Heritage and heirloom seed shopping

We’re getting ready for spring planting already.  Mentally prepared ~ Ha!  We’re still buried in snow.  I’ve been browsing online for heritage, heirloom seeds.  We want to grow non-GMO and to be able to save our vegetable seeds from year to year.

I’ve been browsing Salt Springs Seed Company and Heritage Harvest Seed.  They are Canadian companies.  I like that I can print up the order form and send them a cheque instead of ordering and paying online.  There are so many varieties to choose from!!  It’s taking me a while to read through all the choices. Canada has a lot of different growing zones in so I’m focusing on vegetable varieties that would do well on the prairies. I’m zone 3b.

Where do you get your heritage seeds?  What do you look for when choosing them?  Do you have favourites?

This post is part of Fight Back Fridays, hosted by Food Renegade.com

Blizzard

It doesn’t look terrible but once on the highway, it’s total white-out.  A few highways have been closed, school was cancelled, hubby stayed home from work.  He tried to go but only went a few miles and turned around.  It’s reported that there are lots of cars in the ditch.  It’s suppose to let up around supper time tonight.  We’re staying close to the fire today.  I put on a big pot of soup.  This is the first blizzard this winter.  I guess we’ve been fortunate.

May you always have an angel by your side

May you always have an angel by your side
Watching out for you in all the things you do
Reminding you to keep believing in brighter days
Finding ways for your wishes and dreams to take you to beautiful places
Giving you hope that is as certain as the sun
Giving you the strength of serenity as your guide
May you always have love and comfort and courage
And may you always have an angel by your side

May you always have an angel by your side
Someone there to catch you if you fall
Encouraging your dreams
Inspiring your happiness
Holding your hand and helping you through it all

In all our days, our lives are always changing
Tears come along as well as smiles
Along the roads you travel, may the miles be a thousand times more lovely than lonely
May they give you gifts that never, ever end: someone wonderful to love and a dear friend in whom you can confide
May you have rainbows after every storm
May you have hopes to keep you warm

And may you always have an angel by your side

~Douglas Pagels

Love you, Mom

Makin’ Mittens

I pulled apart an old sweater that I made for hubby years ago and knitted a pair of mittens for myself.  The pattern is the same for the left and right hands.  I knitted them at the same time so they’d be exactly the same without having to count rows.  The first pair I made are too small so I made another pair, the next size up. 

They fit perfectly!  Nice and warm too because they are 100% wool.

Thank you, Karen, for the idea! 

Pumpkin Tourtière

This is a new recipe I tried. “Tourtière a la viande” is a savory spiced meat pie usually made with pork. This recipe breaks from tradition and is served in a pumpkin rather than a double-crust pie.

Pumpkin Tourtiere

•  3 Tbsp. oil
• 1 cup diced onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds ground pork
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup currants or dried cranberries
• 4 slices dense bread, diced
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 whole 10-inch pie pumpkin

In a large saucepan, heat the oil and saute the onions and garlic until limp, 3-5 minutes.  Set aside.  Brown the pork and drain off the fat.  Return the onions and garlic to the pan, along with the water, currants, bread cubes, pepper, cloves, cinnamon and salt.  Simmer until the liquid has disappeared and the mixture has thickened.

Meanwhile, using a sharp knife, cut a circular lid off the top of the pumpkin.  Save the lid.  With a sharp-edged spoon, scrape out the seeds and the fiber.

Place the pumpkin upside down in a baking dish and bake at 350F for 30 min.  or until almost tender.  Carefully turn the pumpkin right side up.  Spoon the meat mixture into the pumpkin.  Top with the lid.  Bake for 1 hour at 350F.  Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.

It was delicious!   We all enjoyed it very much.  It reminded me of a recipe my mom used to make where she put her meatloaf in the cavity of a zucchini cut in half lengthwise.  I think this recipe would be very good with just about any kind of ground meat.  I couldn’t find any currants so used dried cranberries.  I think raisins would be too sweet.

This post is part of Tuesday Twister, hosted by GNOWFGLINS.com

Catching up

Christmas holidays are over and the new year is here.  I hope everyone is recovering from all the festivities!  Life is getting back to normal, somewhat. 

Our delivery of firewood finally came.  Not the 8 cords we ordered but 6 will do for now.  We didn’t have much left and were starting to scramble.  Thankfully he delivered.  Here’s hubby and our youngest son cutting the 8 foot logs into stove lengths.  It still has to be split.

Cutting firewood

The animals are doing fine inspite of the cold weather.  We’ve had some really cold days.  The water in the barn froze a few times this winter.  I was using my hairdryer to thaw it.  It doesn’t normally freeze but I think it did this winter because there is a lack of snow that helps insolate.  They say we’re in for a warm spell!  A few days of mild temps are coming our way.

My dishwasher died this week.  I washed dishes by hand for 20 yrs.  The first year I was involved with the Farmers Market, I used the money I earned to buy myself a dishwasher.  :)  That was only 5 or 6 yrs ago.  Shouldn’t dishwashers last longer than that?  I thought I’d be way behind without a dishwasher but so far it hasn’t been too bad.  I’m managing to stay on top of it.  But ask me again an a week or two, my story might change.

I’m thinking about starting a knitting project.  I took apart an old sweater I made for hubby years ago so I have several balls of bulky 100% wool.  I have scarves enough.  I was thinking of a vest?  Any other ideas?

I hope you are doing well in the winter months.  Keeping busy and productive.  May God bless your family with good health and happiness this coming year.

Muesli, egg salad and kefir

Muesli turned porridge

Egg salad

Kefir

Muesli - I tried making muesli this week.  I added raisins, walnuts, cinnamon and soaked it overnight.  I ate several spoonfuls but couldn’t finish it.   I had to cook it.  Guess it’s not my thing.  We all ate the porridge, though.

Eggs - We eat a lot of eggs.  Scrambled, fried, poached, hard boiled, pickled.  Hubby takes sandwiches to work for his lunch so I made him some egg salad.  I mixed in my homemade sandwich spread, salt and pepper and a little Herbamare.  If it was just for me, I’d also mix in some chopped onion.

Kefir – Life got busy at the end of November so the kefir got neglected.  I’ve started it up again and am enjoying a glass each morning.  I’m using the powder, not the grains (at this time).  The little bit of kefir that was left in the fridge for several weeks smelled like sourdough starter!  It was a good yeasty smell but not bubbly.  I threw it out. I was wondering if I could have used it in baking or something?

This post is part of Tuesday Twister hosted by GNOWFGLINS.com

Pretty winter day

The edge of the campfire

Hoarfrost

More hoarfrost

Tractor

Chatty squirrel #1

Chatty squirrel #2

We got some fresh snow yesterday and fog in the night.  What a pretty day it is today!  There is hoarfrost everywhere.  The sun is shining and the snow is gleaming like diamonds.  The first picture is the snow around the spot the boys had a campfire yesterday.  I thought it looked neat, created by the heat, I guess.  It looks like broom strokes but it’s not.  The squirrels sure were happy and excited!  These two guys were squeaking up a storm, and jumping all around!

Christmas tree is up

We live near a Christmas tree farm, we’ve been getting our tree there the past several years.  Some years we walk over and carry the tree back but this year it was just too cold.  We drove.

Do you have your Christmas tree up?  I don’t do a lot of decorating because my house is too small and decorations just add clutter.  At the base of the tree you can see a lit Santa.  This is a quirky little guy I got from an elderly relative.  He’s really not very attractive but has become part of a tradition to have him sitting under the tree. 

Yes, the tree is in front of the door. lol  We don’t use the front door at all.  It’s an emergency exit only.  I mentioned my house is small, but it is sufficient.

Nativity

I also have a nativity (also called a creche)  sitting under the tree.  My dad built the stable for me and I bought little plastic figures.  Of course there are chickens and goats watching over baby Jesus.   It’s not expensive and certainly not fancy, but neither was the birth of Jesus, right?

Rustic Christmas centerpiece

Christmas centerpiece

It’s really easy to make! 

What you need:

• half a log approx. 10″ long and 4 1/2″ in diameter
• pinecones
• 3 – dollar store taper candles
• glue gun and glue sticks
• misc. items such as pine branches, dried berries, greenery

Drill 3 holes in the top of the log for the candles to sit in.  Place the candles in the holes as you glue pinecones around the top of the log.  Add greenery or dried berries, etc, if desired.  You could add some glitter or spray snow to simulate frost.  It’s important to use new tall candles only as this centerpiece is flammable.  As always, never leave lit candles unattended.

Total cost:

• 4 candles for $1
• package of glue sticks for $1
• Pinecones and log – free

Total cost – $2