Party like its 1829!

Well, we are back from our week at the Allegheny Cabin. For a long time now I have been talking about "retiring" to my "Cabin in the Woods", confident that I would have no problem downsizing my living arrangements. Living possibly off grid. My own sustainable homestead. I thought  maybe I should test it out, so I rented a cabin with no electricity. We got there early, not in the dark and pouring rain like last year. Last year we had electricity. The size did not bother me, the scenery was just gorgeous, cooking  was easy! Food in the coolers - no problem. Give me a wood burning stove and I am happy. The girl in the check in office even let me switch my cabin to one right on a creek! She even helped me find a cabin with NO other people around. So we were the only one's in the loop. Which I believe might have been my mistake. Because the second night at 5 P.M. I opened the door and looked outside and I thought someone threw a huge black tarp over the cabin, it was that dark outside. No of course there aren't street lights in the wilderness! This kind of freaked me out at night. During the day we went on many walks along the creek. It was hunting season so I made sweaters for the boys out of a hunting vest. We cooked some great meals and I got some good book reading in. But always near sundown, that is when I started to get a little freaky. I realized one night how absolutely insane it seemed me laying there in the middle of the wilderness all by myself with two small dogs! You know how you morph your thoughts until they seem surreal if you keep thinking about it. What was I thinking????? The radio kept warning of a snow storm so we left a few days early. I know now that I do not mind a smaller home, wood for heat, or even rough cooking. I do miss my Internet and electricity and refrigeration. What did I miss the most? Running water and a bright lamp tie for first place. So I have ruled out a cabin in the woods for now. I am now leaning toward a nice Craftsman bungalow instead........

100 Mile Radius dinner

Friday we went to Becker Farms and Vizcarra Vineyard's 100 Mile Radius Meal. To think I only lived a mile away from this great place. They tell you the history of the farm at the beginning of the meal. All the food on the menu is from within a 100 miles of the farm. The food was absolutely incredible and so was the wine. They also offered an Amber beer that was very tasty. I would definitely attend again. The point is that you should support your local farms as often as you can. Next year I plan to return to Porter Farm's CSA.



Got Milk? Coffee? Tea? or Me?

On the porch and the coffee is gooooooood.

As I poured myself yet another cup of coffee today, I had a question for myself. I have been trying to change over my regular habits to healthy, organic and greener habits. For YEARS I have always drank my coffee with sweet and low and powdered creamer. I became addicted to powdered creamer when I was pregnant with my daughter 25 years ago. I became a "sweet and low" fanatic a few years after that. So when I started becoming this health nut, I was appalled at what I had been doing to my body for so many years. And honey, I am not one of those 1 or 2 cups a day girl. I like a nice cup of coffee around 2 in the afternoon and I make a pot of coffee every night around 7 pm. It does not affect my sleep whatsoever! I did finally break myself of the habit of having to have a sweet (slice of pie or cake with frosting sweet) with my 7pm coffee. I said break not totally quit.......
I cannot and will not give up coffee. I have bought organic herbal coffee and I do have a jar of Caffix in my work desk that I do like occasionally. But I love coffee.

After listening to a podcast on More Hip than Hippie about Raw Milk, for cream I now make my own. I buy heavy cream, which I use for cooking etc. and I mix 1/2 heavy cream and 1/2 water. Why, because heavy cream is the least pasteurized. I mix it with water because I do not need the calories or the heaviness. I do not mix it with regular milk because I would be defeating the purpose of less pasturization.  I like the idea of Raw Milk. I have not had any yet but plan to soon. I found a dairy in Medina that sells it. Once I move to that area I plan to buy my milk from them. I could get my own goats and have my own milk and maybe one day I will. I have not had goats milk either. So I need to try that. I do love the cheese. So a couple things to add to my list of "to do's" Maybe I will take a ride out to get the Raw milk and blog about it!
As for the Sweet and Low, I have found Sweet Leaf, it is the most natural sweetener that I have found. Please, please, please do not believe everything you hear about Truvia. It is processed and owned by Cargill. The same thing about Agave nectar, the real true Agave nectar is produced solely in Mexico
So do your research! I used to feel so guilty about one of my guilty pleasures. I feel better now when I have my coffee. And mmmmmm I smell it now........

More of the same

Barb is coming over tomorrow, we are going to make more pepper jelly, this time I got more hot peppers so this will have more of a kick to it. Sizzle. I am making more chiabatta bread. Practice makes perfect! 
I got my solar iPod charger the other day. My first solar panel! Haha. Slowly but surely. I am learning.