Mom's Awesome Refrigerator Pickles

These pickles are AWESOME!  They are so awesome that my son, who doesn't like pickles loves these!

They also will last at least a year in your refrigerator, if they last that long once the family starts digging in.

Ingredients:
-3 cups sugar
-3 cups vinegar
-1/3 cup salt
-1 tsp mustard seed
-1 tsp celery seed
-1 tsp turmeric powder
-1 onion, sliced
-cucumbers, sliced {however many you need to fill a large container, gallon ice cream pail or other sealable container}

Process:
1. Add sliced cucumbers and onions to a large container alternating  layers to mix.

Note: The container will hold onto the smell of the pickles after they are gone so pick a container you won't need to use for something else later.  I have used a washed out bulk sized Miracle Whip container, they have a screw on lid and fit in the door of the refrigerator.

2. In a bowl combine all other ingredients.

Mix well.

3. Pour the vinegar mixture over the cucumber and onion slices.  You may not be able to fit all of the liquid into the container; you just want the cucumbers to be covered.

4. Cover the container and place in the refrigerator for at least a week.  Try to stir the pickles daily, if you remember.

These are fantastic on their own, great on burgers and barbecues, enjoy!

Homemade Affordable Garden Markers

Well, its official we have 6 new baby chicks!  Ombre is being a great mother and seems very happy.

Its been quite a while since I posted; I've been very busy with garden prep, starting seeds, the beginning of the farmer's market and the animals.

Today, I'd like to share with you an easy and affordable way to make your own garden markers.

I started doing this last summer and if you can easily identify your plants you can make it as simple as this...

Materials Needed:

-package bamboo skewers {usually you can get a pack of 50 or 100 for $1-$2}

-outdoor spray paint {I prefer a bright color so they are easy to see and don't blend in with the plants}

Process:

1. Stick the pointed ends of the skewers into the ground, just enough so they stand up.  

{I stuck mine in an area by our barn where I knew the paint on the rocks and grass wouldn't bother me until it started to wear off.  You could also stick them in some sand or lay them out on a large piece of paper or cardboard, but you would have to turn them after one side is dry.}

2. Use the spray paint to paint skewers from all sides.

3. Allow to dry completely, the drying time will depend on the current humidity.

If you are planting a large variety of items and/or are not sure you will be able to identify the plants as they grow you can take one extra step...

Extra Materials Needed:

-used canning lids, plastic container lids or shapes cut from the sides of a plastic milk or juice jug

-strong, permanent glue {I used E9000, I got mine from Hobby Lobby}

Process:

Just glue the lids to the top end of the bamboo skewers before painting.  Allow them to dry completely.

Someone spilled my garden markers,
but you get the idea of what they look like; right?

Then, use a permanent marker or paint marker to write the information on the plant marker.

 Enjoy!

Crockpot Sloppy Joes

These are so easy to make!  You can put the ground beef in the crockpot frozen or not.  

I found the original recipe from The Stay-at-Home Chef... I looked for the recipe on the site was not able to find it!

Note:  You could use a low fat content if you are worried about the extra grease since its tough to drain off the grease from the cooked sloppy joes.  I used an 85%/15% blend and it wasn't overly greasy.

I think I'll be making these for supper tonight!  Serve them on some fresh buns with pickles or any other toppings you like on your sloppy joes!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
-1 1/2 lb. ground beef {or other ground meat, no need to thaw if frozen}
-1 cup tomato sauce
-1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
-1 tbsp molasses
-1 tsp worchestershire sauce
-1 tsp onion powder
-1/2 tsp garlic powder
-salt and pepper to taste {about 1 or 2 tsp each}
-1/2 to 3/4 cup brown sugar
-dash cayenne pepper
-2 tbsp prepared yellow mustard
-2 oz. applesauce, grape jelly or apple butter

Process:
1. Place all ingredients in crockpot.  Turn on low and stir occasionally, to blend everything and break up the meat as it cooks.

2. Allow to cook for 6-8 hours, the mixture should thicken up.

3. Enjoy with your favorite sloppy joe toppings!

Caring for the Animals in -18 Weather/How to Sprout Mung Beans

You know its going to be cold the next day when all of the local school districts are cancelling school at 5:00 Sunday night!  So, no school for Big Mr J today.  And the hubby's truck wouldn't start this morning without him having to charge the battery. Cooold!

Since it is incredibly cold {yes, its supposed to be -18 air temp here tonight}, I've decided the chickens are staying in today.  At this very moment (11 a.m.) it is -14.8 degrees, but with the windchill it feels like -41 degrees!

What am I doing to take care of all of our animals?

Well... my chickens are fairly spoiled since I have been taking them warm breakfast ever since there has been snow on the ground.  

What I do is boil some water in the tea kettle, make a mix of some grains and others, pour the hot water over the mix and let it sit and absorb the hot water and cool enough so it will  be safe for them to eat.

What do I mix for them?

I always use:

-layered feed

-cracked corn

-old fashioned oatmeal

-black oil sunflower seeds

-dried wakame seaweed

Other things I sometimes add:

-chopped fresh spinach

-sprouted mung beans

-ground apples or apple peels/cores

-ground unsalted peanuts

-ground fresh cranberries

-unsweetened pureed pumpkin

-shredded cabbage

-raisins

-molasses

-peanut butter

-bacon or other meat grease

-flax seeds

-quinoa

-anything else I may have in the fridge that isn't salty or sugary and is safe for them to eat

Other things I like to prep and give to them are sprouted Mung beans; I ordered this 5 lb. can of Organic sprouting beans from Amazon.

I little goes a long way!  

Just two tablespoons of dried beans will sprout and expand to fill a 1 quart jar!

What you need:
-Mung beans
-water
-quart jar with matching screw on ring
-4 or 5 inch square of mesh fabric or screening

How to Sprout Mung Beans:

1. Measure 2 tbsp of Mung beans into a glass quart jar {you could probably use plastic too, but I've never tried it}.

2. Cover beans with enough cool water to cover.  Top jar with mesh and screw on ring and allow them to sit overnight at room temperature.

3. Drain and rinse beans.  Drain completely.  Place on counter, out of sunlight.
4. For best results, you will need to rinse and drain beans 3 times per day.  This is why the mesh and screw on lid it so helpful; you just run cool water in through the mesh, swish it around and drain right through the mesh.

Tip:  I like to place the jar on its side during the sprouting process; it allows the beans to sprout more evenly.

5. You will know the sprouts are ready for your pets or yourself to enjoy when the sprouts begin to grow little leaves.

I like to treat my chickens with the sprouted Mung beans by putting them into a suet feeder and hanging it in the coop.  

A quart jar of sprouts will tightly fill both sides of a double sided average sized suet feeder.

Another thing... I think I have FINALLY solved the problem of my pullets sitting/pooping in the nesting boxes on these so cold days!  

I made a curtain that wraps around the nesting box shelf yesterday.  So far, so good.  

Toothless went in right away after I installed the curtain late yesterday afternoon, I also closed up the coop for the night, she laid her beautiful egg.  But since I didn't go back out there, I had a frozen egg this morning {with wood shavings stuck to it}!  Oh well, my fault; I knew she was going to lay and thought about going out to get the egg, but then also listened to the wind outside and decided not to collect it.

The cats are hunkered down in the cat house and the barn most of the time. 

The challenge for me is keeping their heated water bowl from freezing over.  I have placed the bowl in a tote on its side to help shelter the bowl from the wind.  So far its helping just a bit, I still have to go out and break the ice on the surface every once and a while.

The cows are doing very well.  They got extra corn and grains this morning and their hay has been placed on the side of the barn where the barn is acting as a wind block.

Oh and I got a scare this morning, the power went out and didn't come back on {every once in a while it will go out for a couple seconds and pop right back on}.  

I checked the fuses, breakers and even the meter outside and that had even lost power.  So, I waited 10 minutes and made a call to the electric company.  

They said the service workers were out in the area, she thought they were working in a different area that had power out even earlier.  So I was hoping we wouldn't be wearing our coats, snow pants and hats in the house!  To my relief the power came back on 20 minutes later, not to bad!

Hope everyone and every animal is staying warm and safe!