You are a man of many talents.. and I am grateful that you are my husband. Hard Worker, writer, farmer and my best friend in so many ways..
March 1st – The Canadian Wartime Recipe Challenge 2015
Good Morning,
Well, I have been researching and doing more researching and I wish I had thought to decide to do this with o, a couple months notice to be able to order books, but I might just do that and consider doing another month in summer-fall, we will see..
So the plan is that hubby will get to have his regular breakfast and lunch, plus take to work snacks and then will become part of the 30 days challenge with the supper meals and after supper desserts etc..
I on the other hand am in for the full day, that includes everything from breakfasts to lunches to suppers.. * Other then my hubbies Birthday supper and dessert, that is off limits! I will still prepare a meal for the challenge but it will either breakfast or lunch that day.
This will be based on the Canadian perspective as much as possible with a few things here and there in regards to info from England.
I had to do a lot of figuring out on this.. you see, most of the stuff is done in regards to city or town info and yet it says over and over again.. but there is such a difference between urban and rural..
So this means that while I will be giving stats and notes and information in regards to urban, town or cities, this challenge Will be coming from the rural Canadian perspective
Which has already turned up some very interesting info both in regards to the multi-faced rules per the goverments but as tidbits of info coming from my own family and elders and community cookbooks with household tints and tips from that time frame
I could not have picked a harder month to do this in.. which is of course why I picked March as my big challenge month, months from the last harvests, and before pretty much anything comes new and green on the farm.
But do not worry, this farmgal has some tricks up her blouse, o yes she does.. There was much greater flexability that came with being a small holder, and we are going to keep this as true to real life as possible..
(yes, that means that I will as the month goes on perhaps do some black market barter, or it might mean that I will be giving a certain extra or two to local families in need).
Also in keeping with my own family, I intend to do a little hunting, and trapping (not in the true sense because its out of season on the one and not allowed on the other) but as I was raised hearing about my dad needing to hunt Partridge and my other family members needing to trap rabbits, my wild game that will just popup, will be something I have on the farm that will be *caught*, might even throw in a *fishing* trip in there..
So week one sees us in the early stages of Rationing 1942.. we have a ration on Tea, Coffee and Sugar..
Which puts us at 12 oz of sugar per adult in the house, 12 oz of Tea and Coffee..
Two adults in our household would put us at 24 oz of sugar for the week. This will only last three days before it will be moved to a mear 8oz per adult and at the same time butter will become rationed at half a pound per person a week..
Those are the basic rations for our first week BUT I am going to keep the meals to what would have been available at that time, including fats, spices, and so much more..
Our first Meal of the day is going to be so important!..
Canadian Wartime Breakfast #1
Oatmeal with sheeps milk and a tiny pinch of salt.
The Great Butternut land Race Growout 2015- The Seeds are in my hands
I got my seeds on Saturday feb 28th, I have been gifted with 80 seeds. see my general instructions below.
I have sent you a mix of seeds for short season butternuts to be grown out and selected for best fruit. Within this are some of my own seeds that have already gone through one season of selection but there are other varieties including Greta’s Canadian Crookneck and so forth.
For those of you that have less experience growing butternut, they are a good storage squash, with medium hard skin and solid stems resistant to squash vine borer and fine sweet flavoured flesh. Some are used as a zucchini such as trombocino (I didn’t include these seeds as it’s a separate project but could be a side observation for those interested). They have a reputation as fruiting later than some of the other species but grow well for me in this climate.
Plant after last frost in warm soil or pre start no more than 4 weeks early I’d say if you have issues with soil or pests that would warrant that. I have not done any fertility amendment with mine but started with bermed beds so there was inherent fertility. I also rotate where I grow my vining crops. My squash are usually in the soil by late May (weather dependent) but I know some of you may not be able to get them in the ground until June so you might want to give them a few weeks headstart or do half and half to see if direct seeding is a priority for your purposes. As plants will vary in size, I can’t say exactly what spacing should be but at least 4 feet.
Please include your goals but I’d say the first goals are:
a) ripening
b) good shape for use
c) storage
d) disease resistance
e) sprouting in cool soil potentially for some of you.
Pictures throughout the season would be GREAT! That way if you have questions or issues, we can comment on them and also as a way of documenting your growing techniques.
At the end of the season, post a picture of your harvest or send in any info you may have collected including date of sowing, spacing, seeds sown, germination rates, growth rates, flower dates, fruit set and so forth. We’ll also keep a record of weather. Also record your soil type or any other about your growing conditions such as whether they were grown in part sun (urban consideration) or were irrigated.
Send back about the same amount (or a larger amount if possible) of seed you were given from a mix of your best fruit. So best to wait until you have used all your best fruit and collect the seeds from them, dry really well and then put in a jar to mix them around. Try to rouge out any seed that is damaged, diseased or empty.
Thank you!!! Looking forward to doing this project with all of you.
Posted in butternut growout 2015
Tagged Butternut squash, landrace butternut growouts, Landrace growout
3 Comments
No Buy Feb 2015- week 4 overview
This last week flew by, it was very busy, nothing really new compared to last week, overall it was just move along nicely.. I made a nice turnip soup, a half fresh grated turnip-carrot- apple salad, I made oven roasted veggies, the green box took the pressure off.
Saturday was eco farm day and I did enjoy coffee, apple juice, lots of water, the muffins were good, and lunch was included, some was very good, a carrot salad and the greek salad very nice, wonderful fresh bun with fab cheese, the rest that I tried.. eh and the beef was truly yuk to my taste buds being used to my own.
I know that the above seems a bit negative but as a farmer, as a garden and often in life to give yourself the freedom to know that the first and or last plan is wrong and will need Ajustements is gold!
The company was lovely, and I even got to travel with someone this year to and from and that was great fun.. Got seeds for the great growout
Gifts this week
One cup of to go tims large coffee
Money that was saved
- Regular allowance for both him and her -20
- ebooks- 10
- Movie allowance normal got every two weeks, split into weekly-20
- Church basement-5
- Coffee out- 2
- Grocery- 50
Total Savings to date : 408 dollars in total.
Posted in No Buy Feb, raw milk
Tagged greek salad, No Buy Feb, No buy feb overview week 4 2015, turnip soup
4 Comments
A new note to the song that is the farm
O yes, I stepped out to do something outside again, for the 5th or was it 8th time and heard it, that pure sweet sound.. a new note on the farm song.. I froze… and waited and it came again.. pure and sweet, heart warming and uplifting,
Now I have a better sense of where and eyes started scanning that big old tree.. and there is was… a spring bird, early for sure (good thing I have food out) high up and as my mind went…
Spring, he opened his beak and out poured the most beautiful rift, once, Twice and a third time he sang out and the whole farm held their breath an movement.. and it held… well that is different for everyone, spirit, magic, soul, peace…
Baked Rabbit on a bed of Dates and Onion.. Flash Back Fridays Recipe
Looking for a interesting way to use up a nice big old rabbit leg with thigh attached, this is a lovely way to do so, serve with a side of mashed, or green salad or mixed fresh veggies..
This is as easy as it gets, take a baking dish just as big as needed to fit your rabbit legs, put a layer of dried dates down, lay your thawed or fresh but aged rabbit legs over top of them, peel and slice big thick onion and layer it one top, add enough water to cover the dates, salt and pepper the dish, cover and bake till the meat is well done, take out and mash the dates/onion together, leaving the liquid in the baking dish, or about half of it anyway.. serve as the bed, and then put your rabbit leg on top, drizzle with the liquid on top and serve with your choosen side dish..
Not raising your own rabbits, just a touch to costly for you given the size of your family? No worries, I got you covered, how to take two legs and feed alot more folks coming up next!
Sweet Treat.. Fast = Tarts..
So when I was home at my moms last fall, I saw a tv ad that had a phone call from mom and she would be there in n hour and the daughter has nothing to serve with tea and reaches for a cake mix..
well, lets be honest here, you can whip up a from scratch cake in the same time but having said that I do have a cheat on making a fast treat, I like to keep a package of prepare tarts in the freezer..
Here is the easy as it gets, dessert and or tea treat.. preheat oven or even better, piggy pack making these when oven in use or if you have a bake feature in your toaster oven use it, It will cost less to heat the space.
Take out as many tarts as you will need for the visit, dig out your best jams or fruit butters, one heaping teaspoon in each tart and into the oven it goes for 12 to 18 min till golden brown and filling is bubbly, ideally let cool and set up for five but can be served warm or cold..
if you want to get fancy, make up some fluffy whip cream and place a dollop on each one, but its really not needed.
How to get your birds out of a tree!
If you have had chickens or fowl of some kind, it happens to the best of us.. we teach them to come when called, we train them to go into the coop at night, we round them up and chase them in with brooms, arms and in my case the help of either DH or the hounds..
While I do need to be picky on who I ask for help from, I have some mighty fine bird helpers in my four legged hounds.. turkeys or ducks or geese are so much easier then chickens but they all have their challenges
But still.. one day, you will go.. o no I am missing blue fluffy butt hen and you will look around and finally, you will look up.. and sure enough that hen, or duck or turkey hen or whatever will be sitting in a tree, looking down at you..
They will always be in a tree you can not climb, and if they start low enough that you might be able to grab them with the net, they will move higher and out of reach..
What to do.. what to do.. well if its dark.. you leave them for the night and hope that they will be alive in the morning and looking to join the flock but what if you get that bird that goes up and will not come back down..!
No problem.. Decoy to the rescue!
if you know who your in the tree bird likes to hang out with, this helps but if not, just grab a bird of the same species and pop them into a big wire dog crate and stick them say.. five to ten feet from said tree.. and then them kick a fuss.. for at least ten min and the settle down..
That is a key.. that bird in the tree will NOT come down till the bird below is calm as well.. so once they calm down and make, I am a happy bird sounds, not AH, I am stuck in a crate sounds..
Head back out and put fresh food and water in the crate.. and I mean the good stuff here.. if your birds love scatch or meal worm or fresh carrot peels, whatever makes sure it end up in that other birds bowl..
Then put out fresh water and food just in front of the crate and leave to go watch.. as the bird in the crate starts eating, she will be talking a mile a min.. making all kinds of .. o, this is so good sounds..
The bird in the tree will come down, branch to branch, slowly but surely or it might just fly down once it thinks its all clear.. and it will start eating and talking back..
At that point, you head out.. all calm and steady like you do any other day but with the bird net at the side and you catch your tree bird, give it a wing trim! and back into the flock..
I can honestly say that this has been learned the hard way over the years, the get the ladder way, get the climb the tree way.. that never works, they just climb higher and onto branches you can not follow..
But this way.. its proven and proven time and again.. have a great day folks.
March Pantry Challenge 2015- 30 days of War Time Meals
Normally march challenge is us living out of the pantry but the truth is we just did that for a month of no buy feb As always I invite others to join me if they want.. even if you only want to do one meal a week or just share your families favorite recipe.
So this year I need to do a different March Pantry Challenge, the question really is what to do.. it must be food related.. it must be somehow related to my pantry, storage or putting up of food, or frugal food.
After thinking about it, I decided that this year, I would do a World War 2 and ration Meals in honor of my step-father Ken, he was raised though it and I remember some of the stories he told..
After some reading and digging around, its going to be a mix of wartime info, rations info, and wartime food recipes. A mix of information between Canadian and England at the time.. I am not sure where we will end up on any given day but I am looking forward to the challenge.. I think having talked to hubby that we are going to follow week to week how the rations were applied during and after the war.
If this is successful and of interest to my readers, I might take a trip into the big city to get to library Canada and do some digging and do a summer version as well both in regards to rations but also to the victory gardens etc
March Photo Challenge 2015
Challenge #1
March photo challenge is simple on the face of it, one to six photos each day.. snapshots of things on farm, the critters and or us.. Photos will always be one day behind
Just another Day on the Farm 