A new fence for the Garden

The last few days have been absolutely gorgeous,, mid 60's and sunny, and it has allowed us to get some projects started that have been on our list for some time.

Robb started on my new fence and I could not be happier! We saw a fence like this at the Schiele Museum in Gastonia NC. while visiting there for my daughters 7th Birthday. They had a mock 1800's Homestead set up, and for the garden they had a fence made of branches ( saplings) .I knew right then I wanted this fence for my back gardens!
We eventually want to do this for all the gardens,, but it may take awhile, as I have 4 separate gardens one of which is really big.
we have used everything for fencing, from chicken wire to plastic netting, and it just never looked nice. It really didn't even do a very good job at keeping the chickens out, as they could slip underneath the plastic fencing.

We are surrounded by National Forest, so there is no shortage of Trees here...;)

We decided on Rebar as opposed to treated lumber, A) because I just didn't think big posts would look nice with the smaller branches, B) we have a bunch of Rebar laying around that could be used..
So this is essentially a FREE fence, We do have to purchase a couple more pieces of Rebar, but had enough to go half way around. Fencing is expensive, so the fact that his is gorgeous and is costing us next to nothing is a bonus.

All you need to do this are Sapling Trees and posts of your choice.. You need to use sapling as the wood is green and pliable so you can weave it in and out of the posts....
As branches rot or fall, etc.. You can just stack more on and replace them.

Stil have a ways to go , you can see where its staked, we have one side done as of now.. Hope to get the rest done in the next week or so.

Blessings
The Cools

Starting a fire, the easy way!

Ok, so after 6 yrs of having our cookstove, you think I would be a pro at starting a fire. Truth be told , I was ok at it. and as a lot of your woostove folks out there,  I had those mornings where all I wanted was a warm house, and I couldn't get a fire started for the life of me ( ok I got it started eventually) without a lot of smoke and generous amount of  swearing mixed in, haha..
My husband tried to convince me to start a fire his way, being stubborn it took me a couple months to agree.. and let me tell you, THIS IS THE WAY to start a fire... set it and forget it,, lights up every time perfect!!
We would like to take credit for this technique, but Robb actually read it somewhere in Countryside Magazine a few years back.....and individual had wrote in , explaining how to start a perfect fire every time..  and he was right, so whoever you are,, Thank you!!

Ok, easy peasy

                                            * set 2 small logs on each side of the fire box

 

 

 

* place newspaper , paper etc in between the logs

 

 



Place Kindling wood on top of newspaper in cross cross fashion. we use stick sometimes, but love cut up pallets for our kindling.

 

 

Light it up!

 

 

Let me know how this works for you!  I don't think I'll ever start a fire another way :)


The Cools

Death of a feathered family member

A few days ago we lost our Americauna chicken "Fire". It was sad but expected in a way because she was pretty old, about 5 1/2 yrs old.. She was a fierce egg layer and quite possibly the sweetest chicken we have ever owned.
Now we don't have burials this extensive for all of our chickens. Usually only the ones my daughter ends up naming.. and then somehow they are initiated into the family ;)
All Named chickens usually get buried in my flower bed. and receive a headstone. "Fire" also got a violin solo from Norah.. Its was pretty cute....

About a half hour later, Norah comes inside.. sits down and says
"Mom, can we study "Fires" Brain?

me: ummm what?

"Can we take "Fires" Brain out and study it.....


Don't worry "Fire" I told her no.....

I hope this indicates a future in the science field and nothing else..hehe


Until next time..
The Cools
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Canning apples ( and other fruit)

Good Morning! A chilly 26 Degrees this morning so I figured I would keep my bones warm by the Cookstove and post  on the  Blog today.
I have had lots of people who wanted me to blog about Canning. There are so many variations when it comes to canning. 
Low acid foods need pressure canned ( beans, potatoes, corn etc)
Foods with a higher natural acidic content ( like peaches, apples, tomatoes( which are borderline) etc. can be canned with a water bath canner.
You can purchase a Water Bath canner at most any local store ( I hate to say Walmart, because I despise that place,, but hey if you gotta go there, so be it :) I honestly can not remember what mine cost.. maybe 20-30 dollars.
You will also need a canning Utensil set like this

http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Utensil-Set-Colors-Vary/dp/B001NNJ42I

this had everything you need to can safely without burning yourself.
Jar Grabber- for grabbing hot jars out of your canner
Magnet- for picking up hot canning lids and placing them on your jars
Funnel- for putting food and liquid into canning jars without making a complete Mess,
 plastic too-l to measure headspace on jar

 

OK , today I will talk about *CANNING APPLES FOR BAKING*.. peaches and pears are pretty much canned the exact same way, and at  the bottom of the blog, I will post the variations of sugar syrup and how much times the others need in the canner, as these things may be slightly different.


1. Get yourself some apples, whether its from an apple tree in your back yard or from a local market.. ( we have 5 apples trees that are not producing yet, so we usually do pick your own or a local market/farm). You can get a much better price picking your own and its a fun way to spend the day with the family!!!

2. STERLIZE JARS AND LIDS, this is very important as you want to eliminate germs bacteria dirt from the jars and then keep at that way. Fill up your canner about a little over half way and place on the stove heat on high.  Wash your Jars In hot hot soapy water and rinse thoroughly. Place the jars in the canner of hot water . This will keep the sterlilized while you are tending to the apples.
Place the Lids and Rings, in a small pot of hot water *** BE SURE NOT TO LET THE WATER BOIL AS IT WILL RUIN THE LIDS* keep it at a small simmer or just below that.

3. Make your sugar syrup solution... This recipe calls for 4 cups water 2 cups sugar and 2 tbsp. Lemonjuice. place in a large pan and heat to a good simmer...

4. Peel and slice apples. I Have this apple slicer, nothing fancy, but it works wonderful, just place it on apple and push down,, :) these are only a couple bucks..

 



4. Once you all your apples peeled and sliced ( I would say probably about 3 apples per quart jar?) place them in the sugar syrup so they are in a nice single layer ( ok I kinda stuff mine in there, just make sure they have room to move around and are covered in the syrup.) Let simmer for 5 minutes...


5. Take your jars out of the canner using your jar grabbers and line up on a towel, Place funnel on top of a jar and fill with hot apples.. Make sure you pack them in there good, without squishing them.

6. Ladel the hot syrup over the apples leaving 1" headspace,, remove air bubbles from jars using a flat tool of some sort.. wipe the rim of the jar with a clean towel and place the lid and ring on jar.

 

 

 

 7. Place jars in Canner of Boiling water ( it should be close to boiling at this point) making sure this is 1-2" of water covering the jars,, place lid on canner. Process Apples 20 Minutes in boiling water bath.. Remove from heat, set on towel and listen for the *PING* sounds, it means your jars are sealing! Do not touch jars or move them for about 24 hours,, then you can push on the top of the lid to see if the jars sealed. if it makes a popping sound when you push on it, it did not seal. you can place these in the fridge and use them in the next week.

These apples are great for Pie, apple crisp or apple crumble!
*NOTE: Granny Smith apples are recommended for this recipe, but I have used all sorts.


VARIATIONS:

Peaches
Sugar Syrup:
 light syrup2 1/4 sugar to 5 1/4 cups water,
 medium syrup 3 1/4 sugar to 5 cups water
Process time Pints 20 minutes Quarts 25

Pears
same as peaches :)

If I wasn't clear on something please feel free to comment with any questions or suggestions.

Growing up Off Grid

I was recently fortunate enough to have an interview with NPR / american Public radios "MarketPlace" weekend addition. ( If you are interested in listening it will air this weekend.) The topic was "cutting out the Middle man".
After the interview , I called my mom to chat and tell her about the interview. So what kind of questions did they ask you?"she asks,  and then asks " Did they ask how it has effected Norah , growing up with this lifestyle?"
They did not ask this question. The interview was fairly short and they had specific questions..

But what if they had asked that?? There really would not have been an answer.. And  like my husband said " Norah doesn't know any different, she is growing up this way, its what she knows."

She is an off grid kid ;) She doesn't have the handheld devices ,  video games , and has very limited tv time. We do not have television per say, but have a TV for dvds, which can only be watched when there is an extra sunny day.

It just  what she knows..................

She knows not to flush the toilet if the generator is running( haha),, she knows to turn the lights off when she leaves a room, she knows when I say " we have hot water now. that means right NOW while the fire is going or the sun is hitting the passive solar heater,and bath time is right then n there.
She knows to turn off the water when brushing her teeth to conserve water. She know that the sun makes our lights work and that wood heats our home, lets us cook and gives us hot water. She knows that rainbarrels are used for watering and that using the hose is a luxury ;) She knows to dress warm in the winter and light in the summer because there is not air conditioning and winter mornings can be chill until the fire gets going.


This is what she knows.

I suppose there are times when I might feel a little guilty that she can't wake up on Saturday and watch the morning cartoons ( like I did as a kid!) but when I see her wake up put her play clothes on and run outside at 8 am to catch bugs, crayfish or dig a hole in the dirt, or build something and use her imagination..  I tell myself,, this is what   She Knows .............. and this is a wonderful thing!!!

Blessings

The Cools

Autumn: Stocking up and winding down

well, We are Finally caught up on the wood situation. Robb spent 2 weeks bringing home truck loads of wood. We live in a National forest with a 12 mile gravel ride through it, so he is fortunate enough to be able to grab a down Tree off the side of the road ( or sometimes in the road, and yes that happens often; he always carries a chainsaw with him) cut it up and bring it home. and it only costs us 20.00 for a wood permit to legally get wood throughout the forest.. pretty cheap heating bill ;)

We heat entirely with wood, with NO back up. all of our hotwater is heated with wood, and we solely cook and bake with wood. So its kind of important to have the woodshed stocked.
AND after 5 yrs of splitting wood by hand or trying to borrow a wood splitter we were fortunate enough to be able to buy one. This has helped Tremendously in saving time. We are by no means done hauling and splitting but feel we have a good handle on it.

The pantry is pretty well stocked too. I still have some more to do . I am hoping we get around to building more shelves. I want to extend the pantry on the right hand side, ( L shaped) by putting more shelves up there. I am running out of room! 

The fall garden is in. I planted Kale, lettuce, carrots beets, broccoli, cabbage, and spinach. My spinach had a heck of time germinating, so I have reseeded it for the 4TH TIME. 

I have more Beans flowering and hope to get a good harvest before frost sets in.

Sweet potatoes still need dug, and I am really trying to be patient and let them grow a little bigger , but am really tempted to go out there and tear things up ;)

Robb did a hive inspection and all the hives look pretty good. Its probably the last inspection for the year before winter sets in.

 Hope everyone is having beautiful weather! Its been an absolute Joy to work outside these past couple weeks. Enjoying every second before the cold sets in!!

Happy Autumn!!!!
The Cools

Friday Night activities

Friday Night activities with my 2 favorite people. A perfect way to unwind  from a  long day.

Blessings

The Cool Family