Apple Harvest

118 pounds of Granny Smith and Fuji apples from a local orchard

Independance Day - Nov. 8

1. Plant something – nothing.

2. Harvest something – Nothing.

3. Preserve something – Dried turnip roots, turnip greens, tomatoes, and broccoli flowers & stems. Canned 12 pints of local, homemade applesauce :)

4. Reduce waste – Regular recycling and eating of leftovers. Still playing heater-chicken. Discovered 'waste heat' from canning can heat our living room.

5. Preparation and Storage – bought 2 more trays for the dehydrator.

6. Build Community Food Systems – went to local apple orchard with DD, picked & bought 115lbs of apples for canning & drying. Also went to farmers market.

7. Eat the Food – Regular eating from pantry. Using the farmer market as primary store.

8. Crafting – Nothing; I've been in the kitchen!

A Handmade Yule

I plan on making a fair bit of my gifts this Yule. I like to make gifts that are used. My shelves are quite full of knicknacks, and no one needs more clutter. Things like Gifts-in-a-Jar are great - it's like saying "Have a night off from cooking dinner!" or "Enjoy special hot chocolate while it snows" and such sweet things. I've picked up two recipe books for these, and I have links below as well.

Here's my list so far:

• Purse for Dear Niece
• Lemon Hand Scrub for various relatives
• Cider Jelly for various relatives
  
• Basket of homemade jellys for Grandfather (which he loves)
  
• Basket of home-dried diced peppers for mother
• Not sure what else, yet...

Although I do knit and crochet, except for what's already started I'm not sure I'll be able to make more yarny gifts. And, granted, there are only a few people that get those ... I'm more generous with food than knitwear :)

Gift-in-a-Jar links:
Cookies in a Jar
Painted Desert Chili - makes a lot of chili, tastes great, looks almost too pretty to eat. Yes, it got rave reviews as a gift!
Gifts in a Jar Recipes (several sections!)
Gifts in a Jar - LOTS of recipes!

with many thanks to Ravelers who have posted them!

Resources

I thought I'd add a quick post on the links I've added under Resources, and why they're listed.

American Livestock Breeds Conservancy -

"The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy is a nonprofit membership organization working to protect over 150 breeds of livestock and poultry from extinction. Included are asses, cattle, goats, horses, sheep, pigs, rabbits, chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys."

I believe that the old heritage breeds are breeds good for homesteaders, and they and their genetic diversity should be preserved. By looking at their site, I learn more about the old breeds. As a shopper I can ask farmers about the breeds they are raising, and at least know what they mean if they say they raise Randall cattle. I'll know that the turkeys will be delectable if they say they have Bourbon Reds. I'll know, setting up a homestead, that I'd like to preserve the old breeds, and find them to raise on my land.

Listening to Katrina
"On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina became the largest natural disaster in United States history. After the levees failed, it became the largest man-made disaster in United States history. This blog is a chronicle of what happened to myself and my family during those events. It is also a documentation of lessons learned from a survival and recovery viewpoint."

Written by someone who bugged out before Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, LA. He covers bug-out plans (including 60-second plans) and bug-in plans. He covers what he did, what helped, what didn't, what he suggests after having used the plan. I've been referred several times to his site as a good source for information.

Local Harvest
"The best organic food is what's grown closest to you. Use our website to find farmers' markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area, where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats, and many other goodies. "

If you can't find what you want locally, try this site. Angora yarn? Beeswax? Soap? Crafts? You may also be able to sell your products here, in addition to Etsy and other such sites.

National Center for Home Preservation
University of Georgia, USA

My go-to site to answer questions and find basic recipes for home canning. It also has sections for freezing, drying, smoking, fermenting, and storing all that yummy goodness.

Slow Food USA
"Slow Food USA seeks to create dramatic and lasting change in the food system. We reconnect Americans with the people, traditions, plants, animals, fertile soils and waters that produce our food. We inspire a transformation in food policy, production practices and market forces so that they ensure equity, sustainability and pleasure in the food we eat."

You can't go wrong with that. Slow Food also has a Ark of Taste - a catalog of 200 foods in danger of extinction - from breads, herbs, and wines to taffy. The Bourbon Red turkey is on the Ark of Taste.

Sustainable Table
"Sustainable Table celebrates local sustainable food, educates consumers on food-related issues and works to build community through food."

Information on recipes, shopping, issues, news, and community. Nice layout and graphics, and has a blog. If you want to know where to start, look here.

Cooking Turnip Greens

I made these because my fiance likes them, and I feel very bad giving him canned greens when I make so much else from scratch.

Greens are also a great source of nutrients, easy to grow, and inexpensive. They are a cool-weather crop, and so may help extend your growing season.

Here is the recipe I tried:

Turnip greens
3 slices bacon
water

1. Put bacon in a medium pot, and fill pot half-way with water. Bring to boil, and boil for about 20 minutes.
2. While bacon is boiling, rinse turnip greens well. I removed most of the stems and sliced them into roughly 1-inch strips.
3. Add greens to pot. Cook until they are as tender as you would like. Scoop out greens, draining water from them, and serve
4. If you dice the bacon you can serve them together. I didn't do this; they're back in the fridge with the little we didn't eat.

We both enjoyed this and I plan on cooking it again soon. The greens are tender without being 'cooked into submission,' and the seasoning from the local bacon was wonderful.

sneak peak

Independance Day - Nov 2

1. Plant something – nothing.

2. Harvest something – Nothing.

3. Preserve something – Still have local turnips that need drying. Dried some tomatoes from the farmer's market before they could go bad, and ate the rest.

4. Reduce waste – Regular recycling and eating of leftovers. Still playing heater-chicken.

5. Preparation and Storage –bought a total of 3 5# bags of flour, stocking for winter. It's been a rough harvest season I think. To get more I'll need another place to put it. Also worked on our 60-second plan.

6. Build Community Food Systems – went to farmers market. Bought tomatoes for a coworker. At the grocers I tried to buy 'local' foods as well - their definition is within 6 hours by truck, so about 300 miles? Better than 2,000!

7. Eat the Food – Regular eating from pantry. Using the farmer market as primary store. Getting brave, trying to cook turnip greens for DFH who loves them - new recipe for me! DFH loved them, and I enjoyed them as well. I can't touch the canned stuff so I wasn't sure I would eat these. Fresh broccoli for dinner. Eating egg salad sandwiches for lunch - eggs are local, lunch meat isn't. Made french toast for dinner, to eat older bread. Daughter was delighted!

8. Crafting – I made half of niece's gift - a crocheted and felted flower-purse. I have one side ready, and need to crochet the other half.