It's Not All Work!!

Life on the Small Homestead can sometimes be very exhausting!! There is always a building to build or mend. A fence...to build or mend. A garden to till or weed, plant or harvest. There is always an animal to tend to...such as the surprise Ms Sarah gave us about three days ago....She was the first critter that we welcomed on the Small Homestead and what we didn't know was that she decided to bring seven others with her! Yes, Ms Sarah is a mother!!! A total surprise and that leads me back to there is always a building to build....

Ms Sarah resting

It can get exhausting at times, but then we take an evening here and there to have friends and family over. This past Friday night found us surrounded by these friends and family to celebrate Hubby's 50th birthday!! 

There was plenty of food and laughter and then there was a good old fashioned game of horseshoes! I thought and thought about what to buy Hubby for his birthday and all I kept hearing him say was, "I want to get back to simple. I don't want to always have to be searching for bigger and better." Well, when you are trying to change your mindset from consumerism to simple, let me tell you....that isn't always an easy thing to do!!

My Daddy reliving memories himself!

Hubby getting ready for a long pitch!

Then I got to thinking about my growing up years and how much fun everyone had at the end of long hard day gathering in the backyard for a game of horseshoes. The men took it very seriously and the women enjoyed getting to chat away from cooking, dishes and husbands. The kids enjoyed running around and being silly and seeing how far they could throw those heavy horseshoes!! And I realized what WONDERFUL memories those were for me and yet such a simple, simple thing. So that was when I made my decision to buy Hubby a set of horseshoes and the new memories made sure did favor those of my childhood!! 

It's those memories I want to pass down to AF and those grandchildren to follow. Simple times that money just cannot buy. Let me encourage you to let go of consumerism. Let go of bigger and better and more, more, more!! Life on the homestead isn't all work, it's simple laughter and priceless memories.

Just Because You Asked!!

I love sharing! I especially love sharing what I've learned because typically I've learned through my mistakes and if I can keep someone from following down my mistake path...well....I'm all over that!!

A few of you asked for the Apple Cinnamon Jam recipe. I wish I could take credit for it, but it's not my original idea. I got this recipe from a canning page I'm part of on Facebook. I LOVE this page and it has really helped me on this journey. The administrators are master canners and put safety above everything else! The best part is there is no such thing as a silly question---and believe me, I can ask some doosies!!!

Apple Cinnamon Jam

8-9 Apples

1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon

3 TBSP Lemon juice

4 Cups Sugar

1 Pouch liquid pectin

*Peel, core and cut finely. Simmer in a pot of water until soft enough to use a potato masher.

Use 4 cups mash and put in a separate pot. Add cinnamon, lemon juice and sugar.Bring to a rolling boil. 

Add liquid pectin and boil again for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and place in hot jars. 

Seal and process in a hot water bath canner for 10 minutes. 

Apple Cinnamon Jam and Homemade Biscuits

I have to tell you, this is truly delicious and just like I posted yesterday, it  is wonderful on hot, homemade biscuits!! 

*Don't throw those cores and peels in the compost just yet!! My wonderful mother reminded me that I can put those in a pan, add a little water and boil them down to get the juice. Once you've boiled those peelings down, strain over some cheesecloth and you have juice ready to make apple jelly!! 

We've got to get back to a way of thinking that includes not wasting! Too many things today are disposable and that is a terrible way to think and a very poor way to be a good steward of  ALL of the things God has blessed us with!

The recipe for the apple jelly can be found in a package of Sure Jell!! For those of you who might not want as much sugar as the regular Sure Jell calls for, Sure Jell offers a Sure Jell For Less version.

Give this a try and let me know how it turns out for you!! Abundant blessings and smiles flow when you witness your family enjoy the labor of your love!

Canning, Canning and More Canning!!

Yesterday was a busy day on the Small Homestead. Hubby found himself at home and made good use of his time building on our chicken house. At the rate these little Australorps are growing, they are going to need larger accommodations in the very near future!!

Just the beginning of a beautiful home for our hens!

I helped him hang a few pieces of siding, but my time was spent in the kitchen!! I needed to wrap up what I call odds and ends in canning...you know, a few jars of this and a few jars of that.

On Friday I had made a beef roast in the crockpot for supper and typically I will make noodles with the broth or I will bless our dog babies with broth over their dog food. I then had a brilliant ( I thought) idea!! Why not can that broth to use in soups this winter! So that's just what I did.

I had already strained the broth Friday evening so on Monday all I had to do was take it out of the fridge and skim the fat off the top. I prepared my jars, rings and tips and poured up the broth. I ended up with four pints and since my canner needs at least eight pints to work properly, I also canned four pints of water....which I used in my dishwater later---no wasting here!!

Hubby had also pulled our tomato plants up and I had several green tomatoes so I decided to make pickled green tomatoes. The recipe tells me I will need to wait four weeks to give them a taste....

Then the dessert of the day...I had some apples and made twelve half pints of Apple Cinnamon Jam!!! Oh my gosh is that stuff wonderful!! A plate of hot, homemade biscuits is certainly in our future!!

It was an exhausting day. Homestead living is not for the lazy or faint at heart for certain! It is so very rewarding though. It is a pure blessing to look at the shelves of food that God has provided for us and I admit I get a warm fuzzy when I see the labor my hands has done in order to provide for my family.

In the coming posts I will share a few of the recipes and the canning procedures that I follow. It's important to do that canning safely!!!

Make sure to leave a comment and chat a while!! We love to hear from you here on the Small Homestead!

Progress!

Cooler temperatures have sure been a welcome site around the Small Homestead. We are enjoying coffee on the front porch in the early morning before the day begins.We are enjoying supper on the porch in the evening as the day winds down. In the middle of the day that same porch finds me breaking beans while listening to Biblical or homesteading podcasts in the background. So very, very peaceful.

The compost pile is complete and filling up and the rabbit hutch is complete with occupants! Let me introduce Shiloh, Timothy and Sarah!! Sarah was our first addition and the oldest of the rabbits, while Shiloh and Timothy are still very much babies and in need of a tender touch....they aren't very people friendly yet!!

(I owe you a better close up of the rabbit family!)

Our chicken babies are growing like crazy!! I read it but just didn't comprehend how quickly Black Australorps grow!!

In this picture they are 12 days old and napping quite peacefully. While they are not totally sure they can trust us giants, they are great entertainment running and jumping and acting fearless---that is until us giants come around... :-)

I have to admit, I've missed this. There was a time when I was firm that once the animals we had went home to the great beyond I was done!!
 No. More. Critters.
 And I meant it! But the desire to slow down, to live more naturally, to go back to simple pleasures is what I truly desire.

Leave a comment and chat a while, then come back and visit with me!! We love company here at the Small Homestead!!

New Homestead--New Life

This is not our first trip to the world of homesteading. We tried many years ago...when the kids were small....when we had mountains of debt...when hubby had to work a full time job and then some.....when we were not focused, not on the same page, not working as a team.

We had chickens and turkeys. Rabbits and milk goats. A bull and large gardens. All did very well, but in the end......we failed miserably.

Go forward about 15 years. The kids are grown, married and on their own. We are debt free!!! Hubby is in business for himself so we are able to manage his working away from the homestead hours around homestead necessity.

But we ARE starting over.....

A visit back to the Amish community we lived in for a time reminded us just how much we missed the slower paced, back to basics life. When we tell folks we are beginning our homestead the first thing they say is, "Oh!! You're prepping!!" Well, no...we are not prepping the way that the world today views it. We are not stocking up to wait on an economic collapse or who knows what, although, in our opinion, being prepared is a VERY good thing!!! We are changing our lifestyle. We have decided that we have been commercialized and materialized to beyond the max and all we see is chaos. At 50 years old, both of us are beyond chaos and drama...

In a month we have constructed a compost bin, a cage for our chicks that will arrive one day this week, and we are preparing for our fall garden.

I have spent a very busy summer canning and dehydrating veggies, and while I'd love to double this next year, I'm very pleased with what is sitting on those shelves today!!

So, Small Homestead Living is live, running and blog posts will be increasing!!!

Share your thoughts but keep it nice, even if you disagree with us or what we're doing...because you see, drama is draining and has no place on the homestead!

With Every New Thing Comes Change!!

Life is all about changes. Our circumstances can change very quickly or slowly progress over time. One thing is certain though....change DOES happen!! And change isn't always a bad thing!!

Over the next few weeks One Single Minute will be undergoing a pretty dramatic change. First of all, regular posts after a four year hiatus will be happening. I will still be talking about being a godly wife, saving money, yummy recipes and the like, but I will always be posting about our life change.....becoming more self-sufficient---Homesteading!!

We are so excited to begin this new chapter in our lives and we want to share what we know, our successes and failures with you!!...and hopefully we can encourage you to become a bit more self-sufficient whether you live in the middle of a big city or in the middle of a vast plain or mountainous region.

So hang on!! It might get really strange around here for a short time but good things are coming your way!!

God's blessings!!!
Deb