Had a bit of drama though. When we got there we were basically locked out of our way in to the property. We had to go to the other side of the property & use my Dad's gate & drive across the pond damn. Quite a ways out of the way but doable. The person who let us use his gate for access has 'gone off his meds' & is a bit crazy w/o them. This is the 3rd or 4th time he's done this so we are done w/him. We'll be putting in a driveway just down the road from my Dad's gate but have few obstacles we will need to be overcome, such as clearing some woods that has a branch running through it. I'll post our progress.
I got this strange vegetable in my last CSA delivery.
I cut it up along w/some onion, mushrooms & yellow peppers & roasted them.
I served it w/organic chicken in a creamy asiago cheese sauce. It was delicious.
Greg got some bathroom shelves put up so I could display my milk vases (he calls them graveyard vases). We've had these shelves since last summer & I've been collecting the vases from estate sales during that time. I'm quite pleased w/the results.
Saute some spicy sausage w/the casing removed
Add onions & any other vegetables you would like (I used parsnip, carrot & a couple of potatoes)
Add rosemary, salt, pepper & cumin
Saute until slightly tender
Wilt in chopped kale along w/some grated nutmeg
Stir in some tomato paste & a cup or so of white wine
I also added a can of chopped tomatoes at this point.
Add lentils & 6-8 cups of liquid (I used a quart of homemade tomato juice, 3 pints of homemade meat stock & 2 cups of water.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat & cook until lentils are tender (about 45 minutes)
This made a lot of soup so I canned most of it (12 pints). I also found a couple of containers of spaghetti & meatballs in the freezer so I thawed those & canned 2 pints of that along w/the soup. The pressure canner is whistling while I type this. Note: This is my 1st time canning any meat products. 75 minutes at 10lb pressure.
Greg just put some ribs on for dinner & I harvested my cauliflower & last of the broccoli. Here's a picture of my bounty.
The largest cauliflower floret is about the size of a baseball. Guess I need to add more sun & fertilizer to my fall/winter garden - lol.
Lastly, I'd like to welcome a few new followers:
Lara from A Primitive Homestead. She's got a real nice blog that talks about a lot of the things we all like. She's going through a rough time right now, as she lost a child last year, so she could use any support available.
Barbara Fitch also joined. Barbara, I didn't see if you have a blog. If so, send me the link, I'd like to read along. Update1: Barbara's blog is 3 Acre Homestead. Head on over & tell her hello. She has a lot to offer.
Lastly, Garland Girl from Crap Happens Acres. From what I can tell, she just started her blog & it looks like it will be very interesting & entertaining.
Update2: Suzi from Chores and Chandeliers also decided to come join the party. She's a very talented wife & mother we could all learn a lot from.
Thank you all for joining me on my journey.
31 comments:
it's romanesco broccoli.
ok - now back to read the rest of your post - bahahahhaah! your friend,
kymber
ok - i'm back - bahahahah! the shelves with your milk vases look great! and your soup sounds delicious?
have you ever tried quickly sauteing your kale in butter, with salt, pepper and lemon? it's very much like spinach when prepared that way and delicious!
sorry to hear about the whackjob neighbour. i am glad that you will be getting your own driveway. just a thought but does your property come with right of way access?
your friend,
kymber
I gave kymber the answer...what she said. I like the graveyard things.
Yeah kymber. I knew you would know & it's definitely one I want to try to grow. Send me your address to dfw1221 @ yahoo dot com & I'll send the sauce. Just one question ... do you want sweet, spicy or original?
Yes, I've tried kale sauteed, cooked to death. I actually like the taste, it's the texture of chewing, chewing, chewing that I can't get over.
The soup is very good.
And, yes my Dad gave us a 60' easement. But it's about 1/2 mile from the road. We only plan on using about 30' of the easement so as to not disturb the branch too much. The good news is that the wooded area is only about 200' of the 1/2 mile. It's just $$ that was going to go towards the barn we had planned on starting this spring.
By the way, the BBQ sauce is from a BBQ cooking team that Justin sponsors - Fat Boys Barbeque. Two of my cousins are part of the team. One is skinny as all get out & the other one, not so much.
Sure you did. Justin laughed when I read your comment to him.
That is broccoli? Who knew? I've never seen such in my life….but I love your milk glass vases.
Thank you Janie. It is very very good. It's like a cross between broccoli & cauliflower.
hon - you don't have to send it but i bet jambaloney will love it! i will send you an email in a few...i will need your address too as lupins grow all over north america and i would love to send you some. do a google search and look at the pics of lupins - they are soooo beautiful!!!!
jambaloney says - SEND IT! he can't make up his mind whether to go sweet or spicey - what do you recommend?
yep - sounds like you really don't like the chewing of the kale - bahahahah! the soup sounds and looks divine - gonna have to try it!
when we first moved to the Manor we needed to put in a 100ft road to get to our "riverfront". it was costly...but well worth the money. i hope you can find a good guy for a good price and then maybe be able to do the barn in a year or two!
your friend,
kymber
bahahahah! Stephen is ALWAYS trying to steal my thunder! bahahahahha!
I personally like the sweet. I have a friend who says her Dad sips it. My friends from work like the spicy, it's not hot just tasty.
I just looked at the lupins, yes they are beautiful. Since they are full sun, I would have to plant them at the Country House. But, that's what we're doing all year up there anyway, planting, planting.
Most of the drive is 'driveable' but not the branch & just a couple of low areas which we'll fill w/dirt. We'll have to put in a culvert or 2 in the branch area depending on how wide it is. We'll find out once it's cleared.
Thank you so much for the warm welcome!
Glad to have you. Looking forward to sharing our lives.
DFW,
Kymber bet me to the answer:-)
Sorry to hear your going to have to build/clear your own roadway to get to your property because of a neighbor off of his meds.
The soup you made sounds amazing, and you added a little wine Yum!!!!
Those milk vases are gorgeous displayed on the shelves your hubby put up for you.
Beautiful finds girl!
Thank you my friend!
And, to add insult to injury the neighbor, he doesn't live there, just owns the property, is my Dad's 1st cousin. The whole family has avoided him for years. He had a wonderful Mama & Daddy, it's just that him & one of his brother's are 'just not right'. When he medicates, he's acts like he is the sweetest person known to mankind. I don't like him & now I don't have to pretend like I like him. I owe him nothing!
Holy cow.... I have NEVEr seen that vegetable, and now I'm going to have to go read about it! I love the milk glass vases, but will you please tell me what color of brown that is that you have on your walls? I'm looking for brown paints!
Have never seen a plant like that!! Love the milk glass flower vases! I collect them too!! Your soup sounds yummy!
Hey Mary Ann,
The color is Cave Walls by valspar. I was trying to match the brown in the shower curtain.
Thanks Melanie!
What an interesting veggie. Never seen anything like it before. I first thought it was a sea shell.
My sister likes the milk glass as well.
Hope you get things squared away with your driveway. Can't be fun to not be able to get to your own land!
Sweetland,
It's not fun but it's something we should have done at least 5 years ago. Just didn't have the funds.
thanks for chiming in.
If you don't like the "cow-chewing" of kale, grab the tough rib with one hand and use the other hand to pull the leaf off. NO RIBS ALLOWED!! Don't use the thick blueish leaves. People always use too much water to boil their kale. Use several cups of water and.... (this is where I'll lose you) bacon grease. About a teaspoon. As the water disappears, add more. It will become tender a lot fast than if you had it in quarts of water. When it's as limp as a sock, it's ready. At this point, not before, add salt.
This is how I do my green beans and cabbage also.
Thank you Joy. Here's a secret ... we save bacon grease in a small container in the freezer ... shh, don't tell anyone. Every time we cook bacon which is at least 3 times a month we put the grease in that container. So, I'll give your way a try. I agree NO RIBS!
I love green beans & cabbage any way we cook it.
I came by tonight to read more of your blog. When reading this post it so touched my heart that you would be so caring. Sending others my way is so heart felt touching. I have received more support & up lifting from bloggers than any I know around me. Thanks & Blessings! Lara
Lara,
In my short experience, this big ole blogland has, for the most part, been a very positive experience. All the bloggers I have met are just wonderful. I think it's especially nice to get 'lifted' by one or more of them. Kind of a 'pay it forward' deal.
I only knew your strange vegetable is (was?) broccoli 'cuz I just saw it in the seed catalogues. Needless to say, I passed. :)
Leigh,
Don't pass, it was delicious! I didn't order it for this spring but will definitely try it for my fall garden.
Good to know that it's delicious! I thought it was cauliflower/broccoli mix.
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