Things here really have slowed down for the winter season. The garden has officially been put to sleep. It is time to weed the rows and get them covered up for winter! I really have procrastinated this task, but I have it on my todo for a warmer day within the next two weeks.
I got my dehydrator gifted to me as a yard sale find. It is great for storing things to allow them time to naturally dry out. I do turn it on during the summer and fall when I need things to process quickly. I love drying herbs, tea leaves, seasoning all those extra cherry and grape tomatoes to use as sun dried tomatoes, peppers to use in powders, seeds, beans and other simple things!
I keep the dried herbs stored in glass jars with simple white lids. I used this label maker to create these embossed labels. They look really nice lined up on the shelf in my kitchen.
In my last post you saw that the kids helped me prep the last of the luffa gourds.
We use luffas in the bathroom as luffa sponges to scrub our bodies. We use them in the kitchen as non-abrasive dish scrubbies. They are great to use when cleaning tubs, sinks and toilets. In the past I have made homemade soaps and added the luffas to the middle to give them an exfoliating factor!
I've seen some fun ideas for creating winter treats to keep the birds entertained and happy during the cold months. So come back to see some of what the kids and I create for them this winter!
As things outside have slowed down more and more inside tasks have ramped up. I have deep cleaned several spaces and started a little decluttering routine to try and knock out each room of the house through the winter season so we can start spring off on a fresh note ;)
All things baking and bread making have been at the top of my list to kick off the winter! Sourdough everything of course. I have tried out several new recipes and this bread loaf that I throw into my bread maker is hands down one of my families new favorites. One amazing tip I have found is if you sift your flower first, the bread rises and is so much lighter and softer than if you don't sift it.
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It's Thanksgiving week and just about everything outside is looking pretty glum. Believe it or not, we are still pulling in a few baskets of homegrown goodness. Here is what's going on this week on the farm!
She was very proud of her full basket and asked if she would get to keep any of the beans to plant in her garden next year! :) Don't let the tear fool you, she was excited to be out here pulling carrots with me. She was sad because she couldn't get this big one out by herself! Not a single baby carrot made it past the washing basket this time either. As soon as they were washed she munched them all up.
These are great in Gnocci Soup, like this one from Comfort without Compromise by Noelle Konrad is one of my families favorite soups! They are also great in this Sourdough Skillet by Lisa Bass!
We also did some seed harvesting this week! The Marigolds, Zinnia, Morning Glory, Cosmos, Holly Hock, Various Beans and Luffa Gourds were all ready to be harvested for seeds. It was fun talking to the two youngest about how the flowers are dead, but the seeds are very much alive! The kids remembered how to remove the Marigold seeds, Brooke remembered how to remove the Morning Glory seeds and both learned how to remove the Zinnia seeds! We also had a volunteer luffa gourd and a volunteer birdhouse gourd this year! The kids brought the luffas inside to peel so I could wash them and start the drying process. We ended up with a few decent sized ones and several smaller sizes. They'll make for perfect bath and dish scrubbies. Though they aren't laying many we are still getting chicken and duck eggs a bit at a time. I recently bought a big batch of cayenne pepper to add to their feed. We will see if spicing it up a bit increases production any!
This week I'll be making a big batch of breakfast burritos to freeze so my husband has a quick grab and go breakfast on his early mornings. I'm also thinking about making an Apple Dutch Baby Pancake, from A Farm Girl In the Making. |
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Everyday 365 Life