Farmgirls and their trucks

You know us farmgirls just gotta have a truck to call our own. Well, at least this farmgirl does. This is my new project, I mean, truck, for which I can haul horse manure, straw, wood, great finds at yard sales, and everything a farmgirl needs.  Not bad huh?

Hubby says 'it's less wear and tear on his truck". Besides, I just want something I don't have to worry about gettin' hurt, if you know what I mean. Grocery carts and car doors are not always nice. She is a 1975 Chevy 4x4. I would have loved another old 69 Chevy stepside, but way out of my price range. Plus hubby says parts are a lot harder to get a hold of.

I plan to keep her black, but will probably do a flat black with maybe some hot pink trim. And of course I gotta have pink inside too, lots of it. You know the girly stuff. Can't wait to put my new farmgirl sticker and my farm chick sticker on her, but will need to wait for warmer weather now before I get her painted.

In the meantime, hubby is sure enjoying tinkering with her and putting nice upgrades of things under the hood and inside. Do mechanics ever really retire? I'm just glad I have someone here who can see what my new girl needs. He'll make sure she is in prime condition for me to drive this Winter.

I brought her home last Sunday from Lakeview, Or. Hubby says "you know, she'll drive a little rougher than your car cus' she's a 4x4 and a bit rougher on the road." I giggled so hard coming home cus' every little bump in the road, my girls (boobs) were bouncing bettys. I figured I'd loose a little on top before I got her home. Now that's my kind of exercise.

Once she gets a tail hitch on her, she'll be good for hauling around my vintage trailer or my boat. Just what this farmgirl is itchin' to do. Girl trip!

Fall gathering/farmgirl style

Yesterday, my daughter and I spent the day cooking homemade apple cider, stuffed and roasted pumpkins (from the new MJ magazine), squash soup and a pumpkin cheesecake. I even made a couple of homemade breads to try with my canned jams.

We invited our local chapter of farmgirls to come out and enjoy an evening to relax and sit around an open firepit. The night was not too chilly as past evenings had been, but was very enjoyable. This seemed like a perfect way to taste some of the bounty from which our gardens provided.

With just a touch of rum in the apple cider, it made for a nice warm relaxing drink. It started out  on top of the stove for several hours, then we strained it and finished simmering it outside on a burner. I must say that it turned out perfect and it is something I would make again. Just look at all the beautiful colors of Fall in the pot. Yummy!

As the fire kept us warm into the evening we enjoyed artisan breads with homemade peach, plum, and apple jams and honey butters. We never got around to making the s'mores or roasting any marshmallows, as everyone was pretty full.

 

Having our new gazebo roof up, sure made for a nice place to come outside and enjoy the evenings. I hope to have many more good times out under the stars.

Happy Fall everyone.


Blessings,
     Gail

Look what popped up

Ain't it just the cutest little thing? I think she is the other momma's baby who is still sittin' on four eggs. She looks just like her. Both are gonna be really good momma's as they have shared their time sitting on the same nest for a few weeks now sharing their babies and keeping them warm.

I get a little weird and really excited to see my hens having their own babies. This is the second time it has happened. My silky gave birth to two babies a couple years ago, and now her baby is giving me babies. This momma is a new one of three that I bought this Spring.

With luck I will not have to purchase any more chicks and I can keep my flock growing.

I just had to share a little happiness with you. The cycle of life is exciting to me. Yeah, I'm weird.

Hope your day brings a smile to your face.

Canning can be rewarding

Yesterday, myself and a few other farmgirls pulled up the garden and canned up a big batch of green tomato salsa verde. It can be used on any type of meats.


Green Tomato Salsa Verde
2 lg onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 pounds green tomatoes, cored, quarterd
4 jalapeno chilies, stems, seeds removed

green tomato salsa verde

1 sm can diced green chiles
1 red sweet pepper, diced
1 cn chicken broth
cumin
menudo spice mix
salt to taste
Put all ingred. into large pot and cook for 20 to 30 minutes until tomatoes are soft. Pour into hot sterilized jars, seal and water bath for 15 to 20 min.
Today, I canned up a batch of applesauce from all the apples I picked from Susan's trees.This yielded me 6 quarts.


                                  Applesauce


2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pounds apples
per quart
water
sugar (optional)


Wash apples, core, peel, and quarter.
Cook apples until soft with just enough water to prevent sticking. Puree in food processor, return to pot and add 1/4 cup sugar per pound of apples. Bring to boil and continue stirring for about 10 to 15 minutes. Ladle into hot jars. Process for 20 minutes in water bath.
I added some cinnamon and allspice the last five minutes of cooking before placing it into the jars. I then decided I would use some of the green tomatoes I picked yesterday, to make some
Chow Chow relish, so I diced and chopped until I filled my crock pot where everything had to sit and blend for several hours.


                                       Chow Chow Relish
1qt chopped cabbage                           
1 cup chopped sweet red peppers
3 cups cauliflowerets
2 cups chopped green tomatoes           
2 cups chopped onions                          
2 cups chopped sweet green peppers
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp celery seed
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp mustard seed                               
1/1 tsp ginger
1 tsp tumeric
2 1/2 cups vinegar
3 tablespoons salt


Combine vegatables, sprinkle with salt. Let stand 4 to 6 hours. Drain well. Rinse and drain. Combine sugar, spices and vinegar in large saucepot. Simmer 10 min. Add vegetables, simmer 10 min. Bring to boil. Pack hot relish into hot jars, process 10 min. in boiling water canner.

Canning takes some time, and boy can a kitchen get messy while in the process, but it is very rewarding to me to put up fruit and veggies I know have been grown without chemicals and with hard work from friends and family.

Tomorrow I plan to tackle  Green Tomato Relish and Dilled Green Tomatoes.

 Does anyone have a recipe for Green Tomato pie? My mother in law use to make it and it tastes similar to pecan pie. She has passed and I unfortunetly did not get her recipe. I'm looking for all ways to use up my many green tomatoes.

Happy canning.

Making jam or oops......

I spent the entire morning Monday making for the first time, wild plum jam. Not knowing what I was doing I set out first to weigh my fruit. I would step on a bath scale, step off, grab a bowl of fruit, step back on. Crazy right? I had no idea at the time that 2 pounds equaled 32 oz. Man, where was I in school?


Anyway after getting my fruit together I set out to cook it then somehow mash it through a strainer to keep only the pulp and throw out the pits. I tried everything from a spoon to a potatoe masher. Boy, did I get a work out this morning.


After several hours, I finally had 6 cups of fruit to put back on the stove, heat up and add the sugar and pectin. Once poured into the jars (11 small ones), I figured I'd better start cleaning the kitchen because you could not see an inch of counter space.


I soon realized I had forgot to water bath the batch, but by then the lids had sealed and the jars had cooled. So what's a gal to do with all this jam that won't last long now? Yep, share it with everyone I could run into while I was in town. The guy at Texaco got one, the gal at Knick Knack Paddy Wack got one, a close friend received one, and so on until I was out of stock and ready for home.


Lesson learned............put your glasses on and keep your head out of the clouds when making jam.

A little bit of history

If you have not been to Crack in the Ground it is a must see if you are traveling near Christmas Valley, Or. It was formed 1100 years ago from cooling lava flows. We hiked down into it until we came upon more nettle than I chose to walk through. It is a bit frightening to see all the walls with cracks and everything looks as though it could crumble down around you at any slight earth movement. But well worth the hike.

The air is 20 degrees cooler than the surface. It was like going into an open cave.

From here we stopped at the old Fort Rock Museum.  It began with only eight people who were interested in preserving the history of the homestead era around 1912. The Stratton house was one of the first to be moved to the museum site. Mrs. Stratton died in 2009 at the age of 104.

Mr. Stratton single-handedly built this house.

I just love old buildings, don't you? Guess that is why I collect so much old stuff.

Being a Pioneer was hard to say the least, but seeing how they lived and with such simplicity, sure makes me want to simplify my life even more.

We stopped for a bite to eat at the local tavern. It is run by a 70 year old woman who does the cooking all by herself as well as tend the bar. Let me tell you she can put out one delicious meal. After stuffing our faces it was off to our next stop.

Hole in the Ground.  It is about six miles from the museum and was caused by a meteoroid, it is a maar, which is a volcanic crater formed by a steam explosion. It is approx. 300 feet deep and a mile wide.

right side of hole

left side of hole

The road was rough to get out to this, so with my car it was slow going. You would not find this place without the help from the curator of the museum. He has good written directions for every turn and bump in the road. Signs are just not visible.

Hope you enjoyed a little bit of Oregon history. Now, I must plan where we will be going next. Hope to see you there.

Yummy Breakfast

I just received my All You magazine and found a recipe that had me drooling. I just had to give it a try and knew I had to share it with you. My usual Sunday breakfast is bacon, eggs and toast. So this was a nice change. Makes for a good start on Fall season with the smell of cinnamon in the air. Enjoy.

                           Overnight Peaches-and-Cream French Toast
 
             1 8 oz. loaf French bread, sliced
             8 large eggs
             2 cups whole milk
             1/4 cup sugar
             1 tsp. vanilla extract
             2 15 oz. cans sliced peaches packed in juice, drained
             1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
             1/2 tsp. cinnamon
             1/2 cup heavy cream

Butter a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Arrange bread in a tight, flat layer in dish. In a large bowl, whisk eggs with milk, sugar and vanilla until blended; pour over bread. Arrange peaches on top and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
Remove baking dish from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour cream into a small pan; bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Drizzle over peaches and bake, uncovered, until casserole is lightly browned on top and just cooked through, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 6

This was such an easy dish for me to fix and was yummy and filling for everyone. I'm already thinking of trying it with apple slices. This just might have to be my new breakfast to fix on Sunday mornings.