Homestead Journal at Fat Turkey Farm

Spicy Creole Sauce

{ Posted by GrandmaRosie }
{ 8:48 PM, Sun 6 Jul 2008 } { 0 comments } { Link }

Got this from a great canning group I am on. Sounds delicous.

Spicy Creole Sauce

11-cups prepared tomatoes (about 14 medium or 5 1/2-lbs)
1/2-yellow pepper, coarsely chopped
2-jalapeño peppers, coarsely chopped
1-cup chopped green onion
1/4-cup red wine vinegar
3-garlic cloves, minced
2-tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1-tbsp dried oregano
1-tbsp Tabasco hot sauce
1-tsp black pepper
1/2-tsp salt
1-tsp cayenne

Blanch peel and coarsely chop tomatoes (measure to 11-cups)
Place all ingredients in a large stainless steel saucepan
Bring to a boil; boil gently for 40 minutes
Ladle hot Creole sauce into 9 clean and sterilized
1/2-pint canning jars leaving 1/4” head space
Remove air bubbles with non-metallic spatula and wipe jar rim
Top with hot lid and rings, finger tight
Process in boiling water canner for 20 minutes

Makes 9 half-pint jars

Pretty Jam Top Tutorial.

{ Posted by GrandmaRosie }
{ 8:37 PM, Sun 6 Jul 2008 } { 0 comments } { Link }

This is really cute. Just the thing to top off those pretty jars of homemade goodies!! Check it out.

LuckyKate Crafts

A Winter Sunday

{ Posted by The Good Life }
{ 12:05 PM, Sunday, July 6, 2008 } { 0 comments } { Link }

I got up early (as usual) as I needed to send emails to kitten owners & people waiting on the waiting list. I don't actually like sorting out who is going to get which kittens, I always disappoint someone - our cattery name has grown & we now have a waiting list.

SO I usually try & go by :

person had a kitten off us before (maybe theirs got run over or now want another for company)
People on waiting list the longest
People wanting two kittens - I firmly believe two is great company
People wanting two & don''t mind which colour or sex
People wanting particular colour sex - I often can't fill what they are wanting eg 2 seal females. So they then go on next waiting list and get bumped up quite high.

I always get Brent involved as he is emotionally detached and then once he agrees with my reasons I send off the emails, wait for answers & usually in a few days all gets confirmed & people can than sit back & wait for their kittens to grow. I always find it works out and I have never let a kitten go to someone I'm not happy with, call it gut feeling or something - even out pets have told us. Eg we had one lady come to visit & the cats just wouldn't go to her - Abbey & I had a niggling feeling - then she went past our doberman Max & he just nutted off at her - he never did this!

Ned turned up as he had a job for Brent - he has now put Brent on his companies fleet fuel card & we are able to save on LPG - A HUGE saving!!! I think Brent is now seriously thinking of keeping the Chev & converting it to LPG. We are very lucky indeed.

I had to take James to his friends farm - the have 100 acres & it is just beautiful - some hills but also a lot of flat land (It even has an airstrip as they have their own plane). He packed his food - most of his friends family are now getting used to they don't feed James at all and he just has his food with him. He did a grand job - packed sausages, fruit, raisins & a drink of water. He had plenty of warm & changes of clothes (thought I was a fussy mum) - Well I know James & Jack they are such out door boys. Sooo nice to see! James wanted me to take the landcruiser - but I refused as I know he would have me driving through rivers - as it was we had to yell & toot & Jack's dad had to come across the river in his jeep to get James. But it was cold - funny how boys don't feel the cold.

Then home for a phone call I have quite an internationally famous person buying some kittens and she was phoning me at 1.15pm - when she had called on my cell I was driving & still needed to take Abbey shopping - she brought herself a lovely red trench coat that was 60% off.- she was BUZZING with her bargain. I stopped off in library & to Abbey's horror I got out some of the books the famous lady has written - YES I am an old Groopy - I was right into her healthy Living books in the 90's. I enjoyed our phone conversation, now I have another name to name drop says Brent & Abbey hehehehe. Oh I also got a brand new book - I think having BRAND new books is just wonderful! But it's not mine (I don't buy books anymore one of my frugal changes - but I do ask the library to buy me in books I want & then I get to be the very first person to ever read it BUZZ AYE!!! The Book is called Sensatonal Knitted Socks.

No time for lunch - was meant to be at Gills by 2pm running late, Abbey had a knitting lesson & I got a lesson in taking up jeans neatly - we used to take them to the tailors & pay $20.00 a pair - now we are going to do them ourselves. But I wanted to make sure I got the tailor look - not a homemade job look. Will share how to in a blog entry as we take them up GULP.

Home - Brent had begun making a vegetable soup YUMMY!!!! - Abbey & I did cattery - takes longer now with 16 kittens HAHAH they all got their microwave hotties heated. And we did a photo shoot of each kitten to show new owners. As I didn't have to cook tea - I uploaded & put on cat website/blog & emailed them to owners.

Then it was time for DR WHO!

Running a Small Business

{ Posted by The Good Life }
{ 12:11 PM, Saturday, July 5, 2008 } { 1 comments } { Link }

Sometimes it is best to learn from actually doing...
So Brent & I have set up Abbey in her own business. She will be selling products for cats. - by default her business name is called Abbey's Shop.
As we breed kittens she has a ready market - many of the new owners love to talk to the kids & they knew we were going to get Abbey to do this - they named it Abbey's shop & it sort of stuck.

Abbey has very fine taste & she even stocks futon beds for pets, cat mint bubble blowers - (the kittens chase cat mint bubbles), possum tails, hotties you heat in the microwave that stay warm for 12 hours, kitten food, litter etc....

We finished working on it yesterday & launched her webpage, down track she will learn how to make shopping online part of the website (I havven't learnt this yet so looking forward to learning how too)

She is going to keep accounting records using a very old program we had called NZ office , I don't think it is still around anymore - my one is on a floppy disk it's that old. Would love to get my hands on MYOB for her to learn with - one day...

She has to issue invoices, a profit & loss, GST & Tax returns, stock control, ordering stock, percentages, expenses - she thought it quite cool her cellphone now has become a business expense,- learn about marketing, customer service and many, many aspects of running a small business. She will get the opportunity to sell items on Trade me and also at the farmers market in summer. We have a family friend who is a business coach we might be able to tap into some of his training too.

Homeschooling does offer some wonderful opportunities and this is one example - pretty awesome that a 14 year old (ok nearly 15) can have real hands on learning of running her own business.

PLUS today
I had a rep call in home selling Science stuff - Abbey was thrilled she now has her own scalpel, slides & petrii dishes - next we are looking out for a microscope.

James had an awesome day out with Brent - road testing Amps - his birthday is in a few weeks and he is getting an amp for his electric guitar.

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

{ Posted by haflinger }
{ 08:31, Friday, July 4, 2008 } { 1 comments } { Link }

Does anybody make organic strawberry rhubarb jam? If so could I please have a recipe.. I might have a buyer for my jam but they want it all organic! I would love to have the outlet for this sale....

Blessing Sister Brenda

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