Posts Tagged ‘Freezer’
Call Me Crazy and the County Fair
Well – leave it to two crazy livestock girls to cram as much showing as possible into the shortest period of time. Our county fair starts today and rather than concentrate on the local scene Brianne and I decided to drive two hours north to attend a one-day livestock show on Saturday.
We left before dawn and arrived shortly after 7am. The weather was quite warm, but the show was fun, Brianne did well, and it was great seeing everyone one last time before heading to our own county fair. One particularly fine friend took our biggest lamb to the sale yards along with his, so that is one less trip we have to make. After that, we empty the barn of sheep to make room for the meat chickens that will be raised to Cornish game hen size then processed for the freezer; and with any luck we’ll also have a feeder pig to raise and butcher before Thanksgiving.
With our busy show schedule I just wanted to drop a note that posts for the next week may be a bit sporadic. Brianne shows in the market and breeding sheep classes on Tuesday and if I’m not too tired I’ll let y’all know how she did.
As much as I love our life of livestock, shows and running around together, I’m looking forward to rolling into my favorite time of year – Autumn – with it’s cool days and warm evening glows. I’m already beat and we’ve haven’t even gotten to the fair.
For now I’m just putting one foot in front of the other. Wednesday I can collapse.
You Scream, I Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream
I don’t know about you folks, but financial crisis or not, chores or not, homesteading or not, I gotta have my creamy dessert – preferably fresh made – and I don’t want to wait long to get it either. If you suffer from this same affliction have I got news for you…
…super quick, super easy and super fresh made ice cream from your very own kitchen. There’s no complicated recipe to follow. No fancy ice cream maker needed. Just a few ingredients and a glass pan is all you need, then you too can dive into your own creamy creation.
Here’s the recipe.
Blender Ice-Cream
5-cups fresh strawberries, sliced OR 24 ounces frozen strawberries
½ cup sugar
1 ½ cups heavy cream
If using frozen berries take out and let stand about 20 minutes so you can slice them.
In a blender, combine berries and sugar, stopping several times to stir and make sure berries are finely chopped.
Slowly add cream while blending, stopping a few times to stir, until thick
Pour mixture into a shallow glass pan (about 9”x13”x2”) and freeze for about an hour, or until it’s scoopable. To use later, freeze solid, then remove from freezer and let stand for about 15 minutes to soften and become scoopable. Can be stored in the freezer for up to one month in an airtight container.
Can’t wait an hour for the mixture to freeze? Not to worry.
This ice cream will send you to the moon it’s so easy. Imagine – ice cream in seconds!
I discovered it purely by accident. Wanting a dessert of berries and cream, but not having any fresh berries on hand, I poured half-and-half over a bowl of frozen raspberries. The milk didn’t pool in the bottom of the bowl, but coated and froze to the berries, top to toe, completely covering them in a luscious frozen creamy snow.
Frozen Berries and Cream
¼ cup half-and-half
1 cup frozen berries (raspberries and blueberries work best)
Place berries in a bowl. Pour cream over the top. Gently stir to coat. Enjoy!
Now you can have homemade ice cream faster than it takes to run to the ice cream parlor and back. And, you’ll be avoiding the expense and the unwanted funky chemicals that are in commercially made ice cream. Plus, it tastes so much better.
Once you’ve mastered the, oh so difficult recipes above, experiment with your favorite berries or other kinds of fruit. Summer’s just around the corner and trees and canes and vines will soon be bursting. So get creative folks! And enjoy those lazy summer dazes with your own creamy delights.
photo credit: Rain Rabbit
Take the First Step
I found this photo from the first year here on our little suburban homestead. It was taken after my friend Rouge came over to grade and level the property, making the water drain properly. We had already removed about a dozen old, scraggy, ill cared for fruit trees that were planted haphazardly around the property, mangy Oleander bushes and a row of boxwood hedge that divided the property in half.
The photo is nothing special, just Brianne helping trench the barn waterline, raised beds and stakes outlining the footprint of the barn. But what it has lead to is six years of a working, prosperous backyard farm. In just a few years after this photo was taken we have built the barn (by hand) that now houses our livestock, planted gardens, bred rabbits, raised sheep, kept chickens, lived with mutts (Dakota and Dutch), danced to music at sunset, raised a kid and fell in love with the simpler things in life.
There were many times I had no idea what the hell I was doing; I taught myself as I went along, reading books in Borders over a steaming bowl of soup at lunch. I scoured the internet for forums of like-minded people. I joined clubs, made new friends, tapped old ones for information and techniques. We learned to eat from dirt and farm stands. We mostly eat at home now, but we go out to get what we need; out to the garden that is, to pick veggies and fruit and eggs. I can quilt now, build what I need, bake our own bread and sit down to share it all with you. But, the point I want to make is that things grew from the first small effort, and with steps taken it will bring you home.
Here we are today, with a freezer full of home grown lamb and chicken, handmade sausage and salami, berries, tomatoes, beans and peas. We get almost a dozen eggs a day. We’ve just hatched our own chicks – again. I know how to butcher a chicken from first cut to final wrap. I’m learning to collect rain water. Every year we learn and grow, becoming more self-sufficient thanks to this land.
A lot can happen if you make it. And it all starts somewhere. As the saying goes, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step”. If you need proof, just look at the picture again. What was once barren, dry, and brown is lush and green and fruitful.
Make today the beginning of your journey. Just take that first step.
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Aenean nonummy hendrerit mauris. Phasellus porta.