Project 31: Journal Day 8

Journal~Day 8:

A) Esther responded back by email with raw milk link:  (buy local, whole foods)

• www.realmilk.com -contains directory of local cowshare farms
• Also highly recommended this site for healthy eating/living www.westonaprice.org

Note: At our last Waldorf Meetup group, the other moms and I

were discussing unpasteurized milk and where to get it.

After our hike in the woods, we've been going back to Esther's farm house

and enjoying a cup of hot chocolate made with the raw milk she gets. Delicious!

 

B) Facebooked Mary about where she used to get her fresh milk, wanting a farm that came recommended and trusted.

• They got theirs from Hedgebrook Farm- www.hedgebrook.com ; group share instead of private share, so would need to rotate pickup amongst 6 families :(  would prefer to responsible for my own milk. Celeste's milk pickup is the same way and I wasn't really interested in that model.
• 1 gallon of milk a week
• One time fee of $60 for share; one time fee of $20 for jars & lids; monthly boarding fee of $28. Money collected quarterly
• Works out to be about $5.25/gallon (after the one time fees of course)

C) Made grilled ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch with the homemade bread I made on Day 6. There's a sense of pride in using/eating something you made yourself. I tell you, I was walking a little taller and feeling all puffed up, lol :) (healthy, homemade)

 

Note: Our day 6 bread making.

The 2 loaves on the left were made by scratch by my 9 year old daughter, Anna,

without ANY assistance. They're a honey wheat. Pretty awesome, huh?!

She's got more skills than I did at her age, that's for sure.

 The one on the one right was mine~ a simple wheat bread recipe

from Laural's Kitchen cookbook. Attempt one in making this bread.

***I felt so proud using MY homemade that I made myself. I was all puffed up**

D) Began making heart and star Christmas ornaments from old fabric. (sewing, handmade, resourceful)

Note: Fabric from my baby quilt and Kittens in a Basket.
 It's the fabric that keeps on giving :)
 
E) Continued worked on Christy's wool felt baby booties, began embroidery designs.
 
F) Husband brought home the beeswax and honey! (local, small business, organic)
Note: One of the ladies at my husband's work has a little side business beekeeping:
Lunsford Bee Farm. At our Waldrolf Group on Monday we will be making
 hand dipped beeswax candles!!




 

Project 31: Day 7

So I explained yesterday what Project 31 was. My year of reinventing my life towards a healthy, more conscious, self-sustaining, and holistic lifestyle. Working towards that end little by little, day by day, piece by piece. I not only want to learn the "how" of these things but also to know the "why". So it's a year of hands and head--and as with everything I strive for heart~contemplation, being present to God and to the moment. Out of all my endevours for this coming 31st year of life that will be the hardest, yet the one I most aspire and hope to attain.

Here's the page from my journal~ Day 7:

A) Continued work on Christy's wool felt Christmas booties. (objective: sewing skills, made by hand, resourceful)

 

Side Note: Started these on Day 5.

The wool was felt left over from an unfinished puppet my daughter was

making for one of our Waldorf Group activity days.

I am using Simplicty Pattern 2867 from my old stash of patterns.

 

 



B) Researched freezing vegetables such as potatoes so I can start reducing the amount of frozen veggies I buy in the frozen food section of the grocery store. (Unprocessed, healthy, whole foods)

•  Site I visited: here

C) Learned about blanching vegetables, from the same site above, and the importance to the preserving process. (Learning to can/preserve foods)

• Blanching (scalding vegetables in boiling water or steam for a short time) is a must for almost all vegetables to be frozen. It stops enzyme actions which can cause loss of flavor, color and texture. Blanching cleanses the surface of dirt and organisms, brightens the color and helps retard loss of vitamins. It also wilts or softens vegetables and makes them easier to pack.  Blanching time is crucial and varies with the vegetable and size. Underblanching stimulates the activity of enzymes and is worse than no blanching. Overblanching causes loss of flavor, color, vitamins and minerals. Use one gallon water per pound of prepared vegetables. Put the vegetable in a blanching basket and lower into vigorously boiling water. Place a lid on the blancher. The water should return to boiling within 1 minute, or you are using too much vegetable for the amount of boiling water. Start counting blanching time as soon as the water returns to a boil. Keep heat high for the time given in the directions for the vegetable you are freezing.

Bustin' Out Week 1

I am working on my MaryJane Farmgirl Sisterhood Bustin' Out beginner level badge. 

 

This badge is incorporated into my Pictures of Produce Art Charity project. In addition to buying a different organic fruit or veggie from a local farmer--then drawing it--trying a new recipe with it-- blogging about all of it--selling the art on Etsy for a charitable cause--I GET TO EARN A BADGE DOING IT! Woohoo! That was the beauty behind Art Charity. It was a way to join everything I do: charity, artist, blogger, Farmgirl badges, community, service.

 

 

 

The requirements for this badge are:

• Try a new organic food each week. Remember, it only takes 21 days to change your taste preferences. Here is your chance to encourage yourself to enjoy more fruits and vegetables.
• Do this for one month.

You saw it coming--this week is turnips. Hand dug from the earth this past Saturday during our turnip gleaning experience.

 

 

                                                                         With my little stash of turnips I made a batch of mashed turnips. I am rather unfamiliar with turnips so a friend recommended this method. You treat them the same way you would potatoes. After they are mashed, add a bit of grated Parmesan cheese and a smidge of butter. Yum!

Gleaning for Turnips

We gleaned for the first time this past Saturday! Turnip gleaning. This experience was almost allowed to slip by me. I wasn't going to attend. I was coming off of a lousy week. You know that kind that makes you feel like your putting out a tremendous amount of effort but very little gets accomplished. Day after day of feeling like your running in place draining all motivation and life from you. I was hoping to use my weekend with only a 'light load' of three kids to take care of business around the house and get some preplanning done for the upcoming week in hopes to make it better than the last one. However, the thought of getting my hands dirty on a farm sounded quite therapeutic after such a rough couple of days--to just forget everything, get some fresh air and get dirty. Heck, why not?! Besides, I'm trying to put together my Portraits of Produce series for Art Charity and I needed one of those turnips to model for my drawing. What better, more intimate way, to get to know my food source from the local farmers than to go out and pull it from the earth myself!

 

As an added bonus, one of these 10 lb bags of turnips was going to be donated to Adam McArthur and his family. The rest would be distributed to various food pantries, ministries, shelters, and needy families. Such a cause is worthy of a day off of housework and lesson planning!

 

Marker-Miller Farm Winchester, VA.





The turnip field and gleaning volunteers.



The largest turnip came in at over 5 lbs!




My 4 year old daughter, Olivia, had a blast picking turnips. I swear
she has some 'farmer' in her blood. She picked for close to 2 hours
never stopping, never complaining, having the time of her life!
 

The day was really geared towards children. There was a free lunch, contests,
and prizes. Olivia was even named Turnip Queen!



A beautiful sight! A mountain of 10 lb bags of turnips!
 

All mine!

And so it ended up being a  wonderful day! So much better than staying home for a 'catch up day'. It was a special day for my three youngest daughters, especially my Olivia. We've caught the gleaning bug! I hear there are apple, green bean, peaches, and potato gleanings in our area to name a few.

 

You'll be seeing these lovely ladies to the right again. This is my stash for art and cooking--hand picked! From the field, to the studio, to the kitchen they go :)





Art Charity

I've discovered a way to incorporate everything I do. Lay Missionary of Charity (service), St. Catherine's Apprentice (art), Spiritual Homesteading (blog), MaryJane Farmgirl Sisterhood (earning awesome merit badges), Team McArthur (charity and community). . . . all rolled into one makes Art Charity! Art Charity will be an extension of my art business, which I pursued for my MaryJane entrepreneur badge. I've written that my whole desire behind my business was never to be successful, but to put my art to service. Art Charity is the fruit that desire! My St. Catherine's Apprentice website and this blog will be the canvas to share this.

So those who read this blog already have already met Adam McArthur. He will be the first to receive these donations. But I'd like to expand this service beyond Team McArthur to other charitable causes. My own unique way of giving~using art to spread love!


So here's my blurb:

St. Catherine's Apprentice would like to present Art Charity!! All profits received from this series of drawings will go to charity. Each series will be inspired by and created specifically for a certain charitable cause. It’s art for a cause!

The first Recipient for Art Charity profits will be the McArthur Family! Adam McArthur is a husband and father of 3, diagnosed with brain cancer. His family is in need of donations to continue his cancer treatments and assist with their daily living expenses. You can read more about Adam on Healer in Your Heart and on the Team McArthur Facebook page set up to raise awareness for his condition and support for the family.

An imperative component of Adam’s cancer treatment is his food. He is on a strict gluten-free, sugar-free, vegetarian diet.  Therefore this series will be called Portraits of Produce: the McArthur Collection. Raising awareness for Adam, brain cancer, natural cancer treatment options, organic foods and local farmers, this collection will include a weekly drawing inspired by locally grown, organic produce item purchased from area farmer markets.  Each “portrait” of a fruit or veggie will be coupled with a tasty recipe and farm highlights.

It's going to be exciting! God willing, this will only be a precurser to a larger project I have in store called Saints and Veggies.

Save a farm. Buy local.

Support Adam. Buy art J

Sweet Tooth Fix: Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Oh yeah, I have a sweet tooth. I'll admit it. Knowing that about myself, I realize if I want to eat healthy and organic I'm going to need to find some healthy healthier, sweet tooth friendly recipes. After my family's Christmas cookie baking craze, I was plum burnt out with the kitchen. I haven't done anything exciting in there since. And with being burned out with home cooking and living in a state of habitual pregnancy fatigue, my diet has made a turn for the worst--I have turned to easy, less nutritious, convenience foods and processed foods. Time to get back on track!

After scouring my cookbooks and making our recent trip to the Amish Market to stock up on ingredients, my first back-to-the-kitchen recipe is a Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin. My recipe came from Bob's Red Mill Baking Book, page 120--one of my favs!



Ingredients:

• 1 cup unbleached white flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup sugar
• zest from one lemon
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Oil/butter a 12-cup muffin tin or line with muffin tin liners.

Whisk together the flours, wheat germ, poppy seeds, salt, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and zest in  a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs together with the oil, milk, and lemon juice, then combine with the dry ingredients until moistened.

Spoon the batter in the prepared muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Let the muffins rest for 5 minutes before serving warm, right from the pan.

Simple and delicious :)

Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs, and Placentas Part 1

As a pregnant woman, of course I've been taking my standard prenatal vitamin. Actually, to be totally honest with you, with all of my 6 pregnancies I have used Flintstones Multivitamins with Iron--taking two in the morning. When I was pregnant with my first baby my morning sickness was really bad. I couldn't keep down the regular prenatal vitamins so my OB/GYN told me to take the Flintstones. It helped! I had a healthy 7 lb 12oz baby girl. With each subsequent pregnancy I've just kept with that same method--each time resulting with a healthy baby. In the past my iron has never been low and blood levels have always checked out fine. My Flintstones were the extent of the supplements I'd take, with the exception of a few Tums to ward of heartburn and indigestion.

With this, my sixth pregnancy, I've been feeling much more fatigued than usual. It could be from a variety of reasons--one being I already have 5 other kids I'm trying to keep up with, two which I homeschool, and a house I must still maintain! (Whew, makes me tired just thinking about it!!!). I opted for random finger pricks to check my blood levels, rather than the full work-up. I was tested a little on the low side for my iron levels recently. I was recommended Floradix. I now take that (it's a liquid) twice a day. Also to help improve my energy levels I've been taking extra care of my diet, trying to eat more whole foods. My family just made a trip up to the Amish Market to stock up on some wholesome baking and cooking supplies. They had some awesome prices on their goods; my husband and I were impressed. So I will be posting more In the Kitchen posts from here forward as I get back to cooking and baking from scratch :)

Perhaps caused from all the pregnancy hormones or stemming from the habitual fatigue, I was beginning to get the blues. One of my midwives, Aimee, is trained in herbal medicine so I texted her to ask for a safe, herbal recommendation. She sent me this helpful link from Kathleen Kendall Tackett, a well respected author in the field. She also suggested St. John's Wart and fish oil. I picked both of these up. I take one St. John's Wart capsule three times a day and the fish oil gel capsule once a day. I have to say both my energy and my mood have improved tremendously. I am also adding outside time to my schedule now. Before I was always so tired that my housework was slacking. Then because my was house was in such a horrible state I didn't feel right abandoning it for other (funner) endeavors. Only I was too tired to clean so it never got done anyway. Ugg!!! A vicious cycle was beginning to form--neither the housework or getting out of the house for free time was getting accomplished. I was stuck in my home with no ground being made.  I have purposed to get out and take my girls to our nearby park for 30 minutes every day (that the weather affords it, that is)--getting some fresh air, sunlight (vitamin D) and letting the kids get some energy out.

A little side note, my midwives don't recommend Tums for heartburn, it's not so good for your placenta. One of their remedies if eating raw almonds. I picked some of those up at the Amish Market while we were there! This will be a good place to stop for today as this leads me into the topic of placenta encapsulation! I'll save that for tomorrow :)


TO BE CONTINUED. . . .

Sprouting Beans

Bean Sprouting. Never done it. But as my family is journeying towards adding more and varied nutritious, organic foods to our daily diet, it is time to try my hand at hand. And I have healthy prenatal eating to keep mind as well! What I eat, baby eats. Bean sprouts are extremely nutritious.Sprouts are a great source of vitamin C and protein. But how exactly do you do it? I used MaryJane's Idea Book, Cook Book, Life Book as my guide on this sprouting journey. According to the book, you can sprout just about anything: beans:  mung-beans, alfalfa, cannellini, garbanzo, etc.; grains: wheat and rye; legumes: lentils and lima beans; vegetables like corn, cabbage, radishes, or onions; nuts: almonds; seeds: clover, mustard, fennel, sesame, quinoa, sunflower. These are just to name a few!
　

DAY 1: Take a jar, bowel, or any food grade container, and add about ¼ cups of beans. I used chick peas, AKA Garbanzos, because I personally love them and figured they’d be a good place to start--my little guinea pigs. Once in the container, fill with water, and cover. Let the little guys soak overnight.

DAY 2: A) In the morning, rinse the beans under water in a colander. Put the beans back in the container with no water. Cover. B) Repeat their “rinse” in the evening, just as you did in the morning.

DAY 3: Repeat your rinse regimen both morning and night.

DAY 4: My sprouts were looking pretty good! In fact, I probably could have started eating my chick peas on day three. Your sprouts can take from 3-5 days to be ready. But to be ready, doesn't necessarily mean they have to have a tail on them. Even without a visible tail, their is still nutritional goodness going on on the inside of the seed. After the third day put the sprouts in the refrigerator, continuing to rinse them. They can last up to a week stored in the refrigerator.