Seeds, Soup, and Hot Rolls

We ordered from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds this year. I want to try to grow everything from seed.  I may have bitten off more than I can chew because my thumb isn't very green. However, Tim's is! He is confidant that he can get it all done in time.  (Notice I said HE can get it done. Ha!)  Our last frost is around the end of March to mid April so I guess we still have a bit of time.  I am very excited to see and taste some of these unusual varieties.  I want to have enough surplus this year to can and dehydrate as much as possible.

I'm not much of a football fan, but Tim wanted to watch the Super Bowl so I decided to make Beef & Vegetable Soup, and some homemade rolls.  The recipe for the rolls was not very specific and I kind of bluffed my way through it.  Now, mind you, I have very little knowledge of what to do in a kitchen so this was a big step for me.  I had planned to make hard rolls, but they turned out soft and sweet.  They were good, just not what I was trying to accomplish.   I found another recipe on the web and will try that tomorrow.






Here is the simmering soup and the dough getting started.





Look at that dough rise!

Yum, yum!  Just what I needed for a cold day of Super Bowl commercials :)

And last, but not least, the first ever rolls from "scratch" to come out of my kitchen.

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Free Is A Very Good Price

Our neighbor has some property down the road that he keeps as a rental. It's an old farm on about 80 acres.  He had recently been doing some clean up and ended up with a pretty good sized pile of boards that he intended to burn.  He told us that we were welcome to take any or all of the wood if we could use it.

So off we went to the property to see what we could find.  There was a cool old barn that I just had to have a picture of. 

 What we found was a nice sized pile.  Some of it was rotten from laying on the ground, but some of it was just wet and dirty.

We were able to find enough good wood for several projects.  First on the list are raised beds for the vegetable garden.

Next up will be a new pump house. Ours is completely rotten and falling apart.

And last, but not least is the planned greenhouse we want to build.  Now we have the wood, all we need is a bunch of old windows!  We found some on Craig's List but got there too late.  Someone else is going to get their greenhouse built before we do :)  That's OK, we will eventually get it done.

I don't know what we would do without a trailer. Seriously. A truck and some kind of trailer are really important when you live in the country.  We have two different kinds and we use them all the time.

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Shopping Day

We spent some time on the road today and went to Bob's Red Mill.  We really wanted to get wheat berries but we still have no grinder so that will have to wait.  We did however, buy a large amount of wheat flour and an assortment of storage containers.  Bob's Red Mill is a fascinating place.  I could spend hours in there but Tim has a way of hurrying me along.  (Now, the tractor store is a different story!)  The first time we went there I spent over $50 and didn't even buy food, which is what I went for.  I got so excited about the kitchen gadgets I kind of lost my head :)

The company is employee owned, and you can tell by the customer service.  Each one of them truly has pride in their work.  It really shows. 

I have been trying to research grain mills.  I am so confused!  It would be nice to have one that is convertible, from electric to manual.  But we're talking big bucks for that.  Way more than I want to spend.  There are quite a few manual ones and it's hard to know if the cheap less expensive ones would do the job.  I have read all the reviews I can find and they are all over the place.  Some people hate them, some people love them.  And I don't personally know anyone who owns one, so I can't ask for a recommendation.  Do you have a grain mill?  If so, would you buy the same kind again if you had to replace it, and what kind do you have?

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Small Town USA?

We live in a town of less than 3,000 people. It's a nice little community filled with mostly "normal" folks.  However - "Small Town USA" it is not.  Just this week I received the local newsletter advertising what there is to do around town and what classes are starting, etc.

First we have Yoga at the local Library.  OK, that's not too bad.  I'm sure there are lot's of people that could benefit from Yoga. Maybe.

Next up is "Personal Transcendence" - using "Energy Medicine Techniques".  I kid you not.
Then as if that is not enough, there is always the "Drumming and Sound Circle" by the local Shamanic Sound Healer.  Honest!

What happened to Bingo, you say?  Well, funny you should ask because not only is there Funny Money Bingo, there is also Chicken Feet Domino's and a Big Ukulele class at the Community Center.  (Just for us Rednecks!)

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