From Seed. Growing a sustainable life, family and business.

Planning the west side

2012-01-26T16:37:00.001-05:00

Well, the west side of my home's yard is nearly bare. My challanges have been that this side of the house gets only late day light, as well as all the home's wiring and pipes come into the house here. This leave it near impossible to know how deep is safe to dig. So I haven't touched it. I can't get close to the house either for fear of hitting the obvious wires coming out of the ground. Today, I played with some photos and came up with a plan for privacy, won't have to touch along side the house and will give the west side of the house its very own special touches. I know its rough looking, but it was a quick play around in photoshop.

I'm going to see what my husband thinks, chose the varieties of shrubs and flowers and price everything before its a decision. Fencing is just NOT an affordable or attractive option to me. Just thought I'd share the rough draft. The only for sure will be a Hydrangea I rooted last year that I needed to find a spot for. Its small now, but in a few years it will be a great size, and needs a place of honor!

Before/Now:

I'm such a sucker for FUZZY!

2012-01-16T13:06:00.000-05:00

Took the daughter to our first livestock auction yesterday. Picked up some more silkie chickens, and had my heart set on filling up another coop with some new standard size hens.

Instead I was tricked by the kids and fell in love with little Mini Rex Rabbits instead. We bought both, but immediately found another home for the little girl since it turned out they were a pair. We weren't looking to have more baby bunnies though, so we kept the male and the little one named him Mr. Oreo!

Bitter Sweet Marmalade

2012-01-12T15:10:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you, but either marmalade is TOO bitter for me, or TOO sweet. A good balance is what my palette prefers. So in messing around over the years (and multiple failures) I finally got a good set, good flavor orange marmalade. The secret.... TANGERINES!

So first you get the following to balance the flavor.

1 Naval Orange (Bitter, but juicy so only 1. If you perfect not bitter do all Cece or Valencia Oranges for this.)
3 Cece Oranges
3 Tangerines
6 Cup Sugar

Slice all SUPER thin and seed.

Added Slices and Juices into a pot w/ 8 cups of water. Bring to a rolling boil for 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and add 6 cups of sugar. Stir until dissolved and cover. Allow to sit overnight or at least 12 hours.

Next day place back on heat, bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium low and let simmer for 2 hours.

Bring back to a boil and reduce to medium to medium high heat. You need 20-30 minutes on the stove and do not temp get over 220 degrees (use a candy thermometer for this).

When temp has held for at least a minute, check your marmalade for sheeting on a spoon. If you don't know what this is or how to check that, simply put a little plate in the freezer and drink a few drops of the marmalade on the cold plate. You want the marmalade to stiffen, push with your finger and look for the top of the drop to ripple or have a skim on top that is gel like. If it gets really hard quickly, stir in a cup of water to the mixture or your marmalade will be too hard. If its still syrupy/runny double check its at 220 and then cook for another 2-4 minutes and check again until it sets.

Ladle into sterilized jars, place lids on top and waterbath for 10 minutes to seal your jars.

Enjoy!

Fresh Baguettes

2012-01-11T19:12:00.000-05:00

Oh how I love the crusty crunchy bread. For dipping in soups, pasta sauce or topping with my favorite cheese spreads. I also have bread baked fresh weekly. Its a healthier option and more cost effective too. I've made many attempts over the years and never quite got it right it. Everyone who listed recipes gave tips and tricks and I always seemed to miss the one where the bread got dark and the crust was hard like I love it.

Now I have it down and I want to share with you.

Crusty Baguettes:

1 3/4 Cup warm water
1 Packet Dry active yeast (not the rapid rise stuff)
1 Tbsp honey
4 Cups Bread Flour
**Mix first 3 ingredients in bowl and set aside 10-15 minutes to active yeast**

When the yeast is active and bubbly add 2 cups of bread flour in a stand mixer and combine. Add a 3rd cup now and 1 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp Kosher salt. Salt is important to flavor, but if you add it too soon it will attack the yeast and you won't get a rise in your bread. Now, depending on your humidity levels this can be tricky. Add flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough absorbs all the flour, but is still slightly sticky to the tough. You do not want dry dough, you want slight sticky dough. So you may use up to 4 cups to get this texture, or you may use less. I'm in a humid part of the country so I have used the 4 full cups on rainy days or high humidity periods. Not always though.

Now you have your dough together, add a little olive oil (1 tsp) to the bowl and place the dough back in the bowl rolling it around in the oil so the dough and the inside of the bowl is coated. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to rise until double in size. About 1-2 hours.

When the first rise is done you want to turn the dough out onto a counter, either extremely lightly floured or not floured at all. Stretch your dough into a square shape. No pounding! Then fold in half one direction and then fold the right side to the middle, then the left side to the middle to create a square shaped ball. Put back into the bowl, cover and allow to rise another hour.

Pour dough onto counter again and cut evenly into 4 pieces. I then take the pieces with my fingers one at a time and tuck under where you see the cut from the knife. After that, I pull and stretch it with my fingers so the dough is as long as I can get it. Do not roll like a rolling pin fashion, this won't work.

Place your long baguette dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet and preheat over to 500 degrees. YES, 500 degrees! Then cover your baguettes with plastic wrap again. This is the last rise, and it will be done when your oven reaches 500.

Now for a trick. Have a handy spray bottle filled with water on hand. This will do wonders for your crust!

Time to put in the oven. You are going to lightly spray your bread with the water, and spray the sides of you oven with it to before you close the oven door. Set timer for 5 minutes. When the timer goes off, spray your oven with the water again. Set timer for 5 minutes. When the timer goes off, reduce oven temp to 425 degrees and spray the bread and the oven for the last time. Set timer for 10 minutes.

Now your baguette will be dark brown and with a hard crust. You can tap on your crust and it should sound hollow so you know its done. Let cool for about 10 minutes or more before cutting. Store unused bread in the freezer and defrost on another day for fresh tasting bread. I like to pop mine back in the oven at 350 for 8 minutes right before serving so it tastes fresh baked and warm.

Enjoy!

Stuffed Crescents French Toast

2012-01-08T21:04:00.000-05:00

My daughter and I collaborated last year to create this recipe of the Pillsbury Bake off. Sadly, it was not chosen, but it sure is good so I'm going to share it.

Ingredients You'll Need:
1 Can Pillsbury crescents (the classic triangles)
1/4 Cup of your choice of Jam - May we suggest Fogl's Blackberry Fruit Topping
4 Tbsp (4 oz) Cream Cheese
1 Large Egg
2 Tbsp Butter
1/4 Cup Maple Syrup

You can do this on a preheated skillet on the stove top, but I prefer a counter top griddle. We set ours at 325 degrees.

Beat your egg in a bowl with 1 Tbsp of water and set aside. Open up your crescents and lay them out on wax paper to work with them easily. You want to pinch together the triangles so you make 4 equal rectangles. Like below.

Once you have your rectangles made, add a dollop of cream cheese to the right side of the dough, and then a dollop of jam. Its going to be able 1 TBSP of each per dough section.

Once you get the filling in, brush eggs with beaten egg, fold the dough over on top of it and fold the edges over and pinch. This will seal in the filling. Pick up your sealed dough with a spatula so it doesn't fall apart. Brush top of your soon to be french toast with more egg wash. Make sure you melt that butter on your cooking service to prevent sticking and ensure browning!

Top to slap those babies on the cook top! They take about 2 minutes on each side to brown and puff up. They will be more uniform in shape as they cook.

I make to egg wash both sides on the griddle top. If you need extra cooking time, you can cook one minute on each side, then egg wash again and cook 1 - 2 more minutes. After both sides are brown how to like, use the spatula to rotate your french toast onto their sides and brown the edges to ensure the dough is fully cooked through.

When all 6 edges are brown, about 5-6 minutes total per french toast... you'll have 4 beautiful golden stuffed french toasts. DELICIOUS!

Top as you prefer... maple syrup... fruit... toasted nuts... powdered sugar.... WHATEVER!

Support Fogl's Kitchen Expansion

2011-12-10T20:15:00.000-05:00

We're ready to grow and offer more support to our local farms. We continue to buy our produce locally, as well as eggs and herbs. This year we're planning to expand our storage area, buy more product up front and offer an area to hold classes open to the public. If you'd like to learn more about this expansion and how you can help, check us out on Kickstarter.com. Share with your friends and family... like us on facebook or tweet it to the world!

Fogl's Kitchen: Preserving The Local Family Farms Project On Kickstarter

Thank you for your support!

GirlieGirlArmy.com 2011 Gift Guide

2011-12-07T15:38:00.000-05:00

We were so thrilled to find out how loved we are at Fogl's Kitchen! Our Organic Lavender Jelly as one of their favorite gifts for Foodies this holiday season! Go check out all the other shops and gifts that made the cut, and give something unique, handmade & eco friendly this holiday season.

Just in time for Holiday Baking - Vanilla Extract

2011-11-22T21:29:00.001-05:00

After making a special order for 25 AAA grade Madagascar Vanilla Beans from France, 30 amber boston 4 oz bottles and customer labels from MyOwnLabels.com. I put it all together with some good unflavored vodka. I now have a wonderful collection of vanilla extract to share with friends, family and customers!

State Fair Competition

2011-10-27T15:12:00.000-04:00

So each year we make our entries and cross our fingers for a win! This year the dear daughter and I did pretty good! Getting us 5 ribbons in all.

Places:

1st place, Black Plum Jam
2nd place, Vanilla Pear Butter
2nd place, Blackberry Jam
2nd place, Sweet Pickled Peppers
Honorable Mention, Lemon Biscotti

Stock on Chilly Days!

2011-10-21T15:43:00.001-04:00

I know I'm in the south, and after growing up in the north, I know it's not the least bit COLD yet. However, I can't stand chilly temps. 60 degrees is way too cold for poor little me. I refuse to turn the heat on and pay those bills so early though. No heat on in this house for at least another month (I will break and get propane for the gas fireplace for chilly nights, but that's going to be rare).

Since I cook, can and bake... I will use the stove since its dual purpose. I'll run it all day long as its creating bread, warming dinner or running a constant pressure canner. Today, I don't know why I'm layering on the clothes, but my body says it is not 65 in this house... the goosebumps on my arms say its more like 50 degrees in here! Well, I had to come up with something to warm it up in here before I start dinner.

So today the 12 quart stock pot is out and Veggie & Herb stock is boiling away. In a few hours I'm hoping to be storing away at least 8 quarts of this amazing smelling stock to use this Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday. Its amazing that making this stock makes the house smell wonderful, heats the house as well, plus makes some of the simplest best tasting addition to so many meals! I just don't understand why more people don't make their own stock? Have you ever bothered to compare store bought to homemade? Store bought = TASTELESS! :p

So here's my recipe (You are welcome to change it for what works for what you have on hand! Tips and tricks at the end of the recipe.)

-12 Quart Pot for these amounts-

2 lbs Carrots
1 Stalk (the whole big heart) of Celery Leaves and all
4 Large Ripe Tomatoes
1 Large Onion
1/2 lb Broccoli Stalk
6 Bell Peppers
6 Cloves of Garlic whole
5-10 Sprigs of Thyme
Handful (~1/2 cup) Fresh basil
4 Sprigs (Branches) of Rosemary
1/2 Cup of Parsley
6 Fresh Sage leaves
2 Tbsp Kosher Salt (more or less to taste)
1 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
8 Quarts of Water

Bring this to a high boil, and then simmer for 2-3 hours. Strain into a clean bowl and the ladel into sterilized Quart jars (or pints). Can in a 'PRESSURE CANNER' only. 10lb pressure for 35 minutes for the Quart size.

OR Freeze in tupperware!

*Tips:

1 - I save the tips and tops of carrots and celery we eat everyday. I put them in a freezer bag and stuff them away to make stock with so I don't pay for a full back of freeze veggies when I make stock. I also do this with chicken bones when we're done with dinner. I take the bones from finished chicken and pop them in a freezer bag until I have time to simmer stock all day.

2 - Use any fresh herbs you have hanging around in your garden. I throw in the stems and all as they lots of good flavor in the stems, especially parsley. So if you buy these and can't grow them, cut the leaves off you need for other meals and freeze the stems along with your veggie scraps to use in stocks later.

3 - Don't bother chopping your veggie neatly or even small. I give everything a real rough chop just so they fit in my stock pot. They'll get soft and release their flavors just fine.

4 - Taste...Taste... Taste... You want this to be a personal adventure in flavor. Taste as you go, make changes to your liking. Be the chef!

My Better Half Has Opened His Online Shop!

2011-10-20T11:04:00.000-04:00

So during the holiday last year, people noticed my woodworking husband was busy at work creating home & garden decor from reclaimed wood items. He would dig out wasted wood and material from bins outside construction sites and other waste producing places. He rescues this good material and turns it into something useful and beautiful, and in search of a new home!

If you have a place in your home or garden that needs a little something, you can find that little something here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/HandyHubby

As the season progresses the store will fill again. There are several 'signs' in the works and more spoon coat racks. This year we'll be adding more to kitchen supplies as well!

Enjoy, and pass on the reclaimed love!

Halloween On a Shoestring Budget

2011-10-19T21:32:00.000-04:00

Well the sister couldn't get the boys their choice of costume from Walmart this year. So, it happens! But super crafty Auntie jumps in to help, and I think we hit a homerun from recycled materials.

First nephew is going to be a Jester for the royal court of the house of cards! With Jester hat w/ bells and a card theme pull over. Even got him a little joker baton with streamers.

Second nephew is going to be a Deep Sea Scuba Diver. Managed to make shift a Dr. Pepper bottle into an air tank and found a swimming facemask we were about to put away from summer. Even found some old tubing to attack to the soda bottle so he has the ability to get the air from the tank, if he really needed it! :D

Pictures to follow!

Who's Your Best Layer?

2011-10-13T16:19:00.001-04:00

I know we all have opinions on the best laying chicken breeds out there, and I sure don't have ANY of them in my flock! However, I have some girls that lay better then others. So I was wondering out of YOUR whole flock, who do you believe is your best layer? The one girl that out lays the rest?

Mine is my Japanese Bantam 'Poe'. When she's on a roll (and not molting like she is now) she can lay me 4-5 eggs a week. That is EXCELLENT for a bantam breed!

You can see my Japanese Birchen Bantams mixed in with my Red Cochin Bantams. My Cochins aren't laying yet. They are due any time now though!

A Breed to Try (1)...

2011-10-11T14:00:00.001-04:00

Well, I know I have some readers who are hooked on the Chicken Bandwagon like we are. Finally, a pet who doesn't mess up your house, doesn't require daily walks and even gives you food for your family as a thank you! (Compare that to the 'surprise' my dog leaves on occasion... yuck!)

I wanted to give you some ideas of breeds to try if you think about getting into chickens. I hope to offer some good advice in the months to come to help you decide if chickens are right for you, so you can make an educated decision before the spring rush on hatcheries happens!

Today's breed is my choice for people looking for a good 'broody' (Mother hen):

Silkies- Little poof balls who are terrible at producing eggs for eating, but the perfect little hatchers and great moms.Silkies make an excellent pet quality bird, who does well in a family friendly enviroment. Think of these as a choice when you have little ones who will be around the chickens often. Even with that in mind, always provide adult supervision around animals. Warning: They go broody often, many times within a season!

New Design

2011-10-10T22:53:00.001-04:00

Wanting to put a tough year behind me already, it inspired me to think about changes that would do me some good. The most important things in my life are my family, friends, business and beliefs. Since I share ALL those on my blog (my voice to the world, the handshake I can't do between the miles, the journal I keep memories down on)... I decided to find a positive change for my blog.

I want to see more people visiting, I want it to be more informative and I want it to be pleasing to the eye and to the soul.

Maybe from here I will find myself inspiring more people then ever!

So enjoy the new layout, please post suggestions on things would change, more things you want me to cover... your likes... your dislikes... I'm looking forward to hearing it all!

~Shannon Fogl~

What September Brings

2011-09-21T17:36:00.000-04:00

You all of course know this is the season of ripe apples and digging up potatoes. Lots of things ripening now, as we clear out our gardens for the few fall crops left. Or for some, everything is done and we dream of spring. While most things are fading one of my favorites are just sprouting up for a short visit. This is when our Saffron Crocus come up for fall, and I get to start harvesting the spice I can't afford to buy. This year my amount of bulbs are now double the flowers... so I'm very pleased to see how much I will get this year. I may have enough for 2 or 3 recipes that call for saffron this winter. Enough I could probably invite company to share with! :)

Now back to the ripening of apples?! OH YES! They're going to be bushels at amazing prices showing up everywhere. I recently saw a listing for local apples $0.85 lb! Enough to make you want to buy them up and come home and can them! Make apple butter... jam... jelly... pie filling... you'd have apples for months and months! The hard part... how to do all that?

The Easy Answer...

Your very own PRIVATE GROUP JAM PARTY!

On location, at your home, your church or a friend's kitchen we'll come to you and teach our 2 hour personalized jam class. You'll learn all the basics of jam making, learn about all the required equipment, even learn how to can them to last for future gifts.

** Available times includes nights, mornings, afternoons.... Sunday thru Saturday!

**No up front equipment purchase needed, we bring all our own to teach you so you are 100% positive you want to continue doing this before you invest.

**2 Hour class includes printed hand our notes for you to review after the class has ended and you are on your own. We even give you recipes to try from home.

**We set up and clean up so all you and your friends have to do it have fun.

Minimum group rates apply & discounts for larger groups available!

Initial consultation on your group's needs is FREE! We cater to Wake/Harnett/Johnston Co area. Just drop me a note and I'll give you our contact information.

This is quite popular for Bridal Events, Church functions & Mom's day out groups.

Autumn Update

2011-09-09T14:50:00.000-04:00

It's been a rough summer this year. I ended up very sick for most of it, and since my immune system was so weak, I got sick again and have just begun recovering from that.

I did manage to get caught up on my garden some this past couple of weeks. Mainly just cleaning out weeds, and dead plants that didn't pull through my neglect. I did manage to get some things planted this week, cool season crops like lettuce, endive, cabbage, carrots & spinach. I have some brussel sprouts still going from spring that never made any sprouts. I did find they are finally starting to develop now. So happy to see now everything died without my vigolant care.

This weekend I'm making room for some garlic. I won't have as much as I did last year, but something is better then nothing.

Here are some pictures so you can see how everything has managed for the time being. I'm hoping to get some blog posts together about chickens, ducks and composting to have to share with you this fall... so don't stop following the blog! :)

The Grape Harvest

2011-07-31T19:38:00.002-04:00

The proud husband went out and cut our grapes from the vine as they were perfectly ready this week. He was happy to haul in about 15 lbs from 1 vine. Our second vine is only 2 years old and didn't produce this year, so I can't wait to see what kind of harvest we have next year!

Unfortunate Late July

2011-07-30T22:12:00.000-04:00

To all the world, they must know my luck is not very good! I just spent most of July sick and spent weeks getting to the bottom of the problem. In that time my garden suffered and I fell way behind where I needed to be with my responsibilities. Some days I wanted to scream because all I could do was sleep. Other then complete exhaustion morning noon and night, I would be dizzy and feverish. On that went for weeks, and I'm still recooping. Turns out I had a compromised immune system from picking up Mono somewhere and then that was topped off when I contracted Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. I never want to be that sick again, especially in the heat of a southern July!

Though it feels like I haven't accomplished anything this month, I am happy to say I got lucky and got a boost of energy to complete a few things at least.

So I will share that I have managed to pick 2 buckets of figs, I froze 4 gallons to have for later, 4 pints of halved figs in syrup for pies, 4 pint of jam and 16 8oz jars of jam.... and 2 lbs sliced and dried. I had a 2 gallon bucket left when I was done I was just too weak from being ill to finish :( But don't worry, not wasted! They went on to someone else who needed to do that same!

Today I harvested and cleaned my popcorn and stored that for winter snacks. My hands are aching from scraping all those rock hard kernels into bowls, and I even wore leather gloves. It was quit, but painful work!

I also got 2 quart jars full of peaches and covered in vodka, its time to start fermenting the fruit for Christmas schnapps. I always gift the best liquor! I will post the how-to again when I do the big fermenting project, only the peaches are ready now, and I only got 2 jars out of what I had. Hopefully when all the fruit is in and fermenting I'll have at least 10 quarts going.

Some quick pictures to share with you, sorry about the quality, my camera is dead and the charger is missing... so had to use the handy cellphone camera!

Today's Harvest

2011-07-06T16:22:00.000-04:00

Lacking of rain and the heat has made production slow to non-existent in most cases. I'm bummed to say the least, but things are finally starting to ripen. Giving I did have a good onion and garlic harvest you can see if you scroll back. Today was strawberries, cukes, peppers and tomatoes!

The Wonderful Weekly Harvest WEIGH-IN!

2011-06-21T15:04:00.000-04:00

To be so lucky to know so many good gardeners across the country (Thank to The Easy Garden and the clan), one started up a more broad harvest weigh-in where we can all stay connected via our blogs. Please feel free to join, only 4 days left to get your blog in on it here.

I may not be constant on this, mainly because I totally flaked last year trying to track my harvest and costs. I really wanted to know if I was coming out on top with saving money for all the time I put into my garden. Though I did quit early on, mid-July-ish, I was already in the black by that point and didn't really invest anything into my garden after that point. This year I did spend a couple hundred dollars on putting in new raised beds, and filling them. I also bought quite a few prestarted plants this year (I know, against the whole from seed way), but I had way more space that was empty and the winds and storms in April and May destroyed quite a bit of what I already had out.

So from here on I'll be posting a bit on what we've already picked and brought in from our gardens. This week, since I haven't weighed in I will for sure take photos of the gardens, what I've brought in and what I've already canned to put up for the year. So stay tuned!

Best Wedding Blog / Magazine Feature

2011-06-14T23:27:00.000-04:00

We've been busy here in the kitchen (and the garden for that matter) but that is no reason to neglect my blog!

I've come to post tonight because I want to share a recent feature we were lucky enough to be included it. It was a wonderful experience with many talented people & other great creative vendors all over the country. The Best Wedding Sites Magazine was kind enough to include Fogl's Kitchen in their summer magazine wedding themes addition. We'd love for you to go visit the magazine, maybe even purchase a print copy... it is slam packed with creative wedding ideas and themes (some fabulous ones that could even work well for birthday's or an afternoon with friends).

You'll see our Lemon Biscotti on page 37 in the tea party theme!

ENJOY!

Curing Onions

2011-06-02T14:21:00.000-04:00

Well, spring is over enough that its been full on 90's for what feels like WEEKS now! In all the heat my onions stopped growing and just flopped over. Most were starting to brown, and some were so large that the flopped over top were pulling them right out of the ground!

So I got a decent harvest, not as well as one would have hoped.

You can see some stayed tiny, but formed little round bulbs and are no bigger then a shallot. I should have planted shallots in October, I really wish I would have. But I have a good 10-15 tiny onions that size and they will have to do.

Here's I cut the tops and tails off, rather then braid them to cure. I place them on a screen for good air circulation and in a matter of weeks we'll have some nicely cured onions for the rest of the year. (Though I'm fairly sure they'll be all used up and gone by October when I will TRY to plant 2-3x as many for 2012.)

Next week or the week of the 20th, I will be harvesting and doing the same with the garlic. Mmmm....

Egg Myths

2011-05-11T13:45:00.002-04:00

I've answered a lot of egg and chicken questions. As well as I have listened to tall spun egg tales. I wanted to get a few points straight for those who still have some questions and right the wrongs with what they've come to believe!

Myth: Brown, White & Cream Eggs are different!

Truth: All eggs are equal based on color. Eggs are only different colors based on the breed that lays them. They come in many colors, and many sizes. There are several degrees of color within the browns, creams and whites. There is also coveted green and blue eggs that are nutritionally the same as other eggs. The only nutritional difference is based on how the chicken that lays it is raised and what it is fed.

Myth: You need a rooster for a hen to lay an egg.

Truth: A hen will lay an egg without the presence of a male. There cycle is simple. Every 26 hours or so produce an egg, and the chicken body does just that. That of course is the average and the soonest it can produce. Production breeds do this well, while ornamental breeds take longer and lay less often. Even a chicken needs a day off so don't expect an egg or 2 a day. On average 5 is a good amount of eggs a week per bird. Again, no rooster required unless you want chicks.

Myth: Eggs are all high in cholesterol and have the same nutrient measurements.

Truth: Eggs that come from battery cage birds can be higher in cholesterol and lower in omega-3 fatty acids. They also have low protein levels compared to what they could or SHOULD have. Caged production hens eat a diet high in corn, creating a less healthy egg. Chickens are omnivores by nature, like humans and require greens, calcium and proteins. Chickens NEED bugs, grass, veggies more then just grain. A true free ranged chicken gets all these and more creating an egg you can visually see is healthier. A deep orange yolk from a free range chicken has lower cholesterol, lower fat, higher proteins and high Omega-3 levels. Plus... it just tastes better.

Myth: You can't eat fertile eggs because they're already becoming a chick!

Truth: Good news... this is NOT true! A fertile egg looks and taste no different then an unfertile egg. An egg needs to be sat on getting to temps around 100 degrees to 'start' development. It can take 3 or more days to develop veins that would then start developing a chick. A chick takes 21 days to develop. Without a broody hen in your coop this would not even begin to happen, and if you collect your eggs daily... won't happen at all! Plus visually... you couldn't see the difference between a fertile and unfertile egg unless you know what you are looking for. A speck so tiny most people miss it. Plus, you have to open the egg either way to know so might as well fry it up!

Myth: I live in the city so I can't have chickens even if I wanted to collect my own eggs.

Truth: Most major cities allow chickens now. In most cases, hens only in city and no roosters. Some require permits, some none at all! There are cities with max number of birds set at 3 or 4, with others setting the max according to how large your yard is. Raleigh allows you to have 4+ hens and no roosters. They even have a great yearly "Tour Da Coop" where you can buy tickets and visit backyard coops to see how the whole set is being down, plus you get help starting your flock from the experts. Raleigh not a big enough city to believe yours would allow it? NYC allows hens with no max amount set. Most towns are worried about noise and smell. Hens are generally quite (until they sing their "I laid an egg" song) and with a simple monthly cleaning there is no smell to worry about!

Be healthy... eat eggs!

Many Earth Blessings

2011-04-20T22:31:00.001-04:00

Things came to life rather quickly, and we believed we had more time then we did to attack the situations going on around us. We thought we had time to put in 7 raised beds, extend the front walk garden by 4', build a bee hive and a new chicken coop for meat birds.

However, only 3 of the 7 beds got done and we're too broke to finish the other 4 this year. The bee hive got done, but no bees. The front walk will have to wait a bit and the new portable coop will happen when we collect enough freebies to make it be.

The good news is, everything has woken up. After the past 3 years of planting, building and loving the earth we are so grateful for, we finally are enjoying the fruits of our labor. We've poured blood, sweat and tears into every foot of our gardens and home. This year we get to see a huge amount of grapes developing on our vine, tons of pears, peaches and even a few apples on the trees. The raspberries are thick and flowering. The strawberries are heavy with flowers & fruit, more then I've ever seen. Perennials I've planted over the years are finally getting full of more buds then ever as well.

So I wanted to share this.... here are our Bearded Irises. These gorgeous blooms were sent to me 2 1/2 years ago... with no return address on the box. I have no idea who sent them, but the note said "unknown colors". Last year, I got 2 to bloom... one purple, one yellow. This year I have all of them blooming and we have 2 different purples, 2 different yellows, a white and a mauve. One looks about ready to open and is either a dark yellow or an orange. The diversity and placement by the pond, is just an amazing spring site!

Just to add to all the wonderment... I attempted my first cutting last year. I got a piece of our grape vine to take root, and I transplanted it in the fall. I almost gave up hope... but now it is going STRONG! A couple more years and a second harvest of grapes looks possible.

Now Let There Be Bees

2011-04-04T21:51:00.000-04:00

The top bar hive is finished, and hubby is so proud. Now if only some bees would move in... I'm craving honey!

It's been painted in white on the legs and roof with metal flashing on top. The rest of the hive is untreated pine oiled with orange oil, linseed oil and bees wax to hold up to weathering and attract some bees.

Spring Means Chick Season

2011-03-31T14:15:00.000-04:00

We've had a few hatches this month already, and have quite a collection of chicks now. We've hatched Silkies, Japanese Bantams, Easter Eggers and Cochin Bantams. They are all cute little buggers too!

When Gardeners Are Attacked

2011-03-20T18:32:00.000-04:00

No Sonny, I'm not calling you out on this.... whoops... maybe I just did? :oP

So, today we finally hit the new garden plot we've been planning all winter. What a fabulous day to get it done, a bit on the chilly side, but after several days of the 80's here... it was much easier on us then one of those hot days.

We lined everything out starting yesterday, fixed a few problems, got some wood and fired up the tiller. Hubby had me going to town on it myself for awhile. I also shoveled, raked and moved lines with help from him and one of our friends.

During a moment the tiller had a fit, my friend and I attempted to fix a bolt that kept popping off. We finally 'believed' we had it fixed and could get back to work. I went to stand up, and the handle gave in when the tiller threw the bolt off at lightening speed and the tiller handle came into contact with my face before I knew what was going on. All I saw were stars until I could stand up, then all I could see was red because blood flooded into one of my eyes. Even though it hurt badly, and the cut was DEEP... I'm too stubborn to goto the hospital for stitches. So now I have been told to SIT IN THE HOUSE! I am no longer able to work on my precise garden.

Here's some pictures of what we've got done so far... hubby is still rocking it by himself. But better safe then sorry!

So beware of tillers... I think they carry vent up aggressions!!!

New Garden Bed For Daughter Done

2011-03-08T16:48:00.002-05:00

Well, its done being dug and lined. We need to add some compost and plants of course. Then some mulch after, but for now its done... the back breaking part anyways.

I hope she has room in there for some peppers or tomatoes for mommy!? Hahahaha

Mother Nature Is Such A Tease

2011-03-03T10:03:00.000-05:00

So the curiously warmed weather, and blooming things continues. I looked through my blog last year, and noticed some late season cold snaps last year. We have some daffodils and tulips peeking through this time of year, but no blooms until mid-late March. This year, I've seen blooms starting nearly 2 weekends ago.

Now that I have been tricked into spring by Mother Nature herself (who is probably laughing at her plan to dump snow on us this month or something) I have started a new flower bed for my daughter who wants her own by her playhouse. My back is already killing me, and I'm only 1/2 done.

We also wanted to tease you with our fabulous weather (gotta love Zone 7b).

So enjoy the updated photos...

My daughter's play house needs a little flower garden of its very own she can work in. She's already started a bunch of pink zinnia in the house to plant here.

Nearly 50 tulip bulbs have popped up. They are all dark pink, I need to mix in some white ones under the river birch tree.

Our new herb box outside the kitchen window. So will be easy to grab what I want without going outside each time.

Check it out, all our teeny tiny daffodils are blooming.

Don't forget, if you ever have any gardening questions, feel free to post or shoot me an email!

Becoming Spring

2011-02-23T19:24:00.000-05:00

I'd like to think its becoming spring already, it feels like it... smelling like it... and soon will be tasting like it. Things are really moving along here at Fogl's Roost.

The chickens are broody, and the trees' buds are swelling up. Tulips have popped up from the dirt, daffodils are blooming, and its nice enough I can go out and get all that garden work done. So I wanted to share some pictures of things coming back alive again. :)

Things To Be Done Today!

2011-02-21T13:05:00.000-05:00

Today, getting up to 75 degrees, so I decided to go out and do a few things.

I had a pile of horse manure from last summer that has sat and broken down since then to a beautiful black pile of goodness, so I used that to fertilize the fruit trees. Its a bit windy today, so I opted not to spray with Neem oil until the winds die after 5pm. I also turned more compost into an empty bed and planted peas & brussel sprouts (in a good spot on the east side of the house where they will get sun until about 2-2:30).

Its been so gorgeous... its making me feel like spring, but I know its not quite yet.

Though the flowers are surely fooled... daffodils are blooming everywhere, and there are buds on several trees swelled to the blooming point.

What blew my mind yesterday is I noticed the leaves on the weeping willows have returned and the swaying branches look like perfect whips of green all around the pond!

When should you plant in NC?

2011-02-21T10:16:00.000-05:00

Well, I have this local chart available to share with you on when are good times to plant. Its from Wyatt Quarles Seed Company. Believe it or not, here is an excellent time to plant a lot of things. Don't let this amazing spring like weather fool you now. Just because today is 75, we are no where near time to put watermelon or tomatoes in!

Greens are good thing to start now. Chinese greens, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, kale... and maybe some root veggies too, potatoes, carrots, radish....

Take a look and see what is possible for you:

Getting Ready For Next Season's Fruit

2011-02-15T21:06:00.000-05:00

I read a fabulous snippet (a tiny blurb in a magazine, from someone leaving a comment they published... not an article) and the lady mentioned how the magazine had published people suggesting to use ziplock baggies to put over their fruit to keep bugs off, and not having to spray. However, quite simply there was BAD air circulation and ripening and bad spots were still a problem.

Luckily, she ran into a organic orchardist (or whatever they are called) who helps people change over to less spray methods on small scale and large scale... he told here the zip bag idea was good, just take it up a notch to GREAT by making her own bags out of row cover material instead.

So that's what we're doing, making 6"-8" draw string bags out of row cover material to put over our fruits. The 8" bags will be for clustered fruits I may come across and only thin slightly. This will allow good air flow, drainage and sun exposure while keeping fruit bug free.

73 Degrees on Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T16:35:00.000-05:00

Someone must love me, because it is LOVELY out!

So since, even with all the wind, that I went out and trimmed all the perennials (including my roses) and planted spinach and carrots. Tomorrow I'm expecting another nice day, so I'll be doing lettuce and maybe broccoli as well. I have my row covers out to protect them from evening frosts, as I'm sure there is a still another 45 days of that or so.

I didn't realize how close to spring we were until I noticed below the river birch tree, there were 10 tulips sprouts. Awe in the signs of spring!!!

Unexpected Things Today!

2011-02-10T16:46:00.002-05:00

Even though the daughter hasn't gotten much better, she's eating well... and she helped me with the bread. Then I got an odd email about a pressure canner. I've been wanting one... BADLY! I was planning on a less expensive one before my budget... well, its next to nothing most days.

But the email was in response to my ad on craigslist asking for a used pressure canner in good shape. It been up a few times over and over again with no response. I have not been able to find one. The ad I put up included I would LOVE an All American Canner. You know, the top of the line, laugh in my face brand I could never afford. A 25 quart goes for $250 and up online. Used ones can but $225 and up. So I get this email and someone has one, a 25 quart All-American for $160!!! Its in like new condition!!!

So, yes, I asked hubby (begged via text, I look less desperate that way) and he said YES! Our anniversary is next week, and he's been looking for one for me anyways... he was thrilled!

Now I just finished printing up the manual, and off to read the safety stuff and then a test run to make sure it seals properly and I can get the lbs on the gauge to hold as steady as I can get it.

Even better... I did manage to talk it down to $140! :)

Its a MONSTER!!!!!

Did I mention I got a job?! HOORAY! I got a part-time job I've been trying for, and I'm very excited. Its a wonderful company.

Cold Days and Warm Bread

2011-02-10T09:34:00.000-05:00

What to do when you wake up to snow, and cold temps... again!? You just bake bread! So I figured today would be a good day to fill our freezer with bread for the up coming week. Right now I have more sour dough rolls going, then I'll do a loaf of italian bread (perfect for sandwiches) and a load of rye.

I did some rye yesterday, and they came out flat. They crashed in the oven after the second rise. I am unsure what that was about, I assumed it was the yeast, so I bought another container of fresh yeast yesterday for today's baking adventure.

If anyone can think of what it could have been, let me know!?

I will return with pictures as soon as my piles of warm yummy breads are done....

Cold days are good for something huh? :D

My kitchens been a rockin'!

2011-01-31T13:06:00.000-05:00

Even when I just don't feel like cooking... I bake or cook something anyways!

I've been in test kitchen mode lately though, and when that happens, I can't sleep! I toss and turn and dream up silly recipes that may never come to light... but I have to try to figure out how to make them work anyways. The other night I was coming up with a biscotti recipe that so easily could have been a contender in a certain baking challenge I'm working on WINNING! However, after a whole nights missed sleep, I find out a similar recipe exists and has been entered... pointless loss of sleep.

Then magically standing in the kitchen, staring at a slew of ingredients across my counter.... WHAM... it hits me. And in a matter of seconds I throw together something deviously interesting, I bake it, I taste it, and I know its a winner on my first go.

I taste tested so much, I went to bed with a belly ache and a smile.

However, I conquered the recipe... and I could finally sleep!

Adventure in SOUR DOUGH Land

2011-01-28T10:03:00.000-05:00

Well this was a fun conquest for me anyways.... Does anyone love sour dough as much as I do? Come on, its an AMAZING flavor! Reminds me a good beer.

Anyways, I've never been able to master it. I did finally figure out how to make my own 'starter' though, so I've given it a whirl, and I loved the results.

The Starter:

2 cups warm water
1 package dry active yeast
1 tbsp sugar
(let sit for 10 minutes)
mix in 2 cups of whole wheat flour (or rye or whole grain)
Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to sit in a warm dark spot for 2-4 days before use.
Always reserve 1 cup of starter to 'feed' for another batch of bread later.

(Store your 1 cup starter in the fridge if you chose to wait to feed your starter another day. Feed consists of 2 cups of flour, 2 cups of warm water. Do this when your starter has come to room temp first.)

So I've found a good sourdough recipe I wanted to try, and let my dough have 3 rises before I baked. I used the steam method for a HARD crust too. I was very happy with the hardy, rustic, finished product.

So delicious... perfect when its a cold winter and you crave to have the oven on warming the house, and smells of bread filling your nose.

The need for spring is making me antsy!

2011-01-21T10:17:00.000-05:00

These unbelievably cold days (for NC at least) have driving me crazy... I keep shifting in my seat, and mumbling under my breath how much I despise mother nature right now.

But this time seems as good as any to order my seed. Well, I can't afford to order seed this year... so I'm going to start TRADING!

If you have seeds you would like, or seeds enough to share... give me a holla'! I would love to get going to keep my mind off such terrible weather.

...and just to give me a shimmer of hope for spring, I will start planting my tomato seeds I have today. ONLY, because I have a mini-greenhouse to move them into when they are too big for the house. This is not me saying it is ok for everyone to start planting now. The general rule is 6-8 weeks before you move your plants out. So check your frost dates, determine if you have a greenhouse or cold frame that you can do it sooner and remember that some seeds only need 4 weeks... and some need 12. Check your seed package, or research the varieties you have online to find the germination time.

Until then, check back here for pictures of my tomatoes as they get started.

Been in the Kitchen Again!

2011-01-17T14:16:00.001-05:00

Ut oh... bad things happen... oh no... wait... GOOD things happen when I'm planning in the kitchen.

Today I've perfected a recipe I'm planning on entering into a baking contest.

Stuffed French Toast with a twist (this version has fresh made cranberry sauce inside) - Can't share the recipe as its for a contest! :)

The Business Venure Update

2011-01-17T10:17:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't posted much in awhile, and its been mainly business stuff... blah blah blah...right?! Well hopefully with it being about that time, I will have some great gardening stuff up again soon. So don't give up hope on me, seed starting will actually be starting this week, so bare with me!

With that said, I am making headway on the business. You've seen my fund raising stuff, we've had $15 donating so far, and that $15 feels like $1 Million! It gives me the warm fuzzies that people actually care about our product, and what we are trying to do for local farms in the community. Sustainable living and farming is hard work, there is no simple mass production options here. To see people understand that, and want that in their lives means a great deal to this country, and our survival!

The point being is this weekend we had a contractor come out to quote building the new kitchen so we can expand, offer more products and begin stocking local coffee houses and businesses as well as helping you. The actual building is going to cost $26000 and the appliances will be $6000 still. That covers everything we need! Honestly, $32k is great. We were looking at a store front, and with construction costs on 1700 square ft, it was going to be over $68k not including appliances.

Though we are taking out a loan to do a lot of the work, we're going to have a fund raising raffle benefit at some point. We would still love to raise the money for the appliances alone, and that will leave us in good standing. We want to be able to buy a CSA share in several of the farms we buy from each year. That will be a couple thousand up front this spring, but it will help keep everything coming in FRESH and affordable. I really don't want to change our prices, I think they are more then fair. :)

So if you want to donate, please do through our Etsy shop listings, or just buy our products! The money goes right back to what we do. You can email me if you would like to donate to the raffle. We'd love to have items available to give away.... art, treats, services, ect. We'd simple sell raffle tickets at $5 each and they would chose which item they were going for. The plan is to send a PDF file 'raffle ticket' with individual #s. Then on the day of draw we'd announce winning #s here, on facebook, and on etsy for each item.

I will for SURE be doing 2 items myself. I'm planning on a gift basket of jams... AND for the locals, their very own canning class w/ friends for up to 8 people in their home, all materials included! That's regularly a $200 value!

So think if you like to donate, or would like more information on when the raffle should be. I will list more information here as it gets closer. We'll hammer out the details in the next month or so. So watch out for a list of potential items you can chose from!

Wow... I've been interviewed for a new blog!

2011-01-05T14:19:00.000-05:00

Come check out this fabulous blog called "The Etsy Times" Created by Ruth Jamieson.

She's following and highlight the wonderful community on Etsy, and I am sure should would love to meet and highlight even more of the fabulous sellers on the Etsy community. So come follow and share!

http://theetsytimes.blogspot.com/

It's a New Year!

2011-01-02T11:45:00.001-05:00

My first post of the new year, year of the rabbit, is to wish you all a great new chance to start fresh. May all your dreams prosper this year. Maybe this will truly be a turning point year.

With that said, I've been finishing up my business plan for Fogl's Kitchen because this is a year of growth. I want to make positive strides and changes in 2011. I want to be able to offer more local services, including catering, and I want to wholesale some of the local coffee shops and boutiques. So we are going to be raising money to build a new BIGGER kitchen!

We're going to try to raise $6000 this year for all new heavy duty appliances in the new location. So if you want to help, we greatly appreciate it!

So in 2011, if you donate $50 or over we'll be giving you a $20 gift certificate for our shop good on any products of your choice. If you can't donate that much, its ok... we still greatly appreciate it, and will happily send you a copy of one of our recipes to try from home.

We accept donations through paypal or Amazon payments to our email address: Rabyte79@yahoo.com

Please put Appliance Donation in the title, and include your email address so we can send you your gift certificate with your cert. #. When you are ready to cash in your gift certificate, please go through the regular Etsy check out>chose 'other' payment option>add your cert # to the message to seller and I will put your order through.

Certificates don't cover shipping, but you may GIFT them to anyone for any reason. You do not have to use them yourself and they are good for the whole year of 2011.

We will have our goal updates listed here and in our Etsy store!

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-21T15:21:00.000-05:00

Thank you so much for following my blog this year! I appreciate all the new followers, and always adore the older ones as well.

I hope to have a full 2011 covering our garden, business & our community. Please be well this season, and keep following us for a long time to come.

Thank you!

Analyzing Google Analytics

2010-12-13T11:52:00.000-05:00

I find this to be a great advantage when determining what venue of advertising is working for me. I don't exactly 'take out ads' in the paper. I have the same budget as most other etsy sellers... $0 for advertising! So we take advantage of blogs, twitter, facebook, Etsy forums & what ever venue we can find. The true cost of all that is our 'TIME'. And don't let anyone fool you, running your business is not cheap... and you should put value on your time. I was told that during a meet with Small Business Association Office in Cary, NC.

So how do you know your time is not wasted? Well, Etsy offers you the ability to sign up for GOOGLE ANALYTICS and connect your store to their program. This program will track where your traffic is coming from, and how much traffic is being filtered to your shop from all your free locations.

Here's a reality check... I spend a hour or 2 each (and sometimes every other) day plugging my store. I use my blog, though its main focus is what I love... my passion for my garden, baking & supporting the local/natural food movement. I use facebook, but I have a private page, not a fan page that is open to the public. There is also Twitter, and I have over 700 followers so view & share my store links. A few times a week I post specials on Etsy's promotional forums & I also have listing available on another of my favorite websites BackYardChickens.com (because I will not be happy until there is a chicken in every yard in America!).

So how do I know whats working? That's a lot of hours in addition to my canning, gardening, baking & shipping I already have to do. I'm working at least 50 hours a week, 7 days a week to keep my business going!? How many of those hours could I be spending with my daughter? With my husband?

Well the answers are now clear! Or are they?

Google Analytics gives many charts to show how your traffic has been... it shows what sites they come from... how long they stay on your site... and what kind of return you are getting in traffic for your efforts.

I even get a laugh at some of this! Here's some google search keywords that had returned my Etsy shop, AND even got me traffic... though these keywords almost had nothing to do with my biscotti or jams.

Hippie Wedding Dress? Really? Hahahaha

Oh well, its not the point... it got me traffic... though you can see from the average time they are on my site being in the negative, those are not successful keywords to get me any sales.

Now here's how my front view is. It gives me a nice chart so I can see my traffic really averages from a lot of sources. That lets me know my time is not as wasted as I thought it may have been. My efforts are getting me clicks for sure.

Lets view a 'full report' of those top traffic sites. It appears REFERRING sites are biggest bang for the buck. Direct traffic through Etsy is pretty good too!

2950 visitors it pretty good to me, but knowing I've managed that I think we can increase traffic by focusing on where my greatest number of clicks are coming from. Which is? (After direct which is right on etsy) Its BRONTO email. Now WHAT is Bronto email? Well, I did some research when I came back with that same thing at the top of my clicks in September after I first set this up. It turns out BRONTO is the company that supports the email for Etsy that they use for mailings such as "Etsy Finds". You get that in your email? Well... so do THOUSANDS of other Etsy visitors. All those people who aren't frequenting etsy to catch a 'frontpage' view, can check their email at any time and see you in the 'Etsy Finds' newsletter. If you see the spike in my chart up about November 26th, I had nearly 500 clicks on one page of my store. That day, I had about 12 sales and sold out of Watermelon Jelly. I was featured in a newsletter by Etsy. That would be my choice advertising venue! (The next spike you see in the chart was a frontpage feature I received for another store item.)

I have learned something important here....

First, I am going to go through all my keywords in my listing and make sure they are working for me, and not against me. Secondly, I put more hours & physical time into Twitter to have it be my 7th avenue of traffic on my list. I am going to reclaim that time by only using twitter once a week and not 5 days a week. Thirdly, the BackYardChickens site offers paid advertising... and seeing it does bring me nearly 40% of my new visitors each month, I may go ahead and save me a few hours a week advertsing time, and just pay for a monthly revolving ad, it is very inexpensive! Lastly, I have learned that I adore the Google Analytics. I think you should really truly link your store.... keep up with it... and maybe you too will see how to save not only money... but time... and increase sales to boot!!!

And all this is FREE, Silly... go use it!!!!

Garden Neglect

2010-12-10T09:10:00.000-05:00

We've gotten so busy with our stores... baking & woodworking... that the garden had gotten covered in snow last week before I got all the veggie out! I still have dozens of heads of cabbage, radish & lettuce I hadn't gotten out yet. Some of the cabbage seems fine though, and since its going to be back in the 50's and out of the teens here shortly... I hope they survive & give me a little more growth.

I picked the lettuce yesterday, a lot of it was bruised, but a few heads still had tender leaves. I think I have enough for 1 family salad. Thank goodness :)

I can't remember us ever being so cold in December or having snow this early in eastern/central NC.

Things I still HAVE to do in the garden to be ready for spring:

Till over the empty beds
Lay hay on the strawberry patches
Lay hay on the onion & garlic beds
Break new ground for the new 50' garden plot we have planned
Clear out the over growth near the pond where I want a new wildflower patch

These things will not wait for spring for me willingly. Especially when I have a feeling the strawberry crops in the spring or the surrounding farms may not be ready as early as they used to be. I have to depend on my own berries for Jam. :)

Will go out and photo everything this weekend so you can see how mother nature has beat on my garden beds this year.

Wand - Wizard Gift Set

2010-12-07T19:23:00.001-05:00

Now available for your Harry Potter Fan for Christmas. Hand carved natural hard wood wands. Each coming with details on its materials... each one different! You could get yourself a 10 1/2" Walnut w/ Dragon Heartstring Core or an 11 1/4" Elder w/ Unicorn Hair Core. Stains ordered from oak, walnut & cherry. Some with delicate carved handles, and some with the woods natural curve. (All actually made from natural pear tree hard wood)

Each purchase comes in a gorgeous fabric bag with material tag, AND a "Hogwarts School Acceptance Letter w/ attached School book list for 1st years" - Addressed to your child; Dear Mr. (Your son or daughter's name here).

What a magical gift!

All for $25 + Shipping

Get your order in now before they are gone... and you may have to wait until you're a second year wizard!

Here are some sample pictures of what you could get! (Fabric bag colors vary, and you don't get to chose.)

We made it to Etsy's Front Page!

2010-12-03T11:02:00.000-05:00

But it was 1am, and I was so very asleep. So I missed the wonderful moment! It was a great men's treasury too. I did manage to find a screenshot online though.

Don't forget to visit our shop this holiday season, we're having random great sales... don't miss any!

Harry Potter Wizarding Wands

2010-12-01T17:04:00.000-05:00

It took a little longer then expected... but Brian and I worked on these wands today, trying to doing something similar to the wands from the Harry Potter Movies.

We stained them up in different shades, and the pear wood we used looks gorgeous.

I think if we had better weather here today we could have done better quicker. However, the winds have been whipping bad. Its barely 5pm, and its already getting dark... so maybe tomorrow he'll get more done.

I have boxes still to pack for orders, so the reality that the holiday is coming is setting in. To bed early this evening we will be going!

These wands are available for sale:

Giving Thanks From Fogl's Kitchen

2010-11-25T10:27:00.000-05:00

We want to thank all out followers and customers this weekend with a special gift... we're doing a scavenger hunt for the best deals!

Today through Monday we will be hiding discount codes that range 5%-30% off. If you are good at searching, you maybe the lucky one to find the 30% off... because once its used that's it! Its only good for 1 person's order before its no longer active.

So have fun, check the likely places.

You have my blog, twitter, my shop and etsy's forums! (I will not do this on my facebook page as I keep that private, so it WILL be on a public page!)

Just so you know... if you read this, you are lucky... because here's a 15% off coupon just for you! code: THANKS15

Been Prepping already today!

2010-11-23T14:28:00.000-05:00

So we're one day early on our prep work... but it is so worth it!

Today I knocked out making:

Onion Dip

1 1/2 chopped medium yellow or white onions
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh oregano
1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup Mayo
1/2 of a 16oz tub of sour cream
salt & pepper to taste

In a bowl mix sour cream, Mayo, chives, oregano, salt and pepper.

In a hot pan add the olive oil, then add the chopped onion and garlic. Allow to sweat until everything is translucent. Do not caramelize or brown the onion. Remove from heat and then let get to room temp. Then fold into the sour cream mix. Let sit over night before serving for the best flavor!

I had to taste test that dip for awhile... but I'm pretty sure I got it right! Yummmm

Next, I decided to reconstitute 1 cup of dried cranberries for my stuffing, and I just happened to want to make a warm cranberry/apple cider for the kids. So I heated the apple cider on the store add the cranberries, waited until they were nice and soft and the strained them out. They are in the fridge waiting to be added to the stuffing. The cider is back in the gallow jug to go back in the fridge. Thursday I will add some cinnamon, orange peel and brown sugar and warm it through to serve as our special drink. (I add a shot of Apple Schnapps to the adult drinks... here's where we hid that recipe to made our own apple schnapps!) I won't be cutting up the apples for our stuffing until right before I make it, I don't want them to brown.

I also took the opportunity to cut up all my root veggies and celery for the veggie tray. I put them in some tupperware with cold water and put in the fridge. Its perfect because I made a lot of extra so use to snack on between now and then. Saves me a world of trouble when the little one or I want a quick healthy snack.

Tonight I will boil the shrimp for the shrimp dip... because I would LOVE to test that recipe next. I posted that back yesterday if you want to look back for it.

Lastly today, the turkey is IN THE BRINE! That was also in yesterday's recipes on the blog.

But I think I did good..... I will drain it out tomorrow night and put him in the fridge until roast time.

What a great full DAY!

The Thanksgiving Menu - PREprep Items

2010-11-22T10:43:00.000-05:00

I am sharing my planned Thanksgiving menu since I'm cooking this year. My plan is to get as much predone as I can as I can spend some of the day playing with the kids and actually getting to talk to my company.

First; the Turkey!

I have a 20lb bird my mother bought and dropped off last week. I took him out and put him in a sink full of cold water last night. He should be defrosted by tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow I have a 5 gallon bucket with Mr. Gobbles name on it!

The Brine:

Heat in stock pot 6 cups of water
1 cup kosher salt
2 cups of sugar
4 fresh branches of rosemary
4 bay leaves

When that has dissolved add to bucket w/ 4 cups of cold water & 4 cups of ice. As soon as that's nice and cool add the turkey and up to 6 quarts of water more. It should just cover your turkey (which may need to be held down with a plate and heavy crock pot or weight).

I do my brine for up to 48 hours before.

Ok, so what else can I do EARLY!

Well if you look back here: The Thanksgiving Bread Recipe
You will see I have my stuffing almost done. I will finish putting that together the night before by mixing my ingredients, stuffing in a casserole dish and then putting in the fridge until I pull the turkey out of the oven on Thursday.

My recipe for this load of bread:

I cube it up, toast it for 5-6 minutes in 325 oven. Then in a big boil mix the bread with any additional seasoning you may like. I like more sage myself. I then mix in chunks of skin on granny smith apples and dried sweet cranberries. (If my dad isn't going to be here I add some celery I heated in a pan with some olive oil on the stove top, you can add that part to the bread recipe above actually, but I don't have it up as my dad is going to be here this year, and he hates celery.)

Now add chicken or veggie stock to your mix, 1/2 a cup at a time until you get a moist consistancy... a bowl of mush! :) Add to a casserole dish and bake 350 for 30-35 minutes.

Night Before Crockpot meatballs:

Now I used ground turkey, its just what I do. I don't eat pork or beef, and once I recreate turkey or chicken, everyone doesn't mind I don't offer red meat.

So...
1 pound lean ground turkey
1/4 bread crumbs
1/4 cup grape jelly (I do muscadine or scuppernog both available from Fogl's Kitchen)
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
2 Tbsp Worstecher sauce
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
crushed oregano
salt
pepper

To the turkey mash together bread crumbs, 2 tbsp tomato paste, oregano, salt & pepper, form into appetizer size small balls. Cover & Fridge.

In a separate bowl whisk together warmed jelly (microwave for 20 seconds), Worstecher sauce & Vinegar (you can always add a bit more salt and pepper here). Cover and put in the fridge to add over the meat balls in the crock pot in the morning. I put this in the crockpot on high for 2 hours and then turn to low. Should be ready in 4 hours at most. Perfect to leave in the crockpot to serve in a room FAR away from where you are trying to work! :)

Though I don't know if I am going to have time to whip this up Wednesday night or not, I MIGHT try it... so I'm going to share it.

Rachel Ray's Carrot Ginger Soup

The directions are on the site and its VERY simple. A good thing to do the night before, and reheat as a starter for Thursday.

Shrimp Dip w/ Sundried Tomatoes:

This is my own creation. Believe it or not, for me, this is me being CHEAP! As I couldn't afford one of those huge shrimp rings my brother and dad love so much. The 2 of them could eat 1 to themselves... and I want to spread out the shrimp a little further. So I found some lovely jumbo shrimp, I bought 1 lb for the dip.

I know sundried tomatoes can be pricey, but if you go back here: Sun drying tomatoes in my car
You can see I am well stocked from my own garden this year.

So, the dip!

1 lb peeled, cooked, chopped jumbo shrimp
Room temp light cream cheese, 8 oz
1/4 cup light mayo
1 tbsp fresh chopped chives
1 tbsp fresh chopped parsely
2 tbsp white wine
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes chopped
1/2 tsp of olive oil
salt & pepper

I mix this all in my mixer with the paddle attachment. I'll make it now, and put in the fridge. I will take it out in the morning to get back to room temp and serve with some toasted italian bread slices.

**note, I'm on a diet... so I do things with light and low fat options so I can at least have a taste too! Which means you can use the regular stuff, light is just a suggestion!**

Ok, that's it for all my item I will get set BEFORE Thursday. I will post later my day of recipes AND what the whole menu will be.

My letter on S. 510 goes to Washington

2010-11-21T10:48:00.000-05:00

As there is a fight right now for which congressman will take the seat in Washington, my letter (once again) goes to Bob Etheridge.

Please note if you go back to my august blog posts you can read my correspondence with his office earlier in the year over GMO labeling. He voted in favor.

My letter:

"This is exactly why I didn't vote for you this past November. I wrote your office back in August about the labeling of processed foods using GMO crops. Sadly, your reply was rehearsed and didn't answer my questions. So I replied again with how I felt and why, and how disappointed in your I was I didn't get a straight answer on where you stood. Now I know of course, and I voted liberal for your seat. No wonder you are going to lose your seat now, and I not feel sorry for your lack of concern.

You claimed once you were a farmer, but you no longer do that hard work. You long ago severed your roots from those days. I've talked with a few local farmers who've mentioned you've spoken with, make promises and told them ideas for them that never came to light. Its a lose of faith.

Now this bill S. 510 comes along disguised as a food safety regulation. Problem is we have PLENTY of regulation, its just not enforced as it should be. And rather then do the LEG work, leave it to the government (with $$$ backing from lobbists) to push a pen instead. Later on we will only see small farmers stop growing like they have been, and give ag growing more. This bill just puts up brick wall limits on what a small farm can do before they hit the governments imaginary line. The line that will cost the little guy money he can't afford to try to cross. The farm will never have a comeback they were on their way to having recently.

Have you read this article?
http://www.grist.org/article/food-2010-11-17-industry-groups-pressuring-lawmakers-

Putting your 'feelings' aside, don't you see the potential growth... and the amount of growth already for the organic and small farmer? These are families. You are trying to stop families from achieving what appears to currently be a possible dream.

I am sorry that you side with big... but their pockets run deep... and you seem to just be standing their holding your hand out for your cut!

Sincerely,

Shannon Fogl"

Do not vote for S. 510

2010-11-21T10:33:00.000-05:00

Concerned? No? Well, you should be.

So I'm going to take this moment to make a political statement, which generally I don't do much of. I want you to read these 2 very different view articles on S. 510, a bill marked to regulate the heck out of our food from big ag. However, though it 'leave out the little guy' it in facts limits the little guy... including the back yard hobbiest.

So read a coverage store on Grist:
http://www.grist.org/article/food-2010-11-17-industry-groups-pressuring-lawmakers-

Now read the Wall Street Journel's take:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704312504575619161241048530.html

2 very different minds wrote that... but I want to point out, neither journalist, and pretty much NONE of the senators are farmers. Oh, like Mr. Bob Etheridge once stated to me, he was once a farmer in my state and fights for the little guy... but he is NO LONGER a farmer, and after speaking with a farmer who talk to the man once... like any politician he is NOT a man of his word. Which if you look back at my August blog post, you can see how he never bothered to respond properly to my concerns with our FDA & where he sided, and when I asked for a real response rather then a run around, no reply at all.

So how do you feel about S. 510? What is the amount of money a small farm can make before it is fined and fee'd to death? $100k, $200k, $1m? They say they are leaving the little guy out... but it more likely appears they are limiting the little guys growth and making promises to big Ag, that for the right price each year.... they will earn limitless growth and power over our food supply for many more years to come.

So please, write your rep and let them know that you intend to fight this! The hobby gardener isn't far behind... believe me!

There has been notice the bill is delayed BUT remember... this is not going to keep your food safe. There are plenty of regulations in place already. Maybe they should pass a bill saying they should actually take the time to enforce what is already there before they start asking for more poorly worded regulations to be put in place!

http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2010/11/19/food-safety-bill-delayed/

This will not save any lives, but make things difficult for others... just throw it out!

Thank You So Much to CityKitten For the Gift Guide Feature!

2010-11-18T11:57:00.000-05:00

I think its wonderful that she has featured one of our products on her Holiday Gift Guide: Treats under $25

Please go read her article, click on the shops and follower her blog....
http://citykittendesigns.blogspot.com/2010/11/guift-guide-tasty-treats-under-25.html

Do I ever stop baking?

2010-11-17T20:51:00.000-05:00

That answer would be NO! I had 9 lbs of biscotti to bake today for orders, and still managed to make dinner and bake a pumpkin pie.... but not ANY pumpkin pie!

I wanted to try something new, so I did a search online for pumpkin with marshmallows and found a few no bake one's I've seen before. I wasn't too thrilled with the choices, and my books didn't have much. So, I winged it and this is what I came up with.

Marshmallow Pumpkin Pie

1 Package 10.5 oz mini marshmallows
1 cup pumpkin puree (I make my own from roasted pumpkins)
Mix this until a smooth mixture over a double boiler and set aside

In a separate bowl with a mixer combine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp pumpkin spice (I did Chai spice with some extra cinnamon)
5 oz evaporated milk
3 Large eggs
pinch of salt

Now whip the pumpkin marshmallow mixture into that.

Add to a deep dish graham cracker crust and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. A toothpick should come out clean.

Delicious!!!

Canning Cranberry Chutney

2010-11-16T17:14:00.001-05:00

This WONDERFUL chutney is going to make the perfect thanksgiving left over sandwich. Its sweet, but kind of like a relish.... so it could be a side, but its an excellent condiment! Look out for it in our shop for the holiday.

Here's the recipe if you want to give it a try:

Cranberry Chutney

4 c fresh cranberries
1 1/2 c sugar (I use sugar in the raw)
1 c water
1 tbsp chai spice mix (cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, ect)
2 Large Rome apples cored, chopped (skin on)
1 medium yellow onion chopped fine
1/2 c golden raisins
1/4 c regular raisins

Directions:

In a large stockpot, combine cranberries, sugar, water, & spices. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar. Cook until the cranberries begin to pop, about 10 to 12 minutes. Adjust the heat so the mixture simmers.

Stir in apples, onion, and raisins. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until thick, 15 to 20 minutes longer, remove from heat.

Pack into sterilized half-pint jars, and follow your favorite directions to process in boiling water bath canner. Makes 6-7 half pints.

Whole Wheat Thankgiving Stuffing Bread

2010-11-16T14:04:00.002-05:00

Saving myself a few bucks, and some time on Thanksgiving with this one thing ready to go! A loaf of bread with all my seasonings right in it. Just need to freeze it until 2 days before, then take it out and leave it to thaw and the start to stale. Then Thankgiving, chop it into chunks, add my green apples, cranberries and chicken stock before being the dressing into the oven.

Whole Wheat Thanksgiving Stuffing/Dressing Bread:

Prep Yeast Base:

4 Tsp Dry active yeast
1 Tbsp Honey
2 Cups Warm Water
(Mix and let rise 30 minutes)

3 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/4 cup veggie oil
2 tsp salt
2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/8 tsp Mrs. Dash
1/2 tsp rosemary crushed
1/2 black or white pepper
1 chopped small onion

(Mix together in separate bowl, then add 1/2 cup at a time to yeast base until all is smooth)

Knead mixture about 10 minutes (or with dough attachment in mixer is quicker). It will be elastic and smooth.

Cover with a tea towel in a warm spot. Let rise in oiled bowl 20-25 minutes.

After it has doubles in size, punch it down and separate it into 2 loaves. You can manipulate into any shape you want, putting slits in the top, and brushing with egg white to brown. OR you can put them into loaf pans, still putting slits in the top and the egg wash. Your choice!

Let rise another 20-25 minutes and pop into a 375 oven for 20-25 minutes. Top should be a pretty brown.

(For a crustier bread put on a pizza stone in the oven when you free form it.)

Rising beautiful dough:

Husband's Woodworking & Reclaimed Garden Items

2010-11-10T11:09:00.002-05:00

The man who has inspired me with creativity and the love of his trees. (He insisted on our fruit trees and still wants more) Goes as far as finding wasted items, metal, wood, ect, from job sites and it turning everything into functional garden items, and home decor! You'll find things such as Mason bee houses, Bird houses, wood buttons, signs and more on his new Etsy store. Special orders are available there... or through me here! :) He's really enjoying what he's doing, so help support his passion and go green at the same time.

http://HandyHubby.Etsy.com

Would You Like to Stop in and Eat at Fogl's Kitchen?

2010-11-07T11:35:00.001-05:00

All our friends and family sure like stopping by. They get to taste test so much too. There is always extra preserves, a few extra quarts of pickles to opened, a new pot pie, apple pie, pumpkin pie or biscotti to try! I'm already feeding the masses.

I do all this while trying to support our local farms, and farmer markets. I suggest people stop by many of the places I do as if I was going to the market... like Holland Farms. They've been growing produce and selling it from Holland Rd/Purfoy Rd in Fuquay Varina since the 1700's! Yet so many people don't know its there. I give directs and people have passed it 100 times and never noticed they could stop at the stand and buy the most amazingly fresh produce, eggs, jams, honey and handmade gifts. FOR LESS THEN THE GROCERY STORES!?

Anyways, the economy has made me feel I would never realize my dream to open my own bakery cafe. That internet sales and private orders may be my only venue. But I won't allow that to keep me down, because I know this can and will be a successful business... if it wasn't, my internet sales would not have tripled in these hard times.

So I am here to let you know, we will be collecting donations to start this business! So know that soon you will be able to stop in, say hi, grab some coffee and fresh biscotti and hit the road whenever you like.Though I would love to start a completely new shop w/ all required purchasable items, we're looking at $20k! I am hoping, since there are a couple bakeries and restraunts for sale, for $10k we'd be able to get in on one of those and get a loan to remodel and get into business even sooner.

We've found a way to collect these donations, from people who shares our views and tastes, that makes you know your money is going to the right place. If we don't get enough to get started, you get your money back. If you want to put in extra... you can. Through Kickstarter.com you'll be able to learn more about our business, know they doing to this for a good project, with good food for a good cause.

Here is where you will find our profile: http://www.kickstarter.com/profile/biscottiqueen

You can't donate just yet, we're waiting on approval from the site. We had to prove we're the real deal!

But please... share this with your friends... your family... whomever you think would love to see this grow and evolve. Even if you could never possibly visit our cafe, we will still run Fogl's Kitchen online and will always ship the goodness that is NC to anyone who wants a taste!!!

****Update 11/10/10 ****

Kickstarter has not accepted us. Though I am told I am not a good food, I have been informed someone with a similar plan across the country has been accepted and I don't think they want the $$$ competition across the site. My plan is to resubmit the plan in Feburary.

Until them I am planning on starting some fund raising on my blog, and maybe through facebook and etsy. All I am trying to do is get a small amount in which to show my seriousness to take out a loan for the rest.

Our plan for a cafe/market place isn't only for our business, but we want to help sustain and raise up the troubled local farms that are part of our community. I want the customers and community members try to keep their $$$ in the community. We want to donate space to local artists to share our walls. We don't only want to be a business, but we want to make a difference.

If you are interested in helping, even donating $1 to try to get this dream off the ground I will be setting up a way to make donations through Paypal. I will be giving coupons and rewards for larger donations!

Fogl's Test Kitchen!

2010-11-02T17:25:00.000-04:00

Now you have a chance to purchase a 'sample' of our newest inventions rolling through the kitchen. We need tasters to vote on new items before we introduce them to our shop. A tester is 2 pieces of biscotti (either 2 of 1 flavor or 1 each of 2 different flavors). It is $5 to receive the samples, and this does include shipping.

Currently we have 2 test subjects going you can try from; Whole Wheat Honey Cherry Biscotti & Green Tea Biscotti.

We'd appreciate any comments on flavor & what changes you would make to posted to our blog, facebook or private conversation through Etsy. We are proud of our product and we want you to know that you are sampling a product we have not decided is good enough to make it into our line up yet. This is a chance to get your voice and opinions heard though!!!

Private JAM PARTY 2 Hour Class

2010-10-26T14:55:00.000-04:00

Been wanting to learn to can fruit, make your own jams for christmas or birthday gifts? Now is your chance to learn, in your home, and with friends! Have a Canning Party at your own home.

I teach a 2 hour beginner canning course. We set this up as a group course for you and your friends. (5 people minimum) Classes on Friday night, Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon times. You choose.

In the 2 hours you will learn all the basic of Waterbath canning.... sticking to in season produce. Each person in the class with get to keep one jar from the class as well. Take notes during class, but everyone will get a packet to take home as a refresher w/ extra recipes to try!!! All equipment is brought to site, and we clean up after class. We also meet up with your before so you can get an idea of who we are, and what a fun class this will be.

The class is $25 per person and is due at the time of scheduling. If canceling a class, 50% of deposit is not returned if less then 1 week notice on cancellation. (This is 50% less then the county offers for a similar class.)

Its a fun thing to do with family and friends, and get you ready to have the most creative gifts to give this holiday. Next year we'll have advanced canning classes available we'll be holding in Fuquay for larger groups.

This month's canning class will be apples... Fresh packed canned and caramel apple jam. YUM! Get your best friends together and schedule a class now before we fill up for fall.

This class is only available within 25 miles of Fuquay Varina, NC... this includes locations Cary, Holly Springs, Clayton, Apex, Lillington and small surrounding towns. (If you would like me to travel further for an 'afternoon' only class it can be arranged for any extra trip charge.)

I will schedule a meet up with you to discuss what the course offers and if there is anything extra you'd like included.

We have large group specials, if you have the facility to use for the # you want there. Maybe your church would like to set something up for 30+ members. Please contact me for any ideas you may have!

Foglskitchen@gmail.com

Proud Silkie Mama

2010-10-25T09:33:00.000-04:00

Alpha brought us home our first blue ribbon. I now owe him a new girl friend!

It's not fair!

2010-10-19T21:22:00.000-04:00

I'm a little bummed... so far I have entered 12 competitions at the NC State Fair and walked away with NADA. (To the best of my knowledge, there is an issue with the jarred goods and when we went to look to see who won, the names were all covered up.) Tomorrow is my last entry... my sweet White Silkie Rooster 'Alpha'. I'm hoping he's my ticket to my last chance at a ribbon! If he wins, I will be buying him a nice new lady to make me blue ribbon chicks!!!!

Go Alpha!!!!!

Just a Wee Bit Tipsy.

2010-10-14T14:58:00.000-04:00

Well make sure you're on my Christmas list this year, I'm gifting the naughty to the nice! Back in August, if anyone remembers, I started taking fruits and soaking them in vodka to create our own fruit schnapps to give as gifts. (Link to the original post here: Fruit Liquors )

Today I have used the bottles we've collected, sterilized them, filtered out the fruit (which were yummy from what I tasted), and poured into the bottles to gift. A couple were sweetened with a homemade sugar syrup so they could be drank as a cocktail. The rest are pure fruit and liquor and are great straight up, or as a mixer.

Not that I have a lot of time lately, but I needed the jars the fruit were fermenting in. I do think 7 weeks was plenty though for flavor. Some sites said as much as 4 months... some said only 4 weeks. I would say 2 months is about perfect using pint or quart jars, which is what we used here.

I must say " DO TRY THIS AT HOME! "

I warned you!

2010-10-13T01:35:00.000-04:00

I've been so busy working, getting the garden ready for another attempt at fall planting and getting the jars to the State Fair for competition that I've been neglecting my blog audience. Accept my apologies please?! Give me 2 weeks and I'll be back on the ball... I promise!

P.s. - I transplanted the grape vine cutting into its own bed by our driveway fence last week, its finally big enough to be transplanted. I also planted 70 onion bulbs and 100+ gloves of garlic since Saturday. I have MANY more to go, and getting ready to build another raised bed.

Catching You Up

2010-10-07T14:02:00.000-04:00

Sorry I seem to have been away from the blog. My business really picked up for a short time, and that was followed by more apples, pears and grapes that needed jamming. I'm rushing to restock the very little there is left to do this time of year. As you know, the autumn harvest is heavy, but its short!

Next week also happens to be the NC State Fair. This is huge, the whole state and even surrounding states show up for the fair every year. There are tons of competitions to enter.... from canning... to baking... to animals... to produce... ect. So I have decided to enter 8 of my most popular jams, 1 of my favorite salsas, a batch of my most popular biscotti and I'm even entering my favorite rooster Alpha (a white bearded silkie). So I have 4 different days I have to go up to the fair grounds to get my entries in and judged. Plus I need to make time to take my daughter for the rides on one of those days. My neighbor's business is going to be at the fair from open to close the entire length of the fair (Oct 14-24). That means hubby and I will be their animal care takers. They're dogs, cats, chickens and rabbits need feeding.... and I'll have to water their fall crops as well.

This is all just to warn you, if I disappear again... I will probably return with blue ribbons in a couple weeks! :-D

To catch you up whats been going on at the homestead, other then the above preparing of business and competition, I've found after the recent flooding, a few of my lingering tomatoes finally bulked up what was left on them. I got a few ripe ones, some ripening and a bunch of green. 13 lbs of green ones alone (and if you recall, I've pulled out more then 1/2 of the tomato plants that were done last month). So I'm hoping some time in a cardboard box and tissue paper with finish ripening the harvest. If not, we'll be having green tomato chutney to can soon.

If anyone is interested, I still have 3 Black Tailed White Japanese Bantam roosters looking for a good home. Because if they stay here, they're going to be dinner!

Here's also a sneak peek at some of our newest jams that will be available soon... but not all yet ;)

Plum & Sliced Almond Jam

Vanilla Pear Butter

Another Feature on Etsy's Finds Newsletter/Blog

2010-09-25T17:21:00.000-04:00

How lucky are we? 3 Etsy Finds features in 2 months. We do have some lovely jams, jellies and biscotti... and we're so thrilled to know Etsy thinks so too! So now is a great time to give us try. :D

The wonderful article (which we totally agree with how easy it is to be a little greener): For the Greener Good

The Black Bean Harvest

2010-09-24T11:00:00.000-04:00

Thought the plants have died back mostly, there were still come green pods left hanging. I would have felt better if all the black beans had dried on the plant, but only about 1/3 of them did before I harvested. That is ok though, I set up a screen with good air flow to help dry the remainder of the pods so I can shell them all at the same time.

I did 2 harvests of black beans this year. I planted 4 seeds someone gave me and only 1 sprouted. I was a bit bummed, but I got 8 oz of dried beans out of that one plant. It grew, and dried so quickly I was SURE I could get a second harvest. So I planted beans from the first harvest (20) and 14 sprouted to give me this 1 gallon harvest. So I was able to get 2 harvests out of them! I will do this again next year and rotate my crops as well.

Soon I will report back with how many actual dried beans, by weight, I got and if they are enough for my small family. Though I do think I would have used another 20-25 plants to be honest.

Trying New Mixes!

2010-09-20T16:37:00.000-04:00

I've been creating jam as if its going our of style! All this wonderful produce coming in and I just can't help myself by making some of my favorite flavors ever while I can. I've put together apple and pear and set it off with a bit of vanilla... I've got some dried cranberries and re-hydrated them in some fresh hot apple juice I made from some of those cortlands, I whipped up a new batch of Cantaloupe and ginger with the last 2 cantaloupes of the year, and today I am taste testing a new flavor 'Mojito' a combination of lime, mint and rum. The limes are imported organic, and the rum... well, its good rum, and the mint is from my garden of course.

So its been a busy busy couple of days around here! Just wanted to share what's been going on. Time to get back to canning.

Cran-Apple Jelly

It's Apple Day!

2010-09-15T18:41:00.001-04:00

With harvest season in full swing, today I broke into my second bushel of apples. The first bushel I finished about 2 weeks ago, and those were some super yummy winesap. They were low on winesap and wouldn't be able to get me another bushel for another 2 weeks, so this week we have Cortland apples. Very crisp, reminds me of the apples I grew up in Connecticut with. Much larger then winesap, but hey have a squat donut type shape.

I must suggest this as a MUST try variety. I was told they are an old a variety developed in NY. But not sure about anything with their rootstock. If I knew, I would probably make room to plant a few of these out in our mini orchard. Knowing my area though, for most varieties, I don't get enough chill hours in the winter. These were NC mountain grown.

But for now, I will leave you with gorgeous photos of the apples and the works in progress. Including Apple Jelly, Apple Pectin and Apple Butter in the crock pot!

I am going to leave you with my Crockpot Apple Butter recipe:

(4 Quart size) Crock pot

Peel and core 12-16 apples, chop into 1" chunks
Put in crockpot on high, add Cinnamon (1 tsp), nutmeg (1/8 tsp) and ground ginger (1/4 tsp).
After for 2-2 1/2 hours use a stick blender to puree (or put in your food processor)
Add back to the crockpot on low, mix in 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 cup white sugar and let simmer for 12 hours.
If the mix is still watery remove lid and check every 30 minutes until the mixture is thick and jam like.

Fall Garden

2010-09-14T18:47:00.000-04:00

Well I just planted head cabbage, chinese cabbage, broccoli and carrots in the last 2 weeks. I see next to no sprouts and I am thinking of replanting some things. However, I am OUT of carrots.

Next week I have onions and garlic coming and that bed for those are set to go. I just finished ripping out the corn and watermelon there.

I wanted to show how much of my garden has progressed, and what I am ready to finish with next.

Acorn squash has gotten bigger then baseballs finally, and I even found a couple of new ones on the vine. So I've found a total of 5 squash on one vine. Should I prune some off if I want these to ripen?

Then I was over joyed to see my black beans are done. The foliage is dying back, and that means the beans will start drying soon. These will be storage beans for some of my favorite spanish dishes over the winter.

I did find this funky looking bug on my beans though? What is it? Kinda looks like a lizard of some sort. But honestly, this thing is tiny. like 1/16" the size of my finger nail.

Check this out... my first butternut squash has appeared!!

Now this is my sprite melon... I'm supposed to wait until the flesh is white to pick... so I'm guessing I need to wait like I did with my watermelons. Wait until the tendril starts to brown and separates easily from the melon. It really is tiny cute!!! No bigger then my acorn squash is now.

Etsy Finds Blog Feature On Friday September 3rd

2010-09-07T12:13:00.000-04:00

Thank you Etsy for another fabulous feature in your Blog on Friday. I've had wonderful sales, and again have met some of the most wonderful people from Etsy possible. Also so nice to talk to people who appreciate homemade items, and crafts.... things made from love!

Here is a link to the wonderful blog topic: HUNTING AND GATHERING
http://www.etsy.com/storque/spotlight/etsy-finds-hunting-and-gathering-10312/

Found out this morning we also had a featured item over on Larks Crafts Blog as well!
A wonderful autumn theme, with some GREAT items from all over Etsy sharing a common cool weather theme. Now, if only it would cool down more here. :)

http://www.larkcrafts.com/craft-your-life/the-allure-of-autumn/

Thanks so much to all our followers, customers and people who've hearted our shop in the past year, its you who've made us such a success!

...And my garden keeps growing!

2010-08-31T10:49:00.000-04:00

I've been tied up in jamming and canning lately I've been neglecting and falling behind on the garden chores. I admit, I forget to water, I forget to weed. It wouldn't be a huge deal if I wasn't so 'organic' in everything I do. Which means no spray, no powders... just man power keeps it rolling! So I went out and removed dead and lost plants yesterday, not as bad as I thought it would be.... removed weeds.... not so bad either thanks to lots of mulch this year.... and harvested a good amount of quality produce that wasn't torn up by bugs.

I also had more fall producing items then I thought. I've been a bit behind on planting for fall as well. I have packets of carrots and broccoli I'm still trying to find space for. I ordered garlic and onions... but they are not here yet so no rush there.

So I photoed what shocked me about my garden most after all the neglect... the fact things are growing and producing without me! :)

Beautiful leeks I planted in spring, they went dormant for the summer but I noticed they started back to growth recently.

One of 2 acorn squash on this vine looking happy and healthy. Though I saw ants going to town on the vine itself... I'm afraid there may be a vine borer at work somewhere in the tangle. I already lost 6 pumpkin plants to vine borers this month.

This was a fun little experiment I forgot about. This is a sprite melon. Very popular new breed melon in NC. I bought one at a farm stand and it was a nice melon for the size. About the size of your fist, green flesh, like a mini honey dew. Pretty yum.... so I save a few seeds and threw them out in the yard. Its a tiny vine, Maybe 18" long and it is showing to have 2-3 melons starting on it already. Hope there is enough summer left for them to ripen? We'll see.

I'll share more pictures after today. I made sure there was time this afternoon for daughter and I go out and at least plant her raised bed by her playhouse. She's just not going to be happy when I pull out the pole beans that FAILED to produce a bean larger then a safety pin. :(

Fruit liquors

2010-08-28T23:13:00.000-04:00

I've done some poking around online and found some simple ways of making my own fruit schnapps and vodkas. I've been jamming so much I've bought a lot more fruit then I've needed, and I've picked more from my own yard then I can use in my jams. So what to do with all the left over fruit if I can't eat it all fresh fast enough?

Why... preserve it in liquor form for future events!

So with Christmas coming and Thanksgiving around the corner why not have special gifts and something to serve to guests! They are also simple to do. Pack your fruit in sterilized jars, and cover with cheap vodka. Aristicrat is like $11 a gallon. So MANY pints later I've jarred up Apple, Blackberry, Lemoncello, Pear and Peach. Now they will sit at the back of my pantry for 2 months (I will occasionally give them a sampling), and when they are just right I will strain through cheesecloth and bottle up in clean liquor bottles to give away or store for later use.

The lemoncello and blackberry with be transferred into bottles with 1 cup of simple syrup each (1:1 ratio of sugar and water boiled together and then cooled to room temp). I added 1 TBSP of sugar to the Pear and Peach mixtures now. I added nothing extra to the apple.

Homemade Pectin

2010-08-25T22:42:00.000-04:00

Tired of spilling $2-$3 everytime you need a pack of pectin for the low pectin fruit jamming? I know I am... I've spent more then $50 on pectin this year alone! But apple season came around, and I needed a bushel... so I grabbed a few tart greens, and unripe galas along with my ripe ones for canning and eating. This is what I did.

First roughly chop your apples, and cover just to the top with water (don't peel or core, that's where the pectin is).

Bring it to a boil and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes. It will look like applesauce mush.

Now strain the mixture through a jelly bag, or cheesecloth, and you will have a liquid that will thicken over time. This liquid is your pectin. It will store in the fridge up to 4 months.

Enjoy!

Disheartened Over Recent Contacts With My Congressman - About GMO Food Labels

2010-08-19T12:38:00.000-04:00

Who doesn't want to know whats IN their food? I guess some of us don't care, and I hear many people say I'm over reacting with how 'bad' certain things are for us. The problem is a LOT of our food is bad for us. I just want to cut 50% of that out of my diet, I've been gaining a lot of weight over the years and I'm pretty active so I don't understand what's up? Do you ever worry about what is affecting your health? You read the nutrition facts on foods sometimes, right? The number of calories? The fat and sugar content? What about if GMO produce was slipped in? That's right genetically modified foods are in almost everything we eat now a days. Most corn that makes its way into processed foods are of GMO standards (and those all come from Monsanto).

If you do some research on representative in congress, the people who control the USDA and the FDA you will see a LOT of connections to Monsanto. But its out of our control... if the USDA says its safe and doesn't require tests outside of Monsanto you have to eat it right? Well, not exactly. There are some companies now printing on their labels "NO GMO FOODS USED IN PROCESSING" or "Corn Syrup Free" or "No Modified Produce Used". All these labels are wonderful, but not items using or not using GMO label.

I wish they would, just so I had a choice... The US is all about choices right? No one can take that away from you! So make your voice heard and simply write to your congressman and say you simply want those products labeled so you know. This campaign makes it so easy Millions Against Monsanto, you simply put in your zip code and it has an already written letter pleading with your congressman (according to your zipcode) to implement the labeling. Its that simple! Doesn't mean it will make a difference, but add yours to mine, to my friend's, to my friend of a friend's.... ect ect... and you may see these labels eventually in your shopping trips.

Now I sent a copy myself already once this week, I received a less then agreeable response from my congressman. Here's the letter I received and a copy of my response:

"Dear Mrs. Fogl:

Thank you for writing me to express your concern about the use of Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) crops in our food supply. It was good to hear from you, and I appreciate your taking the time to share your views with me.

As you may know, our country is the largest producer of plants and foodstuffs using biotechnology. With it, farmers grow stronger, healthier, and higher yielding crops – crops that can resist disease, drought, and pests. However, I understand that some Americans, like yourself, worry about the safety of genetically modified products and seek the labeling of such products.

Our examination of this issue must be based on sound scientific principles and study. Technologies such as genetic engineering in plant science have been demonstrated and practiced for hundreds of years through plant breeding. The relatively recent use of GMO technologies which add or remove genetic material to accelerate the process is substantially similar to long-tested breeding processes. As a farmer, former member of the House Agriculture Committee, and a father and grandfather, I share your desire to have the healthiest foods available for the American table, but I also have faith in the products grown and produced by the American farmer. You can be sure that I will keep your thoughts in mind should I have the opportunity to vote on legislation regarding GMOs in the 111th Congress.

I am working with my colleagues in Congress and the Administration to respond to the challenges that face our nation. Together, we will build a stronger economy, find common sense solutions to our energy needs, make sure every child gets a quality education, and expand access to health care for all Americans. It is an honor to represent you in Congress, and I welcome your continued input.

Sincerely,

Bob Etheridge
Member of Congressnc02ima@mail.house.gov" Feel Free to respond to the email above if you have something to say, but I suggest you be in my district if you want a real response. Here's my response:"Dear Congressman Sir,

I am very disappointed in your response as I don't see things your way, and you can't expect me to change my views from a short generic response like that. I do not believe there is anything natural or ok with GMO plants. I believe these high levels of resistance to bugs are unnatural and they won't allow resistance forever. Things adapt to the situation, they grow MORE resistance, they, in nature, mutate. I believe these high yields of product are hurting the farmer because you are saying, its ok that as a 'superpower' of food in the world, we should produce more so people pay less. Now farmers are working and spending more to grow more each year, to break even. These are not rich well paid people, obviously you left agriculture to do something better for the communities... but I don't think that is happening. You left the community behind.

With no diversity in food, without actually paying for quality, Monsanto, McDonald's, Burger King, coca-cola, Walmart and all these great companies will continue to grow unobstructed by laws and codes. Though the potential for growth is great in the country, it is becoming limited in whom is allowed to grow. The American people are growing by leaps and "Pounds" though. Cheap food and genetically modified crops are not the solution. It just makes MORE for LESS. Cheap food is making for expensive healthcare. Now it appears, the only winners are the 1% who are lining their pockets with profits from others' suffering.

With that said, all I ask if you are kind enough to label products for those of us who care. Because I care, because my friends and family care... I took the time to write you.

I would appreciate it, if you had any 'scientific proof' as you stated would sway your decision that you would send me copy. I kinda like to know someone who wants my vote is taking the time to share what he 'knows' with the people, and not what he 'thinks'. I know what I think, and I am YET to find another but opinions from everywhere and not one lick of 'proof' in writing.

Still Concerned,

Mrs. Shannon Fogl"

Sun Drying Tomatoes In My Car

2010-08-16T10:47:00.003-04:00

The process:

Well, its summer... who wants the oven on ALL DAY?! I already bake for a living and I have been canning at least 4 nights a week, so I don't want to add to that. I make a gallon of sun tea everyday, and I've thought about making a solar oven (Mother Earth News has some great info on how to on their site). So why not use the sun to make the old fashioned sun dried tomatoes Italy is famous for!?

I do fear they will not correctly dry as I've heard mold stories. I've also been warned about bugs, and we have a ton of them this time of year. I won't put all my trust into a screen to take care of it. So why not use my car, its like a giant oven when I get in it! So this morning I have put a tray of cherry tomatoes out in my car with 2 windows cracked for ventilation. I have no idea how many hours this will take, and whether I need to bring them in and finish them in the oven tonight? We'll find out though! Learning experience! :)

Here's what they look like around 3pm today.

Update: 11:55am 8/18/2010

Later that night when it cooled down, I popped these in the oven at 195 degrees for a few hours before bed, then took them out. In the morning I moved them back to the car. Later in the day I was baking and I decided to move the tomatoes into the oven. At this point the smallest of the cherry tomatoes were done, and I removed them from the try before putting them back into the oven. Within 2 hours they were completely done. As my time is valuable I must admit I rushed to save myself some time. Honestly, if I didn't do the oven the tomatoes would have only needed 1 more day in the car. Luckily I didn't wait, we have over cast and cooler temps today... followed by even cooler temps all week! I may not get another shot for awhile. So I packed ALL the tomatoes in an 8 oz jar and poured some great EVOO in to keep them fresh in the fridge. I will also have some great tasting olive oil to cook with this fall/winter now too. Mmmm

Featured in Etsy's Blog!

2010-08-13T10:26:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I was lucky enough to have an item featured in Etsy's blog, my Double Chocolate Biscotti! I would have posted yesterday, but I was kinda busy! ;) Check it out if you can.

http://www.etsy.com/storque/spotlight/etsy-finds-voyage-within-9887/

Sometimes, the insects kill the insects! No Pesticide Added

2010-08-09T22:02:00.001-04:00

Now, a tomato hornworm is no good to one's garden... especially if you like your tomato plants. A popular choice to take care of this problem is a wide range broad spectrum insecticide! Right? Not if you are concerned about what that pesticide will do to you, or your soil. So... You want organic then, so you go with BT (Bacillus thuringiensis). Right? Except there are issues where its not as complete as one would think. Some people say it barely takes care of 1/2 their problem areas and they are left to hand pick the rest off anyways. There is also limited research on long term issues to soil, and other insects in the area. Just remember, if something is intended to KILL, kill it will. You can of course leave it to mother nature to take care of some of it. Really?

I mean, really... infestations being controlled naturally? Not having to spray or do anything? Leave it to the predators?! Well, I am trying to anyways. I do have to hand pick a lot of stuff off my plants, but so is life. I missed some things...even vine borers ended up killing 2 (maybe 3) of my pumpkin vines this week. I have 4 pumpkin vines that do seem fine, just no pumpkins on them yet. Then what good is not spraying, or dusting?

Today I was lucky enough to see mother nature's own pest control doing its job. This year I've barely seen a hornworm, 2 before the one I found today. I wasn't concerned, I just thought I caught a break... however, to see whats been happening is awesome...

A Braconid wasp, a parasite wasp, has been so kind as to lay eggs directly under the skin of the hornworm. The hatching wasp larva then eat their way out, weaking and eventually killing the hornworm.

Reproduce on my little wasp friend! You are welcome in this girl's garden anytime!!!

My First White Tomato

2010-08-03T17:51:00.000-04:00

Yep, I'm ripe!

Though I have had a terrible time figuring out all my tomatoes this year, they've managed to grow all season! I was just disappointed that none of my tomatoes are what I labeled them as. In fact, I've been waiting patiently for this tomato to ripen to a pretty purple, after all, it was labeled "Purple Cherokee". Turns out to be 1 of 3 White Wonder Tomatoes I planted. The other White Wonders are too orange to be what they were labeled. This tomato is actually ripe... didn't realize what it was until I squeezed it and realized how soft it was. Tonight I will enjoy it sliced on a sandwich. :)

The Great Tomato Mix Up of 2010

2010-07-27T17:34:00.000-04:00

Last year I made a ton of online trades through garden websites, as well as with neighbors and friends. After all my collecting I ended up with a beautiful pile of heirloom variety tomatoes I wanted to try. I had some germination issues and had to retry a few types I absolutely had to have.

My big choices for the year were:
Roomi
Italian Market Wonder
White Wonder
Chocolate Cherry
Ester's Yellow Cherry
Purple Cherokee
Green Sausage

I ended up with 14 beautiful strong plants (1 died of a fungal disease after the first harvest, but I managed to save all my others).

Somewhere along the line, I either mislabeled my plants, or was given bad information on what the kinds I had were. I even saved some seeds and planted from last year and I'm not so sure they are winners.

In fact, my White wonder are a very dark red with green on top even when ripe, and an ox heart shape. Not as dark at the Purple Cherokee are supposed to be. Then the supposed Purple Cherokee are only the size of a quarter right now, with maybe 5 on 2 plants. The roomi have no tomatoes to be seen, and the Italian Market look more orange/yellow then photos I've seen of them. The only plant that is labeled properly is the chocolate cherry!

I will get photos later with my concerns, but I've decided next year I will order my tomatoes from a trusted source and try again. I want to make sure I know what I have before I start saving seeds for myself, and to trade.

Where did I go wrong!? :/

Sweaty, but Alive!

2010-07-26T10:24:00.000-04:00

I haven't had much to share from my garden lately. I've done a couple mornings of deep watering, but other then that its been too hot to do any weeding, and I've been late to harvesting. This heat has literally made me sick, and my A/C system can barely keep it 80 in the house.

I've been able to harvest a little bit, some tomatoes mostly. Because I haven't been as vigilant the June Bugs have done a number on some of my tomatoes, and at least 2 lbs of those have been offered up to the chickens as a treat in these hot times.

Sadly, yesterday, my small pen of Black Tailed White Japanese Bantam Chicks (7 weeks old) had 2 casualties. I lost a pullet and what appears to be a young roo. That leaves me with 7 chicks, and it only appears I have 3 pullets left from the group. I've been bringing them water daily as well as the rest of my chickens, and I've even given them watermelon, apples wedges and tons of veggie and fruit scraps from my jam prep. I think its at least made them fat and happy!

As you see, even in this heat, I have been canning and jamming when I can. Mostly at night when it begins to cool off. I was thrilled because starting last week the figs at our local farm were ready... and I'm THRILLED to have gotten a good 15-18lbs of them already. They make for the BEST jam! Check it out at my store while its still available!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/52208748/8-oz-jar-of-organic-southern-fig-jam-nc

You don't want to miss this one, its a limited edition all the way!

Cheese Stuffed Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes

2010-07-15T18:44:00.000-04:00

Recipe -
Cut off top and remove seeds from 12-18 cherry tomatoes. Heirloom are your most flavorful choice. Set aside.
Then mix in a bowl 1/2 cup shredded mozerella,1/4-1/2 cup bread crumbs, 2+ tbsp olive oil (enough so everything sticks and blends well), a handful of fresh chopped basil, salt and pepper.

Stuff tomatoes and bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Eat hot, OR cold as a side or appetizer.

Etsy Front Page Feature - Blueberry Juice Concentrate -

2010-07-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

I was so lucky to find a site that tells you if you appear on the front page of etsy, and when it was... and of course WHAT made it! I found yesterday I was in a treasury that made it to the front page of Esty, even though it was at 3am. :)

The lucky item, my Blueberry Juice Concentrate: http://www.etsy.com/listing/51061021/8-oz-jar-of-organic-blueberry-juice

It definitely feels good to be noticed!

I've Been Jamming!

2010-07-13T10:42:00.000-04:00

I've been harvesting and picking and jamming for weeks now. I've sold several dozens of jars already this year. I'm trying to get a good stock to get through the winter for our family, and for my business... I just never thought I would be so busy as I am that I can't get ahead. I sell at my Etsy store of course (http://BiscottiQueen.Etsy.com), but I also sell at Holland Farms, a local farm with a public stand near town. I am trying to get enough together to offer at a coffee house in Garner, NC as well. So it looks like I need to double up what I do in a day... especially since this is all I have left in my possession!

Yum Yum! Berries, Goat Cheese & Cream!

2010-07-07T11:17:00.001-04:00

I made a simple dessert last night for my company. Tis' the season for Berries, so they should be included in meals, desserts, drinks and simple snacks for as long as possible... for the season is too short :( So what I whipped up was:

I cooked down 2 cups of each berry I had (blueberries, blackberries & strawberries) until all the juice was bubbling in the pot. This took like 10 minutes on medium heat.

I strained out the berries and put those in the fridge to chill, then added 1/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup red wine. I cooked this down by 1/2 into a syrup.

In the food processor I mixed 6 oz cold goat cheese and 3/4 cup of whipping cream with 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 tsp vanilla. Put in the fridge to chill too,

When the syrup was ready I let it sit and thicken to room temp.

I served this after dinner on the deck with glasses of wine for the company. Berries and syrup over a slice of angel food cake and then topped with the whipped goat cheese topping!!! Mmmmm

The Tomato Potato Blight of 2010 - Tracking Map

2010-06-29T09:35:00.001-04:00

Here is a fabulous resource as the blight is obviously occurring again this year, people are scared and have no way to know if they are in trouble yet. Well now you can know, its being tracked by the proper conditions and reports from MANY areas across the us. Just click on the map here and navigate around to see if you are in an area where spores are forming, or the blight is occurring now. You may even luckily be in an area where the conditions aren't right and you have little to no worries as of right now. But this map will keep you on top of the problem!

http://uspest.org/risk/tom_pot_map

Good luck!

Wonderful Estate Sale Find

2010-06-28T09:48:00.002-04:00

I went to yard sales on Saturday, trying to find some fun stuff for my garden. I never ended up finding anything after hitting 10 yard sales. On my way home, with money still in my pocket... and all my daughter wanted was 1 small bag to carry her sippy cup for $0.25... I saw a sign for an estate sale that was clearing out! So I swung in and saw it was mostly kitchen stuff, and furniture left. Very old, heavy duty, 1950's wood pieces. Then we saw a lovely twin bed set, solid oak but looked to have potential. It was marked for $50... but they took $35.

So my sweet hubby came and picked it all up and took it home. I suggested we painted it white and set it up this week. The carpenter in him REFUSED to let me put paint on such pretty wood and immediately started sanding and taking care of the wood enough to take a lovely cherry stain to match her current cherry chest of drawers. What a good man with an eye for quality and professionalism!!!

I also have plans for this set. When its done, it will be the perfect set for a modern little girl! Can't wait to share the finished product.

We keep updates of all my husband's project here on his Facebook Fan Page, come join us! http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Fuquay-Varina-NC/Rent-My-Hubby/113072668717323

Edited to add: More research has gone in, and we now think it is Maple and from the 1950's. We're going to stop and see if they have the other one still this weekend. Thanks!

104 Degrees... will it ever end?

2010-06-25T13:38:00.000-04:00

Yesterday it was too hot to do anything much, so I took my daughter to the library for a movie inside afternoon they had. I needed to hit the grocery store and pick up butter and eggs (too hot and my chickens won't lay eggs in this heat), passing the town digtal clock it announced the current temp was 104! You've got to be kidding... I don't see these temps until late July if we see them at all. Last year I don't think we had but 1 or 2 days where it even hit 100. Now today at 1:30pm, its 97 and rising still!

My garden is sulking, while I'm trying to fight the mildew battle still. I was suggested to water early (it was still steaming hot at 8am while I was out), and someone even mentioned the healing powers of epson salt. So I added some to my watering can and got all my potted plants early. Some are really sulky still, but a few look more green now then yellow. So I'll keep up with the epson salt mix for the next week during this heat wave. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Today, I also threw some Earnest White Cucumber seeds into the ground. I forgot to plant cukes this year, and I've lost so much patience at this point with my squash that I threw a few seeds out to see what happens. Last year I lost most my cukes to downy mildew... so lets see if I can get a healthy late harvest of cukes. If I do, I will definitely hold off on planting again until late next year. Worse case, I get nothing and its no lose to me.

Also, its about that time to get the winter squash in, I will have acorn squash and butternut squash in by Monday next week I do believe. I have seeds coming from California from a nice gentleman willing to share through TheEasyGarden.com. I'm telling you, I love that community of gardeners! You should all look into joining.

My Birthday Blog Post

2010-06-22T09:52:00.000-04:00

So, this may be a long one!

First off, I turned 31 today. Which I still find funny my husband is not even 30 yet. ;)

So for my birthday my Etsy shop is offering all Jams/Jellies at $1 off, since I would like to remove that 1 from my age! LOL http://BiscottiQueen.Etsy.com Take advantage if you can, the sale ends at midnight!

Second, I'm a little sad as the disease in my garden is not being controlled well, so I had to take out the main infectious plants.... 2 squash plants that had produced me a TON of summer squash. But I have 1 more plant that seems to be doing fine in the front yard, and I still have that one... for now. I saw a squash borer moth on it yesterday and put a tin foil cone around the stem. Trying to be proactive, but there is no telling how late I am.

And lastly, I wanted to share a cute picture of my daughter. We went Blackberry picking last week, and she was so cute... and its my birthday so I can post things that make me smile for no other reason then that!

The Diseases Rear Their Ugly Heads

2010-06-21T11:40:00.001-04:00

Sadly, I had discovered some mildew on my cantelope and squash a couple weeks ago. Long hard storm rains, followed by high heat and humidity cause a lot of mold and mildew problems in the garden. Especially in the south where the conditions always seems right.

After close examination of my tomato plants, I was concerned I had caught the fateful blight again this year... it is running rampant across the country again right now, a repeat of 2009. I did some research, started Thursday, looking for a positive conclusion (took longer then I thought as I threw my nephew a birthday party here on Friday, and my husband surprised me with a birthday party as well on Saturday... so I cleaned a lot inbetween and not so much garden time). As of this morning I've determined my plants have Powdery Mildew from the squash's mildew.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/publications/tomatoproblemsolver/leaf/mildew.html

I almost ripped the plants out when I saw the rotting tomatoes and leaves! ARGH!! But I composed myself and I sprayed some neem oil mixture I use on my orchard trees. If I don't see any clearing up in the next few days I will switch over to the 1/4 milk and 3/4 water solution I was suggested for mildew as well. I will treat them for the entire season.... then in the fall I will 'solar' sanitize the soil. I wish I new to do that last year.

Here's some solarization advice, I will be doing this at the end of the season, really only good for warm climates I think: http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/solarization.htm

Thinking of Halloween?

2010-06-10T08:37:00.000-04:00

Well I sure am! Because here in Zone 7 it is about time to get pumpkins in the ground. They do take a long amount of days to grow and ripen, up to 120, and in some cases more.

I was gifted some pumpkin seeds (Thank you Heide!) and I was told they get rather large, I hope they are good for cooking as well, because these will be double duty pumpkins. They'll get harvested to sit pretty on my porch for Halloween, then they will be baked into pie, bread and pancakes for Thanksgiving next!

So yesterday, I assembled a make shift pumpkin bed out of a bed we started next to the Japanese Bantam Chicken run. That bed had a rosemary bush transplant orginally, but that sadly died after a few days.

So I made 2 hills to plant 3 seeds in each, the bed is 3' x 6' with nothing blocking growth on 3 sides (and just the coop's run on the back side). I will probably pull the vines down to 1 per hill if they all get going. With how tangled the vines will get, I will try to pinch suckers off, and cut back the main vines when I see enough pumpkins on each to make me happy.

I'm not trying to share or sell these, I just need enough for my daughter to be happy with them. Its not like my watermelon vines.... when I'm thinking of where else I could actually stick another one!!! Mmmmm...

Grape Propagation Update

2010-06-07T12:14:00.000-04:00

Back in April I took some fresh spring cuttings on my Thompson Grape vine. Its is 4 years old, and this is its first year producing grapes. I wanting to try to take some cuttings and grow additional vines, however, ever site I looked at and everyone suggested fall cuttings. I was sheering and pruning this spring anyways trying to keep 1 or 2 main vines for producing only. So it couldn't hurt to try right?!

I put 10 cuttings into water with some root hormone in them. I let them sit in the water for about 3 weeks. (I changed the water daily and dusted a bit more hormone in them, DAILY!) Then it looked like 3 had rooted, but a few others were iffy.... so I transplanted 6 into clay pots in my greenhouse where it was super hot during the day, to keep pushing root development. 5 didn't take well, 2 dampened off for sure and died right away... the rest took a little while to notice they gave up. ...but one didn't quit, and its super hardy and has new buds of growth on it now!

So here is our one that has taken root.... and it will remain on my deck in the pot until fall when we transplant it to where we are building a new arbor for shade.

Here's to more grapes and shade in a few years! ..and in the fall, I will be taking MORE cuttings again.

Things Are Growing More Then You Know

2010-06-07T11:17:00.000-04:00

I've been a bit busy lately, trying to make a start at a new farmers market, and trying to race the rain to the garden. Though we needed the rain, we got way too much, way too close together. I was lucky to get my garlic out while I could. I had a close call last night trying to get all my onions out and set out to dry, because before I could finish the sky opened up and let the rain come tumbling down again!

So it seems like months have passed in much less time since I'm actually harvesting things. So I thought I would share the few things I've got to collect, and the wonderful fruits that are getting ready for me to enjoy soon.

First, as mentioned above, I collected my onions. I had to find a workable drying method so they could cure on the front porch with my garlic. Like the garlic, no direct sun, that could wreck the flavor. So on to the north porch they go. I needed something they could sit on and let air pass through, they need good air circulation, or you end up with dark squishy spots, or mold before they are done curing for storage. Some people braid the tops together and hang them, which is a fine idea.... but I had no where to hang them. I needed something they could sit on. Some milk crates, or old soda flat would have been perfect, but I don't have any of those. However, someone gave us all their windows from their house when they got their windows redone and I just remembered at the last second (race against the storm) they gave us all the screens too! So with the help of my front porch bench, and some cement garden liners.... we have a stackable onion drying system. And I should be able to do this again next year, because I am so going to be doing onions again.

Here you can see the garlic now 10 days into curing, in about 10-14 more they should be done and ready for storage in my pantry.

I am harvesting Lettuce regularly now. I pull the outside leaves while leaving the inside tiny leaves to keep to producing. Long as they are blocked from mid day sun being on the north front garden bed, they don't get bitter. I should have a salad bar all summer.

I was once concerned about a climbing rose I bought in Feburary, but it appears that it has taken off with vigor... and I will making rose petal jelly again very soon!

To the joy of many who want to buy some, my heirloom tomatoes are producing TONS of green tomatoes right now. My White Wonder are prolific with dozens on each plant. I have Green Sausage tomatoes that are taking off as well. I checked my Italian Market Reds, and they are just forming the first few with Purple Cherokee and Roomii tomatoes close behind. The last two are long season tomatoes, they need nearly 100 days to ripen... its like waiting for a watermelon!

I am going to do a separate post for my grapes... but I want to share how those cuttings I did back in April are doing. I know some people are following that for learning how to propergate their own vines. Its not exactly easy... up until now every cutting I've ever done DIED! I will share my good fortune this time though. Next post!

Don't forget to post any questions you have, it doesn't have to be private messages, I'm sure lots of people have the same questions... and if I don't know, I sure would like to know the answer too!

Definitely a Long Awaited Harvest

2010-05-27T23:14:00.000-04:00

Back in October I planted my first ever bed of onions and garlic. Something about the sheer size of elephant garlic intrigued me, even though I knew it was mild in comparasion to some of the popular California choices and varieties available. So I bought 1 pound (that would be 1 whole bulb and like 2 cloves) and planted with my onions. You can search back to my October threads and find pictures.

Well today I got to harvest that long awaited garlic.

It is now 'curing' in a basket on the north facing porch to protect it from the sun. The hot sun really changes the flavor of garlic, and as I've been told it is not pleasant. It needs about 3 weeks to be cured enough for storage. I should be able to keep it up to 8 months as I've read. However, as large as these cloves are, I don't know if any will be left. I LOVE garlic!!!

Also, my endless summer blue hydrangea finally has blooms on it this year. I had none last year due to a boo boo on my part thinking I needed to prune it. Well, it only blooms on branches set the previous year, so I cut everything off that had a bud on it. Boy did I feel dumb.

I also harvested a bit of my baby lettuce from my 'salad bar' bed in the front yard. Its so hot here in the south most greens have been done here, but I have a bed in the front yard and it had shade from 1pm to 4pm and the cool season veggies seem to like it. So I'm going to add more cabbage and lettuce all summer.

Well, it looks like rain this weekend, but if it holds off I will be selling jams/jellies and cut flowers at the new sustainable living Farmer's Market in Fuquay on HWY 401 in front of Kohl's at the Landscaping place with all the rocks in front. If you are interested in visiting my stand, I will be there from 8am until 1pm. (Given the rain isn't bad) If I am there I will take photos to come back and share here on Sunday. Take care!

A Few Hummingbirds

2010-05-25T10:33:00.003-04:00

The clouds roll in...and stay!

2010-05-23T13:47:00.000-04:00

Weather is uncooperative this week... AGAIN! The days have been wet, either from it being cloudy and not drying from the night before rain, or there are random storms through out the day. Its the plight of the south. Just because you see sun in the morning doesn't mean you shouldn't have an umbrella by your side for the day. I blame it on the humidity, which is the number one thing I hate about the south. I can tell how bad the day is going to be when I try to brush my hair in the morning and it becomes pure frizz.

Though I can't complain mother nature is taking care of watering the garden for me. Saving me on my water bills until we can hook up a pump to the pond to water with. The plants are looking fabulous and green, even our tomatoes have taken off! Some were languishing until the rains started last week. They needed a good healthy does of water from the sky, my tap wasn't cutting it. However, this rain is not good for my onions and garlic. They needed at least 2 weeks of dry for I could harvest them and cure them for storage. My elephant garlic is turning yellow/brown now, almost 50% of the plant. That means I should leave them unwatered for harvest from now on, and my onions were starting to flop over for harvest too... no they have perked up... and I'm afraid they will flower. Flowering onions are NOT good for storage. I would have to eat them all fresh within 2-3 weeks or they are no good. That's not worth my time since all these were planted in October with the hope I could store them for 6 months until my next fall planting.

I am planning on my next article to share with everyone here while this is going on, so just wait to see the information I will fill you with by the end of the week. I think you'll find it useful... maybe even bookmarkable! :)

Until then... PICTURES!

Painted turtle I found crossing our front yard:

Don't be fooled, she was a HUGE turtle!

Here's a little bossy hummingbird we have visiting right now. We have a feeder off the fence and the little ruby throat tries to attack all the other hummingbirds that come by for a drink. He doesn't even care when I'm out there. He holds his ground. We're sure there is a nest close by.

I found this article I wanted to share: The Dirty Dozen - Pesticides On Our Produce

2010-05-19T09:41:00.000-04:00

**I think this is a wonderful article, and I know I haven't been writing much myself lately. Don't worry, I'll be adding my own articles and bringing more pictures to share soon. Its just been either steaming hot, or raining. I've also been dealing with the lose of some chickens, and a broken heart is hard of moving on. So here's a great read for now:**

"pesticides in food

Don't Be Fooled by the Dirty Dozen

A new "Dirty Dozen" list points out the most pesticide-contaminated food, but don't take that to mean that everything else is OK.

By Leah Zerbe

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Chemical-based farming causes problems we can't veggie-wash our way out of. It's common knowledge that conventional fruits and vegetables are contaminated with pesticide residues on their skins and peels. But what many people don't realize is that the pesticides are actually inside the food, too...." Read the rest of the article on rodale.com