Raising Seedlings in the Cold

     A few weeks ago, Just as my wife was getting into house organizing in a serious way I decided to throw a serious wrench in the works.  I had been spying on several apple trees in out neighborhood for several weeks.  Ever since we finished canning peaches actually.  It turns out you really don't need to go to all the trouble to grow fruit trees in order to generally end up with all the fruit you could wish for.  Simply keep your eyes open as you go about your daily activities, and you are sure to notice fruit trees burdened with fruit which the owner of said tree curses as the bane of their yard.  That's right, fruit is generally free for the asking, all you need do is be forthright and courteous...oh, and a promise of a little finished product never hurts either.      So, the tree in question is an apple tree located on the property of a local circle K gas station.  Somehow I don't think the sign posted by the ...

Josh and I decided to can our own ham and bean soup one cold Sunday when we had some left over ham. It turned out great! Here is the recipe we used. We also used a pressure cooker to do this recipe as well. This is a great way to prepare food because now you will have bean soup any time you want it. There will be no thawing from the freezer, or sniffing the bowl in the fridge. Just open and eat! If you would like to prepare this recipe without a pressure cooker, prepare your beans according to package directions or if these are home-grown soak over night, rinse, and place in a NEW pot of water, then add the following ingredients to the pot, and simmer until tasty! 1. Add to each quart canning jar : 1/2 cup of dry beans UNCOOKED (Northern, Pinto, or Soup Bean Mix) 1/2 cup ham pieces 1/2 cup carrot 1/2 cup celery 1/4 cup onion 1tsp minced garlic 1 chicken bullion cube Spice mix: 1/4 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp chili powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1 tsp dijon mustard 2...

We have been recently inspired to do more for ourselves, and live a slightly less consumer led life style. No, we are not hippies. But we have come to realize that businesses and the media control far to many of our choices, and we have decided to take a few back. Josh and I recently watched the documentary Food, Inc. This video shows how just a few organizations (I won't name names) control the food supply in the United States and exactly what they do to our food supply.  I promise you won't look at chicken nuggets the same way again. We are each contributing something different to the household to accomplish this goal. 1. Josh is going to garden and produce organic vegetables 2. We will be getting grass fed beef from an Amish source 3. I will be attempting to can and freeze as much of what Josh produces as possible. 4. We have decided to dedicate ourselves to DIY whenever possible. (I am currently making the new purse I wanted, and Josh has constructed shelves...