IS IT TIME TO START SEEDS YET?

Have you started thinking about your spring garden yet?  If  you are like me you probably stared the day after Christmas. 

I start most of my seeds  for tomatoes and peppers and other plant in those cell trays and need  markers to remind myself what is planted in each tray.  I have used Popsicle sticks and bought the plastic sticks in packages but came across a tip on a YouTube site video that sounded like a better solution. Old Vinyl Blinds

 (You can buy a set of blinds from Walmart for about $8 )

I took my old ones apart and wound up with 75 slats. I cut them into lengths that I needed and had a total of 370 plant sticks.  The nice thing is you can customize them to your needs.  I cut some longer, some shorter and some skinnier.

Write on them with a magic marker and re-use each year.

I can't wait to get started.  Hope this helps. 

Something New On The Homestead

I took a walk around our property yesterday and came upon this Holly Tree. We have had them for years but this is the first time I have ever seen them with berries.

This tree has two others around it with no berries.  I have learned that the Holly trees are either Male or Female with only the females having berries. I also learned that the berries are poisonous.

There are also little baby holly trees coming up under the mamma tree.  I'm hoping to transplant them but need to do more research.  Has any one out there had any luck with this?

Of course the Holly tree reminds me of Christmas decorations, so here's hoping  you all have a great Christmas.

             GOD IS GOOD, All THE TIME

FIRST SNOW

The first snow after summer means the garden is finished and the quilting has begun.

This is the scene out of my quilting room door. It came early this year, I think it's going to be a cold winter. But be of good cheer, the seed catalogs will be filling my mail box in less than a month.

I hate to admit it but I'm way behind in doing my machine quilting. That's okay though, while standing at my machine I do a lot of planning for the upcoming year.  I like to grow something new every year, this year it was loofah sponges,, more about that later. 

Doing the farmers market is a big interest to me but I didn't have the produce this summer.

Any way, time to get busy with Thanksgiving preparations, then Christmas,  Hope every one has a blessed holiday season.    Because                                  God is good, all the time.

February Truck and Seed Time

       Ta-Daaaa, I'm way ahead of myself believe it or not.  I finished my block of the month truck in just two days. It helps when you have a friend (Kim) who is taking the same class and you are in competition with each other.

        This is Buttermilk Basin's Vintage Truck through the year pattern. I did the applique on my machine, I really don't have time to sit and do it by hand although I really enjoy the hand work.  Like most quilters, I have so many project that are unfinished (UFO's un-finished-objects) that I would never get them done if it wasn't for my sewing machine. But I think it's my sewing machine that caused all these UFO's to begin with.
                                      ************************************************
                                                                          SEED TIME

        I found a new seed company and placed a seed order.  BAKER CREEK.  The seeds arrived in a week and the prices are great. Next week I will start the cabbage and onion seeds.  I know I can go to the store and buy onion sets but I'v never started onions from seeds so I want to try something new.

       

       So stay tuned,for next week's project,   Cabbage and another block.  Thanks for lookin'

Another Year Another Opportunity

    Isn't it amazing how one day it is the middle of August and you are harvesting and canning and wiping sweat from your brow and the next day it is January, the start of a new year, a new beginning.

    My garden and canning are behind me until March and the quilting is ahead of me. So in a couple of weeks I will start a new "block of the month" class at the Spring Creek Quilt shop in Rickman Tennessee. The pattern is called VINTAGE TRUCKS by Buttermilk Basin. I will post  the completed blocks.  I also intend to make baby quilts and rag dolls, lap quilts and more soap. The rag dolls will be something new for me. So many projects and so little time.

   I hope you have dreams for the new year. So get started, life is short, make the most of  it.
                                             

                                                             HAPPY NEW YEAR

Peach Butter

A few day ago the same people who gave us the plums, gave us some peaches from their tree.
I usually freeze peaches in jars with orange juice and sugar syrup but I have some from last year. So I decided to make peach butter.

I've never made  fruit butters before although I have wanted to for several years. I thought making fruit butters was hard and time consuming, I thought you had to watch over the pot and keep stirring and stirring.  Well let me tell you how easy it is.  First we peeled and pitted the peaches, sliced them and put them in the crock pot.  I added cinnamon, sugar and cloves to taste, put the lid on the crock pot and let it cook on low all night.  In the morning I put the butter in the blender to smooth out the pieces of peach then put it back in the crock pot until  it was as thick as I wanted it. I think it took about 17 hours.  I put the butter in jelly jars and processed them for 5 minutes in a water bath.

Turned out very good.  Can't wait until the apples come in.  If I had know it was so easy I would have made fruit butters a long time ago.  This will go on the shelf with the jelly and jam.
                                                                                                  Thanks for Lookin

      

Plum Jam

Today our neighbor gave us some plums from their two trees. I've never liked plums very well but

 when some one gives you plums, you make plum jam.
This is my third batch of Plum jam. I followed the recipe in the "Sure Gel" box and it all turned our really well,  just a little sweet and a little tart.

I'll put it on the shelf with the blueberry jam from last year and black berry jam from two years ago. We picked mulberries from our tree which will go into the freezer with any thing else we pick so I can make jam next year and then put it on the shelf with the rest of the jam. You can never have too much jam.
                         Oh when will it ever end.



Stay tuned for PINTO BEANS.    Thanks for lookin

Canning Deer Stew

Today I canned the deer stew. Having a friend who owns Woods and Waters Taxidermy was a big help last year during deer season.  If you are looking for a great processor  and  taxidermist, look him up. You can find him on face book. WoodsAndwatersTaxidermy .

I don't measure when I cook unless it is important so I can't tell you how much of any thing I used.
I used cubed venison , cubed potatoes, onions, carrots and a few frozen peas from last years garden, browning liquid, salt and pepper,










 After browning the venison, I put all ingredients in a large pot and boiled them until every thing was hot but not cooked.  I used clear gel for a thickener, filled seven quart jars and processed them for 90 minutes in a pressure canner.  My final count was 12 quarts of stew,
and 5 pints of cubed deer meat for use in other recipes.
This will be wonderful this winter with a big skillet of corn bread..


                                             Next up.  Plum Jam.  Thanks for Lookin

 

CORRECTION PLEASE READ

I made a mistake on my last post about the Zaycon chicken.   I stated the time for my quarts as 75 minutes.  I didn't make quarts,  The 75 minutes is for pints.  You have to process quart for 90 minutes.

The most important thing about canning is SAFTEY.     Read instructions carefully and follow them exactly

I'm doing beef stew tomorrow. Last years turned out great  So stay tuned for the recipe and pictures.
                                       
                                                           Thanks for lookin.

ZAYCON CHICKEN

Ok, I picked up my order of Zaycon chicken on Wednesday.  It was just like it was suppose to be.  We arrived at the pick up point a little early and watched the truck pull into the parking lot.  Several cars were waiting along with us.  After setting up those orange to show the customers which way to pull up to the truck, we drove up and gave the man our name. He found our box and put it in the back of our car and we were on our way home. He was very nice by the way.

The chicken breast were very cold and very big and very clean.  There were four 10 pound bags inside another bag inside the box.  After sharing with our son and daughter we had 30 pounds to can.

 I cut the chicken breast into large cubes and lightly browned them, then filled wide mouth pint jars with the chunks.  I put in one half tsp of dehydrated chicken broth and one quarter tsp of dry seasoning. Then filled the jars with boiling water.   Processing time was 75 minutes for my quarts at 11 pounds pressure.  I got 24 pints canned had enough cubes left to put three quart bags in the freezer.

They turned our great. The chicken was very tender, and fresh. I will definitely order more.
Actually the next delivery date is in October of this year.  The price as of today is about 67 dollars.  I highly recommend this company especially if you are a canner and like to buy in bulk at prices cheaper than the grocery store.
        Check them out. at zayconfresh.com

                  Thanks for lookin

Another Straight From The Garden

I have always had a fail when it comes to growing garlic. One year i lost it because all the leaves were gone and I just couldn't find where I planted it.

Last fall I put 6 garlic cloves in the ground and covered them up with rotted leaves. Then I got on line and read hundreds of articles on how to grow garlic.  Well maybe not a hundred, but close.  I learned that  you are suppose to dig it when  three or four stalks turn yellow. So today I noticed that there were some yellow stalks so I got the tater fork and dug up 6 garlic bulbs.  Not bad for a first time ever growing garlic.  The bulbs are big but there are no indentations like a garlic bulb should have, and two of the bulbs have a yellow knot on the outside the size of a marble.  Maybe I dug them too early.

The snow peas are starting to produce so I picked a couple hand fulls of them.   So today for dinner we are having snow peas and garlic.  ha.  
                                                   Thanks for Lookin

Straight From The Garden

This time of year we get anxious to cook up something from
the garden, So between rains, Mr farmer was able to pull up
some green onions and cut off some black seeded simpson
lettuce. I cooked some bacon , made cornbread and opened a
jar of white beans and ham that was canned last year.

This is the kind of meal my mom use to make, good, fresh,
easy and not laden with chemicals.

                       WILTED LETTUCE

wash your leaf lettuce and tear into smaller pieces
chop the green onions and add to the lettuce
cook bacon till crisp and crumble over lettuce
heat the bacon grease until almost smoking and pour over
the lettuce, It should sizzle and pop and shrink the lettuce.
Mix all together add salt and pepper.  yum yum

                       thanks for lookin'

Where Have I Been

 I was told today that I haven't posted on my blog for almost a year.    Wow how time flies.

   So  here goes.  I just found out about a company that offers fresh, frozen, farm to (your car) meats.
   You order on line and pay with credit card and then pick up the product at a point close to your home. Since I'm a "canner", I decided to try them out.  I must say that the site that brought this to my attention is very reliable and the prices are cheaper than grocery stores.

The company is called zayconfresh.com . I ordered 40 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast for $75.60. I will pick up this order Wednesday, May 15th at a near by church. Straight from the farm freezer truck to my car then straight home to my canner.

So stay tuned. I will be back in a couple of weeks to show what I bought and how I process it.

Thanks for lookin

 

The Passing of Summer

              Summer suddenly passed away the first of October, at least for me.  It seems I barley got to know her. She was outside my window, warm and shining brightly.  I was inside canning, canning and more canning.
     
              With food put away for the winter, it's time to get down to QUILTING, quilting and more quilting. I plan to jump in with both feet, needles threaded, and a sharp blade on my rotary cutter.

              To start the season I'm making a Christmas pillow. The fabric can be found at Spring Creek Fabrics on HWY 111, Rickman Tennessee.                     The red snowman fabric was cut 16 1/2 

front

by 9  also the white fabric, 16 1/2 by 9. I used a strip of green for the accent, cut 16 1/2 by 1".

I copied some lettering for my embroidery, using two pieces of white, basted together to keep the red floss from showing through. I used red DMC floss no. 321 for the wording.

Fold the green strip wrong sides together and sew it between the red print and white.  You're pillow top is done.

The back is an envelope back made from another of Spring Creek's fabric.  Now all you need is a 16 inch pillow form.   

Now all you need is a 16" pillow form.  

           HAPPY  QUILTING

               

YUMMY BLUEBERRIES

Last Saturday we headed  to Tidwell berry farm near Spring City Tennessee. We've been going for the last two years.  We bought Strawberries last month and Blueberries Saturday,  the peaches will be in next week. If you live close, give them a call. 1-423-365-9300. Their berries are wonderful.

I made the strawberry jam from the recipe inside the box of sure jell, 

The blueberry pie filling recipe is from the Simply Delicious Cooking in Crossville cook book from the cooks of  Mt. Moriah Mennonite Church.  

You can find it at the Muddy Pond General Store. Well Hubby just brought in a bunch of blackberries so I need to get to work.  

Primitive Gatherings Quilt

I finally finished appliqueing a block for the Primitive Garden quilt. This is a class I'm taking at 

Spring Creek Quilts in Rickman Tennessee. The shop is owned by Kathy Dishman.  She offers fabrics, classes, custom quilting and more.  

I told my self that I would keep up this year and finish each block in the month that the class was given, but.  Oh well  so little time and so  many quilts to make.  I'll post the blocks as I finish them. I think this is going to be a pretty quilt. The pattern is Primitive Gatherings by Lisa Bongean.

Looking Good

Finally the warmer weather is starting to show up. We have just gone through an ice storm that left everyone with out electricity, some for more than a week. It left trees broken and  property damaged.

But, time goes on and things change.  I walked around  outside and found the beginnings of spring.

 The Dogwoods are blooming  and the tree men are keeping a watch over the new growth and young seedlings.  So stop and look around. Enjoy one day at a time. Thank the Lord for the gifts He gives.

Time goes by faster than we realize, Christmas is right around the corner.

New Beginnings

MARCH:

the month  I start new seeds for this years garden, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage and such.

Dad use to start every thing February 14th but that was 20 years ago, I think this old world has changed since then. March has been a better month for me, weather wise any way. 

Last year I started new herb plants, I use Styrofoam coffee cups (most of the time) with holes punched in the bottom for bottom watering, the plants can be pulled out along with the soil when it comes time to plant in the garden and the cups are reusable.    

I've been revising my canning list for this year, deciding how much more we need of one thing or less of another depending on how much of what ever we have left,   Eating from the vegetables we canned  last year has been rewarding and it saves on the grocery bill, not to mention the delicious meals that can be made up in a matter of minutes.

Not only vegetables, but meat also. last year I canned meatloaf and chicken, boston butt and sausage.

I'll not do the boston butt this year but the other meats were convenient and tasty. 

So here's praying for a successful growing season.

thanks for stopping by.

Goodbye Fred

I've had chickens for pets for the past 17 years.

Every three years or so I would order baby chicks from a mail order company, picking out certain breeds that had the qualities that interested me, such as pretty feathers, a friendly disposition or for their egg color.

I would always order female because I only wanted the eggs.  No roosters please, but low and behold, you always get a rooster or two in each order.

So last year I ordered a rooster the same breed as my Favorite hens ( the kind that lay the green eggs) thinking that I would raise some new birds instead ordering.

 

  Well my rooster was beautiful. He was white and black with a red comb and waddle.
He was big and strong and I named him Fred. He also pecked the feathers out of my hens  backs so bad that I felt sorry for the ladies. So last night we had Fred and dumplings for supper.    
GOODBYE FRED

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

While going through my pictures, I came across this one of a wall hanging I had made many years ago. The rose buds are folded triangles which gives the piece some dimension. 

I never really cared for wall hangings, mainly because I never had a place to put them but they look so nice in other people's homes.  I put this one up as a display in my shop and it finally sold.

So happy Valentines day to everyone, may your heart be filled with love and your soup pot be filled with fresh veggies. 
                       Happy Quilting and Healthy Eating