I Had An Inkling About Real Food....

...And it's probably not that big a surprise to you. I have thought that we are far too tuned-in to commercial food products that don't really resemble real, wholesome foods that much at all.  So I was happy to find mention of Nina Planck's book, Real Food: What to Eat and Why
. I was even more pleasantly surprised to find out that it was available in a Kindle version, since Santa so kindly brought me one for Christmas.

What's So Great About Real Food?

What's so great about this book? Basically, to sum it up, this book underlines what I have suspected and believed all along, and that is that a back-to-basics diet is much better for us, even with real foods and real fats like butter included in it, than preservative- and chemical-laden foods.  Nina Planck believes that, too, and knows a lot more about the subject and so can speak a lot more articulately and substantially on the topic than I can. I find myself having many "Ah ha!" moments with books learning lots that I never even knew about things as simple as milk and butter.  And this from a dairy girl.....

I'd say it is safe to say you'll be hearing more from me on the subject, but in the meantime I do solidly recommend you get this book, either for your Kindle or eReader or in good old-fashioned paper.

Today's Agenda: Homemade Ice Cream Cake

This evening we celebrate a couple of family birthdays.  In an effort to use more of what we already have, I'm looking for something unique for my son's cake.  I'm planning on a simple ice-cream cake, with the ice cream being homemade fresh from our beautiful little cow's cream.  There's so much of the white stuff, we've got to be creative putting it to work!!  By rights, I should be hitting the cheese-making hard today (since I'm out of refrigerator space and milk bottles :) ), but then there's also that big garden to catch up on (SUCH a rainy Spring we're having!).  Ahhh....one day at a time, and make the time to enjoy the things that I am getting done (by not overbooking and stressing myself!)

My plan for my homemade ice cream cake is simple.  I'll cheat a little and use a boxed cake mix (unless my conscience gets the better of me).  I'll make a chocolate cake mix and mix up a quick batch of probably vanilla ice cream in my Cuisinart icecream maker.  I love this Cuisinart ice cream maker because it is simple, fast, and easy to use, and requires no salt or ice.  It has a gel-filled bowl that you freeze which replaces all of that mess.  So literally in half an hour you can have delicious home made ice cream without very much of a mess at all. 

When the ice cream is first finished it is about the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.  That will make it easy to spread over the finished cake, and then I'll freeze it to let it harden up a little more.  I haven't quite decided yet whether to cut the cake horizontally in half and layer it, but I am thinking I will probably do that.  If I'm very ambitious I may make a batch of chocolate, too, and layer that in somewhere.  We'll see, but I'll be sure to let you all know how it comes out!

(NB: I'm able to make two batches of homemade icecream because I've bought a spare bowl for my icecream maker, so I have the two frozen and ready to go.  Without two bowls, you'd have to wait hours or another day to refreeze the bowl in order to be able to make a second batch.  I find that spare bowl well worth the additional investment!)

Spring Has Sprung and Blossom is Born!

It's been pretty exciting and busy around here as of late.  Spring pretty much decided to arrive, albeit a very wet one, and so the gardening has started in earnest.  Additionally, our first-calf Jersey heifer finally decided to give it up and calve, and so last weekend we welcomed Blossom to the farm's fold on a drizzly but beautiful Sunday morning.  Everything went as smooth as could be.  Baby is strong and healthy, Momma is sound, quiet, and milking like an experienced cow.  We're putting up close to 5 gallons of milk per day!  Which means it's time for me to get busy. 

We've already had the first homemade ice cream from the fresh cream; it was Oh so good!  Next week I'll be jumping right back into making fresh cheese with the milk.  Cannot wait for that again, and to try some of the soft cheese in my homemade ravioli (the newest trick I learned this week - how to make homemade ravioli).

But for now, here are a couple of my favorite pics of the newborn babe for your viewing pleasure :)

It's Spring! Finally....

It's taken so long for Spring to actually get here in the Northeast.  We had a long, cold, but fun winter, and since then more cold and lots of rain.  BUT we're finally seeing some weather that's more seasonal, although still plenty of showers.  We've finally gotten the garden tilled and planting has begun!  The question is, though....will it ever end?  LOL  Who knows.  I've got a gigantic garden (well, I am feeding 6!)  But it's a labor of love that keeps us more and more self-sufficient, and I trust my food over anything I get anywhere else any day!

Mother's Day brought me a trip around to Lowe's and the local Farm and Garden store, where we bought fruit trees for our little orchard and cole-crop plants for the garden.  We came home and my husband planted the trees for me.  Really, it was a great gift and a great day...and I can't wait until we can out back and sit under the trees and pick a healthy, yummy snack.  Now that we have the orchard started, we're considering bee-keeping.  So yes, next up is hunting for some great bee keeping books.  And maybe learning how to make Mead ;)

Here are a few books I'm considering - do please feel free to make suggestions in the comments below!!

• Beekeeping For Dummies 
• The Backyard Beekeeper - Revised and Updated: An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Keeping Bees in Your Yard and Garden
• The Complete Idiot's Guide to Beekeeping
• The Complete Guide to Beekeeping for Fun & Profit: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply (Back-To-Basics Farming)
• The Compleat Meadmaker : Home Production of Honey Wine From Your First Batch to Award-winning Fruit and Herb Variations
• How to Make Honey Mead with Recipes

In the midst of all this, I've also refinished the hardwood floors in 5 rooms of our old labor-of-love 1901 Farmhouse.  Shellac was the chosen product and method in keeping with the age and period of the house, which has always been kept very original.  I'm LOVING the result.  But more on that another day.  Oh - and my kitchen pasta maker arrived, but as the rooms were all disassembled and not able to be walked on, that, unfortunately, has not made it out of the box.  But I do expect it will be making an appearance very soon :)

Kitchen Pasta Maker Coming to a Kitchen Near Me Soon

My kitchen of course.  After many hours, I finally decided on what I wanted for a starter kitchen pasta maker.  It took some work, too, believe me...but I finally landed on a nice little start-up kit that I put together myself (I think ;) ).

Here's what will be arriving, courtesy of Amazon, in a matter of a week or so....

• CucinaPro 177 CucinaPro Pasta Fresh

• Norpro Pasta Drying Rack
• Norpro Ravioli Maker and Press
• The Pasta Machine Cookbook

Can't wait for it to get here!  Of course, I'm sure that it'll take some trial and error, but I'm looking forward to my first-ever fresh homemade pasta.  And I can't wait for the heifer to calve and to be making fresh cheese and fresh cheese ravioli with it - yum! And to think of the the combos creatable once the fresh garden veggies get growing.....*sigh....

Pasta, Pasta, Pasta!

Pasta, Pasta, Pasta!

...It's what's on my brain today.  I already love making my own homemade pasta sauce (and am a little sad to be down to only 2 jars left from last year's garden :[ ).  I always think when I use it, though, that it's kind of a shame to be pouring it over that crap from a cardboard box.  So my latest craze is to make my own pasta!  Yes, I want to become a kitchen pasta maker, too, and so that's where I've been spending my "spare" time these last couple of rainy days.  Hey - with those backyard chickens of mine producing more than a baker's dozen a day, I've got to use all those eggs somehow!!

Basic Rules to Build Small Chicken Coop

Today, more and more people are looking for ways to become self-reliant. I built a small chicken coop big enough to house three to five laying hens in my backyard. I wanted to design an attractive chicken coop. One inspired by some coops in my area is the one I chose to build. Small chicken coop meant small price. I only spent around $40 for chicken wire, lumber and siding to complete the coop.

I saved money by using damaged siding, scrap wood as well as leftover hardware and paint. I was able to get the damaged siding half price at the local lumber store. The other materials that I used were scrap and leftovers from previous projects, and scraps from a condemned house nearby. I was sure to get permission to take the materials from the property. In addition, I was able to get shingles from a neighbor who recently put a new roof on his garage.

The basic rules to designing a small chicken coop are as follows:

      • Be sure to provide adequate floor space for all of your chickens
      • Your coop should be properly ventilated.
      • Remember to provide some type of temperature control.
      • Predator protection is key when designing your chicken coop.

If you live in town, or only want to keep a small flock to provide enough eggs to feed your family, a small coop is ideal. Owning your own chickens is safer and more economical than buying eggs from the store. Best of all, you do not have to pay taxes on the eggs you eat or the food you feed your chickens. Now, that is a win-win!