Sourdough bread, canning beans, and digging in the dirt!

      It sure does smell good in my kitchen! And it's been several hours since I baked the sourdough bread! It is so delicious! I can hardly believe I made sourdough with my own wild yeast! It's amazing! I tried this before, but it didn't taste good. This tastes wonderful! I'm glad I tried the process again! I'm almost out of sourdough starter, so I'm feeding it everyday! I have dough rising for pitas, but I'm not sure if it's going to turn out. The recipe called for water, but I didn't add all of it because it made the dough too wet. I'll let you know if it turns out.  

      I got most of the beans that came in the co-op order, canned. I had twenty pints in all. That should last us a good while. I love kidney beans so that was what most of them were. I also had five pints of baby limas, two of black beans and two of Adzuki beans. I don't know why I love to can beans, but it is very satisfying to me! I guess I feel like I've 'done something' when it's completed!

      The weather was so nice today, 62 was the predicted high, so I got my shovel and went to work! I turned under three beds before I came inside! I thought I could do more, but that is a pretty good workout! Especially after I'd already worked out upstairs! I still want to make some "Energy Bars" since the girls are coming tomorrow. They only have three ingredients: dates, nuts, and dried fruit and you process it in the food processor. I think this will be a healthy snack for me and the girls. Hope ya'll have had a good week! Looks like our temps are going to be a lot warmer next week! Spring is definitely here! Have a nice weekend! Blessings from Bama!

A canner full of beans!

A very large canner!

A work in progress.

This was after they were finished but  were still cooking. The bubbles didn't show up here.

The completion of the process!

Sourdough rising.

Finished product! Delicious!

Windy weather, sourdough starter, and more sprouts!

      The weather this week is so unpredictable! It was cloudy with a chance of rain; then it rained; and now it is blustering windy! The temp fell from 60 degrees, to 49 in an hour! I did manage to get my walk in after the brief thunderstorm, however! Tomorrow 's high is only 40's, but the next day back to sixties, then even to 70! Spring has it's moments here in the South! We got some snow flurries this past weekend but no accumulation. We have to watch the weather on a daily basis, so we'll know how to dress! OK, so much about the weather! Just like for my out of state readers to know what we're experiencing!

      I did get outside yesterday as the temps were 60-ish. I emptied the wheel barrow of goat manure onto the big bed. I just need to get out there now and turn it under. I need to do that to all of the beds! Won't that be a good workout! My arms are really feeling the workouts I've been doing on the DVD! I'm actually doing better with them than I thought I would! I hope I can hang in there this summer when it's so hot! I really hate profuse sweating, and that's what happens when I workout in the summer! We'll see!

      I received my co-op order Saturday and am planning on canning some beans tomorrow! Can you believe WM didn't have pint size jars? The hubs is stopping at Winn Dixie to get some on his way home this evening. I will also be trying out my new sourdough starter come Thursday, the day it will be ready. I've been acquiring sourdough recipes not just for bread; like: English muffins, pancakes and waffles, bread, and even dumplins! All you do to start is mix 1/4 cup flour with 1/4 cup water, stir, put in a jar, put a coffee filter with rubber band around it and let it sit for twenty-four hours. Then you add the same amount of flour and water, stir and let sit. Do this for seven days, and you'll have captured wild yeast or sourdough starter! Neat isn't it! Oh, I made a delicious new recipe for the bread machine from Bob's Red Mill: New York Rye. It's on their website. It is the best rye I've ever made! The hubs said don't even look for another one!

      I've got lentils and rice in the crock-pot and it smells so good! It has southwestern spices so it will be good in tacos and such. I got that recipe from: lifecurrents.dw2.net if you're interested. Hope ya'll are having a good week! Stay safe! Blessings from Bama!

This was an experiment to see if I could make washing soda. I'm not sure if it ever did, and it's not worth the amount of time spent in the oven if it did. Better to buy it instead.

My co-op order: nuts, dried fruit, beans, oatmeal, whole wheat pastry flour, all organic of course!

The delicious rye bread!

Wonderful smoked salmon! I think this was my first time to eat it! I know it was the hubs first time to smoke it. Make sure you read the label. It may say wild caught but from what country? I ran into that at WM, so this pack came from Washington state.

Sourdough starter. See the separation? Totally natural. You can see tiny bubbles. I think my kitchen is very yeasty!

These are the English muffins I made. They turned out pretty good. My first time making them and they got a little dark. Next batch will be with the sourdough.

My delicious lunch: smoked salmon, pickled onions, pickled beets, lettuce mix with homemade vinaigrette, and Hazel nuts.

The Seeds are Sprouting!

      I am so excited, I just had to pop in and tell ya'll! It's such a great thing when you plant a seed and watch it come up and eventually produce something! You know God has to be in that! There are only a few tomato seedlings coming up, but I have faith that the rest of them will come up as well!

      I just came in from outside and boy, is it cold and damp! It hasn't rained lately, but the sky looks like it could any minute! I didn't have my camera with me to show you that the fruit trees are about to bud! They are so pretty! I just hope the cold doesn't harm them! It's cloudy, windy, and can you believe it, snow is forecast for tonight! Not much, but any would be pretty! I figured it would snow in March! We had a blizzard back in March 1993! I'll never forget it because it thundered while it was snowing. I didn't think it was snowing since it was dark out and you couldn't see anything, but when we awakened the next morning, we couldn't believe our eyes! It was phenomenal! I actually hope that never happens again because people around here don't know how to handle that much snow. It was several feet and the power was out in some areas, for weeks! We got through it fine and the snow was all gone in a couple of days. So, all that to say: March is very unpredictable for us weather wise!

      Hopefully, the weather won't be too bad where you live either! Stay warm and safe and have a good weekend! Blessings from Bama!

A simple bread made in the bread machine. Some homemade granola in the background.

I didn't know what to eat for lunch yesterday, so I looked in the fridge drawer and found all of these veggies. I stir fried them and served them over brown rice. Yum!

Some new seeds I'm trying this year: Dixie Wine tomato and Aker's West Virginia tomato. 

The top section is peppers, which take longer to germinate.

Amish Paste tomato and Schuntukski Tomato. I found these seeds at Marie Seeds.

Celebration and seeds!

      We had a very exciting weekend this past weekend! The girls came for a visit, and we celebrated my in-laws 50th. wedding anniversary! The celebration was a surprise to the happy couple, and boy, were they surprised! Everything turned out very nice, and we got to visit with family members we don't get to see very often.

      I also started the rest of the tomato and eggplant seeds. I see no growth yet from the other seeds, but it takes 7-14 days for germination. I really should have started them sooner so they'll be bigger going into the ground! I just hope they germinate! I also need to get outside and do the work mentioned before on the raised beds! Today it isn't raining, but the wind is quite gusty! It's rained a lot here and been windy and cold, so I couldn't get anything done outside. I hope to do something today since the temps are supposed to be in the mid-50's. Then it's supposed to turn cold with possible snow flurries this weekend. The weather usually changes before then, so we'll see.

      My co-op order should be here by this weekend and I'm so excited to see what all I get! I kept adding to the order since January, so it will be quite a few items. Some weeks I have grocery money left over, so I save that and will pay for the order with the savings. I haven't been able to save any grocery money in the past two weeks, since it seems prices just keep going up! The order will help with that since buying in bulk is cheaper, and I'll save money in the long run. I've really been trying to be more frugal with food and have had very little to give to the dogs. They wait every morning for me to throw out something, but I only have a few crumbs for them. Good for us, bad for the dogs. They have their dog food, so they're not starving!

      Hope the weather is nice where you live! Just be thankful for moisture instead of drought! Have a good week! Blessings from Bama!

Layla and Yasmine love to swing!

Layla isn't afraid to let Delilah eat from her hand!

Yasmine is feeding Daisey from a cup.

So young and in love!

These photos hold many memories for the happy couple!

The wedding day. The two photos above are passport photos. They met and married in Germany!

The lovely cake.

The surprised couple and their son.

These glasses are too cute!

A framed puzzle put together by their daughter in only two days. Helen has visited the castle in Germany before.

The rest of the seeds I wanted to start.

A keeper recipe for baked chicken Parmesan!

I finished the job!

      How good it does feel to finally have the two empty beds filled with dirt and ready to plant! I got it done just before the rain set in! I don't care for these dreary, cloudy, rainy days; and I appreciate the sun so much more after days like this! At least we're not under fifteen inches of snow! I don't know what I'd do if we were! Go out and make snow angels, for one! I love the snow and think it is so pretty, but after a long winter of it, I guess it does get old. At least I can be inside and get inside tasks accomplished. The girls are coming tomorrow, so I've got a day to get ready for them. I missed them last weekend, so I'm looking forward to them being here.

      I got some of my seeds started! That's another plus for being inside! I ran out of t-labels, so I didn't plant the rest. I will go to WM this weekend and pick up some while I'm there. I don't like to make special trips just for one or two things. I'm so excited to see the first seedlings appear, but it probably won't be for 7-14 days!

      The weather is affecting the hens laying! Today I only got one egg! So much for cream brulee! It takes four large egg yolks! It's that, or no eggs for breakfast in the morning. I like eggs for breakfast, so I may have to buy some eggs for the cream brulee. I'm surprised I have any eggs! Nine hens just don't add up to one egg! How are ya'lls hens doing?

      I'm curious to see what next week's weather brings. I have other jobs in the raised beds that need to be done. They won't be as extensive as removing and replacing dirt, although that is what I'd like to do. I'm just going to skim off the top layer and replace it with manure and leaves. Hopefully, that will break down into nice compost for future veggies. I would also like to plant some early spring veggies. I will think on that and let you know next week. Hope ya'll have a great weekend! Blessings from Bama!

This was a new dish I tried this week: cheese and bean stuffed burritos with taco seasoned meat sauce on top.

Filling the cells with seed starting mix.

The finished bed, yay!

Peppers planted.

I need to skim off the top and put in some good stuff.

This bed still has garlic and some beets. When I harvest them, I'll skim off the topsoil and replace it with manure and leaves. The bed above it has some turnips, so when I harvest them, I'll do the same.

Next day, I planted tomato seeds.

      

Smoothie or Lemon Meringue Pie?

      I think I'll have both! My brother brought a couple of lemons from Mobile the last time he was home, so I finally got around to using one of them. They are the biggest lemons I've ever seen! They are more like a grapefruit or very large navel orange in comparison. They don't taste like a traditional lemon, though, so I'm thinking Meyer lemon. I wish I had a Meyer lemon to compare the taste. Maybe the store will have one this week so I can compare. This was my first meringue, since I usually don't like the taste of meringue. This meringue doesn't taste like other meringues, so I think I'll like it. The texture of meringues kind of bother me as well, but since the flavor is better, I can deal with the texture. In fact, I think this is my first 'from scratch' lemon meringue pie! I used the recipe from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I'm sure there's one on the web if one would like to Google it. I didn't make the crust, or I would still be making the pie right now. I keep a store bought frozen pie crust in the freezer. Maybe one day I'll make my own pie crust!

      Since I worked so hard last week hauling dirt with the wheel-barrow, I gave my back a break over the weekend and today! In fact, my upper back muscles were so sore I couldn't have worked them If I wanted to! It's been a beautiful day out with the temps in the lower 60's, so it was very hard for me NOT to do that sort of work! Thus, the pie!

      Hopefully by my next post, I will have planted my seeds! I won't to go and do that right now, but I must make dinner! Do the dishes ever get caught up? How about the laundry, dusting, and bathrooms? It seems like I never get all the things done I need to in a day! Like the guy on Andy Griffith,  tomorrow is the best day to do anything! I will be busy tomorrow! Have a nice week! Blessings from Bama!

Are these Meyer lemons?

My first 'from scratch' lemon meringue pie!

Which would you choose? I think I know!

I made hand sanitizer! Thanks to Brown Thumb Mama!

      

Did you Spread a Little Love on Valentine's Day?

      I did! At least to my animals, hubby and son! I didn't see anyone else, but I sent them messages. It was a back-breaking, body-wrenching, work-out day for me! I finally finished the raised bed I was working on! All of those trips with the wheel-barrow full of dirt, and the goats butting me and climbing on me too! But I went right back at it today! This time it was the chickens! Every time I go to the gate with the wheel-barrow, they all flock there as if they want out. First, one got out. I thought I would not get to her before Rubi did, but thankfully Rubi stayed on the porch. I got the chicken in and moved on. I came back with another load, and another chicken got out! She stayed out forever, it seemed! I just knew Rubi would get her, but alas, she stayed on the porch. I finally got the hen in and came in to write this post. That was exhausting! I still have to go out for another load before dark. I may have enough daylight for two loads, but I doubt it. 

      I'll be so glad when this bed is finished! I've decided that I'm not going to removed the dirt in the other beds; I'm just going to get the top soil off and replace it with manure and leaves. It is full of weeds, so removing this top layer will get most of them, and the composted manure and leaves will hopefully smother out the rest. I'll just be glad when I'm done! I am using this for my workout this week since it is one! I was working out with Jackie Warner on a dvd, but this is the same! I like this better since I'm outside. Today's temp is 59, but tomorrow the high is only supposed to be 40 with strong gusty winds. I doubt I'll be working outside in that! That's why I'm trying to get as much done now. 

      Have ya'll started your seeds indoors yet? I should have already done that, but I haven't. Tomorrow will be a good day for that if I have to stay inside. We had a nice Valentine's  dinner last night at home! I didn't want to wait in long lines at a restaurant and  wished I'd cooked instead. That's what usually happens. Ya'll have a great weekend! Blessings from Bama!

I baked the brownies in this pan, that's why they are in the shape they're in.

They fell because I took them out of the oven to check for doneness. They weren't done, so I put them in for more time. Taking them out is what caused them to fall.

The manicotti turned out better than some restaurants! I used my homemade Italian sausage and homemade sauce.

I think the geese are so pretty!

Here's the boys with Rubi! They're loosing some of that extra weight they were carrying.

Samson and Java.

The innocent hens!

I need more dirt!

You can see Java's blue eyes here.

I just finished this bed.