Herb Butter

Come to The Pantry ~

I'm making Herb Butter!

"He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;"

Psalm 104:14

Where can I be found?

Just so you don't think I have stopped blogging here ~

with warmer weather with us at last,

you will probably find me in The Garden,

or cooking up something in The Pantry,

or perhaps stitching up something for those

I love in The Sewing Room.

I am also busy taking care of 'the girls and boys'

out in The Barnyard ~

Please stop by and say 'hello' won't you?

I do enjoy our visits so!

~*~

"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.

She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.

She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.

She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.

She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. "

Selected verses from Proverbs 31

Sometimes....

...a girl just needs a simple, little refreshment.



Organic Peanut butter, and homemade Raspberry Jam on
Cracked wheat bread with a tall, ice cold glass of raw Jersey milk!



"That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed."

Romans 15:32

Lunch with a past

Come to The Pantry for a lunch with a past!

~*~

"She is like merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar."

Proverbs 31:14

A Pressing Matter!

We broke out the cider press yesterday,

and though the day was dreary and damp,

made some luscious, fresh squeezed

apple cider!

 The cider press was a Christmas gift

to me a few years ago from

my dear Gentleman Farmer!

After picking the apples and washing them off

with fresh clear water,

we drop them in the hopper of the press.

Turn the crank and the apples are chopped

and drop into the awaiting basket below.

The top is set on and the basket moved to the press...

the press is turned and turned..

compressing the apples until...

the flowing juices drain into a cheesecloth

covered pan.

The juice is then strained again into a clean

jar to be frozen for the coming winter

(I like to freeze it instead of canning

so as not to destroy all of the healthy benefits

of the fresh cider.)...

 or poured into a frosty mug to be enjoyed right away!

~*~

"Keep me as the apple of the eye; Hide me in the shadow of Thy wings,"

Psalm 17:8

"Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances."

Proverbs 25:11

~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~

Joining Amy for Homestead Barn Hop #30
and
Jami's Tuesday Garden Party!

Little things...



...have been keeping me busy the last couple of weeks.

Last weekend, Gentleman Farmer and I traveled

to Puyallup, WA. home of the Western Washington

State Fair, one of the largest in the country.

We just had to go watch our granddaughter play

her violin with the...

South Sound Suzuki Violin Group!



Top Left ~ Little Miss R. playing her solo
Top Right ~ Miss R. showing her two new teeth
Bottom Left ~ Miss R. and Miss M. taking a rest in the Floral Barn
Bottom Right ~ Miss R. playing with the group







Miss R. showing Grandpa her loose tooth.







Oops! How'd that camel get in here?

(Camels are one of my favorite animals! I have
never seen one at the fair before, so just had to
get a photo of her!)


Back at the Farm, I have been keeping busy with many little
food preserving and culturing projects.





Fermenting!
Clockwise from top left ~
Red Cabbage Sauerkraut's, Sourdough Starter,
Ginger Beer, Apple Vinegar



The Sauerkraut was made at our church's

Back To Basics class.

Trying my hand at Sourdough starter again.

Last years attempt was a flop so we'll see what

happens this time!

Thought I would try apple vinegar ~ ran across the

recipe when I was reading about the Ginger Beer

at Down--to--Earth Blog.

I love Ginger Ale but rarely buy it and again

thought I would give this a try.

Drying Apples

Apple chips are a great healthy snack ~

perfect for lunches!

~*~

Those are some of the little things

that I have been doing.

What little things have you been up to?

~~*~~

"He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much"

Luke 16:10

~*~

Joining Deborah Jean for

Farmgirl Friday.

Apples

It's apple season here at the Farm!

Check out the posts at The Garden, The Pantry and The Reading Room!

(Click tabs above)

~*~

"Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,"

Psalm 17:8

Experimenting with homemade herbal tea

Back in May, I planted a little Tea Garden.

(Click here to read that post in Lady Farmers Garden.)

The garden is lush and full, ready for harvesting.

I am using my nifty clothes drying rack, made by Gentleman Farmer,
to dry the abundance of Pineapple Sage and Anise Hyssop.

Close up of Anise Hyssop flower.

I gathered some herbs, boiled a pot of water, and began sampling the various flavors of some of the herbs. I am trying them individually, first, to taste the distinct flavor of each.

Chocolate Mint

Yumm! This was my favorite!

Lemon Verbena is a very close second.

Lemon Balm was good, too, but I prefer the Lemon Verbena.

Both are a wee bit lemony but still different from each other.

Anise Hyssop was also nice, if you like a tiny bit of licorice flavor.

I did not particularly care for the Pineapple Sage. It did not have a Pineapple flavor ~ more earthy than the others.

Bee Balm.

My book Beautiful Easy Herbs says,

"During the period of the Boston Tea Party, American colonists enjoyed tea made from bee balm leaves as an alternative to black tea."
Glad I wasn't a colonist back then. I did not enjoy tea made from bee balm!

Neither did I enjoy this Chocolate Mint Scented Geranium tea.

It was neither chocolate or minty in flavor!

I did try combining the teas. I added one favorite to another, progressively. They were okay, but I did prefer the single flavors over all.

I have more than enough fresh and dried herbs to last me through the winter.

I will continue to combine flavors in hopes to come up with just the right one to be called

Cove Cottage Blend!

Do you have a favorite herbal tea?

~*~

Joining Amy for Preparedness Challenge #21

and

Barn Hop #24

~*~

""He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth"

Psalm 104:14

Just what have I been up to?

100 pounds of tuna

Divided by 19 pint jars

and 78 half pint jars =

_________________

A whole lota good eatin' this winter!

<((><

Captain of the F/V Evening
de-heading, skinning and
filleting our 100 pounds
of fresh albacore tuna caught
off the coast of Washington.









Tuna with skin
off one side.





Cutting the fish into loins.














Captain and his first mate
de-veining the loins.

This big sea lion was hanging around the docks
enjoying the morsels sent over the side of the
fishing boats on his behalf!
~~~
For more photos of my tuna canning process,
please visit me in The Pantry!

Joining Amy for Barn Hop #23

And

Susan for Outdoor Wednesday!

<((><~~~<((><~~~~~~~><))>

"And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you will find a catch." They cast therefore, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish."
John 21:6

Fruit

In The Pantry

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

Galatians 5:22&23

Drying Herbs from the Tea Garden

This is the perfect day

to gather and dry some herbs

from my little Tea Garden.

I am inspired by this little book

from my bookshelf.

Oh! It looks like someone else is doing a little

harvesting, also!

Calendula

The Tea Garden

Pineapple Sage in flower

Parsley peeking out from behind the Anise Hyssop

Lemon Verbena and Pineapple Sage

Dwarf Blue Hyssop

Dittany of Crete Oregano

Thai Basil

Lavender!


Parsley drying

Catnip ~ dried the other day.

Calendula and Lavender in the dehydrator

Anise Hyssop leaves and flower buds

Pineapple Sage and Lemon Verbena

Mmmmm! Can't wait to try mixing my own

Cove Cottage Tea Blend!
~*~

Joining Susan for

Outdoor Wednesday!

And

An Oregon Cottage

for

Tuesday Garden Party.

~*~

"When the grass disappears, the new growth is seen,

and the herbs of the mountains are gathered in"

Proverbs 27:25

~*~

Want to see how I make a

'Pot of Chocolate'?

Come on over to...

The Garden!

(I bet you thought I was

going to have you come to

The Pantry, didn't you!)

This is a different kind

of Chocolate Pot!

:~P