You Say Potato...I Say No-ta-toe

Today was the day - to finally dig out the potatoes. The plants had died off and I didn't want to risk any potatoes rotting underground from the rain showers we've been having lately. The kids gathered around as Dave dumped the container out. We shifted through the dirt and found more dirt, more dirt and more dirt. Oh, and five very small red potatoes - very, very small and slightly rotten. {sigh}

If this is my greatest disappointment of the day, then I should consider myself fortunate, right? The kids got to play in dirt, always an enjoyable activity for them. And I discovered something new about myself. That potato growing is just not my thing. Basil yes, potatoes NO!

The Container Garden

Pepper plants started from seed

The container garden is finally starting to show signs of growth! The pepper and tomato plants I started from seed are now taking off. Since I started the garden late, the plants still aren't where the should be at this time of year. But maybe we'll see some peppers and tomatoes from these plants by late summer/early fall. I just have to figure out what to do with the 20 some pepper plants I now have. I've come to see that planting EVERY seed in the packet is not the best thing!

Plan B

I was beginning to think that nothing would ever come of my small tomato and pepper transplants. So about a month ago, I invested in Plan B - two, Big Boy tomato plants from the garden center clearance section! With the rain we've had lately, the Plan B's have really shot up and even have a few yellow blossoms coming in!

An Abundance of Basil

We continue to be blessed with an abundance of fresh basil! The basil plants are huge now. In addition to adding the leaves into pasta, pizza and salads, I'm reading up on preserving/drying herbs and making infused oils to make the most of our basil bumper crop.

Potato plants

The potato plants are quietly doing their own thing. I have to admit, I've kind of neglected them lately. With all the rain we've had, I'm assuming they've been getting enough water. A few weeks ago, the plants had purple blossoms. But now, they're a bit wilted and hanging over the trash can. I can't wait to find out if anything is happening beneath the soil!

I think gardening is becoming a new interest of mine. Something I really want to devote more time to learning about instead of my usual trial and error method. I'm currently reading Mel Bartholomew's All New Square Foot Gardening and making plans for next year's garden!

Kombucha Home Brew

My homemade kombucha in old Synergy bottles

Long time, no blog! Seems like it anyway. Among the things I've been up to lately was finishing my homemade kombucha brew. Per the double fermentation directions, I let my kombucha mother ferment in sweet tea for 5 days. I tasted a small bit of the tea at Day 5, but decided it was still too sweet. So, I let it sit for a few more days. Maybe too long. When I went to bottle the kombucha with my juice, it tasted VERY vinegary. Since I'm used to drinking kombucha with fruit juice added, I thought the taste might improve after a few more days. It didn't. Still very vinegary and with no fizz at all :(

I kept the bottles in the fridge for a few days with the intention of trying the kombucha again chilled. But I never did. Dave poured them out yesterday to make more room in the refrigerator. I'm trying to decide whether I should give it another shot. In retrospect, I should have bottled the kombucha on Day 5 with the juice instead of waiting. But I'm not sure about the lack of fizz. I would think that would point to it maybe not fermenting long enough???

Dave is very anxious for me to decide the fate of the kombucha mother in the refrigerator (he likes to organize ie. throw away my stuff LOL!). As I sit here sipping my G.T.'s Synergy (Divine Grape), I'm undecided about giving it another shot.

Out to the Farm

We started our holiday weekend this morning by heading out the farm to pick blueberries!

Vollmer Farm (Bunn, NC) organically grown and certified blueberries

As I learn more about nourishing, real foods, I have this growing desire to really connect with where my food is coming from, who is growing it and how it's being grown. We're blessed to have a number of U-Pick farms and farmer's markets in our area which helps to lessen the distance between farm and plate.

It's also a fun experience for the kids! Reedy had a great time picking blueberries. I told him to make sure he only picked the ones that matched his shirt. When he would find a ripe berry, he'd yell out "Blue!" :)

Grow Kombucha Mother - Check!

Kombucha Mother

I did it! I grew my very own Kombucha mother!

Look how lovely and thick she is!

The next step now is to allow the kombucha mother to ferment in a gallon of sweetened tea for 5 days.

Food Renegade - How to Brew Kombucha: Double Fermentation Method

Can I Do It?

In the past six years, I've managed to grow three beautiful, healthy and happy children. But can I grow an entire symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast? I don't know but I'll give it a try!

Food Renegade - How to Grow A Kombucha SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast)

Dirty Rice with Pork Sausage

With all the buzz about swine flu, one might be hesitant to feed their family any pork products. But thanks to our local farmer's market, I know exactly where my meat is coming from. I know how the animals were treated, the conditions in which they lived and what they were allowed to eat because I can actually speak to the person that raised my food!

The pastured pork sausage I buy at our farmer's market is not only delicious, but provides an inexpensive way to incorporate quality pastured meats into our diet without breaking the bank. Because pork sausage crumbles easily when cooked, you can use less and stretch your meat further. One of our family's favorite sausage dishes is this adaptation of the Hillbilly Housewife's Dirty Rice with Fresh Ingredients.

1/2lb local, pastured bulk pork sausage (I use a mild, sage flavored ground sausage from the good folks at Pine Knot Farm)

1 organic green pepper, diced

1 cup diced organic yellow onion

3 cloves minced garlic

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp paprika

2 tbsp organic soy sauce (I use Eden Organic shoyu sauce)

1-2 tbsp water

1 -1 1/2 cups organic brown rice, cooked

Cook and crumble sausage in skillet over medium heat until brown. Drain fat if needed. Add diced green pepper and onion and minced garlic to the sausage. Cook until peppers and onions are tender. Add cooked brown rice to the skillet along with red pepper flakes, paprika and soy sauce. Add 1-2 tbsp of water to the skillet to keep the rice from sticking to the skillet. Mix well and heat for a few more minutes.

We like to have this dish with steamed, organic corn on the side (which we usually mix in) and shredded, raw milk cheddar cheese on top!

Balancing Beauty and Bedlam - Tasty Tuesday

How Does Our Garden Grow?

Peppers & Grenoblouse Lettuce

Very slowly at this point! Our seeds have sprouted but we don't seem to be any closer to getting them planted in containers or a bed. Since I was late in starting my seeds, I'm a bit concerned that by the time the plants get of enough size to transplant, the hot summer sun might be too much for them. Next year I will make it a point to get started earlier and will start my reading now on winter gardening!

Tomato seedlings starting to get their mature leaves

I went ahead and put the basil plants into large pots and moved them outside, although I probably should have waited. They are just now starting to develop their more mature looking leaves. But I think they will be okay. I also put the rest of the seedlings outside in a sheltered area to harden as well. And to protect them from a little, curly-haired 2yo that did a little pruning to some of Mommy's seedlings.

Potato Sprouts

Since I've taken the photos above, the Grenoblouse lettuce has taken on a light burgundy color and the potato sprouts have shot up another couple of inches. I need to get out and mound some more dirt around the potato sprouts per Laura's tutorial. Despite our late start, I'm hopeful our little garden will have a very productive summer!

The Fruits of Our Labor

Ashleigh picked a whole basket by herself


Our haul - WAY more strawberries than I imagined!

Gone Pickin'

There's only a few more weeks before strawberry season ends here. So we're heading out to the field to do some strawberry picking today. With temps in the 80s, it's going to be a hot one!

Whey? Yes Whey!

Taking 2 cups of the organic yogurt I made in my crockpot, I drained off the whey as shown in this post by Cheeseslave. I didn't get as much whey as she did in her picture, but I got enough to enable me to try some of the fermented recipes in Nourishing Traditions later on. In addition, I had a nice bit of yogurt cheese left after the whey drained off. Blended with fresh strawberries from our farmer's market, it made a delicious dip for our apple slices!

Strawberry Yogurt Cheese

Backyard Experiment

Seed potatoes in an old garbage can

I hadn't even entertained the thought of adding potatoes to our backyard container garden. But after seeing this excellent tutorial by Laura at Heavenly Homemakers for planting potatoes in a container, I knew I had to give it a try! From what I've read, potatoes are usually planted in March around here. Of course it is now May. So we'll have to see how our little experiment in potato growing goes!

Simple & Nourishing - Feta & Vegetable Pasta Salad

Feta & Vegetable Pasta Salad

This simple dish is adapted from a Kraft recipe. It makes a hearty dinner pasta salad and also works well as a side. We're enjoying this dish quite a bit right now as it makes good use of the tomatoes and cucumbers from our local farmer's market.

Ingredients:

Organic whole wheat pasta

1 -2 tomatoes (local, organically grown), diced

1 - 2 cucumbers (local, organically grown), sliced

1/2 - 1 c diced red onion

Homemade Italian dressing (I used the recipe from Passionate Homemaking)

Feta cheese, crumbled

Cook pasta according to package directions. Dice tomatoes and red onion; peel and slice cucumbers. After the pasta is done, drain and rinse. Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for 1 hour.

This post is apart of the Nourishing Gourmet's Simple & Nourishing Carnival

From Dinner to Breakfast - Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potato Muffins

One of my favorite buys at our local farmer's market are good ole' NC sweet potatoes! They're inexpensive, can be prepared in a variety of ways and are quite nutritious.

Here's how I get the most out of our sweet potatoes. From a side at dinner time, to a delicious, moist muffin for breakfast!

For dinner you'll need:

Sweet potatoes - 2 to 4 depending on potato and family size

1 -2 tbsp butter (I use Kerrygold)

cinnamon, to taste

Place peeled and sliced sweet potatoes in a pan, and fill with enough water to just about cover the potatoes. Top with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon. Cook on medium until potatoes are tender, adding more water as needed. Serve potatoes as a side with dinner, reserving 1 to 1-1/2 c mashed sweet potato for next morning.

Morning Prep:

The night before, mix 1-1/2c whole wheat flour and 1-1/2 c water in a bowl and add 1 tbsp of lemon juice. Allow to soak overnight.

For Breakfast:

To the soaked flour and water add

3 tbsp Kerrygold butter, melted

1/4 c organic sucanat

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg (local & pastured)

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp allspice

1 - 1-1/2 c mashed sweet potato

additional cinnamon, to taste

Combine ingredients in a bowl and fill greased muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes. Enjoy!

Did you know - the sweet potato is the Official State Vegetable of North Carolina :)

Balancing Beauty and Bedlam - Tasty Tuesday

Back from the Market

This week's haul of pastured eggs, Red Russian kale (a first for me!), asparagus, sweet potatoes, grass fed Angus beef, salad mix and strawberries

The kids are so excited to get outside this morning, they've forgotten all about breakfast and have their anxious little faces pressed tightly against the sun room glass doors. Off to enjoy the warm weather and adventures in the backyard :)

Goodness Grows in North Carolina

My Local Bounty

Taking the No GMO Challenge last week, inspired me to get up Saturday morning and take a trip to our local farmer's market. And what an experience! For the first time, I actually got to speak with the person who grew my food! I inquired about their farming practices, how the animals were treated and what diet they ate.

I learned the strawberries were picked from the field the day before. And along with the tomatoes and cucumbers were grown pesticide free. The Angus beef came from a farm where all the animals are born there and thus known from "conception to table". The cows are raised on native pastures of grass and clover, never given hormones or antibiotics and never confined to a factory feedlot. The farmer who supplied the eggs told me about how their chickens walk about the farm eating grass and bugs, leading a happy chicken life. She even invited me to come visit their farm so the kids could see the animals and enjoy the rope swing. Good ole' North Carolina sweet potatoes still covered in dirt and a bar of goats milk and honey soap, crafted by hand. All local. All within an hour from my home. From the farmer's hands, straight to mine!

From Farm to Plate

No GMO Challenge Blog Carnival - April 27th

A Summer-like Sunday

A summer-like Sunday afternoon

Deserves a summer-like dinner!

Sloppy Joes on organic, whole wheat sprouted buns with sweet potato fries

Adapted from Recipezaar - My Family's Favorite Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

1lb local, grassfed Angus beef

1/2 c diced organic green pepper

1/2 - 1 c diced organic sweet onion

15oz can organic tomato sauce

1/4 c organic ketchup

1/4 c organic barbecue sauce

1 tbsp organic sucanat

1 tsp dry mustard

pepper to taste

Brown meat along with diced onions and green pepper. Drain fat. Stir in remaining ingredients, simmer covered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If sloppy joes are too soupy, uncover until desired consistency.

Balancing Beauty and Bedlam - Tasty Tuesday

Taking the Challenge!

Today I'm joining in on Real Food Media's No GMO Challenge!

What's GMO?

Genetically Modified Organisms

And they are rapidly becoming a part of the foods we eat each day. Right down to our chocoloate chips!

Why am I taking the challenge?

Because as a Mother and consumer, I want to know the food I'm buying and preparing for my family is safe.

To join in on the challenge, visit Real Food Media. This is a rolling, 30 day challenge to educate and raise awareness about GMOs. Perfection is not needed (which is perfect for me!)

Real Food Media - Why to Avoid GMOs

Real Food Media - How to Avoid GMOs

It's Just Simple!

In posts and articles about homemade cleaners, price is often bought up. Sure it maybe cheaper to make your own cleaners if you are used to paying full price at the grocery store. But for those of us who have spent some time combining sales with coupons, conventional cleaners are often gotten for free. Can't get much cheaper than that! So my budding love of green cleaners has nothing at all to do with price. For me, it's just simple!

The ingredients are simple. Just water, vinegar and baking soda.

I enjoy putting together simple cleaning recipes in my kitchen. I can also tailor the solutions to my liking with essential oils. Tea tree and lavender are much more pleasing scents to me than fake lemon.

The space underneath my sink is becoming much less cluttered as I'm clearing out bottles of various cleaners. Now there's more room for my compost bucket!

I don't have to worry about doing a separate wash for the cleaning rags now. Since there's no harsh chemicals that could cause damage to our clothing, I just throw them in with the regular wash now.

Less worry about the kids getting into something harmful and less exposing their little bodies to chemicals.

Just better for the our home environment and the earth!

I doubt my Mother will give up her beloved Gain laundry detergent and Downy fabric softener for a tub of homemade detergent and vinegar. And since she's the one that so graciously does the laundry for all six of us, I'm not going to complain. So our home won't be completely chemical-free, but every little bit towards a healthy environment helps!

Nourishing Breakfast - Soaked Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

As a working mother, week day breakfasts at our home not only have to be wholesome, but also quick since time is precious! Aside from soaked oatmeal and green smoothies, muffins are another week day breakfast staple. Muffins are not only portable for breakfast on the go, but also make great lunch box additions!

One of our favorites is Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins. It's a basic but very versatile muffin recipe. When I've not had fresh or frozen blueberries, I've easily substituted bananas or ground flax seed and on occasion have just made them plain.

Soaked Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

1 1/4c organic rolled oats

1 c whole wheat flour

1/3 c organic sucanat

1 tbsp baking powder

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 c butter, melted

1 c fresh or frozen organic blueberries

Overnight, soak the rolled oats and whole wheat flour in 1 cup of water with a tablespoon of organic lemon juice added.

If you're new to the Nourishing Traditions methods like I am, you may wonder what the soaked oatmeal and flour are going to look like in the morning. Sort of like muffin paste, but don't worry!

In the morning, add the egg, sucanat, baking powder and melted butter to the soaked oats and flour. After adding these ingredients, I let my batter sit for a minute just to moisten the soaked oat and flour mixture a bit. Blend ingredients together. Slowly fold in 1 cup fresh or frozen organic blueberries.

Fill greased muffin cups and bake at 425 F for 20-25 minutes. Then enjoy!

This post is apart of the Nourishing Gourmet's Nourished Start Breakfast Carnival.