Homemade Buttermilk or The Never-Ending Milk Pail

Growing up in the country, you tend to learn things, whether intentionally taught or simply
 because you happened to be in the right place at the right time. Buttermilk is one of those 
lessons you learn by watching. To clarify, buttermilk is not the same thing as "sour milk". I get
a little irritated when ever I see a recipe that calls for buttermilk, but then says you may 
substitute sour milk. I can tell you now that you will not get the same result in your baking. 
First of all, sour milk is thin and runny, while cultured buttermilk is rich, thick, and creamy. 
 The textural difference will translate through whatever you are cooking.
 Sour milk is nothing more than milk that has had an acid, such as vinegar or lemon juice, 
added to curdle the milk. And while the original buttermilk is the thin liquid leftover from 
churning butter, this is not the buttermilk of which I speak. I am talking about cultured milk.
 The buttermilk that is purchased from the grocery store is a fine example. Our modern 
buttermilk is a cultured product that is far superior to the curdled drool of sour milk, both
 in texture and taste. 

Homemade Cultured Buttermilk and my Never-Ending milk pail.

My Cool Shaker Project

My pretty new flour shaker, filled and ready for baking day.

     It is early and I am at my computer composing an article to share with my blog readers. This can mean one thing and one thing only- I was struck with mammoth insight! I immediately pulled out my scrap paper box, (doesn't everyone have a scrap paper box?), my glue and scissors, and then headed straight for the hall closet where my cleaning supplies are stored. I knew that I had saved a Parmesan cheese container with the intentions of making a carpet scent shaker. But what was a scent shaker compared to my brilliant idea de'jour? That's right- Nothing!

Best Bread Machine Rolls I ever Ate!

      This week is getting off to a slow start. I have been concentrating on cleaning up clutter and I fully intended to get an early start on the basement since my boys are away for a few days. The trouble is Pinterest called out to me, and since I was alone for a change, I couldn't help but play a little. Three hours later... Okay, it's true I am a Pinterest-aholic, but I am in recovery. I just needed to find a recipe for my bread machine, and wham! I was in so deep that I lost all track of time! I seriously need a computer chastity belt!
    In all seriousness, I found the perfect recipe for my bread machine... Bread Machine Rolls! These rolls are so good and so easy to make that I make them almost daily. I was never a fan of the bread machine, and Hubby thinks that the bread is awful compared to the hand-kneaded loaves that I usually bake. I actually got into a debate with a friend over using a bread machine. I was so hardcore homestead that I couldn't see her point, that these machines are convenient for working folks. And I do declare, I was stubborn back then. When I went to work in the corporate world, I missed homemade bread, so I broke down and bought a used bread maker at Goodwill for $15. No, I did not fall instantly in love, in fact the machine went into the closet and until recently hadn't seen the light of day for quite some time. But then I found this recipe for Buttery Bread Machine Rolls on Positivelysplendid.com and pulled my bread maker from the mothballs to give it a try. Everyone- hubby, my children, and all four cats agree that these are some of the best rolls they have ever eaten! The reason? Well, they are light and yummy, of course! And I can set the machine to make dough, go wash the dishes and tidy the house, then  bake the dough in my oven instead of the machine itself. Everyone is happy and we have home baked bread every night with dinner. There you have it. The bread machine as a time and labor saving devise. Works for me! Now on to the dough!

Best Bread Machine Dinner Rolls I ever tasted!

Welcome To Orchard Slope

Here's Lucy!

 

      Hello everyone and welcome to the homestead! This land has been in our family for about 100 years, (give or take). Over the years it was parceled out to various family members, either through inheritance or, as we have done, through purchase. The place is in really bad shape at the moment. The fences posts are rotten and the wire is broken down. It has been allowed to grow up in tall grass, and the house needs such an overhaul that I don't even want to show a photo for fear that the authorities may condemn it! Maybe later on I will show bits of progress as we mend the house, but not at the moment.

Tall grass swallows up the blackberries and the pump house.

     Orchard Slope is not the original name of the farm. It never had an official name before we bought it. But I am a huge fan of the book series "Anne of Green Gables", and I just loved the name of the farm belonging to Anne's neighbor and friend Diana. The name Orchard Slope also seemed to fit our little place quite perfectly, as the property slopes downward into a hollow. As we clear away brush, we intend to plant fruit trees. We began that process last year. As the land becomes manageable and the orchard thrives and becomes larger, we truly will have an actual sloped orchard. Life imitating art? Works for me!
   
      From day one we knew what we wanted the place to be: a place for us to make our home; a sustainable homestead, fully equipped with a vegetable garden, herb garden, and orchard, and a barnyard for raising rabbits, fowl, and other small stock; a heritage home to pass to our children someday. Big dreams and a lot of sweat and cash to make it happen.
     We started our garden last year in the same spot that my father always planted his. As a result, we had a pretty good turn out of corn, cabbages, turnips and turnip greens. Not living on the homestead at the moment, we chose vegetables that could manage without us for the most part. Every weekend all summer long, we made the pilgrimage to the garden to work the soil and tend the plants. We had approximately 200 pounds of cabbage that was worked up into sauerkraut and frozen, bagged cabbage quarters, and enough corn on the cob to last two years! It was a good harvest for people who are absentee farmers!

My husband , Chris, tending our small garden.

Cabbages abound! We got off to a good start.

The little garden is at rest now, but there is plenty of turnips and greens still coming in. I can't wait for the next growing season, when we sink the little seeds into the soil and usher them toward maturity. The rewards they bring to us are amazing! Thanks for visiting Orchard Slope. I hope you'll come again soon!

Traveling at the seed of life.