Lately

So the weather has been seasonably warm - in the low 30's and perfect for firewood gathering.  Mike has been cutting down some dead evergreens on our property so we can use it this season.  With all of the cold weather we just want to be sure we have enough.  

We have also learned that the soft woods - pines, hemlock, and poplar burn really well in our older inefficient woodstove.  Mike used to follow the conventional thought that hard wood was the best but now we are excited to learn that the soft woods actually burn hotter in our stove.

We had a full  house this week with Sam and Thomas staying during their last week of winter break.  Lots of meal cooking.   It was wonderful to have Thomas, our activity director here.  He gets everyone playing board games and card games.  I also enjoyed having Sam, she knits every minute she can  and she inspires me with her talent.  I have been doing a fair amount of knitting as well.

Mike and I have also been caring for Abraham and Emmy as they have a virus that won't quit.  Just when I think they are getting better, a fever will come back and knock them out.  

A friend dropped off old National Geographic magazines - so everyone has been sharing what they find interesting as they look through them.

Really, our life has been so home centered these last few weeks - would be considered boring by most.  But, I  am feeling content once again (have squelched the fears and wantings for now) in the daily tasks and rhythms that repeat themselves over and over again each day, week, and month.

Working Outside till Dark

Yesterday I planted garlic.  My homesteading friend told me that she always plants garlic on the 15th of October so I was only off by one day.

The air was warmer than usual and the light beautiful and after dinner I returned outside shoveling and dumping wheelbarrows of compost until the last light left feeling full and complete.

Enough

After reading this and then reading some essays from  The Bill McKibben Reader, that I found at a church rummage sale recently, I have been thinking more about why our family makes the choices we do.  

In Bill McKibben's essay, Consuming Nature, he points out that humans consider themselves to be the center of the universe and that consumerism is mostly about filling the "it's all about me" desire with very little thought about the consequences.

But on the flip side he brings up the point that those of us that have chosen to live more on the outside of this societal norm may also be filling ourselves with a similar kind of "this makes me feel good about myself".   You know like - "You wouldn't believe what it was like doing the morning chores in negative 30 degree weather" or "We had a home grown meal tonight - quiche with eggs from the chickens and veggies from the garden."

 Bill McKibben concludes, though, that living the latter is, of course, better for our planet.

I think, though, that there is something much deeper about choosing less and being more connected to our food, our heat source in the winter, and to each other (our family).    I find an inner peace living this lifestyle and will keep fighting off the never ending temptations of more.

Inside and Outside

There is so much work calling me inside when I really just want to be out enjoying this amazing autumn weather.

This morning I did get some bread and apple crisp baked.

Isaac is taking over in the kitchen making three apple pies.

I am thinking the tomatoes will be processed this evening while making dinner.

In the in between time, I have compost to pile up on the gardens, a barn to reconfigure for a milking stand and baby goats (hopefully in the spring!), firewood to stack, oh and I thought I would just throw in painting the house as well.  

Thankful to have so much to do really because that must mean my life is full.

What are your plans this week?

Warmly,

Tonya

I Love That...

... when a friend came to visit, our children decided to bake apple pies with him, all on their own.

They went out and picked the apples off our trees, showed him how to use a peeler, made pie crust and mixed up the filling.

I would have to guess, though, that their primary motivation was to enjoy the eating.  

We generally only make apple pies during apple picking season so they are a real treat and also happen to be my favorite dessert.

Knitting and Reading

With a new pair of wool mittens completed for Emmy and Abraham, I have now started a pair for Sarah.

The colors are Lena's Meadow and Lavender from Peace Fleece.

I am re-reading one of my all time favorite books, Up Tunket Road.

"One can't help but wonder whether we might not have a lopsided view of reality - and perhaps misaligned priorities- by eschewing lifestyle choices that at times involve discomfort, deprivation, or difficulty for the sake of living a bit more in sync with nature while aggrandizing energy-intensive (from both human and fossil-fuel perspectives) recreation that produces primarily adrenaline and vicarious entertainment value.  The option that seeks to minimize long-term risk by trying to live lighter and healthier is culturally suspect, while the pursuit of high-risk sports is magnified and praised."

Joining in with Ginny today.

Making Mozzarella

I bought this kit quite awhile ago from Urban Cheesecraft just to get started.  I am sure it will be less expensive to buy the individual ingredients in the future, but I am happy to be finally attempting.

The kit came with citric acid, rennet, cheese salt, butter muslin, thermometer, and instructions for ricotta and mozzarella.

We started out by dissolving 1/4 rennet tablet into 1 cup of cool water. 

Then dissolved 1 1/2 teaspoons of citric acid into 1 cup water.

I poured one gallon of raw milk (jersey cows) into a large pot and then you are supposed to add the citric acid solution (we missed reading this part!) and heat to 90 degrees, stirring occasionally.

Then at 90 degrees, we slowly and gently stirred in the rennet solution for 30 seconds.  The milk was heated to 110 degrees.

As Abby and I were watching the thermometer reach 109 degrees and nothing was happening, I started to worry.  Then all of a sudden, within seconds really, the curds started forming.  This is so neat to watch!
We started to wonder before it turned if we had done something wrong and then magic!
Does anyone know the history of cheesemaking?  Who first started using rennet?  I am going to have to do some research - I am finding the whole process pretty amazing.

We then removed the curds from the whey bath (that is what the water has now become) and heated the whey to 185 degrees.  Then we took the pot of the stove and after forming two balls with the curd, we put them in the whey to heat to 135 degrees (when the thermometer is placed in the center of the curd ball).

Next, Abby and Isaac stretched and shaped the cheese after adding 1/2 teaspoon to each ball.

The two vintage pyrex storage containers I bought for $4.00 at a local thrift  store make great containers for the finished cheese.

It did come out a little rubbery.  Is this because we didn't add the citric acid when we were supposed to?
I would love to hear your experiences and tips with cheesemaking.

Warm wishes,
Tonya

Helpers

Helping with the cutting for canning some beans.  I used the recipe, Pungent Green Beans, from the book,
Preserving the Harvest.

Pungent Green Beans

(Need a boiling-water-bath canner and the recipe will make approximately 5 1-pint jars)

3 lbs. green beans, washed and trimmed

1/3 cup olive oil

1 large onion, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups water

3 cups white wine vinegar

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon celery salt

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1.  Cut the beans to a uniform size.  I cut them to about 2 - 2 1/2 inches.

2.  Cook the beans in boiling water until just tender, about 4 - 5  minutes.

3.  In a large saucepan, heat the oil and saute the onion and garlic until soft.

4.  Add the water, vinegar, sugar, celery salt, and pepper to the onion mixture and boil until the sugar has dissolved.

5.  Add the beans and boil in the vinegar mixture for 2 minutes.

6.   Ladle into hot, clean jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace.

7.  Seal and process in a boiling-water-bath canner for 15 minutes.

Yarn Along - Knitting Updates and Homesteading Book

I am joining along with Ginny at Small Things again this Wednesday to update my three baby projects and share about a book I have been reading.

The simple garter stitch cardigan from Simple Knits for Cherished Babies is coming along well - one more front side to knit and than the finishing bands.

The basketweave baby blanket is coming along too.

The baby bonnet just needs the bottom band and button.
I found this book at the library and am enjoying  being reminded about why we chose to live this lifestyle in the first place and has given us some things to think about as it is so easy to get caught up in the world and the ways of the consumer society.

I look forward to catching up with your handwork projects and what you are reading.

Warm wishes, Tonya