Just another Day on the Farm

Rolled Stuffed Beef Roast.. Flashback Thursday

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Just another day on the farm

The finished dish is above and it was delightful, the flavour combo’s was perfect, its the way to take a poor cut of meat and turn it into something outstanding! This was a simple cut of a rump roast, I sliced it into a butterfly cut

Then I covered it with wrap and took the roller to it till it was flatten by about half and even out.., sprinkled with salt..

Then overlapped four slices of Bacon, trying to leave the edges free..

I then thinly sliced half a med size onion and layed them out, half of a med size red pepper, and then I sliced pieces of soft sheep cheese (but cream cheese would work) in slices and layed them down.

Salt, Pepper, Dried Nettles and Dried Horseradish greens, Once it was rolled and tucked into its pan, I covered the top of the roast with montreal steak spice, it was baked with cover on for 45 min at 350, then uncovered for 15 min, then wrapped and allow to rest for ten before slicing and serving.

Update: I would love to make this, I want to make this but alas I am waiting for a sheep to give birth, I have no fresh milk in the house, I do have cheese, one large block of aged chedder an one of pizza mozza in the freezer but they need to be carefully rationed because until I have fresh milk, they are all I have for both feb and march..

on one end I am thinking of adding in some of my home canned hot peppers or maybe some black olive bits, maybe I can do a version with bacon and herbed stuffing..

Question from a reader- homestead help

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Just another day on the farm

ok, I am feeling cheeky this morning, a certain fellow blogger has once again got tongues wagging, I try so hard to not reply, I will admit reading that blog is like watching a train wreck in very slow motion to me.. its been happening for years.

important: this is not talking about ANYONE who is on my regular reader or comment lists, to the best of my knowledge this blogger has never been to or read or commented on my blog

However I did get asked a honest question privately by a new homesteader on what is the norm, and how did it work for me and mine.

First answer would be.. what is normal, just like with all things in life what is normal for one is not normal or another, living your life the way you want with certain rules if you look after livestock and land is totally up to you..

And that is just the way it should be 🙂

However, in the much more detailed question of.. does it take a community to keep a homestead..

The answer in basic from to me is No

No in the sense its being asked about.. We had a big snow and storm, we have had weather related issues, we fixed them and that was that, we buy our hay and our feed locally, the hay is from down the road some by Farmer R and the grains and straw are from Farmer J, both are amazing gentleman, I pay them for their wears and I do it with a smile and true warmth in my heart.. I like and respect them, I want to see my money go to them.

I would say I have a friendship with them both, but its a farmer friendship, we visit as we have time for maybe 30 to 60 min once a month or so

I have known Farmer R for 11 years this spring, we have had a farm to farm friendship from the first spring I moved here, we have visited in driveways, him stopped in tractor, me stopped on horseback.. we have never had a single coffee or meal together.

twice in ten years I have called and asked for help in snow removal, once I hired him to come clean the barn and once to spread gravel, that’s it..

Miss T is one of my best friends and we have known each other for coming on 11 years, we do help each other a touch more on bigger projects, I think she has asked for our help four times and we have asked for hers twice, some time later this year she will help us put the new roof on my new part of the house. She has the skills and we will be working side by side, the grunts and learning as we go

As we are closer, we do share coffee and meals together.

Do I believe that if I placed a phone call that Farmer R, or J or Miss T would come help me, yes I do.. the odds of me placing that call.. almost nil!

As I write this its not because I do not like them, I do, I trust them, they are highly valued in my life but if I called out for help on things myself, hubby or hubby-myself combo can do, then I am not being true to myself

I am not allowing myself to be all I can be, I am not allowing myself to make the mistakes, learn the lessons, grow in knowledge.

The Ability to learn, grow, change, flex and challenge yourself, is what makes me feel alive, grateful, proud and humble all at the same time.

I am Always honored when someone offers help.. Thank you.. but I would not be me.. if I did not first give my all to make it happen first..

And as I am as stubborn as they come, I tend to find a way 🙂

I know when to ask for help and I will pay a fair wage or trade for that help, otherwise we will getter done. every single new day is its own journey, I am so blessed to be on mine!

Posted in Blogging | 18 Comments

Wordless weds photo

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Just another day on the farm

Posted in Life moves on daily | 1 Comment

Health Update

Posted on February 3, 2015 by Just another day on the farm

Well, as I have been sharing my ever so fun journey from mid summer till pretty much the first part of jan, falling, breaking bones, the loss of my step father, heading to alberta for six weeks, ending up very sick indeed, antibodics, and inhalers and more blasted bed rest and as I type fresh new stitches in my scalp

We have TURNED the page, my last chest xray is clear!

I needed to go for a host of lung tests but even I could see on the charts that it was not bad and despite using them for all the tests, I did not go into coughing fits, and even around the house and farm they are getting stronger all the time!

I can now going from cold to warm without coughing as an example

They were worried about all the regulars (in part because I had not had the tests done for a good while) so they ran them all..

I am very pleased to share,

I do not have high blood pressure

I do not have high cholesterol

I do not have diabetes or pre-levels of diabetes

I did have two pilar cysts on my head that had gotten somewhat large and I had minor surgery to have them removed, they are almost always beign but they were sent out to be checked just in case

( I did sadly have to get two spots of my hair shaved off) but my other longer hair can be made to cover it

So that leaves me a very obese middle aged women with pretty good stats to be honest.. I am clearly happy about that.

I know that everyone will have their own thoughts on it, but I firmly believe that my farm and the food I grow, harvest, put up or raise is a HUGE part of why those came back the way they did and why my body IS healing itself.

Feed the soil, which grows healthy food to feed the body.. but never forget to also feed your spirit as well.

On the girl front, I am having a full rundown to get all hormone levels checked as well as ultra sounds etc as they are creating a (package) and I am getting a new fertility doctor

Time will tell on that one..

Now to just drop the 30 pounds I put on being ill, work on getting more strength back and start riding again!

I am down seven since my last weight in at the doctors 🙂 its a good start!

Posted in Health | Tagged health update 2015 feb | 7 Comments

Soup and Stew Eye Candy

Posted on February 3, 2015 by Just another day on the farm

I was admiring some photos I have taken of different soups and stews and decided to just share a post of photos, boy do i like to serve them with buns, baking powder biscuits or dumplings. I just loved all the colors and richness of these heaping bowls of healthy goodness.

Cold winter days just beg for a pot of soup or stew to simmer away..

Later today, I will be making a rich bone broth based pork stew, sharing with you my already made delightful ham bone and bean soup, and a nice rabbit dish and I have everything out, and thawing to make a amazing Swedish meatballs in milk gravy with mashed a little later this week.

Posted in Food Production and Recipes | Tagged baking powder biscuits, soups and stews photos | 6 Comments

In Memory of Maeve

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Just another day on the farm

15 years have slipped by since our daughter was born, always remembered, never forgotten, those far to short five days are always in my heart!

Posted in Family | 8 Comments

FlapJacks Canadian- Northern Alberta Style.

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Just another day on the farm

I was born and raised in albert and one of my foods that I remember from my childhood is Flapjacks, my mom did not just believe in these for a hearty breakfast, they could be used for any meal, they could be used in lunches and they could be used as both a basic or a o my goodness WOW treat..

My Beloved Mother on one of our mother-Daughter trips, did you laugh, I mean flapjacks, Canada, beaver.. LOL

Our Flapjacks where made on this huge cast iron griddle that hung on a wall and was only brought out for them.. Never do I remember anything else being cooked on that cast iron, I know now it was to preserve that perfect flip, I struggle in my own cast iron to keep the ideal non stick when used for other things, and someday, maybe I will be lucky enough to find or buy a flapjack pan..

Our flapjacks where always thick, if they did not rise at least half a inch, they were considered.. ok, but not near fluffy enough 🙂

They could be topped in so many ways.. a dippy egg, or sugar and cinnamon or hot buttered rum syrup, canned fruit in any pie filling form, or lemon custard.

If it was for breakfast, it tended to be fruit, or syrups, if it was supper, dippy egg was more norm, if it was a snack, buttered and rolled, or peanut butter or jam..

But there was one dessert treat that always sticks out in my mind.. it was a pancake treat from my mothers childhood that was passed down to us..

Fresh hot pancake, brown sugar and fresh thick raw cream drizzled on top.. O my.. it was so good, but it only worked because we had our own cow..

Our Flapjacks were the truly basic kind.

My current recipe is this..

3 Cups of milk (whole), 2 eggs, 2 tbsp. of melted butter, 3 cups of flour, 2 tbsp. of baking powder, a good pinch of salt.. Mix and cook on a med hot griddle..

My mother says the tradional one is this.

2 cups flour, 2tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, one and half tbsp. of sugar, mix together in a bowl, then one egg in a well in the middle, large mixing spoonful of oil (approx. quarter cup) and then milk to make correct thickness of batter.

And for holidays, ten times this recipe of the dry and it will make one icecream pail full of batter, I come from a large family..

Grandmas pancake syrups recipe from the farm

Two cups of brown sugar, one cup of water, bring to boil, and simmer for five min, remove from stove and add half a tsp of maple flavour, can be used hot or cold.. (was also be used over top of rice pudding) Very running but good flavour

So what is your pancakes like.. do you like them thin, almost crepe like, or do you like thick fluffy flapjacks, what is your favorite topping. Do you have any favorite memories from your childhood on this food item.

Posted in Bread | Tagged Alberta style Flapjacks, Brown Sugar and Cream topping for Flapjacks, Flapjack recipe, Flapjacks in western Canada, Fluffy Flapjacks, Grandma pancake syrup recipe, Moms Canadian Flapjacks | 3 Comments

Mold or Damping off in seedlings. No Buy Feb

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Just another day on the farm

Well that did not take long, I had started a number of pots of mustard seeds to grow into mustard greens for use and while a goodly number of seeds started and are thriving, a number of them went to mold..

So I went, hmmm, and decided that I would do a hydration peroxide solution spray on, and then I went looking for my sprayer, and it was no where to be found, I said to hubby, do you know where my sprayer is, and he says.. you mean the one that got broke..

Ok then.. hmmmm so he says, just stop at the dollar store and pick one up.. and I go.. NO BUY FEB remember. and he says.. if you need it, and I go.. NO BUY Febbbbb in a mutter as I walk away

So I crack out one of the books and as I mutter, I find what I am looking for in natural ways to deal with mold and or damp off..

Head to the kitchen for the fix, a spoon and a duster and Voila! (ps, yes I just turned them so they are facing the wrong way to the sun)

Cinnamon! It says that a light cover of it will work, will update again in a week on it.. Where there is a will there is a way! Books filled with knowledge shared is without a doubt one of the most amazing things in the current work we will live.. we have more knowledge at our fingers then any other age in the history of man.

Posted in food | Tagged Cinnamon as a anti fungal treatment, Cinnamon to prevent damping off, cinnamon to prevent mold, Using Cinnamon as a seedling treatment | 4 Comments

Rustic Potato Pancakes Recipe

Posted on February 1, 2015 by Just another day on the farm

Here I am showing off one of my awesome cutting boards, this was a Christmas gift a number of years ago and I adore it!

some of our homegrown spuds, despite the nick, they are holding very well. my all reds are more like all pinks and while they are firm, the flesh is softer and a touch sweeter then normal store spuds.

Now I am pretty sure I have done proper potato pancakes, which include egg and they are so good, yum, yum..

However, I am in the hard part of winter and eggs are not near as easy to come by till the hens start laying more.. so these are much more basic.. Grated potato, grated onion, minxed garlic and herbs and spices to taste, fried crispy in a bit of bacon fat. It was served with a bit of leftover ham and hot cuppa as a hearty breakfast for a good work day on the farm

Posted in Food Production and Recipes | Tagged All red potatoes, chicken theme cutting board, fried shredded potatos, Home grown potatos, potato breakfast side dish, potato pancakes, potato pancakes with egg, potatos holding in cellar | 1 Comment

No Buy Feb- Start info..

Posted on February 1, 2015 by Just another day on the farm

So here is my starting overview, I will update with info and photos when the food box comes in.

No Buy FEB Overview

Fresh Food in the house

1 3 pound bag of apples
3 head of green cabbage
1 head of purple cabbage
6 pounds fresh onions
ten plus pounds of fresh garlic
5 pounds of carrots
5 sweet potatoes
2 and half large turnips
2 pounds mushrooms
160 pounds of assorted potatoes

I am entering into no buy feb at a harder point then normal, hard, very cold weather, snow storm have been pounding down on my little farm and my hens are giving me pout face and refusing to lay, well I did get one new egg yesterday.. to early for ducks or geese yet and so I am going in with current 7 eggs and that is it

I really hope that even a few a week come in again soon..

The second o my is that I have for the first time, no milking animal, my young ram did not breed till quite late in the year, which means, no incoming dairy, o milk, yogurts or cheese..

everything else with come from the freezers or pantry or wild forage, the freezers are full, the pantry for me is leaner then normal, and the forage is slim pickings indeed..

Savings to Date -0