Diary Entries - Oldest                

October 6, 2002 - Cooking with Herbs

I use a LOT of HERBS in my kitchen. They add flavor and variety to my recipes. It is often confusing to know "what goes on what and how much of what to use in what." I hope this will help you get started. Important: 3 to 1 Uses three parts as much fresh herb for one part dried herb example: 3 teaspoons fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley

My favorite HERBS are Basil, Oregano, Garlic, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, and Thyme.

• BASIL - goes into my salad dressing, into all pasta dishes, Spaghetti sauce, pizza, red meats and chicken
• OREGANO - goes into my salsa, soups, stews, pasta, and poultry.
• GARLIC - goes into all salads, salad dressings, tomatoes, beans, all sauces, meats, strews, casseroles, soup and fish-just about everything
• PARSLEY - goes into potato salad, slaw, green salads, soup, stew, meat loaf and pasta and potatoes.
• ROSEMARY - goes into fruit and green salads, bread, cream cheese, baked potatoes, and roast meat.
• SAGE - goes into all my stuffing for turkey and chicken, bean soup, stews, and soups.
• THYME - vegetable salads, bread, roast meat, poultry, stews, and baked fish.

There are dozens and dozens of herbs that I grow in the garden and use in my kitchen. The ones listed here are the Herbs that I started with.for me it is fun and my family enjoys my "experiments" (most of the time) . Recipe Ring # 1 and 2 both include recipes that use fresh and dried HERBS.

Try it, be creative and enjoy!

More GOOD Soap!

We now have three more new kinds of homemade soap available at the farm or from our web-site.

This past weekend we had folks here from Illinois and from California. They all got to try out our soaps and really liked it. Every one bought soap to take home-for their own use and for gifts. It was fun-sitting around the kitchen table - smelling all the new varieties of homemade soap from Milk and Honey Farm.

BOOMER and the BUG BUSTER SOAP

Boomer is our biggest Male Pyr-he is tough and takes care of business here at Milk and Honey Farm. He does have one weakness. It is his big, beautiful black nose. The flies get on it and bite-last summer we tried every medication the vet had to offer - but to no avail.

This year, Bob rubbed some of the BUG BUSTER homemade soap on Boomers nose and NO MORE FLIES. He is one happy dog. It works for Boomer! Click here to learn more about the BUG BUSTER Homemade soap .

Geese

When you have some new babies, you have to show them off. Here, momma goose takes her eight kids for a dunk in the pool.  The babies are less than 24 hours old, but took immediately to the water.  As you can see, they have plenty of adult supervision.  Geese make very protective parents and may adopt ducklings or chickens into their care.

Puppy pictures

Yesterday, we took pictures of our puppies to put up in our Great Pyrenees photo Gallery. It was wild! Bob hauled all eleven of them into the kitchen I put Christmas bows on them for the pictures. Have you ever tried to pose eleven pups with bows for a photo shoot? We could have sold tickets.

Toward the end of it, Bob got a little crazy and this picture is the result. It started out with an innocent conversation about dogs looking like their people and ended up with Bob posing with Mollie. What do you think? I would like to hear your opinion on this. To see the new puppies, wearing their bows, click here . They are really CUTE!

 

Lighting the Star

Bob made this star for our first Christmas at the Milk and Honey Farm and we light it up the weekend after Thanksgiving. We call it the Bethlehem Star and it's our way of saying, "You can find Jesus here."  Normally, we have longer "rays", but almost every year, the sheep nibble the wires or bulbs, causing the strings to quit working. We received fifteen inches of snow on the ground. Winter is here!

November 26, 2001 - The Newspaper

The local papers seen to find us interesting - the last time, we were on page three and in black and white. This time, we made the front page-- and in color. They even got the part about the LORD right. That is a good thing - considering the times we are in. God Bless America!

 

November 24th, 2001 - The Ram

The garden is harvested and put to bed for the winter--our Great Pyrenees puppies are all born and doing well, and THE RAM IS HERE! The arrival of the visiting Ram is always an event scheduled for Thanksgiving week.

This year we named him "Zerubbabel". He has a blue marker in his harness that marks each ewe as she is bred. He has been very enthusiastic about his project!  Our lambs will be born in April and ready for sale in May or June. Our big ewes will enjoy wintering in the sheep shed - and gobbling up the Butternut squash that I grew for them. They will also be getting a corn ration - in addition to a high grade alfalfa hay. 

The Great Pyrenees guard dogs will watch over and protect them. The geese and ducks will keep them company in the deep dry straw. Winter is a good time for our sheep - they will grow fat and heavy with their lambs.

It will be peaceful and quiet in the barn.

Nov 12, 2001 - Stuffing and Waiting

I make my own herb capsules by drying my organically grown herbs and filling empty capsules. This way, I know what is in them. Did you every wonder where or how all those herb remedies are grown? Did you every wonder what is really in them? Why they cost so much and the ingredients seem so common?  Well, I did and now I know for sure!!!!

I'm using a handy little capsule filler called Cap-M-Quick. I can fill 50 capsules in about ten minutes. They also sell gelatin capsules which come in four sizes and cost a few pennies. You can do the same, duplicating the same products that sell for ten dollars and more in health food stores.

Cap-M-Quick website

I have been processing dried herbs into capsules and tea all morning. I am waiting for Honey Bear to have her puppies-she is our oldest Great Pyrenees and a great Mom. She likes me to be with her when the puppies come-so today we wait and I stuff capsules.

October 18 th 2001

As a Baby Boomer, I remember my parents and Grandparents talking about dealing with rationing during World War II. Each family was given so many ration stamps-and you had to take them with you when you bought any rationed item. When you ran out of stamps, you could not buy that item until you received your next allotment of ration stamps. There was gasoline rationing, beer rationing, meat rationing, and SOAP rationing-not to mention a lot of other items.

My Grandparents dealt with this the best way they knew how. They "made do" and they did without a lot of luxury items. They planted a huge VICTORY GARDEN and grew a LOT of VEGETABLES. It may not be a bad idea in times like today-to revive the "victory garden" concept of World War II. But that is not the object of this diary update.

If all the economic uncertainty in the U.S. turns nasty and our military situation escalates, it will be a good idea to learn to do a LOT of things differently. So-with that in mind, this morning I made LAUNDRY SOAP - CHEAP!  If basic items become scarce, I am going to be very glad I can do this.

Recipe for Laundry Soap

• 1/3 bar of Fels Naphtha Soap
• 3 pints water
• ½ cup baking soda
• ½ cup Borax
• 2 gallon bucket
• 1 quart Hot water
• cold water

Grate the Fels Naptha in a saucepan with 3 pints of water. Heat until dissolved, stir in Soda and Borax stir until thick. Add 1 quart hot water to a 2 gallon bucket and add soap mixture. Mix. Fill bucket with cold water and mix. Set aside for 24 hours until mixture thickens. Use ½ cup of mixture per load of laundry.

I do not know the origin of this soap recipe. I got it from a Homesteading net working group. It really works great, better than the laundry detergent I buy at Sam's in bulk sizes. We are going to have clean clothes at this farm! My Grandmother would be PROUD.

October 10th , 2001

The garden is harvested and in process of being "put to bed" until next year. My canning, freezing, and dehydrating are finished for this season. There are big bunches of herbs hanging up to dry in the greenhouse. Butternut squash is stacked up on the back porch. Mollie had a litter of seven, happy, healthy, puppies two weeks ago. It is looking good around here.

I am starting to slow down. This is a good thing because I need the rest. On the other hand, it is not so good as it gives me more time to consider the events since September 11th. There is still a grieving inside my heart - for what has already happened and what will happen. The flag will stay out on the porch.

What helps these days are simple things that never change. I like to sit on the kitchen floor and hold one of our new dogs on my lap. The picture is me and Pepper. She is 10 weeks old and getting heavy. She snuggles close and licks my hands. I hold on tight and feel comforted. She makes me smile. I have heard that a lot of folks have not smiled yet.

My friend, Kris, helps too. She drives out every morning from town at 6:00A.M. We hike our two-mile route carrying flashlights. Sometimes we turn them off and watch the stars. It is a simple thing, but lifts the sadness for awhile.

I spend more time reading -especially the Psalms from the Bible. They did not change a bit on September 11th. Right now, I need things that do not change.

September 19th , 2001

My back porch looks like the produce section of a grocery store! There are buckets of potatoes, squash, tomatoes, and a few cucumbers. Big pumpkins are stacked against the brick wall. In the green house, the dehydrators are running around the clock. My garden is yielding a good harvest.

I just started picking apples-and Bob is happily looking forward to apple sauce, apple butter, apple crisp, and apple pie. (not necessarily in that order). Our late raspberries are coming on strong, and they are a special treat.

I sold the last of the New Zealand Rabbits born this summer. We will keep four does and two bucks over the winter and breed them next March. The spring ram lambs that were kept for our freezer are just about ready for that process. A few old hens will join them.

The business of this harvest season is filled with feelings of accomplishment. I am a transplanted city girl, who always wanted to live on a farm and grow things. I am enjoying the work that I do, my body is strong from all the exercise and I sleep well at night. But this year is different.

There is a sadness that covers our nation. It is mingled with anger, fear, and frustration. I believe in America and I believe in God. As a result, I have HOPE in the future. On the back porch, is the harvest from my garden. On the front porch, is the FLAG.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind.

Sept 17th, 2001

This morning, I am thinking about America and of the events that occurred last week. It comforts my heart to consider Psalm 138:7. May this comfort extend to those of you who visit the Milk and Honey Farm via our web site.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble; You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me.

My hands are busy with the harvest from the ground. Today I will work with tomatoes, squash, potatoes and melons. The picking and digging is just a part. The real work begins with the processing---- canning, freezing, dehydrating and bagging up some for the neighbors.

My heart is joined with those who grieve.

September 11th, 2001

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 41:1

August 7th - THE SQUASH SOLUTION

I have been picking and grinning-picking and grinning. We are approaching the SERIOUS HARVEST, when everything is ripe and ready and there are seldom enough hands on board to do it. So far, I am on top of it, but in the next few weeks, I will need roller blades to keep up.

The broccoli and cabbage are picked and duly processed-the cucumbers are abundant and I am working on new things to do with them. (One is an Korean  Relish called Kimchee.) The tomatoes and peppers are just starting to ripen-so nothing urgent here. The BIGGIE is the SQUASH crop. We have Butternut squash for winter storage and there are a lot of them. No hurry yet. It is the zucchinis and the yellow summer squash.

I pick and pick and the more I pick-the more I have. This is a good thing. It makes all of my creative juices flow with new ways to use them.. I would like to share the latest Zucchinis recipe with you. It is really good .

This is called a Zuc  Burger - they can be made up and frozen or used right away. They are good hot or cold.

• 1 medium zucchini squash coarsely grated
• 2 TB. Chopped garlic
• 1 fresh onion chopped
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon red Chile peppers
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Combine the above ingredients and sauté in 1TB olive oil for 5 minutes.
Place in large mixing bowl and add 1 beaten egg.
Mix in egg and add ¾ cup whole wheat flour-more or less.
Form into patties and fry about five minutes on each side  (or freeze for later use).
Serve on a bun with all the same stuff you would put on a hamburger. Try it, you will like it.

 P.S. if I get too far behind on the squash projects, I give them away and feed them to the SHEEP!

 July 18, 2001 - A Different Kind of Week

This has been a "different" kind of week. Monday evening, I was the after dinner speaker at an organic gardening club. I talked about my belief that God really is interested in what we eat and how our food is produced. I believe that there is a close connection between good health and good food.. Namely, I spoke about how I was HEALED by eating along Biblical guidelines and instructions, and how that progressed into returning to school, graduating, and then teaching the class called BIBLICAL HEALTH AND NUTRITION at Christ For The Nations in Dallas Texas. I shared the next step of my progression in becoming an organic GROWER-and how that led to a sustainable life style at MILK AND HONEY FARM.

Some of them looked at me as though I had cheese for a brain, but there were a few who seemed to understand and even relate! Also met Ev Johnson, the co-creator of " Life on the Farm" game. 

Monday was also the day when the feature article about the garden was published in the newspaper. It made the front page, with a follow up spread on page three. It even had pictures of me in the green house and in the kitchen. The feature editor also copied the article I wrote about Buttercup, the lamb, in the GARDEN UPDATE page of the web site, and put that in there.

All this attention makes me dizzy. There is NO chance it will go to my head-as I have spent the rest of the week pulling weeds! It is a big garden, and while the deep mulch and black fabric keep the weeding at a minimum, some do get through. It keeps me very humble, crawling around on my hands and knees, sweat running down my nose, and flies landing on the back of my neck!

If that didn't produce a sufficient degree of humility, the rest was accomplished soon after when Bob's cousin came visiting from Chicago. She was about to bite into her beautiful homegrown organic salad, complete with fresh herbs and home made dressing, when a large green WORM crawled out the middle of it. So much for impressing the relatives!!!!

July 10 th, 2001

It is amazing to me what happens around here when I spend most of my time working in the garden and minding my own business! It is great fun, having  "NO AGENDA".

This morning I was interviewed by a local newspaper -and am now the feature in a feature article about health and nutrition. The lady reporter was here this morning-taking pictures and asking LOT of questions.  Since my garden , all 8000 square feet of it, is all organically grown, I am some what of an oddity in this area. The surrounding farms follow conventional growing methods. I DO NOT!  If I like what she writes, you will probably see it in a future Dairy Update. It may be kind of fun, having a "reputation". 

She went out of here with sacks of fresh vegetables and herbs. This is what I picked for her, while we were touring. Spinach, Kale, Red Sails lettuce, Red Freckles lettuce, Hamburg parsley, Curly parsley, celery leaf, yellow squash, zucchini squash, and cucumbers. When I suggested that she slice up the fresh squash on her salad she looked a little shocked-but said she would try it. It is a lot of fun for me , this time of year. I get to PICK my lunch and then go out later and PICK DINNER. By adding a meat, or a grain, and something home baked--we have a feast!

Next week, I am scheduled to be the after dinner speaker at an Organic Farm Tour in Clearwater, MN. I enjoy talking to folks who are interested in the same things that I am but have learned that the most important thing about gardening, is NOT THE TECHNIQUE, but the HARVEST!!!

Sometimes, people get too hung up on the method. I will let you know what happens.

July 2 nd, 2001 Mondays and Rainy Days

Monday and rain gave me a chance to get caught up inside. Unlike that old song, they didn't get me down. I walked two miles at 6:00A.M. and watched as the sky turned dark. It has rained all day. The earth smells good.

Honey Bear kept me company. She is expecting her puppies any day and is in and out of her kennel in the basement. I put a lot of papers in it and an old blanket, so she would have something to make "nest". She ate all her food, this morning so the pups won't arrive today. She never eats anything for about 24 hours before her puppies come. We are both happy about the new puppies. She enjoys being a Mom.

Besides all the normal clean up and laundry things, I had a chance to bake some bread. Did six extra loaves for the freezer. The garden has kept me so busy, it will be good to have some done ahead. I also caught up on some book work and phone calls. Placed an add for our wed site designs in the Fencepost Magazine. It will start up July 30 th.

Have been working on the computer all afternoon writing text for our web site update. It should be ready to go "up there" by the end of the week. The whole house smells like home made bread and spaghetti sauce.

I need to write up some more recipes for the Country Kitchen page of the web site, including a list of what fresh herbs go in the sauce. (Basil, oregano, parsley, sage, garlic, and onions) I am still using last years dehydrated tomatoes for the sauce, but it won't be long before the tomatoes ripen. There are a lot of babies on the plants and it looks like it will be a good tomato year.

Since moving to the farm, I have learned to enjoy the quiet days (like today). They are an opportunity to rest and reflect. I used to "fight" them and was irritated at the delays of all my out side projects. No more.

It is a valuable lesson.