Thursday, July 09, 2009

SHOPPIN' WITH THE FARMGIRL


It's official!
My Etsy shop is up and running.
The name I chose for my shop is:

"I Must Own That!"

Which is what Joy and I would say when we would go to garage sales together and find something we felt we could not live without!

Pictured above is the very 1st item I listed.
It has been in use for years on my kitchen counter, usually filled with whatever spices and herbs I was using the most.
And always a little salt and pepper shaker.

Over the next few days I will be adding items as I find the time.
Please stop by and let me know what you think.

You can link directly to my shop by clicking on the Etsy button to the right of this post.

Ya'll come back now, ya hear?

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

PEA PICKIN' GOOD! ... UPDATE!!!


The peas are coming in fast and furious!
Now I wish I had planted some more!
I have lots of extra seed from last year, so I am thinking I will put in a summer crop and see if they can take the heat.
The problem is, I gathered a huge pan of pea pods, only to harvest about 4 cups of actual peas.
That will be enough for a couple of meals, and that's it.
Today's picking will be going into a risotto with some scallions and perhaps some asparagus.
I LOVE SUMMER!

I have some "news" to share....soon and very soon I will be opening my very own Etsy shop! Today will be spent setting it up and loading photos of my goodies. Lots of vintage from my own, personal, private stash, plus eventually some of my homemade creations!

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

My "ETSY" shop is up and running! Click on the Etsy button on the top right of my blog and you'll have a direct link!
Now, mind you, I am just getting started. It is a slow process, but I plan on working on it for the next few days.
Enjoy!

Monday, June 29, 2009

MAKIN' DO, OR DOIN' WITHOUT....DISHWASHER DILEMMA


Farmboy built our little farmette nearly 8 years ago, pretty much all by himself.
We had the help of one awesome friend, who spent months going in to his job at Amway around 6am, just so he could get out a bit early and come over and help.
We spent days, weeks, yea, even months looking for just the right cupboards, flooring, counters and appliances for our kitchen.
We picked out a nice, quiet Sears dishwasher for bocu bucks.
After all, we wanted it to last for many, many years!
Right?
HA!
Hard well water does funny things to appliance motors.
Like corrodes them!
So after less than 3 years our beautiful dishwasher bit the proverbial dust.
And to replace it would be silly.
Just more hard water running through it's veins would only bring the same fate as it's predecessor.
So, I am makin do!
My dishwasher now holds my LeCreuset pots, which are too heavy for me to hoist up into the cupboards.
And it holds my potatoes.

And I am back to hand washing the dishes.
Actually, I kind of like hand washing.
Gives me time to meditate on the Word.
Pray for my kids.
Think about what the rest of my day looks like.
All good things.

But what is especially nice is when Farmboy just takes over and I get to go get of my feet!

Just one of the perks of makin' do!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

MAKIN' DO OR DOIN' WITHOUT....THE UN-FLOWER BOX


This is the "before" of our window box, which is outside my kitchen window.
Normally at this time of year it is spilling over with bright, colorful annuals,
but...
with finances being what they are, there was no extra money for my flower box.
And with a baby shower for Giselle being given here on Saturday, the window box simply could not look like this!
So....with several ideas swimming around in my head, I gave a shout out to Joy, and we came up with this....
TA-DA!

Vintage plates tucked in the soil, with some pseudo herb pots taken from around the house!
I still have some tweaking to do, but for now...at least it is presentable!

Perhaps some of that fake moss I probably have somewhere around the craft room tucked around the edges?

Now I'm off to the farm for my weekly produce pick-up, some of which is going into the menu I have planned for the shower.
More on that later!

XOXO,
Cindy

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

MAKIN' DO, OR DOIN' WITHOUT...CHEAPIE TEETH WHITENER

CAST OF CHARACTERS
baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, toothbrush


I got this info from Gayle over at "The Grocery Cart Challenge",
and thought I would give it a try.
With the cost of teeth whiteners hovering around $25, this distasteful, yet effective homemade whitener fits the bill for my "makin' do, or doin' without" series.

One teaspoon baking soda, 1 capful hydrogen peroxide.
Mix in small bowl.
Dip toothbrush into mix...brush, brush, brush.
Rinse, rinse, rinse.
Repeat no more than once a week.

Tried it a few days ago, and as Gayle noted, there was an immediate improvement.
I scrubbed all over, not just the fronts of my teeth.
Yeah, the taste was yucky, but not anything I couldn't bear to have in my mouth.
Immediately afterward, I just brushed my teeth with my regular toothpaste.
Icky taste all gone.
Make sure you check out the link she provides, as it goes into detail concerning someone's dentist who recommended this.
Safe,
effective,
and....
best of all....

EASY PEASY!



Disclaimer: I am NOT a dentist, so this is NOT medical advice!

Saturday, June 20, 2009

LEMON BALM JELLY...OR...MAKIN' DO, OR DOIN' W/O

Lemon Balm in front of "Constance Spry" rose bush


Lemon Balm, also known as "Sweet Melissa" has been a staple in my garden for many years.
I have made lemon balm tea, but other than that, it has been there more as a backdrop for my roses. It is a member of the mint family, I believe, but not nearly as invasive as my peppermint.

While looking for a new recipe for Rose Petal jelly, I came across one for Lemon Balm jelly, and since I have, let's just say, more than enough lemon balm, I decided to try both recipes!


Rose Petal and Lemon Balm jelly


LEMON BALM JELLY

1 Cup Lemon Balm(I used at least 2 cups)
3 cups water
1 TBL fresh lemon juice (I used 1 1/2)
6 1/2 cups sugar (HEY...I DIDN'T SAY THE STUFF WAS GOOD FOR YA!!)
1 pouch liquid pectin
drop of yellow food coloring (not really necessary, as it comes out a beautiful, pale yellow)

Steep lemon balm in boiled water for 10-20 min. (I let it steep for nearly an hour)
Strain. Bring lemon balm water and sugar to a rolling boil, add pectin and cook, stirring for one minute or so.
Remove from heat, add lemon juice.
Add coloring, if desired.
Pour into hot, sterile jars and seal.

I water-bath canned for 10 minutes, tho the original recipe does not require that. I checked my trusty Ball Blue Book, and it had you water bath all jelly for 10 minutes.

EASY PEASY!!!

We have already enjoyed this with a bit of fresh, minced jalapeno pepper, which we then poured over cream cheese. Served with crackers.

I'm looking forward to having it on some whole wheat english muffins in the morning.

I think I'll be doing a whole series on
MAKIN' DO, OR DOIN' WITHOUT!

Are ya with me?




Thursday, June 18, 2009

LIVING WITHIN OUR MEANS...HOMEMADE GREEK YOGURT

"I would encourage every family to live within their means.
If there be a way---
and such a way there certainly is---
of living as comfortably and happily, on very small means,
as we now do on much larger ones,
it is certainly desirable to know it,
especially in times like the present.
'But suppose the means are very small, what then?'
WHY, THEN, LIVE WITHIN VERY SMALL MEANS."
William A. Alcott, "Ways of Living on Small Means" 1837



I was an eager observer/participant at our 1st CSA cooking class last Saturday.
Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks???
Chef and CSA member Amy Sherman taught a class on cooking with greens, and it was so much fun!
She had brought a big tub of homemade Greek yogurt and shared how to re-create it.
Greek yogurt at the grocers sells for about $1.75 for a teeny 7oz container.
Dannon is around $2.50 for 32oz!!!
DO THE MATH!

1st off...you must buy plain, full fat yogurt.


It must only contain cultured milk.
Nothing else.
No gelatin.
No sugar.
Nothing but milk.

You line a colander with cheesecloth.
You place colander in bowl to catch the whey that will drip.
You put the runny yogurt into the cheesecloth.
Place all in the fridge for 24-36 hours.
The longer you leave it, the thicker it will become.
Be sure to check the whey bowl often, and pour out any that has collected.
After your 24-36 hours is up, you will have something that looks like the photo above.
Nice, creamy, but very thick yogurt.
You can then create dips and spreads, varying your ingredients depending on what you will use it for.
You could use it on baked potatoes.
You could make a salad dressing.

I made a delicious cracker spread using fresh garlic, dill, some cilantro, and salt.


This is what is left of my second batch, which we ate yesterday.
I made an onion/garlic dip we used for chips.
As the yogurt is quite tart on it's own, I added about 3 TBL of sour cream to smooth out the flavor.
It was delish.
And so very easy peasy!