tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30647084250717737772024-02-18T18:56:26.430-08:00Mini Homestead NewsAnn crumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610811572762087980noreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064708425071773777.post-58841023455611360122017-10-13T21:09:00.001-07:002017-10-13T21:09:47.204-07:00Maypop (passion fruit) jellyHello everyone! I wanted to share my latest canning adventure with you. I made maypop jelly today! I followed a blog post, for the most part, which I will share below. I did find that I needed more water than called for and wound up using about 3 cups of water per batch for boiling the fruit.<br />
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But, what's a maypop, you say? Well, it's also known as Passion Fruit and it's the fruit of the passiflora incarnata vine. It's sweet and tart at the same time inside. You don't eat the tough, leathery outsides. The inner portion is filled with crunchy seeds with a lemony "jelly" surrounding them.<br />
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Ripe maypops (so called because they "may pop when you step on them!) Those are ugly fruits but so yummy on the inside! These are some we foraged from a friend's farm.</div>
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This bloom was white but most often you'll see purple ones. Isn't it beautiful?</div>
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See the seeds and gelatin that surround them?</div>
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To make the jelly, you need to cut up enough of the fruit to make 2 cups, pressed into the measuring cup. Put it into a pan with 3 cups of water and boil it for 5 minutes. Then strain out the pulp and reserve the liquid.<br />
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Press the juice out with the back of a spoon or ladle, or set a large heavy cup on it to press out even more juice.</div>
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Here's the juice in the pot (pardon the ugliness of the pot) and ready for the powdered pectin.</div>
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Then, put the liquid in a tall pot (should have 3 cups of liquid total), add powdered regular pectin (a full package for this recipe), and bring it to a boil. When it's boiling add 3 1/2 cups sugar all at once. Stir and continue stirring until it comes to a hard, rolling boil, then boil and stir for 2 minutes.<br />
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Turn off the heat and let it settle down about 5 minutes. Skim off any foam. Ladle into hot half-pint or pint jars; process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. (I use a steam canner but the timing is the same.) Wait 5 minutes after turning off the heat when the time is up, then remove the jars from the canner. I actually made 3 batches but the first batch only made one jar following the directions on the blog I'll link you to.<br />
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And here's the blog I mentioned! Give her a visit and let her know I sent you! <a href="https://peppysis.blogspot.com/2011/08/maypops-jelly.html" target="_blank">PeppySis: MayPops Jelly</a><br />
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I will have a video for this in a few days and will add it here. :)Ann crumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610811572762087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064708425071773777.post-44715753947518216662017-10-12T18:46:00.001-07:002017-10-12T20:52:06.852-07:00Sweet Potato BiscuitsI had a couple of leftover baked sweet potatoes that I needed to do something with. I hate wasting food, so I thought I'd work up a recipe for sweet potato biscuits. They turned out more chewy than I normally make, but the texture really resembles English Muffins, so I think if I'd cut them differently and baked them on cornmeal, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference!<br />
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Here's the recipe I worked up:<br />
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Sweet Potato Biscuits<br />
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<li>2 medium baked sweet potatoes, peeled and mashed</li>
<li>3 cups all purpose flour</li>
<li>3 1/2 tsp. baking powder</li>
<li>1 tsp. salt</li>
<li>1 1/2 cups milk </li>
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Mix together dry ingredients, then cut in the mashed sweet potatoes. Add milk a little at a time until you have a soft but not too sticky dough. Turn out on floured surface, pat the dough out, fold it over in half, repeating this move 4 times. Flatten to about 1/2 inch thick and cut with a biscuit cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet or in ungreased cake pan. Bake in preheated 400F oven for 20 minutes or until tops are cracked and biscuits spring back when touched. Brush with butter and serve hot.<br />
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Yield: about 18 biscuits.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wXO4ufJVbhQ/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wXO4ufJVbhQ?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<br />Ann crumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610811572762087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064708425071773777.post-29395712740109113162017-09-28T20:31:00.001-07:002017-09-28T22:58:22.596-07:00Baked French Toast with apple pie toppingHave you ever been called a cheapskate? I have, and I own that title!! I have some bread that isn't bad but it's going stale and dry. I hate throwing food away, so we looked for a tasty way to use it up, and found one. Baked French Toast.<br />
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I will say, as with almost any recipe I find, I wind up making it my own by tweaking it here and there and using ingredients I have on hand. That's what we did today, too. My son actually did all the work in making this yummy lunch treat.<br />
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In the meantime, here's the recipe we worked out.<br />
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Baked French Toast with Apple Pie Topping<br />
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Preheat oven to 350F<br />
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8 to 10 slices stale bread<br />
4 large eggs<br />
1 cup milk<br />
3/4 tablespoon vanilla<br />
1 pint of apple pie filling (You could also use a can of apple pie filling)<br />
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Lay the bread slices, overlapping slightly, in a well greased 9x13 baking pan or dish.<br />
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Mix the eggs, milk, and vanilla very well until light and frothy. Pour the mixture over the bread and let it soak a couple of minutes. Drop spoonfuls of the apple pie filling over the top and spread it out.<br />
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Cover with foil and slip into preheated oven for about 30 minutes. Remove foil and finish baking, another 30 minutes, or until lightly browned and toothpick test proves doneness.<br />
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Remove from oven. Let rest 10 minutes. Serve it warm on a plate with melted butter drizzled over or powdered sugar sprinkled on.<br />
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Here's a picture of the finished product, plated. It was super good. Like a cross between bread pudding and custard, with a hint of apple pie thrown in!<br />
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And here's the video showing how we did it!</div>
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<br /><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rhVZ_oFuXnY/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rhVZ_oFuXnY?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />Ann crumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610811572762087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064708425071773777.post-1351373120180696812017-09-26T20:37:00.001-07:002017-09-26T22:04:22.159-07:00When life gives you lemons or cranberriesLast fall I canned up quite a few jars of cranberry sauce. I'd had the berries in the freezer and in anticipation of moving off-grid, I started canning everything in there. The sauce was one thing. However, I'm pretty sure I measured too much water into the pot of berries and sugar because every last jar of cranberry sauce was runny and soupy.<br />
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We've been eating it anyway, but I canned it in pints and we can't go through a pint before it goes bad. No real refrigeration, you know. (Next time I'll use half-pints.) Well, we had it with a "Thanksgiving" style meal the other night. Home canned chicken, gravy, stove top stuffing (don't judge - it was on sale, I had coupons, and it's tasty), and a few other homemade items. Still had about 3/4 of the pint left after dinner.<br />
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Today I decided I needed to do something different with the cranberry sauce, so I searched through the recipes on my computer and came up with a quick bread recipe to use. It was actually a pumpkin bread recipe, but after tweaking it a bit, the result is moist, delicious cranberry bread!<br />
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Here's how I made the bread:<br />
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1/4 Teaspoon baking powder<br />
3/4 Teaspoon salt<br />
1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon<br />
1 Teaspoon baking soda<br />
1 2/3 Cups flour<br />
1 1/2 Cups sugar<br />
1/2 Cup oil<br />
2 eggs<br />
1 1/2 cups cranberry sauce<br />
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Sift together baking powder, spices, baking soda and flour. Beat<br />
together other ingredients, then gradually add sifted ingredients.<br />
Mix well. Bake one hour in greased loaf pan at 350 degrees or until<br />
it tests done.<br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/a2LD_VtayNY/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a2LD_VtayNY?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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I would probably use about 1 1/2 cups of any wet syrupy fruit in this recipe. Let me know what you think if you make it!<br />
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<br />Ann crumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610811572762087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064708425071773777.post-20700874995404617212017-08-31T00:42:00.001-07:002017-08-31T00:42:36.526-07:00How to safely can dilly beans with a steam canner<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/net_5zFzJS4" width="480"></iframe>Ann crumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610811572762087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064708425071773777.post-19317389696387100592017-06-06T00:22:00.000-07:002017-06-06T00:22:01.455-07:00Blackberry season is here and a recipe for cobbler!We have wonderful wild blackberries growing right here on the homestead, and we are so grateful for them. We just have to beat the birds to them!<br />
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Well, today we did it. And we picked about a quart and a half of delicious, juicy, ripe blackberries. Purple fingers is only part of the reward for braving the thorns and brambles.<br />
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What a treasure! Of course, the first thing I did was make a blackberry cobbler from them. It was so yummy!<br />
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Here’s what I did:<br />
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After I washed the berries well, I sugared them with about 1 1/2 cups sugar, then covered them and let them macerate for about an hour to bring out all the beautiful juices.<br />
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Then I melted some buttery spread in a glass baking dish which is about 9 inches square.<br />
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Next, I mixed up my cobbler batter. This is nothing more than 1 1/2 cups self rising flour, about 1/2 cup sugar, and enough milk to make it thick, like pancake batter. I used my Nido powdered whole milk for this step and just put about 3 tablespoons of the powder in with the other dry ingredients. Then I added water and stirred till it was the consistency I wanted.<br />
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I poured the batter into the melted butter in the baking dish.<br />
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Then I poured in the macerated blackberries, trying to get an even layer to within about an inch of all edges of the pan.<br />
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I baked it in my Coleman stove top oven at about 325F (it could be baked at 400F in a conventional oven) until the sides and bottom were golden brown and a knife inserted in the center came out clean. It took about an hour in the Coleman oven.<br />
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After letting it cool about 30 minutes (this was the hardest part, just letting it sit there!), I mixed up some whipped topping using 2/3 cup whipped topping powder and 2/3 cup cold milk made from the Nido powdered milk. Dolloped generous portions of the whipped topping onto the cobbler serving in a bowl, and we had fresh homemade blackberry cobbler!<br />
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Nothing better in the world!!</div>
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Ann crumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610811572762087980noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064708425071773777.post-88408198751903157832017-06-04T21:40:00.000-07:002017-06-04T21:40:22.703-07:00Stormy spring 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We have wondered if the extra rain, cooler weather, and frequent rain and thunderstorms mean anything bad is happening climate-wise. To be honest, I don’t think so. I’ll explain.<br />
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When I was growing up, we didn’t have air conditioning at all at home. We were able to play outside or garden or do any number of things with very little heat stress. We got almost daily rains for most of the spring and well into summer. It wasn’t until August that we really suffered any from the heat, and even then the nights were pleasant. <br />
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I can even remember when I was in high school and was in the high school rodeos and other local rodeos and horse shows that the nights in July were cool enough that I could see my breath. Does anyone else remember those days? This would have been in the late 60s and early 70s. I was born in ‘52, so I guess it even includes the 1950s. <br />
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Yes, there were tornadoes, hail, and all the things you associate with spring weather across the South. We didn’t attribute it to climate change, global warming, or any of the other catch phrases people use these days. It was simply the cyclical pattern of weather that’s been around for millennia.<br />
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We were more concerned about Cuba and Russia (then, the USSR) than we were the regular weather events which occurred year after year. Those were tense times for our nation, and for our family.<br />
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Now it seems the weather has cycled back again to what I remember those many years ago. Cooler nights, warm, humid days, and plenty of rain and dew fall to keep plants from expiring. <br />
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There’s been a lot of flooding this spring, but there was flooding in the past, as well. In the 1980s, the river near us flooded all the way out into the bean fields and washed away the Corps of Engineers park near the lock and dam. In the 1990s, more floods filled valleys where small towns had sprung up far back in the past. Rivers and streams again overflowed their banks. <br />
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I really think these weather patterns do occur in cycles. This year just happens to be a wet cycle. I’m not complaining, though. It’s good for the gardens. It’s good for the pastures. And, it’s good for the aquifer that feeds my well.<br />
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I’m not complaining at all. Nope. I welcome this weather. It came on the heels of a particularly mild winter, which is one reason why I love where I live. Our average annual temperature is in the 50s. Right now we’re experiencing daytime highs in the 80s and overnight lows in the 60s. That’s not bad at all. We will get some days of blistering heat in August. Maybe even a few of them in July. Conversely, we may even get a few days of snow or ice storms that knock out power in the winter. But we’ve survived them in the past and I’m sure we’ll survive them again.<br />
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Ann crumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610811572762087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064708425071773777.post-74704233755580177832017-06-02T00:08:00.000-07:002017-06-02T00:08:40.846-07:00Garden to table stir fry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Every few days I have just enough veggies from the garden to create a meal without adding much store bought stuff to it. This time it was used for making our own version of stir fry. </div>
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I picked and prepped some fresh carrots, sugar pod peas, shallots (green onions), and a couple of leaves from my horseradish plant. I cut the center ribs out of the horseradish leaves because it's quite tough and woody. The leaves are very mild once cooked. I matchstick-cut the carrots after scrubbing them. I angle-cut the peas and green onions. And I ribbon-cut the horseradish leaves.</div>
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I put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet, since I don't have a wok, and lightly sauteed the veggies.</div>
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I added some of my home canned pork along with the broth from it.</div>
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I also added a few tablespoons of home canned mango jam and a couple of my farm fresh eggs. I thickened the sauce part with just about a tablespoon of cornstarch.</div>
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I added a few splashes of soy sauce then cooked it all together till the eggs were done.</div>
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Served the stir fry over rice to round out the meal.</div>
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I hope you make this, too, or something similar. If you do, share what you did in comments. I'm always looking for cooking ideas!</div>
<br />Ann crumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610811572762087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064708425071773777.post-16532126267780312142017-05-30T12:59:00.001-07:002017-05-30T12:59:58.951-07:00Garden update May 21 2017<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UcUxCfzB_kc" width="480"></iframe><br /><br />
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It's getting really hot here, but the gardening continues! The potatoes either have blight now or they're just plain ready to be dug. The plants are dying back. Once they're out of the garden I'll come behind them and plant other things -- beans, turnips, maybe onion seeds. Got to keep it all going and growing!Ann crumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610811572762087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064708425071773777.post-60917036753532225282017-05-22T16:00:00.001-07:002017-05-22T16:00:59.519-07:00How I make and can mango jam<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2scUWfbKfVU" width="480"></iframe><br /><br />
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Hope you enjoy this video! I'm already making jams and jellies for Christmas gifts!Ann crumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610811572762087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064708425071773777.post-72302673040987682532017-05-20T20:13:00.001-07:002017-05-20T20:13:33.556-07:00How I make pineapple preserves or jam<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "YouTube Noto", Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Come along with me as I make my own version of pineapple jam, or pineapple preserves. Pineapples were 96 cents each at a local grocery store. Next time I find them on sale, I'll just make regular canned pineapples. :)</span><br /><br />
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<br />Ann crumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610811572762087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064708425071773777.post-66283644763487787682017-05-20T00:11:00.001-07:002017-10-12T19:57:32.513-07:00How to safely can pork roast in a jar - Ball recipeHey everybody! I tried something new-to-me recently: Pork roast in a jar. Now, this recipe originally called for beef, but what I had on hand was pork. Since meats all can for the same time, I just dived right in!<br />
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In this video, I share how I followed the recipe from the All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving (which I'm loving more all the time) to make a meal in a jar that we can use when we want. Just open it up, heat it up, and use the broth to make gravy and you're all set!<br />
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<br />Ann crumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610811572762087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064708425071773777.post-50266291975311922252017-05-10T23:08:00.001-07:002017-05-10T23:08:26.893-07:00How to safely can tomatoes - pressure canning<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CT3nQIqtRJo" width="480"></iframe><br /><br />
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I normally water bath can tomatoes but since I thought I'd need to double stack my pints plus I wanted to use less water, I pressure canned this batch.Ann crumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610811572762087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064708425071773777.post-27651391074402359422017-05-03T17:06:00.001-07:002017-05-03T17:06:59.565-07:00New garden seeds & update<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iRS_QBmvDzY" width="480"></iframe>Ann crumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610811572762087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064708425071773777.post-77927909303523259802017-02-21T19:12:00.000-08:002017-02-21T19:12:30.415-08:00Has spring sprung?I certainly hope so! I’ve begun my gardens on my new homestead. Not a lot planted yet, but the ground is broken in some places and a few early crops have been planted.<br />
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I’ve also put seeds in starter trays in my portable greenhouse. They haven’t sprouted yet. I always get nervous until I see the first baby green leaves coming out of the soil! I put lettuce, two kinds of tomatoes, spaghetti squash, cucumbers, watermelon, and pie pumpkin seeds in them. I do still have some of all of these seeds left if it turns out I need to replant them.<br />
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We built a new chicken run to attach to the previous small one. This will keep the chickens from eating the seeds and tender new plants in the garden areas. We’ve tilled up a very nice spot for potatoes, and will continue tilling other locations for more gardens. <br />
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I was able to move 3 of my old raised beds to the new homestead, so I’ve started them over again as well. I put cardboard on the ground under them to block weeds. (Most of the grass here is fescue or bermuda grass.) I put a mixture of topsoil, peat humus, and composted manure into one bed to get a bit quicker start on it. I hope I can dig up other soil from the property, but I needed a “quick fix” for this first bed. In it, I planted some green peas, mixed lettuce, and mixed radishes. I didn’t fill the bed with these veggies, so I’ve got room to add a few other things to it. <br />
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We’ve been getting the goats out and putting them on tethers to eat down the proposed garden areas. It works out very well all around. I get a cleared garden spot with bonus fertilizer and they get full tummies of grass.<br />
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The small tiller, various garden tools, and fertilizers and soils were all from my late brother-in-law’s collection of garden tools and amendments. Sis let me have them since she doesn’t garden. (In her words, “I don’t garden and you can’t make me!” lol) Her late husband was a Master Gardener and wound up with a large array of tools, books, and soils/fertilizers.<br />
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As we tilled the proposed potato patch, we also dug out the larger clumps of fescue grass. While fescue is excellent for pastures (where we live, it will grow even in the winter), it clumps up pretty big as it grows, sometimes making walking over the field difficult due to stumbling! Those clumps, some large enough to fill a 2 gallon bucket, are being tossed over into the pig pen and chicken yard where the pigs and chickens are enjoying eating them, rooting in them, and scratching them apart.<br />
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Along with veggies, of course, there will be flowers. I was very pleased to find that some previous resident had planted loads of daffodills in the past, but they were in a very unlikely location – in the center of a bunch of privet hedges! So, we’ve been busy digging them out and moving them to places where we can enjoy them much more, such as a row of them in front of the cabin. There’s still more to move, but I have planned where I want them around the perimeter of the yard, to define it.<br />
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I also brought my daylilies, regular lilies, violets, irises, and butterfly weed with me and got all those planted out in a bed at the front edge of the front yard. All these flowers are beautiful and pretty well native varieties, but the daylilies and violets are also edible! Along with these I moved things like monkey grass and purple wood sorrel, which are still in pots but will be planted over the next few days.<br />
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None of my herbs except rosemary survived the move, and even the rosemary is looking pretty sick. The buck goat we had got loose and had a “fight” with it, knocking it down, scruffing it badly, and even breaking some branches off. I’m hoping it make a strong comeback this summer. Last summer and fall, it did seem to be growing.<br />
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I also brought over the Jerusalem Artichokes, and we recently added some, fried up like fried potatoes, to a meal. They were excellent so I hope they really do well. I want to try pickling them and also making relish from them! They never did bloom last fall so I’ll leave the rest of them alone to see if they take off again. I had uprooted them for the move last summer after they’d already started growing, so that set them back a lot.<br />
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Now, tell me what you’re doing or planning for this spring!Ann crumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610811572762087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064708425071773777.post-60428301866414811282017-01-12T17:08:00.000-08:002017-01-12T17:08:25.215-08:00Winter! No Spring! No winter again!What a roller coaster ride the weather has been. We had temperatures in the 70s, then we had days of snow. Overnight lows went down to about 10 on a couple of nights, now it’s back up to the 60s again.<br />
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A friend in the weather business said we should watch for flash flooding for the next few days, while those in the north part of the state could see ice and snow!<br />
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We did finally get a propane heater installed and it helps, but without insulation, it’s not a huge help. At least we weren’t freezing during the first round of low temps for the year. However, we ran out of propane last Saturday night, just in time for the next round, and couldn’t get the tank filled on Sunday.<br />
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See, we normally take the tanks to a local hardware store where they have a bulk tank to refill from. We did trade in our smaller tank (a grill tank) for one like it at a local grocery store. However, I don’t think there’s as much propane in those you see in the racks outside of stores as what we get when we get one refilled. And, the cost is considerably higher. But we needed something to at least be able to cook on those really frigid days.<br />
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I’ve sold a couple of things to keep propane in the heater and stove. The money will also help keep a generator running. Oh, I forgot to tell you the generator news, but I’ll do that in another blog post.<br />
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Anyway, I have a turkey to can and now we’re not having enough sunlight to charge the well pump battery. (I need the water for inside the canner and to make broth for canning.) This just means we’ll need to charge it up from the truck, so I can pump water and get some canning done before it all goes bad.<br />
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I did get some veggies canned that were on sale very cheap at the local grocery store, at least, so now we have a little more variety on the plate. Canning them got us 5 pints of corn, 3 pints of green peas, and 10 pints of green beans for an average of 40-cents per pint. Less than the cost of buying these same vegetables in cans.<br />
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Sorry it’s been so long since I posted here. It seems like one thing after another has happened. Nothing terrible; just stuff.<br />
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Ann crumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610811572762087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064708425071773777.post-30318661945600046562016-12-31T15:41:00.001-08:002016-12-31T15:41:09.746-08:00How to make blueberry muffin breadI start all my quick breads with a homemade mix, which I’ll share in another post. To make any bread with fruit, nuts, or even shredded veggies, you just add 2 cups total of add-ins. This time I used a pint of blueberries I’d canned last summer, including the liquid, and it turned out moist and tasty. These were given out as part of the goodies I gave at Christmas. <br />
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So, here’s what I did.<br />
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<strong><em><u>Blueberry Muffin Bread</u></em></strong><br />
<ul>
<li>5 cups of muffin mix </li>
<li>1 pint including liquid of canned blueberries. (You could use frozen and add additional liquid to the batter.) </li>
<li>1 cup water </li>
<li>1/3 cup neutral flavored oil </li>
<li>3 eggs</li>
</ul>
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Mix the water, oil, and eggs together and add to the muffin mix. Fold in blueberries. Mix well but don’t beat. You don’t want to tear up the berries or make the batter tough.<br />
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Divide batter into 3 one-pound loaf pans that have been well greased. Bake at 350f in a conventional oven about 55 minutes, although I used my pressure cooker as an oven as I have for other recipes. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in the pan, then turn out on rack or counter to finish cooling. Also makes about 24 muffins.<br />
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Delicious served warm with butter.<br />
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Ann crumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610811572762087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064708425071773777.post-69766102744641959372016-12-30T22:09:00.000-08:002016-12-31T15:07:30.219-08:00Just a little financial updateI'm on a fixed income so just before the beginning of every month, I write out my budget for the upcoming month ahead. Not much really changes from month to month normally. However, my next SS was dropped by $134 for Medicare. (Trying to get out of that since I'm already low enough income to be on my state's expanded medicaid anyway.) Anyhow, I did account for that decrease when I wrote out my budget, which includes regular payments, a small go-phone monthly coverage, Exede internet, gas for our generator/truck, propane for cooking, groceries and incidentals. You know. Regular stuff. (Off grid so I allow extra for the genny gas.) Oh, and I owe my older daughter some money for helping us out last week with gas and propane money. Hope not to have to do that again. <br />
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This month I also needed to get the connections and gas line for a propane heater. So, we picked up some things at Lowe’s. That cost more than I expected! Well, we get it all home after our other shopping and some parts don’t fit correctly. So, Saturday (tomorrow as I write this), I’ll send my son back to town to get everything we actually need. Weather predictions for later next week are for some frozen precipitation so we want to get that heater installed before then. Well, by the time he gets things traded around for what we need, we should be getting refunded some money back to my bank account, so that’s always a plus. <br />
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We filled up the empty propane tank and got the partially filled one topped up. Got 10 gallons of gas for the genny, filled the truck with gas, and got motor oil and fuel treatment. Had to pick up a couple of things at our local discount store to set us up for the month in that regard. Paper items, mostly, plus dish washing liquid. <br />
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As for shopping, I kept it very low. I finished using a Tractor Supply gift card on, what else, deer corn (2 bags) for chicken, goat, and pig feed, and a bag of dog food. I also got a bag of orange slice candy. Didn’t need it but, dangit, sometimes I just want orang slice candy! LOL <br />
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We went to Harbor Freight with another gift card to get a couple of items we need on the homestead plus to use a 20% off coupon and also get a couple of free-with-purchase items. <br />
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Then we headed back to our home town for groceries, where we found 16 ounce bags of frozen vegetables for just .68 each. Got 10 of those and will be canning them since our freezer is really just used for refrigeration. (Only running it a few hours a week to keep things cool but not frozen.) Also picked up the makings for our New Year’s Day meal (blackeyed peas, canned spinach, hog jowl) and a few other items. Total there was only about $30. With what I have on hand already as far as home canned meats and stuff, it’s all we needed. <br />
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I paid what bills I could online, then I’ll write a check for the land payment. That old fellow doesn’t do internet stuff. lol I’ll hold enough in the bank for my internet payment on the 8th, of course. Monday we’ll need to head into town to get feed bread. That place was closed before we could get over there today. The feed bread helps tremendously with reducing our overall feed costs. <br />
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The chickens are pretty consistently laying 2 eggs a day. Not a lot, I know, but we let them build up in a basket on the table then have a breakfast-for-supper day or I use them in other recipes. <br />
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I’m thinking things will always be tight budget-wise, but I’ve always made it before and I’ll make it again.<br />
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Ann crumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610811572762087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064708425071773777.post-80647755050044068012016-12-14T18:10:00.000-08:002016-12-14T18:10:02.225-08:00Winter woes off gridWe are expecting very bad weather, including frozen precipitation, over the weekend. It’s past time to really “batten down the hatches” and get better prepared. But, you know how it is. Every month I’ve planned to include a better heat source and some insulation, but every month other expenses take the money. December is no exception and I’m pretty well broke till the first of January. Hoping to sell the older three baby pigs to have some money to get gas for the generator and propane for the stove. <br />
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I’m on my last propane tank now, which is a 30 pound one. Not sure how long that will last since I’ve resorted to using the RV stove for some heat. I do have the kitchen window raised about 2 or 3 inches, but I’m pretty sure there are probably enough air leaks in the cabin to actually not need that!<br />
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The next two days will be spend trying to at least add plastic moisture/vapor barrier to the inside of the cabin walls. And it looks like we’ll be stapling nothing more than cardboard over that. It’s really getting cold inside and there’s a lot of condensation forming on the inside of the metal walls. <br />
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Also, my oldest son has given me a gas heater. One of those infrared kind. Anyway, turns out it’s for natural gas only and I have propane, so I’ve contacted a person who is very knowledgeable about such things to see what he thinks about converting it. We might not be able to do so, and if no, then I’ll just give the heater back to my son. Maybe he can sell it to someone.<br />
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I do have a large kerosene heater, but I’m now out of kerosene. Around here, the cheapest I can find is $4.80 a gallon from the bulk plant about 25 miles away. Next is $7 a gallon at a much closer place, so we need to figure if the gas used in driving actually makes the bulk plant price economical, or if just buying it by the jug at $7 per will actually be cheaper on us.<br />
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Last night our solar power also ran down really fast. Probably due to being so heavily overcast all day. It’s somewhat brighter today so I hope it builds up some power. Same for the well pump solar. It stopped pumping not long after sundown but in all honesty, I had used the water a lot yesterday which I’m sure ran it’s battery down pretty low. We will probably charge the battery off the truck battery with jumper cables to bring it up high enough to absorb some power as the day goes by and be useful later.<br />
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Yeah, I like being off grid but there are also downfalls to it. You learn new skills all the time for how to repair things, how to make do, how to protect livestock, inexpensive feed solutions, and more!<br />
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So, here’s the video I made in the dark last night while cooking supper! <br />
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Ann crumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610811572762087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064708425071773777.post-58430895784188950342016-12-14T18:02:00.000-08:002016-12-14T18:02:57.689-08:00How to make large batch hot chocolate mix!I’m getting ready to make some more of this delicious hot chocolate mix, but I thought I’d sit and share how I do it with you. It’s really easy and it tastes so good. I put small bags or containers of this mix in my Christmas gift baskets and it’s always well received. Also, more economical than buying all those tiny packets! <br />
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Feel free to use and share!<br />
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<strong><em><u>Hot Chocolate Mix</u></em></strong><br />
<ul>
<li>8 cups nonfat dry milk </li>
<li>2 cups sugar </li>
<li>2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder </li>
<li>1/4 cup vanilla powder (optional) </li>
<li>2 teaspoons salt </li>
<li>2 cups cook-type clear jel (optional)</li>
</ul>
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Mix all ingredients well in a large bowl. If you wish, you can run it through a blender to make a finer powder. Store in an airtight container. To use, put 3 heaping tablespoons of the mix into a mug and add boiling water. Toss in some *marshmallows or a piece of peppermint candy, or top it with whipped cream.<br />
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*If you mix mini marshmallows into the dry mix and store them in there, they will eventually dry out a bit and store very well in there, then get plumped back up when you add the boiling water!<br />
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Here’s a short slide show I made for YouTube showing what I did. <br />
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Ann crumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610811572762087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064708425071773777.post-13224910910408404662016-12-14T17:52:00.001-08:002016-12-14T17:52:32.207-08:00Pigs update! New Arrivals!Yesterday morning, December 13, 2016, I went out to feed all the animals and
found that our mama pig had her babies! Pretty exciting!<br />
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Five little wiggly babies in a nest she had made from cedar branches and
limbs that we had provided her about a week ago. We could see the time was
drawing near by how low her belly was hanging and how large her teats were
getting. This is her first litter, and I hope she has many more in time to
come.<br />
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These pigs are half American Guinea Hog and half Potbelly. They are slow
growers. It took about 9-10 months to raise them to sexual maturity for
breeding, and it will take about that long to raise any for meat. The boar
probably weighs about 200 pounds now, while the sow probably weighs about 125 to
150 pounds. Not large at all, which is very good for a small homestead hog where
only a couple of people will be handling the butchering instead of taking them
to the processor. This size also give me a manageable amount of meat to can.<br />
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Anyway, today, December 14, 2015, I go to feed and check on them and sadly
find one little piggie dead. Another is in distress. We wound up putting her down. No hope. So, two girls out of the litter didn't make it and my son says he thinks the other 3 are boys. Bummer. I’m pretty sure she laid on
them.<br />
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The other 3 are up on their feet and fairly active, though, so they should
be ok. I still need to take a close look at them to see if there are any girls.
If there are any boys, we need to castrate them in a few days to make them ready
for butchering later or to sell. We will probably keep one girl. I admit,
though, I’ve never castrated a pig so I’m going to be really studying this to
keep it as quick as possible. I know I’ll need an extremely sharp blade for
it.<br />
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Pig gestation is 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days. But we didn’t notice her
being bred so it was just a guess whether she was or not. Once the babies can be
weaned, she’ll go back into heat about 3 days after the weaning is completed.
But, they’ll stay with her about 12 weeks, so it won’t be anytime soon.<br />
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Here’s a picture of the 5 just hours after they were born.<br />
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Here’s a video I uploaded to YouTube to give you a better idea.<br />
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Ann crumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610811572762087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064708425071773777.post-41322605133437363442016-11-24T21:05:00.002-08:002016-11-24T21:05:20.815-08:00Thanksgiving 2016This day is over, but I thought I’d post about it anyway.<br />
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Right now I’m staying out of town with my Mom and Sister, in my Mom’s house, which is nearby. My son is home, tending to the homestead for now. Mom isn’t strong these days so I’m here to help her and help Sis. <br />
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We’ve worked all this week getting Thanksgiving foods ready. Mom also did what she could – chopping celery and onions, mixing up her famous bread cube dressing, and making deviled eggs. Sis and I took care of everything else. <br />
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The gathering this year wasn’t as big as in years past. One of Sis’s sons and his wife joined us, as did my older daughter. Her male friend stopped in and we got to meet him before he headed to his own extended family’s festivities, then he stopped back by to pick up Daughter so they could head home.<br />
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We had way too much food, of course. LOL We ate till we were more stuffed than any Thanksgiving Turkey, put away all the leftovers, cleaned up, and visited for quite awhile. It was really nice. Guests took home a lot of the leftovers, but there’s still enough to feed a small army that we’ll be using up as we can over the next few days.<br />
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Sis, Mom, and I had pie for supper because we’re adults and isn’t that what adults do? Well, we did have coffee with it at least. <br />
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I truly hope you all were able to celebrate this day with loved ones, as well.<br />
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Be thankful not just today, but every day.Ann crumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610811572762087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064708425071773777.post-45693167302302632472016-11-08T07:13:00.001-08:002016-11-08T07:13:27.626-08:00Tuesday, November 8, 2016–Election Day<p>It’s been a crazy race so far, and I don’t have a clue who’ll win the Presidential election. I also will not share with you who my “favorite candidate” is because the truth is, I don’t have one.</p> <p> </p> <p>I honestly believe true patriotism, statesmanship, and a love for the Constitution have gone right out the window this time. I also believe that the truth is a commodity in very short supply these days by either of the front-running candidates.</p> <p> </p> <p>Now, I know candidates will stretch the truth. I know they will make promises they can’t possibly keep. I also know that neither one of the front-runners (and you know exactly who I’m talking about) are actually qualified to run this country. One, being a Washington insider who has her fingers in too many pies and will wind up beholden to the uber-wealthy supporters who fund her campaign. The other being a bully of a businessman who has screamed, shouted, mocked, and insulted his way to the top of his party.</p> <p> </p> <p>One has been caught in lies and deception. People who have worked closely with her have suddenly wound up dead through “accident” or “suicide”. I believe she’s part of a bigger game plan with associates we aren’t seeing in public. What worries me about this one is that this person will eventually be impeached and found guilty, and the country will then be run by her vice president, who is likely just a puppet.</p> <p> </p> <p>The other is out to simply divide the people of this nation and cause unrest. What worries me about him is how intense and radical his followers are, and how like the followers of many cruel and murderous leaders they are. Those historic leaders didn’t murder before they were elected. They got the support of the populace first, then proceeded. </p> <p> </p> <p>I really hope everyone is prepared for the fallout of this election, because either way, we’re screwed. It’s way past time to stockpile.</p>Ann crumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610811572762087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064708425071773777.post-57995828866220140852016-11-06T21:09:00.001-08:002016-11-06T21:09:41.686-08:00How to make salmon hashThe name of the recipe almost explains what you’ll make. But, just in case, here’s how we made a delicious Salmon Hash one night with inexpensive ingredients we had on hand.<br />
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<strong>Salmon Hash</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>1 tall can pink salmon, large bones removed and liquid reserved </li>
<li>3 baked potatoes with the skin on, cubed </li>
<li>1 medium onion, sliced thin </li>
<li>Schmaltz, butter, or your favorite oil </li>
<li>1 teaspoon dried thyme </li>
<li>2 teaspoons crushed red pepper </li>
<li>1 tablespoon lemon juice </li>
<li>Salt & pepper to taste </li>
<li>4 to 6 whole eggs (depends on how many you’re feeding)</li>
</ul>
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Using a fork, break up the salmon. <br />
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Melt fat in an iron skillet, or other skillet you may have. <br />
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Sauté onions just till translucent. <br />
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Add cubed potatoes, salmon, seasonings, and lemon juice. <br />
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Stir all together well.<br />
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When everything is heated through nicely, break your eggs onto the top of the hash. <br />
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Put a lid on the skillet and allow to cook about 5 minutes or until eggs are done to your liking.<br />
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Make a gravy from the reserved liquid plus enough water to make 2 cups. <br />
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<b>Gravy</b><br />
<ul>
<li>2 tablespoons schmaltz or your favorite fat </li>
<li>3 tablespoons flour </li>
<li>2 cups liquid, which includes the broth from the canned fish</li>
</ul>
Melt the fat and stir in the flour. Allow to cook without browning for about 2 minutes. Stir in the liquid. Keep stirring until it’s thick and bubbly. Serve over the salmon hash.<br />
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Serve with sides of your choice. We chose pork & beans and homemade bread. Also put homemade chili sauce on top.<br />
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And, of course, I uploaded a video to YouTube for your viewing pleasure. :)</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wPfa2cPfs64/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wPfa2cPfs64?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!<br />
<br />Ann crumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610811572762087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064708425071773777.post-89580607185191830232016-11-06T07:45:00.002-08:002016-11-06T07:45:28.223-08:00How to cook meatloaf in a pressure cookerFor this recipe, I actually did use a pressure cooker with the gasket and weight in place. It turned out moist and delicious this way. No more dry meatloaf!<br />
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<b>Pressure Cooker Meatloaf</b><br />
<ul>
<li>1 1/2 pounds ground meat (your choice; I used beef) </li>
<li>1/2 cup oats, cracker crumbs, or binder of your choice </li>
<li>1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce </li>
<li>1 egg, lightly beaten </li>
<li>1 onion, finely minced </li>
<li>1 can of any type canned tomatoes, well drained and pressed out. Keep the juice! (I used Italian seasoned.) </li>
<li>Salt & pepper and other seasonings to your taste</li>
</ul>
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Here are pictures of the ingredients I used:</div>
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Mix all ingredients well, kneading it all together with your hands. Place in small loaf pan and push the meat mixture a little away from the sides of the pan. Place the loaf pan into a round cake pan to catch any drips and overflow.<br />
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Place two layers of canning rings into the bottom of your cooker, then the rack. Put the meatloaf into the canner as well centered as possible.<b> </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Add water until it touches the rack.</b><br />
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This is very important for the cooking process and to prevent your cooker from warping.<br />
Put on the lid and put the 10 pound weight on the vent pipe. You don’t have to do a 10 minute vent for a cooker like you do for a canner. Bring it up to 10 pounds pressure and cook about 20 to 25 minutes. Once it reaches pressure you can turn the heat down to maintain it. If your cooker has another option for the weight, just use the larger weight if needed. <br />
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When done, let the pressure drop naturally while you make a gravy topping out of the reserved tomato juice and either water or broth. I used a packaged brown gravy mix but you can make your own recipe for gravy. Using the tomato juice is the key to a gravy that tops the meatloaf very nicely with a good taste.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamacL9QgWQDGZos5fZxIPKnrqp0qhwQ_y7rH_LFzCplk7N_AQWRiU-T12s5HGuhxFkdv9NeuTRnmwqeUny6mckpHnOhao8kEM6dN88KHTqGGMfQmYlk2rWQrPikA9DlqwABtxcNKkbVKw/s1600/PA270017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamacL9QgWQDGZos5fZxIPKnrqp0qhwQ_y7rH_LFzCplk7N_AQWRiU-T12s5HGuhxFkdv9NeuTRnmwqeUny6mckpHnOhao8kEM6dN88KHTqGGMfQmYlk2rWQrPikA9DlqwABtxcNKkbVKw/s320/PA270017.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And here's a video I posted to YouTube that might make it easier to understand!</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pQQSlIG51XI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pQQSlIG51XI?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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Enjoy your meatloaf and let me know if you tried this!</div>
<br />Ann crumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610811572762087980noreply@blogger.com0