Need some inspiration for crafty things to make and do?  The Crafty Crow (my favorite craft site) has a crafts from around the world theme this month, and oh the imaginative things that have been posted thus far: teacup candles from England, bubble spinners from Japan, rose syrup from India ... so many interesting things to craft.  Check it out and let me know which crafts you plan to try!  The rose syrup is a must for me and I do love the candles. 

Blessings,

Catherine :)

Since we're thinking Spring and Spring Cleaning around here this week, I thought we could share our favorite recipes for homemade clean. 

My favorite all-purpose cleaner is simply:

1 part distilled water

1 part white vinegar

a few drops of lemon essential oil

Mix in a spray bottle to clean away dust, dirt, fingerprints and other grimy stuff from most any hard surface! 

For scrubbing bubbles, sprinkle on a little baking soda and then spray with your vinegar solution for extra scrubbing power. 

There are lots of good recipes and tips in the archives of this topic; and I do hope some of you will share your own recipes and tips for making the homestead sparkly clean using homemade cleaners!  I look forward to reading what you use to spring clean.

Blessings,

Catherine :)

It is time for spring cleaning at my home, how about yours? 

I started in the kitchen yesterday and got a few things done before the sunshine lured me outside for the afternoon!  I plan to clean the windows and woodwork, and if I have the time and energy tackle the stove, refrigerator, and other appliances today.  I recently organized all of the cabinets, so that part is already done, thank goodness!  After the kitchen is clean and sparkling, I'll move on to the other rooms in the house. 

So, how do you go about spring cleaning? 

Do you have a system that you always use, or like me just hit the areas that are most obviously in need of a good cleaning first? 

If you need some help getting started with your spring cleaning, check out Tipnut's Guide to Spring Cleaning for tips, cleaning recipes, motivation and more! 

I'd love to read about how you spring clean, and any tips you have to share would be great!

Blessings,

Catherine

Good Morning HSB Bloggers, and the Lord bless you!

Over the last several days, I have been researching for ideas that will bless the frugal gardener.  One of the best that I have found is to employ raised bed gardening. 

Raised beds offer the gardener a wealth of opportunities to save in money, work, and time. While the initial building and installation of raised beds do require a bit of effort, the outcome is SO worth it!

The above video from UK Forestry offers some wonderful ideas on set-up, construction, and maintenace of the garden plot!

Enjoy, and get those spades ready, because Spring is on the way!

Proverbs 16:3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

Until we meet again, may the Lord bless you GOOD.

"Homesteading is more than a lifestyle. It is a lifestyle of Hope and Heart!"

In Him,

Bev

I thought we might have  a bit of a discussion about our gardens this week.  Spring is on the way and I know many of you are anxious to get things growing, just like me.  Below are a few questions to get the conversation started.  I hope you'll join in and post about what's growing and going on in your garden.  Do share any tips, recipes, or new garden ideas with us, too! 

How are your plans and preparations for the spring garden coming?  We got our family garden spot tilled in the community garden this weekend.  I hoped to plant today, but the rain has changed those plans.  I have 300 seedlings growing under fluorescent lights in the house.  Those will go into the gardens and containers in just a few weeks.  I hope to create some mini lasagna-style garden beds around the house as soon as the rain stops.  I'll tuck in a few tomatoes, cucumbers, and such here and there so I'll have easy access to my salad goodies without having to drive over to the community garden.  I also plan to plant some herbs, flowers, and a few strawberries and other fruits, as well. 

What new projects do you have for the garden this year?  We're planning to get rabbits and chickens for our backyard barnyard this spring; they will be compost helpers as well as pets for the children.  I hope to build some salad boxes and a potting table for the backyard, and start a new compost bin. 

What new things are you planning to grow this year? I purchased seed for some "new to me" green veggies: Agretti, Good King Henry, Vitamin Greens and Miner's Lettuce.  I also will be planting breadseed poppies, which I've not grown before.  I got several varieties of tomatoes that are new to me-Pineapple, Black Cherry, Principe Borghese, and some others.  And, I want to grow raspberries, blueberries, and kiwi this year, if I can find space to plant them!  I always have more plants I want to grow than garden space it seems! 

Is it planting time yet in your area? Yes, cool weather crops can still be be planted in my area now, and it won't be long until it's time for planting warm season crops like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, etc.!  But, it has been raining so we've not gotten any planting done, yet. 

OK, your turn!  I'd love to read about your garden plans and such, and I'm sure others would, too.  Post an entry and come back and leave a comment so we can find you.  I hope to read about lots of great garden happenings soon!

Blessings,

Catherine

This week's featured blogger was nominated by her fellow bloggers.  Bev has 2 blogs at HomesteadBlogger- Furbelow Cottage & Devotional Stepping Stones; and we are also blessed to have her as a new writer here on the Front Porch. 

Whether she's writing about Generosity of Spirit , or posting about her home as in A Stitch in Time, Bev is always encouraging and reading her posts will brighten your day. 

I know she's had some major computer issues this week; so I hope you will stop by and leave her a note and she'll have a nice surprise when she gets back online.

Congratulations Bev! 

This is one of those "not for the faint of heart" recipes. It is a VERY rich and yummy dish. I do not make this dish very often, and am sure you can figure out why as you read this recipe. But Oh, it is SO good!

First, begin heating a large pot of salted water for the pasta.

Now, you want to chop up half a pound of pancetta. If you can't find pancetta, you can use bacon, but believe me, the Pancetta is the bomb!


You will heat up 2 Tb olive oil in a large dutch oven, and then saute' the pancetta until it is golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside.


Now, you will have drippings in your pan. You want about 1/4 cup. If you have too much, remove some. If you don't have enough, add olive oil to make 1/4 cup.

In the drippings, you are going to saute' 3 large cloves of garlic (finely minced) until they are softened.


Now whisk in 1/3 c flour, let it cook until it is bubbly.


Now you are going to whisk in 7 CUPS of WHOLE MILK. Wow! There's the first hint at how rich this is.


Heat the milk until it comes to a boil, stirring often.

In the meantime...


And now the next clue as to the unbelievable richness of this dish.

You are going to need 8 ounces of Butterkase (a very soft and creamy german cheese), 6 ounces of Provolone, and 4 ounces of mozarella. You will also need 1/2 c grated parmesan, but I didn't include that in the picture. Go ahead and grate them.


The second thing you will do while waiting for the milk to boil, is cook your pasta.

You want to cook it "al dente" - it will be soft, but not done, still hard in the middles. Drain them and set aside.

Now that your milk sauce is boiling, turn off the heat, and add the cheeses, stirring them all in until completely melted.


When the cheeses are fully melted, stir in the rigatoni.


Now add 1 Tb parsley, and 1 Tb basil.


And add 1/2 tsp black pepper


And now add in the yummy pancetta.

Stir it all together.

Next, in a skillet, heat 2 Tb olive oil, and saute another minced clove of garlic.


When it is soft, remove it from the heat, and add 2 cups of fresh bread crumbs. Stir to coat.


Sprinkle this all over the top of the pasta.


Now, after baking it in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees, it will look golden brown and bubbly.


Mmmmmm! Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.



Enjoy!





***

Printable Version:

Farmer's Pasta

4 Tb olive oil, divided
4 cloves finely minced garlic, divided
1/2 lb pancetta, chopped
1 box (1 lb) Rigatoni, cooked al dente
1/3 c flour
7 cups whole milk
8 ounces Butterkase, German Cheese, grated
6 ounces Provolone cheese, grated
4 ounces Mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 c parmesan cheese, grated
1 Tb Parsley
1 Tb Basil
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups fresh bread crumbs.


In a large dutch oven, heat 2 tb olive oil, and saute the pancetta until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon to another dish, set aside.

If needed, add olive to make 1/4 cup of drippings in the dutch oven. Saute' 3 cloves of the garlic until soft. Whisk in flour, cooking until bubbly. Slowly whisk in milk.

Bring to a boil, and then turn off heat. Stir in all of the cheese, stirring until completely melted. Mix in rigatoni, pancetta, parsley, basil, and pepper.

In a skillet, heat remaining olive oil, and saute' remaining clove of garlic until softened. Remove from heat, and add bread crumbs, stirring to coat.
Sprinkle crumb mixture over the top of the pasta.

Bake at 375 for 20 - 25 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown.

Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Conni is an army wife and homeschooling mom of three, living in North Carolina. You can find out more about her on her blog: MamaHen

As I purchased a new ball of cotton yarn for my next homestead craft project- learning to crochet (which has eluded me thus far), I was thinking about these crafty things that some of us enjoy doing, and how they are not only an enjoyable hobby, but are a help in keeping the home, too.  Often we think of things like sewing, knitting, and soapmaking, as just hobbies; when they really are part of making the homestead function well.  If we take time to sew and mend, knit socks or dishcloths (squares being my greatest knitting accomplishment thus far), make our own soap, etc., we are in most cases saving money, and also creating something that is useful and made with care.  So, no more putting the "crafts" on the back burner for me, I plan to schedule a little bit of handwork into the afternoons from now on.  

How about you, what crafty things do you enjoy doing that are a help to the homestead?  Please share your tips, ideas, and so forth with us.  Learning together is part of the fun here at HomesteadBlogger!  

As I said earlier, I plan to learn to crochet.  Fortunately my oldest daughter is quite good at this craft, and is a patient teacher, as well!  

Another project I have on my to-do list is sewing cloth covers for my sprouting jars and so forth.  I plan to use these free stitchery patterns from down---to---earth as inspiration.  Rhonda wrote an excellent post titled Finding Time for Crafts, that you might enjoy, also. 

Please join in and tell us what types of crafts you are doing, or would like to learn.  There are many accomplished crafters here at HomesteadBlogger, and I know someone will be happy to help out if you have questions.

Blessings,

Catherine

Spring will soon be here, and visions of a well-stocked pantry and freezer can't be far behind!

Gardening is a passion for most homesteaders.  And for good reason!  Not only does the produce from a home garden taste better, it is safer for consumption, and more economical, if planned properly.

It can become very expensive, however, if you live in a less than ideal gardening location.  Poor soil, inadequate rainfall or water drainage, as well as insect infestations, weed growth, and  the price of seed, mulch and other things needed for a great garden plot can ran into a lot of cash output. So, how do you manage a productive garden without breaking your budget?

Make a plan, and stick to it!

  Step one: Get to know your dirt.  Is it loamy, silty, sandy, or clay?  What is the Ph, and how does it absorb and drain rainfall and watering? Your local extension office usually offers a free Ph test for your soil, or for a nominal fee. Once you have learned what you might need to amend, it is easier to determine what types of plants will grow best.

Here is a great link to tell you more about determining your soil's drainage:  OnlineGardener.  The site offers great informatmation in a PDF format, and is easy to read and follow.

  Step two:  Decide which plants will be of most benefit to your family, and don't waste time on exotic varieties. Stick to what you know you will consume. Look for ways to buy, trade, or barter those seeds, or seedlings, for the least expense.
 
Become involved with a seed exchange, or start one of your own.  You can trade for seeds that will be of benefit to you, and the minimal cost is usually the price of a postage stamp. 

Do an online search for free seed.  A lot of companies have give-aways. 

Cultivate "garden friendships."  Talk to those in your community who love to sow and reap. You will gain a world of insight, and an opportunity to share and trade seeds, and plants.  Most gardeners love to share!

There are also some county extension agencies that will actually give you seed for free. Make a trip to, or call, your local extension agency and see if they offer any free programs for home gardeners. 

Another great idea is to volunteer to become a "test subject" for some of the larger seed companies.  You might be surprised to learn that many of them offer free seed,and the produce they will supply,  simply for the knowledge they can gain from the grower.  It does involve a bit of paperwork, but, think of the experince you can gain, and the money you can save :)!

Spend some time becoming aquainted with the vendors and growers at your local farmer's market.  Tell them of your quest to find inexpensive seed and pest controls.  One of the best tips I ever recieved was from a local farmer who grew beautiful produce every year..."Stick to the basics, plant in the right location, know the plant's habit, and fertilize with nothing but the best!"   Knowledge gained is never wasted!

  Step three: Never plant more than you plan to tend or harvest. A beautiful crop of tomatoes is fantastic, but, if half of them are never picked or eaten, you have wasted time, effort, and money, not to mention a delicious way to grace the summer table!

Please share your frugal gardening ideas!  We would love to hear from you!

Until we meet again, may God bless you GOOD!