Month: October 2020

It’s been a busy week on the farm. So I have been using only the crockpot this week to help with the busy days and still making sure a yummy less time consuming meal is on the table for dinner.

Today I was really just craving some good comfort food. I had left over chicken and some veggies from a snack veggie tray I made for the kids. So what better way to use up those items and get my comfort food fix then chicken pot pie.

• 1 large onion diced
• 3 large russet potato peeled and diced
• 1 package skinless boneless chicken breast diced
• 1 can cream of celery soup 10 ½ ounces
• 1 can cream of chicken soup 10 ½ ounces
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup of heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
• salt
• Fresh garlic and garlic powder
• black pepper to taste
• 3 cups frozen mixed vegetables defrosted or use fresh
• Canned biscuits. I like to use my recipe for homemade buttermilk biscuits

30 min before dinner time. I place in my biscuit Dough and cook until done.

When fall rolls around I start to think everything crockpot. I love the idea of being able to throw fresh yummy ingredients into one pot in the mornings and go about my day. With homeschooling the kids and fall chores on the homestead. Coming in to a delicious meal in the evening with easy cleanup is always a win!

This recipe is so good topped over rice and the flavors of fresh garlic, fresh ginger and some fresh chili peppers from the garden makes it a delicious fall or winter meal.

Ingredients

• 1lb thin sliced sirloin steak
• 1 thinly sliced green pepper
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 thinly sliced onion (white or red)
• 3Tbsp soy sauce
• 1Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper or fresh chili peppers chopped and added.
• 10 min before it’s done I like to add in a little cornstarch mixed with warm water to thicken the sauce.

Sever over rice and top with green onions, fresh chili peppers and roasted sesame seeds.

When I started gardening in raised beds. It was important to me to be able to keep the soil as healthy as possible for planting each season. So I started looking into the best ways to do just that.

Research lead me to many different ways of keeping the soil healthy. One way is by adding compost. Adding organic soil amendments to improve the quality of the soil in your raised beds. There is a pretty wide range a different methods depending on the needs of the soil in your raised beds such as vermiculite, worm castings, compost, coir, greensand, grass clippings, corneal, alfalfa meal, lava sand and even kelp meal.

Although, I will use some of the things listed above if need be. I also love adding a cover crop to each bed over the winter. Cover crops aren’t just for large scale farmers. They’re a benefit for raised beds too replenishing nutrients.

Cover crop is defined as a living ground cover that is planted to protect the soil. It can be planted into or after a main crop and killed before the next planting season.

* The benefits are adding organic matter and soil structure.

* Reduces Nematodes

*Suppress Disease

*Provides aeration

*Provides Nutrient Enrichment

*Aides in weed reduction

So when fall rolled around and the veggie-growing season had come to an end. I decide to plant a cover crop of Winter Rye. I picked Winter Rye because it does well in cold conditions and Is great to start planting in September and October. It puts down deep, fibrous roots. The roots can go down 18 inches and makes channels into the soil. The deep roots help water to filter into the soil. Rye makes a great biomass too!

I cleaned all the beds pulling all crops and densely seeded each bed with a winter Rye seeds I ordered from Johnny’s Seeds. Here is the link – https://www.johnnyseeds.com/search/?q=Winter+rye+&lang=en_US

I went with a a 50 pound bag which was more than I needed for my raised beds. But I have added a new area of ground garden space and have casted the winter Rye seeds on top of that area to use for our market garden next spring.

So if you are looking for a way to amended your soil over the winter. Cover crops are a great way to do just that! Plus, it adds a nice look to the raised beds during the winter when normally they would be empty and bare.

Continue reading “Let’s Talk Cover Crops”

3 of the Hughes kids got to take a much needed little trip away with their papa. They took a guided fishing trip to catch striped bass and came back with a ton of fish. They enjoyed the time spent away making memories with their papa and a little competition on who could catch the most. I’m so Thankful they had such a great time and had that experience during these crazy times.

With all the fish they caught and their excitement to eat what the caught. I wanted to share with you one of my favorite fish batter recipes. This recipe can be used on many types of fish. If you ever get the chance to try striped bass. I highly recommend it. It is just a clean tasting white meat and when fried with the right batter. Is absolutely delicious!

How to make homemade beer batter

• Mix flour, salt, paprika, baking powder and corn starch together
• Add beer and mix
• Mixture should be thick, like pancake batter
• If mixture becomes too thick, add a bit more beer
• If mixture is too runny, add a bit more flour

You can use any type of beer you like for this recipe. I tend to stay away from a heavy strong tasting beer. If you would like to not use beer. You can use a sparkling water in its place. I also find that frying fish in corn oil is the best.