Posts Tagged ‘Google’
California’s Cheese Trail
California Bountiful is a monthly publication sent out by Farm Bureau to FB members or to people who have insurance through the FB providers. It’s a great snapshot of what is going on in California Agriculture and for the past few years they have been concentrating on the upsurge in smaller sustainable farms, unusual crops and niche industries that are building up in response to a generation of new farmers more interested in sustainability, non-commercial varieties of crops, pasture raising and smaller high quality production of value added products than their corporate farm counterparts.
So, when I opened my mail yesterday and found the magazine buried within a pile of junk I instantly knew what my night time reading was going to be. Even more exciting was the centerfold. Now, don’t get excited folks, this is not your traditional centerfold. This one was about dairy sheep and the making of cheese from sheep’s milk, something I’ve been interested in for a long time. The article spotlighted one particular farm—Bellwether Farms—from a coastal region north of San Francisco. But what was even more exciting than the article about how Bellwether came to be, the pasture grazing sheep or the tails about learning cheese making from the best cheese regions in Italy was a mention on their website about a cheese trail right here in California! This was exciting! Read the rest of the story »
Apples and Apple Cider
Fall is a season with so many pleasurable activities and a favorite amongst young and old alike is gathering apples and making fresh apple cider. There’s just something about that burst of flavor when you drink an ice cold glass of cider.
Whether it’s a warm and sunny “tee-shirt and shorts kind of day”, or a brisk New England day when a jacket or sweater feels just right, a day spent in an orchard is great fun for the whole family. If you’re like most folks, you might not get a lot chances to visit an apple orchard, so make a day of it! Pack a picnic, complete with picnic basket and blanket and lunch in an orchard. Making memories is all part of the fun.
If your area has many orchards in a small geographic area visit several and taste different apple varieties and ciders like adults taste wine. Apples are influenced by climate and their environment and it’s amazing how everyone will discover a personal favorite. Google your area or state to find apple growing areas near you.
It’s usually best to arrive at the orchard early in the day, although any time of day will work. Many orchards have tasting rooms that offer slices of the varities they grow, while others allow visitors to roam the orchards picking and filling their own box or basket. (One rule though: treat apples like they’re eggs. Apples bruise easily, so be gentle with them). While you’re picking, think about all the things you can do with your bounty: apples for snacking, apples for apple sauce, apples for pies and cobblers, apples for smoothies…the list goes on! Check out this link for wonderful apple recipes.
If making homemade cider is on your list of activities read more about pressing your own cider here.
photo credit: fortinbras
Food Storage Fundamentals
One of the goals of any homestead is to ultimately provide homegrown fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy. And a “suburban homestead” is no different. But, we all have to eat while the homestead “gets off the ground”. Along with that, we should always be prepared to survive what ever natural disasters frequent the area of the country we live in. One way to do this is with long-term food storage.
Now, more than ever, the topic of food storage is being discussed from coffee houses to corner offices. The more information we hear about the depth of our economic challenges, the length of time it will take to fully recover and the predictions about food shortages, the more families are turning to storing food.
With all the information swirling around the actual process of figuring out what to store, how much to store, where to store it and what to store it in can be quite daunting.
The websites below give great information about the entire process.
The University of Utah website gives a concise easy to understand overview of the need and process of food storage; while the food calculator you’ll find here is a great tool to figure out “how much” of each food item your family should store.
Food Storage Made Easy is a fun website that can address all your questions about food storage. It also has a lot of great examples and photos of what a food storage pantry looks like.
I haven’t mentioned food storage containers mainly because I prefer the more frugal approach of getting food grade buckets from donut shops or deli. If that’s not your style, you can Google food storage containers, there are lots of choices.
The best way to make it through any disaster, whether natural or man-made is to be prepared. But, remember this is a process that can be done over time; adding storage items to your weekly or monthly shopping. Or, whenever you find great sales on the foods your family enjoys. It doesn’t have to be done all at once.
Recent comments
Aenean nonummy hendrerit mauris. Phasellus porta.