Wild Turkeys On the Run and Seedy Sunday's

The last three Sunday's my hubby and I have participated in some local Seedy Sunday Sales. We sold our seed from our small joint family seed business. I really enjoy these get together's. It is a neat way to meet people out in our local community and surrounding areas. There are a lot of neat people that we have been blessed in friendship with. One friend we have made through these sales the last couple of years has blessed us with new seed to try out and grow and save. I am really excited with the bean seeds given last year, tomato seeds he gave us this year and a tomato variety he wants to share next year. We are so blessed by this friend.

On the way home from the seed sale we had the pleasant surprise of getting to see some of the local wild turkeys. We wondered where they were sense we hadn't seen them in a while but they made their appearance on Sunday. In the picture down below is at lake level and there is hardly any snow down there unlike us further up the mountain. Snow is melting more and more each day and it won't be too long before we start digging in the garden.

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Food Storage Challenge~ In The Thinking Stage

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I am working on the first assignment of the Food Storage Challenge at my friend Lori's blog. It is going slowly for me right now being sick with a bad cold and I think we finally finished packaging the seeds up for the seed business. I have to admit I am still in the thinking stage. I am taking mental notes of what we have stored up and what holes need filling. I have had sooooooo much fun looking through all my cookbooks and making a dream menu list of what I would like to make. Then I should probably take it down a notch or two. *grin* It's got me looking at things I have always wanted to try to make and got me thinking about it again. One thing I thought looked too hard to make really didn't look that hard this time round. I want to make cottage cheese. I tried one way once and did not like it because you used vinegar and that was all I could taste when I had made it. But I have a recipe for another way that I thought was too hard but doesn't use vinegar. And I think I will try making it when I am not sick with a bad cold. In some ways it reminds me of making yogurt. If it works out for me I am happy to write a tutorial on it for Friday Farm Girls @ Heart. The only thing I need for it is buttermilk. [0= But other than that I have a bit to go in picking what I want to put on my menu plan and then I need to break it down what I still need.

The part my friend Lori talked about in the instructions really stands out to me is the part about praying. She is so right and we need to stop and pray what steps the Lord wants us to take. It may be harder for some but each small baby step will get us closer and closer to our goal. I do believe the Lord wants us to prepare. Not to leave everything to chance. It is one thing if you cannot do something on your own and you need the Lord's help but it is another thing when we can over time and once again depend on the Lord for each step and leading.

I hope to be writing out on my index cards the next few days of some plans and will post a update on it.

Here is some of what Lori had said in her post....

PART A ~ PRAYING

Always, always, always pray before undertaking any kind of project for your family! Ask God to watch over you. Ask Him to help you make wise decisions. Ask Him to lead you. And, if you are married, ask your husband if it's alright for you to do this.

"Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future. ...She looks well to the ways of her household..." (Proverbs 31:25, 27)

PART B ~ THINKING

(1) Take a walk through the house and decide where you will keep your stored food. How much space will you need? It depends upon what foods you choose, and what form they come in (normal size packaging vs. bulk, flour vs. wheat berries that you'll grind later, boxes, cans, etc); that said, I have read that a super basic storage would fit under the average twin-size bed.

You'll need either your computer or good old-fashioned paper and pencil, and 29 file cards (or paper cut into roughly card size, I use 4x6"). We will NOT be buying anything for a while yet...we are planning, planning, planning!

• On a piece of paper, or on your computer, make a list of 7 things your family likes to eat for breakfast, then 7 things your family likes to eat for lunch, then 7 things your family likes to eat for dinner, and finally 7 things your family likes to eat for dessert. Keep in the back of your mind that we're going for food storage, so try to list things that are easy to make and that aren't largely dependent upon fresh produce! (If you're at a loss for what kinds of things to select, or just want some ideas or new recipes, Wendy lists a number of them on her site...click HERE to view the post, and you'll find the meal ideas almost halfway down the page.)
• Next, you'll need 29 file cards (or file-card-size pieces of paper). Divide these into four piles of 7 cards, with one card leftover (it is your "Bread Card").
• Take your first set of 7 cards, and at the top of each card write down the name of an *uncomplicated breakfast that you could make for your family and which you could eat once a week for 13 weeks (3 months). You should have 7 cards, each one with a different breakfast name written at the top. They can be similar, like "Oatmeal w/strawberries" and "Oatmeal with cinnamon and raisins," that's fine. If you eat Granola every single morning, then you'll have 7 cards that each have the same "title" at the top: "Granola."
  
  Take your 2nd set of 7 cards, and at the top of each card, write the name of an *uncomplicated lunch which you could feed your family and which you could eat once a week for 13 weeks (3 months)...7 cards, 7 different lunches.
  
  Take your 3rd set of 7 cards, and at the top of each card, write the name of an *uncomplicated dinner which you could feed your family and which you could eat once a week for 13 weeks (3 months)...7 cards, 7 different dinners.
  
  Take your 4th set of 7 cards, and at the top of each card, write the name of an *uncomplicated dessert which you could feed your family and which you could eat once a week for 13 weeks (3 months)...7 cards, 7 different desserts.
  
  *It is up to you if you feel you're doing this food storage for an emergency where you will assume you have no access to electricity or running water, or if you're doing it assuming an extreme economic hardship like a job-loss, but you'll still have an oven/stove/microwave, etc. You should select your meals accordingly...if you want waffles, you can store the ingredients, NO PROBLEM! But you're assuming you'll be able to plug in your waffle iron, unless you have a cast iron waffle pan and can cook them over an open fire. *grin*
• Now, for each card you've made, on the left side, make a list of every ingredient you would need to prepare that recipe for your family. Don't leave anything out...include the water needed to boil things like pasta and rice,especially if you want to plan for a scenario where you would not have running water available to you.
• Next, multiply each ingredient by 13 and list it on the right side of each card (there are 13 weeks in 3 months). Here, for example, is one of my breakfast cards:
  
  
  
  

You should now have 28 filled-out cards, and 1 blank card, which will be your "Bread Card." Rubber band them all together, or put them in an envelope, and set them aside somewhere safe...we'll come back to these in February!

To find out more please click on the graphic above and go visit my friend Lori.

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Mastering the Art of Yogurt Making

I wanted to share the method that helped me finally master the art of yogurt making. I have tried different ways and had always had runny yogurt. I was about to give up and then I found a way I could master the art of yogurt making.

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How to Master The Art of Yogurt Making

First warm your oven to about 350* for 4 minuets and then turn off oven and leave on the oven light. While I had done this I heated up my half gallon of milk on medium heat on the stove to 180* . ( it took me about 30 minutes ) I monitored this with my candy thermometer. I turned off the burner and set the pan on the table on a hot pad to cool near me where I was knitting. I let it cool down to about 115* to 120*. I took out one cup of the warm milk and wisked 4 Tablespoons of yogurt with active bacteria ( my starter). I then poured it back into the pan and wisked it a bit more. After you have mixed it then pour into clean quart jars and place on a cookie sheet in the warm oven. Leave the oven light on and let the yogurt set between 4-8 hours till thickened. If you let it go beyond 8 hours it will be more sour.

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I calculated by making your own yogurt you can spend 1/4 th the cost of what it would cost you in the store.

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To Make It Even More Tightwad’ish…

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One way to make this even more of tightwad’ish tip is to take your store bought yogurt (…your starter) and pour and freeze in ice cube trays. After frozen transfer future yogurt cubes into a zip-lock bag and place in freezer till you need them. Two ice cubes equals 4 Tablespoons. When you need your starter defrost 2 ice cubes and bring them to room temperature and use.

. You can also piggyback starters by using some of the yogurt from your batches of yogurt up to 3 or 4 times (piggy backing). And then you need to defrost another 2 yogurt ice cubes to start over again. If you try to piggy back over 4 times you are more than likely get tarter yogurt. This makes it so it is just pennies in your cost of yogurt starter.

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Extra Hints

…if your starter is tart you will probably get tart yogurt.

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Only make enough yogurt that you will use up in 5 days and then make another batch.

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I found if I wanted a thicker yogurt I used 2 % or whole milk. Or after you make your yogurt with 1% milk or skim you can strain on a coffee filter or cloth like a pillow case in a colander to make a more Greek style yogurt. ( save whey to use in bread or soup ).

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PS: I found this neat fact( from here)...

Flu Fighter #2: Yogurt

Yogurt contains probiotics — good bacteria that line our intestines and defend our body against invading germs. Buy plain yogurt to get fewer calories and less added sugar than you do from fruit-flavored versions, and add your own sweetness with a teaspoon of honey (which may also be an immune booster, because it feeds good bacteria in our gut). To make sure your yogurt contains probiotics, look on the container for the National Yogurt Association's "Live and Active Cultures" seal, which means there are at least two types of healthy bacteria and 100 million bacteria per gram.

To see more Farm Girls @ Heart or want to join in on the fun go see my friend Lori's blog by clicking the graphic.

Or visit Trish at...

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2011 Food Storage Challenge with Lori

( To join in on the fun or meet others who are participating click the graphic)
I saw this neat challenge over at my friend Lori's blog. Now for years we have tried to buy in bulk and store food. But this is a bit more organised and it intrigued my hubby and I. I showed it to Handsome last night and we decided to take the challenge. I am thankful we have certain things already stored up but this will help us fill in the blanks and get organised. *grin* I forgot to ask hubby if we are going to try the 3 month or 6 month storage. I would assume for now we are going to try for 3 month storage. I will be posting the planning after I sit down with hubby.

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