Leftovers

Leftovers can achieve “prime time” by becoming Vegetable soup. Example in point, we served our company a leg of lamb roast.  There were a few leftovers and they entered my soup pot first.  I added little bits of stuff that I found in the refrigerator. These little bits of leftover foods included garlic, onions, celery, cabbage, sweet peppers, tomatoes, potatoes and carrots. So far so good. Next came the fun part. The dried herbs from last summers garden– oregano, basil, sage, and parsley, were added by the handful.  Salt and black pepper were next.

The soup kettle will simmer all day on the back of the stove.  There will be enough for supper and three or four quarts of the soup to freeze.  I turn leftovers into soup once a week. It sure beats finding green mold growing on them in the back of the refrig.

I feel good about recycling leftovers and not wasting  food. The soup is always different and always yummy. It  saves  money. I can’t believe how much one can of soup costs at the grocery store.

 

January 24, 2012 · Sarah · One Comment
Posted in: Kitchen

Peace

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED, NEITHER LET IT BE AFRAID.”     John 14:27

January 23, 2012 · Sarah · No Comments
Posted in: Contemplations

The Chef

Bob builds masterful pizzas! He hand makes the  sauce and the crust. The toppings include mushrooms, jalapeno peppers, onions, and lamb burger. Mountains of Italian cheese will make it special.
When he takes over my kitchen,  it will be good, very, very GOOD!

January 23, 2012 · Sarah · No Comments
Posted in: Kitchen

Garden

Isaiah 61:11   For as the earth brings forth its bud, As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

January 22, 2012 · Sarah · No Comments
Posted in: Garden

Feed The Bees

Gardens need pollinators. I plant herbs to attract bees and butterflies. They love the nectar and come to feast.  The result of this is that my garden is pollinated and I have a good harvest.

Some of the herbs I have planted are Hyssop, Basil, Bee balm, Chives, Cone flower, Dill, Lavender, Hollyhock, Mint, Parsley, Sunflowers, and Yarrow.

Bees  and butterflies are like people, if you feed them, they will come!

January 21, 2012 · Sarah · No Comments
Posted in: Garden

Country Wisdom From Sarah

All my heirloom garden seeds have been ordered from the catalogs. In spite of saving my own tomato seeds, I ordered some new varieties. This will give us plenty of tomatoes. A bit of country wisdom that applies to a lot more than tomatoes goes as follows.

“When life gives you tomatoes, make Ketchup!

January 20, 2012 · Sarah · No Comments
Posted in: Garden

Dealing With It

The back porch thermometer reads 20 degrees below zero. It is cold.  There is bread baking in the oven and soup cooking in the big kettle. I will be calling in all my garden seed orders and answering e mails. The class I am enrolled in has homework. No more excuses, I will study. The poodle is inside with me. He is snoozing on the lamb skin rug.

My interesting observation is that the frigid cold is no big deal to my animals. The Great Pyrenees adult dogs are sleeping on top of the compost pile behind the garden.  The kitty is sleeping on top of the Pyr puppies in the barn. The chickens came out for awhile and are now about the business of laying eggs.  The rabbits are just sitting in the outside run of the hutch. The sheep are in the side shed, munching hay. They look bored.  There are wild birds enjoying the feeder outside my kitchen window.

Winter has settled in around us. I wear long johns under my jeans, drink  cups of herb tea, and cook the food we raised last summer. Bob does the outside chores. He heats up the Van before I get in.  These are quiet, contemplative, days. The pace is slow and steady. In a few months, the sheep will be lambing, the greenhouse full of plants and another litter of Pyr pups will have arrived. I will be busy.

Ecclesiastes 3:1   To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven;

 

 

January 19, 2012 · Sarah · No Comments
Posted in: Contemplations, Garden, Great Pyrs, Herds and Flocks, Kitchen

Happy Bithday Bob

Today is my husband’s birthday. I am grateful for him and to him.  It is a blessing to share this journey.

January 18, 2012 · Sarah · No Comments
Posted in: News

FREE is Good

The first order for Garden supplies has been called in. It went to “Gardens Alive”.  Check it out on the web Gardens Alive.com. They have a variety of great products, including organic sprays that keep the bad bugs away. My favorite is Pyola. It keeps the squash bugs out of my garden.  It also works on potato beetles.

They have seeds, set outs, and general gear. I have their sprayer and the goggles. They carry all types of sprouting seeds. Today, I ordered seed for organic Spring Salad Sprouts. ( combination of broccoli, radish, red clover and alfalfa)

There is a special on their products right now. If you buy 25$ worth of products, you get another 25$ worth of FREE products of your choice.  This offer expires on Feb. 3, 2012.

I like sales and specials. Most of all, I enjoy FREE!  FREE is good.

In my garden, I can work hard, or I can work smart. Companies like “Gardens Alive” help me work smart.

 

January 17, 2012 · Sarah · 2 Comments
Posted in: Garden

Seeds, Seeds, Beautiful Seeds

There are seeds in the pantry, seeds on the kitchen table, seeds on all the counters, and seeds on my computer desk. The sorting has begun. I store all my heirloom seeds in  watch maker cases. They are kept protected season to season. The first step in garden 2012 is to sort the seeds. This has to happen before I can order new ones from my catalogs.  Each case is labeled with the name and date of the seeds. After checking each case, I will know what I need to order from an out side source.  (Baker’s Creek Heirloom Seed is still my favorite.)

Close beside me is a notebook and pen, piles of catalogs, and my lap top.  Let the games begin!

January 16, 2012 · Sarah · No Comments
Posted in: Garden