more canning

At 11:30 this evening Dante' and I finished canning 5 pints of dilly beans. Our tiny little garden yielded the 2 1/2 pounds of beans required for the recipe. I was frankly astounded. It was a great experience to be able to can them the same day they were picked.

Yesterdays canned greanbeans (some 20-odd pints) have been carried downstairs to store for the winter. The dehydrator is filled with green beans and onions. Tomorrow I'll use it to turn several pounds of beef into beef jerky. There are so many different 'cures' I wonder which one is best?

With the green beans finally out of the way, we are ready to make blackberry jam. Generally, when I use the term "we" I am referring to Dante'. Most everyone in the house has pitched in and helped at some point, though.

Annie, God Bless her, gave me the citric acid needed to make cheese. So when the frenzy of the house dies down a bit, I'm hoping to give it a try. I'm quite nervous about the whole thing. According to most online sources, Mozzarella is not a 'starter' cheese. It is reported to be a project best suited for a more experienced cheese maker. Still, I am putting my trust in Barbara Kingsolver, who printed the recipe in her book 'Animal, vegetable, miracle' with no such precaution.
-EJ

Mushrooms!

Last night at dinner,Dante's friend Jamie casually mentioned having picked a 5 lb. bucket of mushrooms. "When was that?" I asked, assuming she was referring to last fall. Jamie blinked. "I dunno, a couple of days ago," she replied. HOLD THE PHONE! A couple of days ago? Sure it's been raining here lately. But its only August. Could it be that while I was lollygagging about in my garden the first tasty Chanterelles of the season had arrived?

This morning found Maxwell, Dante', Richard and myself driving local logging roads in search of our favorite fall delicacy. Dante' and Richard found it necessary to mushroom hunt in the fashion they have created: Clinging to the bumper of my Dodge Caravan whilst scanning the hillsides for any apricot-colored object. I found it necessary to drive in such as way as to try and fling them from the vehicle. Great fun was had by all. Especially by Maxwell who peered out the back window shouting encouragement to the van-clingers.

Hours of searching yielded a modest harvest, but the real damage has already been done. Once again, mushroom fever has set in. I cannot drive without scanning the hillsides for signs of Chanterelles. My daughter and I scan large areas of outback until glassy-eyed and exhausted.

If I'm hard to find for say, oh, the next three months or so, you know where I'll be.

happy foraging,
-EJ

harvest, canning and life

Cheese update: No cheese. You can't make mozzarella without citric acid(It's a catalyst for something) and I can't find pure, unadulterated citric acid. Yet.....What I did find was "fruit fresh", a blend of citric and ascorbic acid typically used to preserve fruit. I'm not willing to waste a gallon of milk in finding out if it's an acceptable substitute. darn it.

Garden update: Harvest time! Green and yellow wax beans are coming on strong. Being the nerd that I am, the highlight of my day is shambling out to the garden each morning, coffee in hand , to pick the days supply of beans. For dinner last night we ate a sort of ghoulash (not ghoulish, you smart-alecs!) made from the first cabbages to come from the garden, a good half-pound of grean/wax beans, garlic, left-over roast beef and a can of diced tomatoes. Ordinary, but tasty.
Today I pulled two of the last few lettuces. They were already lost under the canopy of the monstrous squash plants. (more on the squash tomorrow)

Life update: busy, busy couple of weeks. We've all run non-stop. Paxson, Dante' and Richard have had a paying gig clearing my neighbor's overgrown backyard. They did well, She's impressed and they are inivited to work for a week on another property. So the kids spent today in Eugene blowing their newfound wealth on school clothes. Phil and I spent the day with Max in Medford. We went to get encouragement and advice from a pastor friend. Awesome day! On the way home we scored FIFTEEN pounds of greenbeans from a farm stand for just 10 bucks. Tomorrow morning I'm obliged to stand in the kitchen canning the whole blessed lot. Scratch the term 'morning' and just stick with 'tomorrow'.

Kid update: Max is tall , intelligent and real handful. He is proud of the pot of Cosmos he grew.

Paxson, Richard, Dante' and William are gearing up for yet another school year. Paxson is a Senior this year, Will and Richard are Juniors and Dante' a Freshman!

My grandfather has promised to construct a cheese press and soap mold for me. I suspect he find it amusing that my family would actually want to make their own soaps and cheeses. After all, scientific progress relieved him of that necessity years ago. "I'll find you some Alder to make the cheese press", he tells me, "Pine makes cheese smell and taste funny." God Bless Grandpa, he knows the coolest things.

It is what you make it

I was pondering how I'd answer if someone asked what it is that I do. Homemaker, housekeeper,and 'domestic goddess' flashed through my mind before I settled on Urban Homesteader. Hey, neat title, I thought to myself. Well, it turns out to be hardly an original thought, after all.

Just google it. For years, many folks have long been 'roughing' it on city property for the betterment of their families, their health, and the environment. Great stuff! Hubby was slightly embarrassed when I moved two hens into a cage in the back yard. Well guess what? I just found an article on chicken keeping in the city. Hot dang.

Today Max and I bought liquid rennet and local milk. We are good-to-go on the mozzarella cheese-making front. Comments and pics to posted later, after our experiment.

The garden is amazing. This is my first year, rememember, so you'll be barraged with pics of every fruit and vegetable. I have the fervor of a mother with a newborn. The garden is my baby and you're about to be shown the pics.
Please note(and ogle) our first cauliflower picked yesterday. It is stunning! In just a few days we should be able to pick some greenbeans as well. Little squashes have begun, the spinach is up(previously known as the mystery vegetable)and I will continue to rhapsodize until the season is over.

Blackberries have begun to ripen.More on that later. Dante, the household pie-whisperer,served us our first blackberry pie of the season. mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Back to the subject of homesteading. Not everyone can live in the country. My husband and I would love to. Emphasis on love But we simply can't afford a home with adequate acreage for gardening, Dante's horse and all the other animals I would love to someday own. So I do what I can on my own little lot. Like anything else in life, you make the best of what you have. Truthfully, we currently have a wonderful house in a quiet, safe neighborhood.

And now it's time to make cheese. Wish me luck. -EJ

ramblings

A teenage girl informed me today that teen pregnancy is "not that big of a deal". She's told me that before. Not a big deal to who, I wonder? To the mom, who will shoulder that responsibility thus bringing her youth to a premature and abrupt end? To the child who will most likely grow up with Medicare and welfare but without a father? Or the Grandparents who often are left with the care of the child and the financial responsibilities as well? Tell me, can anyone really make that statement and mean it in their heart?

Last week a friend passed away unexpectedly. Marshall was not young, but the suddenness of his death is a shock. It's hard to accept that he's not here.
Marshall had a lifelong love of people. He never met a stranger. He gave his whole being into everything he did. His wife Maria reports a standing-room-only memorial in his honor. Good. God bless you, Marshall. Be at peace.

Today I saw Mama Mia with a friend. I expected it to be silly fluff, but it really moved me. Not so much the plot or the music, but the vibrancy of the female characters. They simply radiated life, love, passion, and strength. It just welled up in me a sort of longing to be in touch with that part of myself. Old pop-psychology buzzwords from the 80's came to mind: 'feminine mystique', 'divine feminine'. These words are best not defined. They encompass an intangible, indefinable freedom of expression in every woman. The mysterious 'something' that God wove into our hearts that makes us unique.
Before you gag on all the contemplative sentiment I'm lavishly serving, just watch it. Bear with me.

Today is a worry day. Worry about friends, finances, obligations, lists, life,children, etc.
Too much thinking, too little actual cohesive thought. It's okay. God is in control and He is good.
walking by faith,not by sight,
-EJ

My home part two

Why do I love the Oregon coast so completely? If pressed I might liken it to a loving parent. As a mother, it is comforting and protective. As a father, it is a great provider. It is not necessary to be rich to be fed well here. A person could eat quite well without stepping foot into a grocery store.

If you can hunt, there is plenty of wild game. Deer, Elk, geese, ducks, bear and much more. Fishing in the lakes brings bass and trout. The ocean offers salmon, halibut, and countless other fish. My personal favorite is dungess crab. You haven't really eaten Oregon 'til you've dipped a steaming crab leg into melted , real butter and savored the buttery sweet flesh. At low tide you can help yourself to littleneck, steamer or gaper clams. A day of crabbing is as much about fun as it is food. With a comfy chair, a good book, and a cooler full of goodies, your set for a day of relaxation.

Some of the best food here is, in my opinion, a little less obvious. Take August, for instance, blackberries are everywhere. And they are wonderful. But what about the berries that typically ripen earlier(or later) in the season? Salmonberry,red and black huckleberry, thimbleberry, Salal berry to name a few. Each one is differently delicious.
In fall the rains will bring hundreds of varieties of mushroom. The edible ones are well worth hunting for. It's exciting, and a little like Christmas, to happen upon a patch of Chanterelle, lobster, or hedgehog mushroom. Each new find is like unwrapping a present. Just when you think you've opened them all and the fun is over, you discover one you've missed.

Tuna are in season now. An afternoon walk on the docks yielded a great find. Fresh albacore tuna at $2.50 a pound. Phil and I grabbed two 14 pounders. We ate as much as we wanted for dinner and there is plenty to home can tomorrow. I'll be up early getting canning jars at Walmart.

Local farms offer you-pick blueberries. I love the reassurance of a freezer full of blueberries. They will make muffins, pancakes, and pies all winter. And on the Oregon coast, wild strawberries ripen on the beach! They are tiny, hard to find and blissfully sweet.

Hopefully, my children will someday love this place as much as I do. It's a joy and a privilege to show them all that life has to offer. We live in a great place to do it.

waiting game

A large part of gardening is waiting. Waiting for the first seedlings to emerge, waiting for growth, for blossoms, for tiny fruits or for first harvest. Have I mentioned that patience is a gift I have never opened and given myself?

Every morning I scan the garden for signs of progress. As of this morning the greenbean flowers have finally opened! Tiny little beans will soon appear. The cabbages are forming gorgeous heads and should be ready to pick before long. The green onions are still mocking me. I may never know why.
As for the previously mentioned okra, a confession is in order. I tossed them. Every single one. In my defense, they had refused to grow. Each one had a little "on strike" sign tucked into its leafy appendage. Honestly! In their place, I planted carrots. I think. Or was it beets? Now when I slink by the garden in the mornings I would swear I hear the faintest whispers of "Okra Killer!". sigh......
On a lighter note, the corn have tassles! They are so cute. The peas are climbing happily up the wire trellis and even the carrots are healthy and abundant.

Finally, I offer some suggestions to fill the time while waiting for everything to grow:
1. page thru seed catalogs and plan next years garden
2. Fill a water gun. Hose every neighborhood cat that comes to poop in your garden.
3. Stare at it. I don't care what my neighbor says, it just might make things grow faster.
4. If you mistakenly planted okra, kill it, I mean , pull it.
5. Take pics and blog it. It works for me.
-EJ