Diary Entries - Current               

Spring Snow Storm

After a couple of days with the tempertures in the low seventies, you don't expect much snow - but that's what we got. It started on Friday, the 25th of April, and continued the next morning. The sun came out and melted most of the snow off the grass leaving us with these unusual snowdrifts.

Thank You

Before I get started on the major business of today (transplanting seedlings into bigger pots)—I want to say, “thank you”. I received an e mail today from a lady who I do not know. She took time out of her day to write and thank me for writing the Food for the Soul page. She said that it came just at the right time for her.

Now it is my turn to say “thank you” to her. The Lord knew that I needed encouragement today and the  email from a stranger sure did that!.  I want her to know that I appreciate her note.

 Maybe this happened so I would encourage you to write to someone and say “thank you” to someone who is not expecting it.  It means a LOT to be remembered and is a huge blessing to my heart.

Texas Trip Was Super!

I just polished off a whole avocado purchased at the Farmer's market in Dallas, Texas. It was yummy! Being foresighted enough to take an extra suitcase, I arrived home to Minnesota with multitudes of fresh avocados, sweet potatoes, purple plums, and mangoes.

Sothern hospitality rules at Rohobeth Family Fellowship. Pastor Phil Ligin greeted us at the airport, rented us a full size car, checked us into our rooms and took us out to lunch. The next event was the taping of three radio programs. That was great fun and I got to wear the head phones.

On Sunday, I ministered at the morning and evening services. The people were warm and gracious and received us with open arms. 

If you ever go to Texas, there are three things you NEED to do.

Visit the Dallas Farmers Market and buy avocadoes.

Eat at Luna De Noche gourmet Tex-Mex restaurant.

Visit Rehobeth Family Fellowship in Arlington.

We had a smooth flight home. All was well on the farm and everyone - the dogs, puppies, cats, sheep, chickens, ducks, and geese - were all glad to see us. We are blessed by Matt who supervised things here when we travel. Many thanks, Matt!

I am grateful for the opportunity to minister at Rehobeth family Fellowship and meet some precious people who have become dear to my heart. I am grateful to Pastor Phil for inviting me and for ripe avocados.

God Bless Texas!!

BOB’S GREAT FRUIT CAKE

The aroma of freshly baked fruit cake still lingers in the kitchen.  Yesterday, Bob baked his rick dark fruit cake.  His parents were visiting from Wisconsin and they got to help mix and chop pounds and pounds of candied fruit, dried fruit, citrus and nuts. It was a major production.  The recipe calls for a dozen eggs. It is good that our chickens are laying well this winter.

The cleaning up afterwards was a major production. I think it is a sign of a great chef to really mess up a kitchen.  Bob helped with clean up and the kitchen has been restored. We will keep one of the cakes for us and our Christmas company.  We will give several away for Christmas gifts - to very special people. We had fun with this and I took some pictures of the event. I love the smell of fruit cake baking in my oven. Thanks Bob.

 

More In The Country Store

The garden is harvested and my daily activities are slowing down.  There are some new items taking my time and attention now. I will be expanding the Country Store page of the web site. This will involve new  products, new articles to write, new pictures to take and new videos to make. I am excited!!

I have been using the Bosch Universal mixer since 1980. It is my favorite kitchen tool. I have a Nutrimill and it faithfully grinds the flour we use.  I sell these on the Country Store page of the web site.  I also made several videos about how to use the Bosch and the Nutrimill. I posted my best bread recipe too.

The new items on the Country Store page will include the Berkey Water Purifier.  In addition, I will offer  the Vita-Mix, the Kuhn Rikon Pressure Cooker, The Cuisinart, and  a great stainless steel pasta maker.  These are all items that I have in my own kitchen and have used over the years. Now is my opportunity to share them.

When my neighbor suggested that I expand my web site store, I thought about it, prayed about it, and contacted the companies. It will be fun doing more videos and taking pictures. Take a minute, and check out the Country Store page of the web site. Please be patient, it is a work in process.

PRETTY HAIR!

I have been working outdoors all summer and my hair needs  help. It really got dry and dull looking. So, I invented the “cure”.

The recipe is:

•  2 beaten eggs
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar (or lemon use for blonds)

Wash hair and towel dry. Mix together all ingredients and work into hair. Wrap head in hot towel. Leave on for 20 minutes. Wash hair.

I could tell the difference the first time I tried this. My hair was soft and SHINEY!! This is a big improvement. My plan is to do this process every two weeks for awhile.  Try it when your hair needs help and let me know how it works for you.

FALL DECORATIONS

I like crafts, but am not very good at making them.  Someday, I may take a class and learn to make  beautiful  table decorations using  fall colors.  This year, my fall decoration consists of some pumpkins  in the wooden cart. The cart sits out in the driveway circle and welcomes our company.  It isn’t fancy, but it is a happy sight. Bob likes it because he knows that some of those decorations will make great pie!!

Grooming Table

The picture says it all. This is me and Molly Brown and my new grooming table. The table makes the brushing easy on my back.  The big dogs are being trained to climb up on the steps to get onto the table. It is a work in process. Bob still has to lift them some.

I can spend 15 or 20 minutes brushing and the dogs look great! We have a blower that gets rid of a lot of the loose hair. Since my dogs live outside, and only come in the house for visits, they do get muddy. The blower takes care of the dried mud on their fur.

This whole process is good for the dogs and fun for me.  My dogs know it when they are looking good!

PEACH TREE IN MINNESOTA

When I told my friends, neighbors and family that I was going to plant a peach tree—the response was pretty negative. The comments ranged from, ”You can’t grow peaches in Minnesota”  or “It is too cold in Minnesota to grow peaches”.   Fortunately, I did not listen.  I seldom listen to negative people telling me what I cannot do.

This morning, I picked peaches! They are sweet and juicy. There must be at least 100 peaches hanging on my little tree.  That tree has survived and thrived in three Minnesota winters.  This weekend, I will bake my husband a peach pie.  It will be crowned with vanilla ice cream.  

MORE ABOUT KRAUT!

Have you ever tried kraut mixed with mashed potatoes?  You will need enough mashed potatoes to feed 6-8 people, 1 cup of kraut, a large baking dish and hungry people.  Mix the mashed potatoes and the kraut and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.  Enjoy!

My sheep like kraut. After canning, Bob hauls the giant crock outside. He rinses it out with the hose. The sheep got the remaining scrapes of kraut. It almost caused a riot—they pushed and shoved each other to get at the kraut.  They are used to getting the garden scraps. I have no need for a garbage disposal. The sheep eat everything that we toss over the fence. They even like banana peels. Now, I can add kraut to their preferred foods. They are fat, happy, and very spoiled sheep!

Bob likes caraway seeds mixed into his kraut. To a quart of kraut, I add 1 teaspoon of caraway seed. His Grandma used to fix it this way.

CABBAGE TO KRAUT

Ever since I planted cabbage seed under grow lights in the basement, I have been thinking about  the kraut! The seeds were planted February 2007.  On July 13th, we picked the cabbages. They were chopped, salted, and put into the giant crock in a corner of the kitchen.   On July 27th, after curing for several weeks, the process is complete.  I canned Kraut today. We have jars and jars of it.

We like cold kraut, hot kraut, Kraut with caraway seeds, and kraut without caraways seeds. We like kraut mixed with mashed potatoes and Kraut on top of Hamburgers.  We like kraut!

What I enjoy most is the seed time to harvest that has just happened in my kitchen.  It started with some cabbage seeds and now we have a year’s supply of great kraut.

I am grateful to the Lord of the Harvest who has blessed the work of my hands.

GLOBAL WARMING

As the giant storm clouds roll in, transplanting Red Petunias and bright yellow Marigolds into clay pots is my idea of fun. Mud on my hands, mud on my jeans, and shabby old tennis shoes complete my fashion statement . It was a waste of time to wash my hair, blow it dry, and use the curling iron this morning. The winds are high and seem to be brewing up a serious storm. The high winds spell disaster for my “do”.  The black clouds and fierce weather outlook birthed some serious thoughts about Global Warming.

The weather patterns do seem to be changing. In central Minnesota, it has never been dryer. I planted peppers yesterday, and the holes in the ground were dry and powdery. It was hard to dig, and my arm is sore today. When I watch the evening news, some expect is frequently discussing the effects of global warming. Personally, I believe that this type of program is designed to promote fear, rather than inform the folks who listen.

I was pondering this, when into my spirit popped the scripture about seed time and harvest. Genesis 8:22 says “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, Winter and summer, day and night shall not cease.” In the light of the Global Warming scare, this is a comforting thought.

I am a grower of fruit trees, berry bushes, vegetables, herbs and flowers.  God has promised that the seeds will be planted and the harvests will continue to come. While the Global Warming people seem to believe that the change in the weather patterns will hinder the production of food, I will continue to plant my seeds. As I dig deep in the dry earth, I will trust the Lord of the Harvest to bring about my harvest.

It has begun to rain.

CONNECTED TO WHAT???

Lately, I have been observing the “connection craze”.  It seems to me that a vast number of people are compulsive in their connections. It may be a cell phone. It may be the internet. It can be a an ipod, a chat room, a web site, or ebay that seems to constantly require “connection”. 

Don’t get  me wrong. I carry a cell phone when I travel. We maintain a great web site. Once in a while we buy something on ebay.  For me, these are tools, not addictions or compulsive habits.

I believe that I know what the trouble is. People are needy and want to be connected. They are looking in the wrong place. The solution is not the cell phone, or the internet.  The solution is to get “connected” to God! God will never leave you or forsake you. You do not need expensive techie toys to reach Him. You do not need a blue thing to plug in your ear in order to hear Him. 

I feel sorry for the ones who think that their security, their identity, and their status come from an “on line” experience. That is really sad. There is only one connection that matters. His Name is Jesus Christ.  Just ask Him and He will CONNECT with you. 

ENERGY!!!

Spring is in full swing at Milk and Honey Farm. There are two litters of Great Pyrenees puppies in the barn kennel. The plastic green house is full or set outs—vegetables, herbs and flowers. The rest of the set outs are still in the basement under the grow lights. They are waiting to be divided into larger pots and carried out to the green house. The potatoes are in a basket in the back hall way waiting to be planted. Tomorrow’s big event is to take down the curtains from all the windows, wash the curtains, wash the windows and put the curtains back up.

The sheep will begin to have their lambs in early May. The ducks and geese have paired off and are beginning to lay their eggs. The new fruit trees are on the back porch and are ready to be planted. This year, we are adding to the orchard with pear trees, peach trees, and Bing cherry trees. I have been asked to do two presentations as an advocate for Compassion International at our church. April 22nd is Compassion Sunday.  I told you about all that to tell you about ENERGY!

ENERGY comes from a healthy lifestyle of diet, exercise, and rest. It comes by not wasting it on staying angry at someone—or unforgiving –or bitter. This is my formula for the energy that I need. It works for me:

Early in the morning—before anything else takes my attention, I walk for two miles. I listen to Bible tapes. Then, is a Bible and prayer time with the Lord. The scriptures speak to my heart and help me to focus on what is really important.
Next is breakfast. It is the fuel for my busy day.

For each person:
½ cup organic oatmeal
1Tableppon of raw sunflowers
1 Tablespoon of ground up flax seed
1 Tablespoon of organic raisins
I teaspoon of cinnamon

Bring to a boil and cook for several minutes

Serve with:

Skim milk or low fat yogurt and 1 teaspoon of honey on top
An apple or orange— or 4 ounces of organic juice
And one cup of green tea.

I seldom get tired during the busy, busy morning. This combination of activities gets and keeps me going—and I enjoy every minute of it.

Chicken Soup

After being around sick people at work for weeks, Bob has a cold, a sore throat, a virus, a flu bug or something! Whatever it is, he is NOT happy.  To comfort the poor husband, I am making a very large pot of my best “cure all”……chicken soup.

The process begins with the huge rooster, who was once the crown prince of the hen house.  After entertaining the hens for years and years, he was replaced by a young, up and coming, Buff Orphington rooster. No longer a prince, the aging rooster was recycled into the freezer.

The first step in the Chicken Soup is to place the chicken (or rooster) in a very large pot of water. He was a very old rooster and had free ranged most of his adult life. This lifestyle results in an old, tough bird. It will take all day to cook him.

The next step is toe add the garlic and onions. I chop up several large onions and about 6 cloves of garlic. It is added to the pot. Next comes my favorite part, the herbs. I store the herbs in blue glass canning jars in my pantry. I get them out of the pantry and line them up on the kitchen counter. Since I know a little bit about herbs, and their beneficial qualities, I begin with ¼ cup of dried parsley. Parsley has been used for generations for its high potassium count and it acts as a blood purifier. Next comes the Thyme. This can be effective for congestion in the lungs or bronchiole tubes. I use about a tablespoon. Then comes the Basil and Oregano. I use one tablespoon each. Next is the sage. Sage tea was used by the old-timers to help out a sore throat. Lastly, I put in the dried Lovage leaves. Lovage is a perennial that I planted in the herb garden years ago. Its leaves taste like celery. I use 1 tablespoon of lovage. (I am out of fresh celery or I would have used that.) Salt and pepper are next—about one tablespoon each.

 All the herbs have been organically grown in my herb section of the garden, so I know what is in them. (No preservatives or additives’) They will be good for Bob and the soup will taste great!

There is a package of home made Amish noodles that I have been saving for just an occasion. The whole package will be added to the soap about 20 minutes before we are ready to eat.

I will end up with about one and a half gallons of soup. What we do not use in the day or so, I will freeze. I like the plastic zip lock quart size freezer bags for this.

So far, my favorite “cure all’’ has taken me about 10 minutes to assemble. I will bring it to a rolling boil for about 30 minutes and then turn it down a little. It will remain on my stove all day. (It is only 9a.m.) When Bob comes in tonight, he will be greeted by a wonderful aroma of chicken soup and herbs. He will begin to feel better almost immediately.

What will really be helpful to Bob in his healing process is to know that somebody loved him enough to make chicken soup!

The Christmas Puppies Are Here!!!

We have two new families of puppies. On October 30th, Jesse and Baron had seven huge puppies. There are three all white females and four Badger marked males. Jesse and the pups are in the whelping box in the basement.

On November 1st, Truffles and Pilgrim had four black miniature poodle puppies. Truffles and her family are in the large kennel in the kitchen. We are still waiting for Gracie and Asher’s (Great Pyrs) puppies to be born. What is so special about this is that we will have puppies available for Christmas.  What a great gift they will make for a special child somewhere.

My plan is to put Christmas bows on their heads and take pictures of them under the Christmas tree. The poodle pups will be photographed in a small Christmas stocking. You can watch our Pyr page and Poodle page for the pictures. Right now, all the puppies manage to do is to eat and sleep and then eat and sleep some more. This is a lot of work for me, but I am enjoying every minute of it. It is fun to have poodle company in the kitchen. The Pyr's whelping box takes up about a third of our small basement. It is so big, that I can climb in with Jesse and play with the puppies. Happiness is a lap full of puppies. For information on my puppies you can e mail or call me at (320) 286-2865.

Seagulls In Minnesota

You don't normally think of central Minnesota as a haven for seagulls, but they're here. They show up in the Fall and take delight in following the farmers as they plow up their fields. Our neighbor, Richard, is plowing a couple of days after harvesting his soybean crop. Hundreds of seagulls follow dining on the earthworms that come to the surface. They do a lot of talking as well, telling each other what a fine meal they've found.

TRUFFLES LOVES BUTTERFLIES!

Bright and early each morning, I take Truffles and Pilgrim on a two-mile hike. Since we walk the highway along the front of the house, I take along Honey Bear, my first Great Pyrenees guard dog. I put leases on all the dogs and off we go.  We look like a parade!

I enjoy this immensely and it is good exercise for all of us. Truffles has discovered a new interest on these walks. The huge Monarch butterflies have arrived in our area and are circling the wild flowers that grow along the highway. For Truffles, this is an open invitation to play. Honey Bear and Pilgrim ignore the butterflies, but Truffles really wants to give chase. She can not do this since I hold her lease. This is a huge frustration for her. After a few attempts to give chase to the Monarchs, she resigns herself to walk like a lady on her lease. She trots along and pretends that see doe not see the butterflies swooping all around her.

However, as soon as we arrive home, I remove her lease. Then she is off like a flash, jumping high in the air after the Monarchs. She has never caught one, but loves to play her favorite game of “chase and leap”. Poodles are fun!

STRAWBERRIES AND CHERRIES

Yesterday, after church, we attended a HUGE food and fellowship event. As a result, neither of us wanted much supper in the evening. SO…….I made Strawberry Short Cake. Bob likes it the way his grandmother used to make it. Start with fresh, hot biscuits, add sugared strawberries and top with whipped cream.  Strawberry shortcake makes a great Sunday night supper. Ask Bob!

We finished picking the strawberries last week. We also took charge of the robin that was eating our cherries. We chased him away and picked cherries. He was so fat on our cherries that he could hardly fly! BAD BIRD! I picked as high up as I could reach and then Bob took over on the ladder. I will turn the cherries into pies and jam this week

Camping

Collinwood Park is about a mile from the farm and some of our summer visiting families choose to camp out. It is an excellent facility, with hot showers, lots of fish in the lake, a neat playground, hiking trails in the woods, and a swimming beach.  The grand kids enjoyed all of it, with several exceptions. We will call them “adventures”.

The first night at the camp, the raccoons raided their cooler and ate all their food’ and a pack of coyotes howled all night. The second night at the camp, it turned unseasonably cold. Since some of them live year around in Hawaii, this was a problem. They were very cold! The third night at the camp, it rained with 30 mph winds that almost flattened their tent.

The forth night, the whole crew moved their camp to my back yard and pitched the big tent behind the main garden. The Hawaii folks moved their camp inside to the guest room where it was warm.

The bottom line is ---everyone had fun. Everyone enjoyed the whole thing. Everyone will have happy memories of the “campout” summer 2006.

Baby Bunnies

The first batch of baby bunnies were all sold at the Country Store in Howard Lake. The second bath of bunnies entertained the Grandchildren.  After the first day of being totally loved, petted and carried around, the bunnies settled down and seemed to enjoy the company. They are now quit tame and miss their playmates that have gone home.

 Next week, they will go to the petting zoo at the Country Store. There are black bunnies and brown bunnies at the zoo. My bunnies are all white. They have pink ears and eyes. The children will love them as they are very tame. They do not bite or scratch—thanks to my Grandchildren who came to visit.

SUMMER VISITORS 2006 – the PLAN!

When I learned that my sons, daughter-in-laws and grandchildren were all coming to the farm for a week in June, I was delighted. I was also overwhelmed. The house needed a serious spring overhaul (not just spring cleaning). The garden needed planting. (10,000 square feet of organic garden) The major construction on replacing the old windows on the farm house needed to be completed, and the wood work needed painting, There was a litter of puppies due, and all the lambs were being birthed at the same time.

Our house is small with one bathroom and a relatively small hot water heater. This could be a problem if every one plans on a daily shower. There is also only one guest room. We needed a PLAN.

We came up with an idea to have everyone camp out. There is a wonderful lake and park about a mile and a half from the farm. The park has a nice shower area with HOT water and well kept bathroom facilities. We will pitch tents, go swimming, and hike the wooded trails. There is a great play ground that the younger children will enjoy. We will take the old fishing boat over to the lake and the boys can enjoy catching some fish. (Bass, Walleye, Perch, Muskies, and Bluegills.) It will be Fun!

Bob bought me a new grill for my birthday, so we will do a lot of outdoor cooking. I have been cooking and freezing items like sloppy Joes, spaghetti sauce, chocolate chip cookies, and rhubarb crisp. It will help the confusion in my kitchen to have a few things fixed in advance.

We have horse shoes, soccer gear, volley ball equipment, and a badminton set that will all be part of the entertainment. The children always enjoy helping with the farm chores so our plan includes some work time too.

Believe it or not, the new windows are in, the painting is completed, the garden is planted and the house has been seriously CLEANED! My very special thanks to David, Jonah, Brenda #1 and Brenda #2 and Matt for all the help and hard work that made this possible. The lambs are all birthed and out on pasture with their Moms. The pups arrived and have all been sold.

All that is left to do is to get out all the camping gear and finish up on the food menu for the week. Bob needs to tune up the motor on the boat and put air in the trailer tires. We will have a few days to relax and then the fun begins. I can’t wait. Family is wonderful---but it helps to have a PLAN!!

BOB, HONEYBEAR, AND THE CATS

Sitting down to rest is not a frequent option. In the spring, we are especially busy. When Bob does rest for a minute, he is usually surrounded by some form of four legged friend who wants his attention. Today was no exception. Bob had no sooner sat down, when Honey Bear, our oldest Great Pyrenees female, wanted to be petted. Next came the cats. They think that they deserve as much attention as Honey Bear. Bob did not have time for much resting. If he had sat there very long, who know what else of our collection of animals might have joined the group. Sheep, lambs, geese, ducks, chickens, or rabbits - maybe?   Sometimes, he reminds me of Noah!

SPRING THINGS – March 2006

Busy! March has been progressing at a rapid pace. I need roller skates to catch up with myself. To give you a brief idea of our happenings, it has to begin with all the people.

We had folks coming from all over the U.S.A. to pick up their eight-week old Great Pyrenees puppies. There have been three litters born since January! This involves scheduling, puppy shots, puppy worming, AKC papers, and a good brushing for the pups. We even had a family fly into a Twin Cities airport in a jet! They came to the farm, loaded up their two new pups and took off for home. It was interesting.  I have been making special foods for the Mama Pyrs—including raw eggs, multiple vitamins, and can and cans of dog food. They also get as much high protein dry food as they want. 

We were expecting all the puppies, but we were blessed with three surprise lambs.  Early one morning, Bob came in from the barn with a very strange expression. He announced the arrival of our little surprises. Apparently, we had not separated our young ram from the ewes soon enough.  We put the ram out with the ewes every November 14th. It is my oldest sons birthday and easy to remember. That way the lambs are born in mid April. This year was different. The surprise lambs are doing fine, the rest of the sheep are all on schedule to lamb in April, and we will be more careful with the ram next year!

The New Zealand female rabbit had her batch of babies. They are soon to go to a local feed store to be sold. The baby bunnies are soooo cute—with large pink ears and pick eyes. The rabbit hutches have been cleaned out. We use the bunny poo on the potato patch of the main garden. It makes great fertilizer

The geese and ducks are laying eggs, but not sitting on them yet. So far, Ginger ( female Great Pyr) has collected five goose eggs and guards them from the other dogs. Bob collects them from her and I make pancakes or omelets with them. A goose egg is three times bigger than a chicken egg.

Our old hens are not laying eggs, so I ordered some new chicks. They will arrive at 6:00a.m. at the post office on Friday. The brooder has been cleaned out and we will welcome our new batch of Buff Orphington chicks.

The basement is full of tiny plants growing under the shop lights.  All types of herbs, flowers, and vegetables will be moved out of the basement the first of April and into the green house. By growing my own set outs, I can extend the Minnesota growing season. It takes an hour a day just to keep them watered and sprayed. I use a rotten fish spray that comes from Gardens Alive. It is all organic and stinks! The plants love it.

Other farm events include Bob’s new schedule on Sunday mornings. A local church in Howard Lake has gone to two services. The new service is “contemporary” and Bob’s new job is to lead the Praise and Worship music. He plays a 12 string guitar and is teaching the folks to sing scripture songs.

In addition to all his “normal” activities, Bob is constructs web sites for several companies and a llama ranch! The llama site is in just starting. The other ones are: High Brix Gardens, Andrews Mchine Works and Hutchinson II Toastmasters Club. The Toastmaster web site was named the web site in District Six!

More about Bob—he is President of the Hutchison II Toastmasters club and enjoys competing in the speaking events. We have a special shelf on the book case that holds his trophies.  In early March, he won first place in the divisional Table Topics contest.

March has been a great time of exploring the new cook book that my youngest son gave me for Christmas. It has wonderful Indian recipes and just about every night, there is a new dish on the table. We are enjoying all the new flavors. As the spring time activities get busier, I will not have time to experiment. It is fun now.

I have started walking again to get into shape for all the spring gardening. It helps with all the bending, stooping, digging and hauling.  My busiest month will be May. The main garden is 10,000 square feet of organic vegetables, flowers and herbs.

This is my longest diary entry yet.  I have left out a lot, but hope that this provides a picture of SPRING THINGS at Milk and Honey Farm. I would love to hear from what is going on at your place this spring. You can e mail or leave a message on our message board.

Blessings and Happy Spring from Sarah

Jesus has been teaching me.

I would like to share some of those things with you.

1. Jesus taught me not to take things so seriously.
2. Jesus taught me to do the best I can with what I have.
3. Jesus taught me not to compare myself with anyone.
4. Jesus taught me to rest.

What has He been teaching you?

Today, I saw Jesus.

I saw Jesus and He smiled at me. I heard Him too. He was laughing.

My Christmas Observations 2005

As I grow older and wiser, my attitudes change and I observe things around me more closely. This is true of the Christmas season as well as most aspects of my daily life. This year, my plan is to document what I consider the true, positive, blessings of this joyful season. In addition, I will record what annoys me the most! Feed back and input from you, the reader, is welcome. The good ones will be put up on our web site. The others will simply be deleted.

OBSERVATIONS

1. The only thing better than the birth of Jesus, is His soon coming return. Amen!
2. As a child in Sunday school, I thought the best part in the Christmas pageant was the beautiful Christmas angel. She always had golden, glittered wings and a shiny halo. I always wanted to play the part of the angel. Now, I think the best part would be that of a shepherd.
3. In years past, my primary concern was about what I wanted for Christmas. My lists were long and well detailed. I was an expert at “hinting”. Much of my time was spend in being especially sweet around those people who would be most likely to give me the best presents. This attitude has been replaced by one of “how much can I give away”. There is such joy in giving to people who can in no way repay me.
4. Annoying aspects of the Christmas season:  These include all forms of Santa Claus, spoiled children in toy departments having fits, drunk drivers, and credit card debts that will take years to pay off.

The Visitor

It's always nice to receive visitors, especially those who travel a long way just to call on you. We were surprised by Dick Armington, Midwest Director of Development for Compassion International. He shared the exciting things the Lord is doing through the ministry of Compassion International and was able to answer many of our questions on how the children are taken care of. We were surprised to learn that one child who accepts Christ often influences many of his or her family members and the people of the village to accept Christ too. We had a great time of fellowship and experienced one of those special God orchestrated events.

The Season of Harvest - October 2005

The days are slowing down now as winter approaches. This morning there was frost on the ground. The garden is in and the harvest was bountiful. We are putting the garden to bed for the winter. It is time to rest.

There is hay in the loft of the barn to feed the sheep. There is straw for their beds. The barn cats have made nests on top of the hay bales. The coats on the Great Pyrenees are thick and warm. They enjoy the winter and dig down into the snow to sleep. They can go into the barn if they choose, but most of their time is spent outside. Our big gray geese are feathered out and strut around like on parade.

I am fixing a chicken for supper. It will be good with the baked Butternut squash, corn custard, sauerkraut and applesauce. Everything that we eat now has been harvested from the garden.

Some evenings, I listen to the evening news, and hear about wars and hurricanes, murders and unrest. When I see the homeless, my heart is broken for their pain. I am so grateful for what the Lord has worked in my life. We are blessed on our little farm and have the good sense to realize the source of those blessings. His Name is Jesus, the Christ.

In November, we will do some ministry to the homeless poor in a large city. We will eat at a Gospel Mission and Bob will play his guitar and sing. I will share some scriptures that are dear to my heart and pray for the folks who are there. We will be passing out some warm coats, collected from my neighbors. My prayer before going there is that the Lord Himself will go before us. He will change lives, pick up broken pieces and make everything brand new—just like He did for me.

The harvest has come. The season for Thanksgiving is here.

Fall Harvest/ Amazing Grace

The theme of “Fall Harvest” for a club where I am to be a speaker fits perfectly with what I love best about the autumn season. They want a descriptive speech about my Harvest activities.

My plan is to take three large baskets filled with items from the garden and do a “Show and Tell” session. This type of presentation works well with school children and adults too. A picture is worth 1000 words.

I will describe the harvest as amazing grace. It is a huge blessing that allows a city girl to do what I do and enjoy every minute of it. That could only be God’s grace on the work of my hands.

In one of the baskets will be varieties of peppers. (Green bell peppers, red Tennessee stuffing peppers, yellow banana peppers, some red hot cayenne peppers and a few Jalapeno on top.) The peppers are shiny bright with vivid coloring and should show well. In the other baskets, I will have tomatoes, large and red. There will be purple eggplants, golden butternut squash, orange pumpkins and multicolored Indian corn. Flowers and herbs will be in the third basket. There are purple mums, yellow and orange marigolds, brunches of green parsley and purple Basil. The colors of the fall Harvest are glorious. It should be easy to give a descriptive speech. The best part of this whole thing is to be able to talk about the "Amazing Grace" that allows me to do what I enjoy. Everyone should be so blessed.

FULL SUMMER!

It is “full summer” at Milk and Honey farm. In Minnesota, that means that the harvest is in full swing. For you city people, it means that the cabbages have been made into Kraut and canned. The cucumbers have become pickles. (Bread and butter pickles, dill pickles, and my new English pickles). The Jalapeño peppers have been pickled and the first little red beets have been pickled. They are lined up in pint jars on top of my refrigerator waiting for transport to the shelves in the basement.

Several friends have arrived with boxes of canning jars that they picked up for me at garage sales. This is a big help and I am grateful. The peaches have been canned, frozen and dehydrated. I will make peach pies out of the rest of the peaches. The plum tree is next. There looks to be over a hundred pounds of purple plums weighting down the branches. Next will be the apple trees and the elderberry bushes. The last of the berries will be red raspberries. The freezer is full of cherries and strawberries. The grapes are still green and are the last to ripen. They will make wonderful grape juice.

We processed the sweet corn and it is in the freezer. Soon we will be digging the red beets and potatoes. I will be working on the tomatoes, peppers and eggplants for the next month... The tomatoes are being turning into V8 juice, pasta sauce, pizza sauce, chili sauce, salsa, and Parmesan sauce. I will dehydrate the rest. The peppers will be dehydrated or pickled. The eggplant will become Eggplant Parmesan and frozen. Some will be dehydrated and used in curry. Our Winter squash is turning golden yellow and the pumpkins are turning orange. There are big bunches of herbs hanging from the ceiling in the green house. When they are completely dried, I will grind them up and pack into jars I do a lot of cooking with herbs.

It is “full summer” on our farm and we are blessed!

I have been receiving e mails from people that we do not know—who want to come out to the farm and visit. They are interested in what we do. We appreciate the interest, but do not have time for this type of activity. I will try to keep the web site updated on items of interest. There will be new articles up on the garden page, the kitchen page, and the dairy page.

I am grateful to the Lord of the Harvest!

THIS IS HUGE!

My Biblical Health and Nutrition Manual has been translated into the Chinese language and published in book form. It is being distributed to the Chinese speaking community on an international level. I wrote the manual in 1988, while teaching at Christ for the Nations in Dallas, Texas. My copy of the completed book arrived in the mail last week. (June 2005)

Since moving to Milk and Honey Farm, we raise about 95% of what we eat. The poultry and sheep are our meat sources. Principles that are written about in the Biblical Health and Nutrition manual are put into practice here. All our meats, vegetables and fruits are raised organically and prepared in a healthy manner. The work is hard, and sometimes overwhelming.

In April of 2004, I was helping to deliver spring lambs. The ewe had triplets and the third one has just died in my arms. Discouraged and sad, I walked back to the house crying. At that particular time, country living did not seem so great. I was thinking that the Lord had forgotten where I was. Coming in the back door, the phone was ringing. It was Wen Tung from the Evangelical Formosan Church Communication Center. The purpose of her call was to inquire if I would be interested in a book contract to translate and distribute my Biblical Health and Nutrition manual. The call could not have come at a better time. Only the Lord could have put this all together.

What makes this amazing to me, is the connection of my family with China. My father, William Henry Newton, was a foreign correspondent, living in China in the 1940’s. He loved the Chinese people and spent years learning their customs and writing their story for Newspapers and news programs. He carried his own camera and typewriter and ate with chop sticks. As a little girl, I loved to hear his stories about China. Now my book has been translated into the Chinese language and will be circulated to the Chinese speaking community all over the world.

I pray that the book will be a blessing.

Additional information:

Title: Biblical health & Nutrition
Author: Sarah Newton Lea
Translator: Wen F. Tung
Editor: Tzong Hwang, M.D.
Publisher: Evangelical Formosan Church Communications Center
9386 Telstar Ave, El Monte, Ca. 91731, U. S.A.
Tel. (626) 307-5557
Website: www.efccc.org
E-mail: efee@efccc.org
Order Line in North America (626)307-0030
First Chinese Edition: April 2005
Printed in Taiwan
Originally published in the U.S. A. under the title of Biblical Health & Nutrition - Copyright © 1989, 1991 by Sarah Newton Lea
Milk& Honey Ministries
P.O. 656 Cokato, Mn. 55321-0656, U.S.A.
www.milkandhoneyfarm.com
All Rights Reserved
ISBN/1-885216-55-6

Do Angels Get Merit Badges?

Angels watch over me. They protect me the "biggies". They guard and keep me from harm and danger. But they are also on duty when it comes to the little, every day, happenings on the farm. For this I am grateful.

I was reading Psalm 91 this morning. The part that really stood out to me was Psalm 91:11and 12. It says," For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone." I do not know if God gives the angels merit badges, but if He does, then my angels have earned a lot of them.

I know that there are special angels assigned to me here at Milk and Honey Farm, just for when I am doing the farm chores. They specialize in keeping me safe.

Many times I know that they have kept me from a really bad fall. The winter ice in Minnesota is bad! I slip and slide and nearly lose it on my frequent trips to the barn to see to the animals. The fact that I remain upright has to be because of an Angel holding me up.

The barn loft has holes in the floor. I try to remember to walk very carefully. Otherwise, I could be falling thought the floor boards. There are electric fences just waiting to do me in. I have never been shocked on the fences. This is amazing in itself. There has to be an Angel seeing to that.

Often I forget to wear my gloves, and the rusty nails, splinters, and broken glass are just waiting to snag me. Never have I been cut, or scraped, or splintered.

In the summer, there are honey bees and big bumble bees all over my garden. I have never been stung and can put my hands into the same herbs and flowers that the bees are working. They bump me, but do not sting. There has to be an Angel seeing to that.

We have a lot of animal - some with sharp teeth, some with dangerous claws, and others with pointed beaks, and big hoofs. I have never been bitten, clawed, pecked, or stomped. There has to be an angel seeing to that.

I am grateful to the Lord for my angels. I do not know if they get merit badges, but if they do, my angels have earned a lot of them. They have charge over me and keep me in all my ways, even the farm chores.

M&H FARM FAST FOOD

We get in a hurry like everybody else. Today, the first lambs of the season came and we had to hustle to get all the sheep supplies in place. We got the new mom and her twins moved into a jug and everybody is doing fine. Here's our idea of fast food. This is a Papa Murphy's Gourmet Veggie pizza. We don't like the white sauce, so we always ask for tomato sauce. We add fresh basil and oregano, dried tomatoes and Portabella mushrooms saute' ed in olive oil and chopped garlic. We also add our home grown pickled jalapeno peppers for zip. The pizza tastes fabulous and lasts several meals.

New Hay

The sheep are pregnant and awaiting shearing. Even on this cool spring day (50 degrees Fahrenheit), they are warm and take it easy. We should be starting lambing in a week or two. Bob rolled the hay out of the shed so that the sheep could help themselves. This will help take the pressure of the pasture grass when it starts to green up as the girls think they are always hungry. Notice Tee-bone, the black sheep of the flock, is too busy eating to pose for the camera.

MINISTRY OR MERCHANDISING?

Have you ever attended a Christian Health seminar on the subject of good nutrition and have it end up being an infomercial? This type of thing annoys me. The Bible teaches a lot about good health practices for your food. Jesus taught by example of what he ate AND what he didn't eat! Jesus taught by His lifestyle.

There are thousands of products on the market that carry with them a lot of promises. Some of them are solid, some are iffy and others are plain bogus! I believe that supplements have their place. They can help "jump-start" a new beginning of healthy living. They can help repair a sick body. BUT, they are not the cure-all for HEALTH. A healthy body requires good food, pure water and plenty of exercise over a period of time. Good health does not come in pill form!

My spirit does not witness to anyone whose primary objective is promoting a product. In many cases, the person presenting is sincere, but mislead. This is not ministry. It is marketing. It plunders the Body of Christ by exchanging a pill for the healing power of Jesus Christ.

Be careful to whom you listen. There are wolves out there, preying on the Body of Christ. Jesus said, "By their fruit you will know them." Ask yourself, "Is this ministry or Merchandising?"

The Barn In Winter – it’s a beautiful thing

True beauty is the hoar frost that sparkles and shines in the morning sunlight. It is as though someone with a big hand and a huge paintbrush came down in the night and painted each needle on the pine trees. This is the picture of the barn that greeted me this morning. It was quiet and peaceful and the air was crisp. Hoar frost stuck to the trees and the barn roof, as perhaps put there by a master painter.

Winters in Minnesota can be hard and long. The season requires strength and endurance. This morning’s hoar front on the barn was one of the reasons we stay.

GUEST HELPERS

The folks sitting enjoying a November picnic snack with Bob, are celebrating their wedding anniversary. They called several weeks ago, and asked if they could spend the week end and help with farm chores. This was the way they wanted to spend their anniversary.

They were a big help and I was impressed that "city folks" could work that hard. They helped trim back the raspberry bushes and mulched the raspberry plants with straw. They trimmed back the asparagus plants and mulched them, too. They picked apples, fed the sheep, and gave the corn to the ducks and geese. They hauled water and fetched hay bales. They played with the Great Pyrenees dogs and scratched all the cats at least once.

The big city helpers arrived early on a Saturday morning, just in time for a big country breakfast. We had whole wheat pancakes, with pecans, sunflower seeds, and a little cinnamon mixed up in the batter. These were covered with maple syrup and raspberries. Some farm fresh eggs went with the pancakes. We opened a quart of my homemade grape juice and they really loved that. It sure doesn't taste like the store bought stuff.

Bob and I drink tea, but we keep a coffee pot and a good supply of Starbucks coffee just for our quests.

They said they both slept well that night. It could have been from all the fresh air, hard work and good home cooking. We enjoyed their company and appreciated their help. I will venture to believe that they will never forget that anniversary!

FLU AND COLD HOMEMADE REMEDY

I keep this recipe made up all in time. It sits in a quart jar in the back of my refrigerator. At the first sign of a sneeze or sniffle, out it comes. This works for me. I do not tell anyone else what to do. The purpose of this article is simply to share what WE DO.

• ½ cup horseradish
• ¼ cup garlic-minced
• ½ cup onion – chopped
• ¼ cup fresh ginger – minced
• 3 cayenne peppers – minced
• 1 cup Apple cider vinegar
• ½ cup raw honey

I put 1 or 2 teaspoonfuls in a glass of water—gargle it and then swallow it. I do this every hour on the hour until symptoms go away. It tastes terrible. Maybe the symptoms are afraid to come back!

Give me a break!

It is the middle of October and the stores are putting up their Christmas things. There are a few nice decorations, put most of it is a lot of junk. Don’t you think it is a bit early?

The toys are being promoted as the "must have" items on your child’s want list. There is very little that is useful or educational in this collection of stuff. Some of the items are so poorly constructed that they won’t last until the New Year. This whole thing annoys me!

I wish people would consider giving valuable gifts this year. My interest is on health and a lifestyle of good nutrition. A gift of health is truly a blessing and shows your LOVE more that the plastic toys.

We have items for sale that promote healing and health in our country store. The books Biblical Health and Nutrition Manual and 25 Ways to Save Money on Food ...And Eat Healthy make real gifts. Recipe Ring #1 and #2 are full of delicious and healthy homemade recipes that your family will love. The Bosch mixer or a Whisper mill will last for years. The homemade soap is delightful and made with all natural ingredients.

Other good gifts include tools, books, family games, and warm sweaters. (We live in Minnesota) These are useful and will make good use of your Christmas budget. How about home made cookies, fruit cake, pickles, or salsa? How about several pounds of pecans or walnuts? Homemade jams and jellies make a special and tasty gift. A quart jar filled with honey is a real treat. How about a bottle or real maple syrup?

One of the best gifts of all is a gift of time. Help someone clean their house. Take a friend to lunch. Help address Christmas cards. Make phone calls and visit. This is a caring and thoughtful way of letting someone know that you are thinking of them.

Money works too. Give a special money gift to a struggling family, student or single parent. Take some kids who need new shoes shopping and buy them some. How about a love gift of money to your pastor, a missionary, or someone who has made your life better this year?

Think about what you are giving. Pray for wisdom and the courage to be different!

I am also put out that the Target people will not let the Salvation Army have their red kettles out in front of their stores. I will not buy anything at Target this holiday season or ever. Maybe if enough people shop somewhere else, the Target people will get the message.

HARVEST HELP

We are blessed with an abundant harvest. There has been more dehydrating, freezing and canning accomplished this year that every before. There are bushels of potatoes, lots of Butternut squash and pumpkins, and buckets of apples lined up on the back porch. There are quarts of grape juice and tomato juice on the pantry shelves. There is home made salsa, and chili sauce—not to mention the pickles and sauerkraut. There are gallon jars full of dehydrated apples.

At the beginning of the harvest, it did not look promising. I was way behind everything. This happens when I take on too many projects at the same. This year, the harvest and my new book 25 Ways To Save Money on Food ... And Eat Healthy all came due at the same time.

To deal with this situation, I prayed. It went something like this, "HELP!!!" I told the Lord that I needed workers—real workers. I told Him all about my frustration and my tiredness. Some time ago, a Chinese brother had sent us an email offering to come and help out. He wanted to learn to do what we do. He said he was a hard worker and would pay to learn. At the time, it was not possible to have him come, but I regretted that decision at harvest. I told the Lord about that too. We need a camper for working guests to stay in, and that is probably in our future.

God is faithful. While I did not ask anyone for help, it began to show up. My harvest helpers were an unlikely bunch. They came in all ages and sizes. The oldest being 70 and the youngest 10.

Some picked, some canned, some chopped up apples for the dehydrators. One lady cleaned my refrigerator. It was her idea. Things tend to "grow" in it when I get busy.

One teenager came to dig the potatoes and brought with him his younger brother who cleaned the dog kennels. Another gal decided to "spring clean" my bathroom.

I had help on the book too. There was a willing proof reader who took time out of her own busy schedule to proof read the 25 Ways To Save Money on Food ... And Eat Healthy. There was a retired engineer and his wife who helped assemble the Recipe Rings #1 and #2 for the Health and Healing Conference.

There was a nurse who acted like a catalyst for the helpers. She called up and organized the harvest helpers. She picked, and canned and chopped. My 70-year old friend canned and chopped and then she cleaned up the mess we made in the kitchen

It was amazing.

My harvest helpers will never understand how much I needed them and appreciated their efforts. Mostly, I am grateful to the Lord of the Harvest. It was He who sent them.

T-Bone, Our Newest Arrival

We visited a meat market several weeks ago. Bob saw the T- bone steaks for $9.95 a pound. He went into serious sticker shock. The next thing I knew, he had visited my neighbor, Lee, and was leading home with a Holstein steer.

I named the calf T-Bone, for that is his destiny. Meanwhile, he is learning to be a sheep. The sheep, however, think he is an alien and will not have anything to do with him. It will take some adjustment time. We have raised sheep for years and pretty much know what we are doing. We know nothing about cattle but can ask questions of our neighbors who raise cattle.

 

His favorite thing to do is to sit in a nice pile of hay and chew. If he is not chewing the hay, he is chewing his cud. Bob puts him in the barn at night. His best friend on the farm, next to Bob, is Boomer, our biggest and oldest male Great Pyrenees. Boomer seems to like him and hangs out by the hay pile. They make an interesting pair.

Be careful about your husband visiting a meat market. You, too, might end up with a calf named T-Bone.

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