We just had our first egg ! Courtesy of Francesca! More to come!
(lots more!)
(edit: and the very next day: Rebel gave us this beauty!!!)
(lots more!)
(edit: and the very next day: Rebel gave us this beauty!!!)
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Strawberry Land!
Strawberry Low Sugar Freezer Jam
We have the short window of summer here in the northwest to enjoy fresh local strawberries, and should all indulge accordingly! Get yourself to a fresh market (or a "Spooner's" Stand, highly recommended!) and get the GOOD ones if you don't grow your own ....(yet?)
2 1/2 cups crushed or finely chopped (FRESH) strawberries! … Go Now !
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Alternate Sweetener
2/3 cup orange juice
splash of lemon juice
1 package Ball Fruit Jell No Sugar Needed Pectin
2/3 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Alternate Sweetener
2/3 cup orange juice
splash of lemon juice
1 package Ball Fruit Jell No Sugar Needed Pectin
2/3 cup water
Clean well and then proceed to crush or chop strawberries using a potato masher or some such method, just not with a food processor.
Add sugar, Alternate Sweetener, orange juice, and a splash of lemon juice. Stir thoroughly for one minute. Let this mixture sit for 10 minutes.
In saucepan, whisk the powdered pectin into water.
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and boil while stirring for a full minute., until it forms a thick white sauce.
Pour pectin into a large bowl. Stir in strawberry mixture, and continue stirring for at least 3 minutes.
Ladle into your chosen jars. We used Kerr jam jars and lids. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Keep one jar for immediate use (Below Recipe = yum!!!) and freeze the rest.
Strawberry Naan
Naan Bread Recipe (Must have)
| All purpose flour | 2 cups |
| Fresh thick curds | 1/2 cup |
| Milk,warm | 1/2 cup |
| Sugar | 1/2 tsp |
| Salt | 1 tsp |
| Baking powder | 3/4 tsp |
| Cooking soda | 3/4 tsp |
| Melted Ghee/Butter | 4 tsps |
- Sieve flour with baking powder and cooking soda for 3 times in order to very evenly disperse. Put the seived flour in a bowl and make a dent in the middle. Pour milk, curd, salt,and sugar into the dent.
- Mix well, after a minute, gathering the flour with your finger without kneading too hard. Keep aside covered for 2-3 hours. (and up to 8 hours) Knead the dough softly when ready to prepare and make even sized balls
- Cover the rolling platform generously with flour to roll it in and pull one edge to make a tear shape. Apply water on top of naan and turn over it to the hot pan so that the water applied part sticks to the pan.
- Cook covered on medium flame and after a minute if u open to see it has puffed up. Turn the pan upside down and cook the other side on direct flame till the other side becomes light golden in color. cooking in direct flame sure gives a good finish to the naan. Apply butter/ghee over both sides and eat!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
New Babies!
Greetings Fernies! Another week already! Thank goodness for the longer days too, we have been enjoying them so much!
This week had some big family news as well! Not only were we surrounded by amazing natural wonders, we were all excited and surprised with two more additions to our lovely Fernville family!
Our friendly neighborhood horse farm, Rancho del Caballo Plateado has been overrun with simply too many cute and random litters for them to keep up with, and we of course were inspired to adopt two of them into our homestead! (Contact Vicki if you are in the Olympia area and would like to adopt some kittens or cats!)
They will still need to the vet ASAP to get their shots and spay/neuter, so we are asking for our frineds, family and supporters to all PLEASE do whatever you can to reach our goal of $200, so go right ahead and pitch in to the kitty fund, HERE!
This week had some big family news as well! Not only were we surrounded by amazing natural wonders, we were all excited and surprised with two more additions to our lovely Fernville family!
 |
| CODENAMED: Lady & Mister |
Our friendly neighborhood horse farm, Rancho del Caballo Plateado has been overrun with simply too many cute and random litters for them to keep up with, and we of course were inspired to adopt two of them into our homestead! (Contact Vicki if you are in the Olympia area and would like to adopt some kittens or cats!)
They will still need to the vet ASAP to get their shots and spay/neuter, so we are asking for our frineds, family and supporters to all PLEASE do whatever you can to reach our goal of $200, so go right ahead and pitch in to the kitty fund, HERE!
THANK YOU!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Chickens Of The Corn
Hello friends!
Here is a just a quick little video update of our amazing chickens!
Sometimes for entertainment they enjoy a fresh ear of corn as a game of pinata!
As you can see they have grown quite a bit in just over 8 weeks!
We are starting to guesstimate, and make fun bets on our 1st egg date, Mama Hope chose her BD, August 12th and I selected September 1st!
Here is a just a quick little video update of our amazing chickens!
Sometimes for entertainment they enjoy a fresh ear of corn as a game of pinata!
As you can see they have grown quite a bit in just over 8 weeks!
We are starting to guesstimate, and make fun bets on our 1st egg date, Mama Hope chose her BD, August 12th and I selected September 1st!
Leave your date's guess in the comments!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Eggs Eggs Eggs? ...Pie!
Greetings Fernies!
Our Sweet Chickens have been growing quickly, it is so exciting! However, after doing some math and guesstimating that our 6 hens can lay, if happy and healthy, about 2-300 eggs per year (!) (EACH)
So, while intending on sharing/trading them with the community is important, even then, That Is A Lot of Eggs,,,,so an impending surplus looks likely for this former Vegan's dietary habits, so... It was decided that we needed to add some more dishes to the routine besides my favorite , French Toast.
Mama Hope is wise, and just spontaneously explained how to make a Quiche, from what we had on hand!
This was a great and hearty way to get our Egg intake up, have plenty of protein and (choice of seasonal) produce crops, and will certainly be added to our regular rotation when our own lovely pet chickens begin to lay!
Also, upon making (and devouring) this creation, it was surprisingly much more fun and easy than expected, Enjoy this,,,Quiche, er. ...Egg Pie! (PS: Thank you chickens!)
Our Sweet Chickens have been growing quickly, it is so exciting! However, after doing some math and guesstimating that our 6 hens can lay, if happy and healthy, about 2-300 eggs per year (!) (EACH)
So, while intending on sharing/trading them with the community is important, even then, That Is A Lot of Eggs,,,,so an impending surplus looks likely for this former Vegan's dietary habits, so... It was decided that we needed to add some more dishes to the routine besides my favorite , French Toast.
Mama Hope is wise, and just spontaneously explained how to make a Quiche, from what we had on hand!
This was a great and hearty way to get our Egg intake up, have plenty of protein and (choice of seasonal) produce crops, and will certainly be added to our regular rotation when our own lovely pet chickens begin to lay!
Also, upon making (and devouring) this creation, it was surprisingly much more fun and easy than expected, Enjoy this,,,Quiche, er. ...Egg Pie! (PS: Thank you chickens!)
 |
| Asparagus Shiitake Egg Pie Frozen or Fresh Pie Crust 4-6 Local Farm Fresh Eggs 3/4 c milk or cream 1 c Swiss or any substitute Cheese 3/4 c Asparagus pieces 1/2 dried Shiitake mushrooms 1/2 Yellow Onion 2 T Parsley 2 t Soy Sauce Salt / Pepper to taste __________________ Sautee your onions and mushrooms in 3T olive oil and 1 t garlic, add asparagus for a short time until seared. Set Aside. Blend Eggs and Milk, add- parsley, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Place cheese in thin layer in pie crust, and add the mushroom asparagus mix evenly. Pour in the egg mixture slowly. ::::: Preheat Oven - 350 - Time - 25-35 min, watch crust and cheese until golden, remove, cool and eat! VOILA QUICHE! |
Monday, May 21, 2012
RADishes!
Today, we were greeted with a lovely bounty of radishes from one of our earlier planted raised beds!
This was our very first 'crop' and we were thrilled to see all of these multicolored easter egg, white icicle, and purple roots quickly grow into beauty and deliciousness. (Cannot wait for our 'watermelon' variety to pop up! They are absolutely RAD)
This was a super easy entry into the wonders of gardening on your own and we highly recommend getting out in the soil YOURSELF and putting down many radish seeds in your yard, deck, or even at your favorite park! (they will be done in 4-6 short weeks!)
One scrumptious way to devour these goodies is in a lightly pickled radish slaw; here is a recipe for your enjoyment~!
This was our very first 'crop' and we were thrilled to see all of these multicolored easter egg, white icicle, and purple roots quickly grow into beauty and deliciousness. (Cannot wait for our 'watermelon' variety to pop up! They are absolutely RAD)
This was a super easy entry into the wonders of gardening on your own and we highly recommend getting out in the soil YOURSELF and putting down many radish seeds in your yard, deck, or even at your favorite park! (they will be done in 4-6 short weeks!)
One scrumptious way to devour these goodies is in a lightly pickled radish slaw; here is a recipe for your enjoyment~!
 |
Simple Pickled Radish Slaw2 cups radish slices or smaller shapes 1 white onion, sliced into bits 1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar 1/2 orange, smashed 2 Tb sugar 1 Tb olive oil pinch of pepper combine all ingredients in a covered container, shake and refrigerate overnight, shake lightly once or twice while waiting and taste testing. Serve on bed of radish greens, with orange garnish! ENJOY! |
Monday, April 23, 2012
Much More Planting This Week!
Greetings friends! More sunshine has created an unseasonably WARM weekend and we have put in many more plantings to tell you about! Also of note, we have just begun utilizing the garden planning software from Territorial Seed ! It is so organized, fun, and simple to get into! Try it out!
So, April is halfway done and we have gotten as much of a headstart this year as possible, hopefully next year we will have a greenhouse to begin even earlier! Here is a basic rundown of our gardens, so far!
Salad Bed
Snap Peas, Lettuce, Spinach, Mint, Oregano, Basil, Pansies
Fruit Bed
Strawberries, Giant + Regular Blueberries, Blackberries
Flower Garden #1
Featuring Ferns (of course) Forget Me Nots, Azaleas, Needlepoint Ivy, Hardy Fuchsia, Coleus, Cyclamen, Sweet Violet, Holly, and more to come!
Raised bed A
Mammoth Red and Late Flat Dutch Cabbages , Long Island Brussels Sprouts, Early Purple + Waltham 29 Broccoli and Violetta Italia Cauliflower
Raised bed B
Rainbow Heirloom Tomato, Bulls Blood Beets, Radishes (w/ Easter Egg, Purple, and Icicle)
Old Spot Garden
Walla Walla Sweet Onions, Scarlet and Kentucky Wonder Runner Beans.
-
Seranno, Cayenne, and Lemon Habanero Peppers.
-
Potatoes, in Russet, Yukon Gold, Safina, and Purple Majesty varieties.
-
Beans! : Black Valentine, Royal Burgandy, Goldcrop Wax, plus Purple Beauty Peppers, Black Beauty Eggplant, Parrish Island Romaine Lettuce, Tokyo White bunching Onion, and Utah Celery.
Coming up next is our 8x8 'Square Foot Gardening' experiment!
Thank you for following along on our adventure and remember to please contribute in any way you can as we grow our dream!
Salad Bed
Snap Peas, Lettuce, Spinach, Mint, Oregano, Basil, Pansies
Fruit Bed
Strawberries, Giant + Regular Blueberries, Blackberries
Flower Garden #1
Featuring Ferns (of course) Forget Me Nots, Azaleas, Needlepoint Ivy, Hardy Fuchsia, Coleus, Cyclamen, Sweet Violet, Holly, and more to come!
Raised bed A
Mammoth Red and Late Flat Dutch Cabbages , Long Island Brussels Sprouts, Early Purple + Waltham 29 Broccoli and Violetta Italia Cauliflower
Raised bed B
Rainbow Heirloom Tomato, Bulls Blood Beets, Radishes (w/ Easter Egg, Purple, and Icicle)
Walla Walla Sweet Onions, Scarlet and Kentucky Wonder Runner Beans.
-
Seranno, Cayenne, and Lemon Habanero Peppers.
-
Potatoes, in Russet, Yukon Gold, Safina, and Purple Majesty varieties.
-
Beans! : Black Valentine, Royal Burgandy, Goldcrop Wax, plus Purple Beauty Peppers, Black Beauty Eggplant, Parrish Island Romaine Lettuce, Tokyo White bunching Onion, and Utah Celery.
Coming up next is our 8x8 'Square Foot Gardening' experiment!
Thank you for following along on our adventure and remember to please contribute in any way you can as we grow our dream!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Blueberry Love
This week finally saw a couple of sequential clear, mostly dry and sunny days, which really kicked us into gear to get those sun deprived plants (and ourselves) out from the indoors and out into the yard!
First up is our wonderful gift from a beloved sponsor, our "Giant blueberry plant" one of the five varieties of blueberries we are going to grow!
So there you see but a small part of our sweet fruit garden, now in progress! We will update with more images as we get eventually get to fruiting! So, be ready to send your recipes our way!
First up is our wonderful gift from a beloved sponsor, our "Giant blueberry plant" one of the five varieties of blueberries we are going to grow!
 | |||||||
| Blueberries enjoy acidic soils to thrive, so a pine needle amendment 'wreath' was placed over the compost and soil mix that was used at the base. |
 | |
| Next, dried pine needle mulch gathered in our forest was added over the top. |
 |
| A protective sheet was then placed to help in weeding and water direction. |
 | ||||||
| More mulch and topsoil added to create a 'bowl' and we are ready to GROW! |
So there you see but a small part of our sweet fruit garden, now in progress! We will update with more images as we get eventually get to fruiting! So, be ready to send your recipes our way!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Easter Sunday Photos!
Just a brief note to remind you to check out our Facebook Page for many new photos!
 |
| Journey through some of the wonderful and mystical faerie mosses of Fernville ! |
 |
| And a special sneak peek at the blü coop! |
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Six Chix!!!!
Spring is in full swing and we have a very special announcement!
Our chicks are here on the farmstead ! Six new babies arrived today, and so we are pleased to introduce you, dear friends - to these newest additions to our family!
Rose, {a Rhode Island Red}, Francesca, {the White Leghorn}, and Disco {the Wyandotte} the other chick - that adorable, sometimes loner {Black Star} is not named yet, nor are our {Black Australorp} or {Barred Rock} beauties !)
Endless appreciation goes to our wonderful sponsors, and remember if you would like to name one of the few remaining get to our donation page ASAP!
Our chicks are here on the farmstead ! Six new babies arrived today, and so we are pleased to introduce you, dear friends - to these newest additions to our family!
Rose, {a Rhode Island Red}, Francesca, {the White Leghorn}, and Disco {the Wyandotte} the other chick - that adorable, sometimes loner {Black Star} is not named yet, nor are our {Black Australorp} or {Barred Rock} beauties !)
Endless appreciation goes to our wonderful sponsors, and remember if you would like to name one of the few remaining get to our donation page ASAP!
Chick Cam!
Friday, March 30, 2012
DIY Mushrooms!
Greetings!
Main event of this week... I celebrated my 40th Birthday! Mama Hope was so thoughtful in her gift, I am absolutely anticipating this little patch of fresh fungal goodness in our kitchen!
We lived on The Farm - an intentional community located in Tennessee - in our earlier years and took away much wisdom and guidance for this adventure there, so in a fitting taste of synchronicity, Mama ordered one of the Shiitake grow kits, from a Farm affiliate (just one of many incredible items they offer).
This is the easiest thing I have done all week and still feel obliged to share it with you lovely people so that you may too, enjoy such an excellent and fresh addition to your diet.
Shiitake mushrooms are also not only delicious, but I also, serendipitously, while moving last week happened upon the book Shiitake - the Healing Mushroom by Kenneth Jones.
I look forward to learning the many wonders of the Shiitake (as well as eating plenty too)
DIY GUIDE:
(easiest of all time)
Let em grow, let em grow, let em grow!
6-8 weeks later.... EAT! (Will update, stay tuned!)
Thanks for reading, until next time!
Main event of this week... I celebrated my 40th Birthday! Mama Hope was so thoughtful in her gift, I am absolutely anticipating this little patch of fresh fungal goodness in our kitchen!
We lived on The Farm - an intentional community located in Tennessee - in our earlier years and took away much wisdom and guidance for this adventure there, so in a fitting taste of synchronicity, Mama ordered one of the Shiitake grow kits, from a Farm affiliate (just one of many incredible items they offer).
This is the easiest thing I have done all week and still feel obliged to share it with you lovely people so that you may too, enjoy such an excellent and fresh addition to your diet.
Shiitake mushrooms are also not only delicious, but I also, serendipitously, while moving last week happened upon the book Shiitake - the Healing Mushroom by Kenneth Jones.
I look forward to learning the many wonders of the Shiitake (as well as eating plenty too)
DIY GUIDE:
(easiest of all time)
 |
| 1. Open the box it came in and say - oooohhhh.... |
 |
2. Remove the plastic and place on a large plate or tray, skewer and place the enclosed humidity bag over it. |
 |
3. Find an appropriate area that will receive 8-10 hrs of light and keep it lightly watered daily. |
6-8 weeks later.... EAT! (Will update, stay tuned!)
Thanks for reading, until next time!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
What a week!
Well, dear friends, a little delay on the update with all of the basic cleaning and renovation household projects going on!
We have: Cleared and organized our garage/barn and redone our interior home office, kitchen and living space, using any rainy time breaks to get these indoor projects out of the way.
Our Chicken coop is also well underway, and should be finished mid April with our new productive little family members, we still have -two- chicken naming sponsorships available for just $20 ! Going Fast!
Also, the Blü Wizard is celebrating his 40th birthday and will be updating tomorrow with a very fun and easy DIY surprise gift! Stay tuned!
Be sure to Like our FB page for more news from Fed Up Farmstead & Fernville ! Thank you for your continued support and assistance!
We have: Cleared and organized our garage/barn and redone our interior home office, kitchen and living space, using any rainy time breaks to get these indoor projects out of the way.
Also, the Blü Wizard is celebrating his 40th birthday and will be updating tomorrow with a very fun and easy DIY surprise gift! Stay tuned!
Be sure to Like our FB page for more news from Fed Up Farmstead & Fernville ! Thank you for your continued support and assistance!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Final Week In Seattle
Thanks for tuning in, dear Friend of Fernville!
It has been a hectic and hurried final few days here in the city. A nervous anxiousness creeps back into the apartment, here in the wee hours. So many seemingly endless hours of sorting and packing, re-sorting, and finalizing the basics for the past few weeks have nearly come to their grand finale!
Always refusing to become victims of stress, we instead anticipate the coming week of drastic change and new beginnings with an open mind and joyful spirit! To Fernville or Bust!
We were able to purchase nearly 80 varieties of seeds and starter plants from our initial Fernville fundraising efforts and our rainy days Awesome Yard / Record Sale; Just a few examples - Cosmic Carrots, Sugar Snap Peas, Pumpkins, Strawberries, Lilacs, Beets, Broccoli, Blue Hydrangeas, Peppers, Radishes, Squash, Tomatoes,,, and well, we will get into detailing all the amazing varieties in an upcoming seed starter pictorial!
The other big highlights of the week have been news of our initial sponsors - who have selected names for our first two chickens (yet to even be hatched!) Rose and Francesca! We will be giving you a DIY guide of their coop building right here on this very blog in the coming weeks!
Even more pleasant surprises were an amazing tool and book set, countless words of wisdom and support, and..... a giant blueberry plant from our dear friends, so much love!
We are also currently in the process of compiling an important equipment and supply wishlist !!! Please give whatever you can to help, even a comment of encouragement goes a long way in this project!
In any case, we certainly will be asking for much more support, be it financial, emotional, and of course the general advice of our extended network of Fernville Friends in the future!
Immediately following the big move on Monday, we will be 'unplugged' for a bit while we hit the ground running with many simultaneous projects, but be sure to check back here and on our new Facebook Page, for updates, new pictures, and plans for the spring season!
It has been a hectic and hurried final few days here in the city. A nervous anxiousness creeps back into the apartment, here in the wee hours. So many seemingly endless hours of sorting and packing, re-sorting, and finalizing the basics for the past few weeks have nearly come to their grand finale!
Always refusing to become victims of stress, we instead anticipate the coming week of drastic change and new beginnings with an open mind and joyful spirit! To Fernville or Bust!
We were able to purchase nearly 80 varieties of seeds and starter plants from our initial Fernville fundraising efforts and our rainy days Awesome Yard / Record Sale; Just a few examples - Cosmic Carrots, Sugar Snap Peas, Pumpkins, Strawberries, Lilacs, Beets, Broccoli, Blue Hydrangeas, Peppers, Radishes, Squash, Tomatoes,,, and well, we will get into detailing all the amazing varieties in an upcoming seed starter pictorial!
The other big highlights of the week have been news of our initial sponsors - who have selected names for our first two chickens (yet to even be hatched!) Rose and Francesca! We will be giving you a DIY guide of their coop building right here on this very blog in the coming weeks!
Even more pleasant surprises were an amazing tool and book set, countless words of wisdom and support, and..... a giant blueberry plant from our dear friends, so much love!
In any case, we certainly will be asking for much more support, be it financial, emotional, and of course the general advice of our extended network of Fernville Friends in the future!
Immediately following the big move on Monday, we will be 'unplugged' for a bit while we hit the ground running with many simultaneous projects, but be sure to check back here and on our new Facebook Page, for updates, new pictures, and plans for the spring season!
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