Blessed and Then Some

Can I tell you how excited I am about this? A few weeks ago I had never even heard of Water Kefir and now it is one of my favorite things to serve my family! In our quest to return to food the way God intended it, one of the things that had to go in our house (although I still allow the kids to order it when we are out) is soda. That’s a difficult change-over when it has been given regularly as a treat. When I began to learn about Water Kefir, I was hesitantly optimistic to use it as a soda replacement. It seemed like a lot of work to do just for that though. The more I learned about it, though, I realized that it was not just a soda replacement, it had all sorts of merits by itself. Try this on for size from Yemoos … Why is kefir good for your health? It is loaded with valuable enzymes, easily digestible sugars, beneficial acids, vitamins and minerals. Water kefir is also generally suitable for some diabetics (though personal discretion is advised). It also is a nice option if you ar

WARNING - This is a Really long post because I'm covering all I did for the last week! So I did really well for almost three weeks.  Then I just got excited :).  Last week I ended up doing both of the soaked grain baked goods lessons (making pancakes, tortillas, pasta, biscuits and muffins).  I started my water kefir, my bulgarian yogurt (using Kitchen Stewardship's method), cooked a whole chicken and made stock and got rid of my microwave and coffee pot.  So much for baby steps :).  I'm doing better this week - which allows for me to write about last week's insanity. Every time I try to do too many things, it increases my stress and things don't general turn out the way I hope they will.  I stressed over my yogurt like crazy - but it turned out to be the best yogurt I've ever made.  I was worried that I had completely destroyed my water kefir grains - but they are coming around this week.  Will I ever learn to slow down?  Probably not :). Soaked Grain Ba

My incredible, supportive husband went above and beyond last week and purchased an Excalibur dehydrator for me!  I can't tell you how excited I am.  It arrived on Friday and within the first week I've dehydrated sage, oregano, bread for crumbs, orange peel, rhubarb, and yogurt is incubating in it as I type (watch for an upcoming post on yogurt!).  The possibilities are staggering! Food storage becomes much more reasonable.  The water is removed at low temperatures (below 118) to maintain the vitamins, minerals, and digestive enzymes.  It also shrinks the size significantly.  Four cups of thawed rhubarb from the freezer became 1/2 cup of dehydrated rhubarb.  The next time I harvest, I'll try dehydrating fresh rhubarb and see if I get the same results.  So the food is healthier and smaller than canned food! I'm also excited about the yogurt making possibilities.  I could make much larger batches in serving-size containers.  That would simplify my breakfast prep

Last Friday, my Mom sent us home with some new "pets." She had purchased a praying mantis cocoon at Watson's Greenhouse, and the previous weekend it had hatched with hundreds of little guys filling the plastic tub she had it in.  There were so many, that she decided to share and sent several (12-15) of the little guys home with us.  The theory behind the project is to have a natural form of pest control for the garden.  The praying mantids eat all the "bad bugs" like aphids and they are rather pleasant to have around.  They do not bite or sting and they offer endless opportunities for photography practice as they sit very still.  While they are in confinement in their containers, we have to bring in food and a little water for them, but once outside they should require no maintenance at all, except for being careful not to drop them into the compost pile when we do weeding and trimming. My youngest is fascinated.  He loves anything little, and bugs are a bi

My middle son decided, on his own, that he wanted to learn botany this year, and so I knew long before the spring that we would be more involved in the garden this year.  What I didn't know was how much that would play into the road God would have us on this spring.  I've never been more excited about the garden, or enjoyed working in it as much as I have this year!  Even the really hard, physical stuff - like building beds and moving dirt - left me with such a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.  But nothing compares to the joy and amazement at seeing new life.  We can plan, plant, and water, but then all that's left to us is to wait.  It is God that makes it all grow.  What a blessing to see this miracle time and time again already this spring.  Just when I'm sure I've blown it all and messed up my son's hard work, God steps in and makes it beautiful.  As I walked around watering, weeding, transplanting, and harvesting this morning (don't worry, I do

It has been so amazing learning about the food we eat and where it comes from.  I used to think it was so simple.  Beef and dairy products came from cows.  Fruits and vegetables came from farms.  Eggs and chicken came from, well, chickens.  How much more do you need to know?  God has had me on an interesting road lately.  It started with a blog post entitled " Traditional Womanly Arts for Austere Times " my mom sent me back in March.  I read it and thought, "I'd love to do all of that if only I had the time."  And then proceeded to put a hold on all the books listed in the post that they had at the library.  My Mom asked if there were any in particular I was interested in, and I mentioned the Better Basics for the Home , party because it was the only one they didn't have at the library.  Wouldn't you know, it showed up at my door a few days later :).  I dove into it and, while it was a little more on the "green" side than I tend to be, I was

I was so inspired by this post over a the Heavenly Homemaker's blog that, after I stopped rolling on the floor laughing, I ran out and bought a gallon of vodka!  Oh, and a bunch of vanilla beans.  I had never considered how the extracts we use every day were made, and I was amazed at how simple it was. After cleaning the gallon jar I just received in my Azure Standard drop this morning, I took the vanilla beans I purchase at Olive Nation and cut them down the middle almost to the end and tossed them in the jar.  When I was finished with the beans, I just filled the jar up to the top with vodka, and after taking a picture, tucked it into a dark corner of my pantry.  According to the Heavenly Homemaker, all I have to do from this point is shake it up every once in a while, and just before Christmas I'll have enough vanilla to share :).  If it comes out as well as I hope, I will wash the jar out and fill it back up!