Cheap Winter Eats

I made barley & vegetable soup on the wood stove yesterday afternoon.  What a great way to warm up from the cold outside; a hot bowl of homemade soup and bread. 

I used the last two quarts of the chicken broth we canned in the fall of ’09, a cup of barley, four carrots, three stalks of celery, an onion and about a ¼ head of cabbage.  It turned out to be more of a stew than a soup though as there were so many veggies and so much barley that there was very little broth.  Not that anyone complained.

We had the barley & veggie soup for supper with the last of the sourdough bread and I put ½ the remaining soup in the fridge for Paul’s lunch today and the other ½ in the freezer for a quick meal (i.e. when I forget to make anything for supper).

Also made another Cheap Meal tonight; Spanish Mac & Cheese with Polenta and Pinto Beans. The Spanish Mac & Cheese is just macaroni in a cheese sauce with a can of diced tomatoes & chilies added to it.   Paul said we may have another ½ hog in the freezer soon so I had to “get rid” of some of the bacon ends.  I fried up the bacon with some onions & cooked it with the beans. 

I’m glad that we’re able to get our meats locally.  The hogs & steer come from two of Paul’s coworkers; we raise our own Cornish x chickens, butcher the male goats and try to get a deer or two each year.  Then there’s also the occasional squirrel, although I didn’t get any this year because I saw so few.  Not sure if the bobcats have been taking them, although that may explain why I haven’t lost many chickens this year.

Technically we should be able to have a freezer full of fish, but Paul hasn’t had much free time to go fishing.  I’ll have to “make” him go when the weather gets nicer.  I’m not crazy about the rainbow trout unless it’s smoked, but hopefully he’ll find a good fishing hole on the lake and hook us some crappie or a walleye.  Or catfish.  Or bluegill.  Heak, I’ll take just about any fish, batter & fry it up and serve it with a plate full of hush puppies and green tomato / onion relish.

Time to buy snowshoes?

We’re definitely getting our share of snow this Winter.  I think that this is the third significant snowfall this year.  Our area just missed an ice storm and 5 – 6” of snow from that system finally melted on Monday; leaving the goat pen a squishy, poopy mess. 

It started snowing this morning just before 6 and it hasn’t stopped since.  I got the morning barn chores done by 7:30 and there was already over an inch on the ground.  So of course I had to sweep a path from the chicken door to the water bucket and their feeders.  And sweep off the goat porch to the barn.  And when I had finished giving everyone their grain, hay, warm water and pats on the head, I had to sweep the area clean again.

The weather guys are guessing anywhere from 5 – 12” and tomorrow is only supposed to be in the lower 20’s with an overnight of 0.  Good news is that the weather warms up on Friday & by Sunday it’s going to be almost 60!  Bad news is that the additional moisture will turn the goat pen into a really, really squishy, poopy mess.  I almost lost my boot in there during evening barn chores yesterday.  I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like after this round of snow melts.

Moonshine didn’t go 5’ before high-tailing it back to the comfort of the woodstove. 

Not that I blame her.

Evil kitty poked her head out the door when I opened it to get wood for the stove and decided it was nicer inside.  Susan hasn’t even bothered moving from her window perch; she’s been watching a wren flitting to & from the wood pile all morning.  If it weren’t for the livestock, I’d be inside by the stove all day too.

Guess I should make the most of it and start a soup on the woodstove.  Split pea or vegetable barley?  Hmmmm.

Homemade Mayonnaise

Contrary to what my Sister believes, you can make mayo at home.  And you don’t need any fancy ingredients. 

Paul & Rhiannon made some whole wheat sourdough bread yesterday afternoon & it was just screaming to be made into some tuna-melt sandwiches. 

Bread – check.  Tuna – check.  Cheese – check.  Mayo……nope. 

Not that I forgot to stock my pantry with Mayo.  I just haven’t purchased store Mayo (or MiracleWhip…ick) in over five years.  I suppose it wouldn’t be a horrible idea to keep some store-bought, shelf-stable mayo in the pantry though as the homemade stuff doesn’t keep for more than a day or two. 

Anyhow, in order to make dinner, I needed to make some mayonnaise.  I’m not a mayo-purist as I don’t have all my ingredients at room temperature, I don’t mix it by hand and I do use the entire egg.

I got this recipe from the Joy of Cooking:

Put the following in a blender:  1 egg, 1 tsp. dry mustard, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. sugar, ¼ c. vegetable oil.  Cover & blend on high until completely mixed.  While blender is still running, slowly add another ½ cup vegetable oil until mixed.  Then add 3 Tbsp. lemon juice.  Then slowly add another ½ cup oil & blend until creamy.  You may have to start & stop the blender to scrape down the sides to make sure all is combined.  Use immediately and store unused portion in refrigerator immediately.

Technically the original recipe calls for a dash of cayenne, but I’ve never added it. 

So I made our tuna melts and still have a load of mayo left.  Remember, this stuff won’t last but a day or two in the fridge.  And I probably wouldn’t use it for deviled eggs or macaroni salad for a summer-picnic at the beach.  Raw eggs, you know. 

Now I’ve got extra mayo to go through so I think I’ll look up another recipe for a salad dressing to have with supper tomorrow night.

Incubator Score!

I’ve been debating on which incubator to get for what seems like forever.  Last week I finally decided on one and it had actually made it into the cyber-shopping cart.   I was interrupted by something or other and left the computer & website before checking out.  Later that evening I told Paul that I had finally made a decision on the incubator and was about to make that final “Click” and purchase it.  He told me to wait a day or two more because a buddy at work had an incubator in his barn that was just sitting there unused for several years & would give it to us.   So Paul brought it home a few days ago, I cleaned them up and this is what I got:

It’s a “Little Giant” still-air incubator with an egg turner.  Not only that, but he gave us two more of the same kind!  One of them had some problems, so it’s just for parts, but the other one is in working order, just without the egg turner.  So I’ll just use that one for a temporary brooder until all the eggs have hatched.

I’ve got thirty eggs in there, mostly from our hens, and a few from the neighbor’s hens.  Our rooster is a black mutt (Barred Rock / Australorp) and we have Barred Rock, Australorp, Americana & Rhode Island Red hens.  The neighbor has a White Crested Black Polish rooster and Rhode Island Red hens, so I’m hoping that his funky headgear is passed on to a few of his offspring.  Not sure if that’s how the crested-genetics stuff works, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt. 

I had been saving the eggs for six, maybe seven days, and kept them in the basement where it was coolest.  The days I had been collecting them also happened to be the coldest this winter and they were really, really cold when I was finally able to get them.  Because some of them were “older” and pretty cold, I’m assuming that the hatch rate isn’t going to be the best.  I’d be happy with a 50% hatch rate.  And of course, ½ of them will probably be roosters, so that leaves me with 7 or 8 hens out of thirty eggs.  Well, at least that’s how I’m figuring it.

Since the incubator needs to be somewhere with a somewhat constant ambient temperature, I decided to put them in the basement on my sewing / craft table.  I was worried that the basement would be too cold and the incubator wouldn’t be able to keep up with it, but the only other option would be to have it upstairs where it was warmer.  The problem with that is that although it is warmer, the temperatures fluctuate wildly since we heat with wood.  Right before bed it could be close to 80 degrees, but by morning it can be in the mid to lower 60’s. 

The incubator has been on for four days now (two days with eggs) and after messing with the temperature control for a bit, I’ve been able to keep it a pretty consistent 99 – 101 degrees. 

Thanks for the incubators, Donald!  You name the type of cookie & I’ll hook you up!

How do Y'all do it???

You Northerners, that is.   Being from Northern Illinois, I’ve had my share of snow.  I’ve shoveled it, spent many hours behind a snow blower, even used a snow plow once (there’s a good reason why it’s only been that one time).  I’ve had to wake up two hours earlier just to make sure I got to work on time, and hoped that the driveway was already shoveled and the truck had been plugged in the night before. 

But through all that snow, I still came home to a warm house.  We had city water, natural gas for our furnace & stove, and a dependable electric company.  We had several grocery stores within two miles and a gas station even closer.  There were a dozen restaurants within a five minute drive. The worst thing I remember happening in the winter was that we got what’s called an “ice dam” on the roof and it damaged the gutters.

We got 4 - 5 inches of snow on Friday night.

Granted, that all changed after our move.  We moved far enough south that we only see two or three snowfalls a year, and any accumulation is usually melted in a day or two.  Yes, we’ve had an ice storm in ’09 and narrowly escaped one just this past week.  But all-in-all, I’d consider it to be a rather mild winter in general. 

So when it snows here, it’s a pretty big deal.  Those of you in the Northern States probably just roll your eyes at us when we complain about 3 or 4 inches of snow.  But around here, the County Road & Bridge works 24/7 and the nearby city breaks out the snowplows (all three or four of them).  Add that to the fact that we live in the rural Ozarks (think lots of hills, hairpin turns on mountains with no guardrails, and lots of dirt roads) and snow or ice becomes a problem for most people.   Our driveway doesn’t even slope that much but I can’t get out to the main road in the car.  Plows don’t come down here. 

Taking care of the animals also becomes a bit more difficult, but nothing too bad.  I have to sweep or shovel an area for the chickens to get to their feed pans and water buckets and keep the animal’s water from freezing over.  Other than that, it’s just slower going because I have to tromp through the snow to feed & water everyone. 

I frequent the blogs of several homesteaders that live “Up North”.  And they live there on purpose.  Through the thirteen months of winter, through the insurmountable piles of snow, through the daytime sub-zero temperatures.  Shoveling paths for their horses, cattle, sheep and goats.  Hauling feed using a toboggan.  Using a “roof rake” to get the snow off their roofs before it collapses under the weight of all the snow.  I had no idea there was such an implement (maybe it’s called a snow rake, I forget). 

Yes, I know it’s beautiful in the Summer.  I’m sure it’s also beautiful in the Spring & Fall - that is if it hasn’t started or finished snowing by then. 

I tip my hat to you, Oh Brave Pioneers of The Northern Tundra.  You have more grit - and tolerance to frigid temperatures - than I ever had.

Long Term Food Storage - Sugars & Sweet Things

I mentioned some of the basic items like wheat, rice, corn, pasta & beans that we keep on hand here in two previous blogs (see Grocery List  and Small Space Dry Food Storage). This time I’m going to talk about the sweeter side of food storage. 

White sugar is probably the most basic & easiest to obtain item in your sweets category.  It’s relatively cheap and easy to find in bulk and if stored in an airtight container or package in a cool environment, it has a shelf life of like, well, forever.  Besides making the obvious cookies, cakes and other sweet breads, it’s also used for making jelly and jam, which can be water-bath canned (for long term storage).

Honey is by far my favorite sweetener.  How can you not like bee barf?? Honey also has an almost infinite shelf-life.  It may solidify over time, but it’s just as good in solid form & if you want it liquid again, scoop what you need into a jar & slowly heat it in a double boiler.  Unfortunately, honey is pretty costly.  If I could buy & store more I would.  The “cheapie” honey we buy is for baking and cooking, but I do buy local honey for putting in my tea or on fresh, hot biscuits.  I wish I had the time, means and nerve to raise honeybees.  Maybe one day. 

Corn Syrup is another item we store, although not in the quantities as our sugar & honey stash.  I find that I only use it for candy making or pecan pies and that doesn’t happen very often.  Corn syrup, unopened, will store indefinitely.

Molasses is something I don’t store much of, but really should.  And if you buy molasses, you won’t have to buy brown sugar.  I haven’t purchased brown sugar in years.  Just add a drop or two of molasses to your white sugar and *poof* - you’ve got yourself some brown sugar.  Really.  Manufacturer’s recommended shelf life is 8 – 12 months. My bottle is over a year old & only half empty and I’m still using it. 

Canned fruits and jams are also considered part of the Sweeteners section of your pantry.  Most commercial producers of jams & jellies state that their products are “best used” a year from date of purchase, although we’ve opened a jar of store-bought jam that was three years old and it tasted just fine.  Use common sense.  If you have a ten year old jar of jam, I’d be a bit worried, not necessarily because of the safety of the jam, but because of the quality / taste.  If the seal has been compromised, if it smells or looks “weird”, don’t take chances, throw it out.  It’s not worth the safety of your family to save that two-dollar jar of jam.

And yes, those are bags of chocolate chips in the box.  In a survival situation, having access to some sort of chocolate is a NECESSITY in my book.  And my definition of "survival" may mean just getting through the weekend without going bonkers.  You don’t want to know how many pounds of chips I have in the pantry.  

My friend Kathy, who owns & runs a chocolate shop….Cue shameless plug: (www.l&mchocolates.com) tells me that chocolate has an infinite shelf life, although changing temperatures may cause it to “bloom” (a dusty white area) on some surfaces.  It’s still perfectly good to eat though. 

There are many people that swear by the BBB principle (Beans, Bullets, Band Aids) for survival / preparedness / barter items - which is all well and good.  If it ever does come down to having to survive using our pantry & other stored resources, we will be ready.  But I will be the one munching on a chocolate chip cookie while the other guy is sitting on his box of ammo, eating boiled pinto beans.

So very, very fluffy!

I’ve wanted to get a few broody hens for a while now.  I have had a few Black Sex-Links and even a Barred Rock or two go broody on me, but even those weren’t the best of mothers.  Of the twenty or so eggs that were under those hens last year, I think only eight or nine hatched and of those I only have three left.  And of course, two of those are roosters.  And not the brightest of roosters I might add.  Yesterday afternoon I saw one of them trying to breed Chop Suey, our Nigerian wether, who was just lying down in the sun minding his own business.

I was going to place an order for some more laying hens and a couple of breeds known for their tendency to go broody (Silkie, Partridge Rock, Wyandottes) but before I could decide on which ones to order I saw an ad in our local trading paper that someone was selling Silkie chickens.  The man selling them had quite the assortment of chickens, pigeons, doves and rabbits.  I’ve never seen so many different bird breeds in one person’s possession before.  So I left with four Silkies, three black and one blue speckled.  And I go them all for $20!  If I ordered them through the mail, they would have cost me $3.67 each (non-sexed) plus shipping, plus the fact that I’d have to keep them in a brooder in the house for a month or more. 

I was very happy.  He claimed that two of them were hens and even said if they turned out to be all roosters he would swap two of them out for hens. What a deal!