Local Farmers Market

If you're shopping at your local supermarket for produce, you are truly missing out on the ambiance that the local farmers market has to offer. Local farmers markets have readily fresh available produce at reasonable cost and you are helping to support your local farmers and community.

When shopping at a supermarket, you probably don't know where the produce came from unless you happen to see a sign stating that something was grown in a specific geographical region. At the local farmers market, you can be assured that your produce is fresh and has traveled a very short distance to be available for you to eat.

At the grocery store, you won't be able to determine what chemicals or pesticides were used on your vegetables or fruit. You won't be offered much in the line of recipes either. When you shop at the local farmers market you can ask the vendor exactly what has been used on the huge tomato that you find or inquire as to the availability of gravenstein apples or bartlet pears in the next few weeks. Often the vendors will even have samples available as well as a few great recipes or even some great suggestions on how to cook something up for a real taste treat.

Getting to know the various vendors by making a weekly trip to the farmers market is also great fun. You will find the old timers swapping stories under the huge weeping willow by the creek or see the young children scampering around enjoying the last vestiges of the summer sunshine. Families will enjoy the time spent at the local farmers market and the children will be welcome to wander through most of the booths and admire the offerings of delicious foods.

Grocery stores just don't hold the same allure that the local farmers market holds. You are always hurried to get in and out and get home to make dinner. The pace of the local farmers market is much more relaxed and you have an enjoyable visit as you wander the various booths and make friends with the vendors.

If you happen to be a vegan you want the freshest possible foods for your family. A farmers market will help you to support that lifestyle choice. At the local grocery store you don't know for sure when those tomatoes were picked, how far they have traveled or even if they were picked ripe or green. The freshest foods are picked when fully ripe and taken directly to the local farmers market before they have a chance to change colors or age.

At the local farmers market you will often be invited to "sit a spell" and visit over a fresh apple or even a fresh tossed salad. Friendships are established or even re established if you had lost touch and happen to find each other here.

Local economy is boosted and there is just something about knowing where your produce comes from and that it is healthy. Most small towns are actually very closely knit and the farmers market just seems to draw them even closer.

Why not check out your local farmers market and see what they have to offer. Who knows, it may just change your eating habits in the most healthful of ways.

Patiently....

I'm patiently waiting for spring so I can begin to work our soil. Unfortunately Mr. Winter seems to be hanging in there. We are expecting snow again tonight. *sigh* I have onions volunteering from last year already coming up in my garden. I have a Maple tree trying to bud out and flowers that would just love to bloom if only it would stay warm long enough.

When spring finally arrives do you think it will be before or after summer?

Around the Corner

Its just around the corner and my household is very busy planning the gardens for this year. Since we have 5 total gardens this is a huge undertaking. I have requests for more tomatoes so that will be a major planting perhaps taking up the better half of at least one garden. Last year we planted 37 tomato plants and that wasn't nearly enough to get us through the winter season so this year we may double that. A lot of work but well worth our efforts when all is said and done.

My family loves to garden and with each new seed catalog arriving even my 6 year old is perusing the catalog asking about various veggies and whether or not she likes them.

We also have to triple the broccoli planting this year. Last year I planted 12 plants and they yielded very very well but I have a request for 36 plants this year. Guess we all know where I will be in the spring and summer months.

I am looking forward to a great season, once the snow has left the ground! At present we still have 3 feet of snow over the garden. Thus I will be starting our seedlings inside in the next few weeks and giving them a great head start.

Happy planning your garden!

Homemade Bread

My family begs me to make homemade bread. I think I have spoiled them. So in honor of that I am sharing one of my family's favorite bread recipes.


Home Made Bread


To 4 cups of warm (not hot) water add 3 teaspoons (1 Tablespoon) of yeast. 1/4 cup sugar (more if you like it sweeter), 1/2 cup of instant potatoes (optional), 2/3 cup of instant milk. Let sit for a few minutes to soften yeast.

After sitting to soften add 1/4 to 2/3 cup of butter, oil or margarine to water mix and stir in 2 cups of flour. Add 1 Tablespoon of salt and continue stirring adding flour as needed until you have added between 8 and 12 cups of flour. After you have added about 6 cups of the flour you will need to turn the dough out on a counter or table and begin kneading it by hand. Gently fold the dough at one end, give it a quarter turn and again gently fold the dough adding flour as needed to keep it from sticking.

When your dough is a nice cohesive ball and looks stretchy gently place it in an oiled bowl and cover it with a clean towel.

Let it rise till it is about double (2 to 4 hours is usually sufficient). After it is done rising, gently dump it out of the bowl and shape it into bread loaves or rolls and place it in greased pans. Again cover with a towel and let rise a few more hours.

To bake, pre-heat your oven to 475 degrees. Place bread (or rolls) inside and immediately turn the oven down to 425 degrees. Set timer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes turn oven down to 375 degrees and continue baking til done. (ovens vary. This can be anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour depending on your oven).

When your bread is nicely browned and done gently tip it out of the pan and spread some more butter (margarine) on top and let it cool.

In my house the crowd starts as soon as the bread is out of the oven...."can we have some yet?"....

Depending on your loaf pans this will make 2 to 3 loaves of bread.

Enjoy!

With some practice this will come as second nature to you. After you are more familiar with the process you can begin adding special treats like oatmeal or flaxseed to your dough or on top o f your dough.

Leftover Turkey

So the Thanksgiving holiday is over and its time to clean out the fridge of leftovers. You have a lot of leftover turkey and dressing and what are you going to do with all of it? It seems such a shame to waste it all! My family has a few favorite recipes and I only make them at this time of year so they are anticipating some of their favorites.

Turkey Divan (tops the list)
Layer turkey leftovers in the bottom of a 9X13 pan
Layer the turkey with a layer of fresh or frozen broccoli (may substitute leftover dressing or both)
Open a can of cream of mushroom soup and add 1 can of milk and 1/2 can of mayonaise
add in some curry powder to taste
add in some lemon juice to taste
Pour this mixture over the top of the turkey and broccoli and/or dressing
Grate cheese over the top and put in the oven at about 350 and bake till cheese is bubbly
You may also top it with some breadcrumbs if you like.
Serve with left over rolls heated.
You family will love it!

Sauerkraut

Its finally done! The sauerkraut is canned and ready to put away. My older son told me it made the whole house smell when I had it in the canner. LOL I told him to not complain or I'd make him eat it! He stopped in a hurry.

I was given an abundance of bananas and have 4 out of 5 drying trays going in the food dehydrator. I just didn't know what I was going to do with an entire grocery bag of bananas and then it came to me...dry them...LOL So I sliced them up think and they are nearly done. Banana chips aren't all bad...LOL

My garden is now covered in a nice layer of leaves and its time to break out the crocheting for the remainder of winter. I have lots of projects I want to make so that will be a nice relaxing way to spend my evenings. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Ah....

At long last I am close to being done with the canning and drying. I only have 2 bowls of tomatoes left to ripen and am not quite sure what I am going to do with those when they are ripe. I have another batch of plum jam to make this week as my dear 13 year old son has been busy picking those for me. After that I think most of the canning is complete until the winter squash and pumpkins have to be baked and canned. Its so nice to see the pantry full of so much food for the winter. The freezer is full of great veggies and the kids are amazed at our potatoes! We grew them in stacked tires and it works so well. Its a great space saving technique and they grow huge in there with little weeding to do and they stay nice and warm. I think next year we may have to go looking for more bald tires (neighbors love that I will take them for them) and plant even more. I have a huge wash tub full of potatoes! The sauerkraut will be ready to can late November. It isn't quite as smelly as I thought it would be but I do have to wipe the jars daily as they tend to ooze the contents (which is normal until it is canned). Have a great day!