Starting a farm…from scratch
I am working on an article about why we eat so much chicken in the U.S., and in doing so, thought maybe some people could benefit from knowing how to avoid buying the sterile, shrink-wrapped packages of breast meat so sadly prevalent in the modern-day grocery store and kitchen, and opt for a whole chicken... Continue Reading →
This morning I wanted to have something wholesome for my graveyard working husband to eat when he came home, something nourishing to fill his empty stomach but something a little sweet too to send him off to sleep with. I was thinking on old-fashioned recipes and what might fit the bill... Then I remembered the... Continue Reading →
We are tradition bound in our family, I admit it. I'd be likely to waver on some things, but Emma won't let me. So every year, I make the same Christmas cookies, and they are for us traditional simply because I've always made them. These poppyseed thumbprint cookies are one of the traditional Christmas cookies... Continue Reading →
It's 9:30 at night and I am almost done with today's project: freezing green beans. I picked up 20 pounds of green beans from a local farmer yesterday and, unlike tomatoes, green beans don't wait. I didn't like waiting a day even, but that was the timing. I will soon be done blanching the second... Continue Reading →
OK, it's the tail end of asparagus season, but...for us anyway, we can still get local asparagus at the produce stand and I hope to buy, cook and eat more of it before the season is through. I am challenged right now by lack of husband (deployed) and lack of interest (in a picky, asparagus-hating... Continue Reading →
I have been making these cookies for over 20 years, and they are by far my favorite recipe, plus always a favorite with anyone who tastes them...kids and grownups alike. Two weeks ago I cooked up a batch for Emma to take to her first high school swim meet, knowing they'd have a lot of... Continue Reading →
This shockingly easy--and tasty--old fashioned recipe is from page 114 of the Depression Era recipes cookbook by Patricia R. Wagner. It says shortening or lard, but use lard. Your cake will be even moister and more delicious, promise! I changed the order of the ingredients and the directions just a little: 1/2 c boiling water... Continue Reading →
Last night I made the blueberry crisp again because it is so tasty and because I want to enjoy blueberries as much as I can while this tasty local food is in season. My daughter prefers my lemon blueberry bread, so while I was making the crisp (as well as cooking up the chicken and... Continue Reading →
It's blueberry season, yay! Here's a really easy way to whip up a summertime dessert while we have these little blue wonders around... 2 cups fresh blueberries picked over to remove any leaves or stems 1/2 cup granulated white sugar 1 tbsp corn starch 2 tsp lemon juice 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 1/3 cup... Continue Reading →
I probably spend more time in the kitchen than the average 21st century woman. And I spend much of that time in ignorance...as a 21st century woman. I'm working on correcting that. You see, part of our farmhouse rehab goal is the farm, and getting to the point where we are growing much of our... Continue Reading →