Monday, July 13, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
Ice Cream!
There is no better treat in the summer! We have been eating lots f ice cream lately.
Thankfully there is such a thing as Gluten free ice cream cones!
We get these at Harvest Health, but I also just noticed that they had them in the Gluten Free section at Meijer. They are very good, all the kids love them.
We get these at Harvest Health, but I also just noticed that they had them in the Gluten Free section at Meijer. They are very good, all the kids love them.Thursday, July 9, 2009
A day of celebration!
We are learning about the important balance between work and rest out here on the farm and also learning the importance of celebration. We had a great on the 4th. we worked hard all day cleaning up the farm and in the evening had a crazy parade and did some sparklers.
The big blue Ford
crazy little Daisy
Rich lead the parade in style.
We hope that you are finding time to celebrate this summer!
The big blue Ford
crazy little Daisy
Rich lead the parade in style.
We hope that you are finding time to celebrate this summer!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
New Life
It is an exciting time at the farm. There seems to be new life everywhere. This old farm is slowly coming back to life.
The chickens have gone broody! Which in case you didn't know, like I didn't know, means that they are sitting on their fertilized eggs. We are experimenting with letting them hatch and raise their own chicks instead of the modern method of using incubators. This chick is the first one, see her nestled in her mother's wing peaking out just her little head? The mother is very protective.
They are the sweetest little pair foraging around the farmyard together.
The kids have some tadpoles from the pond in a big bucket that they are keeping an eye on.
...and last week Sunday, Brian brought their cow here from the farm where it had been living. The day he went to move her, he discovered she had given birth to her calf. Her name is Sunday and she is so sweet and playful. The cow must be milked every 12 hours and it is a very time consuming job, one which would be much easier with a milking machine. There are many things that make sense to do the old fashion way, but some that become such a burden without modern tools.
The chickens have gone broody! Which in case you didn't know, like I didn't know, means that they are sitting on their fertilized eggs. We are experimenting with letting them hatch and raise their own chicks instead of the modern method of using incubators. This chick is the first one, see her nestled in her mother's wing peaking out just her little head? The mother is very protective.
They are the sweetest little pair foraging around the farmyard together.
The kids have some tadpoles from the pond in a big bucket that they are keeping an eye on.
...and last week Sunday, Brian brought their cow here from the farm where it had been living. The day he went to move her, he discovered she had given birth to her calf. Her name is Sunday and she is so sweet and playful. The cow must be milked every 12 hours and it is a very time consuming job, one which would be much easier with a milking machine. There are many things that make sense to do the old fashion way, but some that become such a burden without modern tools.
Solaya is 12 weeks now and growing so fast! All of our children are growing and learning so much. It is so exciting to see them having so much fun.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Farm Life
...is very busy. I have not had time to spend in front of the computer. I have been busy cleaning up things, building fence, cooking meals, and planting the garden. It is very hard work living out here, but today is rainy and since I can't work in the garden like I had planned (I am very grateful today for the rain actually, it is just what the garden needs and it offers me rest) I thought I would share a little bit of our farm experiences so far. Our family is learning so much and really enjoying being out here. I hate to think about how fast summer is going to go by. I am already amazed by how spring has slipped so quickly into summer. Time seems different out here, it moves in a strange slow and yet so fast kind of way, one I have never experienced before.
The lilacs are already gone. I am so glad I took some photos. The smell was so sweet and beautiful. There are many large trees out here and many bees buzzed around them. Now that I am growing I appreciate the bees in a new way realizing how necessary they are to the plants. Farmer Brian also keeps bees here on the property.
It is a strong ancient looking thing and when I look at it I think of how old it is and how amazing it is that it is being used all these years later for the same purpose that is was created. It has been resurrected. I think of how God promises to resurrect all things and I feel a little closer to understanding.
Next we used this disc to break up the soil even more.
In all I think that we plowed the garden twice and went over it with the disc at least 4 times. There are so many roots that after all this we still had to rototill each bed before we could begin planting anything, and there are still big clods of dirt to work around. So far we have planted more than 50 pounds of potatos, oinions, lettuce and spinach, and tomato, kale, broccoli, cabbage, and bean transplants from David's greenhouse. This week we need to plant our pumpkins and hopefully some grains. We are going to expierament with gluten free grains such as quinoa, millet and teff and see if they not only work for food, but also as mulch for next years garden.
This is the outhouse that Rich built. He is really developing the handyman skills out here!
Here is Rich and his new toy... I mean "farm implement". He sold his motorcycle and used some of his profit to buy it. I sure like it better than the motorcycle though! He has been using is to haul dirt and things for the garden, but he sure does enjoy riding it on the trails too.
Amy was out this week helping in the garden and she has put together a great blog post about it. She takes such beautiful photographs, it makes everything look so romantic. She also has some photos of Rich and I hard at work. She also posted about our trip to the farmer's market so take a look at that too.
We are planning to head to the Fulton Street market again this Saturday, so come on out and buy some plants! Amy and I are also baking some gluten free goodies to sell. MMMmmmmm, penut butter cookies!
This tree is the first thing I see when I look out the window from my bed in the morning and every day it has changes. Now it has all it's leaves.
The lilacs are already gone. I am so glad I took some photos. The smell was so sweet and beautiful. There are many large trees out here and many bees buzzed around them. Now that I am growing I appreciate the bees in a new way realizing how necessary they are to the plants. Farmer Brian also keeps bees here on the property.
When the sheep first arrived here the lambs were so small. Now they seem almost as big as their mothers.
We also measure time by the growth of sweet little Solaya. A baby growing happens in the most amazingly fast way. She is 8 weeks now I believe.
We also measure time by the growth of sweet little Solaya. A baby growing happens in the most amazingly fast way. She is 8 weeks now I believe.
We have been working ground that has not been worked in years, and praying that our hard work will bear fruit this season. First we had to pull trees and overgrown bushes out with the tractor, then we used this plow to begin to break up the earth.
It is a strong ancient looking thing and when I look at it I think of how old it is and how amazing it is that it is being used all these years later for the same purpose that is was created. It has been resurrected. I think of how God promises to resurrect all things and I feel a little closer to understanding.Next we used this disc to break up the soil even more.
In all I think that we plowed the garden twice and went over it with the disc at least 4 times. There are so many roots that after all this we still had to rototill each bed before we could begin planting anything, and there are still big clods of dirt to work around. So far we have planted more than 50 pounds of potatos, oinions, lettuce and spinach, and tomato, kale, broccoli, cabbage, and bean transplants from David's greenhouse. This week we need to plant our pumpkins and hopefully some grains. We are going to expierament with gluten free grains such as quinoa, millet and teff and see if they not only work for food, but also as mulch for next years garden.This is the outhouse that Rich built. He is really developing the handyman skills out here!
Here is Rich and his new toy... I mean "farm implement". He sold his motorcycle and used some of his profit to buy it. I sure like it better than the motorcycle though! He has been using is to haul dirt and things for the garden, but he sure does enjoy riding it on the trails too.
Amy was out this week helping in the garden and she has put together a great blog post about it. She takes such beautiful photographs, it makes everything look so romantic. She also has some photos of Rich and I hard at work. She also posted about our trip to the farmer's market so take a look at that too.
We are planning to head to the Fulton Street market again this Saturday, so come on out and buy some plants! Amy and I are also baking some gluten free goodies to sell. MMMmmmmm, penut butter cookies!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Moving
We are getting ready to make the move to the farm. It's going to be a crazy month for sure. The girls are finishing up school and I am doing my best to pack and get organized. I hope to rent the apartment by June 1st and I am really feeling the pressure to start advertising and showing it. I am just not sure how to do that while we live here. It's starting to feel like a farm around this place. Somehow we have ended up with a dog, a cat, two rats, a bunny, four chickens and a frog all under this roof! It's time to go!
This is Lily and her new bunny Ralphie. He is very sweet and litter trained, so he gets to hop around her room when we are home. we have been talking alot about the responsibilty of having animals and instead of thinking of it as, "this is my pet", thinking of it more like, this animal is my responsibility. The bunny is Lily's responsibility and the chickens are Rosie's technichally, although I am the one who ends up feeding everybody. I am trying to find a way to pass that on to the kids, it's just been hard to fit it in when everybody is getting ready for school in the morning, hopefully this summer they can take over.
As usual, Lily just can't keep her hands off of them. When we brought them home Rich and I both tried to make it very cleat that these would most likely end up on the dinner table someday, at least the roosters. Supposedly that's just fine with the girls since they both love to eat chicken (have I mentioned we are no longer vegetarians? hmmm, I probably should post about that subject), I guess we'll see how that goes when we get there!
Daisy has fun watching the chickens, and when they peck her she fakes crying and holds her hand to me saying, "Chicken bite me! Tiss it Mamma!" Then she runs back to them yelling, "chicken Bok Bok!"
Rich is getting pretty excited to live on the farm too. He moved all the farm equipment with the tractor. He is especially looking forward to getting some goats!
We could sure use some help with our big move and we would really appreciate your help in anyway you are available! After being here for 7 years, and adding three kids to our family in that time, I am a little overwhelmed by the task! We have been working hard to do as much ahead of time as possible so that it's not just utter chaos all at once. You should have seen the van load I took to Salvation Army the other day!
We are planning on moving the weekend of the May 22nd. I know it's a Holiday, I apologize, but if you have any time through out the weekend that you could set aside to help us out we would be so grateful!
The things we specifically need help with are:
-Hanging out with our kids so we can get some work done.
-Hauling the stuff we are storing to the basement of the house.
-Loading and moving stuff to the farm and to my mom's house.
-Cleaning!
-drywall patching
-Painting
Whatever doesn't get done as far as getting the apartment ready for a new tenant that weekend, we will be working on the next weekend of the 29th, so maybe if you aren't available the first weekend you could help out then? I will be in touch with more specific times and plans. Let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks and Love to you all!
Jen and Rich
This is Lily and her new bunny Ralphie. He is very sweet and litter trained, so he gets to hop around her room when we are home. we have been talking alot about the responsibilty of having animals and instead of thinking of it as, "this is my pet", thinking of it more like, this animal is my responsibility. The bunny is Lily's responsibility and the chickens are Rosie's technichally, although I am the one who ends up feeding everybody. I am trying to find a way to pass that on to the kids, it's just been hard to fit it in when everybody is getting ready for school in the morning, hopefully this summer they can take over.
Rosie is very proud of the little chics. We are all guessing which ones we think are Roosters and which are Hens.
Much to my dismay they out grew the storage bin I was keeping them in and we need to build them a chicken tractor so they can be outside during the day. They also need a good old fashion wing clipping!
Much to my dismay they out grew the storage bin I was keeping them in and we need to build them a chicken tractor so they can be outside during the day. They also need a good old fashion wing clipping!
As usual, Lily just can't keep her hands off of them. When we brought them home Rich and I both tried to make it very cleat that these would most likely end up on the dinner table someday, at least the roosters. Supposedly that's just fine with the girls since they both love to eat chicken (have I mentioned we are no longer vegetarians? hmmm, I probably should post about that subject), I guess we'll see how that goes when we get there!
Daisy has fun watching the chickens, and when they peck her she fakes crying and holds her hand to me saying, "Chicken bite me! Tiss it Mamma!" Then she runs back to them yelling, "chicken Bok Bok!"Rich is getting pretty excited to live on the farm too. He moved all the farm equipment with the tractor. He is especially looking forward to getting some goats!
We could sure use some help with our big move and we would really appreciate your help in anyway you are available! After being here for 7 years, and adding three kids to our family in that time, I am a little overwhelmed by the task! We have been working hard to do as much ahead of time as possible so that it's not just utter chaos all at once. You should have seen the van load I took to Salvation Army the other day!We are planning on moving the weekend of the May 22nd. I know it's a Holiday, I apologize, but if you have any time through out the weekend that you could set aside to help us out we would be so grateful!
The things we specifically need help with are:
-Hanging out with our kids so we can get some work done.
-Hauling the stuff we are storing to the basement of the house.
-Loading and moving stuff to the farm and to my mom's house.
-Cleaning!
-drywall patching
-Painting
Whatever doesn't get done as far as getting the apartment ready for a new tenant that weekend, we will be working on the next weekend of the 29th, so maybe if you aren't available the first weekend you could help out then? I will be in touch with more specific times and plans. Let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks and Love to you all!
Jen and Rich
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Quinoa
As promised, here is everything I have learned about Quinoa thanks to Wikipedia and the Gluten Free Girl and a little time spent messing around in the kitchen.
Quinoa (pronounced /ˈkiːnoʊ.ə/ or /kwɨˈnoʊ.ə/, Spanish quinua, fromQuechua kinwa), a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium), is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a psuedocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a grass. As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach and tumbleweeds. Its leaves are also eaten as a leaf vegetable, much like amaranth, but the commercial availability of quinoa greens is currently limited. Unlike wheat or rice, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source. (from Wikipedia)
Quinoa (pronounced /ˈkiːnoʊ.ə/ or /kwɨˈnoʊ.ə/, Spanish quinua, fromQuechua kinwa), a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium), is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a psuedocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a grass. As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach and tumbleweeds. Its leaves are also eaten as a leaf vegetable, much like amaranth, but the commercial availability of quinoa greens is currently limited. Unlike wheat or rice, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source. (from Wikipedia)
This is what the plant looks like:
and this is what whole grain Quinoa looks like when you cook it. It is cooked similarly to rice, 1 part quinoa to one part water brought to a boil, then covered and simmered for 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. It can also be cooked in vegetable or chicken broth for more flavor.
When I cook it, I usually make 2 cups of Quinoa at once. We eat half with one recipe that day and I save the other half in the fridge for a few days later with something else. Lily likes to eat it plain with just some Bragg's Liquid aminos on it. It tastes especially good with corn and goes well with roasted vegetables too.
Quinoa is available in many forms. We buy this Quinoa and corn pasta, which is really good. It's available at Harvest Health and even Meijer I think.
When I cook it, I usually make 2 cups of Quinoa at once. We eat half with one recipe that day and I save the other half in the fridge for a few days later with something else. Lily likes to eat it plain with just some Bragg's Liquid aminos on it. It tastes especially good with corn and goes well with roasted vegetables too.Quinoa is available in many forms. We buy this Quinoa and corn pasta, which is really good. It's available at Harvest Health and even Meijer I think.
Here is a meal I have made twice now with Quinoa and we have all really liked it. It is basically black beans cooked with oinions, green chiles and lots of fresh cilantro served on top if the Quinoa and topped with cheese and chrunched up tortilla chips. The time I made gluten free corn bread and fried plantains to go with it.
Daisy likes it!
Daisy likes it!
I also discovered that Quinoa is a great stand in for the cracked wheat in traditional middle eastern tabouli, from a great recipe for a Southwest Quinoa tabouli. I ate it on tortilla chips and it was awsome. To make it follow the recipe below adding black beans and corn, omitting the cucumber and replacing the parsley with cilantro. Have fun expiramenting and let me know what you make!
Here is the recipe for the traditional tabouli:
Here is the recipe for the traditional tabouli:
Tabouli
2 cups cooked and cooled Quinoa
1 cucumber, chopped
2 small tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch green onions, (8) sliced
1/2 cup fresh chopped mint
2 cups fresh chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
*this is also extra yummy with some Feta cheese mixed in!
Dressing:
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon pepper
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
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