midsummer garden

I used to think gardening was pretty much done by the end of august, but that is not true in our forever summer land. It may be hot in GA but this is one of those places that you can just keep on growing! At least if the irrigation is in place and you can make it through the droughts. This garden was planted the 4th of July weekend. All except the beets and turnips, which we put in on August 15th. They are growing quite well though. We also recently put in cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussel sprouts, last weekend. We always plant by the fazes of the moon, for we have found it more profitable. We did an experiment once to see if it really worked and we had only 10 percent come up on unfavorable times, and 5 percent of them died before producing. Then we planted in favorable conditions with 100 percent sprouting and 90 percent survival. Not bad. I think the ancients knew a thing or two.....

This is the corn. It is just about ready. The ears are in full tassel. This is dent corn, for the chickens, we planted sweet earlier in the season.



This is the squash and pumpkins. I have noticed that the bugs aren't as prevelant this time around. We have gotten so many more this harvest.


This is the other side of the field. It shows the limas and okra. They are doing so much better than earlier this summer. I think they aren't competing so much with the weeds

Here is corn ear. getting along well.


Here is an eye-spy for you. Can you find the okra?



An okra flower, in my opinion, is the prettiest of the vegetable flowers. If I was a pollinator, I would visit!



Speaking of our good bugs...here is a victorious warrior, the lone ladybug. It works so hard. And if Monsanto doesn't kill them all, maybe our future generations will know what they are too.



This is one of the pumpkins. We have 2 varieties. One is for edible seeds(hulless), and the other is for the flesh.(they are dark green). They should all be ready by about Halloween.


Lastly here are the lone survivors of our drought. They are sweet potatoes. They were planted with 50 of their closest Friends, but alas they died of thirst...These 10 made it; the hearty little guys. Now let just see if they survive the ants. I swear, there is always something, huh? We got the irrigation in before we planted the other veggies in July. These went in in June. Oh, well. You live and you learn....
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Don't tell the Kids!

I just tryed an experiment with food. I made some squash muffins to see if everyone liked them. Big hit! Even some picky kids that wouldn't touch squash with a 10 foot pole ate them. First of all, if you have one of those picky kids, don't let them in the kitchen while you are making them, second if they ask what they are, they are banana muffins. Not entirely a lie I used the banana muffin recipe....

Here it is:

Banana surprise muffins

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 lg eggs
3/4 c. honey or brown sugar
1 lg squash or zucchini peeled and shredded
3/4 c. milk or buttermilk
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla

mix together until just blended.
Put into muffin tins.

Mix in a separate bowl:
1 c. flour
1/2 c. butter
1/3 c. brown sugar

mix with a fork until crumbly
crumble onto tops of muffins.

Bake in 375 degree oven for 15 min. then let cool
Makes 12 muffins

Back to School

It's that time of year again. The kids got back into the school groove. We actually started 2 weeks ago, but it has been hit or miss, with the gardens, dentist apt, and jelly-making and all. It is still technically the busiest part of the year still-winding down though. I have been feverishly working on some Montessori math equipment. I like the Montessori way of teaching math-very hands on without too much teacher involvement after the child has understood the use of the equipment. It also teaches in a linear manner, one concept at a time. My children seem to work better that way instead of skipping around. Unfortunately though, the manuals and equipment are wicked expensive, and we just don't have that kind of cheese in our budget. So I got to looking at some of the pictures and found out I could make this stuff cheap with a little creativity. I ended up only spending $12 on all involved. Granted we do have a lot of scraps in our shop. I thought I would post some pictures of them and the kids using them. It was absolutely worth all the work it took(really only 3 days) to get this stuff together. My daughter has never asked for more long division until now! I like it when something goes well!

this is the division board I made. It is technically called "test-tube division" but this is my version.

These are the fraction and percentage work materials




This is some racks and stuff Brian made for the maps and blue/red rods and geometric cabinet stuff. He did a great job!


This is my home-made abacus. Cardboard and beads. Easy stuff!

pickin' pears

I love good neighbors! Ours just asked if we would like to pick some pears. Of course we aren't going to pass up free food, so the kids picked and I started the process of turning them into something usable. I decided to try my hand at pear jelly, I heard it was just like apple. Because my venture with jellies went so badly this year, I figured we could use the jelly it the cabinet.I am the world's worst jelly maker. I have never been successful at making it, it just won't jell!  So, looking for a recipe I ran across a site from a u-pick orchard and it said to just use the recipe from the pectin package of whichever one you are using. Said that should make a differance. I did just that and you know what it worked! I made jelly!

New recipe

My late summer garden is producing an abundance of winter squash (delicatata) and I didn't know what to do with it. So, I thought, maybe it could be used like eggplant. Success! I made eggplant or should I say delicatata squash parmigiana. It was fantastic! If you ever have this wonderful vegetable, so try this recipe. By the way this type of squash produces 10x more than the summer variety, it keeps well through the winter and appears to be a bit more drought, and bug tolerant. Love it!

Here is the recipe:

SQUASH PARMIGIANA

Read more about it at www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1916,155181-252192,00.html Content Copyright © 2011 Cooks.com - All rights reserved. 1 eggplant (or delicatata squash) Eggs & bread crumbs or corn meal meal for breading  tomato sauce Olive oil to thin coat bottom & side of baking dish Sliced mozzarella Grated Parmigiana Thin slice eggplant/squash, storing slices in a deep bowl of ice water until ready to bread. slice the squash straight for simple dipping , make sure to scoop out the seeds.  Bread and  fry in 1/2 inches of light oil on medium heat and drain. (about 2-3 min. per side)  Layer prepared glass baking dish/pan with  sauce, breaded and fried eggplant, sliced mozzarella and grated parmigiana. Bake at 375 degrees until top is browned (or at least melted). We served it over fresh made angel hair pasta. Absolutely delicious! Here are some pics of us making this!

Ode to Autumn

I have not been on to do any new postings, we were very busy in the homestead kitchen. We have been busy putting up food from the garden, and taking breaks to have fun, this summer. It is not a job that is for the faint of heart, I tell you. When the spring begins and I see that freshly plowed ground and think of all the beauty and bounty that will come out of it, I can't wait to tackle that earth again. Then as summer goes on and the heat is searing, my garden is starting to go through it's life fazes and is not quite so pretty anymore, and I have canned the 200th jar, I start to think "why do I do this to myself year after year?" It reminds me of pregnancy. You love getting yourself pregnant, but when you are about to deliver you are thinking, "Why do I keep doing this"?
But just like any pregnancy, it does come to an end and you look at that bundle in your arms and it is all worth it. It is the same with my gardens. I passed by my pantry and looked in the freezer, and I saw all that food for the winter. We will have variety because of our work. Any amount of Independence I can have is also a reward. Not being a slave to the economy....pure bliss.
So anyway, I wanted to say "Cheers!" to the coming of Fall. To the last planting of the year, to the final harvest and the beginning of school. To the cooling of the weather and the final culmination in the Rosh Hashanna and Thanksgiving celebrations that signal our time of rest. May God bless this final faze of the year.

parenting

Parenting is hands down the hardest thing I have ever and will ever do in my life. Running a home and gardening is nothing compared to the mental work that is done in creatively not sending your kids into the world with a chip on their shoulders. I am constantly beseeching the Lord for wisdom to know what each of them needs-or doesn't need for that matter. I am looking for constant council as the leader of my children. Sometimes I think, "shouldn't I know this stuff?" But there was not one class in all of my lower education in 'Child Training'.

I spent my whole childhood learning how to add, subtract and multiply. How to do science, reading, and history. I know why the earth has seasons, how many planets are in our solar system, but I lack the basis in how to raise a child in "the way they should go". What is wrong with this picture. (though in this aspect I should be glad I had all those exercises on deductive reasoning.)

Spirituality was far under emphasized in my childhood, though I got a lot of lectures on how not to behave. I would like to give my children the type of spiritual  training that might help them avoid this stumbling block as they raise their children, but I am lacking in earthly influence to know what exactly that would look or sound like. I know God can teach me all things, to bring me into the wisdom of truth. And maybe in some way this post is doing just that. I just sometimes wish my children had come with an individualized instruction guide, complete with trouble-shooting manual.

Corn Harvest

Corn day came and we spent the morning in the shade of the corn stalks. Despite the Temperature outside, beneath the tall stalks it remained a constant 90 degrees....weird when that feels cool. But when the sun isn't beating you up it really isn't that bad. The harvest was wonderful despite the lack of rain. We pulled in 230 corns-on-,the cob.

Love and Hate

There is a fine line between love and hate. Me and blackberries share this relationship. I was picking one day and really enjoying the bumper crop that we have had this year; but was wondering, as the blackberry bramble once again tried to swallow me up, just how much blood is mixed in with the harvest. My children on the other hand have a love-love relationship with the berries. They watch momma pick, then they eat all the berries...aahh to be a kid again.

What makes me me.

How often do we as a culture wonder "who am I".... I passed my bookshelf, looking for something to read. I slowly went over the bindings of the books with my eyes and realized the next time I wonder that question, I will come here. What is on those shelves are like looking into my soul and seeing who I really am. What I cultivate within my mind.
My shelves are loaded with books in categories. I have herbal reference books on my top shelf,for easy access. Followed by homesteading, farm, and various animal care books. My next shelf holds many titles on nature; field guides, study of plants animals, botany, gardening, plant spirits and herbal majik. This is than followed by books on spirituality; in Christianity, Judaism,Native Americans and various other schools of thought including metaphysical studies. My next shelf is on  homeschooling, and child rearing. The next has manuals of all kinds-mostly belonging to my husband as well as relativity theory, physics, biology and string theory. Next comes the stories....The giver, The Shack, the Celestine Prophecy, civil war novels, Native American novels, historical fiction, Madeline L'Engle, J.R. Tolkin, C.S Lewis, Jean Auel, the classics, ...The list goes on. Then there are magazines on herbalism, homesteading, and home school. Montessori manuals and other curriculum items. Then Last, but not least, my favorites.(usually kept on the floor near my bed);My tattered bible, The Course on Miracles, the Vines Bible Dictionary, and the Metaphysical Bible Dictionary. Oh, and the three latest books I am currently reading: Natural birth control, Nurturing the child's spirit; a guide to non-secionarian classrooms, and Bygones( novel on Amish life). So that in a nutshell is who I am. I literally am what I eat. And I love to gobble up books.

Master bread rercipe

A few people have asked for this recipe so here it  is:

5 1/2 CUP whole wheat flour
2 cups unbleached whitte or fresh ground kamut (my new favorite)
1 tblsp salt
2 tblsp yeast
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
4 cups luke warm water

mix it all up and let sit on counter over night or for 8 hours. It will rise and then fall. then use or put in fridge for up to 5 days.

I use this recipe for bread, doughnuts, pitas, pizza douigh, cinnimon bread, or sticky buns. It is great to have in the fridge iwhen you are in a pinch, as I am sometimes too busy for fresh bread. If you roll it out really thin, you can also use it for crackers. I will post the use of it for doughnuts soon. Enjoy!

gardens, gardens, and more gardens....

I love gardens! Flowers and herbs and veggies.... I just love them all. And because you just can't have too many gardens I put in another one! I made what is called a knot garden, though my husband says 'not' garden, because right now it is just a design, not a garden. But I beg to differ. It also doubles up as a meditational walking paths. The Chickens sure love it!

Here are some pictures of the other gardens in the beginning of their full bloom.This is my flower garden out front.This is a side view of the Home Vegetable gardenThis is my newest herb garden.
This is the children's gardenHere is Willow hiding in the peas.This is my first herb garden. When we first planted it the fig tree was only 2 feet tall. Looks like I will be needing to relocate these herbs to the new garden next year!This is Faith's little Vegetable patch. She worked hard on it, and now is finally seeing the fruits of her labour.

Picken' Taters

This weekend brought 100 degree weather, and time to pick potatoes. I think it worked that way so God could show us what it would really be like to be farmers, no fooling here! But even with the scorching temps we had a great time and harvested quite a crop. We guestimate somewhere around 300+ pounds of potatoes. The ants were not too bad this year and despite the shorter grow season due to the hot sun and no rain, we did quite fine. I tell you it just goes to show how little we really have to do with anything....All we did is take the inititive to put those potatoes in the ground. With only the help of God himself(we only got 4 inches of rain in the entire 2 1/2 month grow period)We got a magnificent harvest, and even got to share the work with family! We put on a little contest for the kids to see who could get the biggest potatoe from each type-Yukon Gold, purple Magesty, and Reds. It kept them motavated! Nathen won the prize for Yukon Gold and Purples, Calob won for The Reds, and Faith won best seed potatoe and hers will be the best of the next generation. There was a $1.00 prize for each catagory. The kids really rocked today. We were out of there in 2 hours.

here is a picture of a cluster of taters still on the plant.These are jsut some pictures of the rest of the feilds, the corn and beans. We have quite a harvest still ahead of us! Praise God for his boutiful goodness to us!

Chickens, I only cried once.

Well we butchered our chickens. I will spare you the pictures I will only write about the gory details. I hated looking at them. I did not like feeding them, and watching as I let them out of their pen and instead of eating free-range like normal chickens they would just leave their pen to go to the other feeding trough, or worse just sit and rest until their next meal came to them. It was very different then our other birds, but when all was said and done and our first meal was served it was all worth it. It was 12 pounds of organic-I-know-where-you-came-from-I-know-what-you-did meat. When the butchering started, having done this all before, I thought it would go off without a hitch. It did for the most part, though my oldest son and husband were both busy when one of the birds decided not to die. So my son asked me to hold it while he went to get a hatchet, because the beast refused to die. So here I am holding its feet while it flapped out of the cone and into the yard. I knew better then to let it go, so I proceeded to yell "I shouldn't be doing this!" while my husband tried not to laugh. I did start to cry though and then they sprang into action, and got the bird from me and killed it thoroughly. It took me a moment to compose myself and my daughter asked later "Why did you cry, mommy?" and I simply said"Because no matter how old I get I will always still be a girl." She understood that and went about her way. I must add she was the first to rush to my aid and hold me until I felt better. She is quite the "girl" herself.
We made it through though. Butchered nine birds by noon. And I must say, they were between 8-12 pounds and had a lot of fat, which is great when you roast one because they are so tender and delicious. All-in-all I am glad we did this, I might even do it again now that I am looking at the meat in my freezer. One thing I would change: Do it in the fall. Other than that, if you can overlook the way the birds look, which is not like any other chicken(quite disturbing in the way they eat), but they do produce good meat. The cost: about .50 cents per pound. We fed them only organic,non-medicated feed and payed about .99 cents per bird. The cost of feed being about $14.00 a bag because of it being organic/non-medicated. It was worth the extra cost.  I am happy with the results. We will try butchering some of our excess laying birds in the fall and compare the quality of meat before we embark on the cornish/barred rock meat birds again. But there is always Rabbits.....

Memorial Day

Memorial day for many is a day to be off work, party, visit family....A day to remember that men have lost their life in the persuit of our freedom. A freedom that we so often take for granted. I also like to remember our men who have not lost their lives to this cause, but also those who are still alive. A dear friend and I's husbands have been to the desert fighting and returned. My friend's husband is still there right now having given up his own freedom to be with his family so that we don't have to say prayers to Allah, but we can pray as we choose without having to fear death or jailing. I hope you will take a moment to say thank you to the God of Heaven, the God of Isreal, for the lives of these brave men, both living and dead, for giving us this freedom. I pray that we never forget this and start to give these freedoms away. That we will use this day to remember these things. So I give my shout out to these men. Thank you! We really appreciate you!

Pioneer Day

When I was a kid, I used to visit every plantation home and pioneer day from GA to NC. I was obsessed with being in the era of the 19th century. Now I have gotten my wish to be a part of the reenactment of these heritage days. I never imagined that my lifestyle would be an advantage when it came to being invited to be a part of these events, but I can truly thank my my father for making me learn to weave, it has been a real blessing.Here are some pictures from our latest Pioneer day, Gwinette County, GA. This was the McDaniel's Farm and Homestead. It was saved as a historical site by a member of the McDaniel's family. When you drive there you would never know that it existed from the looks of the car lots and Malls that have gone up all around it. I am glad that that 126 acres was saved. When you drive into the park, you can't even remember that you were just on Satellite Blvd. It is a place I recommend visiting sometime, they have the park and home open all the time and you can schedule tours with an appointment. this is the school teacher at pioneer school.this is the 2 girls ready for school. They actually look like they belong there!Here is the school.this was one of my classes. I was teaching how to do rush weaving on small stools.here was the resident weaver. Faith really took to it!This is caitlin getting me some water for the class.These are just some others I liked. All-in-all we had a great day, had a homeschool adventure and met some new people. I love learning!