Queen's Edge Farm: Planting time

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Planting time

Today the kids and I headed out to the land, though I called it a farm today, and got a strange look from Hannah. LOL!

We planted 15 tomato plants, 4 jalapeno, 3 cantelope, 4 basil, and 2 cucumber plants. I also planted more cucumber, but used seeds. Taylor and I hoed, planted and watered 5 rows of corn. It was supposed to be four, but I got distracted, and he planted one too many. The rows are 100 feet long, and have a seed every 12 inches, so that is 100 seeds per row. Normally (so FIL says) each stalk will have two good ears, so that is 100 X 2 = 200 ears per row X 5 rows = 1000 ears of corn. IF everything goes the way it should. Once we were done, I prayed for God to watch over the garden, protecting it from animals, storms and insects, allowing us to harvest a crop. I know 1000 ears of corn sounds like a lot, it does to me too. We will eat some, and will good planning and intestinal fortitude I will can the rest.

I still have green beans, okra, watermelon, pumpkins, beets and mescullin to plant, I just ran out of time. We worked in the garden for four hours, and even though I put sunscreen on, I am badly burned on my face, neck and upper chest. We had to leave around 3:30, so that I could pick up some tax paperwork from a client. I have four business clients to complete taxes for this weekend, which should net me $400. Praise God! I need more fencing for the land.

I went with Taylor early to his college to help him complete an assignment for his computer class. I read the instructions, and explained to him, while he did the work on the computer. It took us only about 30 minutes to complete, which was better than I had expected. Taylor checked four books out of the college library for me to read, though he was embarrassed he had to check romance novels out. LOL!

I dropped him off around 6 p.m., outside the building for his evening class and went home. He called me at 9 p.m. to come pick him up. I got there around 9:30 pm, and we went to Starbucks for a quick treat. (I started a couple of years ago, trying to spend "one-on-one" time with each child once a week. This involves them running errands with me solo, while staying with their dad. Normally, Thursdays are Taylor's and my time together, since it is his class night. We talk on the way to school, and home, and sometimes we stop at Whataburger for a milkshake (for him) and at Starbucks (for me). He is much nicer to be around when his sisters are not there....

Tomorrow we are off to the elementary school for Lauren to watch her friend Cheyenne in her school's production of "High School Musical". Of course Hannah and I are going too, while Taylor cleans the backyard and studies for his exam that is tomorrow afternoon. I just LOVE how he always waits to the last minute to complete his assignments (rolling eyes here). It really irritates me, especially, today when I had to run him to school early to work on his homework.

Well, it's time for bed. Everyone have a great weekend!

P.S. forgot to mention we planted our fruit trees the other night (2 apple, 2 peach, 2 nectarine) and one oak tree. We still need to plant the 2 mexican lime, blackberry bushes, 21 black walnut "seedlings" and 10 live oak "seedlings".

Received 3/4 inch of rain the other day, and 2 eggs today from the chickens. Now if the other two would start laying EVERY day, that'd be wonderful!

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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.