A Lifestyle of Preparation

In this past season, I look back and see all the things that YHVH (God) has been having us prepare. Some of these things have shown many fruits, and other are "a work in progress"that needs much honing; we see some fruits, but are hopeful for a greater harvest with further training. In both cases, it is clear that he is teaching us to live a lifestyle of preparation. He has been doing some of these things for a while now, others are new, but all have been intensified and brought to a higher level of action and accountability in this past season of our lives (6yrs). First and foremost all the things are done for the purpose to prepare for Yeshua's (Jesus') return. We measure everything against the Scriptures and The Spirit for guidance, reproof and correction as needed. When I reflect on this Sabbath, I see all the ways Yah is training us to be prepared:

Honing our character

DIY skills in many various areas

Changing our desires to suit our call

Health Care (Diagnosing an treating naturally)

Serving others

Animal Stewardship

Hospitality (Which is different than entertaining!)

Sustainability/off grid methods

Teaching and walking WITH our children in all of this (They are in it with us, not doing their own separate thing on the side - like sports, clubs, camps, youth groups, etc.)

Family bonding & cooperation

Food production

Food preparation

Food Storage

Soil Preparation

Discipline and hard working dispositions

Embracing Sabbath / He has designed a time for everything under the sun - it is beautiful blessing to be in "sync" with. His Creation is balanced beautifully.

Encouraging and edifying His people

Living generously/Sharing resources

Survival Skills

Using wild foods and herbs

Building relationships and serving in our Geographical Community

Building relationships and serving in our Spiritual Community

Financial Stewardship to live within our means (cash life)

Learning Hebrew to better understand the Scriptures and culture of our Messiah

Studying Scripture intensely, so that it may be written on our hearts

Learning about agricultural concepts within Scripture

Learning about the signs and seasons in Creation

Of course this leaves little room, for vacations to amusement parks and frivolous entertainment. We used to be a family that was driven by entertainment and convenience. We were always looking for ways to be tickled and pleased. For example:

* We would think about that big screen TV until we got it, than we would have the hi-def cable service for it and sit and watch things that tickled our fancy and stole more of our time. (Now we have no TV and more time).

*We would organize regular game playing nights with our Christian friends. We had this "just add Scripture and a prayer" lifestyle. We would help the church organize their carnivals and other "catchy gimmicks" to bring other thrill seekers into our church in the hopes to help them see the light while at the same time showing them how "relevant" we were. We even helped furnish youth rooms with pool and air hockey tables. (??????)

*I would take those regular trips to the spa or hairdresser and had nice long nails that never got dirty. I had closet full of cloths - most of which were impractical and for the purpose of drawing attention to me in one way or another . (Now, my hair is covered, my nails are short and I TRY to keep them clean. I can't remember the last time I went to a spa! I find my clothes are practical and modest and much fewer than they used to be. Unfortunately they may still draw attention because we are not "trendy" and people want to draw conclusions that I can not help.) :-(

*I had a maid come once a week to clean my (way too big) house. (Now, we clean it..all of us - together - as needed.)

*I loved to shop, it was a regular past time, as were play dates. (Shopping is not very fun any more. I have become content with so much less, that I don't yearn for things like I used too. I have so many other things I would rather be doing. Although - I do enjoy daydreaming at Tractor Supply sometimes! :-) We do visit with friends, but we do not have scheduled dates too to socialize. However, we find we never want for fellowship.)

*We would spend our summer days lounging by a pool or have passes to the local amusement park. We would take the children to Gymboree or other classes so they would be "enriched". (Now, our lifestyle is "rich" we don't need to look for "enrichment" elsewhere anymore. We do enjoy fun outings, but they are further in between than they used to be. They are usually relational or educational in nature.)

*We would go out to eat, a lot. (We like to go out, but the things we have chosen - like living a cash lifestyle with a family of 8 prohibits that. The food quality is also a big compromise when we go out. So we don't as much.)

*We had all sorts of useless gadgets and remote controlled 'this and that' for our conveniences. The list goes on....what clutter that was! (We have and continue to purge useless things.)

What was it's PURPOSE? It was so hedonistic and self indulgent. How did it further Yah's Kingdom? How did it edify Him? How did it prepare my children to live for Him? How did it prepare our hearts for Messiah's return? How did it prepare our ears to hear His direction? How did these things prepare us to live as the King's Sons and Daughters by His ways and standards and guidance -which is so different from the "worlds ways". How did it reflect on him?? Well.... not well! We were so distracted by the desires of our hearts being in the wrong places and the "noise" of them - that it was hard to hear Yah's still small voice consistently and clearly.

I am so thankful for Yah showing us a better way - His ways. Do I mean to say that who ever lives in the city is not following His way? NO! Do I mean to say just because someone lives on a homestead, they are? NO! Do I mean to say that someone who takes their child to gymnastics is not one of God's children. NO! (Please don't assume I am saying any of these things, or anything like it - because I am not.) I am simply sharing my personal experience and reflections on how Yah is using all these tangible acts to prepare us beyond the act itself.

He has changed our hearts and minds and desires and actions to better prepare us for our call. That is, to minister to His people who have not prepared and will come to Him, unprepared. (Just as we once did!) He is calling us to assist Him as He brings in the Harvest. He is teaching us to be over-comers and to endure to the end. (Rev 2:7) He is preparing us to give up all those things we once thought were good and worth our time, and showing us they are not worth our time and that HE has something else in mind for us. He has taught me that, what I used to call "free thinking" was nothing but worldly programing and distractions! He also helped me see (and mourn and repent) the fact that this thinking even existed in my church. (Even though there were many many people there who loves God and were devoted to Him in the ways they were taught to be!) Through all these preparations, He is changing our character to better match and reflect His. He is changing our desires to better fit the job He has for us, so that we may do it with JOY and gladness. There was a time in my life where I would have seen how we live now and thought ill of it. I would have thought I was "better than that" being a "modern women", I would pity others thinking they were "repressed" in some way. I find it amazing how Yah has changed me. I am so thankful!

If we look at the patterns throughout Scripture, we see that Yah always sends someone (people, angels, animals, prophets, Yeshua) ahead to prepare the way. He is a gracious Father! He also teaches us that our lifestyle is one of constant preparation, these acts of preparations are expressions of worship. The Hebrew lifestyle is one of preparing and worship. While we could never "earn our salvation", we are always growing and moving toward Him, allowing ourselves to be molded by the Master. He tells us, if we love Him, we will obey Him. We see this all through the teachings that set us apart, as His people. We prepare our things, our bodies, our hearts and our minds. We see this highlighted in the special events in life too! (Like His Feasts, Shabbats, marriage, births, harvest, deaths, etc.) Hopefully, we recognize our own imperfections and our need for His grace to and gift of mercy and Salvation- even after it has been given... So, as we prepare for what is ahead, we are always being restored BACK to what is right - BACK to Him and His ways. There is a very interesting reality of duality in this process, the further BACK we go the further AHEAD we get. The more humble we get, the wiser we become. The more we consider others, the more others consider us. The more we give, the more we are given.

Shabbat Shalom and May All His People live a Lifestyle of Preparation for Yeshua's return!


1 Peter 1:13-26 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Yeshua the Messiah. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (Quoting Lev 19:2) And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Messiah, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for

“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
but the word of the Lord remains forever.” (Quoting Isaiah 40)

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

This post was shared at the Preparedness Challenge #24

Dehydrated Food Storage

I LOVE my dehydrators! I know I only use them regularly all year round, they are always out, plugged in and 'at the ready'! This will be one of those kitchen tools, I would hate to be without it if I had no electricity. :-) While I got it, you bet ya I am gonna USE it!

I wanted to share some encouraging and informative links on my Homestead/ Food Page about dehydrating, but thought I might post them first. In the midst of this, I took a bunny trail (as I often do) into making my own MRE's (Military term for Meals Ready to Eat). An official MRE would not need to have water added to it...where as mine are designed to be re-hydrated. In MOST desperate times with no access to water, you could just eat the food dry - but it wouldn't be as pleasant. :-)

365 Meals I came across this guy who speaks about food storage and preparedness to LDS churches. He had some great ideas in regards to assembling your own dried MRE's (Meals ready to eat - just heat with water). It got my wheels turning. This has always been one of those things I have had on the back burner of my mind. (I have LOTS of back burners in my mind!) But seeing this video was an inspiration to me to start applying this idea ASAP! In a nut shell, the concept is that you pre-assemble and package 365 hearty dehydrated meals for your family - so you know you have 1 year's worth of ready made wholesome (no brainer) meals at the ready to last you a year. It takes up very little space, and the food value lasts much longer than canned foods. (Like 15-25 yrs done right! Talk about "fix it and forget it"!!) I also liked what this guy said about being able to help people with it. I think it is important to have diversity in all things in what we grow and what we prepare and store. Doing this will allows us to better bless people in need. If you can get past the "bird flu" stuff in this video - I think you will be able to glean some good ideas. :-)

I think dehydrated meal packs in bags is the most practical way to have food stored if one finds oneself in a mobile situation or wants to be ready to feed others in an instant with no strings attached. Doing it yourself does require your personal investment of time, preparing and planning, but it will save you money and you will not have to compromise on food quality if that is a concern for you. You will not put dies and additive in yours (i hope), which is not always the case with the Food Storage Companies that get premium prices for their foods.

I see two approaches to this project:
1. To assemble already dehydrated ingredients into meal kits.
2. Cook meals and dehydrate the prepared meals.

I plan on doing both since I have a supply of dried foods to pull from already - yet want to experiment with dehydrated prepared meals. If you have 30 recipes, than you could have a different meal every day for a month, not bad! I might like to find a little more variety if I can because I am spoiled American. :-)

Here are some books that I recommend if you are able to build your kitchen library in this direction:

Preserve it Naturally - If you have a dehydrator or want to get one, this book is an extensive guide in dehydrating. It is very thorough and covers how to dehydrate individual items and how to use your dehydrator for all sorts of things. It has charts, instructions and recipes. It is a wonderful "foundational book" for dehydrating if you want to dehydrate your own foods and use it to build your meals. If you like a book that has pictures and can be a quick reference for about anything Dehydrated (like an encyclopedia) this is the resources for you.

The Dehydrator Bible If I had to review this book in one word, it would be "SCORE!". That is , if it is a huge selection of simple whole food recipes to make with dehydrated foods is what you want. This book has over 400! These recipes are JUST what I was hoping for, they are creative (not repetitive) and most of these recipes are whole foods you can make yourself in the dehydrator (unlike other books who use commercially made ingredients as a rule). There are some that have fresh ingredients in them...but because of the huge selection...it still leaves you very satisfied with your options for variety and simplicity for emergency food storage. This book makes me want to increase my dehydrated food supplies for the sake of our regular everyday use too. I am really excited about this book! It is the most appealing dry foods cookbook, I have seen yet!

Dinner is in The Jar - This book was written with dried meal storage as it's primary goal. It is a simple but specific book, which contains 30 recipes. The author uses TVP (textured vegetable protein) for some of the meat item in her recipes. She also discusses using Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers, but uses jars as her references. If you want a "plug and play book" that you don't have to "think about" this one might be for you. You can just buy the ingredients at the bulk food store (like milk powder, cheese powder, butter powder, buttermilk powder, dry gravy mixes, etc) than this will be a good book to start with. No dehydrator necessary. Some recipes use "add ons" like a can of diced tomatoes and some fresh ingredients like sour cream and fresh shredded cheese. I am steering clear of these types of recipes, because I want the meals I make to require nothing more than water and fire to make them delicious. :-) Her style is very "American creamy comfort food style". (She has a couple Mexican recipes too.) Most of her recipes, will also have add-ons like a "pint of ground beef" or chicken. Which would need to be canned and stocked ahead of time. You need to know how to do that yourself. So you should know those are elements to her recipes before you buy the book. Personally speaking this book was my not my favorite. I could see how it would be very appealing to some folks, but for my money and needs - It did not make the mark. I returned it.

Consider going to Amazon and searching books that cover this topic if you search words like "trail meals" or "backpack cooking" things like that. They may have more "just add water" recipes or ideas in them than some typical dehydrator books since that is ideal for backpacking. I have the Backpack Gourmet. It gives lots of recipes for you to make and teaches you how to make the meals ahead of time, at home and how to dehydrate them for storage, then how to reconstitute them on the trail! I was a afraid the recipe might only be fore one to two people being a back pack book, but I was excited to find that most of her recipes serve 4+. She uses whole foods (and some TVP, but has lots of recipes with out). This is a wonderful "plug and play" style book for this method of make the meals ahead and dehydrating them. She doesn't require the "add ons" like the Dinners in a the Jar book does, which in my opinion, makes it more inclusive and practical for emergencies situations. This book is a wonderful resource for this method of dehydrating pre-made meals!

Mary Bell's Complete Dehydrator Cookbook - This is one of the newest additions to my dehydrating library. It is a delightful and thorough resource. If you are a food reader, like I am, you will appreciate this book. She explains things and had lots of "tips" through out the book, that you will find as you read it (just for fun!). She has recipes and incites on backpacking foods, she devotes a whole chapter to it. Even though, I have yet too read every page of this book, I quickly found "new things", like dehydrating yogurt like fruit leathers! There are no pictures in this book, it's very plain in that regard, it appeals to the "reader". However, I am pleased to add it to my library. It's a keeper!

I have lots of cookbooks that have small dehydrator sections and they are nice to "give you the gist" but I wanted to "go deep". :-) I am NOT listing any of those here.

These are the books the guy in the video used (and suggests) for his food storage. It is the assemble dry ingredients approach.
Gifts in a Jar: One Dish Meals
Gifts in a Jar: Soups

Here are links for free dried meal recipes FREE and at your fingertips (I have not tried them yet.):
Budget 101
Dried Soup and Chili Recipes
Dried Soup Mixes
Dried Baking and Seasoning Mixes

Now I noticed a lot these recipe use beans as a base, which is GREAT for food storage unless you need to eat fast or on the move. However, after digging around in my cookbooks, I learned the key to "fast beans" is doing the prep work ahead. Cooking them THEN dehydrating them. They become "instant beans" then. They will rehydrate right along with your others items. No worries!

2 Wonderful online resources for dehydrating your own food are:
Dehydrate 2 Store
Backpacking Chef

It is always best to try to find local coops to buy bulk from. However, if you don't have any in your area or want to get food now, here are some links. (Be sure to police your ingredients and be discerning consumers!)
Frontier Coop
Bulk Whole Foods
North Bay Trading Co
Bulk Foods
Azure Standard
GardenSpot Distributors
Dutch Valley
AaoobFoods

I shared this Post at Preparedness Challenge #17

Canning RAW Sauerkraut!!

I just learned a nifty little tip from friends. Did you know that you can "can" RAW sauerkraut and keep it raw?? NO heat needed! Just prepare your raw Kraut ( Shred cabbage, fill a jar, salt it and smash it down until the juices rise enough to just cover the top of the kraut and let sit) put your regular canning jar lid on and put it away on a shelf (NO REFRIGERATION NEEDED!!) It seals itself and stays rawlicious for a year + on the shelf!! No canner needed - still raw. That is how my local homesteading friends do it! I was so excited to learn this little tip! I don't care for cooked kraut, but this will be a wonderful way to have raw kraut stored it in our pantry!

I am wondering, is this common knowledge? Am I "the last one to know" this?? :-) Is this the same also for Kimchee and fermented carrots??


Simply wonderful!!

* UPDATE* July 8, 2012
I just thought I would update this post a little.  As you may notice on the blog, I have been experimenting with lacto-fermented foods sine I wrote this post.  I thought you might like to know that I have preserved raw lacto-fermented sauerkraut in this way for over nine months now.,  It is FABULOUS!  I have done it with our without whey.  I have also done it  with and without caraway seeds.  It's all keeps well good...it is just a matter of personal preference. I keep mine in a cool place (for us that is the root cellar- for others that could be a basement.  I have a friend in AL who has neither a basement or root cellar and she just wrote me and said she is going to try it in the crawl space of her house!  (I will have to get back to you next year, as to her results!  :-))

I am researching and experimenting with storing other varieties of lacto-fermented foods.  I hope to post more of my findings and results from my experiments.  If anyone knows of a good resource that has documented lacto-fermentation and food storage..PLEASE TELL ME!  I have been looking!  :-)


This post was shared at Simple Lives

Food Storage Planner

I have been itching to better keep track of inventory our Food Pantry. I am noticing we are eating through my stock unawares because I have not kept good tabs of the rates of our usage and consumption. My solution thus far has always been, have tons of food and you'll be set...but as we eat through it...maintaining is just important as it's originally stocking. Oh sure, I restock stuff, but it hasn't been terribly thought out or recorded well. Since we have been doing this for some time, like in anything, it's easy to let some things slip. Recently, I have been itching to change that. I would like to have an idea of how long our supplies would last us if they weren't replenished at all. I can make guesses, because we came here from PA with a trailer full of staples and we are still eating out of a lot of them 2 years later. However, I didn't keep an accurate record of what I started with or replenished. So I really need a checkpoint to get things back and track again for better management. I also need to figure out a way to apply with all my chefs in the kitchen (at 4 of us who restock, refill, and cook!). But - lets take one step at a time , shall we. :-)

A few days ago, I posted about a free food storage calculator that I found online. I
scratched and pecked at that sheet of paper I printed to modify it for our usage and compared it to my list of major food storage. (Which was incomplete and not meticulously updated - so it was not entirely accurate.) Our root cellar is ALMOST complete and I am itching to start canning. The garden is planted, their are sheep in the field and chickens laying eggs. (We have a lot more to do...but we are moving along!) With all these things coming together - I am also realizing my tracking system is left WANTING! So I started the search again, for a solution to help me organize and manage the homestead...I think I found it!

Food Storage Planner offers a VERY thorough data base software program for the job. It is very comprehensive with a huge database of things to just "plug in". At the same time it is flexible and allows you to customize things exactly how you wish! I think they have thought of EVERYTHING! (Except for herbs - but I can make that a sub category in the medical section) You can input the time frame of your goal for storage and amount of people in your family,their ages and even their gender. It gives recommendations, but you can alter and adjust amounts, and sizes. It calculates the budget and estimated cost the items you are purchasing. You can input your actual prices too. When you go shopping you adjust your amounts and it automatically tell you how much is left on that item (or others) to reach your fully stocked goal. If I understood it correctly you can also type in a money budget and run reports on what you can get for that amount to help you stock it that way! It has 3 pantry plans to start with that are called survival, standard or luxury. It aids you through your purchase plan, it helps you log your usage so that you can maintain an accurate record of your usage. It is offline - you don't need Internet access to run it. It allows you to print reports, which I plan to compile in a notebook for my powerless version. I will likely input the updates on a monthly basis at bill pay time. It is not only a very detailed inventory of all groceries, but it also includes first aid, garden seeds, household supplies, fuel and light, 72 hour kit, storage containers, baby supplies, clothing, cash, food preservation supplies, toiletries and survival supplies too! I got so excited! The thought that I could input my information and run reports on what I actually have in stock now and it would calculate where I am lacking was just dreamy! It will take some work to input it and diligence to maintain it to keep it accurate as we USE things, but I really think it will be worth the effort!

Food Storage Planner also gives you a FREE three day trial download to fiddle with it see if it something you would like to use! The cost of the program is just under $40. I am not selling this or affiliated with them (yet!). But I do plan to use this for our own family, and get really familiar with it. It is very likely something we will carry in our Homestead Country Store down the line, if it is as wonderful as it seems. In the mean time, I thought I would share the information with those of you who are doing similarly as we are NOW, storing food for the days ahead.



This post was shared at Preparedness Challenge

Food Storage Calculator

A recent question from a good friend about food storage inspired me to try to find a Food Storage Calculator. This link is the best one I have found so far. You can input your family numbers and it automatically calculates a list of what you would need in your pantry, as for staples for your family for a whole year! In my opinion it is not complete - however it is the best one I have seen yet! (Let me know in the comments if you know of a better one please!) We don't use some of thier things (like corn syrup for instance) but I intend to alter it using the things we do use and use it to measure the condition of my pantry stock so I may make adjustments as needed. I think my goal will be to add 50% to this, because we eat out of our pantry and we serve lots of people as our home lends itself to lots of hospitality. This will give some wiggle room for restocking as well. Serving others and hospitality will not change in hard times - in fact it is likely to increase for us! A year is a very realistic time frame to plan one's pantry around, if you think about it. It will take you through every season of the year and give you time to replenish livestock, hunting or gardens. If one were only to have 3-6 months of stock - and your need are longer or fall "off season" you may not have time to grow more food or meat/dairy.

Here also is a wonderful list of things from the Prudent Homemaker on stocking one's pantry. It is where I found the link above. I am feeling a need to revamp my inventory system too. As soon as we get moved into the new roots cellar...I think that will be added to my to-do list. :-)

Homestead Preparation Checklist

I thought it would be good to do a little mental check-up on our preparations for hard times to come and our ability to be self sustainable. These are questions I find I ask myself in intervals every so often to check our progress and condition. Where am I weak? What needs the most attention? Have I been neglecting any of these areas?

1.Spirituality- I place this first on the list, because I believe it is! Regardless of circumstances, good or bad, feast or famine the most important thing to being "prepared", come what may, is the condition of my Spiritual walk with Yah. All else hinges on that. Am I following in the footsteps of Yeshua? Am I leading a life of worship... a life that is sold out for Him? Not a life of perfection mind you, but one of devotion and service, one of listening and responding, one of generosity and love toward my fellow man. Without love, I am nothing. The following preparations are worthless if I am not "sold out for YHVH" and I am not able to hear his still small voice and be willing and ready to drop all my plans in an instant to respond to His direction at any given time. We believe we are in His direction as we are doing these things, but to those who know Him and have walked in intimacy with him, we know that He works in mysterious ways! It is possible that He may not having us do all these things for the reasons and outcome WE THINK!

2. Developing Skills - I have been "reading" about homesteading for years, but actually doing it, is quite another story! "The proof is in the pudding " as my Mamma always used to say. :-) It is so easy to stay in this "hobby fascination" place. Or get swooped in the romance of hanging clothes on the line and baking bread. But it is not until you GIVE UP the dryer and trips to the store - that you really start to "own" these skills fully. It is so easy to make excuses about starting things "when we get some land, all the while living on "someday isle". But there are LOTS AND LOTS of skills that can be developed before one ever gets their acreage. Skills can be developed NOW, even if you life in an apartment or very small plot. We need to learn to work with what we've got and make the best of it! That is what is at the heart of homesteading and preparation! The land and "supplies" do us no good if we don't develop the skills, to use them well. Yes, I know, somethings WILL have to wait...but so many things DON'T. Not to mention if one is still waiting for their land, it really makes that time frame much more productive AND enjoyable!

Here is a list of some very useful skills that can be developed before one ever gets a farm:

Learning to 'do without', prioritizing things so that it will hasten your goal and move you TOWARD self sustainability. For instance, if the microwave breaks don't replace it. Consider a pressure cooker instead! If the TV fries - consider it a blessing! (Or here's a crazy thought - get rid of a working one!) :-) Learn to prepare everything from scratch, eating whole foods, preserving foods, natural health care (learning, making and using natural remedies and methods of healing and treating things), home improvements, mechanics (on everything from small engine to cars to appliances), composting, sewing, small scale gardening (in a pot even!), support your local farmers, sprouting, starting plants from seed/root, saving seed and the list goes on and on. Do what you can where you are, and those skills will go with you to the farm - when the time is right. There will be A LOT more new things for you to learn when you get there! But what a blessing it will be to have some of these things under your belt by then! Does all this sound overwhelming? If so, you might reconsider some things!

3. Supplies - I ask myself - what are the things I would hate to be without. Now if I were to answer, my curling iron, espresso machine, air conditioner and microwave.... well...I think we could probably stop this line of questioning right here...because there wouldn't be much that could be done from that point. :-) However, what I am talking about here is supplies for living in desperate times, the things which help sustain us! I can't help of think of American pioneers who settled America. They could only take so much 'stuff'. I know we can take more...but it is good to test our resolve and commitment in this same way. What are willing to do? What are we willing to leave behind? I have accumulated lots of things that could assist in this, over time - likely more than I need...but I LOVE 'tools'. :-) I think there are very different approaches to this category. Both of which I try to be aware while stocking up. One being homesteading survival supplies for here on the farm and the other being wilderness survival supplies if called away from the farm. Some double in function - but really they are very different categories.

What would I want on the homestead to survive a long term "depression" of some kind?

Independent access to good water. For us, that meant change. Our farm is on "town water". So we have to pay for our usage. (Not to mention the junk they put it it to "treat it" is NOT OK with us.) This does not bode well for one who uses water for animals, family and food! So that had to change. We started collecting water off our barn roof and dug a well. We did not want to have the well be subject to electric service to be drawn up, so we decided on a pump, that is run by solar with a manual back up. It will be powered by the sun (not the power company) and if something goes wrong with that system, we have good ol' man power to bring it up! We are not sure if filtration is needed yet, but if it is - that too will be done in a way that does not require power to be supplied from elsewhere.

The things we need to grow, raise, preserve and store food - We are developing this as well and will take the most time. We have started planting trees and are in the process of putting in a root cellar. We have stocked up with supplies to preserve our own food (without electricity). We still have electrical system in place (freezers, fridges and some electrical appliances) but we have lessened that and will continue to. We have chickens producing eggs and meat, as well as sheep for meat in our fields. We have more birds planned for this year and also hope to add a dairy and beef cow (and maybe some work animals - but that is a whole 'nother topic!). We have the space to sustain the animals on grass and eventually grow the grain or supply the environment for the birds to be sustained through the methods of permaculture. (Yet a whole 'nother post!)

Healthcare and First Aid supplies- Do I have what I need to administer and treat illness or injury? Of course the skills to do this also MUST be developed ahead of the time of need in severe cases and is VERY helpful in less severe cases. What I am speaking of is a lifestyle of learning how to "be Your own Doctor". It takes a passionate commitment and time to develop well. It takes resources and materials to "practice" with, and the wisdom of those who have gone before us. It a huge responsibility that many people will never want to do. However, my family's health is a very important thing to me. It is something I want to be prepared to maintain!

Shelter- For most people, this is a given - where one starts. We had a small house on the property, but were willing to "rough it" and build our own if that was the place Yah took us. We did live 'roughly' for 6 months during the move and work that was done on our little house when we first moved. This house, has no basement and we have discovered that we live in a tornado rich area...so the root cellar will act as that emergency shelter for us as well.

4. Survival Skills and Tools - What if all the preparations we put in place fail us? Like a disease strikes our livestock or insects plague our gardens. What if a tornado, earthquake, floods, fire, vandalism rip through our farm and leave us with nothing? Anything could happen! The Scriptures warn us that in the end these thing WILL happen more and more...Could we survive if I couldn't "buy" food, clothes, water, medicine, or shelter? I do not want to sound like an alarmist...I am not. Nor am I conspirator. Just one who sees the possibility of this being a reality and wanting to be prepared while at the same time equipping my children to be prepared too. We Americans have gotten so "comfortable". We have gotten very arrogant in our wealth as a nation. I don't know if you have noticed...but our country's financial stability is teetering on the edge of disaster! Our culture is also less than virtuous on the whole, so it is very possible that those who were seen as "poor farmers" before could be seen as "millionaires" in the eyes of the desperate.

So these are the questions we find ourselves asking in regards to that:

Knowing that I have Yah, I ask what my responsibility beyond that is. Could we survive in the wilderness? If we had to flee and were "on the road" would I have the skills and supplies to keep my family safe and alive without the security of my homestead?

There are some things we have done in this area, but it is the area that I am less than confident in. These are my goals in order or importance to me:

* To have a GOOD working knowledge and PRACTICE of wild growing vegetation, so that we could treat ailments or eat from the "weeds" we see all around us.

* To have a family "go bag" as my friend calls it. A small efficient emergency pack that you can grab and go, that would supply you with emergency rations, clothing, tools, clean water, basic first aid.

* Develop wilderness/or bush skills. Understanding nature and using it to my advantage. Learning to be acutely aware of my surroundings. Understand the body and it's limits. How to make shelter and fire and food out of "nothing".

5. Community - People you can trust are priceless! I have to ask - Do we have people whom we would trust with our lives? Do we have people whom would give THEMSELVES up for us? Would we do the same for them? Do I have a place designated for my children to go (permanently) we were to die or be permanently disabled? It seems to me, that the ONLY way, we could find these people, is if we were to BE these people first!

6. General Health - This is something that we do NOW. We need to take responsibility for our health now. Without it, we can not effectively do the practical things required of us on the homestead. Homesteading is work. You are right - you can have a gentleman's farm where everything is run for you by others..but that is NOT a homestead. Learn what it means to be healthy and choose those things over the other...simple on paper - right? This is simply something we can not ignore...if we do not have our health - our whole quality (and quantity) of life is compromised or traded. Yes, there are events in life that may steal one's health that could not be prevented - but more often than not - so many of today's health issues CAN be prevented or fixed by making deliberate changes in our daily habits and convictions. These are things which it is our resposibility NOT to ignore.

7. Fight or Flight - With the hostility of the climate of freedoms on parents, farmers, homeschoolers and the faith community rising in leaps and bounds. I have to ask myself - what would I do if..... If state or federal authorities told me I HAD to put my children in state institutions (schools) or could not buy or raise my own healthy food (just their modified kind), or that I could not teach them the Bible, or that I had to administer some sort of mandatory drug to them that I understand to be unsafe, or any number of things!! (Now I know this sounds conspiratorial - but honestly, I really only go here long enough in prayer to ask for guidance and advice from Yah! However, these are questions I must ask myself.) The fact is - the answer is not clear for me accept to lean into HIM with all I am for guidance on that specific instance IF it arises. I will do what He should have me do at that moment. It causes me to increase my intimacy with Him, so that I know, that I know, that I know HIS voice. So that I may be prepared. It causes me to realize how very dependant I am on HIM and that there is not better place to be!

8. Money- Some people want to chalk everything up to "money". In our time together as a married couple we have experianced a extreme spectrum the yearly income difference over the last 17 years (from 6K - 300K yearly!). It is from that experiance I can speak. YES, it is nice to have a lot of money at your command. However, I have learned, that even more importantly than HOW MUCH you have, is what you do with what you have that really matters! Are you spending it wisely? Do you use it to glorify the Father or yourself? Does it reflect HIS values? Do you live WITHIN your means or do you use credit, always living just outside your means? Do you live generously toward others? Do you sqaunder money on things that tickle your flesh (no matter how big or small)? Do you use your money to purchase things that are contrary to the vision that YHVH (God) has put in you? These are all questions that must be honestly answered in this area of preparing. The topic of money is very revealing as to our spiritual condition; and so we return back to the 1st point once again (Spirituality and our relationship with Yah). This is so typical of how YHVH works and so typical of the patterns He sets forth in His Scripture...His creation, His plan and His training take us in cycles...year after year and we learn and grow and get willingly wittled into the Master's likeness. I wouldn't have it any other way..I am so thankful that HE prepares me!

May your cup overflow with love to spill onto others. May your barrel always be full of grain and your bottle full of oil. May the work of your hands glorify Him. May you have sweet fellowship in His Kingdom. May your days be numbered with great vitality and passion for His ways. May you let YHVH choose your battles. May you invest your skills and 'talents' wisely to edify your Master. May you be ready for Yeshua's return with your lamps full and your hearts pure.

Blessings in Him, pamela

This post was shared at Preparedness Challenge

Mullein and Herbal Learning Tips

I was so excited to discover a Mullein plant that had self seeded in one of my pots that had dirt in it, but had not planted in! What is Mullein you might ask? It is a wonderful medicinal herb that has very helpful in healing bronchial issues. (That is how I have always used it.) But it has lots of other uses too. Mullein is a biannual herb, it runs in a two year cycle of growth. Each year, you harvest different parts of the plant.

Whenever, I research an herb, I like to use multiple resources. I found this to be a very valuable principal to follow. In doing so, I get a better rounded understanding of the plant, its uses, its environment, etc. Some resources will mention one thing while others will mention others. Often information is repeated...which tells you that that information is the strongest most dominant information...but so often it is the "extras" that help you see the FULL picture. Sometimes you may even come across things that may seem contradictory...so that is also something that alerts you to research that aspect further to get a better handle on WHY their was a contradiction and how that may apply to your usage and experience. Speaking of pictures...The more you see the herb in its different stages and settings, the better you become at recognizing it in the wild! Your eye becomes keener to the things to watch for. At first, it may look like every other weed...but that changes after you have seen it lots of different pictures of it. Also, by using different resources, the repetitious information seeds itself more strongly in you in a way that does NOT SEEM boring or drab because it is worded differently or in a different format - things like that. It makes the learning process more "interesting" for me. The best teaching is interacting with herb in person, that will soon come when you are able to recognize it! Once you see, taste, touch, and smell that plant it will become as familiar to you as a rose or a dandelion!

Here are some simple examples of that with reasearching the plant Mullein to share with you. While I can't share my home library with you or let most of you come touch my precious little gift that seeded in my pot, I can share with you "internet style". These are not all the places I have explored online, but it will illustrate my point and you will probably learn a thing or two about Mullein, even if it is something you are familiar with...I know I did.

Articles:Mullein at a Glance
Wildman Steven Brill on Mullein
HerbCraft.org


Videos:



Mullein in the fall:


Crazy Cool Survival Uses for Mullein!


This post was shared on the Preparedness Challenge

Slippery Elm Bark for Tummy/Colon/Sore Throats and more

During one of my weekly updates (Family Jots and Tittles), I mentioned that we had a tummy bug and I was treating it with Activated Charcoal and Slippery Elm. A dear friend from Australia, commented asking for more info possible. (Be careful what you ask for Lus!) ;-) So she is the inspiration for this post. I hope you find this information helpful too. I used them alternately - not together. The charcoal was to purify/detox our system, in case we had been exposed to food poisoning or some toxin we were not aware of. We took this in capsule form (I make my own with veggie caps - it is something I always have on hand - it is a MUST for one's natural first aid kit - it has many applications).

Slippery Elm Bark can be powdered and taken in capsules. It can also be made into a "gruel" (which is kind of like a thick tea or thin porridge). It really tastes better than it sounds! It is a sort of a light nutty flavor, that I find quit pleasant. It is very safe for children and infants, so I love to have it on hand, knowing it is safe for all. Slippery Elm Bark is also very nourishing to the whole body, often used as a food when recovering from any number of illnesses. It is very soothing and healing to the whole digestive tract, not just the tummy but especially the colon. As a matter of fact, it is used to sooth sore throats - so really, it helps you from brginning to end!! :-) It is often one of the few things that people can keep down when they are nauseous. It soothes indigestion and is a wonderful remedy for diarrhea or constipation. It is also a key herb to use in healing Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). It heals that which CAUSES the symptom - not just the symptom!

The following method is a very effective and easy way to take method of preparing and taking this healing powder. My 4 year old has a very sensitive digestive system and she doesn't yet take capsules well. I gave her these Healing Herbal Balls (below) and she popped them like candy. I now keep this powder mix on hand in a jar. (You could do this with Slippery Elm Powder alone too.)

Healing Herbal Balls

Equal parts of Slippery Elm Powder, Licorice Root Powder, Marshmallow Root Powder, and Comfrey Root Powder

When you want to take it, put a little pile on a plate and add several drops of water to the powder and work it together with your fingers to form a little dough similar to soft pie dough. (You could use a spoon too, it's just not as fun!!) Roll into pea size balls. Take three balls (just swallow them down), every 15 minutes to half hour depending on the severity of the case - as needed. You may also store some premade balls in a Ziploc bag in the fridge to keep them moist if you want to make a bunch of them at once. I got this recipe from Rachel Weaver.

Slippery Elm Gruel, Rosemary Gladstar
It is nice to have these powders premixed on hand. You can also make a jar full of gruel and store in the fridge and warm it up as needed. You can do the same thing with plane old Slippery Elm by itself, but this is the "supped up" version. It is safe for infants they may drink as much as they like. If momma is nursing it is also wise for her to drink 3-4C a day to help a colic baby.

1 part marsh mellow root powder
1 part slippery elm powder
1/8 part cinnamon powder
1/8 part fennel seed powder

Water

Use 1 Tablespoon of mixed powders per 1C water. Bring water to boil - turn down heat to low. Mix in powder, cover and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.

You may sweeten with maple syrup to taste, for more mature pallets. You may add this to warm cereal too take it that way too.

Botanical Information for Slippery Elm


More Uses for Slippery Elm

Introduction to Slippery Elm


I want to echo here the fact that Slippery elm does make a wonderfully soothing ande delicious tea, but you want to use the "cut and sifted" version for a clear tea, as shown above in my gallon jar, not the powder. You ALWAYS want to cover your cup, as shown in the video to hold in the volatile oils that can evaporate in the steam! (Do that for ANY medicinal infusion.) I am a BIG fan of herbal teas! They also make LOVELY Popsicles in the hotter months!! My kids LOVE herbal teas!! The more I think about it - this might be the easiest way to encorperate slippery elm into your lives if you ar enew to herbs. You can keep a sippy cup full of cooled teas for the littles or make them by the gallon jar and keep them in the fridge for the whole family on hot summer days in the summer time!! You can make teas with powder, it will just give you a cloudy sediment in your tea. It an be strained with some effort too. (It's just not something I would serve "company" or picky folks.) :-)

The following video looks like a great way to do it too...I'm looking forward to trying this, I've never mixed peppermint in, but have used honey! The honey version is nice if ones needs a little energy pick-me up at the same time.


Here is a quick reading about nutritional value of Slippery Elm


Slippery Elm - in the wild. Don't be turned off by his word "slimy" and describes it as tasting like "pencil shavings". This is not my experience, but it is good to see what others think. :-)


Slippery Elm for animals!


Be Well!

This post was shared at Simple Lives Thursday

Sorghum

Have you ever heard of Sorghum before? I hadn't until we moved to Tennessee. We noticed these signs up all over our area at the Amish farms. We started asking around and found out it was a sweet syrup similar to molasses. Well, I am never been a huge fan of molasses, except for putting it my ginger bread...so that was pretty much where the buck stopped for me. But then, last Sukkot, some friend of ours asked for some help during the week of the feast to go to their farm and help harvest the sorghum. We new nothing of it, but when a friend in Yah asks for help what do you do? GO (whenever we can)!! Right??!! Well we do. Anyway, it was an adventurous day, and even though we worked and it was hot - it was a lot of fun!

Sweet Sorghum is a tall (8ft or so) grass/cane. It kind of reminded me of corn. Our job was to strip the leaves down off the stalks and then others (who better knew what they were doing) came behind us and hacked the stalks with a machete and put them in piles. The stalks were then taken to a local mill where the stalks are pressed to remove the cane juice inside. It is boiled down like maple syrup to get more concentrated in flavor. (We did not witness this part.) They brought us a jar of it later as a thank you for helping and it was delicious! I would describe it closer to the flavor of honey than molasses! You can use it like honey. It is so much milder than molasses. I was told this was the sweetest and mildest they (and others) had ever tasted...so I hope it wasn't a fluke. But we are going to try to grow some this year! We figure with the economy going the way it is and food prices doing what they are, it is good to diversify into different areas of self sustainability. We are told it is hardy and grows in just about any soil and is not very picky, it can withstand drought pretty good.

I researched some more and learned that sorghum grain is the third most important cereal crop grown in the United States and the fifth most important cereal crop grown in the world. The United States is the world's largest producer of grain sorghum followed by India and Nigeria. It is a leading cereal grain produced in Africa and is an important food source in India. Leading exporters are the United States, Australia and Argentina." Hmm - who knew?? This Yankee girl didn't. Apparently, it is a "southern thing". As you can see from the other regions in which it is grown, it likes the heat.

The tops of the plants generate the seed grain. This can be used for a plethora of things! The grain can be ground into a flour, or cooked similar to rice. It can be made into porridge or popped like popcorn! It is used for animal feed too! The birds love it, so you have to beat them too it. Some varieties are used as wild feed plots for hunters.

This year we are experimenting with our own sorghum. We got seed form our local Amish which is another story in itself: I had been researching seeds online and found out there are many varieties, that have different uses and stronger qualities for the various uses. I was finding about 10gr for about $3. Other places we saw 100 or 200 seeds going for the same price. We weren't sure how much we would need for the patch we had designated, but estimated about 2500 seeds based on our square footage. That would be close to $40 at that rate...we thought there would have to be a better way. Our friends said "check the Amish" (DUH!), so we did..and within a half hour we were driving home with a POUND of seeds (way more than we need) for $1.50!! No tax, not shipping and we met some new neighbors in the process, perfect. Buy local - right?! YES!! We'll have to take pictures of our process and let you know how it goes. We have a mill to press it, close by, so we are covered there too.

We don't know what to expect for syrup or seed yield. If things go well and we like it, (and we get a tractor to work with) we will increase our crop next year.


This post was shared on The Barn Hop

A Quick Challah Tip

To help lighten the load of dishes and meals on Erev Shabbat (Friday) consider this handy tip tha we employ often. Make your Challah dough on Thursday! Simply make dough and pot in a sealed bowl (plastic wrap works great) in the fridge. The next day, take out and shape and let rise and bake as usual. It is so qonderful having this "instant" dough on hand on Preparation Day!

Here is Home Shalom's Whole Grain Challah Recipe and with Fruity Variations (especially nice as a breakfast bread!)

Our Feast Notebook

In the beginning....the Feasts were very confusing! There was so much to learn and sort through in regards to YHVH's Appointed Times. There were (ARE!) calendar differences and teachings, traditions to consider. The relevant Scriptures were peppered here and there in The Bible and wanted to keep track of the threads of evidences of the Feasts in not so obvious places, as we discovered them outside of the initial Torah instructions too. It was SO much to keep up with! So I decided to start a Feast Notebook. This notebook has nothing but FUNCTION in mind. Organizing my thoughts from one year to the next is important to me as I desire to see the "big picture" of His plan and how He has unfolded our own walk as we learn to synchronize our lives with it.

These are other elements that I try to incorporate into my Feast Notebook:

• I chose a notebook that was rugged enough to last through the years, and could handle being toted with us, shoved under the car seats during trips to special events and to withstand the riggers of camping trips for Sukkot. I wanted a notebook with lots of room, and secured pockets too. I love the zipper element of this too. It helps hold in loose odds and ends that may get tucked in "on the fly" and it keeps them safe until I can get back to it and properly secure and organize them. This notebook was the perfect choice for us.

• I also wanted a place to tuck teachings that were helpful or instramental in our walk in regards to the Feasts, as well as links.

• I wanted to provide a place to journal our personal experiences, each year for each event. How we observed it and the personal little thing you don't want to forget, like mishaps, and things related to the development of the children, as well as our spiritual revelations and growth.

• YHVH always puts new people in our path during the Appointed Times. People whom we can minister to and others who minister to us. We are so encouraged by seeing what Yah is doing in the lives of others and the work that he is doing in the hearts of His people as He is restoring them to His Word and Himself in mighty ways! This too, is something I want to keep records of. This helps me keep these folks in prayer year after year, even if we never have the opportunity to meet again. This community is like none other...there is a true sense of FAMILY that is built in keeping Yah's Appointed Times together. It is like brothers and sisters coming together to honor the Father they love at His request, they gather and celebrate Him. This is also a place for a "directory" to stay in touch with those folks, since they are often from far away places. It is so precious!

• Decorations, centerpieces, teaching tools, and things like that were also things I wanted to make notes about or even save in a "feast tub" to reuse if we really liked them. The notebook would provide a central place for that. Maybe that centerpiece we used that one year, didn't "do anything" for me...but one of the children remembered it as very special and they would like to recreate it when they start keeping Feasts in their own home. One may never know! SO a picture or even a little "how to" that was saved might really bless them in the future. It might bring a little piece of "home" with them when they find them selves far from us or maybe we have passed on.

• I have a divider with a pocket labeled for each Feast. These are placed in order of the Biblical Year. On the front of each divider is a "practical" element of the timing of the feast (which was so helpful in the beginning!!). The pockets allow me to quickly tuck in loose papers, pamphlets, keep sakes etc.

• I wanted to have a place to collect special feast recipes. I have our Pesach Lamb recipes, Charoset, and lots of Matzah recipes. Food is always intermingled into the Appointed Times in some way, so I wanted to be sure I recorded my successes, and even my failures if they are things I want to be sure to learn from.
  
  Now, don't get me wrong. I love things to be beautiful too...and I really enjoy the creative process of making things beautiful and special! However, I had to accept that there is 'a time and season for everything'. So I came to terms with the fact that for now...in this season (of likely SEVERAL years), I am going to try to just record as much as I can...then when the kids are grown and I have more time on my hands...if Y'shua has not yet returned....I will turn this eclectic collection of materials into a beautiful keepsake for each of my children. That was a compromise I decided I could live with.
  
  Keepin' it Real: When it comes to cataloging things, I seem to always fall short of my intent to do the grand things I plan. I start things and don't follow through to my satisfaction...but that is changing as I learn to be more practical about my goals and limitations and stop beating myself up over my ideals and my reality. I still aim high, but I have learned to push through my imperfections and make lemonade out of my lemons (instead of pitching the lemons in the trash, because I originally planned for was 'peaches')! With persistence and grace....each year, I get better and may add a new element or habit to the process to make it more complete and thorough. One year I might be really good at adding recipes, while another year I may be really good at journaling. One year I may forget about it all together, while the next year I become diligent to update and contribute to all the elements of the project.... And so it is...an accurate record of our walk after all..isn't it?!!!
  
  
  

Preparedness Challenge #2 - Planting an orchard

This week for the Preparedness Challenge we planted an orchard!

10 apple trees, 4 peach and 4 cherry and a whole lot of love and prayer! I know it can be a real challenge to grow organic fruit, but with lots of prayer and lots of reading and research, we hope that this becomes a large source of food for us and maybe even others! Oh...they don't look like much now...just 18 scrawny little trees that are about 5-6 feet at their tips....but they are the most beautiful little twigs I ever did see! In three years time if YHVH blesses our efforts, we should see some fruit for our labors! We have planted them in front of the house, across the street. This will provide us easy access the trees for maintenance and monitoring. Our well is also just across the street in our front yard. I am looking forward to sitting in my rocker on the front porch and watching my trees blossom into gorgeous bouquets of flowers. I am also looking forward to setting up benches and mowing the orchard. I can see it as a wonderful place of meditation and reflections. I can see bee boxes in the back ground....a swing, maybe a picnic table or a cot for precious Sabbath naps. Oh....how my romantic imagination runs.....

In this planting process...We also discovered that we will need to take down about 30 (count them, I said 30!) Cedar trees on the property for the sake of our lovely orchard, because of the dreaded Apple Rust Fungus that comes when apple trees and Cedar trees are in proximity of one another!! We hate to do it...but food trumps wood! It isn't too terribly hard of a choice, because while these trees do provide aesthetics we appreciate, the do not provide other imperative functions right where they are. So we gotta do what we gotta do!!! (I think I'll go back to that "happy place" of sweet fruit, birds, blossoms, bees and shaded Shabbat naps in the summer for just a little longer!)

Preparedness Challenge #1

Amy over at Homestead Revival (Picture above is linked) is doing a quick and easy little blogging linky. To participate, we simply complete this sentence:

"This week, for the Preparedness Challenge, I investigated local resources for used food grade (55 gallon) plastic barrels. I found them, but have yet to get the price. We will use them to better store our personal bulk pantry food items, as well as our chicken feed, pet foods and likely some alfalfa pellets to train our 'soon to arrive' heard of Barbados Black Belly Sheep. "

It's not cheating if I was going to do these things regardless of the 'challenge', is it??? :-) I thought it was great idea, so I hope she doesn't mind me jumping in.

Homeshalom's Mexican Hot Cocoa Mix

I was raised in Michigan, where cold and winter are very much a part of the culture. My mom would always make up a big batch of dry hot chocolate mix that you could just add hot water to. That is something that was always one of the kids' favorite parts of winter. :-) We still have cold down here in TN (but nothing like Mich!) and really appreciate "warming our bones" by the cook stove after wood collecting, hunting, outside chores, caring for the animals or play. (We also do this with herbal tea and broth too!!!) So I started hunting for recipes online.

Canning Venison

I have read that some people really like to can their venison, so we gave it a try last week. It was so quick and easy to do and we are able store it without further electricity (we are trying to find ways to live sustainably off the grid so this is a especially attractive to us)! We are so very excited to find that we are not sacrificing flavor to do it!

For The Love of Work (with Little Ones)

It has always been a value of ours to raise our children with a strong work ethic. Some people might think that this is something only "farm families with 10 kids do", but that could not be further from the truth. We started this right from the start with our family, when we only had 2 kids and rented a house "down town" with about .27 acres of land! So I want to dispel that myth from the start. :-)

Now that we are on the farm and those first two kids are really at an age that their training for the years prior is showing it's fruits. They are a big help! Since we have chosen to homestead and our family has grown, there is no lack of opportunities to learn and do things. This is also a value we cultivated way before we ever kept Shabbat or knew there was such a thing as "Preparation Day"...yet like everything that YHVH leads us to do on Preparation Day is a wonderful exercise to put these principles in action! And it is followed by another wonderful object lesson of balancing our love of work by resting on Shabbat. It helps us to learn to be still as we sit back like YHVH did in the beginning and be satisfied with the work of our hands, the blessings that He has poured upon us and the ability turn it all off for Him. It's a beautiful thing.

Chocolate Challah Bread Pudding

I have not yet tried this at the time of this post, but it looks so amazing (how could it not be delicious???). So I thought I would share it. Now, I won't forget to try it either! :-) I am just discovering that there are quite a few Challah Bread pudding recipes out there...I'm am going to have to experiment this winter! :-)

Serves 8.
1 pound challah, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
3 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
6 large eggs
2 yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

• Spread challah cubes on cookie sheet and let dry in warm oven (250 degrees) about 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a small saucepan combine the chocolate, milk and cream over medium heat, whisking until mixture is smooth.
• In a large bowl whisk the eggs and yolks with the sugar and add the hot mixture in a steady stream. Whisk in the vanilla. Stir in the challah.
• Transfer the mixture to a buttered 3-quart shallow baking dish. Let stand 10 minutes for challah to absorb the custard mixture.
• Bake about 30 to 35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm.
  
  

Whole Wheat Bread Machine Challah

This is a nice no fuss way to mix up a single loaf with out much trouble. Its also nice if you have a cold kitchen that make rising bread hard in the winter or need to leave the house on Prep Day. It can also easily tossed in to two loaf pans and baked as regular loaves. It is a sweet bread light bread (as Challah should be!). I have a Zojirushi, which is said to be only machine to use for 100% whole grain breads. I do love it! It is wonderful when life is hectic (or I am pregnant!), because we can still have fresh whole grain bread will no effort at all. It is also wonderful for summer time. I plug it in on the porch and it doesn't up the house like the oven does. (Which is important in the south!)

1 1/2 cups water
5 egg yolks
1/3 cup oil
4 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup Rapedura/Sucanat (or natural sugar)
1 tbsp. active dry yeast (we use Saf yeast - instant)

Place all ingredients in bread machine pan according to the manufactures direction and start the dough cycle.

Preheat the oven to 350. Divide the dough as you like and braid into challahs. If you divide it in half you will make two medium sized challahs. Let the dough rest and rise on a greased baking pan for 30 minutes.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Apple Rushdie ( pronounced rooshdee)

This is actually Ben's Specialty. It is an old family recipe (Swiss) that his mom used to make and we find that it is MOST delightful when made with leftover Challah! Since "leftover challah" is kind of an oxymoron in our house, I have to stash the second loaf for Sunday morning to make this dish happen, but it is so worth it! If anyone heads for the bread box..I just say "we're saving it for Rushdie" and they will happily to find another snack (and won't let me forget)!

Left Over Challah, cubed

Butter

Apples, cubed (slightly smaller than the challah, we leave the skin on)

Rapedura (or maple sugar or brown sugar)

Cinnamon

• Use a large heavy bottom skillet and melt a generous amount of butter in the bottom. (like 1-2 sticks depending on the amount you are making!)
• Put your cubed bread in the hot skillet of melted butter and let is toast your first side or two of the cubes - for a few minutes. Turn them onto an un-toasted side and
• Add your apple cubes and cover (you may need to turn the heat down a smidgen) for a few more minutes. Peek to be sure your heat isn't too high.
• Your apples will soften, but don't let them get to mush. The smaller your cubes, the quicker they will cook.
• Now sprinkle brown sugar of choice over top and cinnamon to taste. Serve warm.

We eat this for breakfast and is especially decadent with raw cream or whole milk poured over top if you have it!

p.s. Ben says try to remember to take the organic stickers off the apples...Sometimes he forgets. :-)

Sourdough Whole Wheat Challah

I got this recipe from some dear friends of mine (the Fourniers) who do not use commercial yeast anymore, only natural (sourdough) leaven for all their baking. This is their staple Challah recipe. I LOVE sour dough, it is out primary bread especially in the winter...(However, I must admit when I want Challah...I usually default to my Whole Grain Honey Challah.) This is a tasty bread...and a great alternative to play with (or use on other days with your starter!). I have learned a new trick with all my other sour dough breads that I have not had a chance to try with this one yet. That is to put the loaf (on parchment paper) onto a hot (preheated tray or stone) and cover it with a bowl. This helps the sour dough spring up and creates a LOVELY texture in the bread...more spongy and less dense. The next time I make this bread, I plan to try that, because when I made it...it was tasty...but dense. It was more dense than when they made it and served it to me...so I am not sure what I did differently. :-)