Darlene

Yeah, they do that over in Asia and has always resembled to me, an octopus lol

1 hour ago, Jeepers said:

Crimony Darlene, I still can't get my HP figured out even with the Geek Squad at my beck and call. Adding an Apple into the mix would send me over the edge. 

 

I ain't learnin' nuthin' new. 

I don't blame ya. I thought it would be far more complicated but it is actually very intuitive and was a constant surprise where I'd think, "that makes sense!".  Now I have a hard time remembering the PC way of doing things.

Awesome E, thanks!

To see if I can crack the code of making bread with fresh ground flour from the whole grain, into a lighter, less denser, loaf of bread.

I've begun some researching and one suggestion I've found so far that confirmed a thought I had, is to sift home ground flour through a fine mesh strainer (I would think not TOO fine of a mesh), and to take the bran and add it to some hot water to soften up. It appears that you would take the sifted flour and use that to begin making the bread, with the hot soaked bran strained and added later to the bread.

It appears that the bran and other natural parts of the wheat kernel tend to cut the strands of gluten that develop during the rise.

Anyway, I'm going to try this experiment. Who knows when I'll be able to start doing it...I'm currently making a fresh batch of sourdough starter and will probably try once that's matured enough and is healthy.

The reason I'm posting this experiment that hasn't started yet lol is just in case anyone has any experience, suggestions, ideas or tips.

IF things were to get that bad, I'd like to have figured out some of these things before hand, because I would imagine my brain would be full to the brim with immediate, pressing concerns at that time.

I looked it up Mother. 5lbs of zucchini nets about 1/2c of flour after it is dried.

I have used bread machines for years, and they really are nice for just dumping in the ingredients and letting it handle all the kneading and everything that goes with it. 

I had a sourdough starter that I had sitting in the fridge for a year and a half and kind of tried to get it going again but got impatient and am starting again from scratch. I definitely want to spend some time working with the freshly ground whole grain flours because I've always been leary of depending on the store bought flours.

3 hours ago, Homesteader said:

Food prep is a lot of work, especially as the garden begins to call my name. 

That's an understatement. While I have the gardening bug and have visions of a variety of beautiful vegetables growing in my garden, the thought of preserving it all makes me groan lol.

I've already alerted my youngest daughter that THIS year we will be doing even more than we usually do, with a reminder of how nice it has been for her to come grocery shop at mom's house throughout the year. That usually helps them to remember that there really is a good reason to put all that work in.

A couple of years ago, I gave up on PC's and switched over to Mac's. For me, with the type of work I do, it was the best thing I ever did.

I, too, fell into a type of preppers fatigue for a while. Still had all the preps, and couldn't stop buying extra of 'whatever' from to time to time, but went into overdrive when Covid first hit and it all came back and was a reminder of the value and wisdom of many types of preps. Not only that, but all the price increases I've watched over the last couple of years, definitely made me shore up some areas I hadn't looked at for a long time.

From the beginning when the war started in the Ukraine, I just had this gut feeling that I needed to splurge on some key areas and continue to bring supplies in on the smaller areas for as long as we can.

Regardless, we're so happy you're back and it goes without saying, if we can help in anyway, please let us know.

awwwwww you're so sweet

Give your MIL a hug from us!

Beautiful! Love this song.

3 hours ago, themartianchick said:

 The more people who return, the lighter the burdens feel.

That is very beautiful TMC

Cows, sheep, chickens, bees and an idiot goat   I tried many different animals and settled on those for various reasons.

Oh, and an abundance of livestock guardian dogs.

That's enough to keep me more than busy for sure.

I’ve often thought about you too!!!

it’s a blessing to see you here again!

I never knew that Dee. That’s an awesome

tip and one that I will definitely try on the next load!

Thank you for sharing Eliana. I'm a few hours north of you up here in the mountains. One of my daughters lives down in your area so I am quite familiar with it.

It is beautiful to see the work the Lord is doing in your life through His Spirit. The "I will trust You (no matter what)" is a theme I've watched the Lord cement in many peoples lives over the past couple of years. The stories I could tell about my encounter with that T in the road where I had to make that same decision of whether I would/could, or not, are many. The rewards have been enormous, even if it sometimes took time and I'm learning that the letting go is the only thing that enables Him to do all He desires to do.

Shalom.

Cat, Cat, Cat...

She is the epitome of what MrsS is all about and we dearly, dearly, love her.

Curiosity is a good thing. It is sometimes a spark that will lead us through a door we would have otherwise never gone through.

The load of responsibility you carry is heavy and I'm sure it often weighs heavy on your heart. Perhaps you came come to MrsS sometimes to lay those burdens down for a moment and share whatever you need to share. So many of us have carried heavy burdens too, and while the path we have taken might not be the same path as yours, it has been equally draining so we understand.

We may not always have 'words of wisdom' to offer, but we can definitely listen and show that we care. You are one of the few that was here from the beginning, through all our ups and downs and I think the thing that you remember in spite of all she has been through, is that there still remains an honesty and genuineness at her core.

I am praying for your mom, that the Lord's will be done, and that His peace that passes all understanding would fill not only her heart, but yours. We were never meant to walk this life on our own. Perhaps He can use MrsS to give you that 'cup of cold water' you, and all of us, sometimes need.

1 minute ago, Mother said:

The tallow is great for frying, for making soap, and makes a passable candle.  It can be used for lotions and creams also.  

 Many years ago, I started making lotions with lard and tallow. I gave some to my feed guy's wife and she was blown away and shared how her grandson commented to her one day as she held his hand...

"Grandma, how come your hands aren't scratchy today?" She replied "because of the tallow lotion I use on them". I guess all the commercial products worked, but never really did work, whereas the lard and tallow lotions really DID heal and protected her skin. Most people would turn their nose up at a lotion made with those fats, but truth be known, they're superior in many ways.

Now that Dee, is funny.

I guess it's one way of tasting the different foods from around the world and I'm all for that!

2 minutes ago, Dee said:

 

 

One friend, her mother was a friend of mine, went home and told her mother that Kendra's family eats weeds. Kendra and I had such fun shocking these girlfriends of hers.

rofl I love it!

Weeds! Lol

1 minute ago, Midnightmom said:

 

Have you ever fermented your own kraut? Several months ago I did 3 half-gallon jars with cabbage I was "gifted."

There is a YT channel called "Mary's Nest" and that is where I learned how to do it.

 

Yep, I've been canning with various methods for decades. Kraut is an easy one.

Good for you on your gift though! Kraut is so healthy for digestion!

Yesssssss, Dee! A thread on beef! 

The Idiot has not escaped today (to my knowledge) although Idiot Jr (the idiot goat someone gave me that I never wanted, who is the one who teaches all the idiot cows how to escape) was out down in the valley earlier.  I can't tell you the calls I get from neighbors, "just wanted to let you know some of your sheep, your idiot cow, your idiot jr goat are in our yard, or out on the road". It's funny, but not funny because their escaping off the property is not good nor wise.

Anyway, enough about Idiot.

Like you, I've done both...grassfed and corn supplemented. I used to belong to the GA Cattlemen's Association and it was funny and interesting to listen to all those old guys who had everything down to almost the exact minute from birth to slaughter. Years ago, my butcher shared with me his experience about when to have the various things processed and said something like this: "When I sit down to have a steak dinner, I don't want a puny little steak on my plate. I want a big 'ole fat steak and the only thing that will get you that is time". His point was, the XX-XX amount of raising a cow for processing as touted by the local GACA, was contrary to his personal opinion.

And then there are the added health benefits of grass vs corn. There are certain nutrients found in grass fed beef that is not found in corn fed. Supposedly, they say you can feed up to 5lbs/day of corn and not negate the grass-fed benefits, but I don't know.

It's alot more work for me to supplement corn the last few months anyway so I've tended to just let them be grass-fed. I don't notice anything distasteful with the grass-fed beef, although I do notice a little difference when they've been corn fed.

As far as what I use from the cow...everything I legally can have. There are certain parts that supposedly the butchers can't release, at least here, but everything I can get, I take because I add it to the livestock guardian dogs we raise and breed, to supplement their diets...heart, tongue, liver, etc. They love it and it definitely adds nutrition that can't be found in a kibble. Even when stuff in the freezer gets too old for human consumption, it's given to the dogs who could care less about any freezer burn. One of the greatest advances the local processing houses have instituted over the past 10 years is to upgrade to vacuum sealed packages vs the traditional freezer wrapped meats. I had so much meat go bad by the paper method over the years, and instead, have everything vacuum sealed because it helps the meat to last longer.

I also keep alllll the tallow fat from the cows. Sometimes I use it in the soaps I make, sometimes I use it in cooking. It's amazing stuff. When we process pigs, I definitely keep all the lard. Nothing can beat homemade French fries, fried in lard. Ay yi yi, just writing about it makes me want to make some.

Like you, I let my kids 'grocery shop' when they visit. Especially with the prices of meat these days. It makes me very happy to be able to do things like this because all of their friends think they're very special to have access to that kind of quality of meat. They also have permission to grocery shop the canned goods, as long as they participate in that year's canning. It's only fair that they help with the hard work, to benefit from that the rest of the year.

34 minutes ago, themartianchick said:

Thank you, Dogmom! People who have been through it truly understand how difficult it can be. That is one of the reasons that I felt the need to come back to Mrs. S. The role of a caregiver can be isolating. Between work and taking care of mom, I cannot remember the last time that I socialized. 

While I believe face to face interaction is important, for various reasons and seasons that is not always possible. 
 

The internet has the potential to be, and MrsS certainly is, a place to interact with like minded people. To make friends with those we would have otherwise never met. I know some of the most cherished friendships I’ve ever made have been with some of the ladies here at MrsS. Some I’ve been blessed to meet in person, others not, but after all these years, I have a history with many (up and down, good and not always so good), but cherished and impacting nonetheless. 
 

I’m glad you’re here and we’re glad you’re here. 

I'm going to lock this thread so we can all re-direct to the new Watcha Doing Today? thread pinned at the top here in the Daily Diary