Dace
Revolution in Progress
Wow, my kids have been pushing for a cat....wonder if they would notice if I brought home a baby goat instead 
Tamlynn's journal that needs an interesting name -I'm a gramma -pics!
- Thread starter tamlynn
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- #142
tamlynn
Lovin' The Homestead
We finally put up a fence in the backyard to keep the chickens confined to the side yard. What a difference in my yard already! We'll be working on something a bit more permanent than a section of chicken wire and 3 garden stakes. Now I can plant and not worry about them getting in my garden or pots. Also they will stop pooping on my patio and trying to nest in the cat litter box. Happy day.
Also planted a meyer lemon this weekend. 3rd times a charm for lemon trees, hopefully. I can't believe we've been here 6 years and haven't been able to grow a decent lemon yet.
Also planted a meyer lemon this weekend. 3rd times a charm for lemon trees, hopefully. I can't believe we've been here 6 years and haven't been able to grow a decent lemon yet.
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- #143
tamlynn
Lovin' The Homestead
Cooked up a new recipe last night. Very yummy!
http://tamlynnj.blogspot.com/2011/02/if-youve-got-it-flaunt-it.html
dacjohns
Our Frustrated Curmudgeon
The photo is great. The recipe looked pretty good too.
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- #145
tamlynn
Lovin' The Homestead
Finally got out to the community garden yesterday. Whoops. Harvested the remaining 3 cauliflowers which weighed a total of 13 lbs. There was too much broccoli to pick and the bok choy were gigantic. I left them there. One monster at a time.
Good news (well, lots of veggies really are good news too) is that the kids really helped me weed. They usually just sit and whine. But they worked hard, and I got tomatoes, potatoes, squash and asparagus planted.
Good news (well, lots of veggies really are good news too) is that the kids really helped me weed. They usually just sit and whine. But they worked hard, and I got tomatoes, potatoes, squash and asparagus planted.
- Thread starter
- #146
tamlynn
Lovin' The Homestead
Copied from my blog.
Entrepreneur day
Our local home schooling group organized a great entrepreneur day. The kids all made or brought things to sell, and the parents and kids were the customers. Some of the kids even got into bartering. I love the way my kids were able to get a small taste of running a business from concept to product development, advertising, and sales. Most of all they had a great time and were able to use items from our garden in their business ventures.
My dd set up her own herb shop. She sold fresh mint, cilantro, rosemary and parsley from our garden. She enjoyed explaining recipes and cooking tips for the fresh herbs; "Rosemary is delicious with a lemon juice and olive oil marinade for chicken, or you could try my brother's rosemary bread." A neighbor gave us lavender from her gigantic bushes which my daughter dried, stripped and put into cute little sachet bags she made herself. Of course she could describe the relaxing properties of a lavender bath.
Lavender Sachets
My ds and I made rosemary artisan bread. These loaves were a big hit and quickly sold out. Customers were easily lured with free samples to dip in Balsamic vinegar and oil, and a cute, attentive sales boy.
Rosemary Artisan Bread
You can find many artisan bread recipes online, but I had to fiddle with a few to find one that worked for me and my climate. I found the differences were not so much in the ingredients as in the baking method. Here is what I did, but you may need to tweak it some more for your own needs.
Rosemary Artisan Bread
Makes 4 small boules
6 1/2 cups flour
1 Tb salt
1 1/2 Tb yeast
3 cups warm water
2 Tb chopped fresh rosemary
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Loosely cover the bowl with a lid and let the dough sit for at least 2 hours, up to 12 is okay. The dough will be very wet, more like muffin batter than traditional bread dough. After the first rise (the 2-12 hour thing) scoop out 1/4 of the dough with your hands. You can grease or flour your hands to prevent sticking. Very quickly and without kneading or unnecesarily smashing the dough, plop it onto a prepared baking stone or cookie sheet. You can shape the dough a little bit, but avoid smashing the air bubbles as much as possible. A prepared stone is sprayed with olive oil and dusted with cornmeal. This will prevent the bread from sticking to the stone. Then, let the dough rise again, for about 40 minutes to an hour. If your kitchen is cold, it will take longer. The dough should double in size.
Preheat your oven to 450F. This is hot! So make your arrangements in the oven before you preheat. I put one rack on the lowest level and one on the highest level. On the high rack, place a small oven proof container with one cup of water in it. This will create steam in the oven and make the dough chewy in the middle, but crusty on the outside. Refill the water with every loaf you bake.
When your dough has risen for the second time, place the baking stone or cookie sheet on the bottom rack of the hot oven. I have heard this may crack a baking stone because it didn't warm up slowly, but so far it hasn't happened to me. Bake for 25 minutes. The crust should be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Let cool 15 minutes or so before cutting or tearing off a good chunk.
I tried other methods involving parchment paper, water on the bottom of the oven, etc. and none of them worked as well. Let me know if you try this and what baking methods work best for you.
Entrepreneur day
Our local home schooling group organized a great entrepreneur day. The kids all made or brought things to sell, and the parents and kids were the customers. Some of the kids even got into bartering. I love the way my kids were able to get a small taste of running a business from concept to product development, advertising, and sales. Most of all they had a great time and were able to use items from our garden in their business ventures.
My dd set up her own herb shop. She sold fresh mint, cilantro, rosemary and parsley from our garden. She enjoyed explaining recipes and cooking tips for the fresh herbs; "Rosemary is delicious with a lemon juice and olive oil marinade for chicken, or you could try my brother's rosemary bread." A neighbor gave us lavender from her gigantic bushes which my daughter dried, stripped and put into cute little sachet bags she made herself. Of course she could describe the relaxing properties of a lavender bath.
My ds and I made rosemary artisan bread. These loaves were a big hit and quickly sold out. Customers were easily lured with free samples to dip in Balsamic vinegar and oil, and a cute, attentive sales boy.
Rosemary Artisan Bread
You can find many artisan bread recipes online, but I had to fiddle with a few to find one that worked for me and my climate. I found the differences were not so much in the ingredients as in the baking method. Here is what I did, but you may need to tweak it some more for your own needs.
Rosemary Artisan Bread
Makes 4 small boules
6 1/2 cups flour
1 Tb salt
1 1/2 Tb yeast
3 cups warm water
2 Tb chopped fresh rosemary
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Loosely cover the bowl with a lid and let the dough sit for at least 2 hours, up to 12 is okay. The dough will be very wet, more like muffin batter than traditional bread dough. After the first rise (the 2-12 hour thing) scoop out 1/4 of the dough with your hands. You can grease or flour your hands to prevent sticking. Very quickly and without kneading or unnecesarily smashing the dough, plop it onto a prepared baking stone or cookie sheet. You can shape the dough a little bit, but avoid smashing the air bubbles as much as possible. A prepared stone is sprayed with olive oil and dusted with cornmeal. This will prevent the bread from sticking to the stone. Then, let the dough rise again, for about 40 minutes to an hour. If your kitchen is cold, it will take longer. The dough should double in size.
Preheat your oven to 450F. This is hot! So make your arrangements in the oven before you preheat. I put one rack on the lowest level and one on the highest level. On the high rack, place a small oven proof container with one cup of water in it. This will create steam in the oven and make the dough chewy in the middle, but crusty on the outside. Refill the water with every loaf you bake.
When your dough has risen for the second time, place the baking stone or cookie sheet on the bottom rack of the hot oven. I have heard this may crack a baking stone because it didn't warm up slowly, but so far it hasn't happened to me. Bake for 25 minutes. The crust should be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Let cool 15 minutes or so before cutting or tearing off a good chunk.
I tried other methods involving parchment paper, water on the bottom of the oven, etc. and none of them worked as well. Let me know if you try this and what baking methods work best for you.
- Thread starter
- #147
tamlynn
Lovin' The Homestead
Copied from my blog:
Another fun summer on my parent's hobby farm has come and gone. Being away for six weeks is an amazing experience for my kids and very relaxing for me, though I have to rely on others to tend my garden and chickens at home. I do have great support and this year thank Kim and Katelyn for keeping everything alive and well while we were gone.
I'd also like to thank (am I winning an award?) my mom for accepting my recycled chickens. This year I gave up the last of my very first city chickens, Hollyhock. The poor thing insisted on going broody two times a year, for nearly 4 months at a time. After moving to the country, Hollyhock quickly met a dashing young rooster and is currently sitting on a nest of tiny white eggs. Our Polish bantam, Poppy, who arrived at the farm a few months previous to Hollyhock, hatched 4 adorable chicks while we were visiting. That is one proud rooster. Petunia also retired to the farm this summer and is the only one of the city transplants to fit in with the flock. The silkie, Midnight, prefers to live with the goats and has become the roommate of a handsome buck named Milkman. My new pullets, Daisy (layer of the double yolk,) Sunflower, and Lemondrop are starting their egg laying careers.
August 2011 Harvest Tally:
47 lbs. of fresh fruits and veggies
18 eggs
September 2011 Harvest Tally:
40 lbs. of fresh fruits and veggies
28 eggs
Year to date:
451 lbs. of fresh fruits and veggies
324 eggs
We live on a 1/10th acre lot and rent a 20x20 foot community garden plot.
Another fun summer on my parent's hobby farm has come and gone. Being away for six weeks is an amazing experience for my kids and very relaxing for me, though I have to rely on others to tend my garden and chickens at home. I do have great support and this year thank Kim and Katelyn for keeping everything alive and well while we were gone.
I'd also like to thank (am I winning an award?) my mom for accepting my recycled chickens. This year I gave up the last of my very first city chickens, Hollyhock. The poor thing insisted on going broody two times a year, for nearly 4 months at a time. After moving to the country, Hollyhock quickly met a dashing young rooster and is currently sitting on a nest of tiny white eggs. Our Polish bantam, Poppy, who arrived at the farm a few months previous to Hollyhock, hatched 4 adorable chicks while we were visiting. That is one proud rooster. Petunia also retired to the farm this summer and is the only one of the city transplants to fit in with the flock. The silkie, Midnight, prefers to live with the goats and has become the roommate of a handsome buck named Milkman. My new pullets, Daisy (layer of the double yolk,) Sunflower, and Lemondrop are starting their egg laying careers.
August 2011 Harvest Tally:
47 lbs. of fresh fruits and veggies
18 eggs
September 2011 Harvest Tally:
40 lbs. of fresh fruits and veggies
28 eggs
Year to date:
451 lbs. of fresh fruits and veggies
324 eggs
We live on a 1/10th acre lot and rent a 20x20 foot community garden plot.
savingdogs
Queen Filksinger
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I love the double-yolker! So fun to see them fried. Great pic!
- Thread starter
- #149
tamlynn
Lovin' The Homestead
I feel like a proud grandma!
My OE bantam hatched chicks last night! I knew they were due, and pleaded with my mom to make sure she was sheltered because I knew it was getting cold there in UT. The hen had just picked a weedy area of the garden for her nest- not very safe or warm when it starts snowing and evidence of skunks are everywhere. My mom very obligingly scooped her up (the first egg had already hatched) and moved her inside safe and dry. Then she sent me pics.
Hollyhock was one of my very first city chickens over 3 years ago. I'm happy she got to finally hatch some chicks- the poor thing would be broody for 4 months at a time. I am sure she will be a good mama.
My OE bantam hatched chicks last night! I knew they were due, and pleaded with my mom to make sure she was sheltered because I knew it was getting cold there in UT. The hen had just picked a weedy area of the garden for her nest- not very safe or warm when it starts snowing and evidence of skunks are everywhere. My mom very obligingly scooped her up (the first egg had already hatched) and moved her inside safe and dry. Then she sent me pics.
Hollyhock was one of my very first city chickens over 3 years ago. I'm happy she got to finally hatch some chicks- the poor thing would be broody for 4 months at a time. I am sure she will be a good mama.
- Thread starter
- #150
tamlynn
Lovin' The Homestead
Hello, my name is Tamlynn and its been 3 years since I posted! Im glad i got the link to this new site, looks good.
I still live in LA, but trying to convince dh that he can retire early, REALLY early. He is reluctant because the most amazing miracle happened to us about a year and a half ago, i had a baby! Our older kids, now middle school age, were adopted, so believe me when I say miracle. So dh is stressing about college, etc for this sweet baby, which I understand.
My dd is crazy about all things fiber. She knits, spins, and just got a carder and is awaiting her first fleece in the mail.
Ds 1 loves robotics and Legos.
Baby is adorable, walking, eating everything in sight, making everyone smile.
We still have chickens, fruit trees and gardens. At christmas time we brought home half a beef from dh's uncle. I also got the fat, so that is going to be my next ss adventure!
So hello to all the newbies and hope to see some old timers still here! Looking forward to catching up.
I still live in LA, but trying to convince dh that he can retire early, REALLY early. He is reluctant because the most amazing miracle happened to us about a year and a half ago, i had a baby! Our older kids, now middle school age, were adopted, so believe me when I say miracle. So dh is stressing about college, etc for this sweet baby, which I understand.
My dd is crazy about all things fiber. She knits, spins, and just got a carder and is awaiting her first fleece in the mail.
Ds 1 loves robotics and Legos.
Baby is adorable, walking, eating everything in sight, making everyone smile.
We still have chickens, fruit trees and gardens. At christmas time we brought home half a beef from dh's uncle. I also got the fat, so that is going to be my next ss adventure!
So hello to all the newbies and hope to see some old timers still here! Looking forward to catching up.
