Home Made Oat Bread - to go with the Jam!

Home made oat and wheat bread, right from the oven

In a large mixing bowl:

2 cups warm water (bath water warm, not too hot, not too cold - just right for a baby)
2T Saf Yeast ( or any kind of yeast for bread making) (tip: keep yeast in a sealed container in the refrigerator or freezer for longevity)
     Mix these two together in a mixing bowl (I use my Kitchenaid) and let sit for a few minutes to get the yeast going. It will look all bubbly (see photo below)
1/4 cube butter, melted into the warm water
about 1/3 c honey (yeast feeds on sugar - let if sit for a few minutes more while you get your remaining ingredients together)
5 cups "flour" (I use 3 white, 1 wheat, 1 oat flour (you can make your own by blending some oats in a blender until it is the right "flour" consistency) and 1 cup rolled quick oats - I realize this doesn't add up to 5 but I don't consider the oats a part of the flour)
1 1/2 tsp salt ( put this in after the flour and on top of the flour - it makes the bread taste good but it kills the yeast)
1 beaten egg
     Mix by hand or on low in a mixer (about level 2) for about 5-10 minutes.
This allows the gluten to work into the bread and will give you a light airy loaf. Add a bit of flour along the way so it is not too sticky to work with but still light and silky feeling.
     Cover and let rise till double (this will take about 1-2 hours depending on how warm your kitchen area is).
 I usually leave it in my mixer with a clean dish towel over it and then use the Kitchen-aid to do the second knead.
Knead again about 4-5 minutes, then remove from mixer, knead and shape into a ball.

yeast getting bubbly / kneading in the mixer / separated dough / ready to rise in the loaf pans shown with regular size loaf and 3 small loaves

     Cut in half and form loaves by folding over again and again in an oblong bread pan-ish shape, tucking the last fold over so it sits on the bottom. Place gently in a lightly greased bread loaf pan.
***Optional: you can cut the dough into smaller portions - say 4 or so and make small loaves if you have smaller pans.
Cover with the clean dish towel and let rise till double. (again about 1-2 hours or you can put it in a warm oven for about 30-40 minutes - warm the oven and then turn it off. place a shallow bowl of warm water on the lower rack and place covered bread just above it. this will help it raise quickly if you are in a hurry)
     Heat oven to 350 F
           Bake 20 minutes small loaves.
           Bake 30 minutes large loaves.

Remove from oven and from loaf pans.
Using a cold cube of butter (easier to handle) "paint" the top of each loaf by holding one end of the butter and running it across the hot loaf.  This add a delicious shiny layer and helps keep the top softer.
Cool and cut and enjoy!

home made hot bread with, cold butter and
 homemade jam.... what could be better!

Homemade Raspberry Jam

Quin and Dave starting the process 

List of Items you will need or find useful:

This looks like a lot of stuff to pull together and - well... yeah, it is.

But it's SO worth it!

not only will it taste divine but you will have a magnificent sense of accomplishment and a really fun family activity.

Fruit - whatever kind you like and in whatever quantity you want to make

     For this post - our favorite - Raspberries from Bear Lake and Montana

Sugar

Pectin

a large cooking pot for the jam

a couple of large bowls for measuring sugar into and washed fruit into

colander for washing fruit

a large 8+  cup measuring bowl (mine is glass but I have used a plastic tupperware one also

lots of water and a place to wash/sterilize jars and kitchen items

jar lifter ( you don't need this but I find it really handy. I didn't have one the first 20 years we were married until I found one at a garage sale)

some jars with lids - old ones you have cleaned and are reusing or new ones in a box with the canning lids included

sealing lids for canning - whatever your preference - Ball, Kerr, Mason...

Measuring cup for measuring sugar

potato masher for mashing fruit

small pot to heat water in to soften the lids

hot pads

cloths for cleaning along the way and one to wipe clean the filled jars

a fork to carefully lift out the lids before placing them on the jars

a couple of large stir spoons, I prefer the wooden kind

a ladle to get jam out of the pot and into the jar cleanly

a funnel that will fit your jars (they make them very fancy but i still use an old one and it works great)

big black canning pot

raspberry jam - small package

some butter ( to keep the boiling jam from foaming outrageously)

good music

clean berries, ready to be mashed - the ingredients - mashing of the berries in the large measuring bowl

Lets get started:

I like to line up all my stuff and have a kind of organized process. I like to keep the precooked stuff all together and the post cooking stuff on the other side of the kitchen.

Again.. looks like a lot of work but you will get the hang of it and be making all kinds of jam!

First: Prepare the big black canning pot with enough water in it that it will cover the jars by at least one inch. Make sure it is on the stove heating the water, ready to boil just after you put in your prepared jars.

Second: Make sure the jars you will be using are clean and washed in hot soapy water. Prepare the canning lids, by putting the correct amount to match how many jars you will be filling, in hot water and soaking them a bit to soften the rubber. Place them in the small pot with rubber facing up on low on a back burner. Heat the water until its steaming but not boiling. You want to warm them so the rubber is warm and pliant and will seal but not ruin the rubber.

Third: Wash the fruit gently so as to not loose the juice of the berries. Measure them out according to the instructions on your pectin. Depending on what kind you get you will do it differently. I like to use SureJell and the kind we got required 6 C fruit and 8 cups sugar (to which amount we include 1 small package of raspberry Jam as a secret ingredient)

measuring things out.  Prep - the waiting sugar bowl - the stove setup - black hot water bath canner/lids warming in hot water / jam cooking

Fourth: Measure the fruit into the large measuring bowl and mash with the potato masher.

 Measure out the sugar into a different large bowl and set aside.

You will add this in after the fruit and pectin mixture boils.

Next put the fruit into the large pot along with the pectin and heat per instructions from the pectin.

When the mixture boils, add sugar and a tiny pat of butter (the butter helps in keeping the foaming factor down. If you aren't sure what this means, do it without for a bit. But keep your eye on the jam in case of foaming.. then you can add the butter and watch the foam dissipate. The oils from the butter decrease the tension on the surface and keep the foam from forming. You can add it at any time.)

While you are stirring the jam and waiting for it to boil, get the jars ready - having already made sure the jars are cleaned and dry, making sure you have lids and rings and everything assembled. 
Tip... this is where having a canning / jam making buddy comes in handy. You can do it on your own.. just takes a little longer.

I like to line the jars up  with a funnel, a bowl that can hold the off duty spoon and or ladle, with the rings close by, a clean fork for lifting the lids out of the hot water, a clean, preferably hot, wet cloth to clean the top of the jar removing any finger oils, jam or any other debri.

filling the jars with hot jam through the funnel - cleaning the top - putting the lid in place

Fifth: After the jam, pectin and sugar boil for the allotted amount of time (usually 1 minute after you add the sugar) Ladle the hot jam into the clean jars through the funnel until it is within 1/8 inch of the top (this is usually just as it reaches the bottom of the funnel within the jar), wipe the rim, carefully lift the rubber lined lid out of the hot water and without touching it with your fingers as much as possible (using the fork and your fingernails and not touching the rubber) place it on the jar, rubber side down, capping it tightly with the screw on ring.

Six: Gently place the jar in the canners hot water bath, or the big black cauldron looking kettle thing. When all 7 slots are filled (or a steamer bath) gently lower the wire holder down into the boiling or near boiling water. (Make sure the jars are as hot or close to as hot as the water you are putting them in... placing cool jars into or over a hot water bath may cause breakage) Water level should be at least 1 inch over the top of the jar.
When the water boils put the lid on the canner and set the timer for the recommended time (usually 10-15 minutes depending on your elevation).

tightening the ring - the water bath - the finished product

Seven: Using your handy jar lifter, lift each jar out of the boiling water and place on a nearby kitchen towel. I don’t know why I put it on a kitchen towel, to save my counters when I didn’t have granite, or to make it softer for the jars as they are cooling or because it just looks nice and homey, but probably -putting hot jars on a cold counter would make them break.

Best part …. Listen for the lids to pop. You can gently wipe the extra water off the tops with a dry cloth and then listen for the pop, telling you that you are successful and your jam is ready for storage (or immediate consumption after you set it out and look at it and how beautiful it is, and that you made it yourself)

Optional: you can wash the jars in a warm water bath after the jars have cooled so they are nice and clean when you put it in your storage. Also, mark the jars with a sharpie to note the date and any other pertinent information you would want to remember later.

I like to line mine up in my kitchen window so when I come down in the morning it catches the morning sun and looks like jars full of sweet rubies.

Making aSsupport Trellis for Peas (and then reused for green beans)

You will need - 4 lengths of 1/2 inch pvc sprinkler pipe, a garden net support, 2 corner connectors (slip/ slip) pvc pipe cutters for the top, 2 T (sl/sl) for the bottom, some rebar stakes
(option - 2 T connectors - slip /slip /slip) if you want to add middle support - a good idea if you plan on reusing it for something a little heavier and more of a climber.

lay out the pvc and put corners in place to make a big rectangle, with sides slightly shorter. You can make it as big as the netting or shorter, depending on your space.
weave the net back and forth through the pipe then hook them together with the corners and the T's on the bottom with the one side open to slide over a piece of rebar in order to stand up in the garden.

I did not glue mine together since I will probably disassemble it when I am done for the year for more efficient storage.

here is the same storage, moved over to support the green beans.They have overgrown it so much you cannot really see the trellis or pipe and I had to support it with some decorative shepherds hook flower holder.

Beginner Vegetable Gardening

Sow… you want to Eat what you grow

All you need is desire,

a few tools,

some hard work

and a bit of earth!

Decide what you want to accomplish for you efforts – or what is your direction?

Such as: what kind of vegetables would we eat

 A kitchen herb garden

 Something to can or freeze

How will it look in my yard?

Figure out the zone you are in : here is a link to find your location on the map

http://www.arborday.org/media/zones.cfm

This is important so you don’t plant things like lemon trees in Montana

Certain things grow well in certain climates - the best way to figure out what grows best in your area is to ask people with gardens (they love to talk about their gardens) visit a nearby public garden, usually near a university or a city park and see what they are successful at growing, or visit a farm or garden store and talk an employee there, and garden bloggers.

A bit of earth – clear of weeds and other plants.

If your soil is poor you may want to add some mulch or soil pep.

If you soil is heavy you may also want to add something like sand or mulch to lighten it up (otherwise you will get stumpy carrots since they can’t push through the soil). This would also add nutrients for you little plants!

You can make it fancy with raised beds or a fancy trellis but really.. all you need is dirt, sunshine, water.

Some basic things you’ll need:

Round pointed Shovel

Hoe

Rake

Trowel or hand shovel

Hand weed digger (looks like a huge screwdriver)

Good flexible hose

Vegetable fertilizer

Good shoes (I have work boots)

Clothes you can get dirty in (overalls are great)

Good gloves ( I prefer leather )

Extras would be:

Wheel barrow

Weed edger

Hand rake

Pitchfork

Various trimmers from hand held to branch removers

Knee cushion

Square shovel

Small shovel

Portable tool bucket

…... and any other cool tool you see at the store that you think would be a time/ energy saver.

A word about getting a tool – if it is a good brand or well made and heavy –

Probably worth it to pay the extra bucks-

it’s a real project wrecker to have your shovel handle break (and dangerous too) because you cheaped out.

In the long run you will not have to replace it and it will make the job easier having a tool that can handle the job!

 - Clear the way – open dirt, turned over, no weeds

B – Dig a trench, with a little hill on one side

C – Seeds go in the hill part, about as deep as they are big

D – Lightly fertilize

E – Sprinkle water until seeds germinate and sprout

F – keep weed free, trench watering is the best – soak the trench until the hill looks wet (up to where the seeds are) a couple times a week depending on what you’re growing

G – Support what needs to be supported (tomatoes in cages, pole beans on poles/twine, peas on some kind of trellis support)

H - Watch and harvest, maybe adding a little fertilizer if needed to give a mid season boost

How do I get this Goodness Started?

Motivating yourself-Seeing the need

There are many reasons why we should have a food storage.

The first and foremost being, that we have been commanded to do so.

Secondly, it’s a very logical thing to do.

There are many reasons why we would be using this storage -- once we have it; from medical emergencies causing disruption in our work, unemployment, natural disaster and many other temporary setbacks upon which, a storage of food is a comforting thing to have to fall back on in a time of distress.

So how do we get motivated to do it?

 I guess the most important thing would be that you have to have an understanding of the importance of it.

ANALOGY: We buy toilet paper because we understand the importance of having it around. It’s a crisis if we forget to buy it and we find we are stranded and there is none. So we put it as a priority to make sure we keep it stocked and handy. It’s not an item that we discuss or advertise. But we sure make sure we are prepared for it.

We just do it.

The same should apply to food storage.

In the words of our dear prophet, President Spencer W. Kimball “Do it”

So this week, take inventory of what you have. Organize your space. Make a Shelf of Shame of nearly expired goods, (great RS comment!) Challenge yourself to use certain items. Rediscover cooking. Save money by staying home and not eating out. Then use that extra to stock up on a few supplies that your family likes to eat. Go through your storage and organize it in a way that is easily accessible, easy to see what you need and easy to rotate.

Then get going.

Once you get a couple shelves of storage you can stand back and admire it and feel great about the start you made. And keep on going…..

D&C 58: 28,27,26

For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch a men do good, they shall in nowise lose their reward.

Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward. 

Eat What you Store and Store What you Eat!
How many of us have cans and pounds of foods in our basement that we never eat? If you eat a lot of pinto beans, then you most certainly should get a bunch of them and store them in airtight containers in your basement, plus some spices and things to eat with them. You should also know how to cook them, and in the event of an emergency, have adequate supplies to cook them on - fuel and the equipment to cook them on should you be without power. 
On the other hand, if you eat spaghetti and meatballs with green beans, some stored noodles, sauce and cans of green beans would probably be a great idea!
For the next week, keep track of the meals you like to eat and what the ingredients are. When those items that you usually eat go on sale, purchase some extras, based on their shelf life, and add them to your storage. 
You can start this week. 
Who know what kind of disasters we will face? It may be a natural disaster that we have no control over, it may be a financial disaster such as a loss of job or a cutback, it may be medical issues or something else. For whatever the reason, having a surplus of handy edibles in the basement or spare room is a great idea. 

Breakfast food options are great, don't forget the powered milk or powdered fruit drink.
Lunch options such as soups and learning to make homemade breads or other foods, including snack foods that are nutritious and easily prepared.
Dinner foods that your family likes, cover basic nutrition, tastes good and are easily prepared. 

Start Now

Its as easy as adding some extra cans, frozen foods, bottles, dried foods, legumes, peanut butter or powdered foods to your pantry.
Make sure of the shelf life, rotate and continue to build on your food storage.

Link for Utah State Management for Home Food Storage Plan:

http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/FN_500.pdf

Trends in Gardening

     Gardening can be beneficial to your budget and your quality of life. You can have a wonderful vegetable garden and a great looking yard at the same time! With the economy giving us a chance to stretch our creative thinking and budgets and food trends leaning toward healthier habits gardening is a wonderful avenue. Great for the budget, wonderful for your health and a great way to exercise and reduce stress its a win win situation. 
     For the month of February you may want to think about what you want to plant and start on some of the cold weather crops like peas and broccoli. Soak peas mid month and plant in early March. 
     Here is a great link for gardening to get ideas for things to grow -   garden.org  - in the reference section click on Zone finder, type in your zip code to find which hardiness zone we are in. Click on related articles to learn more about our area.


Another great link for scheduling planting is  -  http://www.thevegetablegarden.info/planting-schedules  -  click on zone 5-6 to find a schedule of what to plant and when so your vegetables have the best chance of survival.


Trends in Gardening this year: 
1.  Urban Vegetable Gardens in Place of Flowers - look to see more people planting zucchini and Kale where their petunias and marigolds used to be!
2. Planting your vegetables in colorful and unique patterns rather than in rows, for added visual appeal
3. Heirloom tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables that have unique flavors and colors
3. Indoor Herb Gardens and Potted Herbs rather than decorative pots of flowers or combinations of both. Using containers with "vintage" finishes on them such as rusty or aged looking pots. 
5. Eco friendly gardens - increased butterfly, bee and bird friendly plants such as the butterfly bush, milkweed, echinacea plant,  honeysuckle, madame Galen trumpet vine, zinnias, asters, verbena, lantana and sage to name a few that have worked well in my yard.
6. Fruit trees that grow next to your house or are tall and skinny, reducing the space needed to grow fruit trees in urban yards. 



for an article with great pictures on Urban Garden Trends check out  http://www.bhg.com/gardening/gardening-trends/top-garden-trends/