwest no one

we knew would buy jelly from the store.

Right now I have one large bed. Which I

believe is 9 rows. The bed measures 17 ft by

17 ft, there is small paths to walk down. We place

straw in the aisles to keep the weeds down.

This year we used leaf mulch at the beginning

of the season on the strawberry bed. Which acts also

as a mulch for the strawberries. We make

leaf piles and let them decompose for 2 years.

Since, we get a ton of leaves on our little homestead.

We might as well use them. We have sandy soil where

we live so you must continue to build the soil up.

The one thing we changed this year was inter planting

onions in the strawberry bed. I purchased onions seedlings

from a company in Texas in early spring.

This is called companion gardening. It is also about

using your space wisely. There is a book that I like,

its called Carrots Love Tomatoes.

http://www.amazon.com/Carrots-Love-Tomatoes-Companion-Successful/dp/1580170277/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244070610&sr=1-1

In this book she talks about how to plant good companions to

all sorts of plants. Flowers and herbs along with your vegetables.

What a grand idea.

This year I also have added flowers in the

strawberry bed also for a little color. As you can

see there is a row of chamomile along the Iris bed.

The new flower that I added this year is Salvia.

This is planted along the last row of strawberries,

along with the Iris row.

This picture shows an additional bed of strawberries

that I transfered in early spring. When I was fixing

the rows in the big bed, there are always extra plants.

In this picture you can see the onions we inter cropped.

Beside this bed I have an old cattle fence we use for

climbing flowers. This year I planted climbing Nasturium

next to the fence.

This picture is my very first bed of strawberries.

I began other beds of strawberries due to this bed not

producing very well. What I am finding out is that my

soil is very poor quality. After I applied the leaf mulch

and compost this year they are taller plants.

Happy Gardening!

May Blooms

2009-05-22T17:49:00.010-04:00

May Blooms

Friday May 22

The May blooms in the garden are to be shared.

Enjoy!

The Roses are blooming in quanities this year.

I have plenty of blooms to come inside for cut

flowers and plenty for outside adornment.

The yellow Iris is the shortest out my collection.

This is my row Chamomile. A very pretty

flower, but a great herb to have in the garden.

This year I plan on harvesting the flowers for

tea.

The New Skirt

2009-05-19T17:10:00.007-04:00

Rachel's New Skirt

Tuesday May 19

New Clothes are always exciting.

I had gotten this jean material at

50% off in early spring.

I managed to squeeze in making this

skirt a couple of evenings ago.

A very simple project.

Nature Study

2009-05-18T08:38:00.008-04:00

Nature Study

Monday May 18

The spring here at the little homestead has been busy.

Home education also includes whats going on in the garden.

My daughter Rachel has been doing some studies on flowers.

The first flower study for this year was the Bleeding Heart.

Here is a question for anyone. Do you have information on the

history of this little plant. I am talking about the heirloom

red variety. We have been searching for when it was

introduced. For all you veteran flower gardeners,

look through your books and let us know.

Again, I am always looking for a

new book or old.

The second flower was the Iris.

In our study we take apart the flower and

see how the insects get into the plant to get

the nectar.

My grandmother gave this one to me.

It is finally starting to reproduce.

Iris Flowers

2009-05-12T09:12:00.004-04:00

Iris Flowers

Tuesday May 12

These were the first to bloom.

The purple color is so beautiful.

These little yellow Iris flowers I put right

in the vegetable garden two years ago.

These are my tallest Iris's have. I placed some of

right outside the back door among the roses and

lavender plants.

Companion planting I have taken very serious.

Flowers and vegetables planted together.

I also have cabbage and lettuce planted in the same

bed.

Have a great

Day!

Saturday's Lunch

2009-05-09T14:13:00.004-04:00

Saturday's Lunch

Today we went to Haddonfield Farmers Market.

This was a real treat.

It was about a hours drive from our home.

My dear husband found someone selling blueberry

bushes for 4 dollars a piece on Craig's List.

It turned out they were going to be at this Farmers

Market.

What a quaint town it was. The old houses, I just love

looking at the different houses. Next, time I will be sure to

take pictures.

I decided to make a nice lunch for us when we got home.

Salmon Patties

taken from Marcia Adams New Recipes

from Quilt Country

1 15 oz can of red salmon, drained

1 1/2 Tablespoons butter or vegetable oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/4 green pepper, finely chopped

3/4 cup finely crushed saltine crackers

(about 20)

1 Tablespoon finely minced fresh dill

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 shakes of hot red pepper sauce

3 Tablespoons milk

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 egg, beaten

1 1/2-2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Pick through the salmon and discard the skin

and any bones, set the salmon.

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter or oil,

onion, and the bell pepper. Saute over medium heat for

5 minutes, or until the onion begins to color.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the salmon,

crackers, dill, black pepper, hot pepper sauce, milk,

and lemon juice. Combine lightly, then add the egg

and mix lightly again. Pat down the mixture in the pan

and cut into 6 wedges. Form into thick patties, about

4 inches in diameter. Heat the oil in a sauce pan and

saute for about 3 minutes on each side.

Now, I must tell you a few things.

I did not have all these ingredients, so this is what I did.

My dear husband started getting the salmon from Costco,

I use 3 small cans.

I have no green peppers as I don't use ingredients out

of season. I had no crackers as this is something I have

decided to do away with, unless I could make them.

No, fresh dill as its too early in the season, I used dried.

I was out of milk.

I always leave out the hot pepper sauce and let my family

put it on themselves. I can't eat spicy foods.

The crackers I substituted my ground flour. The milk,

I just used a few more egg whites.

Since I make my own mayonnaise I always have extra

egg whites hanging around.

Of course you will need tartar sauce.

Really Good Tartar Sauce

(from the same book)

1 cup of mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons finely chopped onion

2 Tablespoons finely chopped dill pickle

1 1/2 Tablespoons prepared mustard

1 Tablespoon chopped capers

1 Tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Coleslaw

Recipe is called,

Five Vegetable Coleslaw

(taken from same book)

Serves 6 to 8

8 cups shredded cabbage

(approximately 2 lbs)

1/2 medium onion, sliced

2 celery ribs, julienned

1/2 medium red bell pepper, finely julienned

1 large or 2 medium carrots, shredded

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Dressing

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 Teaspoons black pepper

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon celery seeds

1 Teaspoon mustard seeds

1 1/2 Tablespoons cider vinegar

Combine the vegetables and let stand for 2o minutes.

Salting the vegetables draws off the liquid in the vegetables.

Drain and set aside.

Prepare the dressing: Whisk together all the ingredients and

add to the vegetables and chill.

This is what I changed.

I usually make half this recipe. My family doesn't like all the

raw onions. I use chives from the garden. Again, I only

use what vegetables are in season. Right, now all we have is

carrots and parsley.

That's okay as everything has a season.

Enjoy!

Baked Beans

2009-05-08T08:33:00.003-04:00

Baked Beans

Friday May 7

Since I was a girl at family gatherings someone always brought

baked beans. That was growing up in the midwest. Well,

I live on the east coast now and most people only know of whats

in the can. Here's the recipe I follow. Its from one of my amish

recipe books.

Marsha Adams New Recipes

from Quilt Country

The real ingredient to this recipe is the maple syrup.

You cannot substitute store bought pancake syrup.

Maple Baked Beans

Serves 4 to 6

1 pound or 2 cups of dried white navy beans

Liberal pinch of baking soda

1 cup maple syrup

2 teaspoons ground mustard

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons of Molasses

1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion

1/4 pound salt pork

Soak your beans overnight. Rinse in the morning.

Put in fresh water and place on the stove.

Then pour about a teaspoon of lemon juice into

the pot. Add any left over vegetables you may

have. I always keep any onion, celery, and

carrot ends. Never throw your scrap pieces out.

Do not add salt to the pot in the beginning process

of cooking. They should cook about an hour.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Place your cast iron pan in the oven to get it

hot. Then add some left over bacon grease to

the pan allow this to melt. Add your chopped

onion and allow the onions to soften a little bit.

Then, add your drained beans to the pan.

Mix together your molasses, syrup, mustard and

pepper. Combine with beans and onions stirring

only very gently. Put your salt pork on top and

pour enough liquid to cover beans. Cook covered,

for 6 to 8 hours. I have to tell you I usually only cook

mine for about 4 hours. Do not allow all the liquid

to evaporate though.

Enjoy.

Heirloom Irises

2009-05-05T09:05:00.011-04:00

Heirloom Gardening

Tuesday May 5

Violet Iris

I love to grow yesterdays flowers and vegetables.

You could say,I love to do things pulled from times past.

I am always on the look out for different flowers that have

a true scent. When you go to smell a flower you are expecting a

scent.

http://www.oldhousegardens.com/

Iris is one of my favorites. I just got a new

Iris, the link is below. It is just stunning.

http://www.oldhousegardens.com/bigFlwr.asp?Cat=MadameChereau

I have been putting my Iris plants in rows for the past

couple of years. One day who knows I may end up

selling off my extra plants.

I am always looking to learn the historical aspects of these

beautiful flowers.

Relaxing

2009-05-02T14:48:00.014-04:00

Relaxing

Saturday May 2

Today was a day of relaxing. I thought we could walk

through the garden.

My cat always follows me into the garden. He is so

patient even when I take long time. The peas are finally

starting to come up and beginning to climb.

The tulips are at their peak.

I have rows of Irises but I have mixed different

flowers among them.

This is the only varigated Iris I have. It does

bloom purple. Last year was the first year it

bloomed.

The strawberries are doing well this year.

The radishes are ready to be picked. They were one the first to be put

in the garden.

This is Elcampane it is a very tall flowering herb. I have it at the end of

the aspargus bed.

These are my baby chicks which we got in the fall. We have just

introduced them to the rest of the flock.

Enjoy your garden or visit one today.

Spring Flowers

2009-04-29T11:59:00.002-04:00

Iris Bloom VIII

Tuesday April 29

I found this great blog on the Iris.

http://historiciris.blogspot.com/2008/10/jesses-song.html

2009-04-23T10:58:00.003-04:00

Words to Live By, Family

On Saturday we will be having a celebration for my oldest son, Phillip. God has brought him a wife, her name is Allysa. Saturday we will be bringing the two families together. My husband and I are throwing the engagement party to commemarate thier love for one another.

The wedding will be on March 27, 2010.

Look whats in the Garden

2009-04-16T12:22:00.008-04:00

Look Whats in the Garden

Thursday April 16

Last fall I planted these plants.

What are these little plants? Mustard greens, and cabbage,

there's nothing like the fresh taste from your garden.

No grocery store can produce that.

I put them against

the house for the winter months. Now in the spring

they are thriving.

These are the lettuce plants my dear husband started indoors.

My little lettuce plants. No, rows just putting them where there

is room.

This is my rhubarb plant that we planted last year.

Working in the Garden

2009-04-15T09:17:00.004-04:00

Working in the Garden

Wednesday April 15

In the Garden

Working in the garden is where I have been spending my early hours.

Getting up early gets my work done. This way I have time for

my other duties later in the day.

The air is so crisp in the early hours. It just seems to wake you up.

Do I want to eat healthy food?

I could just go to the store and buy produce

from there. No, they spray the vegetables

heavily with checmicals.

This food is bad for you!

During the war years everyone had gardens.

I believe we need to go back to this.

The gardens were called Victory Gardens.

http://www.revivevictorygarden.org/

Frugal Tip of the Week

2009-04-14T12:07:00.003-04:00

Frugal Tip of the Week

Tuesday April 14

The Porch

Hanging laundry out to dry. This week I am centering my attention on

laundry as I am doing spring cleaning. In our home we don't use the

dryer as it cost money. If I don't have to spend money on drying and the

wind will do the drying for me.

That works for me!

Sewing a new Dress

2009-04-08T10:45:00.005-04:00

Sewing a new dress

Wednesday April 8

I have finished Rachel's easter dress.

The Little Seamstress

2009-04-03T06:49:00.008-04:00

Little SeamstressFriday April 3

Little Seamstress

Teaching my daughter to sew is such a joy. Although

I am learning myself she always inspires me to strive

to try new things. We pick out material together.

Its great when we take a day and just go look at

material. We talk about the different fabrics so you

might say its a learning experience. Most of the time

we buy fabric online, from a few different sources.

Fashion Fabricshttp://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/

Hancock Fabricshttp://www.hancocks-paducah.com/

We have a few fabric stores by us that we like to go.

Joann Fabrics is a good store to go to and they

have coupons. You can also buy from them online.

Stich n Sew is a local store that is close to us. Its

more like a warehouse of apparel fabric and decorator

fabric. They have everything in this store. The only

drawback is the prices are higher than most places.

It is a good place to just look though.

Hand sewing is one of the first places she began.

There's a book on the market that I love to look

through with her as it gives us ideas what to fill

her hope chest with. Which gave her incentive

to sew for herself. She is spending her young years

learning to sew to put away for future years.

The Hope Chest A Legacy of Love

by Rebekah Wilson

http://www.booksonthepath.com/product/00370/TheHopeChestALegacyofLove.aspx

In her education I feel sewing needs to be part

of her everyday lessons.

Right now she is working on making a tote bag.

So for all the little seamstesses out there

continue to learn new techniques.

Even if you sew for a small amount

of time everyday. That is better than not sewing at all.

Mother and Child

All Dressed Up

2009-04-02T14:03:00.004-04:00

All Dressed Up

Wednesday April 1

Victorian Woman in Hat Drawing I like to take one day where I do more relaxing activities. Invite friends over for a cup of tea andhave some fellowship.In our society everyone is always on the go. Doing this helps people to slow down and take time for friends.Even if its having tea with my daughter.We get dressed up and have a nice time. It is always a good idea to take a dayand pamper yourself. Give yourselfa hair treatment. Just enjoy the day!

Frugal Tip of the Week

2009-03-31T09:03:00.011-04:00

Frugal Tip of the week
Tuesday March 31

Buying in Bulk what can it do for you.

There are some good reasons. Number one you don't have
to go shopping all the time. Two, you always have certain
items in the house, such as pantry items. Three, the cost is less.
This is due to ruling out the middle man. If you buy a pound
of oatmeal as compared to buying 25 pounds the cost goes
down.

Buying in bulk also saves you time and allows you
to do activities you enjoy.

If you have never done this before. Start with one item
such as oatmeal.

Belonging to a coop is very helpful in this area. Our
coop orders once a month, and sometimes every other
month. Its all online, you just make a basket. One
week we order the next week we pick up the order.

There are also many companies out there that will let
you order with one flat fee for shipping.

When I first began putting beans in my families diet.
We ordered them from a company that offered many
different types of beans.

Just a thoughtful hint for the homemaker.

What do I know of Calvary Love

2009-03-30T15:34:00.005-04:00

Victorian Garden
What do I know of Calvary Love
Monday March 30

If I can easily discuss

the shortcomings and

the sins of any;

if I can speak in a casual

way even of a child's

misdoings,

then I know nothing

of Calvary Love

written by Amy Carmichal from the book IF

Day 6 and 7 of Femine Attire

2009-03-29T11:51:00.009-04:00

Day 6 of Femine Attire

Saturday March 28

This day was a day of doing paperwork.

I worked on a pile of papers that had just made a life of its own.

Sitting at my desk in the den pretty much till afternoon.

I do feel much better after getting that all sorted out.

I am striving to become a more organized Home Keeper.

I use to tell people I am just not organized, but that was

an excuse. God is helping with this one. I am taking baby

steps. One foot in front of the other.

This is my first year off of medicine. Thanks to God. Just

to tell you a little story. For 10 years of my life I have had

a seizure disorder, it has been difficult. Now, I am new person.

I have been working towards my goal of becoming organized.

With Gods Help! Who knows what you can achieve.

Day 7 of Femine Attire
Sunday March 29

I went to church today. It has been 3 weeks since I have

attended our church service. The one week I had nursery

duty. The other two weeks I had quiet worship with me

and God. It will be a day of just doing restful activities.

Just enjoying the sun we are going to have today, a high of 65.

We will be attending a pot luck dinner tonight at our church.

The mens missions team came back from Central America.

They are going to be showing a video of the trip.

My husband and I are very interested in this.

Alls I can say is what an Amazing God we have.

This is the last day of my post, thank you for spending it with me.

I hope you have enjoyed a little peak into my daily activites.

I can only say I like to dress like a lady

no matter what I am doing.

Day 5 of Femine Attire

2009-03-27T11:33:00.004-04:00

Day 5 of Femine Attire

Friday March 28

Today I will be going out. So this morning I am spending
time getting ready. This is my shopping day. I will driving
to about an hour away for my grocery shopping. Since,
I try to only do once a month grocery shopping. Buying
in bulk helps me with staying out of grocery store. Which
I think keeps the unneccesary spending down.
The best part about it is I have time for sewing and gardening.
Two of my favorite things to do. Plus I am home for my
family.

Day 4 of Femine Attire

2009-03-26T16:13:00.007-04:00

Day 4 of Femine Attire

Thursday March 26

Today I was up at normal time, 5 am.

Out to feed chickens by 8 am.

Back inside to see my dear husband

off to work. The night before I had packed

his lunch so alls I had to do was pull it out

of the refrigerator.

I am having a visitor today. A young

woman I am helping with planning her

wedding. She is coming by this morning for

a short visit.

While I was waiting for my visitor Rachel

practiced the piano for her recital that

is coming up. I enjoyed some reading time

of poems.

When our visitor arrives we will be reading,

So Much More by the Botkin sisters.

This book is helping girls, young women, and

older women.

It is talking about how we need to look to

our fathers for counsel. As it will be one day

transfered to our husbands. So true.

Plus it always brings up good conversation.

Day 3 of Femine Attire

2009-03-25T17:23:00.004-04:00

Day 3 of Femine Attire

Wednesday March 25

Today my dear husband wants me to

get the lettuce in the ground. We are

getting our spring planting done. I figured

its moist outside what a good day for planting.

The garden is starting to come alive here on the

east coast. Although, this is one of our first days

of rain. Not a very wet spring so far.

The beige skirt I am wearing I found at a thrift

store. It works for just being around the house.

I like to wear brown in all various ways.

I like being a lady even when I am out in

Gods kingdom.

Day 2 Femine Attire

2009-03-24T08:54:00.011-04:00

Day 2 of Femine Attire

Tuesday March 23

Being a keeper of the home can be so rewarding.

Today I am feeling very relaxed and I am looking

forward to some time sewing. The one rule about

sewing time is I have to make sure the kitchen is

clean and the counter is clear.

This frees my mind up from the acitivites in the

kitchen.

The black skirt I am wearing I

made at christmas time. It is just

a drawstring skirt just a little

different from my jean skirt from

yesterday. It is very free flowing

and this one is also lined.

A keeper of the home has the freedom to use her

time as she chooses.

We can learn to make things and be creative. We just have

to be willing to put the time in.

Day 1 of Femine Attire

2009-03-23T10:33:00.008-04:00

Day 1 of Femine Attire

Monday March 23

Today is Monday and we are busy this morning.

I went out to feed chickens and ducks at 8 am.
Then I came in and had breakfast. My jean skirt
works perfect today.

Doing outside work in the morning. This skirt gives me plenty of room to
work in.

My jean skirt was one of my first types of skirts I made.
It is a simple skirt and relatively fast one to make.
Below I am working on making some sandwich bread.

My Week of Femine Dress

2009-03-20T13:17:00.008-04:00

My Week of Femine Dress

Friday March 20

For the next week I will post pictures of my femine attire. I will be taking a break on my
normal schedule of topics.

Below is a link to Emily's blog, as this was her idea of hearing from other ladies who dress in femine attire.
http://emsbingy.blogspot.com/2009/03/week-of-femininity.html

As a little girl I loved dressing up and always wearing a dress. My mom never
seemed to mind as she was seamstress. I would love to be in the kitchen
with my Mom. Learning to cook at a very early age probably gave me
great pleasure in making things in the kitchen.

This little girl reminds me of my Mom sending me to get apples
for dinner.

Little Girl Clutching Apples, 1895

Frugal Tip of the Week

2009-03-17T14:59:00.005-04:00

Frugal Tip of the Week

Wednesday March 18

Frugal is what I have grown up with. As an adult I strive to continue to be frugal. Three years ago when my son Andrew decided to go to a christian college. I knew my frugal ways were
going to be put to the test. Today we are able to send our son to Philadelphia Biblical University. When he started talking about going to this school I told him it was to expensive.
We could never afford for him to go there. Andrew is now a been there for two years. We have managed to pay for his school so far due to being frugal.

I must tell you that God continues to show me ways where I am spending and could be saving.
Everyday I must ask myself whats really important. Sending my son to college is very important as God is training Andrew to effect his generation.

One of my favorite blogs to read I have a link below.
The title of her topic is "1001 ways to save money"
Although I do not agree with everything she says but, overall she has very good points.

http://togodbethegloryhomemaking.blogspot.com/2008/12/1001-ways-to-save-money-frugal-living.html

.

What do I know of Calvary Love

2009-03-16T08:26:00.006-04:00

In The Orangery

Monday March 16

If I belittle those whom I am called to serve,

talk of thier weak points

in contrast perhaps with what I

think of as my strong points;

if I adopt a superior attitude,

forgetting "who made thee to differ?

and what hast thou that thou hast

not recieved?"

than I know nothing of Calvary Love.

IF by Amy Carmichael

Sewing

2009-03-12T14:14:00.010-04:00

Sewing

Thursday March 12

Sewing my new skirt. This is the second time

I have used this pattern. The first time was an

experience. Now that I made it twice I feel I am

learning new techniques. This skirt has a waist band

a zipper and pockets. Below are a few pictures to show

some detail I added with this tool I have for making binding.

I also lined the skirt as I feel it helps the way your finished

garment looks. The material is a linen I picked up and the

lining is made from broadcloth.

I have decided to make it one more time. Till the next project gets

finished.

Frugal Tip of the Week

2009-03-10T10:55:00.006-04:00

Old Mason Jars

Tuesday March 10
Frugal Tip of the Week

Mason Jars what can we do with them?

I use them to store anything from beans,

grain, milk I buy from the farm, left overs.

You get the idea!

The one good reason I like to use mason jars

is that they are glass. The don't keep smells

in and you can sterilize them.

The second good reason is they take up less

room in the refrigerator or cabinet.

The third good reason is I just like the way

they look in my cabinet.

The only bad part I see in using Mason Jars

is they do break. So, be careful about putting

them in your dishwasher if you use one.

The old stand by of washing by hand will

keep their life longer.

I have to tell you I am always on the search for Mason

Jars. Where I live people are always throwing them

away. My husband goes on craig's list as you can list

items for sale or for free.

Pioneer women used what they had and never

threw anything away!

What do I know of Calvary Love

2009-03-09T15:43:00.008-04:00

Black Brook

If

I have not compassion on my fellow servant,

even as my Lord had pity on me,

then I know nothing of Calvary love.

Taken from IF by Amy Carmichal