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Our Summer Kitchen

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With the garden flourishing, there is a lot of action in our summer kitchen.  Thank goodness for the cool temperatures that graced us last week!  It made the whole idea of standing over multiple pots of boiling liquid all day a lot more tolerable.

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Grandpa Dit’s Bread and Butter Pickles were first on the to-do list.  One of my favorite canning goodies.

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Preserving sweet peppers for winter.  I take the time now to dice the peppers, and then freeze them in plastic freezer bags.  Then in the winter I can just pull them out and add them to anything calling for some sweet pepper love.

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A new one for us: Jalapeño Jam.  It sure smelled good while making it.  I guess we will see how it tastes in a few weeks.  Fingers crossed.

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After harvesting our rhubarb, I chop it up and freeze it in freezer bags so we can enjoy this spring and summer treat all winter long.

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Our tomatoes are finally starting to ripen.  I must say, our tomatoes are kind of lack luster this year, which is very disappointing because putting by tomatoes is my most favorite produce to preserve.  But here is one nice sized basket I was able to garner from the garden last week.  I made tomato sauce with this collection, and then froze it in our deep freeze for the winter months when throwing pasta in a pot and adding a jar of homemade tomato sauce is just what those little school girls want for dinner.

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B.L.T.s  I would be hard pressed to find anyone who does not think this sandwich tops the list of greatest summertime foods.  The bread is from Banana Cherry Bakery, the bacon is from the hog we purchased from this farmer, the tomatoes are from our garden, and topped off with a touch of homemade mayo.  (I use Jamie Oliver’s mayonnaise recipe from this cookbook.)  Oh my.  Delicious.

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And we all know that when you eat those salty B.L.T.s you need something sweet after, right?  We whipped up a batch of this amazing cinnamon sugar popcorn.  Wow. It has quickly become a staple at our snack times this week.

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The makings of our dinner from last night, and breakfast this morning.  I love the fullness that this time of year brings.  Such garden abundance is truly a blessing.

At This Moment

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At this moment, I am…

~labeling all kinds of school supplies.  I still cannot believe school starts this week.  Where has this summer gone?  My stomach is churning as I think about it.

~harvesting rhubarb from our garden.  I’m hoping to whip up some rhubarb squares later this afternoon. Yum.

~transforming a portion of our playroom into a library for my little book-lovers.  More on this revamped space later this week.

~re-reading Catching Fire.  Oh my.  I forgot how much I love this book.

~loading up the van with needed supplies for the school garden.  We are setting up an outdoor classroom space today, just in time for the start of the new school year.

~wishing we could add some more days (or weeks really) to this fleeting summer.

~hoping each of you has a wonderful start to your week.

Taking It All In

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It is hard to believe that in just over a week my little girls will be beginning another school year.  I must say, I am definitely not one of those parents who is happy when the school year begins anew.  In fact, I am finding that twist in the pit of my stomach forming.  That feeling of not wanting my girls to be away from me for the better part of each day.

So for that reason, I am going to step away from this space for the week and just enjoy home.  I want to be fully present in each moment of this week and relish in the goodness that is being nestled in with my little ones, enjoying what is left of this wonderful summer.

May you all have a lovely week, holding those dear ones close to you.

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Kairos

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Kairos—“a right, opportune, or supreme moment in which something special and unique happens”

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If you are so inclined, share a link to your “Kairos Moment” in the comment section.  I hope you all have a blessed weekend!

Kids with Cob

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This weekend, for my husband’s birthday present, we journeyed up north a bit to the Angelic Organics Learning Center for a “Kids with Cob” class.  We had been wanting to attend a class at Angelic for a long time now, and I am so very happy we finally had a chance to attend.  We had the most wonderful afternoon, learning about building with cob, getting messy, and playing with the animals.

It’s so amazing to watch the little ones soak in so much information and knowledge, while immersed in creative activity.  And best of all…the kids (and adults too) got to play in mud all day.  What could be better on a beautiful Friday afternoon?

I encourage anyone living in the Rockford area to take advantage of the Angelic Organics Learning Center and all of the wonderful classes they offer in regards to holistic and sustainable living.  You are sure to leave with lots of great information, and even more amazing memories.

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Cherry Pomegranate Frozen Yogurt

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It seems that it has been some time since I have shared one of my recipes in this space, so today is the day my friends.  Today I bring you yet another of our family’s experiments with a cow’s milk dairy free recipe.  My girls just love this frozen yogurt recipe I concocted, and I hope you and your family enjoy it as well.  It is incredibly simple, so you can whip it up on no time for a fun, summer snack.

Cherry Pomegranate Frozen Yogurt

10 oz dark sweet cherries (these can be fresh or frozen and thawed)

1/2 cup honey

1 cup 100% juice pomegranate juice

1 cup yogurt (We use goat’s milk yogurt, but any yogurt would work great.)

Add the cherries and honey to a blender.  Blend until smooth.  Next add the juice and the yogurt.  Pulse a few times in the blender until combined.  Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.  Enjoy!

*A note about all my recipes:  I use all organic ingredients, local when available.  I use non-homogenized milk, and all of the dairy we use is from animals raised on pasture. I also use oils that are non-GMO verified.  All our meat is raised locally on organic feed, and our beef is grass-fed, grass-finished.  All our spices and cane sugar are fair-trade certified and purchased through a cooperative.

Eczema-Friendly Soap

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A member of our family has been struggling with eczema for a very long time, so I began researching natural remedies for this ailment.  In my research, I found that coconut-based products help to moisturize the dry skin of eczema, and many essential oils are found to relief many of eczema’s symptoms.  Now please remember, I am by no means a medical professional, but this soap (which has only been in use a few days now), seems to be helping to give some relief.

Eczema-Friendly Soap 

2 pounds Melt and Pour Soap Base (I use this Goat’s Milk Soap Base.)

1/4 cup organic coconut oil

2 teaspoons fresh chopped lavender

2 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary

5 drops cedarwood essential oil

10 drops patchouli essential oil

5 drops clary sage essential oil

5 drops tea tree essential oil

10 drops lavender essential oil

5 drops rosemary essential oil

a shallow pot or saucepan

a glass bowl

wooden spoon

soap molds (You can purchase these at your local craft store or here.)

Fill the pot or saucepan half full with water.  Bring to a simmer.  Place the glass bowl in the pot of water to create a double boiler of sorts.  Place the melt and pour soap base in the glass bowl, along with the coconut oil.  Stir the base and coconut oil with a wooden spoon until it melts.  Remove the bowl from the heat and mix in the fresh herbs.  Then add the essential oils and stir.  Allow the mixture to cool just slightly (enough to thicken the mixture just a bit).  Pour into your molds.  Allow to rest until completely cool.  Remove the soap from the molds.  Enjoy!

From Scratch

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In our family’s attempt to make as much as we possibly can here in our home, there are those weeks that go by when we are in the midst of a creating whirlwind, and suddenly I look at the calendar and it’s Wednesday.  This is one of those weeks.  Oh boy.

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There have been baskets and baskets of beans harvested from the garden, more than we could ever eat at this time.  So, this weekend we rinsed, cut and froze most of our harvested beans to set aside for the winter months.

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We are to that point in the growing season where some of our plants have gone to seed.  So this weekend, entrenched in vines and leaves of green, we pulled out arugula and collected the seed pods for late fall planting.  Then replanted carrots and beets for fall harvest.

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I opened my linen closet last Friday to a cavernous black hole, completely void of any form of soap, lotion or shave oil.  The girls and I got to work and rounded out the weekend with a fresh batch of lotion (I use the recipe from this book.) and shave oil (my recipe can be found here), and a new eczema-friendly soap concoction.  (The recipe for this soap to come soon.)

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And last but not least, there is the fermentation frenzy that has taken over our house the last two weeks.  I don’t often become overly obsessed with much, but oh my, I think I may just be in love with Sandor Katz, his book The Art of Fermentation, and all of the nutritional benefits fermenting has to offer.  I gave this book to my husband last summer for his birthday, to aid him in his beer-making endeavors.  But I now find myself huddled with my morning coffee, spilling over the pages of this book, completely enraptured by the content.

Amidst the fermenting madness is fresh made yogurt, milk kefir, water kefir, and kombucha.  The constant growing process of it all is just amazing, and the wonderful probiotics offered naturally in these foods is simply mind boggling.  I have so much more to learn, but I am sure enjoying the entire process along the way.

I hope all of you are enjoying a wonderful start to your week!