Hobby Farms Forums / Food and Recipes / HobbyFarms.com Forum Topics

Maple Syrup

Norsemn — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:39:11 GMT

First time posting a Topic but it's New Year's Eve in NE Iowa, 0 degrees and sinking but I know there will be a spring and I would like to know if it is safe to boil down maple sap to syrup in a galvanized cattle tank that's 4' X 2'...yes we have that many maples here. Any advice would be appreciated.

Bread in Freezer

cweick — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:33:57 GMT

Need to stock up on bread for P2's piglets. Reason #1 that and milk is the only thing the owners feed them right now. Reason #2 need to slowly change them over to pig starter.

So if the deadline to bring the piglets home is March 13th...how far in advance can I buy bread and store in the freezer? Does anyone have an ideal about how long bread will stay good in the freezer?

Thanks.

Ooops...never should have gone to Walmart!

amandahagarty — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:53:39 GMT

So it was friday--friday is shopping day. I really didnt need anything critically. I did not stop to think this is one of the few days in the last 7 that there wasnt a state of emergency and restricted travel. So I went to Walmart. Big mistake. Shopping took an hour but there was a lot of food not available--especially for someone like me who is brand loyal and into natural food wherever possible. There was no eggs or milk. The selection of meat, cheese and countless other items was limited.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amandajunehagarty/4352367147/
That is the effect of having heavy snow last thursday, friday and saturday followed by another blizzard the tuesday and wednesday after that. There were skads of walmart people in the store just trying to get what they had newly delivered out onto the shelves...mostly candy bars and soda--gotta keep those in stock for sure!
Then the joy of trying to get out of the parking lot. This took 3 hours!!!! You had a lot of people doing silly stuff...getting mad and yelling at people. Add a few horses at their wits end pulling Amish buggies into the mix and you get a right mess!
This picture barely does it all justice!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amandajunehagarty/4353115106/

PLANNING A GARDEN FOR CANNING

NH farmer — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:50:02 GMT

trying to plan a garden for canning. how much should u grow to can. any suggestions.

Demerara sugar

amandahagarty — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:01:58 GMT

I moved from the west coast of Canada to Dover, DE and now I can't find anything I used to shop for :( One thing is Demerara sugar. Its like brown sugar only the crystals are larger. I have found something called Demerara in the local grocery stone but its dry not moist. It is much better than brown sugar IMO in my recipes and I would like to continue using it here. I was thinking about ordering it online but I don't want to end up with the wrong kind of sugar. Does anyone know what I am talking about or what product and brand is good?

This year I grew my own Ginger

amandahagarty — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:57:31 GMT

When I found an unused ginger root sprouting in my cupboard I decided to plant it. Doing a little research online I decided it wa best to plant it in a pot as it cannot tolerate freezing and as mild as the climate is here we can get a good freeze in the winter now and then (balmy 60F here right now woo! about time we got a bit of a thaw!)

It grew furiously fast and might have flowered even but I planted it a little late and when I brought it inside my cats started nibbling at it and it stopped growing. Although everyone recommends letting the rhizomes mature a bit and to not harvest until the second season I decided to see how things were going and I dug one up.

It was the most amazing tasting ginger I have ever had. It sliced like butter and I made candied ginger, ginger cookies and ginger ale with it within a few days. I felt like it would be a crime not to use it all right away.

I seriously will never buy store bought ginger again after this experience. Its so easy to grow and the tough bland stuff from the store is nothing in comparison!

Deviled eggs fresh from the farm

CathyW — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:56:18 GMT

First a little background: my husband is a chef, a songwriter and does a little catering on the side. I am a chemist - working at a small pharma company - with a dream of one day being able to mess around on my farm full-time (I say mess around because I am not much of a gambler and can't foresee me ever taking the plunge and trying to make a living off the farm - as much as I wish I believed I could do it!). We have a five acre place with chickens, sheep, goats, a cow, vegetable garden - you get the picture...veritable hobby farm...BUT we both work full-time at our other jobs and therefore the farm's not always as productive/efficient as I think it should be. I have a grand design in my head of how it should be - with the farm feeding us and surplus going to farmer's markets/catering jobs...but the reality is not quite there yet...maybe one day!! Anyway, I strive to find uses for our home raised products in a catering job and I am very proud of my fresh free range chicken eggs, so when hubby had a request for a Christmas party buffet for a local recording studio I was quick to suggest deviled eggs as one of the dishes. We had some great looking parsley that the frost had yet to nip and at least five dozen eggs in the refrigerator and I was thrilled at the thought of being able to serve our farm-raised stuff!
So...hubby boiled all the eggs (added a little vinegar to the water to prevent shells cracking) and started to peel them. After ruining three eggs I got one very unhappy phone call calling my eggs all kinds of different rude names and asking what exactly was wrong with these eggs that the shells wouldn't just fall off them like the ones he uses in the restaurant! A little internet research suggested adding baking soda to the water when boiling the eggs to facilitate peeling and otherwise just confirmed that fresh farm eggs are notoriously difficult to peel when hard boiled. Does anyone out there have other suggestions for how to easily peel fresh hard boiled eggs for the next time? I hate to leave my eggs sit for a month before cooking them just to make for easier peeling!!
For the catering job we ended up buying a bunch of eggs at the store, boiling them up, easily peeling them and using their whites filled with deviled egg filling made using our lovely rich bright yellow yolks My chickens got the eat the cooked yolks of the store bought eggs so nothing was wasted and the deviled eggs were a hit at the party - so all ended well...but I just had to share the story and still wondered if anyone else had similar experience or tips to offer?

Goose for Christmas

cweick — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 07:28:32 GMT

Okay I'd never expected this one in my life time.

We are getting a goose (dead and plucked) for Christmas all I have to do is cook it.

How do you cook it? What size roaster do I need?

Need HELP and thanks.

Cup of Coffee

cweick — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:34:41 GMT

What brand do you drink besides the flavor?

I purchase Community Coffee. Was raised on it and they also have the UPC to help your local school. They get 24 cents per proof of purchase and it can be off their coffee, tea, filters, sugar and creamer.

Ponhaus

Williams — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:32:02 GMT

Our Pennsylvania Dutch neighbors came over the other night for a sled riding / bonfire gathering. We had venison backstrap, mulled cider, Christmas carols - a good old time gathering and what I love about this valley.

Sooo, now my question: They brought us a nice cake of 'ponhaus' as they called it. You and I know it as scapple. I know it was a very generous gift given with love, and I was ashamed to admit that I don't know how to cook or serve it.

I know many people fry it - but is there another way? Anybody have any good cooking or serving suggestions? If I don't use it all soon, can I freeze it?

Hijacking the WalMart Meat post; Healthy Food

Melody — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:20:02 GMT

Someone mentioned that the topic had changed somewhat. I wanted to head a different direction, so I posted new. Although, I will say...I bought a turkey from WalMart this year, because we did not grow any of our own. It was a name brand, and it was OK. I prefer ours.

We grow our own pork and poultry. I buy beef from someone I know. I know the prices are higher, and that's a big deal for us now, as we "discovered" that we're making almost 15% less than we did in 2000. (Due to salary decreases, which at least allowed my husband to keep his job!)

But I would strongly suggest looking around for local growers, if you can't grow your own. You may have to buy bulk, but not always. Our friends in WY sell beef by the piece and rarely have anyone buy a side or half. I prefer to buy local (except that when I visit them, I bring home beef!) so I ask the large animal vet, the feed store owner, people at church, in town, or I have even resorted to looking in the newspaper. Our previous beef guy (we bought from him for 8 years, then he retired) was a newspaper contact. He lived right around the corner, so I could check out our steers as they grew.

I have spent too much on food; I admit it. I will never regret buying good food. We have been married 28 years, have 4 children, and go to the doctor for checkups. We get sick maybe once a year, and the doc rarely sees us for that, becasue its a cold or something mild. The pediatrician commented on that last year, when our daughter had a check-up and he hadn't seen her since the last one! I really feel our good nutrition has helped us keep our medical bills down. Our 14 year-old daughter did have swine flu this fall. She eats really badly, like a teen, and I tell her so. She's my one kid who actually needs to be told, "Your stomach hurts because you haven't eaten much today." She just doesn't recognize the signs like her brothers do. But the rest of us did not get sick.

So bite the bullet, buy the good stuff, local when you can, and tell your doc to get someone else to pay for his car!

What's your favorite Christmas/Holiday recipe?

amandahagarty — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 08:55:16 GMT

I have quite a few but my absolute fav is a mini raspberry tart recipe that my mom got from a friend when I was a kid. For some reason we only ever made them at Christmas time and we made them absolutely every Christmas. They are chewy and sweet but not too sweet. They always get good comments from guests--mostly "mmmphf!" and gestures of liking as their mouths are full of tarts.
I used to save time (aka cheat) and use frozen raw mini tart shells but I went to every grocery store in town my first Christmas here in Dover (a city with a serious grocery deficiency!) and finally ended up buying a mini muffin baking pan instead and making the whole thing from scratch.
Here is the Recipe:
Mini Tart shells: use your fav pie crust recipe and and mini muffin tin or buy them frozen if your luckier than me.
Filling: 1/2 cup Raspberry Jam
Topping:
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp corn starch
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup coconut (medium, semi-sweet) *I can't find Med. here so I used flakes*

Beat eggs and add sugar, corn starch, salt--mix well. Add melted butter, lemon juice, vanilla then fold in coconut.
Prepare mini tart shells. Spoon in 1/2 tsp jam and 1 tsp of topping in each. (If you have people who don't like coconut then you can omit the topping in some to be nice to them--tho they don't know what they are missing!) Bake for 30 minutes at 375F.

If you have the pre-made shells this will be the fastest recipe you ever made. I know this is the Hobby Farm Home forum and probably making from scratch would be in true keeping with the spirit but I also think time saving is a priority at the holidays since there just seems to be so little of it!

Walmart Meat: Who Buys it?

Drawbar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:13:49 GMT

I hate to admit it, but we do buy our fair amount of stuff at Walmart, but the one thing we absolutely refuse to buy is their meat...any of it. To me it just does not look natural. I am not sure whose idea it was to inject that deep red dye into the meat to make it look better, but I think it backfired. Everyone I know of says they buy stuff from Walmart, but not their meat. This included a guy whose wife even works there...they buy everything but the meat.

So you would think the powers that be at Walmart would do something to make the appeal of their meat a little better...they must be losing market share to their competitors because their meat look so lousy and unnatural? I am not saying their meat is bad...it probably passes inspection and all that, but it just seems to me they would cut back a little on the red dye.

Would you guys buy their meat if it was a little better looking? I am not sure I would to be honest with you. Other choices are more expensive, but....

new info

hideunderarock — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:10:55 GMT

According to Cattlemen 2 Cattlemen last night, any store in the US that is not using the Country of origin label system is breaking the law and you should ask them what they are hiding.

Preserving Pears??

collyottfarms — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:52:35 GMT

I will be picking pears this weekend and want to preserve them. I was going to follow the BALL freezing method but was wondering if anyone had any good recipes for canning, freezing pears. Also any good recipes for using them later on would be great - my son is the only one who will eat plain pears so I need cake, bread, pear butter or cobbler recipes.

Thanks for anything you send my way!!

Soups,Soups,Soups,It's that time of the year!

valerie56 — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:43:57 GMT

1 Lb. fully cooked bratwurst links (I used Hillshire Beer Brats,they were delicious)cut into bite -sized chunks

2 med. sized potatoes peeled and chopped

2 cups of water

1 med. onion,chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1 t. fresh parsley and basil

1 t. minced garlic

4 cups shredded cabbage

2 1/2 cups milk

2 T. flour

1/2 cup of either swiss or parmesan cheese

In a large pot bring the bratwurst,potatoes,water onion and seasonings to a boil turn down to simmer for 10 min.,add cabbage simmer for 10 more min. Add 2 cups of the milk,in a bowl or jar combine the 1/2 cup of milk and flour together,pour into the simmering soup to thicken,adjust seasonings to your taste and add the cheese.

This is good with cornbread or a crusty bread,no bread? try some croutons.This is a quick,good, hearty soup,especially on a cold day.Enjoy!

Good Recipe for Beer Mustard??

collyottfarms — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:12:51 GMT

I am looking for a good recipe for canned beer mustard -I want to make it in large quantities for dear hubby and to give away as Christmas Gifts

Summer Sausage

cweick — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:36:36 GMT

How do you make summer sausage?

I just go to the slaughter house in Kentwood to buy it.

Thanks.

A Most Excellent Meal

Drawbar — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 15:00:46 GMT

Since my wife was out grocer shopping, my daughter insisted that she cook supper for me, so I let her and oh what a unique "tasty" meal it was.

It started with the coffee because she knows I love coffee. She used the coffee pot on the stove and mixed in my usual sugar, cream and not so usual flour.

For a main meal it was Macaronni and Cheese, flour and Turkey.

The veggies side of things consisted of Broccolli and crayons.

And for a desert it was Blue Berry Ice Cream Pie!

Now for those of you that know me, my daughter is only 3 so we spent a half hour (the longest portion of her short attention span) doing a tea party in her play room and use plastic spoons, pots, pans and wooden replicas of food, to make all this. It was probably a good thing this was after our real supper because I probably would have still been hungry.

Either way it was a wonderful "meal" really. It truly is amazing to watch your children grow, get really involved with food and cooking knowing that their imaginative play today may start a life-long love of food, cooking and farming. In that context, it was the best meal I have had in a long time. It did not fill the tummy very good, but it sure filled the heart!

meats

walls0stoneIV — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:02:38 GMT

how many of you dry or wet age your beef?

Exotic Meats Question

Drawbar — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 03:56:06 GMT

How about doing a list of edible meats that you have always wanted to try but have never had the opportunity to eat?

I know as a lamb producer a lot of people have never tried lamb before, so that may be your answer, but for me I have heard that turtle actually tastes delicious, but I have never had turtle meat before despite the rather robust reviews it gets.

I know my Grandmother grew up in the Depression without a father and subsided on the cuts of meat that no one wanted. With 7 girls in the family and no boys, they survived on beef hearts, lamb liver and deer and rabbit.

So lets try and get a list going of strange, but edible meats and maybe even some recipes.

vegetarian recipes wanted

vives — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:55:17 GMT

Does anyone know any good vegetarian mock meat recipes, especially for things like sausages and seafood?

Vinegar or oil for flavoring question

hotrodryder — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 09:36:39 GMT

I grew some herbs this summer; lemon basil, cinnamon basil, garlic chives; and want to do some oils and vinegars with them for my family for Christmas. Well, this is my first attempt at it and wondered if anyone could give me tips on which to use with what and what is the best type of base product. I am assuming that white vinegar is best for flavored vinegar but not sure. What on the oil? Any suggestions?

Homemade chicken stock

Happy Palace — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:38:35 GMT

I made a big pot of chicken stock over the weekend & would like to can it. I googled for info & can't find anything for water bath canning. Is it okay? If not, why not? I don't have a pressure canner & couldn't use one if I did since I have a ceramic top stove.

If I can't can it, I'll freeze the broth, but then it's always frozen when I realize I need it! Thanks!

Bagels and Toppings

cweick — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:00:43 GMT

Which kind of bagels do you like and what do you put on top of it besides cream cheese?

Thanks

Freezing ?

Farmermom — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:55:06 GMT

I'm over run with peppers & squash right now some of the zucchini is going to be ground & froze for bread over the winter but my question is with the other smaller squash and the peppers if I slice & vaccum seal before freezing will they be all mushy when I thaw them out? or will the vaccum sealing help keep them firmer?

Speaking of Coffee

cweick — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 06:20:47 GMT

What's your best cup that you ever had?

Who was it with and how was it made?

Pop had this metal drip pot that he would put over the pilot lite over night adding sugar and cream and by the morning you could stand a spoon in the small cups that he would pour it in. If the spoon did not stand up he would lite the fire and get it stronger.

Home ground corn

Douggifford — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:27:12 GMT

A couple of months ago I picked up several ears of corn from a friend's field that had been knocked down during silage making. I got a hand crank grain grinder for my birthday last month. Last week I ground the corn and made my first batch of corn bread using locally-grown, hand ground corn. What a treat. Earlier this year I made two loaves of wheat bread from wheat growing along the road I ground in my blender. I am now hooked on grinding my own grain. On Wednesday I picked up enough corn from my brother-in-laws field to last all winter, and I have planted a plot of winter wheat on my property. I also cleared a plot to plant some open pollinated corn of my own next spring.

Local Breakfast

Drawbar — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 05:14:56 GMT

Its been a slow day so far...and far too hot to do much. I just got one sick sheep to tend to now so that took only a few minutes and with the wife and kids all gone, I figured I would make a decent meal.

It all started this winter when I plowed out my neighbor during a fierce winter storm. he gave some bacon from a pig he slaughtered. The egs were local as well, and while the bread for my egg sandwich was not, it still tasted pretty darn good.

Next came the blueberry smoothie. Blueberries are in harvest right now, so a neighbor gave me a few quarts of them. I mixed that into a smoothie and as I type away, I', chowing down and drinking away. If it was not for the oppressive heat, it would actually be quite delightful!

Rutabaga recipes

prettypalfrey — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:22:37 GMT

Hey everyone.

I was hoping people could give me ideas on how to use rutabagas. Recipes websites anything would be useful. Maybe things that are kid friendly as well.

Pumpkin dip..

NEAlaMADhouse — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:15:05 GMT

I use a wonderful and easy recipe for pumpkin dip that I want to share with everyone. It makes a really large batch, so sometimes I cut it in half. Serve this with crisp ginger snaps or cinnamon bagel chips - yummmm.

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin (or your own fresh pumpkin)

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 tablespoon vanilla

For parties I take a small pumpkin or colorful squash and hollow out the inside, cutting the top as my "lid". It makes a festive and edible decoration!

Best cookbooks

Drac — Fri, 15 May 2009 19:27:52 GMT

What are your favorite cookbooks? A couple come to mind for here are Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and Home Made in the Kitchen.

I have been using Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day for a few months and love the convience that it gives you to throw a loaf together in a few minutes. You get about four days worth of loaves in each batch. It has several master recipes that can be varied for dozen of styles of loaves. It even has recipes for other products such as pretzels and pizza doughs.

Home Made in the Kitchen is a fantastic book that covers all sort of "old school" skills from preserving to oils, vinegars & condiments, from dairy products to kitchen growing & drying.

Jim

Diced & vaccum sealed 6 pints of peppers

Farmermom — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:28:04 GMT

I spent most of this morning dicing then sealing 6 pints of green peppers which is no easy task when you have 4 cats and a pug helping the kitten is the worst because she gets in race mode & has to climb what ever is in her way (which is usually me). I'd seed, slice, then dice a cutting board full vaccum seal those then do the next round.

I did find out the hard way though no matter how good you think you've washed your hands DON"T itch your eyes, that burns so bad it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.

Apple cake in a jar

doglover5 — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:57:01 GMT

Hi ya all. Just wondering if anyone tried the recipe for apple cake in a jar? I did and it is really good but but my jars did not seal. Need advice since I would love to make more to send to college with my son. Thanks

Worlds simplest cobbler recipe

Wichman — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:35:11 GMT

ingredients:
16 oz fruit pie filling (or 1 can filling or 1 can sweetened fruit)
1 box yellow or white cake mix
1 12 oz can lemon lime soda
Margarine or butter.

In a 2 qt covered casserole dish. Dot bottom with margarine or butter, several pats will do. Pour in fruit filling. Pour in cake mix. Gently level cake mix, doesn't have to be perfect. From a height of 2 to 3 feet, slowly pour soda into cake mix evenly (all over the mix, not in one spot). The Cake mix is supposed to foam, no worries.
Place in preheated 350 degree oven, bake for about 40 min or until top is golden.
Enjoy. Great with ice cream or whipped topping.

Since Flu Season Is On It's Way

StahlHomestead — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:32:20 GMT

Here's the recipe to what I call "My Concoction". It's great for clearing the sinuses during a cold, flu or allergy attack! I swear by it!

2 c. chicken broth, 2 cloves garlic, pinch cayenne powder

Bring stock just to a boil. Crush garlic cloves and add to broth. Throw in pinch cayenne and serve hot. Sip slowly. Makes 2 servings.

Ma-Maw and P2's Cake

cweick — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 05:45:37 GMT

Back field of the cake.

Need Science Project Help

cweick — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 07:27:46 GMT

Okay we know that you can get two guineas eggs to equal 1 chicken egg.

How many eggs will it take if you use quail eggs to equal 1 chicken egg?

How many chicken eggs make up one duck egg?

How many chicken eggs make up one goose egg?

What about a peacock (peafowl) egg? Never seen one. Is it bigger or smaller than a chicken egg?

Are we missing any other type of egg that you can use in cooking? If please add to list.

Does 3 large chicken eggs equal 3/4 cup? Please correct me here if I am wrong. The only thing that get measured around the house is the chicken feed.

Thanks a bunch.

Corn Cob Jelly

cweick — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:15:33 GMT

We had some one stop at the house yesterday evening asking for some of P2 drying Indian Corn. (Hand doing better, that you all very much.) P2 sold some to this lady and asked what she needed it for and she said she was going to make corn cob jelly and that the Indian Corn does better than Sweet Corn.

Does any one know how to make it or a book that can tell me how? Because this might be our reason for planting Indian Corn again next year.

Thanks in advance.

Dog treats?

Drac — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:57:04 GMT

Home made dog treats

Bones

1 3/4 cups water
4 cups whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 large egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I use canola)
1 cup sundried tomatoes
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cilantro
1 tablespoon parsley

1) Preheat oven to 375 F

2) Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, mixing well, then knead by hand to form a stiff dough

3) Roll out dough to 1/2-inch thick and cut out bones (or any other shape) with a 2 1/2-inch cutter

4) Place bones on a greased baking sheet and bake for about 50 minutes. Cool completely before serving and store in an airtight container.

Banana Nut Cookies

1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed
1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups oats
1/2 cup peanuts, chopped
1/4 cup applesauce

1) Preheat oven to 350F

2) Mix all ingredients together thoroughly.

3) Drop spoonfuls of mixture onto an ungreased baking sheet, and press flat with a fork.

4) Bake for approximately 15 minutes, then cool on a rack before serving. Store in an airtight container.

Scones

2 cups white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1/2 cup slim milk
1 clove garlic, minced

1) Preheat oven to 350 F.

2) Combine flour, baking powder and honey in a bowl. Add oil, egg, milk and garlic, then stir until mixed thoroughly.

3) Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead.

4) Roll out to 1/2-inch thick, cut into 2-inch squares and place on a greased baking sheet.

5) Bake for 15 minutes, allow to cool on a rack then serve. Store in an airtight container.