Making Summer Sausage

Summer sausage is easy to make. You can use venison , beef, ground pork or ground sausage any combination's to make 5 pounds. Add 1/2 cup red wine, 3 tablespoons Morton Tender Quick, 1-2 tablespoons red pepper flakes (depends on how spicy you like), 2 tablespoons whole mustard seed, 2 teaspoons ground black pepper, 2 tsp onion powder, 2 tsp garlic powder, 1 Tbls smoked paprika, 2 tsp sweet paprika, a splash of liquid smoke (optional). Mix all together, put in fridge mix a few times and cook the following day. You can shape into loaves 2-3 " by5 - 6", place on broiler pan and bake in oven at 185 for 5-6 hours or until internal temp reaches 160.

Variations is to add cheddar cheese and jalapeno. When making this one form into logs before refrigerating, wrap in foil or plastic wrap let set for 24 hours, remove wrap and bake as above.

I usually take enough mix out to make 2 loaves, add 1/2 cup regular or smoked shredded cheddar and add additional hot pepper flakes as mine are a mixture of my home grown hot peppers, jalapeno, Anaheim, pablano, what ever grew !!

Making Pasta Sauce

The wonderful smell of pasta sauce cooking on the stove. I use a little venison, a little ground beef and some Italian sausage as the meat today but you can use any by themselves also. I use 2 quarts of home canned tomatoes, one fresh herb packet, oregano, basil, onions, peppers, black pepper, bay leaf, red wine, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a few hot pepper flakes, and salt. i add the herbs to taste and adjust as the day goes by. I use this sauce to put on pasta, bread, pizza, meatballs what ever moves me.

Feeling Spring!

New photos.

Collecting maple syrup

Spring is here and we collecting sap to make maple syrup. First you tap the trees to collect the water like sap. You then have to boil down. We built a back yard red neck sap boiler and it is working well. Once you get a lot of the water boiled out 80% or more we take it to our stove in the canning shack and continue to boil it down until it is the consistency you like, we then can it in pint jars.

Corned Beef and Roasted Cabbage++

Today we honored St. Patrick's day with corned beef and cabbage.

We boiled our brined brisket for 4 hours in water with sea salt, celery, garlic, onion, bay leaves, red pepper, coriander seed, dill seed, mustard seed and cloves. 

(HINT: Try Trader Joe's uncured Corn Beef)

We quick-steamed (5 min) quarter-cut cabbage and fennel bulb, plus two half-sliced endives.

We added these steamed vegetables to cut red potatoes and carrots, and tossed all of it with olive oil, sea salt and crushed black pepper. We roasted these at 400 degrees (convection roast) for 40 minutes, mixing at 20 minutes.

Sláinte!

Herbs

I grow thyme, marjoram, parsley, oregano and summer savory. The summer savory is an annual and it is dried and used in several dishes. Pork, sausage, chicken and beans is where it is used most.
I make herb bundles from my thyme, oregano, marjoram and parsley. I pick, rinse, dry, put into small bundles and tie with kitchen string. I then freeze them individually in snack bags and then stuff the bags in a freezer bag. I then pop a bundle in soup, pasta, stews to flavor pull out the bundle. I like this method as it is easy, how much of each herb you put in your bundle depends on what flavors you like. They can also be done in individual herbs instead of mixing. My bundles are heavy on parsley and thyme then oregano and only a sprig of marjoram. Try mixing your herbs in your dishes to discover what you like best. That is the beauty of growing your own!

Growing to get rid of the winter blues

About two weeks ago while we were having another snow storm, I started some herb seeds (basil, chives, and curly parsley) in clay pots. I put them in my kitchen window. I covered the parsley and basil with storage bags to keep them moist. Two weeks later they are all up. It snowed again yesterday. I am so sick of snow. I will have to keep the herbs moist so they do not dry out. When they get a litter bigger I will have to thin them and put them in a salad.

Flowers

Here is the view from my yard and yes we are really tired of winter, it is snowing AGAIN!!

Flowers

My flower seeds are sprouting. I moved them from the bottom of the cart to the top so they get lots of light.

This is what we use to start and grow our
seeds indoors. The light is adjustable as the plants grow, you can add a second tray and light also. The tomatoes were started January 22.
Peppers, Anaheim, jalapenos, bell peppers and flowers were started February 22,
some of the flowers are up on March 6, started more flowers and peppers today will start more tomatoes next week.

It's time to plant seeds!

Following the Old Farmer's Almanac, March 6 is the moon-favored date for seed planting for many seeds types, so I am gathering supplies and getting ready to have a seed planting party tomorrow!

My garden for herbs and vegetables is made up of 6 small raised bed and various containers- about 250 square feet. So the goal for me is to not plant too many seeds! I always do, though, and then give them away.

This year I am adding a number of flowers too.

So if you're feeling blue and want spring to come - get inspired by planting something. The seeds are the hope of fall's harvest - however big or small. You don't need much, just some pots, some seeding mix or potting soil (I am using a seeding mix this year) and a south-facing window. I just hope I have enough room!

Today we also turned the clover over (red clover cover), added dolomite and bone meal to the herb beds AND fertilized the garlic bed. "Let the sun shine . . . "