Travelin Along

Went out to check the bees Saturday and see what the country side looked like. Especially to see if there were any blossoms left. There were some and I emphasize some alfalfa blossoms. With the nights being cool and the days warm, it should make the nectar flow. That is it would flow nicely if it wasn't so dry. I'd guess most of the nectar is dried up since it has been weeks and weeks since we've had a good rain. "So Lord, if you are listening right now, we'd sure could use a nice rain. Keep the hail you sent around the bee's area a week ago as it destroyed my friends garden and busted out a window on her house. Besides, I'd cry if it lit on mine. Our middle grand daughter has high hopes for carving a Cinderella pumpkin for Halloween. As for me, I figure we need at least a few more weeks and a month or more would be better for the slow growing garden to produce about all its going to this year.

You know how we depend on our garden." 

 Sorry, for the interruption but as forgetful as I'm getting these days, I find myself praying when I think of it instead of saving up for night time prayers. By then the thought has clean gone south to light here no more.

And speaking of forgetfulness, I almost forgot to comment on the picture. Please, please, please readers, keep your baling twine picked up. This lamb had a length of it wrapped around its leg cutting off circulation. It would not be long before it lost its leg. I contacted the ranchers and they are taking care of the problem. I'm surprised to see this on their ranch as this is plastic twine which is a no, no with sheep. It breaks down and becomes tangled in the wool and messes up the wool processing equipment. Buyers hate it. I'd guess this plastic twine is something that came over from the neighbors who have cows next door. We prefer jute twine that breaks down back into the soil. 

I do my best though to keep it picked up and I'm begging each of you to keep yours picked up too. Animals swallow it and nasty things happen inside, they get it around their appendages like with this lamb and a horse I rescued with a length tight around its neck, and it gets buried into the ground making it almost impossible to pull up.

As for me, the klutz, I trip all over it and if we didn't keep ours picked up, I'd be in the emergency room with a broken this or that.

You see he has yaks on his mind. We went to the Wyoming State Fair to look at the goat does we had previously viewed on the Internet to reaffirm our decisions that we wanted a buck out of this doe and a doe out of that one. Then after looking around, we visited a ranch in the area that had some yaks.

Funny how much more attentive he was when looking at yaks then goats.

We already have a bull lined up to take Jasmine to, to have her serviced next year and we will be making a trip to Turkey Hill to check him out and solidify our decision.

 But for Gracie we are holding out in wanting to breed her to a Royal, the black and white ones. We aren't decided yet where we want to go. But, as we travel about to more and more yak owners, we are learning more and more about these fascinating animals. So I guess we will just keep travelin.

Kinghorn Wax Beans

 "Grandpa, you'd be proud of me. I grew your beans this year but the yield doesn't look anything like yours."

"In fact Grandpa, none of my beans this year look too hunky dory. They are really late producing too as they are just beginning to come on. I guess that means I won't be able to save seed off of the Kinghorn beans you created for Del Monte and others. Oh well, maybe next year."

"But oh how I do wish you were still here with us so you could give me the scoop on what is going on in my garden. Some stuff is doing real well, like the Rouge something or other pumpkins that I now just call the Cinderella pumpkins since your grand daughter, our oldest, looked them up and found out they were the inspiration for the pumpkin shaped carriage on the movie Cinderella. One of my favorite movies when I was a kid you might remember."

"This new heirloom species has taken over the garden. I'll know to put it somewhere else other than smack dab center next time I grow it. I am getting pretty excited about this kind as one of the good sized pumpkins is turning orange and I just can't wait until it turns red and I can taste it. I hope it is good since it is pretty hard to get much to grow here in eastern Wyoming."

"Well that's all for now, I just thought if you were looking down from heaven, you might see that I'm thinking of you and missing singing those silly little songs with you like, "Once There Was a Snowman" and the one about the goat that ate the long johns off the clothes line. Tell Grandma, I love her and miss her a whole heap too."

Love
your grand daughter,
Holly

No, Really It Was Breakfast

 No, really, it was breakfast not dessert. The topping may have been home-made pie filling and the garnish a scoop of home-made ice cream but if you think about it, it is healthier than sugary syrup.
The pie filling has apples and the ice cream is dairy and surely that has more nutrition in it than maple syrup.

 The kids loved it

 And they all dug right in.

For a few minutes anyway they were smiling big time at what Grandma had whipped up to put on their apple cinnamon waffles. They all have the stomach flu and their appetites are a waining a bit. It isn't required to have flu to enjoy this delight so the next time you have waffles think pie filling and ice cream.

Strangling Pumpkins

Some of you might remember earlier in the summer my whining about not enough bees in the yard. LOL The Lord answered my prayers and we've had lots and lots of Bumble bees arrive. As for the other types of bees, they are still a bit scarce but beggars can't be choosers. I'm just happy these girls arrived.

As for my Rouge Vif d'Etampes, don't ask me to say that, they finally quit dying on the vine and started making red pumpkins. I know, I know, they are yellow right now, but if the good Lord blesses them, they will be red this fall. I've never grown them before but I wanted to start raising some heritage pumpkins as they are reputed to have far more flavor than the modern variety. I do love a good tasting pumpkin so I started some plants and then never got them planted in the garden last year. 

Why does it often take me two years to reach my goals? Last year was the year I was going to grow sunflower seeds on the north and south ends of the garden. It didn't happen, as is often the case. I think I have too many, goals, silly, not sunflowers.

 Now that I've planted them and they are growing, I'm questioning if they will make heads before frost and give me seeds or if they will just keep reaching for the sun. In the heavily manure area, they've grown way past the corn, which is taller than ever before having passed my 5'7", and I'm wondering if my goals of producing some seeds for my goats and chickens is yet another year off.

I haven't researched the soil and water requirements for sunflowers but I suspect too much fertilizer is the culprit, for I once had potato plants that were monstrosities but underneath only a few scrawny potatoes developed. I've heard I should of stomped on the plants a bit. I don't know if it works for I've never had the problem again. I do know I can't exactly stomp on my sunflowers. 

BUT, what about the picture with all the Bumble bees. Well, it is a lone volunteer in my flower bed. I suspect the seed blew in from my bird feeder.  

Oh my, I've gotten side tracked haven't I? I was talking about those Rouge something or others that I can't pronounce. I suspect the word is French. Blond, blond hair, and blue eyes, nope, I'm not French and so I can only guess. 

**********************

But I do love to explore things from different countries like the Siberian tomatoes and the Glacier once from Sweden which I'm still growing in my garden.

Now, I'm going to try out different squash but between these Rouge pumpkins and the Delicata squash, both heritage vegetables new to the garden, they've taken over the whole garden plot strangling tomato plants, crawling over the broccoli and now they escaping out onto the lawn. I know, I know, I should trim the things back but I can't hardly find anywhere to put my feet in my garden that I won't be stepping on plants.

Yes, once again I've crowded too much into too small a space. But I think this year it is worse than ever. If only we lived in the country with a bit of land to stretch out on to. Alas, I'll just have to plan better for next year and curb my gardening appetite.

For The Love of Zucchini

 Oh how we love zucchini!!! No, seriously, they are one of our favorite vegetables. And though we have four large plants, we aren't one of THOSE people who leave them on doorsteps of unsuspecting friends and neighbors. But, we do occasionally share. We took three nice little ones over to an older couple last night. Just enough for a nice side dish for supper. To keep zucchini from getting too large, I pick them every other night or in the morning if I'm going to freeze a batch for winter.

Since we don't like zucchini shredded in muffins, chocolate cake, and the like we pick our zucchini often to make sure they stay small. If any fruit do manage to hide and become large boats, I cut them up to feed the chickens or pigs if we have any. They are quite fond of them also.

At the end of the summer though I've a hankering to let some of my zucchini reach colossal size for I want to have zucchini races like Kirk, our oldest daughter, and I watched at Boulder Colorado a few summers ago. The local kids were invited to decorate an over grown zucchini in any fashion they desired and after attaching wheels, they raced it down a Pine Wood Derby race track. It was a hoot.

Think of it. A summer version akin to decorating Easter eggs or pumpkins for Halloween.

Only these get to go splat. Secretly, that was one of my favorite parts. There was the cute and the bizarre zucchini racing down the track like a bunch of crash dummies. LOL It was quite a sight.

Our oldest daughter did the same basic thing with a group of young adults, only they used huge potatoes. Prizes were given out for the most cleverly decorated and for those who won the potato races. As for us, we don't have a Derby track but we do have a mighty steep drive-way. And  I know the kids would love it since they are frequently in trouble for, on purpose, sending something crashing down into the street.


Until then, I'll keep our zucchini small and use them in souffles, scrambled eggs, in green salad and pasta salads, in stir fries, and in soups. But most of all, we'll be eating them sliced the long way and grilled on the gas grill. Nothing is better beside a home grown beef steak. With a splash of butter and a sprinkling of garlic salt, the green healthy vegetable is turned into a bit of heaven.

So if you want any of our zucchini, you'll have to ask real nicely. I promise to share - a little anyway - LOL.

It's a good thing zucchini are so good for you with a substantial dose of Vitamin A, quite a few Vitamin B's, Vitamin C, phosphorus, copper, magnesium, manganese, iron, zinc, potassium, and even protein all rolled up in a low calorie green high fiber wrapping. When I looked up the nutritional benefits of zucchini I knew why I loved it so much. A large portion of the calories is due to sugars. I do have a sweet tooth.  

To keep this sweet treat for winter, the best way I've found so far to preserve them is to blanch WHOLE small store sized zucchini for three minutes. Cool them quickly and then slice them on to cookie sheet and place them in the freezer. When frozen, you pop them into freezer bags to use in your favorite dishes in the winter. this way they don't become all mushy like when you blanch slices. 

My experiment for this year will be after blanching and cooling them to slice some the length way, like we do when we are going to grill them. Then this winter, we'll see if they will be firm enough after freezing to grill or if they will just make a mess.

What is your favorite way to save zucchini for winter?

Whipping Egg Whites

I've started collecting my notes for my first cooking class, Breakfast Is In The Freezer, and we'll be discussing eggs. Souffle is on the menu. But there are a few tips to whipping up egg whites nice and fluffy.

1. Separate your whites from the yolks when the eggs are cold.

2. Use egg whites that are at room temperature to whip because they will whip higher. 

3. a. Use a copper bowl to whip them in as it stabilizes the eggs. I don't have one so I use the stainless steel bowl in my kitchen- aid mixer or my favorite glass mixing bowls that were imported from England.

b. If you use stainless steel or glass it is recommended that you add cream of tarter to stabilize the proteins in the egg whites.

c. Plastic is not recommended because it is too porous and absorbs odors, oils, you name it. And oil is a big no, no when trying to create volume. Remember to also thoroughly clean your utensils.

d.Aluminum bowls are a no, no also as the metal turns the eggs a grayish color. Plus, as the mixer beats around the bowl, it shaves off tiny particles of aluminum putting it inside your food. Aluminum is not one of the good metals necessary for optimal health. 

3.Start beating your egg whites on low and increase the speed slowly. If you start at too high a speed the air bubbles become unstable resulting in a flatter result.

4. Add the cream of tarter after the eggs are beaten and have formed shiny peaks.

There you have it, one of discussions we will be having in class.

Cooking Classes

 If I'm not as regular with blogging over the course of the next week, please be patient. I promise I'll be back, but right now I'm not feeling at all well.

I do want to touch base quickly and tell you about an exciting new adventure I'm preparing for. I'm going to teach cooking classes this fall through the recreation center. Not a typical thing you think of when the word recreation center comes to mind. Swimming, racket ball, basket ball, or weight lifting, yes, but not cooking. It just happened that I wanted to earn a little extra money and I felt promted by the Lord to ask the director, (a gal I've known for years) if she'd be interested in helping me coordinate such a thing.     

 She, unbeknownst to me, had been thinking of offering cooking courses through the recreation center and was trying to come up with a teacher. I guess our recreation facility will be torn down next spring and she's looking for things to offer that don't involve a swimming pool, racket ball courts etc. which won't exist. Who would of thunk we would be on the same train of thought? 

I don't know about you but I always give a big sigh of, "WHEW, got that one right." when I've listened to the still small voice and have done as the Lord directs. Unfortuneately, I'm not always a good listener.  
The director and I decided that though the recreation building will be there this fall, we'd like to start the courses to get the ball rolling. Something  new always takes a while to build momentum.

After our brief conversation at the local hardware store, where we happened to run into each other, I typed up a list of classes I thought I'd like to start with along with a short outline of what the classes would entail. Between us we narrowed the list down and came up with a five month plan. 

Just how much to charge we weren't sure as I'm not about to make everything and then figure the cost of supplies as I'd be in the hole financially before I'd begun since each class offered cooks something different and I don't have the time to cook up a storm with the garden producing.

I did think about not only do I want to cover my cost and make a little money but I had to try and guess what people in our area would be willing to pay. People around here aren't willing to pay much for educational classes.

I chose to go through the recreation center because they have insurance and we could do the courses through the town hall which they already have a deal with. The town hall has a big kitchen and lots of counters space making it the best spot in town.

And though I've put in a number of hours already, I've only just begun for I have to outline my classes in detail, make signs to put up on all the bulletin boards around town advertising, contact the local paper to ask if they'll run an article, do up a notebook with photos of the foods that will include a class outline to leave at the recreation center so they can use it to promote the classes. Then there are my lists of supplies to buy, list of cooking utinsels to bring to class, recipes to copy, and research and organization of tips I want to be sure and cover.

My idea is to create a science based cooking classes somewhat like Alton Brown's Good Eats program  -- only in my own style. My goal with the students is to help them understand cooking so they can branch off of recipes in magazines and books. Use what's available in their cupboard and in our very small grocery store.

I want them to understand why you do what in a recipe and what will be the results. For instance many foods have similiar ingredients -- think muffins, bread, and buiscuits for instance- but their texture is very different from each other. The main factor is the develop of the gluten or not developing it that lends to different textures. Plus, I want to cover choice of ingredients, why do you add baking soda versus baking powder and a conzillion other things like substituting one ingredient for another. I'm always substituting according to what's in the cubboard and in the days to come I think more and more homes are going to feel a financial crunch.

The students after taking a few classes should be comfortable in adventuring out a bit on their own, tweaking recipes and tailoring them to their own tastes. I want to do much, much, more than just giving my student good recipes to follow. I want them to understand what to do and why.

Since I've taught lots and lots of workshops over the years, I'm not at all nervous about the teaching part but this formal setting is a bit different than I've done before. It will be an adventure.