Plantin' Taters

 

Howdy! It's been a while since I've made a post. A long while. I'm a bit behind on posting all the latest goings-ons around here and I hope to catch up over the next week.

We enjoyed beautiful weather Sunday. It was cool and sunny. During the afternoon we decided to put some potatoes in the ground. I purchased a 50 pound bag of red potatoes over a week ago and I've been itching to get them in the ground. I'm hoping we have better luck with our potatoes this year. Ants have been a huge problem in the past. Hopefully we will have a nice harvest in a few months. I have big plans for added pantry storage so I can put up more food than ever. Keep checking back for more updates on the homestead!

The Extraodinary Adventures of G.A. Henty: Under Drake's Flag

   I'm a bit nostalgic by nature. When I think of days gone by I think of families huddled around the radio in the evenings listening to The Grand Ole Opry or to an exciting radio drama. What a way to spend the evening! Recently, we've had the opportunity to pop some popcorn and gather together to listen to a fantastic audio theater production. The Extraordinary Adventures of G.A. Henty: Under Drake's Flag. This truly brought to life G.A. Henty's book of the same title. This 2 hour action packed drama takes you along on the adventures of Ned and Gerald as they grow from boys to men under the leadership of Sir Francis Drake, the well respected and famous ship captain. What a fantastic Christmas gift this would make for your children! While enjoying this story they would learn the value of good morals, bravery, honor, and integrity while experiencing thrilling shipwrecks and battles at sea. And most importantly...how to fully rely on God no matter what your circumstances are. There's even a bit of romance in the mix. This story was enjoyed by the entire family. Boys and girls. Young and...not as young. The quality of this production is fantastic. From music to crashing waves, every little sound affect brings this story alive right before your eyes. So...need a nice relaxing evening at home with the kids full of family friendly entertainment? Look no further than Under Drake's Flag. But beware...you may find yourself sitting at the end of your seat at times or with your faces glued to the radio as if you could peak through the speakers and get a glimpse of life at sea with Sir Francis Drake!

For more information visit www.hentyalive.com!

 

 

 

Cooler Days and Earlier Nights

 

   It's that time of year. I woke up this morning wanting to start a fire in our wood stove. Our days lately have been nice and cool. Our nights are pretty chilly. The leaves are starting to turn colors and fall to the ground. The animals are putting on their winter coats. It's getting dark quite a bit earlier now. We've been having to get our chores done earlier in the evening to keep from walking around in the dark. These early nights are nice and peaceful. Everyone has been winding down sooner. We've had coffee-and-a-good-book kind of evenings instead of working outside until the sun goes down. The kids have been settling down with a book or playing on the living room floor. We are slowly moving towards that slower pace time of year. Not that all work is done in the cooler months. Our winters are pretty mild so we garden throughout the fall and most of winter. Right now in the garden we have cabbages, brussel sprouts, greens of many kinds, green beans, pumpkins, tomatoes, peppers, radishes, carrots, and herbs. Fortunately we have been having plenty of rain so we haven't had to water the gardens. And because of the cooler temperatures the weeds and grass aren't growing like they were. Less work! Also, the goats come in this time of year. We are only breeding two does this year. Although love is in the air out in the goat pasture we have decided to A.I. instead of do live breedings. This is something new for us and we are excited to introduce some really nice bloodlines into our herd.

So, that's life on our little homestead this time of year. What is fall like in your neck of the woods??

Apples, Apples, and MORE Apples!

 

 

 

   There's nothing better than a fresh crispy apple. We love apples and eat a lot of them in our family. Recently we ordered apples along with others in the church we attend. We purchased 160 pounds! We made 120 pounds into applesauce. The other 40 pounds were split with my parents.

My mom and sister came over one evening. We sorted the 40 pound box we shared separating the bruised and smaller apples. These were made into apple butter. These we peeled and cored by hand and cut into quarters. The larger apples were peeled, cored and sliced for apple pie filling. Thank the Lord for my apple peeling/coring/slicing gadget! Quite a few of these were eaten fresh before we even got started. We ended up with 8 quarts of apple pie filling and 9 pints of apple butter. The apple butter is absolutely wonderful smeared on warm buttery biscuits!

The families at church got together for applesauce making. This was a fun experience. The apples were going to be quartered the evening before applesauce making day. We live about 2 hours away from where we attend church. The church families offered to prepare our apples for us so we wouldn't have to do them all ourselves or make the trip 2 days in a row. This was a blessing. Everyone working together made quick work of the apple quartering. The next morning we arrived at the designated home where there were boxes upon boxes of prepared apples. All the church ladies arrived and we started washing, cooking, milling and canning apples. We had 4 stoves going, numerous pressure cookers and 2 food mills. This was an all day job and a lot of work but many hands made light work and the day was very enjoyable. By the end of the day I'm guessing we probably put up between 600-700 pounds of apples. When I left that evening they were processing the last few batches. Our 120 pounds of apples made almost 60 quarts of delicious applesauce.

We are so enjoying eating our fresh applesauce. It makes a nutritious snack or side dish at meal time. And apple pie is only a jar away.  Now... I want to plant an apple orchard!

My girls peeling the apples for apple butter.

My son and husband...peeling, coring, and slicing for apple pie filling. The chickens and pig thoroughly enjoyed the peels!

Here I am making applesauce in the food mill. My daughter is watching and learning while helping out with one of the sweet babies.

Some of our applesauce still waiting to be processed.



"I have given you every plant with seeds on the face of the earth and every tree that has fruit with seeds. This will be your food." Genesis 1:29



 

The Prairie Primer- Big Woods complete!

   Yes, I am a big slacker blogger! I have not been able to find time to blog regularly as you can see. I believe I will make an entry at the end of each unit instead of at the end of each week. That will give me time to blog about other things on the homestead as well. I hope!

We have finished the Little House in the Big Woods unit and we so enjoyed it. We actually just began the Little House on the Prairie unit. Unfortunately, our camera broke so we don't have as many photos to post as we did at the beginning of the Big Woods unit. What did we learn?? We learned about honeybees and the nutritional value of raw honey. We studied the moon and it's phases, we learned how "Pa" provided for his family and how his family trusted and respected him. What a good example of a Godly man "Pa" is. And lets not forget "Ma." She was an excellent example of a Godly woman. What a wonderful wife and mother. We learned about oats. How to harvest them, their nutritional value, and how to cook them. We also made granola using oats and raw honey. Yum! We studied yellow jackets and how to treat stings and sickness with herbs like they used to "back in the day" seeing that doctor's weren't readily available. This was interesting because we also use herbs and essential oils medicinally in our home. We studied how important it is to follow the instructions of your parents and not be swept up in foolish behavior.  We made Johnny Cakes and studied the history of Johnny Cakes as well as the history of songs like "Oh Susanna." We learned about maple sugaring and hope to be able to experience sap collecting and the syrup making process this year. We studied the California Gold Rush. While studying about the Gold Rush my children learned that getting rich quick is usually never the case. To be successful takes a lot of hard work, time, and a good quick mind. Most importantly my children learned that life is not all about wealth but about love, happiness and servitude to God. My little Grace always tells us "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." From her favorite book in the Bible, Matthew 6:19-21  So very true.

During the Big Woods unit the kids had the opportunity to visit Laura Ingalls Wilder's home in Mansfield, Mo while on vacation with their grandparents. This was exciting for them. This was the home Laura lived in while writing the Little House books. While there they were able to see many things that belonged to Laura and the Ingalls family. Including Pa's fiddle. Sadly, they were not allowed to take pictures inside the house.

 

 

The Wilder's "modern house."

 

We also went on a field trip to our local museum where we saw an old log cabin, a wagon, and many historical items that would have been used in Laura's time as a child. Such as a long rifle like Pa had and a butter churn like Ma used to make butter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zucchini Casserole

 

  
   Once again we have zucchini growing in our garden. This afternoon I picked a couple then came in and started preparing them for supper. Recently I found the best zucchini casserole recipe in a magazine that I read. I'm sorry, I can't post a picture because it's baking in the oven at the moment while a roast is simmering on the stove. Soon I'll be making mashed potatoes to go along with it. Fresh baked bread will finish off the meal. Yum, can't wait. The house smells sooo good right now.... OK, back to the casserole...this recipe is super simple and very good. I hope you give it a try.

Zucchini Casserole

3 c shredded zucchini
2 TBs flour
1/2 c shredded cheese
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 c quick oats
1/2 c oil
1 or 2 shredded onions

Mix ingredients and pour into a greased casserole. Top with shredded cheese if desired. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Enjoy!

The Prairie Primer - First 2 Weeks

   I know I said that I was planning to post at the end of each week but I just didn't have time at the end of week one. So, I decided to wait until the end of our second week. We have enjoyed our first two weeks of our "Big Woods" study. We have done many fun things. We've studied bears, owls, maple sugaring, trees, lungs, skin.... MANY things. We've also studied the history of music from Laura's day. Like Yankee Doodle, Buffalo Gals and Pop Goes the Weasel.

This was our first morning. The kids were so excited they ate and did their chores in a snap. They were ready for school before 7:30. And yes....they just had to have school by lamp light. Here they are coloring Little House pictures to put on the front of their binders.

Laura Ingalls had only a corn cob doll named Susan to play with as a little girl in the Big Woods. The kids made corn cob dolls (and a corn cob boat) and were encouraged to play only with this for the day.

We studied owls and learned that owls swallow their prey whole. Afterwards they regurgitate a pellet that contains the hair and bones of their prey which can't be digested by the owl. We dissected owl pellets and found many little bones.

The girls weren't so sure about this experiment but once they got into it the found it pretty interesting. Joseph loved the idea from the start. Typical boy!



This is a skeleton from Heaven's pellet. We are pretty sure it was a mouse. Each pellet had 2 or 3 skeletons. They must have been hungry owls!

The kids learned about the importance and purpose of our skin.

We studied how our lungs take in air and provide oxygen for our bodies. These are lung models we made to show how our diaphragm helps us to breath.

 

 

When our diaphragm contracts it moves down, drawing air into our lungs.

 

 

When our diaphragm relaxes it moves up, pushing air out of our lungs. This was a neat experiment.

We read that Laura's Pa liked to whittle. He whittled Ma a pretty shelf. Joseph has been looking forward to learning the traditional art of whittling. He has started whittling designs on a stick. Thank goodness we have Aflac. :)

 

 

I could have posted many more pictures. We did so much.  These past couple of weeks have been a great start to a new year and we are looking forward to the rest of the year.

 

 

 

"Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. "

Proverbs 9:9