Queen's Edge Farm: Town Day and "Farm" Happenings

Friday, May 18, 2007

Town Day and "Farm" Happenings

It was a very busy day today. My youngest and I left home early to head into town to the bank, to pay bills and to check out the 50% off sale at Hancock Fabrics. Picked up a little white eyelet as it was 50% off (came home and made a couple of slips/petticoats to sell tomorrow).

Hurried back home to pick up my son from the high school, and then we headed on over to a neighboring town. Stopped at a Tent Sale that was selling Gun Safes (couldn't afford those unless I sold a kidney), and an assortment of tools, etc. Nothing that I really needed, but it was something to do. Needed gas so I stopped and only pumped $10.00 as the gas was $3.15 a gallon! I was shocked, and decided to wait until I saw something lower to fill up the car. Finally, filled up at home where it was $2.99 a gallon. While out and about the kids and I stopped at the meat market and picked up some hamburger, beef jerky and bacon. We aren't too impressed with the rest of the meat they offer, normally very fatty.

On the way home we stopped at the library, where Hannah checked out the Barbie Rapunzel video and the Shrek 2 video, as well as, a couple of books. I also checked out about 6 books, a couple on small scale farming.

Worked in the garden this evening, trimming back my tomatoes, and watering the plants with the nasty water from the kids wading pool. Several pumpkins and squashes growing in the garden. The vines are huge!

Planted two more rows of beans and two hills of cucumbers with six seeds in each hill. These are Pickling Cucumbers I ordered from Seeds of Change. Lauren and I weeded a good portion of the alley garden, making sure we weeded primarily around the plants to help them to get taller than the weeds. Planted corn where the other didn't sprout.

Lauren also dug up rocks and lined them up to indicate where to walk, as Hannah keeps walking over my plants.

Washed out the wading pool and floaties, locked up the chickens, and worked in the former goat pen to get it ready to work on as a Backyard Habitat project for the kids this summer.

Lauren reminded me it was grocery night and it was her night to go (I alternate weekends between the girls, as well as, other errands in order to spend one on one time with them), so we left to finish our weekly shopping.

Returned home, worked on the undergarments for tomorrow, and am listening to Stargate Atlantis as I am typing. It's been a full day, and I AM NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO TOMORROW'S YARD SALE. Blech!

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Grandma's Yummy Cinnamon Rolls

2 pkgs active dry yeast or 5 tsps if using bulk yeast
1/2 cup warm water (not too hot)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening, butter, margarine
2 tsps salt
2 cups milk, scalded
1 1/2 cups cold water
10 to 12 cups flour (white or whole wheat)

Yield: 4 loaves

Soften yeast in warm water, springkle in a tsp of the sugar
In LARGE mixing bowl blend sugar, shortening, salt and milk until shortening is melted. Add cold water, cool to luke-warm. Stir in yeast. Gradually add flour to form a stiff dough. Knead on floured surface until smooth and satiny, 5 to 10 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover with foil or damp towel. Let rise in warm place (85 to 90 deg) until light and doubled in volume about two hours. Punch dough down by plunging fist in center. Knead dough for about 5 minutes.

Roll out one fourth of dough to a 16 X 12 inch rectangle. Brush with 2 TBSP of melted butter. Combine 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 1/3 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon (or more to taste). Sprinkle mixture over dough. Starting with 16 inch side, roll jellyroll fashion. Either cut into 16 1 inch slices or leave as a whole loaf. Place on a greased pan, cover and let rise in warm place until light, about 30 to 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees about 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Mix one box 10X sugar with 2 tbsps water. If too stiff, add more water until icing consistency, add a drop of vanilla too. Spread on baked bread while bread is still warm.

2010 Homestead Stats

Laundry Soap

Homemade Laundry Soap:
1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above
½ cup washing soda
½ cup borax powder
~You will also need a small washpan or bowl that holds about 2 gallons.

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the washpan. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Transfer soap (using a funnel if necessary) into empty plastic laundry holders, milk containers (I use my empty glass milk bottles and old Fab containers) Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use ½ cup per load.

Wild Mustang Grape Jelly

Wild Mustang Grape Jelly

5 cups grape juice (about 3 1/2 pounds of ripe grapes)1 (1 3/4 ounce) box of sure-jel pectin7 cups sugarBefore getting started it is best to clean the entire kitchen, making sure the sink is empty. Bleach the sink and all utensils used in making jelly (I do this as I sell my grape jelly as part of my homesteading business.)

Wash the canning jars in warm soapy water, and rinse well. Set off to side.

Place a large pan of water on the stove to heat. Once it starts steaming, place lids and rings in the bottom, and 2-3 jars (depending on if you use actual jelly jars or pints) to sterilize.

Next make the grape juice using clean washed grapes (make sure you use rubber gloves when picking or washing wild grapes)To 3 1/2 pounds of clean grapes (6 cups of grapes) add 1 1/2 cups water.Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 10 minutes.Strain and squeeze out all of the juice with cheese cloth (see paragraph below)
I didn't have cheese cloth, so I poured the grape mixture into a large spaghetti strainer with a large pan underneath. I had to stir it around some as the skins and seeds would sink to the bottom, and clog the colander up. Stirring allowed the liquid to drain out. I then used a large metal spoon and squished it some to get more of the juice out.

In a very big pan, put 5 cups of the juice (it’s okay to add no more than ½ cup water to even out amount)Add the fruit pectin to the juice.Mix well.On high heat, bring to a full rolling boil, and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.Stir in sugar all at once, and bring back to a full rolling boil, again boil hard for 1 minute stirring constantly.
Remove jelly from heat, skim off foam
Use a large spoon inserted inside the jar to lift CAREFULLY out of the water. DO NOT TOUCH THE INSIDE OF THE JAR OR THE RIM WITH YOUR HANDS.
Ladle jelly into hot jars, place a lid and ring onto jar (do not tighten yet).
Set jars to the side. After a while you should start hearing “pings” as the jar seals.
When jars are completely cool, tighten rings and store on pantry shelf.**SIDE NOTE: Wild Mustang Grapes are normally ready the end of June, so be prepared. Keep an eye open for vines on the side of the road, or any that friends and family may have growing in their yard. Many people just let them grow and don’t do anything with them, so it shouldn’t be hard to find a good supply. Also, the more you pick off the vine, the more the vine produces new grapes, so you probably won’t EVER run out of grapes to use until the vine dies or you get sick of making jelly. Good luck and feel free to contact me at queensedgefarm@yahoo.com for questions.