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.

Can You Can Left-Overs? Yes You Can!

     We have all had that moment when we pack up the dinner left-overs, open the fridge door and realize that the refrigerator will not hold another thing. Grrrrr! It happened to me last night. At 5AM I began filling up jars for canning. Yes, you can can your left-overs. You have my permission. :)
     I filled up three pints with left -over chili from Saturday night, a quart full of pasta sauce with meat from my son-in-law to be, a quart of sliced chicken breast meat, and a bowl/pint of purchased chunky soup that my son opened but wouldn't eat because it had mushrooms in it. It was such an easy project that I decided to do this every week! I am so stoked! My inner tightwad is totally thrilled! Here's how I did it:

1. Always use clean, sterilized canning jars:
   
I wash my jars in hot, sudsy water, rinsed, then placed them in a large kettle filled with hot water. I allowed the kettle to come to a rolling boil. I t usually requires about 10-15 minutes to thoroughly sterilize the jars once the water is boiling. It is also good practice to have a smaller pot of water for the lids and bands. The water in this pot does not require boiling. We only need the rubber to soften up for a good seal. I usually allow it to heat up until there are bubbles forming around the lids.

Taking Stock Part 3: Recipes from the Fridge

     This is the third installment of  My Pantry Basics, and this time I thought we might examine the contents of my refrigerator. I make some of my own condiments, mayonnaise is at the top of the list. We use this pretty regular for various meat and pasta salads, sandwich spread, and various other cooking uses. And even though we use a goodly amount, I still recommend making mayonnaise in small quantities. It has the potential to go off rather quickly.

Beef Stew for a Wintry Night

    So here we find ourselves in February, a time when Winter can't decide to sleep in or give us a right good sucker punch. Here in Tennessee the weather is mild- up into the 60s, with everyone running around in
 t-shirts. This week Old Man Winter is obviously taking a break just when I was gearing up for a cold front. I wanted beef stew for dinner. There's nothing better on a cold wintry night than curling up with a tummy full of stew, a hot cup of tea, and a good movie.
     Beef stew is one of those dishes that plays well with others, meaning that it can be made ahead and reheated. It can be made in a crock pot, for those with limited time. It can be canned and put into your food storage. It is the ultimate comfort food, not just eating it, but making it can also be a comfort. Stew is forgiving of those who are new to cooking. You can add almost anything and it still taste respectable. Stew can feed one or a family, and usually without great expense, especially if you are of the gardening persuasion. It is versatile, and allows for creativity and variety. It can be served over rice, pasta noodles, or some other grain base. And last, but not least, you can opt to include dumplings if you want to dress it up just a little.
       Old Man Winter will be back, and he will be hungry when he gets here! I'll make extra! Stews on!
 
Now on to the recipe!

First, let me tell you about the recipe. It comes from a vintage cook booklet, Favorite Recipes for Country Kitchens,  from General Mills, published in 1945. I love these sweet little booklets for all the genuinely "made from scratch", home cooked dishes. I also love the art work on the cover! Why can't things be this way again?  So pretty and so nostalgic! When I dream, this is what I see.