Dirty Deeds!

FFF Photo a Day - Day 64

We have a heavy clay soil in the Red River Valley. We have worked hard to cultivate a more welcoming soil for our veggies on our farm but this takes many years. 

For our seedlings we take our soil and mix it with Peat Moss. We generally mix a 50/50 blend. This helps the plants get off to a good start. 

Breadwinner

Photo a Day - Day 61

A few weeks ago, I shared my success with making a sourdough starter. 

Over the past few weeks, I've been experimenting with different recipes from traditional sourdough bread to crackers, muffins and cakes. Not all things have worked but most have. 

This weekend I built on a previous successful recipe for sourdough bread and created a whole wheat version. 

I have discovered the secret to the yummy chewy crust is to mist the bread with water periodically as it bakes! 

Making granola

                                                           

FFF Photo a Day - Day 59

Today I started a new batch of granola. I make it in my dehydrator (although you could do so in the oven as well). 

Once I mix up all the dry ingredients (nuts, seeds and oats), I add a mixture of browned butter, oil, honey and syrup to stick it all together. 

Before they are fully done, I may shape them into bars or simply leave as shown and then break apart into bigger chunks. 

Great energy bars and I like that I know what's in them!  

   

Chicken Haiku

FFF Photo a Day - Day 54

My mind was wandering as I washed today's eggs... as a result, I present to you a chicken haiku (apologies in advance): 

Our hens lay them all, 
brown, white, beige, speckled, large, small.
They are all yummy!

The daily dirt...

Washing eggs is a daily chore

FFF Photo a Day - Day 52

Washing eggs is a daily chore around the farm. This simple but meditative task is soothing and feels productive regardless of how badly the rest of your day has gone.

Our eggs come in fifty shades of beige and there is always an odd shaped one in every batch. 

Did you know that a hen will lay eggs regardless of the presence of a rooster. In fact since our miniature rooster - Elton died, we haven't had a man in the coop. Somehow everyone's seems a bit happier. ;)

Where's the Beef?

FFF Photo a Day - Day 51

Homegrown Grassfed Beef Tenderloin

Tonight was date night on the farm again, however this time we stayed home and created tapas and art! 

We started with some of our fresh beef tenderloins, lightly seasoned, pan fried, sliced thin on crackers with goat cheese - it was yummy. 

Sourdough Success

My first sourdough starter!

FFF Photo a Day - Day 41

I've been wanting to get back into making bread with sourdough for awhile and this weekend I successfully made my first sourdough starter. For those that aren't familiar with sourdough baking, you need a 'mother' or a starter from which you extract a cup or so instead of using yeast in your baking. You must feed your 'mother' and maintain it in between baking sessions. 

I have a previous experience with sourdough baking that has made me a tad shy of the whole thing. About 20 years ago, a good friend gave me a tupperware container of starter, extolling its wonderful properties and possibilities. I dutifully put it in my car to take home....and forgot it there.... for days.... we brought the car to the wrecker later that summer - need I say more? Sourdough starter is not something you forget about! 

Last of the Sunshine...

FFF Photo a Day - Day 39

We finished off last summer's potatoes yesterday. We also only have six wrinkly tomatoes left and two small squash. Whether we like it or not, we are entering that irritating time of having to buy all our vegetables at the store.

It will likely be at least four-five months before we once again can taste real sunshine in our food. :(

Seedy sweet-talk

FFF Photo a Day - Day 37 

Today was spent doing inventory of saved and leftover seeds and pouring over seed catalogues. After much debate surrounding what we will grow this year, we managed to come up with a complete list of varieties and quantities and finished our seed orders! Whew! 

Looking forward to trying a few new things such as collards, Armenian cucumber and Honeynut Squash. Of course we have way too many varieties of tomatoes (if that's possible) and are also trying a few some yellow and red carrot varieties. 

Parsley post

FFF Photo a Day - Day 35

The other day we ran out of dried parsley in the jar in our spice cupboard! It reminded me that I have yet to process all the drying herbs that are hanging in my basement! 

In the fall, we put all our perennial herbs in pots to grow inside and harvest all the annuals to dry. 

This extends the harvest, saves on the grocery bill and gives us a hint of summer in the midst of the snow. 

My jar is full once again! 

A peek inside our cupboard...

FFF Photo a Day - Day 33

As part of extending our harvest we spend a lot of time freezing, drying and canning in the fall. This picture was what my canning cupboard used to look like... its less full right now (and not as neat)!

We make tomato sauce, paste, pasta sauce and salsa with what is typically an over-abundance of fall tomatoes. Jalapeno jelly, ground cherry jam, salsa verde from our tomatillos, and various other assortments of preserves, pickles and sauces. 

For most of our canning we use the water bath canning process. I covet my neighbours pressure canner and hope one day to own and master that processing method. 

Triple Double Day!

FFF Photo a Day - Day 32

Got love a day that starts with three double yolker eggs! 

My math is not strong so I'm not sure if you would express this as 2³ or something else. 

Either way its delicious and a great way to start a day! 

A day of discovery...

FFF Photo a Day - Day 31

Today we took nineteen kids on a day of discovery. Thanks to a grant from FCC we were able to take all the kids in our 4H club to the Food and Farm Research Centre just south of Winnipeg. 

Many of the kids live in towns and have not given much thought to where their food comes from. They were able to explore how pigs and dairy cows are raised, ground their own flour to make bread and explored the eggs-citing world of chickens! 

Rhythms and routines

FFF Photo a Day - Day 25

Raising animals and growing your own food keeps you in touch with the rhythms of the day, seasons and year. 

You eat seasonally, sleep and wake according to the sun and your day is punctuated with soothing routines such as gathering eggs, milking and feeding and watering animals.  

It is this strong connection or grounded-ness that I love deeply about how and where we are blessed to live. 

Homemade goodness

FFF Photo a Day - Day 24 

The winter brings a little bit of a slow down in the farm work and allows us to relax a bit and play around in the kitchen using all the wonderful bounty from the farm. 

This week we tried making homemade crackers to eat with our goat cheese. They turned out pretty good even if a bit overdone. 

Trick is to roll the dough as thin a possible and watch the carefully as they go from being not done to overdone in an instant! 

Never ending bounty!

FFF Photo a Day - Day 21

You know you are spoiled when you have the opportunity to get tired of fresh produce directly from the garden. 

At this time of year we still have squash, onions, potatoes and even a few wrinkly tomatoes left from last fall's harvest.

Oh and a tremendous amount of tomatillos that I'm trying to forget about... We had such a bumper crop of tomatillos that I've run out of things to make with them. 

While I whine... it is always an incredible wonder to get a taste of summer in the middle of the cold winter months.

P.S. Anyone want some #$%! tomatillos?!  

Jar of Life!

Day 15 - FFF Photo a Day 

During the winter months, it is always hard to get enough fresh veggies, especially when you are on a budget. 

We get our veggies in the depth of winter via our homemade supergreen veggie powder. In the fall during harvest, we dehydrate (either in our dehydrator or simply hanging to dry) and we then grind it all up our blender.

It produces a powder that we can slip into smoothies, stews, meat sauces and other sneaky places. Most of the time no one knows its even in there. 

We call it our jar of life! 

Everyone loves cheese!

Day 14 - FFF Photo of the Day

Cheese is my chocolate! I am of the opinion that cheese is near enough to being perfect than it gets in the food world! 

We have made a variety of cheeses, from cheddar, to chevre to mozzarella - all with various levels of success. While we are still honing our skills in this area, there is nothing better than the moment when you realize that 'it worked!'. We primarily have worked with our goat milk but hope to move into cow's milk next year as we gain a better supply. 

Here we are making mozzarella which involves working and stretching the hot cheese with your hands - a bit like taffy! Its a bit of a trick to avoid burning your hands but still work the cheese before it cools off! 

Pecking order

Day 13 - FFF Photo a Day

We raise chickens for meat in the summer months and eggs throughout the year. We bring our hens inside the barn during the really cold winter months. 

A couple of times a day we go out to feed, check their water and gather eggs. When you enter the coop, they come running to peck the snow off your boots! 

A remedy for the winter blues!

Day 11 - FFF Photo a Day

We are always looking for ways to extend our season and try to bring many of our herbs in over the winter. 

We hang and dry our oregano, parsley and basil and pop our rosemary into pots in front of our sunny southern windows. 

It is wonderful to add fresh rosemary to our meat dishes in the cold winter months. 

When I'm feeling down, I bury my face in our rosemary plant and breathe deep! Instant pick me up!