Clothing repair is a lost art, but I don’t mean to suggest that this post will replace all the art that has been lost! This is just one way that I’ve found to be a satisfactory way to repair clothes. I used to just throw away clothes with rips and tears, but when I got…
Banana Cream Pie – And A Paleo Grain-free/Dairy-free version
We had two almost overripe bananas, and lots of creamy milk and eggs on hand – and this was the result. We can confirm from experience that this delicious pie is great for a picnic at the springs! There are two versions – a real pastry and real creamy milk version, and a Paleo…
ÉPINARDS À LA MAÎTRE D’HÔTEL: Spinach, The Butler’s Way (or beet greens)
Confession: I’m terrible at growing spinach. It just doesn’t like my garden, or maybe it just doesn’t like me. I like spinach, but I just can’t seem to grow it. I’ve tried starting it at different times of the season, in different conditions, with either coddling or neglect (some plants do better with one of…
Home-grown Soap
Ever since we put our first beef in the freezer, I’ve wanted to try making soap. There were suddenly so many jars of creamy-colored tallow taking up the kitchen shelf. I read about it, and bought some lye, but I never was brave enough to make the attempt. Caustic lye, plus the possibility of an…
BETTERAVES EN SALADE: Beet Salad
I have found beets difficult to grow here, so I am pleased to have a decent crop this spring. They just don’t grow well in acidic soil, and I have found that sprinkling lime on just after I plant the seeds helps them actually grow. I grew out a beet trial this year, with five…
Kids Love Junk
Clothilde yells, “I CAN’T HEAR YOU!!!” while wearing ear protection. If you’ve ever visited our house, you will know something about us – we have junk. Lots of junk. I don’t necessarily like junk. Actually, if I had things my way, there wouldn’t be a scrap of junk and someone else…
The Cat-cher in the Rye
I know the pun is terrible, but I couldn’t help thinking it to myself! The long rye cover-crop in the garden is the perfect place for the kitty to hide. In fact, she seems to revert to an ancient feline ancestor that hunted large game while she is immersed in it. It’s cool, even when…
OMELETTE AU JAMBON: Ham Omelet
We finally roasted the ham we had curing in brine for several weeks. The best part about ham, I think, is leftover ham. There’s so much you can do with it. Ham sandwiches, added to quiche, diced up with potatoes. Still, there’s nothing that goes together so well as ham and eggs. With all the…
Spring
I love spring! The winter garden has burst into lacy yellow, white and pink blossoms. The tender, bright green leaves of the trees begin to soften the bare branches, and you can smell flowers on the breeze. The pastures have lost their stark, crackly brown look, and the sweeping broomsedge leftover from the…
Chicks!
Our first spring chicks arrived safely last week in a scuttling, peeping cardboard box! The morning Ethan went to pick them up at the post office, the lady who has a strange phobia about handling birds was unfortunately working the desk. Somehow she’s always the one that ends up handing over the baby chicks. …
SOUPE AU POISSON: Fish Soup
Fish is one of those special “boughten” foods we don’t get to enjoy often. With a freezer packed full of home-grown grassfed beef, pastured pork and chicken, it’s hard to justify buying fish. But fresh fish is just SO good (with emphasis on fresh)! I’ve gotten some disappointing grocery store fish, so look out…
Yarn Along: Roses for Rosie Crochet Shawl
This, I am so proud and pleased to say, is actually Rose’s yarn project. When she was little, she loved braiding and finger-knitting, but when we tried knitting-on-needles, she was rather bored with the whole thing, and found it difficult to manage the needles. I let the matter drop, but one day (when I was…
Toadstools And Fairy Rings 