The dill in the above photo has now been harvested and hung to dry in my dining area.  I love both the scent and flavor of dill and use it frequently to perk up a salad or egg dish.   Some of my dill harvest was used for making dill pickles, and now that the weather is finally a bit cooler I plan to make this easy Dill Bread to serve alongside a nice bowl of soup.

Dill Bread

Dissolve 1 pkg. yeast in 1/4 cup warm water.

Combine the following in mixing bowl:

1 cup cottage cheese

2 tsp. dill seed

2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. soda

1 unbeaten egg

1 tbl.  melted butter

1/2 tbl. minced onion

2 tbl. sugar

Add yeast mixture and 2 1/4 – 2 1/2 cups sifted flour

Stir well to combine.

Let rise in greased bowl until double in size.

Punch down.

Put in two 7×3 or one 9×5 well greased bread pans.

Let rise again, about 45-50 minutes.

Bake at 350 about 30 minutes.

Remove from pans and brush with melted butter.

Enjoy!

Do you grow dill?  If so, please share your favorite way to use it!

Blessings,

Catherine

Turns out all I really needed was a cast iron skillet, fruit, sugar, and (fresh) lemon juice.  I clicked this “Jam Without A Recipe” link.  And then I Googled skillet jam. In a nutshell–I learned that jam is actually easy.  It doesn’t have to take a lot of time or use tons of fruit. And you don’t even have to use that pectin in a box. You really don’t even need jars if you’re making a small batch. Here’s my version.

1.) I put a quart of blueberries and four large cut-up nectarines in this skillet.

2.) I mashed them a little bit with a potato masher.

3.) I added a cup of sugar (I keep vanilla bean pods in my sugar, so technically vanilla sugar) and the juice of half a lemon.

4.) I simmered the jam over med/low heat, and as it got thicker, I added a little sugar at a time until it tasted right to me.  I stirred it occasionally.

5.) When it was thick enough, I ladled the hot jam into hot jars (fresh from the sanitize cycle of the dishwasher), wiped the jar rims, put on the lids, and screwed the bands on fingertip-tight.

My batch made three 12 oz jars, a 4 oz jar for the fridge to be used immediately, and more “sample spoonfuls” than I care to admit.  (I even pulled some locally made cannoli ice cream out of the freezer and ladled the “leftover” jam from the pan right over the top of it.)  I heard two of my jars seal fairly quickly, and then I bumped one of the lids with a towel when I was cleaning the counter.  Naturally, I didn’t know which one I’d artificially sealed, so I figured I’d better put them all in the freezer just to be safe. That’s it.  Here they are, all frosty and delicious.

On the way home from our CSA today (see Freestone peaches lurking behind jam) I passed a sign for Golden or Red Raspberries. I know where I’m going this weekend!

Thankfully, I always have several herbs on hand to help with handling the stresses of life.  There are many, many herbs that are said to be stress-relievers, but today I am going to share a couple of aromatherapy crafts I’ve been working on.  The process of slowing down and taking time to create something that is beautiful and smells delightful is a stress reliever in itself.  When you add in the benefit of relaxing herbs to the mix you have a recipe for rest and relief!

The first project is an herbal sleep pillow or sachet.  These are so simple to make, and super relaxing.  I started with some Sleep Herbs Pillow Mix from my favorite supplier of all things herbal, Mountain Rose Herbs.  Their sleep herbs blend is a mixture of relaxing herbs- organic Lavender flowers, organic Chamomile flowers, organic Catnip, organic Hops flowers, White Sage, organic Rose petals, organic Passionflower and a blend of true essential oils.   It is beautiful and smells wonderful.  You can’t go wrong with this blend in my opinion!

I took the little muslin bag that came with the herb mix, filled and tied it up …

and Viola! a little sachet to hang by my bedside.

Next, I took the same mixture and lightly filled a small pillow I had stitched up.  Not too much, the pillow needs to be rather flat because it will be tucked inside a pillowcase.   If it is too fat it might disturb your sleep, rather than aiding it.

Then, I moved on to creating my own simple blend of relaxing herbs-

dried rose petals

dried lavender flowers

and a few drops of Clary Sage and Rose Otto essential oils.

I filled a  teacup with the mixture and placed it on my desk where it not only looks pretty but I can take a little whiff whenever I need to de-stress a bit!

I’m thinking the same blend will make a nice bath tea, too.

Which herbs do you turn to for stress relief?  Please share your favorites with us!

Blessings,

Catherine

This ten-day trip to Ethiopia, to bring our daughter home was a floating window of time that we tried our best to schedule around and still build our farm.  We wisely realized that new livestock was not in our future this summer, and so will plan for spring instead.  But I can barely begin to tell you what I learned in those ten days.  When people ask me, “How was the trip?” my mouth opens, but almost no words come out.

“It was…  It was… intense.”

What happens inside my head is sensory overload.  I am flooded with images.  I can smell wood-smoke and something like animal fat rendering.  I can feel the cold, and the damp of the rainy season.  We were surprised to find that our guesthouse was not heated.  We had no luggage for days.  Except for the kindness of strangers (now friends), our new babe would have slept in the 50-degree damp, in a summer outfit.  With no luggage, we had nothing for her but the blankets in the crib. At night we heard the feral dogs fighting, and the roosters began crowing around 3am.  I was carried out of the American Embassy and spent a fevered night of thunderstorms alternately roasting, then freezing in a damp cold bed, 8000 miles from home.  And I saw people living in the direst poverty that I have ever known.  I thought I knew what we were getting into.  I thought I had some idea—I mean, I knew it was bad.  But truly, I had no idea.  That trip broke me open and rearranged me in a way that makes it impossible to go back to the person I was before.

And I am so, so grateful for the experience.

I was acutely aware, every single second, that I/we had it so much better than everyone around us, and I couldn’t help wondering why.  What lottery of birth did we win?  Why me and not him, or her?  I thought about the people back home in the US.  Anyone with the tiniest plot of land, a windowsill, plumbing, doors and windows that seal, floors that aren’t made out of dirt… oh the decadence, the opportunity, the potential we all have.  I walk out to my backyard and come in with strainers of vegetables, a bucket of eggs.  I can drink water straight from the tap. We cook our dogs’ food every day. My home is not surrounded with razor wire, or a fence topped with broken glass to keep my family safe.

No matter how stressful, how exhausting our trip was, we were going home.  And what I saw was just another day in Addis.  It is unwise to draw a crowd in any country, especially one with such great need.  We were advised not to hand out anything, money or food, but instead to find a way to donate when we returned home.  There is nothing quite like looking in the eyes of someone who needs help—knowing you could help– and having to tell them, “I’m sorry, no.  I’m sorry.”  It will haunt me forever.

But the people of Ethiopia could not be more beautiful.  There is a light inside the people we met that I have not seen anywhere else in the world.  They are generous.  They are hardworking.  Clothes are scrubbed, floors are swept, shoes are clean—despite the mud and potholes the size of cars during the rainy season. So many people are warm, soft-spoken, polite, and quick to smile. I couldn’t stop thinking, “That could be me.  That could be me.”  People who have so little, while we have so much.

We just have so much.

I have not yet shaken the urge, when I’m standing outside, to kneel and kiss the ground beneath my feet.

Sauce

1 Bottle of Balsamic Vinegar
¼ cup of Sugar

In a small saucepan combine vinegar and sugar and bring to a boil.  Boil until sauce is reduced by half.  Pour into a squeeze bottle and refrigerate until chilled.

Salad

1 Medium Eggplant
1 ball of fresh mozzarella
1 large package Spring Mix Greens
Edible Flowers (optional)
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Preheat broiler on your oven.  Slice eggplant into ¼ inch slices.  Brush lightly with olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste and grill until tender.  Set aside and top with a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese.  Broil until cheese is melted and starts to bubble and brown.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

On a plate arrange mixed greens and flowers and top with a slice of eggplant.  Dress lightly with the balsamic reduction and enjoy.

For a heartier meal, add slice grilled or breaded and pan-fried chicken to the salad.

Hello all you renegade farmers! It’s been awhile. (I’ve secretly been having an affair with my new camera!)

I’ve missed the last few Saturday’s around here…I know, shame on me! I’ve just been so gosh darn busy! So busy I haven’t had time to think about what to write let alone actually write. So for today, I think I’ll just give you a little update of what has been going on around my urban farm.

The garden has been producing great!

We harvested a HUGE batch of Kohlrabi…which, it turns out I’m the only one that likes to eat it!

We also got a lot of beets…which my husband and I are the only ones that will eat.

And then we finished up the broccoli and peas…which thankfully both my kids love!!

Onions are finished, and potatoes are about to come out! Red peppers are also just about ready…and tomatoes and jalepenos!

Aside from gardening, I’ve been working as a Summer Camp Educator at Discovery World this summer. What an experience! The first camp was an absolute disaster, but gave me the assurance that nothing worse could happen for the second. The second (photography) camp was a complete success. I think I even inspired about half the class to look furthur into pursuing photography!!

I’ve been lucky enough to get my brand spankin’ new camera (finally) and have already shot a wedding and several hundred portraits of my kids, as well as a Quincineara! One of my favorite recent photos is at the top of this post! I was taking some beautiful photos of Miss Mia, when she decided it would be more fun to play in the mud! I love it, though…it reminds me to be thankful for my wonderful kiddos and their precious innocence.

Aside from all of that, I’ve also been getting into the study of Montessori Philosophy (even applied for an assistant teacher position at a nearby school…keep your fingers crossed). We’ve also been working on the basement once again! Pretty soon we’ll have a finished family room/montessori playroom/classroom…as well as a finished studio! Hopefully it will all go into my portfolio.

As for writing for this wonderful community? Eventually my posts around here on Saturday’s will become a little more structured (I hope). I have a new camera to pay off, and plenty of other bills as well…so I’ve had to become a little more creative than usual in fulfilling some of the needs of my family around here: CHEAP meals to reduce our grocery bills, INNOVATIVE ideas for storage solutions to the endless clutter, and SMART/aesthetically appealing ways of Upcycling (that’s my new favorite word). In short, I plan to share with you some of my frugal ways in the hopes that something will spark your interest and inspire you to re-use rather than buy new! I’m learning to see the world in which I live more creatively each day…and the way I see it, I’m not an artist/interior designer by degree for nothing…I might as well put my skills to use and show all of you while I’m in the “lab” experimenting!

See you soon!

Because people know I like to can and freeze food, I often get offered buckets or baskets or bags of overflow produce. I always take it, and relish the opportunity to come up with new and interesting ways to use it! I of course love to make jams, cordials and syrups with all the fruity bounty that comes my way….but eventually I get tired of so many sweets, and start thinking of more savory fruit recipes.

Here are some of my favorite, non-traditional fruit canning recipes, and some that I haven’t yet tried, but really want to!

Pickled Blueberries – I recently made this with a bounty of local blueberries, and it’s really yummy with a tangy goat cheese! Next time, I will boil the syrup longer, however, as mine turned out a bit runny.

This Banana Chutney recipe is my invention, inspired by a 99 cent bag of slightly overripe bananas and a fresh new box of half-pint canning jars. It’s delicious with sharp cheddar, or served as an appetizer with fruit kabobs.

Appetizer fruit/cheese/veggie kabobs are lovely paired with a nice fruit chutney.

This Plum Ketchup is on my “to do” list….the wild plum trees are loaded this year!

Peach barbeque sauce sounds simply divine, even to this vegetarian!

The crabapple tree is loaded….pickled crabapples, anyone?

Do you have a favorite, non-jam fruit recipe that you like? If so, please share!

1. SHADE
Well placed shade can lower the air temperature anywhere from 10 to 20 degrees lower than in the direct sun.  All your animals need access to shade.  Place dog houses and portable chicken coops under large shady trees.  Make sure horses, cows, goats or any free-range animals have access to places with trees.  If you don’t have natural shade, a well placed portable canopy or even a tarp can help immensely.

2. Water
Animals should have open access to fresh water all day.  Water should be changed daily in high heat so it stays cool.  Consider adding some ice cubes to the dog bowl or the chicken water-er.  They will melt quickly but will keep the water cooler and make it more refreshing to your animals.  We sometimes place pans of ice chips out and our chickens will walk on them and lay in them.

Ponds, streams, sprinklers, kiddie pools, and misterhoses are also great, cooling, water options.  If you choose to provide a kiddie pool, change the water frequently as the pools can heat up fairly quickly.  Even better, place the pool in a shady area.
Mister-hoses are really affordable and use very little water and have a great cooling effect.  Our chickens love our mister-hoses.
Sprinklers are also an option.  Most animals however are not likely to walk through a sprinkler.  You may just use them briefly to cool down a shady spot and then turn on and off as needed.

3. Ventilation
Many people mistake structures such as chicken coops, dog houses and barns as “shady places” where animals can go to get cool.  This is only true if there is proper ventilation.  Consider investing in some fans for your animal structures.  I recently purchased some box fans for my chicken coop for only $14.00 each at wal-mart.  One blows inwards and one blows out to create circulation of the air.  It is still quite hot in the coop but not nearly as hot as it would be without the fans.

4. Treats
Give your pets cold treats to help cool them down.  My dogs love vanilla ice cream cones.  Our chickens enjoy ice-cold watermelon and cantaloupe.  Also, avoid feeding chickens corn during the heat.  Corn is difficult to digest and raises the body temperature of chickens as they process it.

Heat stroke is serious and potentially fatal in animals.  There are several signs of heat stroke:

If your animals exhibit any of these signs it is important to start treating your animal immediately.  Move the animal to a cool area, hose it down or wrap it with cold wet towels and see a veterinarian immediately.

Note: I am not a vet.  I just live in a hot area with a lot of animals and am sharing my observations.  Always check with your animals veterinarian.

Shiitake Mushrooms and Brown Rice

10 Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms
1 tbs. light olive oil
2 Tbs. White Wine (optional and only if you have on hand)
1 cup brown rice
1 Cup chicken broth
1 Cup Water
Salt to Taste
2 Tbs. Fresh Butter

Heat a medium saucepan over high heat.  Add olive oil.  Chop the shiitake mushrooms into small pieces and add to the pot.  Cook mushrooms for about 5 minutes or so until they have become soft and darker in color.  Add white wine to “deglaze” the pan and cook 2-3 minutes until the liquid is evaporated.  Pour in one cup of brown rice.  I used a mixture of long and short grain.  Stir until rice is coated with remaining oil.  Add chicken stock and water and bring to a boil.  Cover with a lid and reduce heat to low.  Allow rice to simmer about 35-45 minutes or until done to your liking.  Remove lid and stir in two tablespoons of fresh butter and add salt to taste.  Enjoy!

The mushrooms and butter were from yesterdays market.  The brown rice was leftover from some I picked up at the market last fall.

Buckaroo Beans

Put beans into a crockpot and add six cups of water.  Turn crockpot to high heat setting.  Cut bacon into chunks and add to the beans.  Add remaining  ingredients. Cover and cook slowly for 6-8 hours, until liquid resembles a medium-thick gravy. Stir once or twice during cooking. Long, slow cooking helps make a nice, rich flavor.

This recipe used pinto beans, onion and bacon from the farmers market.  The oregano and tomatoes came from my garden.  The bay leaf came from my mom’s friend.

Peach Blueberry Cobbler

Vanilla Gelato

6 Large Egg Yolks
3/4 Cup Of Granulated Sugar
2 1/2 Cups Whole Milk
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Tbs. Real Vanilla
1 tsp. dried lavender
Pinch of Salt

In a large bowl, beat together the egg yolks and sugar until light and thick. Add the lavender to a mesh tea ball and place in a medium saucepan. Add the milk, cream, vanilla, and salt and heat over medium heat until bubbles begin to form around the edges. Remove the tea ball.  Remove from the heat. Take 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture, and slowly whisk it into the beaten eggs. Next whisk the egg mixture into the saucepan. Cook over low heat stirring continuously until the mixture thickens, about 8 to 10 minutes.

This recipe used milk from the farmers market and eggs and lavender from my own garden.

Pasta Primavera

1 Pound Fresh Pasta
Variety of seasonal veggies (I used zucchini and yellow squash, eggplant, cherry tomatoes and shiitake mushrooms)
Splash of Red Wine (optional)
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Fresh Herbs (I used thyme, basil, sage and oregano)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add about 1/4 cup or so of salt to the boiling water.  In a large skillet, add the olive oil and saute the chopped fresh vegetables until cooked to your desired level of doneness.  Remove the veggies to a separate bowl.  Add the pasta to the boiling water. (Fresh pasta cooks very quickly.  If using dried pasta you will likely want to add this earlier.)  In the pan in which you cooked the veggies, pour a splash of red wine and ladle about one cup of pasta cooking liquid. Stir in order to incorporate the bits of fond on the bottom of the saute pan.  Add ricotta cheese and continue to stir.  Add Parmesan cheese.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Return the cooked veggies to the sauce you have created.  Add the cooked, drained pasta and stir until the sauce has coated the noodles.  You can add additional cooking liquid if the sauce is too thick.  Top pasta with freshly chopped herbs and additional Parmesan as desired.  Enjoy!

This recipe used veggies and pasta from the market and herbs from my own garden.

Of course there was a LONG line of fire trucks and ambulances!

And then there were the trucks that came by spraying everyone with water…poor girl, she was a target for approximately 5 minutes!

And who wouldn’t want to pull a wagon with ALL of their precious tractors on it!

And of course there were horses!

But my favorite part was the crazy kids…and the fact that my new camera can shoot in the dark!

The fireworks were great, too!

Ahh…such wonderful memories. There was no where else I’d rather have been on this day!