Black Friday - Just Staying Home and Enjoying Family

Black Friday is a day I normally don't venture out in. I never really saw the draw, and after working in retail, I certainly don't get it! People start shopping on Thanksgiving now, and will go all the way through into Black Friday. I've talked to some shoppers that don't even have Thanksgiving until the weekend, so that they can shop! Sorry - I was brought up that Thanksgiving family time started on Wednesday evening and went through to Sunday - when everyone had to return home. I long for those days when spending time with  family was more important than rushing out to stand in line for sales of items one really doesn't need anyhow. But that's just me.

I've been pouring over online seed catalogs, trying to decide what we will be planting next year. I am a Sustaining member of Seed Saver's Exchange and an heirloom gardener. I prefer seeds with stories that are open pollinated and love collecting seeds from the plants I grow. It is so much more satisfying for me to do that than to have to buy packets of seeds every year. Don't get me wrong - I still buy and trade seeds, because there's always something different I want to try.

I came across some asparagus seeds at Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. I've been wanting to plant some asparagus, but the plants can get a bit expensive. I chose the Precoce D'Argenteuil as they can be harvested in their second year instead of the normal three! The packet holds 75 seeds and has a lot of good ratings stating they are easy to grow and delicious, so I have a decent chance of succeeding with them! With them being an heirloom, I'll be able to collect seed and make a really nice bed of asparagus for $3!

I also like MIgardener. Luke offers some amazing seeds at an unheard of price of 99 cents. He has over 500 varieties to choose from and everything I have purchased from his has always performed well for me. He also has a fantastic YouTube channel that has so many wonderful and informative videos. I have followed his channel from almost the beginning. I've learned so much and it's been great watching him grow.

The other place I get open pollinated/non-GMO seeds is from Fedco Seeds. Their prices are good and you get a nice amount of seed for the price. I've also had great success with their seeds in the past. They are out of Maine and have a lot more than seeds. They have trees, plants, tubers, berries, bulbs, etc. The most exciting thing for me is they offer root stock and scionwood for grafting as well as supplies. After I get out gardens established, I'm going to put my grafting classes to good use. Definitely worth a look at their catalogs!

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!

Weird Weather and A Late Soap Update

I can't believe the weather these last few days. We went from snow to 60's! It worked in well for putting out the crocus and the garlic late, but the plants are confused. My daffodils are about ready to break through the soil and the chrysanthemums are coming up. My chives are about 6 inches tall and my hydrangea is budding up. I haven't checked the other plants, but I certainly wonder what this late warm weather is going to do to everything. I lost my all my thyme and now wonder if it was from the same reason, as we had strange weather last winter as well.

While I was out doing some catch-up yard work, I gathered the last of my seeds. I got really behind on things, so I didn't really harvest anything. I was lucky and was able to get the seeds from my Dutch and Siberian irises as well as my garlic and regular chives. I found a patch of chives that had reseeded in an area I didn't want them in, so I dug them up and potted them up to keep inside this winter. I've never overwintered chives inside so we'll see what happens. Right now, they aren't looking the best, but this is just after potting them up - complete with dirt still on the side of the pot!

Crisco Soap curing.

Back in January and February of 2015, I made 3 batches of soap. My first batch of soap was from a soap making class that I took locally and it really didn't do very well (you can read more about it here). The second batch was a soap recipe using Crisco and that one traced really quickly (read more here) and the last batch was made following the instructions from Becky's Homestead. This soap was made using olive oil. (more info here). Well, they were cut, cured and then tried, but seemed like each one needed longer to cure. They were put in shoe boxes, put on the top shelf and there they sat, forgotten about, until this past year.

The bars are definitely dried and some have cracked, but they are all still usable. Out of the three, I like the Crisco one the best. It lathers enough to be pleasing, cleans well and doesn't seem to dry my hands out. Becky's recipe didn't do a lot for me. I'm not sure if it's the additives I put in or just not my type of soap, but that stuff will melt quickly and turns slimy. It is certainly not one for the shower. Even after 4 years of sitting in the box!  The one I made from the class is my least favorite. It just doesn't do it for me at all. Maybe because there was the lack of trace, I don't know, but without a recipe, there's not making again to find out.

Will I attempt soap making again? Yes! I just need to get through these bars first. That may be awhile, though, because now that they sat for so long, these guys are taking FOREVER to get through!

Cranberry Sauce Time!

Thanksgiving dinner is not complete without cranberry sauce. Don't take my word for it - ask my son! He will wipe out a whole can himself!!! He prefers my homemade, but will settle for the store bought if he has to, but no matter what kind, it HAS to be on the table.

I'm making 2 batches of sauce from 2 different recipes. I'll be doing my old standby (you can find the recipe here) and I'll be trying the one on the back of the Ocean Spray bag as well as on their website. The one on the bag has less sugar to berry ratio and also has more water and needs to be cooked to gel stage.

I heard that one doesn't need to use a Foley Mill, but can just blend the berries with a hand held stick blender. I don't know how that will work, but will be trying a batch to see. My guess is that it will make a more chunky sauce instead of a smooth one that I get from my mill, because the Foley takes out the skins.

Homemade Jellied Cranberry Sauce

3 cups Cranberries
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Water

Combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil, add the cranberries, then return contents to a boil. Reduce heat. Boil gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.

Place a Foley Mill over a medium mixing bowl. Pour contents of saucepan into mill and push through. Remove mill and stir berry mixture.

Pour into serving container or straight-sided jar. Cover and cool completely at room temperature before refrigerating.

Makes 1 cup.

First Snow of the Season

Yesterday at 4:45 am, I woke up to a brighter than normal morning and wondered why. I got up to have a peek and was surprised to see a dusting of snow. It looked a bit more impressive in the wee hours of the morning after the snow. By the time I thought of taking a picture, it was already melting. 

Saturday was a busy day filled with some much needed shopping. First we went to Sam's Club to pick up some of the sale items like peanut butter and raisins. Sam's is never a quick stop because I have so many friends that work there on both Sam's side as well as those that do the demos. Thank heavens hubby is a patient and understanding person!

From there, we went to Tractor Supply because he had to return some tires he had purchased for his garden cart that weren't what he needed. While he was off doing that, I found the clearance section and picked up some crocuses and some organic fertilizer that was on there. I didn't have any clue there would be snow when I woke up yesterday. I may not have gotten them if I had. With that said, the ground isn't frozen yet, so hopefully they'll have a chance and I'll see them next spring.

We discovered the outdoor Amish Farmer's Market was still opened and stopped to see what they'd have this late in the season. It was getting near the time to for the day and they were out of a lot of things, but they had quite a few winter squash left. I got a decent deal on the squash, so I ended up getting about 3 bushels of a mix of spaghetti, acorn, butternut and Kabocha squash for $48. That may seem high to some, but in this area, it's a good price. 

Ollie's was next because we had a 15% off coupon. We had some good finds - like a package of 8 Jello sugar free butterscotch pudding for 89 cents! That's what one costs on sale. We had a few good finds like that and then a few of the normal groceries we get there. 

For the grand finish, we went to the Thanksgiving dinner put on by the local fire department. It's a free dinner for the community, but is all actuality, it's a good fundraiser. I don't think anyone had a dinner without donating something. Personally, I love these kinds of dinners! The menu consisted of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, corn, beans, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, apple sauce, roll and a dessert - oh yes, and a beverage. 

Overall, it was a great weekend! Nice and busy on Saturday, snowy start yesterday and the rest of the day was filled with church, laundry, and working on the pantry shelves.  Nothing earth shattering, but still busy and at the same time peaceful.

Peanut Butter Crispy Rice Treats

My son is a responsible adult, yet, he can turn back into a kid when he finds out Mom made Peanut Butter Crispy Rice Treats! I saw it last night when he showed up in the kitchen after his Tai Chi practice. His eyes lit up and I swear he was drooling just a bit when he reached for the knife to cut the first piece out of the pan!

I originally didn't plan on making the treats when I bought the marshmallows. I had all intentions of dehydrating them (yes - you read that correctly). They were on clearance at Ollie's for 50 cents and then I came across a sale on Crispy Rice for less than $1.50. Still, I had no intentions, until I opened up the marshmallows to find that they had become sticky and globbed together. These certainly were not dehydrating material! Change of plans!

This was not a problem though, as I ended up with a really happy son!

Peanut Butter Crispy Rice Treats

4 Tablespoons Butter
12 oz bag regular sized marshmallows
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
6 cups Crispy Rice

Butter a 9" x 13" pan. Set aside. Measure all ingredients ahead of time so they are ready to be added in when needed.

In a pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Add vanilla and mix well. Add peanut butter. Mix well. Remove from heat and add cereal, mixing to coat evenly. Do this quickly as the mixture becomes harder to work with as it cools down. Pour into buttered pan and pan in evenly. Allow to completely cool before eating. Some prefer to cut when warm.

Smoked Chicken Bone Broth

4 smoked chickens covered and resting.

My husband loves to smoke all kinds of meats and anything else he can think of. I gave him a barrel type pellet smoker a few years ago and just this summer I bought him a Pit Boss, which was a larger upright one, for his birthday. He was excited and has used it quite a bit, but not as much as he'd like.

While shopping at the grocery store, I came across 4 chickens that had been marked down to half price. They just magically hopped into my cart and whispered in my ear that they were excellent smoking material. It appears hubby thought so, too, because they ended up in the smoker with a nice coating of a new rub recipe that hubby wanted to try. The chickens were good, but the rub needs a bit a tweaking. I wasn't so fond of all the cayenne pepper that was in it, and hubby had even cut the amount in half.

Cooking with veggies

Now, my turn for excitement. I took the meat off the bones and froze it and put all the bones and skin in the crock pot and covered them with water and added a tiny bit of vinegar to draw out the calcium. I let them cook over night. In the morning, I took out my 20 quart stockpot and transferred the carcasses and stock from the crock pot into the pot. I added onion, celery, garlic, broth and carrots and brought it to a boil, then simmered it for a good 24 hours - making the total simmering time about 36 hours.

Straining through cheese cloth

I then strained out the bones and veggies and then transferred that back to the pot, giving it a second straining - this time through cheese cloth. As chilly as are temps have been, when the pot cooled down some, I took it out to the garage to chill overnight.

The next day, the broth was brought back in the house and I peeled the solidified fat off the top. The broth was heated, brought to a boil then put in hot jars to pressure can.Since this broth was cooked with vegetables, I processed it for the vegetable broth time. 

It always amazes me when I do this. Why? I ended up with a total of 13-1/2 quarts of broth from something I might have thrown out! The onions that were added were parts of onions that I might have thrown out. I save the tip end and root end (I remove most of the brown wrap from the tip and the roots from the end since they are not very clean, and keep the white part). I also keep the tough outer part of the onion that lies beneath the brown protective covering. All of this goes in a freezer bag and kept in the freezer. I will also keep the leaves and tougher stalks from the celery and freeze them as well. Then when I do a broth, I take all the frozen veggies and add them to the water with the carcass. My only cost may be the carrots, garlic and any seasonings I may use plus the cost of electricity to cook it.

13.5 quarts of broth from 4 smoked chicken carcasses.
Dehydrated veggies in background.

If I figured correctly, it cost under $2 for lids and veggies for 13 and a half quarts of delicious and healthy broth. (I did not factor in the cost of the electricity.)