The Fun of Homesteading
Nowadays you may hear people talk about living green. You may call it sustainable living, but we like to call it homesteading. This means living ecologically sound and trying to be more self-sufficient.
We implement organic farming methods to ensure that we are giving back to the earth what it has given us. We love composting, which means our kitchen scraps do not get thrown into the trash, but rather our compost pile. Then, after they have decomposed, it will be added back into the soil, forming a full cycle.
Also, we plant cover crops in the winter to make sure that nutrients don’t leach out of the soil. Then in the spring when the cover crop is tilled in, it will give back all those nutrients that took from the soil. We also try to invite beneficial insects. So, we go out and collect praying mantis egg cases, along with planting other plants that invite such things as butterflies.
Along with butterflies and ladybugs, we also invite bees to our property by having a beekeeper tend bees on our property. It benefits both of us. For him it allows him to tend more hives and get more honey. And, for us it allows our products to be better pollinated, bringing us more produce per plant.
Having chickens at the farm, we produce our own eggs. Right now, we get just enough for us to eat but hopefully some day we will expand to provide eggs to others. The chickens also help us because they eat all the perennial weeds that are impossible to get rid of otherwise. Things like thistle and blackberry vines, they will eat right up. They are a lot like goats, only they don’t clear things out quite as fast!
When the weather gets colder, we will also heat our house with a wood burning stove. This allows us to not depend on the gas company for our comfort during the winter. Although it is a lot of work, it is definitely worth it! And, it is usually warmer in our house than it would have been with the heat on low enough to afford it.
All in all, it does take more labor for us to live our lives this way, but it is so much more rewarding. We feel that people these days, especially ones our age, are much too reliant on others for services. We pride ourselves in that if grocery stores ceased to exist tomorrow that we would still be able to survive! So, ask yourself what can you do to be more self-sufficient?
What’s included this week?
½ dozen eggs fresh from our hens at the farm
Spinach- just enough for the recipe below
Onions- eat these fresh, do not try to store them please
Baby Swiss chard
Romaine lettuce
Dill- great for cooking fish with a little bit of lemon
Sunflowers- cut them down every other day and change the water for optimum freshness
Recipe of the Week
Quiche pronounced key-sh
(It’s French, just try it!)
3-4 slices bacon
1 frozen pie crust (or you can make your own if you are a baker)
½ cup spinach, chopped*
½ cup onion, chopped*
½ cup shredded cheese
3 eggs
2 cups cream, milk will do
*other veggies may be substituted, or you can make it without veggies too! You can even make it vegetarian sans bacon.
Preheat oven to 375 F. Cook bacon in skillet until just cooked. Do not crisp it for it will continue cooking later. Drain oil from bacon and blot until not greasy. Chop up just like veggies. If you want to chop finer (or you want it done faster), you can use a food processor. Sprinkle bacon, veggies and cheese into pie shell. Scramble the eggs with the cream and then pour into shell. Place pie shell onto baking sheet to minimize dripping into the bottom of your stove. Bake 35-40 minutes or until the top is golden. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing so that it may solidify. Enjoy!
Thank you for your support,
Gretel and Steve
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
CSA newsletter week #2
Urban Farming
Living in the city gives us the ability to make use of the resources that are available within a populated area. We have had Bexley dump the leaves that they collect in the fall, using them first as mulch and now letting them compost for later use. Once they got wet, we realized that the wood chips we have dumped on our property would be easier to use as mulch. These wood chips come from guys that provide tree services and they are untreated, making them not as appealing, but they fit into our organic way of farming here.
Having more people around us means that there is a larger pool of customers, but also means that there are more markets within our area. This spreads the customers out, making it so that you have to shop around for the market that is perfect for you. At least we have options though, because as we learned on our honeymoon, not everyone does.
While honeymooning in Floyd, Virginia we realized that living out in the middle of nowhere wasn’t as good of an idea as we had originally thought. We always romanticized being out in the mountains, but that not only meant that you were away from your neighbors, but away from other people and the market for your products.
Everyone out there has their own garden, making being a small scale farmer a difficult job. After the trip, we came home feeling more grateful that we lived in the location that we did. Although daily we deal with sirens going by thanks to the local fire station, it’s nice to be able to escape by being out in the field.
What’s included this week?
Your CSA package will include:
1. Thyme- great spice to add to everything
2. Radishes- pink and white
3. Scallions (or little baby onions)
4. Baby carrots- take the tops off for maximum storage
5. Spinach- good cooked or raw
6. Collards- before cooking these you need to take the stems out. The best way to do this is fold the leaf along the stem and then pull the stem out.
Recipe of the Week
Vegetable Cream Cheese
1 package cream cheese, softened
2 big carrots
2 radishes
2 scallions
1 teaspoon garlic powder
*you could also add thyme
To soften the cream cheese either let it sit out at room temperature or microwave it on low for a minute or two. Chop all vegetables just enough to fit it in your food processor. Process them until they are finely chopped. In a large bowl, place softened cream cheese and chopped vegetables. Add garlic powder, and thyme if you want, and mix well. Can be used softened as veggie dip, or you can put it in the fridge and harden it for later. This cream cheese is great with bagels or on egg sandwiches.
Thank you for your support,
Gretel and Steve
Living in the city gives us the ability to make use of the resources that are available within a populated area. We have had Bexley dump the leaves that they collect in the fall, using them first as mulch and now letting them compost for later use. Once they got wet, we realized that the wood chips we have dumped on our property would be easier to use as mulch. These wood chips come from guys that provide tree services and they are untreated, making them not as appealing, but they fit into our organic way of farming here.
Having more people around us means that there is a larger pool of customers, but also means that there are more markets within our area. This spreads the customers out, making it so that you have to shop around for the market that is perfect for you. At least we have options though, because as we learned on our honeymoon, not everyone does.
While honeymooning in Floyd, Virginia we realized that living out in the middle of nowhere wasn’t as good of an idea as we had originally thought. We always romanticized being out in the mountains, but that not only meant that you were away from your neighbors, but away from other people and the market for your products.
Everyone out there has their own garden, making being a small scale farmer a difficult job. After the trip, we came home feeling more grateful that we lived in the location that we did. Although daily we deal with sirens going by thanks to the local fire station, it’s nice to be able to escape by being out in the field.
What’s included this week?
Your CSA package will include:
1. Thyme- great spice to add to everything
2. Radishes- pink and white
3. Scallions (or little baby onions)
4. Baby carrots- take the tops off for maximum storage
5. Spinach- good cooked or raw
6. Collards- before cooking these you need to take the stems out. The best way to do this is fold the leaf along the stem and then pull the stem out.
Recipe of the Week
Vegetable Cream Cheese
1 package cream cheese, softened
2 big carrots
2 radishes
2 scallions
1 teaspoon garlic powder
*you could also add thyme
To soften the cream cheese either let it sit out at room temperature or microwave it on low for a minute or two. Chop all vegetables just enough to fit it in your food processor. Process them until they are finely chopped. In a large bowl, place softened cream cheese and chopped vegetables. Add garlic powder, and thyme if you want, and mix well. Can be used softened as veggie dip, or you can put it in the fridge and harden it for later. This cream cheese is great with bagels or on egg sandwiches.
Thank you for your support,
Gretel and Steve
Summer is here!
So a lot has been going on at Sunny Meadows. We have started our CSA, got our first honeycomb from our bee guy, the flowers are blooming and spring vegetables are at the end of their lives. We have already gone through one batch of lilies, the sunflowers are blooming and wedding season is soon to ensue! In fact, below you will see a picture of our friend's wedding in which I did the flowers for. It was awesome!Overall, we have been really excited about the summer and have begun to realize that every farmer ever is behind on their to do list. There is so much to do and so little time. Well, not really but some hours of the day are just too hot to be working outside the whole time. We have been trying to create shady spots for us to work during the hottest hours, or we have been taking a little break. We have found that it is better to wake up early in the morning and work late in the evening if we can take an extended lunch break while it is sweltering outside. So far this has worked for us, but who knows what it will be like during the really busy season.
When we got the honeycomb from our bee guy, we scraped everything off of it into a strainer. After a couple of days, the honey separated from the beeswax, we bottled it up and have been enjoying it tremendously every since. It is like the maple syrup of honey, man is it good! Also, this has sparked an interest in making bath and body products. We are looking forward to being able to use fresh herbs from our garden to add into the soaps, lotions, or lip balms that we will create. We'll let you know how all this
goes!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
CSA newsletter week #1
Why organic farm practices?
Here at Sunny Meadows, we chose to follow organic practices because we feel that it is a healthier decision. It may be a little more work for us, but we feel that it is worth the effort. There are many other benefits of doing it this way also.
First, we are able to get more in touch with the way that things used to be. Back when our grandparents’ generation was farming, they were farming this way. They were using hard work and a little sweat to get the weeds out, not chemicals and trying to do as much as they could to benefit the soil and the garden overall.
We have learned that being organic means a lot of preparation on our part. We try to cover crop an area with wheat or rye the year before to add more nutrients into the soil. We also add compost to the soil and use certified organic fertilizer to supplement the nutrients that are plants need and we are not providing otherwise.
Also, to pick something straight out of the garden and eat it without having to worry about washing off harmful chemicals gives us peace of mind. We already eat enough chemicals, preservatives and things that are processed; we want our products to be set apart from all those negative things.
And lastly, I, Gretel, am a foodie. I love to eat first off, but I love to cook too! And, nothing tastes better than something cooked with fresh vegetables from our garden!
What’s included this week?
Your CSA package will include:
1. Radishes- both pink and white
2. Red Russian Kale- great steamed with a little bit of malt vinegar on them, you can sauté with butter, or even roast it for maximum flavor
3. Salad greens- a bit spicy, but great with blue cheese dressing
4. Swiss Chard (the multicolor stuff)- the stems are eaten too, so don’t throw away the good stuff! These can be roasted, steamed, sautéed, or you can put them on the grill wrapped in some foil with your favorite flavorings.
5. Garlic Scapes- these are actually the tops of garlic plants but are excitingly different (see recipe below)
6. Sage- good for cooking meats. You can use this either fresh or hang up the bunch in your house and dry it for later use. The flowers have flavor too!
7. Rustic Baguette from Lucky Cat Bakery in Pataskala. You can put in the oven at 350 F for about 5 minutes to soften it up and eat it. If you can’t eat it all now, then you can cut it up and freeze it for toasting later.
Recipe of the Week
Garlic Scape Pesto
1/2 cup garlic scapes, finely chopped
4 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
3 cups grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Put garlic scapes and lemon juice in food processor, and process until scapes are very finely chopped. With food processor running, add oil through the feed tube and process 2-3 minutes. Remove lid, add half of parmesan cheese and process 2 minutes, then add the rest of cheese and salt and pepper and process 2-3 minutes more.Serve tossed with hot pasta. This would also be good on fish, as a topping for bread, or as a seasoning for cooked rice.
Thank you for your support,
Gretel and Steve
Here at Sunny Meadows, we chose to follow organic practices because we feel that it is a healthier decision. It may be a little more work for us, but we feel that it is worth the effort. There are many other benefits of doing it this way also.
First, we are able to get more in touch with the way that things used to be. Back when our grandparents’ generation was farming, they were farming this way. They were using hard work and a little sweat to get the weeds out, not chemicals and trying to do as much as they could to benefit the soil and the garden overall.
We have learned that being organic means a lot of preparation on our part. We try to cover crop an area with wheat or rye the year before to add more nutrients into the soil. We also add compost to the soil and use certified organic fertilizer to supplement the nutrients that are plants need and we are not providing otherwise.
Also, to pick something straight out of the garden and eat it without having to worry about washing off harmful chemicals gives us peace of mind. We already eat enough chemicals, preservatives and things that are processed; we want our products to be set apart from all those negative things.
And lastly, I, Gretel, am a foodie. I love to eat first off, but I love to cook too! And, nothing tastes better than something cooked with fresh vegetables from our garden!
What’s included this week?
Your CSA package will include:
1. Radishes- both pink and white
2. Red Russian Kale- great steamed with a little bit of malt vinegar on them, you can sauté with butter, or even roast it for maximum flavor
3. Salad greens- a bit spicy, but great with blue cheese dressing
4. Swiss Chard (the multicolor stuff)- the stems are eaten too, so don’t throw away the good stuff! These can be roasted, steamed, sautéed, or you can put them on the grill wrapped in some foil with your favorite flavorings.
5. Garlic Scapes- these are actually the tops of garlic plants but are excitingly different (see recipe below)
6. Sage- good for cooking meats. You can use this either fresh or hang up the bunch in your house and dry it for later use. The flowers have flavor too!
7. Rustic Baguette from Lucky Cat Bakery in Pataskala. You can put in the oven at 350 F for about 5 minutes to soften it up and eat it. If you can’t eat it all now, then you can cut it up and freeze it for toasting later.
Recipe of the Week
Garlic Scape Pesto
1/2 cup garlic scapes, finely chopped
4 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
3 cups grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Put garlic scapes and lemon juice in food processor, and process until scapes are very finely chopped. With food processor running, add oil through the feed tube and process 2-3 minutes. Remove lid, add half of parmesan cheese and process 2 minutes, then add the rest of cheese and salt and pepper and process 2-3 minutes more.Serve tossed with hot pasta. This would also be good on fish, as a topping for bread, or as a seasoning for cooked rice.
Thank you for your support,
Gretel and Steve
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