Crack Me Up!!!!!

I have been listening to the Self-Sufficient Homestead podcast. Not only does this podcast give you a ton of information on homesteading from gardens and bee keeping to animal husbandry and recipes. But Johnny Max and the Queen are so down to earth and they CRACK ME UP!!! If any thing you MUST listen to the Queen read the recipe for Possum Pie.

It is on the fourth Podcast . I plan on listening to every single show. You should too, even if you don't plan on a homestead, its good quality entertainment. And REAL reality.

Throw Togethers = what ever you have laying around

I like the taste of tomato, zucchini and cannelloni beans together. It has been my summer go to base. This throw together I started with ground turkey, browned and then threw in a 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes. I put in garlic salt and I use sugar with all my tomato sauce types. I like a sweet sauce. Lots of ground pepper and added 1 can of cannelloni beans. With olive oil I sauteed zucchini, bell pepper and onion. In yet another pan. Cooked the whole wheat elbows. It has taken some time, but I like whole wheat pasta's now. Give your self time. The white stuff just isn't good for you. READ LABELS! Since healthy and whole wheat is the new rage, labels can be deceiving. I used my dried basil from my garden.

I added a little pazazz with hot pepper flakes and Frank's hot sauce. And with each individual serving I add fresh grated Parmesano Romano hard cheese. Crusty bread in winter and nice green salad in the summer.

I keep tons of cans of diced and/or crushed tomato's and cannelloni beans in the cupboard. I hit the farmers markets last month and bought LOTS of zucchini and squash and instantly chopped in squares, some zucchini I sliced the long way. (Love them grilled like that) and froze. Just for these kinds of "throw togethers".

I call this one Roumahhhlashhhh!

Roumahlahhhhsh

Goji Berries!

Well I had just about given up on my Goji Berry plant. I ordered in early spring, I watered it and babied it all summer not really sure what I was doing. Nothing happened. Then I gave up on my plants by end of July. Mainly flowers. They wilted in the 90 degree hot weather. I watered when I remembered. My sunflowers were tiny! I literally stopped mowing my lawn for the month of August. I just didn't care! I think it was a symptom of watching Hoarders. But I did bring my Goji berry plant on to the porch for the fall with plans to bring it in for the winter. I still keep meaning to google on how to care for a Goji berry plant. I did hear they were quite hearty! Well, I went to water my plants last weekend and there they were! My precious little gogi babies! Not much to brag about. But now I know they will be heartier next year. I ate one. It was different. My first time. Berry like, kinda like a strawberry, watermelon pomegranate. I will keep you posted next year.

I am committed!

I almost gave up before I started! Last night I was doing a lot of research on buying land, building cabin kits, ordinances, permits, easements, ingress, egress!!!! My head was spinning and my usual flight or flight kicked in. No I have no fight. Haha. Mind exhausted and disappointed I went to bed. This morning I woke up and said. Why can’t I? So many other people have done it, why can’t I??? I am a Capricorn, I have a history of doing what I set my mind to in a slow and methodical manner. I have done the impossible many times. So here I am, reinforced with my I can do it energy.
My Plan: To buy land, and build a small home from a cabin kit to live in. Maybe not completely sustainable, organic or green but as much as I am able! I want solar and wind energy. I figure I could start small first. I have been transitioning my current home to more simple, green, and less chemicals. I am not 100% vegetarian but my diet is healthier and more natural and less processed.
I want chickens and goats, bees and honey and a fire pit. I want to sit on my porch or on the couch in front of the wood stove and read. I want to make jellies and pickles. I am going to try to garden. My history isn’t spectacular in that area. But then again, I will be in the boonies and will probly drive by many many farm stands. So these are my wants, I have a long list of plans that I am sure I will learn by trial and error. I will chronicle it all here so you can learn from my exploration.
I am going to do it alone and I am not going to do it alone. I read a lot of blogs and I listen to a lot of podcasts related to my plans. I have always listed to More Hip than Hippie which is a wealth of excellent information! And really fun to listen to. What has kick started this project is my recent find of Self-Sustainable Homestead. I want to live next door to Johnny Max and the Queen! There is Mother Earth News and many other books and articles and I promise I will share everything with you with links to where I originally found it to give credit to the original creators.
I have lived in the city, I have lived in rural homes out in the boonies. I have lived in Denver and I have had an RV on Lake Ontario. I have learned I am not an out west mountain girl, although Denver was absolutely gorgeous and if I met a man and got married and he wanted to move to Denver I would go, but I certainly AM an East coast girl. I prefer Lake Ontario even tho Lake Erie is about a few miles from me right now.
So of course I plan to buy the land first. Purchase a cabin kit, have it built. I have given my self about an 8-10 month goal to buy the land. So in the mean time I will share recipes and milestones. Unless I win the lottery and then I will begin my plans immediately! Haha. There is so much to do and so much to tell you. Visit me now and then, pull up a chair next to the fire and have a glass of my home brewed sweet tea let me tell you about……..