Country Christmas: The (not so) Perfect Tree

As we have done in the past, we once again decided to go "au naturel" when it came to our Christmas tree.  This year, we headed to MeMaw and PawPaw's farm to find our perfect tree.

We loaded up in the Gator, and set out on the hunt.

We found several great trees, but ultimately settled on this beauty.

Mason was thrilled to use the real saw PawPaw had given him for his birthday this summer.  (I, on the other hand, was not quite as excited about the prospect of someone losing a finger!)

After cutting and loading the tree on the Gator, the real fun began...

As we neared the house, the tree suddenly leapt off the Gator and landed with a thud about 20 feet behind us (still not sure how that happened).  Mason immediately dismounted as well and began screaming at and beating the tree with a stick, while Brady looked on and sang "O Christmas Tree" at the top of his lungs.  There are no pictures because I was laughing too hard at the insanity.

But eventually, we had the tree loaded and were headed home.

Once we got the tree home, we realized just how ugly it really is.  The trunk is only about 1 inch in diameter, so the tree stand isn't really capable of even holding it up; therefore, it kept falling over.  Again, no pictures because there were no free hands available as we tried to stabilize and ever-so-delicately decorate the tree.  But here's the finished product:

Just how pitiful is this Charlie Brown tree?  Even the paper ornaments cause the "branches" to bend!

Yes, it's an ugly tree.  Yes, I still keep wistfully eyeing that tree in Southern Living magazine.  But yes, it was one of the best days ever...family, laughter, the outdoors...the true Christmas spirit and a memory I will cherish forever.

This Little Piggy: Five Reasons to Raise Porkers

If you are thinking about raising your own meat, but aren't sure where to start, let me suggest a pig...well actually two pigs.  Most people I know who want to try their hand at raising meat start with either goats or chickens...probably because they are small.  But personally, I don't eat goat meat, and chickens are...well...let's just say, it's complicated (and that's a post for another day).  So if you eat pork, start with pigs.  Here's why:

1. You can't really mess up pig feeding.  Pigs eat just about anything.  However particular you are with your food determines how particular you will be with your pigs' food.  Since we try to eat clean and organic, the scraps our pigs get are also clean and organic.  We supplement scraps with high quality feed: we use Calf Manna (good stuff!) and corn.  We also feed our pigs lots of eggs since we have those in plenty around here.

Young pigs eating scraps.

2. Housing for two pigs is super easy as well.  All you need for two pigs is a small pasture (really just a paddock) and a 3-sided shelter.  Some may argue you don't even need a shelter, but I feel better knowing my animals have shade in the summer and shelter from the harsh elements in winter.

3. Birth to slaughter is extremely short for a pig.  Pigs farrow twice a year, so a spring litter is ready for slaughter in the fall, and a fall litter is ready for slaughter in the spring.  (Poor momma, right?)  The fast turn-around is great because the return on your investment is quick, and if you decide meat-raising is not for you, you're not stuck for long.  About the time I'm fed up with the pigs, it's time for them to go to slaughter anyway!

4. Speaking of slaughter, that's another benefit.  Slaughterhouses process pork.  For several reasons, I prefer letting someone else "do the dirty work."  One of those reasons is that you need to know what you're doing to correctly process an animal, and I don't.

7-month old Tamworth pig ready for slaughter.

5. Finally, it's hard to fall in love with a pig.  I know Hollywood would have you believe otherwise, but pigs are NOT cutesy, adorable pets...at least not the type of pig you'll be eating.  Not only are they nasty, pigs are mean and aggressive!  I am terrified of pigs!  Yes, the babies are cute, but that only lasts a couple of months.  After that, they would just as quickly bowl you over and bite your leg in two for some feed as look at you!  The pigs are the one barnyard animal we don't let the boys pet or play with.

If you're not already convinced that pigs are the way to go, just think about those juicy pork chops and sausage biscuits you could be eating.  Beef is alright, but pork is where it's at!  Sure there's more to it than what's mentioned above, but pigs really are super easy and great for a beginning homesteader!

Blueberries

It seems strange to be thinking about gardening this time of year, but I don't want you to miss an important gardening season: blueberry planting!  Late fall is the perfect time to plant blueberry bushes.  Here's what you need to do:

1. Select a variety.  Typically, the variety sold at your local garden center is the variety that will perform best in your area.  Blueberries come in highbush (~8ft. tall) and lowbush (<2ft. tall) varieties.  (In the South, we like the Rabbit-eye blueberry.)

2. Select a planting site.  Whether you go with a highbush or lowbush will obviously affect your location.  Either way, some key points to keep in mind are plenty of moisture, good air circulation, and FULL SUN.  (I made the mistake of planting several in morning sun only...the berries just won't produce.)

3. Water, water, water.  Yes, even in these cold months, your new blueberry bushes need plenty of water.  Trust me, it will be worth your efforts come harvest time.

Monday Meals: PawPaw's Pancakes

Pancakes are probably not what you expect to find on a blog that usually promotes clean eating, but they're a staple at our house, and I have a few tips to make them healthier.

First, here's the recipe...but keep reading for some additional tips.

What you'll need
1 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour (I love King Arthur organic flour)
1 Tablespoon sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 Tablespoons melted butter
1 egg (the fresher, the better!)
1 1/4 Cups whole milk

*As always, use local, natural, organic, fair trade products whenever possible.

What you'll do
1. Preheat griddle/skillet to 350 degrees (medium-high heat on stove).
2. Mix together dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt).
3. Stir in butter, egg, and milk.  Use more or less milk depending on how thick you like your pancakes.  If you like them super thick, turn the temperature down a tad on your griddle/stove to give them more time to cook throughout.
4. Pour batter onto griddle/skillet.
5. Flip pancakes when bubbles begin popping and edges are solidified.

Tips and Tricks
1. So why ditch the Bisquick?  Because... 1) it's full of trans-fat, 2) these pancakes are SO much tastier, and 3) they only take an extra two minutes to make.

2. Add blueberries to the batter make them even tastier and healthier.  Blueberries are a super fruit, recommended for their high antioxidant content (so long free radicals!)

Fresh organic blueberries add flavor to these old-fashioned pancakes.

3. Top pancakes (and waffles) with pure maple syrup.  We LOVE Maple Gold brand.  If you can buy local syrup, please do.  When it comes to syrup, we opt for non-organic, but if you have an abundance of cash, go for it.  Here's a great article on organic versus non-organic syrup: Organic Maple Syrup

Our topping of choice is Maple Gold Pure Maple Syrup.

4. Decorate pancakes with fruit.  This is the best way I have found to get my boys to eat fruit with their breakfast.  Whatever they use to decorate, they have to eat.  (Sometimes I am still amazed that this trick works!)

Silly face pancakes with strawberries and blueberries.

5. Freeze the leftovers!  I always make extra pancakes and stick them in freezer-safe zipper bags. The boys will eat pancakes two or three more times for breakfast during the week.  On super-busy mornings, they can even grab and microwave them all by themselves!  This is a major time-saver during the week and healthier than store-bought frozen pancakes.

6. Use a stainless steel or aluminum electric griddle.  You can make a lot of pancakes in a short amount of time.  Avoid Teflon because it's just not safe.

Enjoy!

Monday Meals: Parmesean Oregano Tilapia

This is one heavenly meal...not only does it taste delicious, but it is also a cinch to whip up.  I really hope you'll give it a try.

Here's what you'll need...
5 Tilapia fillets (fresh or frozen*)
1/3 cup shredded Parmesean cheese
1/2 cup Panko (or other breadcrumbs)
2 teaspoons dried Oregano
1/2 Tablespoon of butter (or non-stick spray)

*Thaw frozen Tilapia by placing it in the refrigerator during the day or by running it under room-temperature water.

Here's what you'll do...
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Rub butter onto (or spray) bottom of 9x13 glass baking dish.
3. In another shallow dish, mix together cheese, Panko, and Oregano.

4. Lightly coat the non-flat side of each fillet by pressing it into mixture.
5. Place each fillet into the dish, slightly overlapping edges if necessary.
6. Bake for 15 minutes.  (Broil for 2 additional minutes if you want a lightly browned crust.)

7. Tilapia is ready when it flakes apart.  Note: the crust will not be very brown at all.

One of our favorite side dishes for any fish entree is a sweet potato.  If you're going to be away all day, you can wrap them in foil and cook them in the crockpot on warm.  If you have some time, go ahead and bake them on 425 for about 2 hours.  (The organic sweet potatoes at Publix have been tiny lately, so they cook in an hour...I actually like the tiny ones better!)  We eat sweet potatoes plain...they're so tasty, they really don't need butter or cinnamon-sugar.

Choose a green veggie for your second side.  Right now, the garden is overflowing with green beans, so that's what we had.  We often have broccoli or asparagus with fish as well.

If you give this Monday Meal a try, let me know how you like it.  Enjoy!

How to Can Green Beans

If you have never canned before, this is a great first-time canning project.  It's quick, easy, and delicious.  I have to say a special "thank you" to my friend Janice for the hands-on lesson.  Canning is always more fun when you are doing it with a friend.  Canning rookies should read this post before continuing on.

Here's what you'll need:
Green beans
Pickling/canning salt
Pressure canner
Jars (pint or quart)
Lids and bands

If you are picking beans from the garden, pick them when the pods are just getting bumpy.  They should be firm and not hollow-feeling between the beans.

Instructions
Wash the beans and remove the ends.  Green beans may be canned whole or in pieces.  If you want pieces, snap or cut beans into 1 1/2" long pieces (about 2-3 pieces per pod).  Discard any tough, hollow, or bug-bitten pieces.

Snap beans by bending downward so that the "seam" faces up.

Prepare jars, lids, and bands according to your preferred method.  Jars must be hot.

Using a canning funnel, fill jars with beans, leaving a 1" headspace.  Add canning salt on top of beans (1/2 tsp per pint; 1 tsp per quart).

Pour hot water into jars, covering beans.  The water should just be hot water from the tap.  Remove the air bubbles that may have formed.

Wipe the rims of the jars clean and place the lids onto the jars.  Twist on the bands to "fingertip tightness."  Do not over-tighten or the lids may not seal.

Follow the instructions for your pressure canner.  I use 1 quart of water (about 1" deep) for seven quart jars.  For green beans, can at 10 pounds of pressure, 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts.  Make sure all of the pressure has been released from the canner before removing jars (the inert vent will be down).

Set jars on a dry towel with some space between the jars, and cover them with another towel to keep the temperature from dropping too quickly.

After the jars have cooled, make sure they all sealed.  If a lid doesn't seal, put that jar in the refrigerator and eat within a couple of days.  Otherwise, you can enjoy your beans right away, or store them for winter.  Let me know if you give it a try by commenting below.  Good luck!

Confessions of a Farm Girl

This is entirely different from any post I have written before, but I need to get real with you all...I have some confessions...

Several weeks ago, my dear friend Janice brought some of her friends out to our homestead.  I immediately fell in love with Rebecca...kindred spirits for sure!  At one point, Rebecca commented, "Y'all are living the dream!"  What I wanted to say back (and maybe I did) was, "The dream is so much better than the reality."  Homesteading is hard work...plain and simple!  Do I love it?  Yes.  Every day? No.

So that's my first confession...some days, I do not enjoy this lifestyle choice one single bit!  Here's the reality of it and a few more confessions...

Time
Every morning and every night, animals must be fed and watered.  There are routine tasks like worming and hoof trimming.  The barn, chicken coop, and pens constantly have to be cleaned.  There is always (and I mean ALWAYS) something to be fixed or worked on.  Our farm work truly never ends.

Last week, I had to leave a really fun pool party with dear friends right in the middle of laughter and good conversation.  It was hot, and I started worrying about the animals running out of water.  I hated to leave, but I had no choice.

Today, instead of taking the boys to the community pool, I mowed grass for 3 hours (with plenty left undone).  Then, I cleaned out the goat barn.  It was hot, sweaty, and exhausting.  Tomorrow, I will still have to clean out the chicken coop and pig pen...but only after a trip to the feed store.

Money
Speaking of the feed store, most people probably don't realize the cost involved in growing and preserving food and raising animals.  I am constantly going to the feed or home improvement store to get feed, fencing, gates, tools, supplies, etc.  Not to mention the big costs like farm equipment and livestock.

Think about the price of a pound of beef.  In May, we bought about 5,000 pounds worth of cattle!  That's a lot more than pocket change for us!  It seems like every spare penny (and there aren't many to begin with) go into the farm.

Brandon and I had many conversations about the financial sacrifices we would have to make to start our farm.  In the middle of winter, giving up our annual summer beach trip and a trip to Disney World seemed easy enough.  But now that summer is here and our friends are traveling, it's been tougher to give up those vacations than we thought.

Emotions
Making financial sacrifices is just one part of the emotional toll homesteading takes on me.  We have seen our share of loss, from animals to produce.  The animals have injuries, and we wait anxiously to see if they will heal.  We work hard at something, only to have it undone by a storm or a drought.  There are more questions and concerns than I could ever list here.

A few evenings ago, we were drained...physically, financially, and emotionally...and for the first time, we deeply considered selling the whole thing (lock, stock, and barrel as they say) and moving to a postage stamp lot in a neighborhood with a swimming pool!

We always try to make decisions based on three things: 1) pleasing the Lord, 2) the welfare of our boys, and 3) long-term results.  With homesteading, it's difficult to know.  Our favorite verse is 1 Thessalonians 4:11, "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, mind your own business, and work with your hands." We do feel that a simpler, slower way of life is pleasing to the Lord...but we have stress and struggles that do not please Him.  We know our boys are having experiences that few children have and are learning so much...but they are missing out on other experiences like traveling and riding bikes through the neighborhood.  We know that some great things will come from our homestead in the long-term...but we also know that there will be some downsides as well.

The day after our eagerness to give it all up, we both received renewed clarity and focus.  So for now at least, we are pushing through and holding fast to the lifestyle we've chosen.  Do we love it? Yes.  Every day? No.  And we're pretty sure that at some time or another everybody else feels the same way about the life they've chosen...