Homemade Popsicles

I can remember my Mom making my sister and I popsicles when we were young. They were always a fun, refreshing treat in the summertime. My boys love them now as I carry on the tradition. They are so easy to make at home, cheaper than buying them, and you can control what ingredients go into them. All you need is a little plastic popsicle mold (I found mine at the thrift store for $0.50),your kitchen freezer and a little imagination. You can really make them out of so many different things; yogurt/kefir and fruit smoothies, 100% fruit juice, homemade lemonade, homemade chocolate milk, use your imagination... Today my boys are having lemonade popsicles. These do have sugar in them, if you would rather avoid added sugar then the fruit juice ones or smoothie ones would work better.

  Lemonade Popsicles

1/2 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup organic sugar
1 quart water

 Mix all ingredients well. Pour into pospicle molds. Freeze for several hours or I find that over night works best. To remove from molds run briefly under warm water. Give them to your kids and send them outdoors to eat them, they will be messy! Have you ever made popsicles? What fun varieties have you tried?

Frugal Friday: Farmgirl Fashion: Cute Mud Boots

As a farmer/farmer's wife I spend  a lot of time outdoors, in the dirt and mud. It can be easy to just wear grungy old work clothes all the time and to start feeling not so cute. I like fun, cute things and so I get tired of that sometimes. One thing I have always thought would be fun is a pair of cute mud boots. I have had the same pair of old, plain black, slightly too big thrift store mud boots for the past four years. They were finally starting to wear out and crack so I started looking for new ones. But being the frugal farm wife that I am I didn't go down to the store and just buy a pair of cute boots, after all they cost around $30. No, I kept my eyes open at thrift stores, figuring I would probably end up with a decent, practical pair that fit. I was excited when I found found this pair of cute polka dot ones (did I mention that I love polka dots?) for about $5! Now I may be covered in mud when I'm out working on the farm, but at least my feet feel cute!

Simple Safe Household Cleaner

Having children has made me reevaluate many of the things I do around the house. When it comes to cleaning my house I only want to use products that are safe and non-toxic. I don't want my kids or even myself around all the harsh and toxic chemicals that are in conventional cleaning products. I have been pleasantly surprised by how simple and easy it can be to make many cleansers myself. White vinegar is one of my favorite all purpose household products. Recently I discovered the idea of soaking leftover citrus peels in it and using that as an all purpose cleaner. It works great in the kitchen or the bathroom. It cleans up my greasy stove nicely and is great on my cabinets, mirrors, etc. I have made it with orange, lime or lemon peels, and they have all turned out great. They each add a pleasing scent to the vinegar plus they have great antibacterial properties and help cut grease. The last batch I made with lemon peels and added a few sprigs of fresh rosemary. I think you could make several combinations of citrus and herbs depending on what you wanted. Many herbs have their own antibacterial properties and with a little research you could decide which ones you wanted to use. The process to create this cleaner is so simple!

What you will need: glass jar, any size you want distilled white vinegar citrus peels of your choice a few branches of fresh herbs if desired spray bottle strainer and funnel

Method: Simply place leftover citrus peels in the jar. Gently press down and cover with vinegar. Screw on a lid and let sit for about 3 weeks. Strain vinegar into an empty spray bottle. Use full strength on surfaces such as greasy stovetops or dilute with half water for cleaning mirrors.

Here are a few herbs you might like to add:
Thyme - has antibiotic and disinfectant properties
Sage - effective on germs and also has many anti-fungal properties
Rosemary - anti-microbial properties
Lavender – disinfectant, antiseptic, natural antibiotic properties
Peppermint - antibacterial properties
Cinnamon Sticks - anti-fungal and anti-microbial

Lemon peels and fresh rosemary in white vinegar

After sitting for 3 weeks simply strain into a spray bottle

The finished product!

The Winter Season on the Farm

The Garden Resting Under a Blanket of Snow

Here at Simple Gifts Farm the changing of the seasons brings a corresponding change in our activities. After a busy summer of growing, cultivating, and harvesting our crops and bringing them to our friendly customers at the farmer's markets; the final rush of autumn to get the garden cleaned up, the garlic planted and what feels like a million other projects wrapped up before snow; comes the quieter, slower season of winter. For us this season is a much needed time of rest and refreshment. The days are shorter now, the days are colder now. We spend more time indoors by a cozy fire with a warm cup of tea. As we settle into the rhythm of winter we reflect on the busy season that has just past and plan for the year ahead. Winter is an important time to discuss ideas and goals for the coming year, to layout the garden on paper, study seed catalogs and decide on varieties and quantities, and make our seed order. It is also the time to work on indoor projects like updating our website, designing new brochures, repairing market tablecloths, or organizing supplies. Even though winter is slower there are many things to fill our time. We do more reading in the winter. There are so many great books and resources that can expand our knowledge, there is always more to learn. We also read more to our children, teaching them, and helping them become excited about learning, too. We get our creative side going while making soap, lip balm, and other body care products. This has developed into a small side business that helps supplement our income. More opportunities for gathering and fellowship with family and friends is another highlight of this season. We usually try to make a trip to visit my family in California sometime during the winter. It is fun to explore the Farmers Markets; which run year round down there; and talk to the farmers during our stay.

It is good to take this season to remember and be grateful for the many blessings we enjoy; our families, our friends, customers who support us, a wonderful community, a gorgeous place to live, a warm home, food in the pantry, work that we love, babies in our arms. As winter slowly slips by we will soon begin to feel a restless stirring, a longing to get our hands back in the soil, to see that first bit of green, growing life. In late winter we will start our seeds in trays and the anticipation of spring and the opening of the Farmers Market grows strong again. And the cycle of the seasons continues.

This article was published in the months edition of the North Columbian Monthly.

Honey Cough Syrup

Cold and cough season is fully upon us now, the days have become chillier and everyone at our house has caught a bit of a cold. Time to make some healthy, natural cough syrup. It is so easy to make, too! I made two different kinds; one is elderberry and the other is lemon ginger. I use honey as the base for both, it is naturally antibacterial and also feels soothing on the throat. Elderberries are great for your immune system and are excellent for coughs and colds. Ginger is also good for your throat and lemon has antibacterial properties as well. I also added a dash of cayenne to the lemon ginger syrup. Cayenne is good for your immune system and improves circulation. So here are the simple recipes.


Lemon-Ginger Cough Syrup

1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup water
juice and zest of one lemon
1 inch piece of fresh ginger grated
dash or two of cayenne

Elderberry Cough Syrup

1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup elderberries(mine were frozen, we have elderberries growing wild abundantly around here, so I harvested some this past summer and froze them)


To make your syrup combine all ingredients from your chosen recipe in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer gently for about 5 minutes. Strain through a wire strainer into jars. Store in the refrigerator for several weeks, it should last for quite a long time. To use simply take a teaspoon at a time. Your kids will love it! Warning: do not give this to babies under 1 year old, the honey can contain botulism spores.

Simmer gently for about five minutes

Strain into a small jar

Projects

I have been working on some exciting new craft projects for the markets this year and the Etsy shop. Hopefully Soon I will have some listings in the shop soon!

Snowmen

Finally the snow was just right. David had been wanting to build a snowman for so long and we either didn't have any snow or it was too soft and powdery. So when it was finally perfect we all bundled up and headed outside to have fun. We started by building one snowman. Then David told me that the big snowman was Mommy and Daddy's snowman and that he needed a little snowman. So I helped him build a baby snowman too. It was such fun and he was very pleased. Everyday he looked out the window and said "I see big snowman, I see baby snowman."

Studying

David is fascinated by Andrew's EMT book and loves to look at it with him. It can make studying difficult for Andrew sometimes. But at least David knows about the "heart pumping red blood out and blue blood in" now!

Sunday Afternoon

I like to paint. I haven't painted in a long time. It is hard to find the time. Last Sunday David was sick so we stayed home from church. It was such a relaxing day. And I even found some time to do a little painting in the afternoon.

David Turns Two

Foccocia Bread

Summer Squash Rolls

The fun bread I made this weak was summer squash rolls. It is a great way to use all the zucchini in the garden right now. My mom made these when I was young, it was one of the few ways I liked summer squash. Now I love squashe multiple ways but these are still one of my favorites. The original recipe came from the Whole Foods for the Whole Family cook book but I have changed it a little bit.

3 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. yeast
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. dillweed
1/4 cup oil
1 cup grated zucchini or yellow squash
3/4 cup milk
1 egg

In a large bowl combine 1 1/2 flour, yeast, sugar, salt, garlic, onion and dill. In a suacepan heat oil, squash, and milk to 120 degrees. Add to flour mixture. Add egg and stir. Add enough flour to form a soft dough. Knead about five minutes. Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down and divide into16 balls. Place in two greased round cake pans. Let rise until nearly double, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes or until golden

Homemade Bread

I have been making bread every Monday. I usually make some whole wheat sandwich bread and then I like to try to make something different. This week I made cinnamon bread. The recipe came from a little book called "In a Copper Kettle" That my Grandma gave me several years ago. It contains recipes from around the world. This bread recipe is from Portugal. It is a delicious bread. It goes fast around here.

Ready for Winter

Slowly things are starting to get back to normal around here. Andrew is recovering quite well.
It is funny how things turn out sometimes. We planned to be at the farmer’s markets the whole season but then Andrew got sick. I thought I might still make it to some of the markets, but then it turned out Andrew needed surgery. So the whole process ended up being longer than we expected. Plans changed, some things never got done, but that is okay. The important things did. Friends came over and dug all our potatoes, neighbors brought over firewood, the garden got cleaned up and a neighbor tilled it for us. We are prepared for winter now.
So many have helped us out through this time. Prayers, encouraging words, generosity, meals, an amazing benefit dinner by the Chewelah Farmer’s market.
We live in an amazing community and have wonderful friends! We just want to say thank you to everyone who has been there for us. We are so grateful!

Autumn Colors

Chicks Hatching

We hatched a batch of chicks from our eggs. It was fun and exciting to watch them hatch. We ended up with about 25 chicks.

Lilac Bushes

We got two lilac bushes for our yard. They will look so pretty when they bloom.

Mandolin Music

David enjoys listening to me play the mandolin.

Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage Cream Sauce

I had four pumpkins that were starting to shrivel so I cooked them all, then had lots of pumpin puree to use up. So I made donuts, biscuits, soup. enchiladas, and ravioli. Here are pictures of my wheat free, pumpkin
ravioli with sage cream sauce.