Starting a garden for the first year can seem intimidating. There is so much information, that it's easy to get overwhelmed. My 1st bit of advice for people who want to grow their own food (but are afraid of all the "rules") is to relax. Relax & have fun. It really is easier than it may seem. Yes, there could be 1,000 tomato diseases, but chances are, you will see none of them. Just look at a dandelion & you'll see how easy it is to grow healthy food. (Heck yeah, you can eat a dandelion!) Sit down with a mug of hot chocolate & thumb through the seed catalogs. My favorites are Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Botanical Interests & High Mowing Organic Seeds. Why? I like their pictures. Last year, I planted a huge garden. Did it look like the ones in magazines? No way. I grew more weeds than food. Did I have fun? Yes. Did my kids eat more vegetables than the year before? Yes. They planted & weeded & harvested & feasted like kings. Did every plant grow well? No. I had beautiful carrots, but the broccoli was pitiful. Will I try again? Heck yeah! Hint number 2 - Start with 1-2 varieties of the foods you actually like. If you hate eggplant, don't bother. If you don't have a yard, you can still grow food on the porch or windowsill. My daughter lives in an apartment & is growing her garden in Rubbermaid buckets. Tip number 3 - Find someone you trust & ask questions. Gardeners love to help each other, just like fishermen love to swap stories. We'll do anything to get people to join the team. We bought fruit trees for the first time, last year. We found a local nursery & asked questions. Lots of questions. She was super friendly & she knows her stuff! I've also been taking classes at our county extension office. For more helpful tips, visit Red White & Grew. She's working on an awesome "DIY notebook for new gardeners". I think you'll like it. I sure did!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Cabin Fever
We have one foot of snow on the ground & more expected tonight. The people in this house & the critters in the barn have a bad case of cabin fever. My chickens want worms. The kids want to play tennis. I want to plant my garden! I've ordered my seeds, started the onions & now I wait. 
Starting a garden for the first year can seem intimidating. There is so much information, that it's easy to get overwhelmed. My 1st bit of advice for people who want to grow their own food (but are afraid of all the "rules") is to relax. Relax & have fun. It really is easier than it may seem. Yes, there could be 1,000 tomato diseases, but chances are, you will see none of them. Just look at a dandelion & you'll see how easy it is to grow healthy food. (Heck yeah, you can eat a dandelion!) Sit down with a mug of hot chocolate & thumb through the seed catalogs. My favorites are Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Botanical Interests & High Mowing Organic Seeds. Why? I like their pictures. Last year, I planted a huge garden. Did it look like the ones in magazines? No way. I grew more weeds than food. Did I have fun? Yes. Did my kids eat more vegetables than the year before? Yes. They planted & weeded & harvested & feasted like kings. Did every plant grow well? No. I had beautiful carrots, but the broccoli was pitiful. Will I try again? Heck yeah! Hint number 2 - Start with 1-2 varieties of the foods you actually like. If you hate eggplant, don't bother. If you don't have a yard, you can still grow food on the porch or windowsill. My daughter lives in an apartment & is growing her garden in Rubbermaid buckets. Tip number 3 - Find someone you trust & ask questions. Gardeners love to help each other, just like fishermen love to swap stories. We'll do anything to get people to join the team. We bought fruit trees for the first time, last year. We found a local nursery & asked questions. Lots of questions. She was super friendly & she knows her stuff! I've also been taking classes at our county extension office. For more helpful tips, visit Red White & Grew. She's working on an awesome "DIY notebook for new gardeners". I think you'll like it. I sure did!
Starting a garden for the first year can seem intimidating. There is so much information, that it's easy to get overwhelmed. My 1st bit of advice for people who want to grow their own food (but are afraid of all the "rules") is to relax. Relax & have fun. It really is easier than it may seem. Yes, there could be 1,000 tomato diseases, but chances are, you will see none of them. Just look at a dandelion & you'll see how easy it is to grow healthy food. (Heck yeah, you can eat a dandelion!) Sit down with a mug of hot chocolate & thumb through the seed catalogs. My favorites are Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Botanical Interests & High Mowing Organic Seeds. Why? I like their pictures. Last year, I planted a huge garden. Did it look like the ones in magazines? No way. I grew more weeds than food. Did I have fun? Yes. Did my kids eat more vegetables than the year before? Yes. They planted & weeded & harvested & feasted like kings. Did every plant grow well? No. I had beautiful carrots, but the broccoli was pitiful. Will I try again? Heck yeah! Hint number 2 - Start with 1-2 varieties of the foods you actually like. If you hate eggplant, don't bother. If you don't have a yard, you can still grow food on the porch or windowsill. My daughter lives in an apartment & is growing her garden in Rubbermaid buckets. Tip number 3 - Find someone you trust & ask questions. Gardeners love to help each other, just like fishermen love to swap stories. We'll do anything to get people to join the team. We bought fruit trees for the first time, last year. We found a local nursery & asked questions. Lots of questions. She was super friendly & she knows her stuff! I've also been taking classes at our county extension office. For more helpful tips, visit Red White & Grew. She's working on an awesome "DIY notebook for new gardeners". I think you'll like it. I sure did!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Quick & Easy - that's how we roll
My son requested chicken tortilla soup for supper. After making (& cleaning up the mess from) 3 loaves of bread today, I was not in the mood to make tortillas. Oh, we also had no chicken. All I had was some leftover rabbit meat & tortilla chips. So as usual, we improvised. In a large pot, heat-up some chicken broth. I figure 1 cup per person. For us, that's 5 cups. In goes the shredded (cooked) rabbit meat & 1 jar of Meijer corn & black bean salsa. Cook just util the meat is nice and hot. Spoon into soup bowls & crush a handful of tortilla chips on top. (My husband used tortilla chips & about 200 saltine crackers. To each his own.) Sprinkle with shredded cheese. How easy was that?! I haven't added any pictures. It's not much to look at, but it was just what we needed for such a cold February evening.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Snow day did ya say?
Yes, like most of the midwest, we're snowed in today. So, I decided to bake some bread. 
Throw in some cheese & sausage & we've got a meal! Just shred 4 oz of cheddar cheese into a mixing bowl. (My sister told me they put stuff in shredded cheese to keep it from sticking together. So, I use block cheese & shred it myself.) Then you need some sausage. I use Meijer brand, because it has no MSG. Check the labels! Mos
t "national" brands have MSG. Dump 1/2 package of breakfast sausage into the bowl with your cheese. (save the rest of the sausage for biscuits& gravy). Now smoosh the meat & cheese together with your fingers. Spread it on 8 slices of bread. Bake at 350 until the cheese bubbles. (15-20 minutes). It may not look beautiful, but it tastes soooo YUM!!!
Throw in some cheese & sausage & we've got a meal! Just shred 4 oz of cheddar cheese into a mixing bowl. (My sister told me they put stuff in shredded cheese to keep it from sticking together. So, I use block cheese & shred it myself.) Then you need some sausage. I use Meijer brand, because it has no MSG. Check the labels! Mos
t "national" brands have MSG. Dump 1/2 package of breakfast sausage into the bowl with your cheese. (save the rest of the sausage for biscuits& gravy). Now smoosh the meat & cheese together with your fingers. Spread it on 8 slices of bread. Bake at 350 until the cheese bubbles. (15-20 minutes). It may not look beautiful, but it tastes soooo YUM!!!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Happy National Pie Day!
What better way to interrupt cabin fever than with pie? It makes the house smell great & warms the kitchen. It's also a tasty way to get my kids to eat more fruits & veggies! Oh yeah, pie counts as a fruit. So, we celebrated National Pie day with two pies. I found the recipe for "Humble Pie" on the King Arthur website. I used frozen peaches & blackberries, because it's what I had. Instead of dried buttermilk powder, I used plain powdered milk. It still tastes great to me. I used my grandma's recipe for the sweet potato pie. Yes, the recipe that calls for lard in the crust. I've tried "vegetable shortening" before. Besides being totally processed & unhealthy, it makes a crappy crust. Trust me, lard in the only way to make a perfect pie crust.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
What a Farmbelle Wants
Granny Cantrell tomato seeds. I grew these last year & they were the best tasting tomato I've ever met. I saved all my seeds in a dixie cup in the cupboard. My sweet dughter climbed onto the counter & spilled all my seeds into her bowl of chili & all over the floor. I cried. Then, I scooped up what seeds I could - about 10 total & went searching for more seeds. I plan to fill my garden with Granny Cantrells. Note to self; always save seeds in jars with lids!
One can never have enough books. Today, I want The Encyclopedia of Historic and Endangered Livestock and Poultry Breeds . Whew, I hope the book is as informative as the title. The cover looks great, so I'm sure the rest of the book is as well.
Since homemade bread does not pop out of the pan already sliced, I need a cutting board, like this. It needs no explaination. It's simple, clean & beautiful.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Sunday, January 2, 2011
More Books in the FarmBelles library
Have you ever found something "strange" at the Farmer's Market, like kale or cauliflower & had no idea what to do with it? Keep in mind, these foods aren't strange at all. They are normal, flavorful foods our grandmothers would have eaten regularly. The stuff they try to sell at the fast food "restaurants" is strange. Eating Local - Sur La Table has recipes for everything you'd buy from your local farmer & then some. It even has a recipe for eggplant that looks edible! So go ahead, try something new (like carrots that have never been wrapped in plastic, gasp!) Your tastebuds will thank you.
Ok, not ready to get adventurous with your food? I hear ya. Let's start with the basics. The Art of Simple Food - Alice Waters explains how to select fresh food & cook it up in simple recipes. Seriously, it has a recipe for scrambled eggs. It doesn't get more basic than that. Just don't confuse "simple"with "boring". With fresh ingredients & simple recipes, you can actually taste the food.
The Sheer Ecstasy of Being a Lunatic Farmer - Joel Salatin - Well, this one pretty much explains itself. Always questioning the logic in "conventional" farming, some people might call Joel a "lunatic". Don't think it bothers him though. No sir! Being a "lunatic" farmer has brought Joel sheer ecstasy. In this book, he explains how you can become a "lunatic" farmer & actually ENJOY FARMING. Like all of Joel's books, this one is engaging, encouraging & bursting at the margins with useful information. A must read for anyone who produces food, or cares where it comes from.
& a movie
It's a good thing Temple Grandin has a website, because I would need a month of Sundays to list all of her amazing achievements. When she still didn't speak at age 4, Temple's doctor urged her mother to put her in an institution. (this was before autism even had a name, let alone any kind of understanding) Well, of course her mother refused. Given a supportive, encouraging childhood, Temple went on to graduate high school and college. She now holds a PhD in animal science. She has a wonderful understanding of animal behavior, which helps her design facilities that are more humane for livestock. She has even written several books about autism. So, check out her website, read one of her books, watch the movie (my kids watched it over & over & over...). You will not be disappointed, I promise.
Ok, not ready to get adventurous with your food? I hear ya. Let's start with the basics. The Art of Simple Food - Alice Waters explains how to select fresh food & cook it up in simple recipes. Seriously, it has a recipe for scrambled eggs. It doesn't get more basic than that. Just don't confuse "simple"with "boring". With fresh ingredients & simple recipes, you can actually taste the food.
The Sheer Ecstasy of Being a Lunatic Farmer - Joel Salatin - Well, this one pretty much explains itself. Always questioning the logic in "conventional" farming, some people might call Joel a "lunatic". Don't think it bothers him though. No sir! Being a "lunatic" farmer has brought Joel sheer ecstasy. In this book, he explains how you can become a "lunatic" farmer & actually ENJOY FARMING. Like all of Joel's books, this one is engaging, encouraging & bursting at the margins with useful information. A must read for anyone who produces food, or cares where it comes from.
& a movie
It's a good thing Temple Grandin has a website, because I would need a month of Sundays to list all of her amazing achievements. When she still didn't speak at age 4, Temple's doctor urged her mother to put her in an institution. (this was before autism even had a name, let alone any kind of understanding) Well, of course her mother refused. Given a supportive, encouraging childhood, Temple went on to graduate high school and college. She now holds a PhD in animal science. She has a wonderful understanding of animal behavior, which helps her design facilities that are more humane for livestock. She has even written several books about autism. So, check out her website, read one of her books, watch the movie (my kids watched it over & over & over...). You will not be disappointed, I promise.
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