I love this info from www.homesteadingsurvival.com. This is a fab low cal substitue for oil in cooking. In the majority of recipes you can use applesauce to replace fat on an almost one to one substitution. If a recipe calls for 1 cup of oil for instance, you can use 1 cup of applesauce instead, especially in any baked goods recipe. Start with replacing ¼ a cup and increase to the entire amount. There is no need to alter the cooking time and your finished products will turn out nice and moist with great flavor and lower fat!
 

Vegetable Stew Recipe

Great way to use your garden veges, or veges from your local organic market. This 1930.s recipe is courtesy of www.cappersfarmer.com. It is time tested, harty and nutritious.

Here is the recipe. Or go to their site and check it out....

Vegetable Stew Recipe       

Version I
1/2 cup carrot
1 1/2 cups potatoes
1 cup lima beans
1 cup peas
1/4 cup onion
1/2 cup tomato
1 tablespoon butter
Version II2 sweet potatoes
1 small onion
1 1/2 cups green beans
1 cup corn
4 okra pods
1 large tomato
Salt and pepper
Version III
1 cup potato
1 cup tomatoes
1 onion
1/2 cup celery
1/2 cup carrots
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup cabbage
Version IV1/2 cup onion
1/2 cup potato
1/4 cup celery
1 1/2 cups tomato
1/3 cup carrot
1/2 cup chopped okra
Butter

Basic instructions for all versions: Wash all vegetables, peel those that need it, and shuck or shell corn, beans, and peas. Chop large vegetables into small pieces. Heat olive oil or bacon drippings in a large skillet and brown onions, carrots, celery, and the like. Add to slow cooker with remaining ingredients and 1/2 to 1 cup water or stock. Cook 2 to 4 hours until all the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally and making sure there is ample water at the bottom of the pot. Taste for seasonings and add salt, pepper, lemon juice, and/or any herbs you desire. Serve over rice, noodles, or cornbread.

Reprinted with permission from The Best of The Farmer’s Wife Cookbook edited by Melinda Keefe and Kari Cornell and published by Voyageur Press, 2010. Buy this book from our store: The Best of The Farmer’s Wife Cookbook.

Ready to purchase a plant that glows?

Anybody notice that I hate GMO food? Well here is a GMO plant that sounds fascinating. Glowing plants, yep genetic modification can do all sorts of things, but lets face it what Monsanto and friends are  doing is totally different, take ownership over all crops, etc. Check out this glowing plant, you can actually buy one. Is this type of genetic modification right or wrong, I don't know, its just kind of neat and at first glance it doesn't seem harmful, plus the company producing it, don't appear to be trying to take over the world, etc. Check it out on www.glowingplant.com. Who knows you may even decide to order one.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/antonyevans/glowing-plants-natural-lighting-with-no-electricit

 

Why seeds and growing your own is so essential: food just aint what it used to be.

Food really is not what it used to be; if you think food is not as tasty as it used to be, it's not your tastebuds, it really has been changed. This article about the supermarket tomatoes helps to shed light why tomatoes do not taste like they used to. Check it out on www.takepart.com.                                           

 

Ever wonder why it's just so difficult to find a supermarket tomato that tastes like, ya know, a tomato? Well, the superficiality of the American consumer hasn't helped.

 

Discovery News reports that a protein mutation in supermarket tomatoes provides beautiful but tasteless uniformity. And all signs point to tomato breeders for the genetic manipulation.

In an attempt to simultaneously ripen large quantities of tomatoes, breeders discovered they could manipulate one of the fruit's most important proteins; and in doing so the tomato industry was able to lower costs and increase efficiency.

 

But they also dramatically slashed the tomato's natural ability to do what it does best: photosynthesize. The result? Tomatoes that lack sugar and other delightful nutrients—in other words, their flavor.

 

 

9 Ways to Fix Our Food System

Discovery News has all of the great details behind why tomato industry breeders wanted to toy with Mother Nature in the first place. Head over to their site to dive into the fascinating story.

 

Of course, consumers will have an extremely difficult time differentiating between tomatoes with and without this mutation. It's great for the producer, but not so great for the consumer who craves a juicy, sweet tomato.

 

The obvious alternative to this conundrum? Go local. Your farmers market will provide the beautifully misshapen and deliciously flavorful tomatoes you naturally crave.

 

 

Saving Seeds: A simple art with great value

.  I love this article from www.littlehouseliving.com.

How to Save Seeds

by Merissa on September 17, 2013

How to Save Seeds

If you planted heirloom seeds this year in your garden and think you are done harvesting now, you are wrong! today we are going to learn all about how to save seeds.
To start, we have to know the difference between the types of plants and seeds you planted in the first place in your garden.

Hybrid Seeds -
Hybrid Seeds are bred to be different than their original plant. Maybe they grow bigger or produce more or are more disease resistant. Whatever the case, hybrid seeds are not able to be saved since they are different from the original plant.
Organic Seeds -
Organic Seeds are produced without the use of chemicals and toxic fertilizers. They can be hybrid or heirloom but they cannot be genetically modified. If you have heirloom organic seeds you can save them.
Heirloom Seeds -
Heirloom Seeds are seeds that come from plants that have been around for a long time. They are not modified in any way from the original plant. This means you are able to save these seeds because they will grow into the parent plants.
So if you planted any variety of Heirloom Seeds, you are in luck! You can harvest your plant seeds and save them until next years planting so you won't have to buy new seeds. Below you will find the most commonly planted veggies and learn how to save their seeds.
Beans -
Allow several bean pods to ripen and dry on the plant. Do not let them get wet after they have started to dry (don't water and make sure it doesn't rain on them!). Once they are dry the pods will start to crack open. Try and harvest before the seeds fall to the ground. If you pick the pods before the beans are dry, just lay them out in a dry, warm area of your home and let them finish drying before you store them for next year's use.


Dill -
Harvest Dill heads at anytime after they are ready to be picked. Store in a dry, warm area or hang upside down by the stem until the top part is dry. Harvest the seeds and store for next year. Dill will also re-plant its-self if the dried seeds fall to the grow from the plants before they are harvested.
Cucumbers -
Cucumbers that are wanted for seeds should be left on the plants for long after they are ripe. Remove the cucumber and cut open to remove the seeds. Dry the seeds on a dry cloth or a paper towel in a place they will not be disturbed for 3 weeks before you put them away for next year. Before putting them away, make sure to clean the seeds.
Corn -
Make sure any corn saved is non-GMO. Leave corn to dry out on the stalk. Just like with the beans, do not allow the corn to get wet and do not water the plants while they are drying. Once the cobs appear dry, remove them from the plants and place in a warm dry area where they will not be disturbed for a few more weeks until they are fully dried. Pull the seeds off the cob before storing.
Peas -
Peas can be saved the same as beans. Let them dry on the plants and do not let them get wet. Once dried, pull them from the plants and harvest the seeds from inside the pods. Make sure they are fully dried before you store.
Peppers -
Again, let your peppers dried on the plants before harvesting. Pick the peppers off the plants and harvest the seeds inside (Always wear gloves when working with peppers and do not touch your eyes, I'm speaking from bad experience with this one!). Make sure the seeds are fully dried before you put away, you may need to let them dry for a bit longer on a plate where they will not be disturbed.
Squash and Pumpkin -
Similar to cucumbers, let the squash or pumpkins ripen for a long time on the stems (leave them for at least another 3 weeks past the regular "ripe" stage). Pick the veggies and then leave them for yet another 3 weeks before even opening the plants to remove the seeds. You want squash and pumpkin seeds to ferment before they are harvested and they will do this best still inside the vegetable. After this time has passed, remove the seeds and wash them thoroughly (you want the oily feel to be gone). Dry the seeds from the water and then let them sit to finish drying in a warm, dry area before putting away.


Gourds -
Gourds are one of the easiest seeds to harvest! Simply let the gourds dry out (either on the plant or picked). Once you hear them rolling around inside like a baby rattle you can break open the gourd and pull the seeds out to save.
Tomatoes -
Tomato Seeds need to be fermented before storing just like squash seeds. To accomplish this with tomato seeds, simply pull the "guts" of the tomato out and place in a bowl or mason jar for 3 days with a little water. Once you see bubbling or mold start to form, empty out the jar. Rinse the seeds well and place on a paper towel or rag to dry.
Need more gardening tips? Check out all our Gardening 101 articles!
Have you ever tried saving seeds? Which ones have you saved and did they work for you?

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WELCOME BACK, EMILY

Hi There, I have been gone since June of 2013,so sorry.But I have been busy advancing the cause, or perhaps I should say, advancing the interest. The interest in growing your own food, and saving seeds, and preserving food. I have actually been advancing in those skills, but I have failed to post some articles. So I am back with plenty of info...Stay tuned because more than ever before, I am sure it is time to start to grow your own...Organic Food because...

 FREE FOOD IS GREAT!

DIY: Quick and Easy Pickles in 3 Days

I love this article on a quick and easy way to make your own pickles in three days: Check out this article from the not so super mama.com.

Yes, you read right. 3 days! I LOVE pickles. My last pregnancy I ate an entire jar of pickles and a pint of ice cream for dinner on more than one occasion. When they are small and crisp and a bit of spice to them- WOW! But, I never thought of making them myself. It seemed too fussy, and I wasn’t experienced in canning. Then I saw this recipe on www.frugallysustainable.com and thought I would give it a try. I am so glad I did. What a hit!
I don’t have much of a garden, we’ve had such a mild summer here. So I bought some pickling cucumbers at the farmers market last weekend. The smallest ones I could find, and just enough for one quart size jar. It was hard to wait three days to try them, but it was worth it, and now that I’ve almost finished this jar, I’m heading to the market this weekend for some more cucumbers!  


                                                        Homemade Refrigerator Dill Pickles (Makes 4 Quarts)

• About 20 pickling cucumbers (enough to fill 4 quart jars)
• 1 head garlic
• 2 T pickling spice mix
• small bunch of fresh dill

The Brine

• 2 quarts water
• 1/2 cup raw organic apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup sea or kosher salt

Mix brine together until salt is dissolved. Set aside. Wash cucumbers and slice larger ones in half or quarters (I kept the small ones whole). In each quart sized glass canning jar place 2 fresh dill heads, 4 cloves garlic, and 1/2 T pickling spices. Place cucumbers on top. Pour brine over, being sure cucumbers are covered with liquid. Cover lightly with cheesecloth, or lid.
Let them sit in a dark pantry for 2-3 days. Try them out, and when they taste fabulous, transfer to fridge and enjoy for up to 6-12 months. Mine took 3 days, but a week later, they are gone.
I’m off to the farmer’s market to make more. Hope you enjoy them!