Black Iron in the Heat of Summer

     One of my most loved possessions is my cast iron cookware collection. I just don't know how I would get anything done without those pieces of cast finery. I learned a long time ago that if you plan to use cast iron, you'd better learn the secrets to keeping it in top shape. Yes, seasoning the surfaces....

We have rescued many cast iron pieces from the scrap pile. This is typical of a flea market find.

A gleaming kettle once it has been properly seasoned in the old way.

An Easy Way to Wash Berries

It never fails... You bring in that bucket/bowl of beautiful berries, ripe from the sun, gleaming and taunting you to dive right in and have a nice bowl of berries and cream. But wait! You can't. If you look just a little closer you will find the "trash" that clogs the bounty. It's just the way it is. It's inevitable that particles of straw or grass or even berry stems and bugs lurk within the depths of the pail. It's not the end of the world, however. We just need to clean them.

Over the years I have attempted to clean berries the hard way, by picking at the bids and running water through berries in a colander. There is always something that gets left behind and you are surely bound to find it at the worst possible time... like when company drops by for berries and cream. There is a simpler way to wash berries... so simple in fact that I am almost ashamed of posting it here for fear that I may insult your intelligence. But post I shall! Just follow me and it will be over quickly.

Canning Iced Tea Concentrate

   Two things that I absolutely love in this world are iced tea on a hot day and a pot filled with something that I have just bottled up to can. It's about time that I put one and one together to come up with my latest project. Canned iced tea concentrate that is ready whenever I am!

Iced tea made from Home Canned Concentrate!

     You may ask way I even bother doing this, but if you've ever made tea to go along with your dinner at the last minute, or someone just wants a refreshing drink to cool off in a hurry, then you know that iced tea starts off hot and has to work its way down to cool off. Not Convenient! So I searched the internet for answers and came up with a couple of resources that were encouraging, but not exactly what I was hoping for. Then it hit me! (Yes, I got excited.) The whole process works the way you specifically make your own favorite tea. In other words, I needed a recipe that would produce the tea I love to drink. So here's how I break it down:

A Sink Project: Pretty Vintage Bottles

     Sometimes I have a post so simple that I wonder if it is even worth posting. This is such a post. Pretty Vintage Bottles fitted with cute little nozzles, ( like those found in the bar section of the department stores), make for some pretty nifty dispensers for liquid dish detergent. Not only are they lovely to look at, it dresses up an area that is difficult to dress... the kitchen sink. See mine below...

Black and Blue: Berries in the Bucket

     I can finally say that I have picked every last blueberry on the bush! Whew! All are sitting tidy in the freezer waiting for me to finish up the next wave of assault, the blackberries. We are absolutely covered up! When we thought about planting a berry patch for the homestead we felt that a good twenty plants was enough for whatever we wanted to fix in the way of jams and jellies. Oh, but did we know what we were really getting ourselves into? Not in the least. It appears that the mild climate that Tennessee has found itself in as of late, coupled with the rain that stretches into the summer months, has created a superb climate for berries to thrive in! in short, it has been a good year for berries!

Big Beautiful Berries

The Great Potato Project of 2014

     Okay, so I know potatoes are not a very exciting topic to be writing about on a blog. I am a realist. I suspect half of you are about to click right over to the next blog.... BUT WAIT! Potatoes are kind of exciting when you make a Zero Waste Project of them. Zero Waste is the buzz phrase these days. Everyone is trying so hard to use less packaging, waste less food, be more efficient... in general, do more with less all the way around.
     I, too, try to practice zero waste by using the old adage "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refuse, and Rot". However, I wanted to do more. I wanted to waste less. Thus, we set the stage for, ( insert trumpet fanfare here), The Great Potato Project of 2014! Essentially, I decided to see what could be accomplished if I didn't toss anything from a 50 pound bag of potatoes that I bought at Save-A-Lot.
Let us begin...

50 pounds of happiness!!!! bag was shredded and sent to the compost pile.

This is what we begin with, a 50 pound bag of potatoes that I ripped into, composted the bag, washed the spuds in the sink, and began working through until I thought my fingers would fall off.

Old Hickory and my taters, just getting started.

Busy with the Blueberries

     It's been a while since I've posted a decent piece on this blog. There is no excuse for it, just sheer laziness on my part. Well actually, it wasn't exactly laziness. I have been busier than a three-headed duck in a patch of June Bugs! No kidding! Building a homestead is hard work and we've had our share of it. we've also had a death in the family, my husband's father, and a wedding in the family, our daughter Kristy. Just about the time we finish up the wedding and things go back to normal, well... our blueberries are turning blue! See...

Here are a few that are just right for picking.