Sausage Making

Italian

Still working on processing the pig we butchered the other day. I set pork bellies, jowls and hocks to cure for smoking the other day. I froze the loin chops and tenderloins. We cut many bags of stew meat. And the ribs we ate right away. We had a lard pan and a sausage pan and added trimmings as we went along butchering. The sausage pan trimmings were ground yesterday and mixed today. We made 6 gallons of sausage. One batch breakfast sausage, 1 batch Italian sausage and 1 batch of a cross between andouille and a Turkish paprika sausage. The hybrid sausage was literally throw everything at it and make it tasty type of recipe, we plan to smoke it with the bellies, jowls and hocks.

Sausage making is best down with friends. It's not only the sausage you are making but the camaraderie of working together, making things work and the companionship. Pus if you don't know what you are doing working together is the best way to learn!

time to mix the sausage

oh dear this gets hard!

The lard was rendering when I got there today, you could smell it when you opened the car door. The three pigs together made 20 pints of lard and a bowl of cracklings the size of which I'd never seen. There were so many that we decided to make crackling jam. Wah. Too good for words.

Long long day, good times, good friends.

Peace and Love--

Just Another Meatless Monday #77 Creamed Peas and New Potatoes

Quite possibly one of the first (non cookie) things I remember making, or helping to make, as a young girl. This is the very best way to enjoy the first potatoes of the season and what may well be the last peas of the season. Serious comfort food fast, hearty and delicious, everyone will love it. If your having a  Harvest Home Feast be sure to include a big bowl of Creamed Peas and New Potatoes or enjoy them as the main dish for any vegetarian meal, you wont' be sorry.

I've never actually measured the amounts, I just made it figuring extra sauce was fine with me, or extra potatoes never hurt anyone. Today I measured so I could give you a decent recipe to follow at first. Once you get comfortable by all means wing it, your kids will never begrudge you having too much cream sauce, believe me.

Creamed Peas and New Potatoes
1 pound small fresh, cleaned, newly dug potatoes
water to boil them
2 TBSP butter-not margarine or any other atrocity like that
2 TBSP flour
1 cup milk or half and half
dash of salt
1 cup fresh shelled peas

 cut any larger potatoes into bite size pieces, not too small though
bring water to a boil, cook until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork
drain the potatoes
reduce the heat on the burner to medium
in the same pan melt the butter and whisk in the flour
cook and stir for two minutes
add the milk slowly in 1/4 cup increments works well
continue to cook and stir until the sauce is thickened-do not boil!
add the potatoes back
add a dash of salt
and stir in the fresh peas
serve immediately

After writing that and adding the picture I'm seriously wishing for leftovers! Yum.

Peace and Love--

The Penny Worthy Project

What a wild week, harvest, garden cleaning, lawn cleaning all need to be done and yet I seem to have accomplished none of them. I think my stint of working is drawing to a close, I don't have energy left for the things I've committed myself to already. I don't worship the almighty dollar but I feel like I have been for the last month. Now don;t get me wrong, I've enjoyed the bit of extra money but I wonder what it is costing us? I know my meals have not been as healthy or budget friendly as I would like them to be. I also think I'm too tired sometimes to handle things properly with my two younger boys, this bothers me a lot. And I know that the way I gallop around in the morning is about as far from peaceful parenting as I can get. All things considered I think it's just not worth it, I'd rather volunteer my time at school.

One major task we did accomplish this week, in fact just today, was harvesting a pig for our winter meat. Wow. That was quite a task. We actually butchered 3 between 4 families, we started at noon and finished around 10 pm. The pigs weighed in at around 300 pounds and cost about 300 dollars. According to the all powerful google this yielded about 180 pound of meat. So for one days work we got 180 pounds of meat at 1.67 a pound. That is a bargain in my book. Plus we get to cure and smoke our own hams, bacon and hocks without nitrates. We're also making our own sausage on Tuesday. I can't tell you how thrilled I am to fill our freezer for the winter. The pork will be tucked into the freezer next to the lamb we butchered last month and the salmon. Woohoo for a full freezer.

I did hit the thrift stores too this week. I almost got skunked but not quite, I found a great pair of snow pants for my 7 year old. These are snow pants with a polar fleece vest on top instead of just a bib or straps over the shoulder. Perfect for supremely cold days or warmer days when a coat might be too much.

Peace and Love--

A Journey To What Feels Like Home

a simple writing exercise exploring haiku, wabi-sabi and sentimentality--the directions were to write a short piece and interject it with 3 haiku, the goal being to evoke the feelings of wabi-sabi--

The bright September sun is burning down through golden cottonwoods. I follow the the twisting highway to my destination. I dream of the trip. I love this trip. Leaving my house standing alone, I have driven away without a backward glance.

the time had come to
travel on, I make my way
alone always alone

The old pavement hums beneath my tires. Ruts and guardrails are my constant companions. To the bay. To the sea. Kachemak is calling. I am answering, I am coming.

to dance in tide pools
race the swell driven water
rejuvenation

Still I journey on and on. It's long, Stirling, Soldotna, Stariski. I thrum by bent on a destination I can't deny. I crest the hill and the bay bursts into view. It feels like coming home.

beach fire hot coffee
wet boots and harvest moon glow
breathe deep salt air

lls 2006

peace and love--

Just Another Meatless Monday #76 Better Yogurt

This Cranberry Compote is a quick little recipe that will elevate plain yogurt to new and delicious heights. I've been making my own "kids yogurt" for a long time now by adding a dollop of homemade jam or jelly to plain yogurt. I just can't bring myself to feed them  store bought"kids yogurt", it's so full of sugar, food color and additives they just don't need. I can make kids yogurt cheaper than I can buy it and it's so much better for them. Cranberry Compote and plain yogurt make for delicious yogurt packed full of fruit and kids will love it.

This last week in our kindergarten I cooked up some fresh cranberries and other fruits, that needed to be used up, with a bit of honey and let it simmer away. When it was time for our grain and fruit snack we served them a spoonful of the hot fruit too. It was a total hit with most of the 43 kids in kindergarten and all the adults. I loved it so much I came home and made a batch for us, my kids sucked it down over plain yogurt and asked for more. I can't wait to top some oatmeal with it at home too.

Cranberry Compote
2 cups cranberries-commercial or lowbush bog berries
1 cup of water
1 apple
1 orange
1 other piece of fruit-I used a nectarine but another apple or orange would be fine or use 1 cup of berries--use your imagination!
1/2 cup raisins
1-2 Tablespoons honey-more if you need it, depends on your taste
pinch of salt


mix the berries and water in a sauce pan and begin cooking over medium heat
meanwhile core and chop the apple, you could peel it if you want to
peel the orange and coarsely chop
chop the nectarine or other fruit
add to the berries and water
add the honey, raisins and pinch of salt
bring to a slow boil until berries start to pop
then reduce heat and cook until thickened
taste for sweetness and add more honey if needed

Peace and Love--

The Penny Worthy Project

The off season, post tourist season is the way to see Alaska. The light is amazing, the views spectacular and best of all the state is mostly our own. I don't mind tourists, they are great for the economy and I'm glad they come to see the wonders of our state but Alaska is mostly empty in September and I like it that way.

My uncle received a pass to drive in to Denali National Park to the end of the road. This is a road that only park buses get to travel on all summer. In June you can apply for a pass and they randomly draw winners to drive in after the summer is over. My uncle was unable to go this year so he gifted it to my mother. Her husband was having some pretty serious back surgery and they were unable to go. She gave the pass to me. My husband was scheduled to be out of town so I was on my own.


I invited a friend to go with me and she had the brilliant idea of renting a DNR cabin for the night so we could go cheaply and still have fun. 4 kids two adults in a 12X16 cabin was a squeeze but the place was beautiful and the price was right. I think I proved my motto "unfit to camp at any time" as we spent the night in fits and starts and my temper MIGHT have flared. But still we had a blast and it was affordable. 

DNR Cabin Byers Lake

Byers Lake

We drove on to Denali National Park after spending the night at our lovely cabin in Denali State Park. Our first sighting in the park was a moose. I think my friend is laughing because at home we would be mad to see a moose at this time of year, because they come to eat your garden. Here we were all excited.

 

porcupine bum

just lovely

We stopped to see Dall Sheep and when we looked down we saw wet wolf tracks coming from a stream and scampering right in front of our truck. WOW!

Dall Sheep

made it in

leaving Wonder Lake

Toklat River

Grizzly Bear smack dab in the middle of the picture about 50 feet up the mountain above the road

I think our final count was 5 grizzly bears, 1 porcupine, 3 moose, 9 Dall sheep, 19 wolves, 3 bunnies, 2 jays, 2 "I'm gonna throw up"s and countless "don't make me come back there" Everyone lived through it and already has fond memories of the trip. My son even knocked out a loose tooth trying to shove his head out the window to see the wolves. We, of course, have labeled this tale "when the wolf pack knocked his tooth out", now that's a story!

Peace and Love--

You Should Be Really Pissed Off

Because you're being ripped off. We all are. Most anyone who uses a commercially available laundry detergent and the included scoop are unwittingly scooping and using 2-3 times as much detergent as needed and even more.
Check it out:
This is how much you need for a regular load.

you should be filling to a certain marked line on the scoop. Way way way way way way down at the bottom of the scoop, where you just really can't believe you might use so little. I mean it's hard to even scoop so little. I had to pour some back 3-4 times to get it so low.


But you're in a hurry so you just scoop, you may not even realize there IS a line on the scoop. (who could be so blind........crickets.......) So you're kids are fussing, the dog is eating something and you scoop and throw it in the wash. How much did you just add? Who cares, the laundry is going and you can do something else, like wrestle that lego out of the dog's mouth.

half full is enough for four loads

You should care. The box of detergent I just bought came with enough for 100 loads to line number one....waaaaaaaaaaaaay down there. Yep at the bottom of the scoop. The second line is for nothing apparently because the box doesn't even mention it. Line number 3 halfway up the scoop is for super heavy duty dirty loads or four regular loads. And the whole rest of the scoop is unneeded. So why is it there? If you fill it to the top that's enough soap for 7 loads of laundry.


Why is the scoop over seven times the amount of detergent that you need? Why not provide you with a scoop that is just enough for one load of laundry? That one scoop can be doubled if you have a super dirty load. It sells more laundry soap, pure and simple. The more soap you scoop, the faster you run out, the more soap you buy.

the scoop full up is enough for 7 loads--I replaced mine with a just the right size scoop, now I can't use too much

I feel like I'm always running out of laundry soap, or I was until now. I just replaced my big huge mega scoop with a 2 Tablespoon scoop and I hope to not run out as fast. But why should that be my responsibility? Why should we have to babysit these big corporations? Because they'll screw us over every chance they can? Or is this mega scoop in the age of ultra laundry detergents just an over sight?

What do you think? Have you felt like you are blowing through laundry soap? Have you looked for the little tiny load lines? Yeah they are there, if you look for them. Would you do me a favor and check your detergent scoop? If it's grossly disproportionate to the amount needed would you let me know? I'm curious. I'm fed up.

Peace and Love--

Using Alaska Apples

What, you can grow fruit in Alaska? No way! Yes, yes it's true you can grow fruit in Alaska, apples anyway. I've heard tell of cherries that grow well up here and I aim to plant an orchard when I find some. But for now apples. We have a great little tree on our property but this year it didn't bloom, I guess it just needed a rest, I'm OK with that. Luckily we have a neighbor who has a small but luscious U-Pick apple orchard about 1/4 mile away.

Last week we made our way over and picked some apples, I think we came out with a 1/2 bushel? I don't know for sure, my kids kind of went nuts with apples. I managed to make a pie, a vat of apple sauce and the juice to make apple jelly. I love that we are eating and enjoying food grown so close to us, chemical free and definitely no travel costs. The best thing about using apples from Alaska(if you live in Alaska) is they have no travel time and no carbon foot print. Yeah for eating local.

The next very very very best part about using Alaska grown apples is that you absolutely don't have to peel them, they are thin skinned. I'm pretty sure the varieties that grow well up here are all thin skinned, I've never had any apple with a peel worth peeling. Why is this so great? Well it save a lot of time and effort, you simply chop the apple part off and use it as you would a peeled apple. The skin just melts away in pies or crisps. Cook up a big pot with a dash of water, simmer, then a quick blend with an immersion blender make perfect apple sauce. All the fiber, vitamin C, phytonutrients and antioxidants are in the skin and right under the skin, so whatever you make with your unpeeled apples will be more nutrient dense.

Now don't throw away that core! When chopping off the apple for cooking save the core. Put all the cores in a big pot with some water and give them a good boil, drain through cheesecloth and you have bonus apple juice for making jelly. Then if you have chickens hop on out to the coop and give them a treat of cooked apples, they'll love you for it.

get some of the red apples for a pink tint to your pie

So, support local farmers, buy local apples, don't peel them, nutrient dense bomb your kids, make the chickens happy and stock up for winter. Boom.


Peace and Love--

Just Another Meatless Monday #75 Easy Meatless Meals

I've been working a temporary part time job this last month and it's so hard to keep putting good food on the table. I feel like I want to go the easy route but it's so expensive I can't see working to just spend money on crappy food, I might as well not work. By the way I'm kind of enjoying the part time temporary job and I might just apply for the position, if I get the chance. But back to eating healthy when you have a time crunch. I have fallen back on one of my favorite ways to put good food on the table; cook dry beans in the crock pot.

I buy organic beans from Azure, no GMO beans, no shopping, what could be better? Then I put 2 pounds of washed beans in the crock pot add 2-3 quarts of water and cook on high for a couple hours, then I reduce the heat add more water and cook until done. I cool them in the crock pot, divide them up, freeze them for later use, make burritos or keep them in the fridge.

Why use dried beans? Well first they are the cheapest of the cheap. They are so easy to use and store. They are not overly salty like canned beans. You control the flavors and doneness. And the only things in the beans are what you add. They are good for you. You can easily make up enough beans for several meals with hardly any work. Don't be afraid of dried beans, they are simple to use and taste great once you get used to non-canned beans.

Using them is even easier, faster and healthier than you can believe. I froze 4 cup bags of cooked pinto beans. When ready to use I simply pulled a bag out and let it thaw for a bit, then I added a bit of water to a pan, added the frozen beans and warmed them up. They were ready to eat in 10 minutes, that was just long enough to grate cheese, chop lettuce and tomatoes. A big bowl of beans topped with cheese, lettuce and tomato is a great easy meal. Or you can wrap it in warmed tortillas, put it in taco shells or scoop it up with chips.

Vegetarian can be healthy, fast, easy and affordable. Behold vegetarian homemade pintos and cheese, cheap, healthy, delicious and doable.

Peace and Love--

The Penny Worthy Project--got my thrift on

For the first time in a long time I got out thrifting, alone. I found this cute coat for my middle son, seems brand new too. Perfect for fall and spring.

Can I just say how much I LOVE this vase? I love it. Anyone know anything about it?

 There is no makers mark on the bottom.

 CREATIVITY BREAK

My boys built a boat from a pallet and scrap lumber, the cats love it. Or Thunder loves it and beat up Agatha to gain control of the shipping fortune. Or not. Whatever.

She still rules the boat. Thunder cat.

One of my favorite movies, thought I'd try it out the novel. Anyone read it?

Two old crusty stools for the work table in the garage.

Perfectly worn in the right spots.

Instantly loved by the two boys they were bought for. Perfect.

Ohhhh vintage pressure canner with wooden handles, if I can find a gasket for it I will take it to the Cooperative Extension Service and get it tested. If I can't find a gasket I'll admire it and plant flowers in it.

Peace and Love--