Can you spell HOT?!

Record breaking 101 degrees here in Western WA. Pfew!!! I thought I would get a quick pic of the kids in the pool. Josiah 14, Hope 6, Elianah 3 and Jaryn 14 mo.

Yesterday I spend a couple hours picking beans, snapping them and making dilly beans mmmm. It was VERY hot though but I accomplished about 10 jars of them so far. Today well... its just too hot to can anymore. Hopefully the beans I picked will live a little longer so as not to go to waste.
















There is an issue that is important to me that I would like to bring up. It has the potential to negatively impact small farms and local food sources.
It is a vital important issue if you want to keep food local and safe, especially for our children. I have a small hobby farm and it could effect that as well.
Please consider looking at this issue.
http://hartkeisonline.com/2009/07/29/if-you-care-about-local-food-call-congress-now/

Please consider taking the time to call your representatives and vote no for HR2749.

Stay cool!!!

Sorry about the pics. I can't figure out how to line them up properly. GERG!!! and Jaryn is demanding me to get of the computer. :O)

Weston A Price Foundation

Preserving the harvest! Lacto fermentation

Asian salad dressing, crispy soaked almonds, Kombucha tea, Kefir, Sauerkraut, gingered carrots, homemade Ketchup (lacto fermented), Whey, Homemade Mayo, homemade cream cheese, pickled lacto fermented beets and soaked crispy pepitas (pumpkin seeds).
Recipes from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Meals that Heal by Lenna Knowlton. www.ntmealsthatheal.com

As most of you know we are following the principles of www.westonaprice.org for nutrition. So with the abundance of veggies from my garden I have been making alot of lacto fermented foods. Above is what I did yesterday.
Lacto-fermentation happens when the starches and sugars in vegetables and fruit convert to lactic acid by a friendly lactic-acid producing bacteria.

Benefits of lacto fermented foods are as follows:

1. aids in digestion
2. Adds excellent probiotics and digestive enzymes to your gut health.
3. The vitamins are increased during fermenting, making them more available to the body to utilize.
4. keeps you regular :o)
5. It has antibiotic properties as well as anticarcinogenic

It has been said somewhere that 85% of our immunity is in the gut. So gut health is extremely important.

If you want to read more about traditional diets where people were robust and healthy with very little health problems and no tooth decay read here:

http://www.westonaprice.org/brochures/wapfbrochure.html#characteristics

Here's to good health!!!

Enjoying the Harvest during the financial crisis!

Veggies clockwise (beets, peas, romaine lettuce, broccoli, carrots, green beans, tomatoes, bib lettuce, carrots, purple cabbage, curly kale, red kale, garlic, green cabbage, lutiano kale, rainbow swiss chard, spinach)

WOOHOO organic veggies! Gotta love the pay off for all that weed pullin'. My back needs the extra magnesium for all the muscle spasms. :o)
It's hard to believe its end of July already. Where does the time go. The older I get the faster it goes.

This summer has been busy but mostly busy at home. We had a laundry list of things to accomplish this summer (put new windows in the house, make a compost bin, build the green house, finish the horse shelter, put bathroom flooring in, put the deck on the back of the house, fix the animal fencing, build a chicken tractor and the list goes on). This is all from materials we already have from freecycle and craigslist. thank the Lord. We did not have to buy a penny of it. :O)
However there is not enough man power to go around here to finish all that stuff.
But hey at least we got the veggie garden in and even had strawberries and cherries that we picked and made cobblers and yummy treats like that. And we are doing our compost bin today.

I have done alot of experimenting lately with cooking. Mostly with fermenting.
Lacto fermented ketchup, gingered carrots, sauerkraut, kombucha, kefir, yogurt, mayo and more. Making crispy nuts, crispy pumpkin seeds and breads.

I spend all my time dealing with food it seems. If I am not in the garden I am in the kitchen.
But I am so thankful to be able to use these skills I am learning for possibly the future with the way our economy is going who knows how much this might help to have our own milk, eggs, fruits and veggies.

Financially it is getting very scary for many. Pauls work has had MANY cutbacks that is effecting us financially (severely) I might add losing over $1000 a month, and we are at risk for him losing his job due to layoffs but we are hanging on to the promise that we will be cared for. God will never leave or forsake us.
Non the less it does help to know that we can provide some of our own food.
We have cut back as much as we can possibly cut back. No cable tv, no cell phones, no going out to eat, no nice cars (just thankful our car works), no new clothes or shoes etc etc but you know what?, with all that we are so content.
Still looking for ways to make extra money just to survive :o) (selling produce, milk and boarding horses) Any little bit helps.

God is teaching us through all this. To rely on him and to be so thankful for what we have. I feel SOOOOO blessed despite my circumstances. I mean to others we look extremely poor yet I feel so rich. Not financially but rich in so many other blessings!

Its that time again! Gardening!!!

WOOHOO Spring has sprung. What could be better then 74 degrees, freshly tilled dirt and little ones playing or working beside you. This is the life I am tellin' ya. Yesterday we rented a tiller, ours is too small for such a big job and my wonderful hubby tilled all day long. I got up milked the goats, and went to work in the garden with weeds right away and Jaryn thought he should help practice eating vegetables although it wasn't the veggies he was eating obviously :o). The kids were such awesome helpers raking and getting out clumps of weeds. I think they really enjoy this life. Micah said that he never wants to move EVER. We planted plum trees and a couple blueberry plants. Today we will be transplanting strawberries, planting peas, kale, lettuce, brocolli and carrots. YEAH!!

Until next time!

Sorry about the pictures being off center I have no idea how to load these correctly. :o)

Why in the world would I want 7 children?

Kayla and Keena

Twice last week I was asked almost rudely "Why would you want 7 children?" One man was a christian who has 5 of his own grown children. WHAT?!! Since when do people with large families judge others with larger families.
Haven't these people heard especially those that read the bible that children are a blessing from God. Why would I deny these blessings. Doesn't everyone like gifts? I know I do, and what could be better then the gift of a child? The bible says they are a gift from the Lord!
Why I wanted a large family:
1. Because God calls them a blessing and a gift
2. Because I enjoy almost every minute of being able to talk, play with and watch them grow.
3. Because they bring me joy
4. Because I enjoy nurturing them and their hearts
5. Because its fun to sit around the table with that many people and know that they are mine :o)
6. Because you always have wonderful noise in your home.
7. Because Its never boring
8. Because you have more helpers
9. Because they bring your marriage closer together
10. And its fun just plain fun to watch them grow into wonderful teens
and the list goes on.
Who wouldn't want a large family is what I have to ask? While I respect the fact that most only want 2 children, I wish more people would respect my decision to enjoy the many I have. Two or twelve doesn't matter each one is a gift.
So here are just a few reasons why I want a large family in case your wondering :o)

Snow AGAIN! Goat kids yeah!

Ok, more snow? This is one long winter. Last week it was sunny and I was thinking it was time to rototill our garden so I can plant some pees. Then we get the wonderful and at the same time dreadful snow.

As a matter of fact its Monday morning and its snowing right now. :o)


Well we had 6 goat kids so far. 4 bucklings and 2 doelings. Friday was the day of poor goat kid torture where we dehorned and casterated. Luckily my friend Corina came by to help. Corina I couldn't have done it without you girl.

On another note the time has changed and I am ready for Spring and Summer although its going by fast do you believe Kayla is graduating in May? My lil baby is almost 18 years old.
She will be starting running start at the college in fall to take some acting classes and maybe photography.
She is planning on becoming a wife and mother someday so at this time those are her goals. However she does want to write from home, and perhaps publish her own book someday.
You oughta read her stuff. Its pretty good, and I am amazed because we are pretty relaxed homeschoolers.

The boys are doing great at their guitar and building things. They are SUCH a help on the farm.
Timothy help Chrissie our top milker deliver kids last week ALL by himself. I did not do a thing except tell him what to do next. It went very well I was very proud because Chrissie had a HUGE 10 lbr buckling first. And then out came a beautiful white/cream doeling who we are keeping for milk next year.
Timothy has been bottle feeding two kids and he gets the money for all the bucklings we sell.



Alright lil Jaryn is telling me to get off the computer and pay him some attention.

Until next time,