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Memory – “Beautiful Feet” Contest

February 27, 2014 in Family Ties, Fresh Off the Farm with 4 Comments

One evening we decided to do something silly. So we got out my old make-up and some old socks, scarves, etc. We decided to have a “Beautiful Feet” Contest. It took a while and a little creativity, but we enjoyed it. Each of us had both feet of someone else to decorate. We enjoyed watching each other come up with ideas and carry them out.

When we finished we posed for a photo to commemorate the occasion. I do believe that this was a once in a lifetime event. The memory of our fun could have been lost without a picture.

So, who do you think won the “Beautiful Feet” contest?

At our house everybody got a prize – a nice, warm, foot bubble-bath.

photo credit:Randall Grabau

A Walk Down “Memory Lane”

February 20, 2014 in Family Ties, Fresh Off the Farm with 2 Comments

As I recall our lives on the farm with children, memories of fun times come to mind. When in business for ourselves, we invested a lot of our profits in the farm. Life revolved around the business. With the absence of much spending money, therefore, we looked for ways to have fun that did not cost a lot.

supper at a “restaurant”
an “outdoor movie”
a “winter picnic”
trip “out west”
the “circus”
a “trip to the bakery”
a “chicken pox party”
a “home-made Christmas”

These may sound like they could use up cash. But not so, we did this all at home. Our budget allowed for them all. The fun part of it, we could include other families in the fun. (Except, of course, we could not invite others to the “chicken pox” party.)

If you are looking for memory-making that costs very little, I hope you will enjoy walking with me down our “Memory Lane.”

photo credit: danielmoyle via photopin cc

Time for a Rest

February 7, 2014 in Fresh Off the Farm with 2 Comments

January takes a lot of effort and work. For us it is time to prepare for taxes. Forms need to be typed and sent off to the right people. Deadlines must be met. I convened at a meeting. Since I had not done it before, I planned diligently for it. That meeting is now behind me. I will tell you, it feels nice to have those pressures off. Now I have time for a rest.

What will my rest look like?

a big grocery order
rehearsal for a special number I will do for church next month
2 projects that include writing
baking pies
baking bread
sewing and other needlework
ordering seeds for my garden
reading the reams of mail that I have had to set aside till taxes were done

Well, you get the idea. There is still plenty to do and I am looking forward to making a dent in this list. I like that some of the jobs on my list will allow me to put my feet up while I do them. Have a nice day.

photo credit: Pernell via photopin cc

Menus from the Shelf

January 30, 2014 in Cards, Fresh Off the Farm with 2 Comments

My menus in the winter often come from the freezer or a jar. Many days I go down to my cellar and choose the groceries I have stored. I clean a lot of quart and pints when I wash dishes.

This time of the year has seasonal tasks that keep me busy. I am delighted that so much of my cooking has already been done in the summer and fall when the produce was fresh. Though cooking still takes attention, I don’t have to spend as much time traveling to the grocery store since there is a lot of food on my shelf.

I have items like dried parsley, basil and sage. My pie cupboard holds black cherry and choke cherry jelly. Strawberry syrup and currant jelly are two favorites we enjoy. Grape jam and apple jelly await the time when I will choose them for my table. Old faithful recipes like Best-in-the-World Dill Pickles and homemade Tomato Soup, apple pie filling and salsa perch on the shelves ready for the taking. Cooked, tender chicken rests in pint and quart jars.

In celebration of the art food preservation, we are featuring the card named, “Preserves.” It may motivate you to think about how you can grow some food that the Lord provides for you in your garden or in the orchard. Perhaps this scene from the past may encourage and warm the heart of a friend who recalls the good old days of preserving foods for the winter.

The card,”Preserves,” may be found for sale in our store.

My Boot-Jack

January 27, 2014 in Family Ties, Fresh Off the Farm with 2 Comments

We have had some blizzard weather recently. With all of the snow, wearing boots is a big deal. It has been a perfect backdrop for using the Christmas present that my husband made for me.

When I go out into the snow covered-landscape, I have to remove the boots when I come into the house, right? My boot-jack meets me at the door and pulls my boots off for me. I don’t even have to bend down!

My dear dad built a boot-jack for himself many years ago. A while back, my mom gave it to me. I could picture it being of great help to my husband on a daily basis. His farm shoes, I would call boots. He uses them daily, so I foresaw him using it often.

When he got the old one for his basement mud-room, it must have worked well for him. Secretly, he fashioned a more sightly one for me to use upstairs. His improvement on my dad’s design makes it a double-duty device. I really like it.

I just have to put the heel of the boot in the “V-shaped” notch. I step with the other foot on the floor end of the boot-jack to stabilize it. Then I simply have to pull my foot out of the boot. Voila! This jack really works.

My husband really gave me a practical gift. I have used it a lot so far this winter and so have my guests. I expect this is a gift that will keep on giving.

photo credits:Wenda Grabau

Winter…Time for Making Ice Cream

January 22, 2014 in Fresh Off the Farm with 2 Comments

Home-made ice cream, Custard ice cream, cooked custard for ice cream,

Note how the liquid looks on the spoon. This indicates it is not thick enough for freezing.

In the early days of our marriage, we got a new ice cream freezer. The plastic tub did not insulate the cold as well as the old-fashioned wooden ones did. So much cold escaped that the freezing took a tremendous amount of time. The ice cream tasted fine, but the amount of work required with the new plastic product hindered us.

cooked custard for making Ice cream, homemade ice cream,

Here you can see the coating of the spoon. The custard is now cooked enough for making ice cream.

When we moved to the farm, we inherited the old ice cream freezer. We still churn with the old hand-crank method. It takes time and effort. Yet, it makes the experience a family or group event.

homemade ice cream custard, Ice cream freezer and dasher, Ice cream dasher,

After cooking the custard, it is refrigerated to cool. Then it is put into the ice cream can and it is ready to freeze. Cold custard makes the freezing go more quickly.

Ice cream companies consider winter a slow time for marketing their product, at least in the frigid parts of the world. Folks enjoy their hot cocoa instead. But for us, it is a prime time for making it. The reason: snow is the magic ingredient for ice cream-making, not ice. It packs easily during the freezing process.

In fact, this past week we had a birthday to celebrate. The birthday boy requested home-made ice cream. We did just that.

The day before the event, I cooked up the custard recipe for my ice cream recipe. After it thickened I refrigerated it over night. The next day, I poured the thoroughly chilled mixture into the freezer can for freezing.

wire basket, bucket or snow, pail of snow, camp stool, folding stool,

The wire basket will table the ice cream maker, The snow will freeze the ice cream mixture. It pack nicely around the ice cream can inside of the wooden bucket.

We collected the equipment in the basement.

ice cream freezer, wooden ice cream freezer bucket, wooden bucket, broom handle, home made ice cream, churning ice cream,

Dad churns, his helper packs the snow around the metal can holding the ice cream mixture.

The family gathered around for the work and entertainment.

ice cream making, ice cream freezing, ice cream freezer, churning ice cream, snow, salt, brrom handle, wire basket,

This treat takes teamwork.

Snow and salt are packed down with the old broom handle. The salt melts the snow at a colder temperature than 32° F. Hence, the low temperature of the melted snow works to freeze the contents of the ice cream can.

homemade ice cream, ice cream sundae, homemade custard ice cream,

What a treat!

Look, the snow did its job. The churning took time, but the wait was worth it.

photo credit:Bretta Grabau
photo credit:Bretta Grabau
photo credit:Bretta Grabau
photo credit:Bretta Grabau
photo credit:Bretta Grabau
photo credit:Bretta Grabau
photo credit:Wenda Grabau

“Penguin Duo”

January 8, 2014 in Cards, Fresh Off the Farm with 2 Comments

My grandchildren gave me a gift years ago. Their art work is especially endearing. Each of the two of them crafted a penguin out of their own footprints. They decorated them to be penguins.

I posted them up in a prominent place in my kitchen where I could see them every day. One day, the mounting tape I used on them let go. I don’t really know what happened to one of them. I still have one penguin to enjoy as I work. Fortunately, I drew both of them before the loss of the littlest penguin.

In this season of frigid weather, I thought you might enjoy the artwork of children. I have made it into a card, calling it “Penguin Duo.” I hope you enjoy it.

This card is available for purchase in our store. It may bring a smile to the heart of a shut-in or anyone for that matter. Keep warm on these, wintry cold days and warm the heart of a friend with a special note of kindness.

Until January 15, 2014, you may get all items on this site at a 40% discount.

That Darned Sock

January 3, 2014 in Fresh Off the Farm with 2 Comments

Have you ever had a good sock with only one hole in it? What a shame to have to make it into a rag or toss it into the garbage can. I had a pair of socks I did not wish to throw out just yet. So I decided the sock was worth a darn.

To darn a sock one needs proper tools.

a darning needle
an old light bulb (There are also products such as wooden eggs for darning that one may purchase.)
darning thread or suitable yarn (If convenient, choose a color to match the color of the sock.)
a holey sock

Insert the light bulb into the sock to stretch out the hole into it proper shape.

Begin the darning without making a knot on the tail of the thread. A knot will be uncomfortable to walk on. Leave a loose tail which can be woven into the darning later on.

With overcast stitches, catch places in the knitting where stitches could run. Do this around the perimeter of the hole.

After completing the first round, you may start the weaving. Make stitches in one direction until the area is sufficiently covered.

Complete the weaving with stitches perpendicular to the first set of stitching.

When the entire patched area is covered, weave the end of the thread into the woven area several times and cut off the end so there is not dangling thread. Do this to the tail of thread that was used at the beginning of the darning process.

Now you are free to try on the sock and give the darning a work out.

photo credit:Bretta Grabau
photo credit:Bretta Grabau
photo credit:Bretta Grabau
photo credit:Bretta Grabau
photo credit:Bretta Grabau
photo credit:Wenda Grabau

A Warm Day, It’s Zero.

January 1, 2014 in Fresh Off the Farm with 0 Comments

How nice to start the new year with a warm day!

December has been unusually cold. Zero degrees sounds rather warm in comparison.

Besides the concerns about keeping the animals and the farmer warm, pipes can freeze and the farmhouse can get cold. When the winter winds blow, the kitchen has a considerable chill. It is a key time to bake bread or other goodies. The oven helps take the chill off in the kitchen.

With snow piling up in the yard and road, my husband spends time plowing snow. Snow removal is especially important in order to let the milk hauler in to pick up our milk and take it to the creamery.

Many folks consider the falling of snow to be pretty. I understand that. However, the snow adds more work to the farmer’s chores. In spite of the snow we got yesterday and today, it is great to have the rise in temperature. Zero degrees with no windchill seems much more tolerable than what we have had in the recent past.

Keep looking at the bright side and have a Happy New Year!

photo credit:Bretta Grabau
photo credit:Bretta Grabau

Meringue Cookies

December 30, 2013 in Fresh Off the Farm, Smorgasbord with 4 Comments

If you are looking for a low cholesterol, gluten-free, melt-in-your-mouth cookie, look no further.

Beat 2 egg whites with, 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt till stiff.

Add 3/4 C. sugar; red or green food coloring (opt.); and 1/8 tsp. peppermint extract, or to taste.

Fold in 1 C. mini-chocolate chips.

Turn on oven to 375°F. Heat for 15 minutes.

On cookie sheet covered with waxed paper, make cookies by the teaspoonful. Place the cookies in the oven.

Turn off oven and leave them in the oven overnight.

You may like to try leaving the cookies white and flavoring them with vanilla or almond flavoring. Feel free to experiment with your favorite flavors.

photo credit:Wenda Grabau
photo credit:Wenda Grabau
photo credit:Wenda Grabau
photo credit:Wenda Grabau