Homesteading......

These are the seeds of my garlic chive plant. They are part of the reason why I haven't blogged for a week. It is all part of my "Homesteading" agenda. What is homesteading? By definition:  Homesteading is a lifestyle of simple self-sufficiency. 


I want to be a homesteader in every sense of the word. I want land, as in acres, with chickens, cows, goats, numerous fruit trees and gardens dotting the land. I dream about it. I crave it. Of course, with that dream comes time to actually work the land but my dream is there. I believe dreams can come true.


My neighbor, Shawn, has this same dream. We bumped into each other at the bookstore and he had a handful of "homesteading" books in his hands. Conversation sparked. He has "the dream" as well. We both came to the same conclusion that if we want that dream, we have to prove that we really want it and need to make our 1/4 acre into our own personal homestead now. There is really so much we can do with the land that we have. There are spaces that have not been utilized. If we can't "homestead" what we have, we have no right to gain bigger acres with bigger responsibilities. 


Therefor, I have been very busy. Not that I haven't always had a garden, planted fruit trees, bought chickens, etc. But, there is so much more I want to do. I sit here with a broken back and dirty toenails that still haven't cleaned up like I would like. I have been shoveling Cow stuff in my garden today. Really, all week. I decided to do all the tilling by hand with a little shovel and some gloves. I finished one side in just under 8 hours. I still have another side to go. My sidekick has been way too busy this week and it has been all me. It is a great workout! The ground was hard....really hard. But, it looks fluffy and dark and ready for plants. Super late but  nonetheless, I am going to have plants.


I also enjoyed pruning my very tall plum tree much to the amusement of my little neighbor boys as I scaled the fence and balanced with a trimmer in one hand. Believe me, it was impressive. I have also dried some seeds from my garden just pulled out for next seasons garden. Gardening is expensive. If you don't use some of your own seeds and your own mulch, the cost keeps adding up. I am trying to cut that cost down a little. We will see how the seed thing goes. If you want to dry your seeds, simply let that plant go to seed if seeds aren't produced in a fruit/veggie. Dry the seeds out and then store them in a packet in the fridge or freezer. Here are some cute seed packets to print:
http://www.gardensablaze.com/SeedPacket1.jpg


There is something about working the land that is so completely satisfying. For me, nothing compares. I love dirt on my toes and hands. I love watering things. I love collecting my chicken eggs daily. I loved processing the 40 pound box of apples this week to freeze for later use. I love my new pomegranate tree with the promise of future backyard yields. I love the oranges and tangerines starting to turn a shade of orange. I love being able to go outside without the fear of melting. I belong on a farm. I was born in the wrong century. But.....I will have my dream. It may be on 1/4 acre for now but it will be perfect. I am a homesteader. I am really tired. I think everyone should have a piece of land to work. It brings you closer to the Almighty. Nature is purifying. I could go on and on about the health benefits of why we should all grow food but you all know that. But, it is for the mind as well. Life is too busy, too rushed. We all need a little time out to put our hands in the dirt and to smell the fresh air. 


Try it. 

Roll up water bottles.

I have struggled to find a good water bottle that my teens will actually like to carry around school. I don't buy plastic, throw away water bottles unless on a trip in my effort to help save the world a bit. However, I have a teen in particular that will buy his own because I haven't found a water bottle cool enough for him to bring to school or one that will not leak at all.



In California last week, I saw this neat water bottle that rolls up when you are done for easy storage. It freezes, doesn't leak and looks "cool". Top it off, it is BPA free! Hooray. I bought a couple and after trying them out on the highschoolers, the little ones begged for their own. Amazon saved the day and we ordered a few more.

They have this great clip on them so they can clip right to their backpacks. Lightweight, stylish and durable. Thanks, Vapur. Great idea.

Chicken Feed

Now that I am a chicken rancher, I get many emails about what I feed my chickens. This is a great question and one I have thought a lot about. The reason I have chickens isn't so I can spray off the chicken droppings three times a day just for fun....it is so I can have the best, most nutritious eggs sans the hormones and pesticides that are in store bought eggs. Therefor, if I fed them the exact things that are fed to commercial chickens, I would just be spraying off the patio in vain. I certainly don't know everything about chicken ranching yet, but with the help of my professional buddies I  get to bombard with questions, I am learning as I go.


The question I get mostly relates to corn and soy. Yes, corn and soy is in EVERYTHING!!!! We must all have DNA that shows up now with little corn cobs linking our double helix and coated with a glaze of soy. If you ever read a label to almost anything processed, you will find these ingredients in there somewhere. The problem with this is that these are super GMO'd and super horrible for you. Chicken feed is usually heavy laden with these two ingredients. I thought it was because it was the cheap way to feed them. I learned a little from my BACKYARD FARMER friend, Galen who always schools me on whatever I email him. 


Here is what he said to me when asked about corn and soy costs:


The biggest issue I run into is the impression that corn and soy are the cheapest grains and that is why they use them for feeds.  Soy cost twice as much as corn and corn cost more than wheat, Milo, peas. oats etc.

The protein is higher and that is why they use them. you have to add protein like fishmeal or blood meal to other grains to get the protein % to the proper level for the type of feed being made and the fishmeal and other protein products are very expensive.

A 50# bag of corn around  $15

A 50# bag of Fishmeal  $65-85


Chickens need their protein. To be good layers, they need the right composition of calcium, protein, vitamins and greens. I am sure they could survive off of about any scraps around, just like humans do on a regular basis, but to get the best eggs and lots of them, their diet is important.


What do I feed my chickens? Mine get to roam the backyard and eat lots of grass and bugs first off. They had a field day in my mulch bin as I stirred it and the little roaches came crawling out. Yuck. They eat everything we have left over: oatmeal from breakfast, pancakes, stale bread, rice, noodles , odds and ends from every fruit and veggie I don't use, kefir, etc. When I step out the back door, they run up to me like I am their queen. The chicken mama, as my husband calls me. They know I usually have something good in my hand and they greet me with all the love their little chicken bodies can show. I don't feel so guilty about wasting when I know in the end, it will turn into an egg!


For their grains, I use three different feeds. I get them all from THE BACKYARD FARMER. I use a layer feed, a scratch and an egg enhancer. 


The layer feed has extra ingredients for calcium like oyster shells and fish meal. His feed has corn in the ingredients but it is not the first thing on the list and contains fish meal and alfalfa as well. The Super scratch also has wheat and milo. The Ultra Egg enhancer is my very favorite as it turns the yolks a deep orange indicating the nutrients embedded in these fresh, backyard eggs. I give them a cup a day to munch on for all 5 birds. They go crazy when I sprinkle this down. The Backyard Farmer whips this up himself. He says he will be making a soy/corn free feed coming up but it will be more expensive. I am OK with giving a little corn, but I like that it isn't what my chickens live on. They get all sorts of grains and nutrients, all sorts of fresh produce and grass. They get vitamins and high grain feed. They look like healthy, happy chickens. 


So, my fellow chicken mama's out there; I hope this answers some questions. Like with humans, the key is moderation. If you could do all corn/soy free, that is best but since that is hard to find unless you are making it yourself, do your best to moderate and feed them all sorts of things balancing their proteins. I will keep you posted when THE BACKYARD FARMER has his corn/soy free feed available. Till then, I will keep on using my current mixture that is the best I can find. 


Remember, businesses will sell what is in demand. If we don't ask for it, we won't get it. Every time I go to Costco, I see more and more organic and healthy choices. I am so impressed and if we didn't buy it, they wouldn't stock it. They even had organic premade hamburger patties this last time. Love them! Support good food.

Getting in Gear

Whomever the person is who gave us fall break, bless them. We just returned from another glorious week at the beach. It was a little rough getting up this morning to an alarm but somehow, we dug deep and got out the door. I pieced some sort of breakfast and lunch together out of absolutely nothing in the fridge. Thanks to the chickens who welcomed me home with an egg to make some muffins and the few scraps here and there in the fridge. I wondered how it would be if I couldn't shop today and had to live off what I had for a month. I am halfway tempted to try it but after a week at the beach, I desperately need some good greens. Sure, we could survive. I do have a year supply but I would miss the fresh food and the garden isn't quite in yet. The chickens were privileged to the garden while I was away since the gate was left open and everything is pretty much down to the stalks. It was time to dig them up anyways but I was going to leave my pepper plants. No more. Hope they enjoyed their feast.


I want to do so many things right now that it is hard to do any of it. It just seems that when your list is so long, it is hard to focus on any of it if you know what I mean. I am picking up a 40 pound box of apples today that will need processing, I need to get my garden in this week, preschool lessons planned and taught, a merit badge clinic I need to teach on cooking, baseball and soccer games, etc. , etc. All good things but so overwhelming. Add to that the 20 loads of sandy laundry waiting for me and grandparents who need visiting. I just realized that it is also early release for parent teacher conference this week which means less productive hours at my house. Oh well, glad to have the kids home. I guess they will have to be put to work.


Anyways, I love this time of year. The holiday's are beginning. I am anxious for cool weather and family time. I love having my family together and know that that time is drawing more and more to an end. The oldest is applying for college now and soon a mission. I realized that at the beach this week, it may be his last time there with us for a few years. Big time mommy pains. How could time go so quickly? 


Thank you fall break. Thanks for letting me have my children for a week. Sorry we dodged out on the ball games but I just had to have them to myself. Just a little longer. Today I will work on my list. Laundry first, food next. At least we are starting out the week with great tans and fully rested spirits. Hope you all had a good break too.


If you live out in the east valley and want to get a 40 pound box of local organic apples to munch on this week too, shoot me an email. My friend has a few boxes of Granny Smith left for $40 for the box. Super great deal. They are going fast!!

Chimichanga; Unfried, Uncheesed.

This was half eaten before I remembered to take a picture for you all. Not so pretty but quite tasty. I have been struggling to come up with some good Mexican food without cheese. Not all of us are completely dairy free at  my house but I have been trying to keep meals dairy free for a good handful of my household members. Now when you are also trying to do meat only a couple of the meals a week, the laying off of cheese is even more tricky. The thing I have been missing is the occasional enchilada or chimichanga. In desperation to make it seem like we were eating a chimichanga, I put this dinner together with a little inspiration from a recipe from Miss Molly's cookbook. It passed the food critic's in the house. I did put a little tiny bit of cheese in a couple and honestly, I didn't taste much difference in the non cheese ones. You could really go as low fat and healthy as you want with this dish.

Here is how it assembled, to the best of my recollection:

Baked Chimichangas

Flour tortillas, whole wheat or white

Butter or Olive Oil to brush tops of tortillas

1 cup cooked and shredded chicken (optional)

2 cups black beans

1cup corn corn

1 medium diced onion

1/2 cup diced red, yellow or orange bell pepper

1 cup pureed type salsa

1 -2 tsp.Cumin 

salt

pepper

Cheese if desired

Saute onions and peppers in olive oil or butter until limp. Add cumin then all other ingredients but tortillas. Season to taste with extra cumin, salt and pepper. Add enough salsa to make mixture a little moist, not overly wet.

Fill tortillas with mixture and cheese if desired and roll with both ends closed. Brush tops with olive oil or butter and put in a pan. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes.

Top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes , cilantro, avacado's and whatever else you want to throw on it.

Apple season around the corner.

There is a sense around here that fall is coming. It is only 100 degrees today so I am almost giddy. I have faith that someday we will be able to pull out the hoodies and play outside for more than a half hour at a time. It will happen! That means, apple season, pumpkin pie, holidays! Hooray!

A couple weeks ago, we were up at the cabin and the apples were ripe for the picking. It had been a couple years since we have had good apples due to the frost and Elk. The kids were busy gathering bags full to take home to munch. We needed to use them up fast so we ate lots and lots of apple dishes: Apple crepes, apple muffins, apple crisp, apples and peanut butter, apple sauce, etc. I still had a big bag full so I did the lazy girls version of canning; my favorite.

I used my handy apple corer/peeler and in minutes had those apples in cute little rings. Immediately they were dunked in a bowl with half water, half apple juice (no sugar variety) and about 8 drops of lemon oil (essential oil) to keep them from turning brown. As I would peel/core the apples, I would put them in the bowl. This way , they were kept from turning brown while I was getting the whole batch done. 

After the bowl was filled. I gently put them in quart freezer bags, making sure that there was a some juice in each bag so that they were not exposed to air. I would seal them up tight so there were not any air pockets and into the freezer they went. I always have a backup plan in case we all loose power , long term and my freezer food storage would spoil. I have a 3 burner camp stove with 4 extra propane tanks filled and ready to used. I have lots of mason jars and  good pressure cooker/canner. I would can them immediately so then they could go on the shelf. Same thing for the meats in the freezer. I prefer to have my food frozen, not canned so I usually go for the freezer first with the canning back up plan. When I run out of room in the big freezer, I opt for canning but I haven't been that good lately to stock up as I should. Hopefully I will be better the rest of the year!

These apples are great to pull out to use for waffle and crepe toppings or apple crisp. I love that they aren't in a syrup to ruin the nutritional quality. Apples are sweet enough. They don't get mushy if you use good apples.

Until next Wednesday, October 5th, Organic apples are on sale for $.99 per pound at Sprouts. Great time to get your apples stash going!

Pre-Schooling

Now that I am 17 1/2 years into child rearing and into my second year of teaching those cute little chubby fingers in my preschool classes; I have some opinions about early education. Now, granted, this is my opinion so take it for what may but there are probably a few out there who may also agree with me. This opinion probably has changed a bit over the years and really takes watching your first born go from womb to graduation. Watching my children's journey in education has inspired me in my preschool teaching and what these little ones really need to succeed in their primary education.

Everyone will learn their ABC's at a certain time in their life, barring disabilities of course. They will be able to count to 20, recite their colors and label shapes. It will happen if they aren't already there by 3. So many measure their little ones success and intelligence by what they know at 3 and worry way too much if those milestones aren't met. What I have learned is that the pre-school years should be focusing on getting ready to learn. Of course, learning academia at this age is also important but a huge focus should be on learning how to learn.

For instance, if a child lacks obedience for authority, ability to hold still and focus or inspiration to learn, they won't be nearly as teachable. If a child is allowed to run the show and dictate their every wish; that will carry into their education. If they lack manners or social skills, education and friendships will also suffer.

Therefor, these early "pre-school" years should be focused heavily on shaping these little primary students to be. If they come out of it knowing how to read ahead of the game and are the smartest cookie in the class; great! However, the most important thing is that they are ready to learn. They become ready to learn by holding still when it is required, being polite, respecting authority, being attentive, being obedient. When these are mastered, everything else will fall into place. Not everyone is a rocket scientist. We all come with different levels of intelligence but social skills and manners will make up the difference. Guaranteed.

Teaching these skills takes patience and diligence. It means not letting the little ones run the show. It means not giving up when it doesn't go smoothly. This can be done in a sweet but firm manner. I run my preschool like this and somehow, they all love me despite my rules. I expect them to listen, to be polite and to follow the rules of kindness. It is a learning process so it does take repetition. So many times it is easier to let the little ones get what they want so we don't have to endure the fight but this will only carry on to bigger things in life. You need to nip it in the bud early on.

I get to see lots of little personalities. I get warned by moms of their child's precociousness and stubbornness. I sort of like these challenges. It really doesn't take very long to get them in the groove of things. They learn the rules quite well since there really isn't an option for them. It can be done without time outs and belittling. 

Every child is different. Some are born with more ants in their pants than the others. Every mom can testify to that. However, I am a firm believer that each and every one of them can learn all the skills they need to be successful in the classroom. That is true for the typical child as well as those with special needs. Just a little more patience is involved. This must start in the home as early as can be. Children really do best with rules. 

For me, I feel that if my preschoolers graduate from my class with nothing else than learning to sit still when asked, saying "please" and "thank you" without being prompted, sharing and being kind to each other, respecting my authority and following the rules; my job has been done. Of course, it is great if they can learn the basic preschool academia as well but that is done over and over again the next few years of school.

Just my thoughts but for my children, I think this has worked. Even my little Tater with autism is an extremely obedient little one for his teachers. Not always for mom but he respects his teacher. He follows rules like their wasn't an option. I know by learning this early, this principle has blessed my children's lives. I thank the teachers who have persisted to teach this to my children and have not let them get away with things. I thank the teachers who have made learning fun and creative. 

Children need to be inspired and that means they need to be allowed to be creative and hands on. Just one fun thing before I end this sermon ; the picture above is something we do often for snack time. Toothpicks; love them! It makes snack time fun and educational. On this day, I gave them toothpicks, Cheerios and raisins. We were learning patterns so I would tell them how many cheerios and raisins to pattern. They loved it and it was much more entertaining than writing it out on paper. It also teaches them to sit and focus and to develop a better pincher grip. Just a little idea to pass along.

Thanks for listening.

P.S. I have ordered some extra immune boosting supplements and allergy pills for those who missed my order today. First come, first serve.

The Tour

I am simply in love with the Queen Creek Olive mill. After years of wanting to go take the tour, I finally did with my hot date and we both fell in love with it all. This mill is truly a "5 star" establishment and sticks to the Enlightened Homemakers strict guidelines for acceptable foods. I learned so much about the process of making olive oil and what true, good olive oil is about. I learned that "light Olive Oil" in the stores is the worst of it all; the garbage oil. So many think that means low calorie. Stay away from that. You want Extra virgin, expeller pressed and from the Olive Mill if you can! (you out of towners can order from them).


First,  I must tell you a bit about the great people who brought this to us. The owner, Perry, had a lucrative auto parts business in Detroit (I think it was there?) and decided to retire from it and do something different with his life. He had a gaggle of kids and wanted them to learn something new. He had farmer stock in his family and decided that would be a good venture. Now, he did what I want to do in the worst way ever. He yanked those kids from their home and moved them far away to become farmers. He decided on olive trees and before he knew it, he was making some amazing olive oil that fine restaurants were begging for. Today, he is on top of his game with some of the best oil in the world. I will leave the rest for you to learn about. My dream is to have a plot of land, away from the worldly things of this life (not too far), away from chaos and rush of life and to have my hands in dirt and up to my elbows in canning and homemaking. I love that this man had a dream and went with it. I love that he makes quality and does not , at all cost, cut corners jeopardizing it.


Back to the olive oil; these trees are grown under sustainable farming. No pesticides, no waste. They use the left over olive pulp for mulch. They press the oil using the best possible techniques so you get all the flavor and all the nutrition. Perry hand makes all the oil blends with his amazing touch. If you go, you get to sample them all. I had the chocolate olive oil drizzled on my roasted banana gelato. Heavenly. I had an amazing roasted veggie foccacia sandwich and their homemade prickly pear lemonade. I wish you could have all joined me. 


The Backyard Farmer just delivered the Garlic Olive Oil to me from the Olive Mill and I can't wait to use it tonight. This is going to be an expensive new hobbie!


Anyways, I simply love how there is still quality in this life. I love that people find passions and go for their dream. I love that kids are learning to work hard. I love that there are people like Perry in this world and I so hope that I can meet him soon. (Anyone at the Olive Mill reading may hook me up anytime. I will do dishes or shovel olive manure; whatever it takes)


Hope you all can take the tour. It is a great date. Go in October and you will get to actually see the whole process as it will be harvest time. It really is fascinating and makes you appreciate food. We are so detached from our food. If we saw how things were made or grown, we would be much more picky about what we eat. I now will only be able to use this Olive Oil. I am spoiled on the good stuff. It is rough being a foodie.


**P.S., you can still get the Groupon for $18 that is good for two tours, two gourmet sandwiches and two drinks. Super great deal:
Olive Mill Groupon

My new addiction....

I don't know how I have survived this long on my culinary journey without the encounter of these delectable oils of splendor. Honestly. How did I not splurge before now? This was my first lot of Gourmet olive oils from our very own Olive Mill in AZ. I came home with 3 oils and one vinegar. I will be going back very soon. I will not rest until I own them all. I started with Blood Orange, lime, rosemary and the pomegranate vinegar. I opened the blood orange and really could have drank it. It was amazing. If you haven't tried fresh pressed olive oil, you have no idea what you are missing. It has a whole different taste to it. I drizzled it on my cantaloupe with a little chopped mint. I then put some of the blood orange and pomegranate vinegar together for a salad dressing. Nothing else needed. The rosemary vinegar was half gone after my Sunday dinner. I rubbed a whole chicken with the oil and put some rosemary and thyme sprigs in the cavity. I tossed the new potatoes with the rosemary oil along with  the roasted vegetables. Divine!! The lime oil was used in my veggie fajitas. 


You can get some of this delicious oil at the Langley's market on Guadalupe just west of Higley (click here) or at the Queen Creek Olive mill (click here). Did you know they have some of the best olive oil in the world? Even better than Italy? So I am told and now believe. The Olive Mill has an oil of the month club that I am itching to join...just for fun! You can also get some of this oil delivered right to your house from the Backyard farmer along with some local produce. (click here) I just ordered up some roasted garlic olive oil with my Backyard Farmer order next week. Can't wait for Wednesday. The jalapeno olive oil will be on next weeks order, ooooh and the Backyard Farmers fresh cranberry beans and sweet peppers; a lovely pair!


It is so nice to be able to completely season your food with just a little drizzle of olive oil and vinegar. They even have a chocolate vinegar. Not sure about what to do with that one yet....strawberries? 


****Supplement and oil orders are due Monday. B complex, D3, Spice of Life, C? Stay healthy this year!

Sprouts deals for the week.....

Yipee! Sprouts has organic green grapes on sale for $1.49 per pound right now. Doesn't get better than that! Great time to stock up and freeze them. They taste like candy when frozen.


They also have Organic Pluots for $.99 per pound, also great to freeze and put in a smoothie. 


Their organic So Delicious Dairy free ice cream is 2/$7.


Neti pot, aka, the Nasal Cleansing Pot is $12.99. This is a great thing to have on hand for the upcoming flu and cold season to flush out the gunk.


Their whole , seedless watermelon's are $1.49! 


Sale prices are good until the 7th.