IDC Update & Kitten Pics

I don't reckon these two topics go together, except that these are our future mousers; very necessary on any homestead!

Firstly, here's my Independence Day Challenge update for last week, July 4 - 10:

1. Plant Something - nothing this week

2. Harvest something -

• broccoli
• Swiss chard
• strawberries
• watermelon
• eggs
• blueberries
• chamomile flowers
• cucumbers
• tomatoes
• yellow summer squash
• sweet basil
• okra
• tomatoes

3. Preserve something -

• froze blueberries
• canned Swiss chard
• dried chamomile flowers
• dried sweet basil

4. Waste Not –

• the usual
• Canning water - I let it cool and use it to water plants
• reuse soaking & cooking water

5. Want Not –

• saved lettuce seeds
• bought 3 more dozen regular pint canning jars & 5 dozen more lids

6. Build Community Food Systems –

• blogging about it
• gave away watermelon, tomatoes, & summer squash

7. Eat the Food –

• blueberries, strawberries, & yogurt on morning cereal
• leftover whey to replace 1/3 water in reconstituting orange juice
• blueberry pancakes
• watermelon for lunch
• cole slaw
• scrambled eggs with sourdough toast & canned strawberry jam
• sauerkraut & Swiss chard "kimchi". Interesting.
• cold cooked green bean & tomato salad
• sautéed onions & okra (yum)

And here are photos of Katy and Riley. They're growing fast!

Katy is shy, curious, affectionate, and afraid of her own shadow. If she thinks she's alone in the house, she cries piteously, and comes flying when she hears me call her.

Her coloring is lighter than Riley's, but when they're in action, I still have to check the tips of their tails to tell who's who (the tip of Katy's is white).

These photos don't do her coloring justice, but she's definitely a torbi. From the bird's eye, she looks like a dilute tortoiseshell. Her tummy and legs though, are definitely tabby.

This first photo of Riley was taken several weeks ago, so he still looks a bit kittenish, but I think it's a cute pic. He still loves shoes BTW ...

As you can see below though, at 3 months old, he looks like a little cat!

He's definitely a food monster. In the little video clip, he's the one in fast forward, while Katy is in slow mo being patient....

That's it for now.

For more Independence Days Challengers, click here.

IDC Update & Kitten Pics text, photos 
(except for the IDC image above), 
& video copyright July 2010 by 
Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

Blender Cole Slaw

When I planted nine Dutch Flat cabbages last spring, I was envisioning filling my huge crock with homemade sauerkraut. Well, the cabbages didn't do as well as I hoped, and what I harvested at the end of June were on the smallish side. I still might have made them into sauerkraut, but with 4th of July around the corner, I had a hankering for cole slaw. I have a pretty easy recipe, so I thought I might pass it along to you.

Dan likes a simple cole slaw, with cabbage and carrots only. I'm sure you could add other vegetables, but those two are all I use. I used the last of our homegrown carrots in the first batch, so the ones I'm using here store bought.

I simply cut everything in to chunks, and put them in my blender, which has been filled about 3/4 with water.

I've learned that carrot chunks can get stuck in the blades, so I always put in cabbage wedges first. It only takes a few seconds to grate. In fact, it's easy to completely juice the cabbage, so I take care to keep an eye on it.

I catch and re-use the water from the blender. When I'm done blending, I usually pour it on plants, but really, I think it could be used as a cabbage & carrot flavored cooking water.

The other ingredients are mayonnaise (not homemade yet. That's on my list of things to learn), leftover pickle juice from any favorite batch of pickles, and sweetening. Here I have dill pickle juice from last year's homemade, and honey. I whisk them to taste in a big measuring cup. I honestly don't know the proportions, because that varies with the pickle juice and personal preference.

After that, it's mix, cover, refrigerate, and let sit for several hours or overnight. If I don't make enough sauce, I just mix up a little more and add it too.

I love this recipe because it's simple and quick. It's a favorite summer time salad.

This recipe is part of Food Renegade's Fight Back Fridays! For more real food recipes, click here.

And

Vegetarian Foodie Fridays (Click for more entries)

Are you a cole slaw fan?

Blender Cole Slaw text & photos (except for images at left) copyright July 2010 by Leigh at http://my5acredream.blogspot.com/

Dining Room: As Done As It Gets For Now

At long last, I can announce that with one exception, the dining room is finally done.

That exception is the doors: the double French doors going to the living room, and swinging kitchen door. I won't do the French doors until we finish the living room, and the kitchen door just isn't a priority right now. Other than that, the dining room is livable. Yay!

We started work on it last November, and finally got the pictures on the wall the last week of June. Most of it has been done for awhile, but we put all house projects on hold while we got ready for chickens and goats.

It's been so long since I posted anything about our dining room, you probably can't even remember what it looks like. ;) Here are before and after shots, along with a few extras.

Before

After

French doors remain white until we finish the color scheme in the living room. This is on hold until we put in the new front door, as it will require tearing into the living room and front of the house as the new door is considerably larger than the old one. Another shot of that corner...

The print on the wall, along with two others in the dining room, are originals from a Godey's Ladies Book. I have some close-ups of two of them here.

Next corner...

Before

After

That corner hutch...

.... contains a family heirloom tea set. It was passed on to me as the eldest granddaughter. I have no idea as to it's age or maker. There are no identifying marks on the backs and bottoms of any of the pieces. I just remember it in my grandmother's china cabinet when I was a very wee girl.

Continuing around the room.....

Before

After

Eventually I'd like to replace the table, chairs, and hutch which are oak, with something a little more formal. I'm thinking cherry, but that may be awhile.

A neighbor handcrafted the hutch for me me many moons ago. Dan woodburned on it and I love it. Details and close-ups here. You can click on any of those pics to enlarge them.

And another view of that corner. And looking toward the kitchen...

Before

After

As you can see, the swinging door into the kitchen has yet to be re-hung. Actually, Dan started refinishing it but we set that aside for other homestead projects. In the scheme of things, the door can wait.

What you can't see very well in those photos is the floor.

We love the floor we put down and finished ourselves, but also bought an area rug for under the table and chairs. It helps protect the finish, adds a little color, and helps with room acoustics.

I know I've shown you the medallion and new dining room light before, but here it is again, in the finished room.

You might have noticed that I collect Blue Willow. I won't bore you with all those, but here's a shot both Michelle and Minikat will appreciate...

Lastly, here is our dining room project blog link list, with details and photos of we did:

Beefing Up the Dining Room Floor - adding support to the floor
Color For The Dining Room - choosing a color scheme & painting
Removing The Old Linoleum - & preparing to put down a new floor
Sort Of Like A Jigsaw Puzzle - laying out the new hardwood floor
Dining Room Floor: Getting There! - installing the hardwood floor
Dining Room Floor: Sanding & Staining- & polyurethaning
More Problems With The Dining Room Floor - & what we did about it
Dining Room Details - threshold, baseboards, cabinet details, & swinging door

Would love to hear what you think...

Dining Room: As Done As It Gets For Now text & photos copyright July 2010 by Leigh athttp://my5acredream.blogspot.com/