Gardening Tools

I'm not what anyone would call a successful gardener! Over the past 23 years we've planted several gardens in our small yard, without much yield.  The most successful was probably the first year my husband & I were married.  For our first garden we planted a cute little "plot" that gave us some wonderful green beans & tomatoes.  As the years have passed & life has become more busy, gardening efforts have become smaller or non-existent.  The latter is the case most years.

  While I'm not a successful gardener with tons of produce to show for any effort I might put forward, I am a wistful one.  What do I mean by that?  I suppose I as I plant, fertilize, water, & baby my plant babies I wistfully imagine what could be.  If I get one tomato or six green beans, I'm exceedingly excited!  Can you imagine if I ever got what would  constitute a real crop?  

 My aversion (that is an understatement) to creatures that have no legs & slither plays a significant role in my inability to keep a tiny homestead. So, a few years ago I tried a few hanging & container plants.  I loved the relaxation I experienced tending the plants! And, although it, once again, didn't result in bushels of produce, it was a fun homeschool activity me & my kids.

  As a "wanna be" gardener (and hopeful canner) I came across a "tomato rocket" in the supermarket last week.  My inner wistful farmer came out & made the impulse buy.  Today I broke out the gardening tools that that United Methodist Women at church recently gave me as a gift, reenlisted one of my container gardens, found my Starbucks "grounds for your garden", & did a little planting!  It's might be too late in the year or the container might be the wrong size, but maybe, just maybe THIS will be the year that I harvest the 100s of tomatoes that the box "promises." Only time will tell!

Finally Some New Soap!!!

I finally have some new homemade soap on my kitchen counter!  A couple of weeks ago I spent a day making 3 batches of soap using 3 different processes.  I made a hot process (crock pot) Warm Vanilla Nutmeg scent, a cold process/ oven process (CPOP) Toasted Marshmallow, and last but not least a cold process Radiance scent.  The HP & CPOP are ready to use, but the CP batch is still curing & you'll get to see it sometime in the future!  

  The scents of  these soaps are SO yummy!  I really wish you could smell online!!! LOL  

 
 
 
 
 

Accidentally "Crunchyish"

I believe that over the past 5 years or so, I have accidentally become a more "crunchy mom."  I suppose it could be augured the crunchy journey began when I started homeschooling 14 years ago.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not completely crunchy, I took a quiz & rated me at "pretty crunchy."   Some of the questions really don't apply to me anymore since my kids are WAY beyond the baby phase & some decisions are way past made!  I may make some different decisions if I were making them now.   There are also so many different decisions to make now than there were 20 years ago, particularly pertaining to how vaccinations are administered!  

On my kitchen counter today is one of my crunchiest endevours yet. We bought a PIG! Not a live pig. A farm raised butchered pig!  I've been interested in buying a cow for a while now, and the opportunity presented itself to buy a pig a few weeks ago.  It seemed like a good place to start, so we started small with about 40 lbs of pork now in our freezer.  Today, I'm preparing the first of our piggy, which my youngest son has posthumously named "Bacon."  A Boston butt roast is creating a lovely aroma throughout my house.  

I look forward to sharing my pork adventure here over the next few weeks & months!  Just wait till I try wet curing a ham!

 

Ahhhhh... Refreshment!!!

I am by no means, what one would call a coffee drinker!  The fact is there is no coffee maker on my kitchen counter, and there hasn't been one in at least 20 years!  We did receive, not one, but TWO as wedding gifts 23 years ago, but I can only remember using the one that we kept a handful of times for company.  All of this is quite ironic considering, for a very brief period of time, we owned a dessert & coffee shop!  If I do have a coffee, I need it "candied up."  Occasionally,  usually at Christmas time, I'll order a Peppermint Mocha at a Starbucks.  It's more like hot chocolate than coffee.  Usually, if I'm up for a hot drink I'll get a Caramel Apple Cider.  I don't drink much caffeine, so when I have a real coffee just ONE keeps me up for hours!

The fact that I'm not into coffee, by all means, does not mean that I don't have a most favorite indulgence at my local Starbucks.  I LOVE a Venti Green Tea Lemonade, sweet with light ice!!! It's a special treat for me! I do not drive past a Starbucks daily.  I do, however, visit my local Target on a fairly regular basis.  When I do, the Starbucks cafe calls to me.  So, when the budget allows, you'll find one sitting on the counter as I unload groceries!

 

Quail Eggs

On Monday morning atop my kitchen counter I had quail eggs!   Did you even ever think about eating a quail egg omelet?  My husband hadn't, but he said he found the one I made him on Monday quite tasty!  

 A friend of mine has started a little farm, complete with chickens and quail.  While the chickens won't be laying eggs for a couple of months now, the quail are laying!  I'm looking forward to fresh chicken eggs soon, but while I'm waiting I decided to try some of the quail eggs!  They are really tiny and cute, but nutritionally, they pack a punch!  In my research I found that their nutritional value is three to four times that of a chicken egg, and they contain about 2% more protein per egg!  They also aren't known to cause allergies like chicken eggs!  I have been truly amazed at the health benefits these tiny little packages hold! I pretty sure that they'll bee seen on my kitchen counter again!!!

Cute little quail eggs!

I cooked up six.

Okay, so it's probably more like scrambled eggs that an omelet, but I like them to look nice! 

My Weekend "Wilderness" Camping Kitchen Counter!

This is my "kitchen counter" for this weekend! 

I know it's still a bit disorganized, but we were just unloading our gear for our Mother's Day group camping at Ft. Wilderness Resort & Campground.  We've had an annual October trip for many year, but this is the first time we've organized a Mother's Day weekend trip.  

We just love our trips to Ft. Wilderness! There truely is something for everyone at this resort!  This time around I'm banking on lots of pool time!  There will be also there will also be dinner cookouts, evening movies,  and watching Magic Kingdom fireworks on the beach!  "Roughing it" at the primative group site is something every family should try at least once!!

 

Zellwood Sweet Corn!

Last night Zellwood Sweet Corn, one of my seasonal favorites, was on my kitchen counter!  For those up north, Fall is the time for corn, but in Florida this treat is purely a Spring time pleasure!  I get almost giggly when I see it in the local supermarket!  Yesterday I bought my first corn of 2013!  It was great & I look forward to many more dinners with some yummy sweet corn!!!  In fact, I might take some on our weekend camping trip!!!

 

Pineapple Upside-down Cake!

Did you ever just want, no NEED something sweet to eat?  I did on Friday night!  The catch: As much as I wanted a sweet treat, I wanted just as much not to leave the house!  My husband was working late, the older boys were at a movie, and it had been raining all day!  What's a mom to do?  Well, if you have a a stockpile from couponing, you raid it!  Had there been a bag of chocolate chips on my shelves it would have been GONE!

  I actually had to survey my stockpile for a while before I came up with my sweet treat solution.  In my little stash I found a box of cake mix & a can of pineapple!  Just what I needed to for pineapple upside down cake!  But wait, I'd never made one before!  Hello google!  I searched easy pineapple upside down cake & found a simple recipe for my first attempt!  It turned out pretty yummy, but it still wasn't as good as my Papa Roberts makes!

Butter & brown sugar on the bottom

Pineapple slices

Maraschino Cherries

Out of the oven & flipped!

Line Drying Laundry

Today I'm going to go "off the kitchen counter" and a little to the left.  In fact, I'm going outside to my "dryer."  Yep, outside!  I'm part of a growing population that has reverted to line drying my laundry!  "Why?" you might ask.  "Why would you line dry your laundry?  That sounds SO archaic".  Maybe, but I LOVE line drying!  Seriously, why wouldn't I?  I live in a perfect (most of the time) climate to line dry year round, it saves money, it's better for the environment, and it saves wear & tear on my family's clothes!  Plus, most Spring & Summer days it's even faster than using my dryer.  Yes, I DO have an electric dryer for emergencies!

Like most of my domestic endeavors, I didn't start off singing the praises of the clothes line!  This activity started more out of frustration than anything!  My dryer BROKE!  For the second time tin the TWO years that we had had it, it BROKE!  I was frustrated & stubborn!  There was NO way that I was buying another dryer OR paying to have it fixed once it was out of warranty.  Off I went to Wal-Mart to buy a clothes line & clothes pins!  I made the decision to try the line dry thing for at least a month before I fixed the dryer.  Here I am 5 or more years later & our household hangs out about 95% of our laundry to dry!  I've even converted my husband who does his own loads & hangs them out!  One of the few exceptions I make is my youngest son's clothes during allergy season-orange blossom pollen for him.  It doesn't make much sense for me to clothe him in pollen!

There are a few keys to line drying!

• Not everyplace guarantees the "right to dry."  Happily, I live in one of the Right to Dry states!  Many HOAs restrict or prohibit the use of clothes lines.
•  Watching the local radar is a MUST!  I have had a few times when I forgot to check before hanging out & found myself running through that rain to pull clothed off the line ! LOL
• Your towels will turn out scratchier than you're used to.  I actually kinda like them that way, but a little white vinegar in your laundry load will help.
• You can learn more at Project Laundry List's website!  They have some great statistic, facts, & tips on line drying! 

We did eventually fix the dryer.  My husband googled & YouTubed, and ordered the part.  It's still not as fast as drying outside, but it'll do in a pinch!  You know, those panicked nights when you realize the soccer uniform hasn't been washed for tomorrow's game, or on the rare occasion when we have DAYS of rain & for decency reasons something, anything HAS to be washed!

  As happy as I am with this old fashioned way of drying my laundry,  I'd gladly accept a futuristic way of  folding it & putting it away!  Any suggestions?

Friends, Fellowship, Living Lockets, & Snacks!

  Yesterday afternoon I spent some time straightening up my house & getting things ready to host an Origami Owl Jewelry Bar.  Have you seen these yet?  They're called "Living Lockets" and you get to design them yourself to tell your own story!  You choose your chain & locket size and style, then you fill your locket with adorable charms to tell something about life.  One of my favorite features is that you can open your locket & change out charms to fit your mood, an occasion. The most amazing thing about the company is that the founder, Bella, was just 14 when she started the company!  Her goal was to be able to buy a jeep when she was 16, and she DID!  Now, that's GIRL POWER! 

  My sister, Tammy, just became an Origami Owl Independent Designer  a couple of months ago, and last night I had the opportunity to host a Jewelry Bar.  I can't wait to see the "Faith, Love, Hope" Living Locket that I designed!

Of course, when I'm having a group of girlfriends over, there will be snacks on my kitchen counter!  I didn't go ALL out.  I just served some fruits, veggies, and corn chips along with my favorite EASY layered dip! 

Here's a quick recipe:
Layer
1 8oz. pkg Cream Cheese (softened)
1  small can Hormel Chili
2c Cheddar cheese
 Pop in a 350 oven until the cheddar melt & enjoy!

 

Snacks!

Lovely Living Lockets

Charming Chains

Tiny Little Charms

FREE Stuff from The Great American Pie Festival!!

  This weekend we family made our first visit to the annual "Great American Pie Festival" presented by The American Pie Council.  The festival has been held in Celebration, FL for the past 12 years & is a local hit!  Sponsored by Crisco (shocking right?) it's jam packed with fun for everyone!  Oh, and did I mention, there's PIE, all kinds of PIE!!!

For just $10/adult & $5/kids 6-12, we purchased tickets for the All You Can Eat Pie Buffet!  Yummy!  With 8 different pie vendors, plus Smuckers toppings, Cabot Cheese, and Dunkin's iced coffee, it made a yummy lunch!   After we were full of pie, we wandered out of the buffet & checked out some of the other festival vendors.  The kids spent some time in the bounce houses while we adults relaxed under a tent.  We also found time to stop by the Crisco booth & get some cool FREE stuff!  I'm particularly excited about the rubber scraper!  (I know, I'm easily amused!)  Wandering the festival, we also picked up Dunkin Hines frosting mix-in.  Luke is very excited to try those!!!   Maybe in the next few days you'll find cupcakes on my kitchen counter, but today it's my Piefest swag! :)

Blueberry Smoothie Time!

I was so happy to set a yummy blueberry smoothie down on my kitchen counter this morning!  Not because I love the flavor SO much (although I do) but because my youngest son has been begging me to make yogurt (yes you read that right) to make smoothies since i made the first jar of this season's blueberry jam!  Last year, a friend told how she makes her own yogurt in the crock pot.  Even though we don't eat much yogurt, I though I'd try just to see if it worked!  You guessed it, ti did!  So, because I needed something to do a half gallon of yogurt, I pulled some of my blueberry jam from the fridge & plopped it into the blender with the yogurt & and some ice cubes.  Taaadaaaa, delicious smoothie.  To make things better picky Luke liked it!  YAY!

Here's the recipe for my smoothies:

-1c homemade yogurt 

-1/4 c blueberry jam (there is enough sweetener in the jam that you don't need to add any more)

-About 8 ice cubes (this will probably vary depending on the size of you cubes & how thick you want your end result.

-Into the blender it goes & blend until desired thickness!

If you want to try your hand at homemade yogurt, this is the recipe that I used yesterday.  http://www.themakeyourownzone.com/2011/03/homemade-crockpot-yogurt.html

A few tips: 

-I have already established that I'm not blessed with large amounts of patients. That being said, I prefer to start my process at around 5pm & let it set overnight.  Then I don't have to spend all day resisting the urge to peek!  

-If you want organic, simply choose organic milk & yogurt starters.

- Looking for a thicker end product?  Strain your yogurt through cheese cloth or a colander lined with coffee filters after its finished!

A Pyramid of Blueberry Jam!

On my kitchen counter this morning was a pyramid of blueberry jam.  You can add making jam & canning to the loooong list of things I never would have though of doing five years ago, but about three years ago I saw a water bath canner on sale at Target and I was intrigued!  I considered it, but by the time I made up my mind to purchase one they were sold out!! When I saw them the next summer, I didn't even wait for them to go on sale! I snapped one up without even a clue about what to do with it!  I also purchased the Ball Canning recipe book, which didn't do much more than completely overwhelm me!  There were SO many recipes to choose from!  I did make the decision that I would start with strawberry jam. So, my canner had to sit idle through the summer waiting for Plant City strawberries to be in season.  My first canning endeavor was strawberry jam to be given as gifts for Christmas 2011. It was a hit & I was hooked!  The strawberry jam was followed in May by blueberry jam, and then in June by seedless blackberry jam!  I also canned blackberry lemonade & blackberry chipotle BBQ glaze!

 So far this season I've canned 44 jars of strawberry jam & 32 jars of blueberry jam!  Blackberries will be in season in mid-May & I can't wait to get picking & canning!  I'll also be ordering a Foley food mill to help with those pesky seeds!

The stuff I'll need!

Five pints of handpicked berries.

Organic sugar going in!

Ready for jars.

In the canner.

A Pyramid of Blueberry Jam!

Soap! Yes you CAN make Soap!

A couple of years ago I never would have guess I could make my own soap! And in my crock pot no less!  Of course, I knew that long ago people made their own soap, but I figured it was long forgotten much like washing your laundry in the creek with a wash board! (Side note here, I have recently discovered non-electric "washing machines" that you use in the bath tub!  NO I don't want one! LOL) Back to the soap... About a year or so ago I was cruising the Pinterest & saw several recipes of homemade soap!!  Seriously, you can make this stuff with oils that you can easily find at your local store, lye (100% lye drain cleaner is in home improvement store plumbing section) and water or other liquid.  Plus, for those visual learners, like me, there are TONS of videos out there on YouTube!

  After some research and supply gathering, I decided to jump into soaping.  I won't lie, but working with lye scared me a little bit at first. I had a lye burn when I was a small child & the feeling stuck with me!  But, I'm a homeschool mom of THREE boys, so I figured with the right safety equipment I could probably handle it!!   

  I decided to make hot process soap to start with.  This process cooks the soap making it ready to use immediately!  Since I'm not particularly gifted in the area of patience, I chose hot process over cold process because cp soap requires you to wait SIX weeks for the soap to cure!!! To this day, I've only made one batch of cp soap!  While hp soap is fast, cp in my opinion, is prettier!  The texture is smoother because the soap sits quietly curing. Then, a couple of weeks ago I discovered cold process/ oven process soap making!  This process offers a more smoother texture with the speedier curing of hot process!  The best of both worlds!  YAY!

Today the pictures On My Kitchen Counter I have my latest batch of homemade soap.  This batch was made with chilled red wine as my liquid in my lye solution instead of distilled water.  I was planning to add fragrance oils, but I like the way it smelled with the wine & cocoa butter that it was made with that I didn't add anything!!

Soap ready for the oven.

Finished soap!

Where I started: Laundry Detergent

  Today on my kitchen counter you'll find the makings for homemade laundry detergent.  This is where my journey of "What can I make myself" began.  I was tired of spending $10-$15 (it's been so long I really don't even remember how much exactly) a pop on bottles of laundry detergent!  Plus I was buying the dye free, fragrance free variety & I was paying more to get the companies to leave stuff out!  HELLO?! I had heard that you could make your own laundry detergent, but that sounded a little radicle to me.  (Says the woman who mow makes her own soap!)  I finally got fed up & did an Internet search only to find that it didn't look radical at all, but really simple!  Three ingredients were ALL that were needed and they were CHEAP!

  There are tons of recipes out there, and you have to find the one that you like, but here is my favorite.

Ingredients

--1/3 Bar Fels Naptha Soap grated 

(A food processor attachment is great for this step!)

--1/2 Cup Washing Soda 

(This is different than baking soda!)

--1/2 cup Mule Tem Borax

All of the above ingredients can usually be found in the laundry aisle.  I find all of them at my local supermarket (Publix) and at Walmart, but I have yet to find the soap at Target.

The process

-- Combine soap & 6c water in saucepan & heat until the soap melts

-- Add washing soda & borax & stir until it is dissolved.

--Remove from heat

-- Pour 4c HOT water into 2 gallon bucket 

(In the winter I heat this water in the microwave, but the rest of the year I just use the hot from the tap.  I have a solar hot water heater, it's plenty hot most of the year!)

--Add soap mixture & stir

---Add one gallon plus 6c cold water & stir.

I don't take credit for this recipe I found it here:

http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm

But I have made a couple of tweaks to it:

-- I use scraps from my own homemade soap now, so I use 1c of grated soap instead of the 1/3 bar

 --When I started ordering fragrance oils for my homemade soap, I began adding 1/2 ounce of fragrance to my laundry detergent.

Why the name?

Why "On My Kitchen Counter"?  Well, I've noticed that MOST of the pictures I've taken lately of the fun things I've been making (soap, candles, jams) also feature My Kitchen Counter.

Now there's a little story behind this counter.  About 7 years ago, when we were remodeling our kitchen, my husband & I went to the local home improvement store to picked out the color & texture that we would be planning to live with for several years.  We even took the door off of one of our cabinets so that we could try match as well as possible since we were only doing the counters & not the cabinets.  After what seemed like HOURS, we finally agreed on a tan colored Corian counter with a slightly darker seamless sink.  We ordered the counters and scheduled for someone to come out & take the measurements.

  About a week later, the scheduled crew came out to measure the kitchen.  Of course, they came as my husband was having his breakfast & getting ready to leave for work. I was just getting out of the shower when he knocked & the door and asked if i thought we should go with a lighter color. WHAT???  So, out I came in bathrobe & hair in a towel, NO contacts & I don't even think I wore my glasses, to start doing color comparisons AGAIN!  In my haste, I allowed myself to get talked into the lighter color counter AND sink, which is a real pain to clean!  (I do take secret JOY in my husband's grumbling when the slightest little thing smudges it!)  But it takes nice pictures!  LOL 

So join me to see what's been sitting on My Kitchen Counter.  Hopefully there will be more than just clutter!

Today's selection:  The flowers my son gave me last year for Mother's Day!