Wow!

is all I can say.  Where has the year gone already?

I started knitting in January and the next thing I know it is July already!!

I'll try to summarize the last 6 months

'new' (to me) 1800's Great Wheel, 'new' 1932 wood cook stove, knitting, spinning, knitting, soap making, knitting, spinning, fiber fest, rigid heddle loom, spinning, starting plants in greenhouse, spinning, tilling gardens, day old poults, planting cranberries, blueberries, red, yellow, black raspberries, blackberries, day old chicks, tilling other garden, seeding and replanting garden, watering, weeding, replanting garden (again!), weeding, watering, knitting, farmer's market, 3RD ANNUAL MULLER'S  LANE FARM HOMESTEADING WEEKEND, weeding, Kromski rigid heedle loom, watering, new goslings, knitting, spinning

Okay - that's about it!!

Paul is bringing home green beans and cabbage from the historic site.  That means I'll be spending July 4 canning beans and making sauerkraut!

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I set up an Etsy account the other day.  http://www.mullerslanefarm.etsy.com

A lot of it is Paul's iron work.

What type of response have you had with Etsy??

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Driving home from work (60 miles from home) I travel country roads. Last night I saw a deer cross in front of a car in front of me. Knowing they don't travel alone, I lifted my foot to brake and a voice said, "Maintain your speed". As I put my foot back down (I was on cruise control), I heard an explosion directly behind me!

I had to drive a couple miles to pull off and to my amazement both side windows (I have a minivan) were gone. The vehicle that was behind me pulled off with me and the angel that was driving made sure I was okay and that I had a phone.

It wasn't until I got home 30 minutes later that it hit me that if I would have slowed down, the deer would have hit directly on my driver's side window.

THANK YOU LORD for traveling with me last night and guiding my actions. THANK YOU LORD for sending an angel to comfort me.

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!

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Paul has been busy at the forge pounding items for the Christmas season at the Farmer's Market.  I thought I would share a few of his new creations!

This pot hanger has been wonderful cooking over the fire.  Instead of having to try to balance the bale at a single point on the S hook, I attach this between the S hook (or trammel hook) and the bale.  So much easier keeping the pot on a level!

The trammel:  used to adjust the heat under a pot by lowing and raising the pot.  Wonderfully decorated.

For those of us who also 'cook in the coal's, this handy lid lifter is a must for not burning your glove!  Paul puts a decorative touch on it too!

You can see more of Paul's forged items here:

http://www.mullerslanefarm.com/forge

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Just wanting to share my latest milk soaps:

Stress Relief:

Lavender & Tea Tree

Lemon Eucalyptus

Lily of the Wood

You can order these and our other soaps at

http://www.mullerslanefarm.com/soap

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Just when I think I'm finished canning, I find out I'm not!

One of our hog customers won't be able to pick up their hog so we've stored it in the little freezer for them.  This freezer was ear marked for our chickens, which we needed to pick up last week!  Time to rearrange the large chest and the upright freezers to make room for the birds.

I only put up 9 pints of hot packed chicken, but there is more chicken waiting to be canned.  The shelves in the kitchen are FULL.  This is a picture taken a few weeks ago and I've added more to it since then (and there is more down cellar).

We have been abundantly blessed this year.

Speaking of blessings, Paul & I will be going to "A Weekend to Remember"

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Monday - September 25, 2006

After a full day at work, I tossed a pizza in the oven, spooned out some chocolate chip cookie dough on a cookie sheet to be baked & tackled the basket of pears.

After about 60 minutes of peeling & coring, i had enough for 6 quarts (and 1 pint) of pears in very light syrup.  I make my very light syrup by using 6 cups of water and 1-1/2 cups sugar.

Tonight I plan on preparing the pears for making Vanilla Pear Jelly tomorrow:

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Sunday - September 24, 2006

There are many folks I come in contact with that don't understand how I can do so much WORK.  I tell them it isn't real work because I enjoy it.  Here's a classic example:

Sunday we had good friends come down from the Chicago-land area.  (They homestead on 1/2 acre.  What they don't have in land, they make up in heart.  I don't know too many folks who can year 'round!) 

When they arrived, I was just finishing jarring up some Lemon Basil Jelly.  Ivy & I got to lick out the pan ... yum!  We caught up the draft horses, dressed them in their work clothes, hitched them to the farm wagon and took a 2 mile ride to some neighbors who had an apple tree that was overloaded.  We picked & ate our fill and drove 2 houses down to another neighbor wallowing in pears.  We again picked & ate our fill of pears and headed back down the road.

Some would say picking fruit may be time consuming work, but when it's filled with laughter and fellowship ...

Our friends had brought gifts of homemade pickles, old canning jars with paraffin and even an old, hand-cranked ice cream maker.  We loaded them up with jellies & jams and a fair share of the apples & pears.

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Ever had a cold, damp evening where the only thing that sounds good is a good hearty bean soup??  I like bean soup made from dry beans, but that isn't so easy to whip up when it's 6:00 PM and you're just coming in from work.

My family loves this recipe.  I call it my 'Cheater Bean Soup'.

• 1/4 - 1/2 lb bacon, cut into bite sized pieces
• chopped onion (or two)
• chopped green pepper (optional)
• chopped garlic (optional)

Get these ingredients frying in bottom of pot.  When bacon is cooked & vegetables are tender, add:

• 4 cans of beans - I like navy, black bean, black-eyed peas, red beans
• 1 can sliced carrots, drained
• 1 can sliced potatoes, drained
• 1 can sliced mushrooms, drained

Add to taste:  salt, pepper, lemon pepper

Serve with corn bread.

YUM!

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This is the first time I am making 'wines'.  This is a simple recipe from someone who has tried it and said it works well.

6 cups chunked fruit (any kind)

6 cups sugar

Place fruit and sugar into gallon container.  Fill with water.  Stir well.  Cover.  Stir every day for 30 days.  Rack off (strain fruit & sediment from wine).  Bottle.  Do not decrease amount of sugar!

I'm afraid this will turn into more of a vinegar than a wine, but if it does, I'll put some of my MOV (mother of vinegar) in the containers & have designer vinegars!

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Dried vegetables & fruits are easy!

For the apple wedges, I core the apples and slice (wedge) the apples 8 to 16 times depending on the diameter of the apple.  (You can put the apples wedges in Fruit Fresh at this time if you like.)  For flavored apples, roll apples in cinnamon/sugar or honey.  Place in dehydrator.  It takes about 12 hours to dry.  Place apples in air tight container.

For dried bananas, slice bananas 1/3" thick, dip in honey, place in dehydrator.

For fruit roll-ups, blenderize fruits, adding sugar to taste, to make a paste.  Spread on wax paper and place in dehydrator. 

For dried tomatoes I like using Romas.  Slice about 1/2" thick in circles.  Sprinkle with ground herbs such as basil (lemon basil is wonderful!), oregano, chives, garlic, et al.  Place in dehydrator.  Store in air tight container.
Dried fruits & vegetables will be slightly chewy.  Make sure they are thoroughly dry otherwise you risk mold!

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Canned Meat:

• Beef
• Pork 

Canned Vegetables:

• Stewed Tomatoes
• Tomato/Vegetable Juice 
• Swiss Chard (with onions, peppers & smoked pork)
• Pickled Beets
• Sliced Peaches
• Sauerkraut

Wines:

• Apple
• Grape

This is the first time I am making 'wines'.  This is a simple recipe from someone who has tried it and said it works well.

6 cups chunked fruit (any kind)

6 cups sugar

Place fruit and sugar into gallon container.  Fill with water.  Stir well.  Cover.  Stir every day for 30 days.  Rack off (strain fruit & sediment from wine).  Bottle.  Do not decrease amount of sugar!

I'm afraid this will turn into more of a vinegar than a wine, but if it does, I'll put some of my MOV (mother of vinegar) in the containers & have designer vinegars!

Jams:

• Strawberry
• Peach

Jellies:

• Apple
• Chocolate Mint
• Apple & Chocolate Mint
• Grape

Dried Fruits & Vegetables:

• Apple Wedges (plain, honey & cinnamon/sugar)
• Sliced Tomatoes with Basil

Dried vegetables & fruits are easy!

• For the apple wedges, I core the apples and slice (wedge) the apples 8 to 16 times depending on the diameter of the apple.  (You can put the apples wedges in Fruit Fresh at this time if you like.)  For flavored apples, roll apples in cinnamon/sugar or honey.  Place in dehydrator.  It takes about 12 hours to dry.  Place apples in air tight container.
• For dried tomatoes I like using Romas.  Slice about 1/2" thick in circles.  Sprinkle with ground herbs such as basil (lemon basil is wonderful!), oregano, chives, garlic, et al.  Place in dehydrator.  Store in air tight container.

Dried fruits & vegetables will be slightly chewy.  Make sure they are thoroughly dry otherwise you risk mold!

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This is the time of the year I have a love/hate relationship with my garden.

The vegetables are coming on faster than I can can them.  The weeds are growing faster than I can pull them.  My children's activities increase so I have less time to spend on the garden anyway.  (Working 60 hours outside the home also puts a halt on many activities but it does pay the bills and provides insurance).

So far I have canned up beef & pork to make room in the freezer for the next hog. 

Canned Vegetables:

• Stewed Tomatoes
• Tomato/Vegetable Juice 
• Swiss Chard (with onions, peppers & smoked pork)
• Pickled Beets
• Sliced Peaches

Jams:

• Strawberry
• Peach

Dried Fruits:

• Apple Wedges (plain, honey & cinnamon/sugar)

Grapes are ready (as are more tomatoes & apples)  On Monday I plan on making apples slices, apple sauce, more dried apples and grape juice/jam (if I get them picked Sunday.)

Milk soaps need to be made for the holiday gift giving season and matching bath salts & lotions.

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Finally can cross that off my list!

I put up 8 quarts of sauerkraut last weekend and will probably put up about 8 more this weekend during the "Homesteading Weekend".

Mom and I thinly sliced 4 large green cabbages from the garden.  (Paul asked me later if I had used my cabbage slicer - ummm ... NO!  What a DUH moment!  It would have saved so much time!)

A friend gave me a 'no fail' method that sounds easier than what I did.

Remove core of cabbage. Slice thin (about the size of a dime, no larger than the thickness of a nickel).  Stuff tightly into canning jars leaving 1/2" headspace.  Add a teaspoon of pickling salt.  Add boiling water.  Finger tighten lids.  Place on towel in cool, dark place.  Check daily (it will start fermenting and will leak, so replace that towel!).  After about a week or so, tighten the lid again. Do this every week for 5-6 weeks. 

The other way is to place your sliced cabbage in a stoneware crock, adding a couple tablespoons of pickling salt to every 4 to 5 pounds of cabbage.  Mix well.  It will start weeping water.  Make sure the salted water covers to cabbage.  Top with weighted lid (water filled ziploc bags work well).  Skim surface every few days, replace salted water if too much evaporation occurs.

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Just a quick update on our Homesteading Weekend scheduled for July 29-30, 2006.

We've had quite a number of calls and expect a good (but not overwhelming) amount of folks to be here.

In keeping with our "We don't have a plan and are sticking to it!", we are taking requests from folks on what they want to learn or what they want to teach.

Sometime on Saturday, we will be processing chickens.  From feather to freezer.  On Sunday we will be discussing bread making and getting the draft horses out for lessons on harnessing, hitching and driving them. 

Saturday evening will be spent around the cook fire (our outdoor living room) with lots of singing.

If anyone is interested in joining us, please give Cyndi or Paul a call at 815-625-2607!

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Dolly, our 8 year old Jersey cow gave birth to a beautiful heifer this morning around 5:00 AM.  She has a cute heart shaped white spot on her forehead.

Couldn't find our digital camera this morning but will post pictures soon.

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·                  Spinners

·                  Weavers

·                  Crocheters

·                  Knitters

·                  Tatters

·                  Fiber Animal Owners

(and anyone wanting to learn these fiber arts)

Muller’s Lane Farm would like to gather together folks interested in the fiber arts for an informal gathering.

Where:                1^st meeting (July 6) will be at:

                            Muller’s Lane Farm

                            9767 Hickory Hills Rd

                            Rock Falls IL  61071

When:                 7:00 PM - 1^st Thursday of each month

                                July 6      Aug 3      Sept 7

                                Oct 5      Nov 2      Dec 7

Contact Cyndi at 815-625-2607 for more information & directions to the farm

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NW IL Homesteading Weekend

Muller’s Lane Farm

July 29 & 30, 2006

This will be an informal get together for like-minded people who would like to share with/learn from others.

Possible events/classes:

Blacksmithing                          Spinning

Weaving                                   Animal Care

Soapmaking                                       Gardening    

Harnessing & Driving draft horses

Cooking on open fire with cast iron

If you have a talent you would like to share with others, bring what you need.

There will be no set time for classes/demonstrations.  In keeping with our adage, "We don't have a plan and we're sticking to it!"

Potluck both days, bring what you need and we'll share with all.

Please!  No alcohol, firearms or pets.

For more information, call Paul & Cyndi at 815-625-2607 or email at mullerslanefarm@coiinc.com

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When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember the polished, old case fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother talked to it.

Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person. Her name was "Information Please" and there was nothing she did not know. Information Please could supply anyone's number and the correct time.

My personal experience with the genie-in-a-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer, the pain was terrible, but there seemed no point in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy.

I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I
unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear. "Information, please" I said into the mouthpiece just above my head. A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear.

"Information."

"I hurt my finger..." I wailed into the phone, the tears came readily enough now that I had an audience.

"Isn't your mother home?" came the question.

"Nobody's home but me," I blubbered.

"Are you bleeding?" the voice asked.

"No," I replied. "I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts."

"Can you open the icebox?" she asked.

I said I could.

"Then chip off a little bit of ice and hold it to your finger," said the voice.

After that, I called "Information Please" for everything. I asked her for help with my geography, and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me my pet chipmunk that I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts.

Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary, died. I called, Information Please," and told her the sad story. She listened, and then said things grown-ups say to soothe a child. But I was not
consoled. I asked her, "Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?"

She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, "Wayne always remember that there are other worlds to sing in."

Somehow I felt better.

Another day I was on the telephone, "Information Please." "Information," said in the now familiar voice. "How do I spell fix?" I asked

All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston. I missed my friend very much. "Information Please" belonged in that old wooden box back home and I somehow never thought of trying the shiny new phone that sat on the table in the hall. As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me.

Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity I would recall the serene sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little
boy.

A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about a half-hour or so between planes. I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information Please."

Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well. "Information."

I hadn't planned this, but I heard myself saying, "Could you please tell me how to spell fix?"

There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, "I guess your finger must have healed by now."

I laughed, "So it's really you," I said. "I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time?"

I wonder," she said, "if you know how much your call meant to me. I never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls."

I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.

"Please do", she said. "Just ask for Sally."

Three months later I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered, "Information." I asked for Sally.

"Are you a friend?" she said.

"Yes, a very old friend," I answered.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this," she said. "Sally had been working part-time the last few years because she was sick. She died five weeks ago."

Before I could hang up she said, "Wait a minute, did you say your
name was Wayne?" "Yes." I answered.

"Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you called. Let me read it to you."

The note said, "Tell him there are other worlds to sing in. He'll know what I mean."

I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.

Never underestimate the impression you may make on others.

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Spring is gearing up here at the farm. Some crocus somehow managed to escape the scratching of the chickens and have blooming for a week. Trees are budding and getting fuzzy'.

Garden News:

Paul managed to get the green house up this year and I've managed to get a few plants started. Now if I can only keep them alive until it's time to get them in the garden! I'm having heat issues inside the (unheated) greenhouse. I'm not sure how I will adjust this, I'm gone to work before daylight (when temps have still been in the 30's) and back in early afternoon (when temps inside the greenhouse are over 110!)

The Troy-Bilt is being tuned up for its first go ‘round in the gardens (which are heavily mulched with hay/manure/straw). Perennial herbs are already showing their beautiful, fragrant leaves in the gardens!

Animal News:

We received our first batch of meat chickens (Cornish X Rock) yesterday. They're safely in the 2-story brooder.

We found out Dolly, our 8 year old Jersey is due around July 10 instead of early June. That means we have one more month of milk! We have ‘rented' another Jersey from friends who are just tired of milking to keep us & customers going when Dolly is dried off.

There are between 15-20 goose eggs in the incubator due to hatch any day now. I don't know why we need more geese!! The other incubator is fired up to hold the next batch of eggs from various heritage turkeys. I decided not to separate the breeds this year, so there is no telling what the poults will look like. Currently we have 2 toms, (a Bourbon Red and a Royal Palm). Our hens include Royal Palm, Bourbon Red, Narraganset, and a cross from last year (I'm thinking Narrie X BR)

They chickens are laying up a storm! We average a couple dozen eggs a day – now if we could only sell a couple dozen a day!!

We also have a new dog and one of her puppies. The Mom, Heidi, is a registered Liver-colored Border Collie. She was crossed with an outstanding Blue Heeler. The pup, Aggie, now 11 weeks old, is extremely intelligent. When she is old enough, if she turns out the way she promises to, I will have her registered with the AWFA (American Working Farmcollie Association) http://www.farmcollie.com

Online orders for my Milk Soaps & Lotions have picked up. http://www.mullerslanefarm.com/soap for which I am very thankful.

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