I'm Lousy at Blogging!
I just can't keep up with it. :)
If you want to find out more about the
New Harvest Homestead newsletter
Please visit my website
You are also invited to join the NHH Yahoo email group. The best place on the web to get answers to your homesteading questions! :)
The sign up button is located on the sidebar to the right.
Blessings!
Lisa
Hello Again!
Hello friends! It has been several months since I have updated my blog. I hope that all is well with you and yours.
I took a break from blogging for a time. At first I did not really intend to take a break for so many months. The past few months have been very busy and since September I have not been online to blog. I have missed many of my friends and hope to visit your blogs soon!
My sister and nephew moved back to Kentucky to live with her father. My nephew's skull fracture healed completely (Praise the Lord) and he is now walking and running all over the place. My step-father experienced an accident at work and severed his calf muscle in two while driving a floor jack. My sister wanted to move back to Kentucky to help take care of him. Since that time, my step-father has healed and returned to work again.
I will try to update my blog again soon. I have some new pictures to add.
Blessings, grace, and peace in the Lord,
Sharra
Cranberries 101
Blessings,
Lisa
HOLIDAYS ON THE HOMESTEAD!
The November/December 2007 issue of New Harvest Homestead is now available!
Here's a little taste of the great things you'll find in this issue:
THANKFUL! - NHH readers share what they are most thankful for
Cranberries 101 - A little history and interesting information about this versatile holiday fruit, plus mouth-watering cranberry recipes!
In the Holiday Homestead Kitchen - Christmas cookies and favorite pot-luck take-alongs
Whole Wheat Dough Variations - The Urban Homemaker shares the many ways to use her whole wheat dough recipe for lots of holiday treats
Last Minute Gifts & Holiday Projects - Be ready to give from the heart with these easy-to-make gifts
And LOTS more! Don't miss this issue. Visit my website to find out how to subscribe - www.newharvesthomestead.com
From now until Christmas buy a two-year subscription and receive a third FREE! See the details on my website or write to me at newharvest@gotsky.com
Christmas Blessings!
Lisa
He is Everything
Please check out the short video clip I have added to my sidebar on the right (under "Recent Entries"). My 16-year-old daughter shared this with me and I cannot put into words how much this short musical skit touched my heart. Guy and I were in youth ministry for many years before we had our own children and we still have a great concern for the young people we know. This presentation is very powerful and has the potential to reach young people when other methods might fail. I feel like it tells my own story as a youth. I urge you to share it with family and friends. Here is the link on GodTube (the Christian alternative to YouTube):
The other reason I find this so moving is the lyrics to the song, "Everything". These young men found the perfect words to express how I feel about the Lord Jesus.
Find me here, speak to me
I want to feel You, I need to hear You
You are the light, that is leading me
To the place where I find peace...again
You are the strength that keeps me walking
You are the hope that keeps me trusting
You are the life to my soul
You are my purpose, You are everything
And how can I stand here with You
and not be moved by You?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
You calm the storms, You give me rest
You hold me in Your hands, You won't let me fall
You still my heart and You take my breath away
Would you take me in? Would you take me deeper now?
'Cause You're all I want, You're all I need
You're everything, everything
You're all I want, You're all I need
You're everything, everything
Words & Music by Jason Wade
Canning Pumpkin and Yams
Every year about this time I like to re-visit the instructions for canning pumpkin and/or yams, since it is a question that tends to come up in the fall season when these items are plentiful.
The latest research by Dept. of Ag experts has determined that it is not safe to puree pumpkin and/or yams for canning. Being vegetables, both yams and pumpkins must be pressure canned. The temperature of the food in the jar must get hot enough all the way through. Since pureed pumpkin and yams are so dense, research has shown that even after a very long processing time, the internal temperatures do not reach safe levels for a long enough period to insure that all bacterias, molds, etc. have been killed or neutralized. The food toward the outside of the jar would be woefully overprocessed by the time the food at the core was properly done.
But, don't despair - you can still safely can pumpkins and yams. You just need to pack them in chunks instead of pureeing them.
Pumpkin
Wash, cut in half and remove seeds. Cut pumpkin up into hunks that will fit in your jar. Remove the skin, cover with water and boil for two minutes. Drain, reserving hot liquid, and pack cubes into hot jars (wide mouth pint or quart), leaving 1/2" headspace. Bring cooking water back to a boil and fill jars, leaving 1/2" headspace. Apply the lids and rims. Process at 10 lbs. pressure - 55 minutes for pints, 90 minutes for quarts.
Yams
Boil yams just long enough to get skins to slip off (about 20 minutes). Remove skins, cut away bad spots and cut into manageable hunks lengthwise. Pack hot into hot jars (reheat them if necessary after handling) leaving 1" of headspace. Add boiling water, leaving 1" of headspace. Apply lids and rims. Process at 10 lbs. pressure - 65 minutes for pints, 90 minutes for quarts.
You are welcome to write to me with any questions. Be sure to check out my website and request your free introductory issue of my newsletter - New Harvest Homestead!
Lisa
The Signs of Autumn
Wow - can you believe it's already October? It truly seems like yesterday I was putting in the garden and praying for the summer harvest to come. And, it surely did! We were abundantly blessed with green beans, tomatoes, spinach, peas - glory to God - what a wonderful gardening season this was. Now, as I look out over our acreage I can see the corn stalks beginning to brown, the green beans are putting out the last few precious flowers and the orange of my pie pumpkins stand out against the dying vines. The evening air is crisp, my hens are moulting - all the signs that we are well into autumn.
But, I love this changing of the seasons. I turn my eyes from the outdoor activities to the warmth of home. I am planning on my first quilting project over the coming months. A simple rag quilt inspired by one of my NHH readers. We must decide on what we will be making for Christmas gifts and get started on that. The kids are looking forward to the first rainy days so they can have hot chocolate in the morning before they begin their schoolwork. Our apple trees didn't fare so well this year - it seems like each year one type of fruit tree just "takes the year off" and this year it was the apples. However, my July bearing Lodi produced loads of apples, most of which I sliced and froze for winter pies. Here is my favorite apple pie recipe (it came in 5th out of 13 entries in our local apple pie contest one year!):
Lisa's Apple Pie
One pie crust (recipe follows)
8 cups sliced apples (Lodi, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, etc.)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/3 to 1/2 cup light honey
Salt
Mix together flour, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl. Add sliced apples and toss until apples are coated with flour mixture. Put apple mixture into crust. Drizzle honey over the apples and shake a little salt over all.
Crumb topping:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cold butter (1 stick) cut into chunks
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
Process above ingredients together in a food processor (or blend with pastry blender) until crumbly. Sprinkle over the top of pie apple mixture. Bake 45 to 50 minutes. If crumb topping starts to brown too much, cover it with foil during the last 10 or 20 minutes of baking.
Easy Pie Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into chunks
Put all ingredients into a food processor and begin to process. Add 1 TBS. cold water at a time until the dough forms a ball on top of the processor blade. Place dough on a lightly floured bread board and form into a ball. Roll out. Start from the middle and roll out into every direction, working clockwise, until you have a nice circle. Roll dough up on to your roller and hold over greased pie plate. Unroll over the pie plate, press in and trim. Keep it in the fridge until you are ready to fill it.
We Finally Have High Speed!!
I have been so neglectful of this blog for so long. It was just too time consuming with my old SSSLLOOOWWW dial-up connection. But, we now have satellite internet. YAY! I will try to add to my blog on a regular basis again. For the time being, please visits my website:
...for an update on the current September/October issue of New Harvest Homestead! It's a GREAT issue! How to find and buy rural land, handcrafted soap, homemade Christmas gifts, crock-pot recipes and harvest feasts, plus tons more! I'll be back soon!
Blessings,
Lisa
prayers for my nephew
Today I thought that I would write a post and request prayer for my nephew. He is 9 months old and recently he had an accident and now has two skull fractures. He is doing fine and seems to be fairly normal other than the crack in the side of his skull which I find to be worrisome. The neurosurgeons have assured us that he should heal properly. There is a slight chance that he would require surgery if the fractures were to widen or not heal correctly. We will take him back to Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis in about a month to have another CT scan to check his progress.His accident happened when my sister went to visit family in KY. Her dad was taking my nephew out of the Johnny Jump-Up (which I have since been informed these are a pediatricians nightmare!) when my nephew pushed out of his arms and landed on his head on a hardwood floor. At first he had a swollen hematoma on the side of his head and it was not apparent at first that he had a serious injury. Two days later when my sister came back to Indiana we took him to the emergency room (due to the hematoma) and the physician felt as though it was a standard head injury. We waited a few days until the swelling of the hematoma lessened and then we could feel a distinct crack in his skull. We took him back to the emergency room this past Saturday and after giving him a CT scan the emergency room staff (I do not think we even were seen by a physican but rather an assistant) informed us that he had "open places" in his skull which were normal and would close up as he grew older.
Our family did not agree with this diagnosis one bit. While we realize that an infant's skull has fissures and fontanels that will close in time, they do not have cracks in the skull that appear overnight! My nephew was released from the emergency room and we immediately went to the library to research infant skull fractures. While my daughter was viewing skull fractures on the internet and I was reading medical journals on infant head trauma, a local nurse came up to us and introduced herself. She briefly looked at my nephew and recommended that we take him to another hospital for a second opinion. After talking with a few friends we decided to take him to Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis. I did not realize until this point that you can visit the Riley emergency room. I thought that children were referred to Riley from hospitals when they needed specialized care. We took him to Riley and we brought a copy of the CT scan with us. He was seen by a team of neurosurgeons, physicans and medical professionals. We were very pleased with the thorough and professional level of care my nephew was able to receive at Riley. We spent one night in the hospital and then we were able to come home. After reading the same CT scan given by our local emergency room and examining his head the neurosurgeons were able to determine that he had two skull fractures on the side of his head. One of the fractures is a slightly wide crack. On the CT scan they observed a density on the image at one of the fractures which could indicate a bleed in the area but they assured us that this was not a major concern. He should not have any damage to his brain from this injury. Thank goodness! I know the Lord has been watching over him.
My nephew is eating, sleeping, playing, and generally behaving as a normal 9 month old would and he does not appear to be experiencing discomfort. We are praying he will heal completely and that he would not require any surgery. Please be praying for him if you do not mind.
I would feel more comfortable if we had a little helmet that he could wear to protect his head until his skull fractures heal completely. The neurosurgeons said that this is not necessary but that we need to be extra careful with him. He is at the age where he is crawling everywhere and pulling up on furniture and trying to stand up by himself. He is a little explorer for certain! Thank you for your prayers!
It has been such a blessing to have my sister and nephew with us. I gave up my office in the back of the house so that they could have their own bedroom. We turned our dining room into our homeschooling area and office which I happen to like better. From our big picture window in the dining room we are able to look out on the patio and see our cats playing, view our garden across the lawn, and watch the rooster down by the barn. Frequently the horses are grazing in the front pasture and we can watch them as well. Early in the morning we watch the sunrise over the barn and it is a beautiful site. Our hearts are content living in the country!
It is alot of hard work and sometimes it is hard to fit all the tasks needed to be done in one day. We wake up very early in the morning to take care of the animals and then we are busy until the evening. It is very satisfying although I am not sure I appreciate my rough hands. I suppose that I have officially earned the rank of a farmgirl now that I have the hands to prove this. I have recently discovered Badger Balm which has helped quite a bit in softening my hands. We used to stay up late at our other home but now that we live in the country, we find it very difficult to stay up past 10:00pm. It is hard to believe but even on the weekends we go to bed early. We get up with the chickens and tend to go to bed at sundown. During the long summer days we often would get sleepy before it was even dark. I think being outdoors and the hard work taking care of animals, gardening, hanging out the laundry, and mowing two or more acres with a push mower have been good for us!
I have some pictures that I hope to post very soon. They are on a picture cd and so I am going to try to figure out how to load them on my blog. At the very least I will try to put my Flickr badge back running on my blog again so that you can see a bit of our Country Living.
Many blessings to you and yours!
Sharra
For Brenda.....Candied or Crystallized Flowers Recipe
11:26, Jul. 17, 2007 .. Posted in My Country Kitchen and Pantry .. 6 comments .. Link
Brenda over at thecfarm was looking for a recipe for candied flowers. This was too long to post under her comments, so I'm posting it here. Brenda, I hope this is what you are looking for. This is the recipe that I've always used. It works well with violets, pansies and Johnny-jump-ups.
Candied or Crystallized Flowers Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
- Rinsed and dried edible flower blossoms, separated from the stem (see Notes)
- 1 extra-large egg white, at room temperature
- Few drops of water
- About 1 cup superfine sugar
- A small paint brush
- A baking rack covered with waxed paper
PREPARATION:
Holding a flower or petal in one hand, dip a paint brush into the egg white with the other and gently paint the flower.
Let the flowers dry completely; they should be free of moisture. This could take 12 to 36 hours, depending on atmospheric humidity. To hasten drying, you may place the candied flowers in an oven with a pilot light overnight, or in an oven set at 150 degrees to 200 degrees F with the door ajar for a few hours.
Store the dried, candied flowers in airtight containers until ready to use. They will keep for as long as a year.
Notes: Suggested flowers include apple or plum blossoms, borage flowers, lilac florets, rose petals, scented geraniums, violas, violets, Johnny-jump-ups, and pansy petals.
Source: Texas A&M Horticulture
{ Last Page } { Page 1 of 5 } { Next Page }
About Me
My Profile
Archives
Friends
My Photo Album
Links
Titus 2 Ministry
Genteel Girlhood
Titus 2 Books
FREE Monthly Newsletter: Titus 2 Journal
My Other Blog
Categories
EmbroideryGardening
Lessons Learned
Simply Sewing
The Hen House
Titus 2 Ministry
Recent Entries
Seasons of Change...The Flowers in the Lord's Garden
I have learned...
Gardening for Ladies!
Me and Ellie
Friends
CountryLiving
BackyardTreasures
NewHarvestHomestead
Greenberry