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I’ve been learning about food storage lately, and trying to get myself organized.  I found a great site, Food Storage Made Easy. There is an awesome spreadsheet that can be downloaded there that can help you plan out your meals and food storage needs.

One of the biggest things I’ve come to realize is that you need to “store what you eat and eat what you store.”  Makes a lot of sense!  If you are storing food that you just don’t eat - then you won’t know what to do with it when the times comes that you would like to use it!

The spreadsheet available on that site has been a great resource.  I have changed it a little, though, to fit our eating needs and lifestyle.   Or, should I say,  to fit our supply of food!   Fortunatly, we don’t need to store “all” of our food.  Some of it is produces on our land…   we have gardens and animals that help out in that department.

So, I’m busy figuring out how many chickens we will eat - - - and therefore how many times a week or month we will have chicken for dinner.

Anyway, it is a great tool for anyone interested in storing food. Check it Out!

Technorati Tags: food storage

I have spent the morning looking out the window.

It is raining out. The sheep and chickens have found little corners of shelter.

I have put the tortilini soup in the crock pot and freshly baked bread is warming again for a cozy lunch.

As I watch our land get a nice dose of water, my thoughts turn to fall - - - and all the potential projects waiting for me.

• Dishcloths to knit
• Rugs to stitch together
• A winter pantry to stock
• fruit trees to plant
• perhaps I should harvest the cattail leaves for basket weaving

I am looking forward to a winter of cocooning.

Thank you so much for Eclectic Eccentricities Etc. for this thoughtful post about…

Think Before You Speak.

This could be just the tool that I have been needing to help my kids figure out how to get along with one another.

I’ve added this bracelet project to the list this week.

Think is…

an acronym for what’s really going on in your head.

Is what you’re about to say:

T- thoughtful
H - helpful
I - intelligent
N- necessary
K - kind

I have been researching wheat grinders lately - as I am preparing to make a purchase.

One of the first decisions I am grappling with is - - - should I get a hand wheat grinder or an electric wheat grinder?

PRACTICALITY

Definately, an electric wheat grinder would be more practical. It will get the job done more quickly and it will not be as much work to get my flour ready for baking.

NOISE

On the other hand, electric wheat grinders definately make more noise. In my goal for a peaceful, inspiring, and old fashioned home, the electric wheat grinder sure seems like it would be a distraction.

While I haven’t made up my mind for sure, I am leaning toward a hand wheat grinder.

After a while though - I might decide to back it up with a kitchenaid wheat grinder.

Technorati Tags: kitchenaid wheat grinder, wheat grinder

Well, we are getting close on the house.  The flooring is going in this week.

Here are a few pics.  It is clearly still a construction site, but you’ll get the idea…

kitchen and dining room

This picture is taken standing in the kitchen, looking into the living room.  The wood on the ceiling in the kitchen, and the red wood on the wall came from the barn we took down.  We brought the outdoors in with this house!  (We also used exterior lighting in the living room!)

back porch

This is perhaps my favorite part of the house - the back porch.   In the summer, this will be in the shade.  Ahhh.   And the view from the porch?  Spectacular!

back porch view

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These ladies show how to grind wheat using three different wheat grinders: one manual grinder and two electric grinders. As you can see, you also want to consider the amount of work and the noise level when you are choosing a wheat grinder!

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Over the last year, I’ve enjoyed taking photo’s. I have some images from some of our travels that I really like - and would like to enlarge and hang on the walls of our new house. I even found a great site to do it:

My husband has enjoyed some of the images so much that he even recommended we hang them down at the motel. Image Kind

Unfortunately, I just don’t think my photos have the quality to be enlarged. ;(

Perhaps it is time for me to get more serious about this photo thing.

• New Camera?
• Classes?

Yes. I could enjoy that.

(Oh, and here is my photo hunt entry for this week: clouds)

glacier park view

Technorati Tags: glacier park, Photography

August brings in a mix of feelings for the gardener. The garden is in full abundance. All the hard work that was put into the soil earlier in the year is now paying off. And yet, there is a feeling of regret. It is too late for this year. Time already to think of next. Next year, I will get more tomatoes into the ground. Next year. Next year.

The feeling is accentuated if something has gone wrong. Perhaps a hail storm has come along and wiped out your harvest. Perhaps the animals found their way into the garden and helped themselves! Perhaps you were busy, and the seeds went into the ground late. I have coped with these gardening dissapointments by thinking of next year.

Until Now.

Why?

Because, I’m reading the book, ‘Four-Season Harvest’ by Eliot Coleman. Mr. Coleman lives in Maine and he manages to harvest greens all year long.

What? I can plant seeds in August and September? Let the dirt digging begin. I am inspired.

Technorati Tags: Gardening

Anyone here still participating in the photo hunt? Here are the next few challenges:

And, I found this fun resource yesterday: Blurb. Turn your photo’s into a book!

Just think of the possibilities!

• A Family Memoir
• A Vacation Album
• A Collection of your Work.

The possibilities are endless! Make your own coffee table book!

Rabbits and Turkeys and Sheep, Oh My!

The sheep we got in the spring are doing very well.  Babies are growing up.  Little Cinnimon - the one we almost lost - made it past her tough early days and started thriving.  She is just as big as her sister now.  We plan to buy a Ram Lamb in another month and breed them all.  We will be in Wool and Lamb next year!

The Origional Broody Hen never did successfully hatch any eggs.  However, we now have two broody hens - - each setting on a clutch of six eggs.  We are cautiously keeping our fingers crossed.

We got an incubator.  thried to hatch some chick eggs.  No Go.  Our incubator didn’t really hold the temp very well.  Later, we were able to hatch a few turkey eggs - though the babies died a day later.

The seeds went into the garden late again this year.  Sigh.  We are in lettuce like no one’s business - - - and we have peas and beans coming on now.  Corn?  Well.  Time will tell.  We may get one ear.  Will be an interesting meal trying to split that 5 ways for dinner!