Saunders Family

Thinking about the Fall Garden

I know, Summer just started, and I'm talking about Fall already! 

But, in order to have a Fall garden, some things should be done now- planning, ordering seed, planting seeds to transplant into the garden when it is time, adding compost or any other needed soil builders, etc.   

In my area, July 1 was the suggested date for planting tomato, pepper, and eggplant seed.  I'm a few days behind schedule, mainly because I'm trying to keep up with harvesting the tomatoes that are ripening like crazy right now!   

Most of the Fall planting for my area comes a little later, since July and  August are always HOT.   The bulk of  planting comes from September to November.  But, if I don't at least make a plan now and make sure I have seeds ready, I may miss my planting date when it arrives. 

Many of the same vegetables that grow in the Spring garden can be replanted for Fall, they like the cool weather and will do well if they have time to mature before a frost gets them.  You can probably get a list of what grows well in your area in the Fall either online, from a local nursery, or from your County Extension Agent. 

Here's a little chart to show when the first predicted Fall frost date is:

Zone 3 - Sept 1st - 30th
Zone 4 - Sept 1st - 30th
Zone 5 - Sept 30th - Oct 30th
Zone 6 - Sept 30th - Oct 30th
Zone 7 - Oct 15th - Nov 15th
Zone 8 - Oct 30th - Nov 30th
Zone 9 - Nov 30th - Dec 30th
Zone 10 - Nov 30th - Dec 30th
Zone 11 - Frost Free

If you aren't sure what zone you live in, here's a map that will show you.

With that information you can see how long it takes a particular crop to mature and then count backwards to get an estimated planting date.  Of course, it all depends on the weather, and it is good to give your plants at least a week or two of a head-start if your area often has early frosts.  I live in Zone 8, and sometimes we don't even have a frost until close to Thanksgiving.  Fall is a great time for growing here. 

Please share what you grow in your Fall garden and any tips you have.  Those of you who live in colder climates, please share your wisdom, as this Texas gardener has never had to garden where it really gets cold !

Hope you have a great holiday weekend, and maybe next week, spend some time planning (and perhaps planting) for the Fall garden!

Blessings,

Catherine

To My Cousin Cody!

I just wanted to stop by and say to my most wonderful cousin in the world...

Hope it's a great one and you read this!

Have a great day!

Your Cuz,

Shycountrygal

Thankful Thursday

It is a very hot one indeed outside. I an thankful for the gentle breeze . I woke early to get  some chores done. The heat is great drying cloths on the line . Which I very thankful for. I am thankful that I can afford to have AC on in my home to keep cool . I couldn't afford to run the dryer even if I wanted to . So for me the choice is simply "Solar Dryer " . And it does a great job !!! Very Frugal !!!

I have been canning tomatoes and salsa small batches at a time . This is much easier on me . I used to wait and do large batches of tomatoes . But this got to be way to much to do in one day . Plus ,trying to keep up with other household chores .  I dried some bell peppers and froze some . I have been cooking with them everyday . They are very crispy and crunchy this year !! Great for dipping in Ranch !!!! I almost have enough okra to fry some(I hardly fry anything ) . This is the first batch , just coming in . I plan to freeze the rest for gumbo in the winter .

Here is a Tip from the Tiptionary : Crystal Light , make your own product with these ingredients . 1 cup lemon or lime juice ,5 cups cold water ,5 packets of sweeterner (any brand or type you like ).Mix in a pitcher ,serve over ice ,and enjoy !!!!

Cooler : Keep a cooler in the trunk of your car .You can stop for groceries with out having to to straight home. This is also a great idea during the summer months for keeping  bottles of water and snacks on hand while running errands . You will save lots of money from the convenience of your own cooler . And skip the high prices at the Convenience Stores .

Have a Happy and Safe 4th of July !!!!  Shaune

Excellent Home Making Article

When I read the following excerpt from Managing A Home by Crystal Miller in the Homestead Happenings newsletter this morning, I just had to e-mail her and ask permission to post it here on the Front Porch.  Some of our new bloggers may not be familiar with Crystal's newletter or her Country Store, and I don't want anyone to miss out on the blessing of what she has to offer!  The article spoke to my home-maker's heart and was both an encouragement and a reminder that I need to be diligent in caring for my home and family.  Hope you enjoy the article as much as I did.

Blessings,

Catherine

Home Management and Making a Home
By Crystal Miller

When I think of the word “Homemaking” I think of the word as “Making a Home”. Homemaking is all that goes into making my house a home. Due to my home being a priority to me and perhaps because I have a large family I feel like much of homemaking is good home management. I have felt that it takes a well functioning home to feel like a comfortable home. A home where your family enjoys the time spent and others like to come to your home for refreshment and encouragement. I personally feel like it is hard for me to nurture my family and reach out to others if my life and home are not functioning as they should.

In order to manage a home you have to have a plan. You have to have a basic daily plan on how to keep the home flowing and the work done. A plan consists of routines, good time management, chores maintained, systems of organization, and tools to help you keep it all in order and keep the wheels moving forward in your home. Remember that one of the most important aspects of being a homemaker is creating a loving and peaceful environment for your family.

The housekeeping plan you use needs to be one that works for you and your life. I have read lots of books and read many ideas and used different plans, but ultimately these plans and ideas were not the end in themselves, they were the means to creating my own plan. My home is unique and so is yours. I don’t believe we could follow someone else’s plan exactly and have it work for us. We will tweak it and modify and then find something else and say, “Oh that might work” and try it and tweak that, etc., until after a time what you have is “your” plan.

Obstacles to Planning

Our Attitude
There are obstacles that can make a home management plan difficult. One is our attitude about cleaning a house. Being a homemaker is hard work and it takes a positive attitude and a lot of energy and determination each day. The beauty of it all is that with the right attitude caring for our home can be one of those areas in life where we can learn to get into the rhythm of the tasks and learn to appreciate things like warm soapy dishwater on our cold winter-time hands, the soothing hum of a washing machine going, the smell of dinner wafting through the home, the beauty of a shiny clean kitchen floor, the peace that comes from a home where all is clean and in order.

Any woman can choose to believe that their job is drudgery or they can choose to view it as a service to Christ. I believe that being a homemaker is a ministry of service and love unto Christ to those the Lord has given me to love, nurture and care for. My husband and family are the ones that mean the most to me; they are the closest to my heart. They are the first and foremost ministry in my life. If I begin to think of other things I would rather be doing then laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc., I realize that I have neglected to view my role from God’s perspective and that is as His servant. There is something humbling about serving others, washing the feet of our loved ones in these tasks; something that can, if we allow it, help to put our heart and attitudes in the right place. It can change our view of the work we do each day. If Jesus walked into your home you would do everything possible to serve Him while He was in your home. Well ladies, He IS in your home and you are serving Him each day as you go about your task of raising up godly children and caring for and keeping a home for you husband and family (Matt. 25:40 And the King will answer and say to them, ”Assuredly, I say to you inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me”).

Busyness
Many years ago when I began my quest to manage my home better I evaluated all the busyness in my life and looked at what things might be preventing me from managing my home better. I decided that if I am not able to take care of my home in such a way that shows that I have control over my domain then I may need to lessen what I currently have going on and not add any more to my schedule.

I have always been a person who would bite off more than I could chew so to speak. I don’t think I am alone with this either, as I talk to other women who deal with the same issue. I would take on more projects than I could handle, I volunteered for more than I should have, and I made plans that were beyond my abilities or time. The end result was always the same; something would suffer.

When I am too busy the first thing to suffer is always my home. It becomes a mess, laundry backs up, and clutter is a big problem. Then my children are next; attitude problems, discipline issues not being handled well, little ones not getting enough mommy time. Of course meals suffer; boxed cereal, instant, expensive and typically unhealthy food is served. All for the sake of not having my home under control.

The dividing line for outside busyness and effectively managing a home will be drawn in a different place for each of us. I am not saying that all outside activity needs to stop, that would be unrealistic. But rather when life has too much going on, it is much more difficult to manage a home as it should be managed. I had to make very different choices in my life in order to achieve my goals.

Time Management
Problems in good home management can also come from our time not being used as efficiently as possible. I know that it can be somewhat depressing for someone to look around and see that they don’t have control over their home or don’t have as much control as they feel they should and think it is hopeless, I might as well just continue on because I can’t ever get it under control. But let me encourage you that my experience is that as I have worked to organize, deal with clutter, create and implement systems of operation in my home and learn to use my time wisely that my skill level in these areas has increased, my efficiency has increased and I am able to train my children to work along side me and eventually move beyond the basics and accomplish other things in my life.

The first thing to remember is that there are only 24 hours in a day. We can’t expect to find anymore time available than this! We need to sleep a certain amount of those hours; we need wake up time and unwinding time and personal time. That calculates into only so many available hours to do all the other things we would like. These available hours should be viewed as precious time to accomplish the work the Lord has given us!

Be realistic about what you can do with the hours you have. Know your limits, your strengths and your weaknesses. I remember planting a huge garden one year. That was great except for the fact that I was due to have my 5th baby at the beginning of September. The same time all my tomatoes were ripe and ready. I personally did not have the energy to go from birth to canning in the same week! I was still struggling to care for my new baby (which was the 3rd baby in less in than 3 years) and recover and regain some energy. I was not very realistic about what I could accomplish. I wanted to do it all and I physically could not.

Recognize the things in our life that rob time from us. Over commitment, the telephone, the computer, laziness, hobbies that need to put off until the house is in order. Once you have a good handle on time management you will find it much simpler to accomplish the basic priorities.

In Summary
Time spent making and managing a home for my family will be a value passed on not only to my children but to future generations too. I think of the legacy left to me by my hard working, home loving, dedicated grandmothers and I know I can leave this same legacy for my grandchildren.

Managing my home is a mission that the Lord has given me. I always want to remember that homemaking is not a job to be avoided but a job to embrace and live to its’ full potential. This is one major area that is so easy to run from. It can be hard work to run a well managed home. This is a challenge that we as homemakers can embrace and be successful. It requires a determination to succeed and a plan. I don’t mind hard work and I don’t mind working towards these goals when I know that my hard work and my goals are for the purpose of something worthy. And certainly raising a family in such a way as to honor Christ is a worthy purpose.

An excerpt from:
Managing a Home: Tips, Organizational Advice and Practical
How-To’s from a Mother of 8
A new eBook from The Family Homestead

Featured Blogger~Mama Hen

Welcome to this weeks Featured Blogger!

Help me congratulate
Mama Hen!

Great posts
Lots of neat ideas
Pretty pictures
Very nice little home on the web
Go by and let her know you enjoy her blog

Blessings,
Chasity L. Burrell
Senior Editor Homesteadblogger
Heritage Acres Homestead

More on Fermenting Foods

I found some information on fermenting and a few recipes in a book I discovered at the library this weekend- Fresh Food From Small Spaces- The Square Inch Gardener's Guide to Year-Round Growing, Fermenting, and Sprouting by R.J. Ruppenthal.  The directions for making Kimchi say to cover the jar loosely with the lid or a cloth for 2 days, or until you get that "fermenting" smell; then, cap it tightly and put in the refrigerator.  Maybe that is what I've been doing wrong.  I put the lid on at the beginning; perhaps it needs to "breathe" a bit first???  The author recommends Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz, which sounds like a very interesting book on the subject.  I plan to look into reading this one, too; and am going to make another attempt at kimchi soon.   Wildfermentation.com was created by the book's author, and if you click on the resources button, you can find his recipe for sourkraut and pickles, plus a troubleshooting area.  Hope this info. helps some of you who are having the same struggles as I am in learning the art of fermenting food!

Blessings,

Catherine

A Day of Rest, and a Time to Catch You Up

Good day friends and family! I pray that you are all having a wonderful day in our Lord. It's a pretty one here in my neck of the woods. Although the temps are in the ninetey's and the humidity is about 80%, the sun is shining gloriously bright and beautiful! Thank-you Lord for this beautiful day that you have given me!

I am so thankful that today is Sunday. It is a day of rest for me, and a very welcome one at that. These past few weeks have been so busy, that they have just flown by! I mean, Saturday is going to be Independence Day! I can hardly believe it. This year is already half way gone. It just amazes me how time flys when you are busy.

As I said, I have been incrediblely hard at work lately. I told you a while back that I am working at a camp this summer in the kitchen. I've also said how much I enjoy it. And I really do! The Lord is beginning to work in me in ways that I thought I didn't need working on. I told you that every morning the various staff groups go and do devoutions and pray first thing in the morning. It's the same for the kitchen staff also. What I had no idea is that I would be sharing a devotion with them also!

Yes, I have had to come up with a devotion to share with the three other kitchen staff! That means speaking in front of people. I don't know if your like this, but speaking in front of people just about kills me! (I know that is a bit dramatic, but it truly is VERY difficult for me) I have to even pray aloud with them. And I know I should not feel so nervous about that, for I am talking to the Lord and not them. But aside from the Lord helping to help me get over my shyness, He is showing me I need to develop a more personal and daily walk with Him.

I am ashamed to say that I have slacked off in this area of devotions and prayer. I believe this is one of the reasons the Lord allowed me to work at camp. I believe that He is using this as a way to draw me closer to Him. Thankfully He never abandons or gives up on me, cause if He did I don't know where I would be or what I would be doing right now. The Lord truly is good, and His mercy endureth forever!

Aside from the spiritual growth that I am enjoying at camp, I am also leanrning about all the different workers there. I may just be weird, but seeing each person's personality every day is so neat to me. Just learning about their diiferent backgrounds and characters is amazing. Some are loud, some are quiet, some giggle alot, some are serious, some are bossy, and some are very mischievous.( putting  a lizzard down someone's shirt...) But its so amazing how God makes each one of us different in our own way, so we can serve Him the way He wants us too.

With me only working three days a week at camp, there is still plenty of time for me to help my parents out on the homestead. With milking Anna-Belle, cleaning up after her, chickens to feed and water, clothes to wash, and rooms to clean, there's not much time for much else. But thankfully the Lord created a day of rest, and that is what I am enjoying today.

Well, I need to get off now and enjoy my day of rest. So until next time, have a wonderful day! Thanks for stopping by!

Shycountrygal

P.S. I'll try to be more faithful in my writing in the future, things are busy, but they are beginning to slowdown and I should have more time.

A Time to Rest

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time.  ~John Lubbock

This is good advice for a summer's day, I do believe.  Take some time today to rest, relax, and enjoy the  garden.  Listen to the song of nature, give thanks for the beauty around you, plan for next season. 

If you've had some trouble with the garden this year, remember these wise words:

"There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments." ~Janet Kilburn Phillips

I have done lots of experiments in the garden . 

Now that you've had a nice time of rest and reflection...Get back out there and get busy because-

"Gardens are not made by sitting in the shade." ~Rudyard Kipling

Blessings,

Catherine

The heat is on in South Louisiana !!!!

I don't know how the weather is in other parts of the world .I can tell you it feels like Summer in August and  we are only in the end of June . That make us all think we are in for a very,very ,hot summer. You have to go out early to check on the animals water  .And go out late in the evenings to feed them and check on them again .We have been watering what is left of the garden in the evenings after dark .It has been way to dry around here this summer . I have heard from and old timer that if you get snow in  south Louisiana  , you will have a bad hurricane season . And guess what we got over 18 inches of snow here in my parts of Louisiana . That was a record snow breaker  . I just keep praying that this isn't going to be true .

My son is excited about a mission trip coming up next month . This is his first mission trip . He will turn 15 the week after he returns for the trip . He has done several odd jobs to help pay for his trip . Our church gave him $200.00 dollars  .Wow , What a blessing !!  He wants to buy some new shoes and cloths for the trip . He will have plenty of extra spending money . I can't believe how fast my son is growing up . I am so proud of  his walk with God . And the helpful heart he has to help other people . He  also started teaching sunday school at our Church (very small group)  . There are only  3-6 children  ,but a great thing for him to do . He is teaching them a song to sing while he plays the guitar . He also sang last sunday and played his guitar . He did a really good job . It's hard to think about him being in the 10th grade this fall .

Here is some pics. for the spoiled baby goat "  Cupid" .He really isn't a baby any more . He is still snow white and a tuff little goat . He thinks he is as big as "Blacky" . Blacky is an old man ,he is wethered  and not the daddy of Cupid  .Blacky has a good life here on the farm . Cupid keeps him busy and young at heart . As you can see Cupid  has to stand on the wood log to be the same height as Blacky . They will rack horns for hours around this log. Cupit has no problem hanging with the big boys . It's the funniest thing to watch them playing .

Butter ,Butter ,Butter ,Please pass the Butter !!!

Dear Blogger Friends ,I am looking for a good homemade butter recipe . I have found some but none give the exact measurements for the ingredients. How much butter will it make at one time? I am praying some of you might be able to help or have a grandma to ask about it . I have borrowed my aunts butter churn(newer type) and butter dishes that her mother put butter in to measure 1 and 1/2 pounds . She doesn't have any recipies . She just remembers helping her mother with making it as a child. So any info about butter making will be very helpful to me . Thanks ,Shaune