Posts

Recently we had a week that we tried to eat only what we grew or raised or hunted ourselves. Protein-wise we would be fine – we have beef, chicken, pork, goat, venison, and eggs. Fruit wise we have pears. Apples and peaches might also be ready. And there was the wild plum tree, wild grapes, and maybe elderberries. Veggies were available – green beans, Swiss chard, red and sugar beets and beet greens, summer squash, zucchini, edemame, onions, garlic, carrots, grape and yellow pear tomatoes. We have oregano, sage, rosemary, and mint for flavoring. Honey and maple syrup would be the sweeteners. Black walnuts are somewhere. (We didn’t find them, so they weren’t used.) Starches and fats would be the weak link. We had a few potatoes; we did grow wheat this spring, so could grind that; we had beef tallow and could process pork lard. We had milk, but not enough to get cream for butter. Salt was allowed as needed/wanted.

Suppers/dinners were fine. At first they were more involved. As time went on, they became 1 pot stir fries. We like salads, so raw carrots and tomatoes were the munchies that served as a salad.

• Monday – fried Zucchini planks, raw thinly sliced summer squash with sage and tallow, sauteed beens and herbs, seared and roasted London broil
• Tuesday – baked zucchini, tomatoes, with milk and eggs over top
• Wednesday – sauteed ground beef, green beans, summer squash, Swiss chard
• Thursday – roasted chicken over sliced potatoes; cornmeal mush
• Friday – chicken leftover veggie soup, made with chicken broth and cream and milk
• Saturday – hamburger patties, with tomatoes as bun, veggies on the side
• Sunday – seared and roasted chuck roast, sauteed veggies

At first I tried to saute things in lard like I would in olive oil – lots of lard. That was too much lard. So I would use lard to start the veggies and then I would add chicken broth to add moisture.

Breakfasts and lunches are make-it-yourself. However, we have lots of oats and bread and granola that can be part of the make-it-yourself and these were not available. We did have wheat that we ground into whole wheat flour. This was mixed with milk and eggs to make crepes, pancakes, flat bread (chapatis), or quick bread if you add fruits or meats and veggies. If you beat your eggs or your egg whites and then mix it with the rest of the batter, it will be more of a raised bread. We also had 1 batch of cornmeal mush.

Things we missed – oats, oatmeal, granola, dried fruit, olive oil, butter, lettuce.

All in all, it worked out well. After one week 5 of us stopped, but 3 continued for about another week. As I was no longer cooking just what we produced, this became make-it-yourself for all three meals. But they made it work! We will probably try this again and aim for 2 weeks next time.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Do you know the names of these pasture flowers or plants?

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Check below to see how you did!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Some of these we are glad to see – trefoil, chicory, amaranth. Others, like burdock or ragweed, we prefer not to see! Want to know more about goldenrod and ragweed? Tap here!

As these plants mature and the flowers flesh out more, we will add pics, at least of the goldenrod. The ragweed probably will be cut as we have several that are allergic to it in our home.

This is a recipe in progress. You use large zucchinis cut into circles and lightly cooked; next top with sauce, cheese and other toppings; then bake until soft and cheese is melted; finally eat and enjoy!

• 

• 

While looking through the brush where the goats are clearing we found this tree. It has some wild grapes on it. Looking closer we saw that it was some sort of fruit tree. Inside the fruit we found plum pits. So we have a wild plum tree!

Do you know your fruit trees or bushes by their shape and look? Let’s see!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

What did you come up with? Below is a pic of the fruit with its name.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Most of these are not ripe yet. And as we only have a tree or two of each, they will just be used by the family.

• 

• 

• 

We commonly get the blisters on our feet and ankles. Why? Well, we are mostly always in our bare feet. After wild parsnip patches are mowed or weed wacked, the sap is still wet. When we walk through these areas, we get the blisters on our feet. It takes a while for the blisters to heal. After the skin is healed there is still a discoloration left behind that takes several months to go away. If we were to break and weed these with our bare hands, then we would have the blisters on our hands. That would be really painful!

Several years ago I was talking to a native friend who remembered harvesting these in her teen years with her aunt. When they harvested them, one of the instructions was to be careful of the stems and the sap from the stems. My friend didn’t remember any other explanation – Just be careful!

Can you guess the plant based on the flower?

What are these 4 plants?

Continue reading “What’s the Plant?”

Here are some recent views from the farm:

The Bros recently reclaimed a junkie area:

• 

• 

Here are other plants growing in the garden:

• 

• 

• 

• 

•