We don’t always have a lot of time. Shopping is time consuming and tedious at best. BUT there is something to be said for deliberate shopping. What is deliberate shopping? Simply put it is taking time to shop. Be conscious of your purchases. Take time to compare prices and check labels for ingredients. Don’t always buy what you know. Right now prices are changing rapidly and frequently. Once a month take time to shop deliberately. Be certain what you are purchasing is the best bang for your buck.
If you do this at least once a month, you will begin to notice you actually enjoy this time of shopping. For me, I cannot do this effectively with others in tow. So, the hubby and I make plans that I will have an hour or so to shop on my own once or twice a month. My future goal is to have time to do this once a week, because the results are bigger savings and a less chaotic mind. This simple activity makes frugal living a blessing in disguise. Make time to do this and your wallet will thank you because your money will be right where it belongs!
These are my thoughts.
Leslie Valeska
~Contributing Writer
Leslie Valeska is the lucky wife of Thomas.With children ranging in ages from 4-16, she has had a lot of time to learn and experience much of the fine art of homemaking. Simple Journey Ministries was established to encourage, support, and inspire women, from all walks of life, to engage and continue on a path of Godly Womanhood. You can visit her at her blog Journey to Simplicity (www.leslievaleska.com/blog), Simple Journey Ministries (www.leslievaleska.com), and Simple Journey Bookstore (www.leslievaleska.com/bookstore)
Alrighty... You responded and here they are!
Blurose submitted this recipe:
Panzanella (Mediterranean Bread Salad)
Dressing:
1/3 cup EVOO
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. water
2 cloves shallots, peeled and crushed
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
Salad:
4 cups diced zucchini or summer squash
1 Tbsp. oil
4 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 large red or sweet onion, chopped
1/4 cup green olives, chopped
1/4 cup black olives, chopped
1 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 large red bell peppers, roasted, peeled and chopped
1 pound bread -chewy bread like baguette
To make the dressing
Put the dressing into a large bowl. Saute the zucchini or summer squash in the oil;use high heat and work quickly, so the squash will brown but will stay somewhat firm. Remove from pan and cool. Chop tomatoes, along with the juice. Put tomatoes and juice in bowl with the dressing, add the remaining chopped veggies and mix well. Can let stand in the fridge for several hours.: Mix the dressing ingredients together and let sit for an hour or so.
To make the salad:
Preparing the bread:Chop bread into 1/2 cubes and toast lightly in oven for 15 minutes -you want chewy not crunchy.
Assemble: About 30 minutes before you serve, add bread cubes and toss.
Ok, here are my changes: First I didn't have any squash ready from the garden so I used some new potatoes from the garden, I just boiled some golf ball sized ones and used them. I also ommitted the red wine vinegar opting instead for browning some garlic in olive oil and using that as a dressing. I cut most ingredients back to half so as to make a smaller amount. I also did not add green olives but did add some fresh grated parmesan (not the powder kind in a plastic can) And lastly I used our fresh milled whole wheat bread as the bread because it is chewy and does not get soggy like store bought bread and it worked out wonderful. If you want a yummy but different than the regular old garden salad -you will just have to try this!
Foggy Mountain Farm's Suggestion:
We love zucchini in stir fry or breaded and fried but also like to shred it to use when making zucchini bread and zucchini muffins...
bu my favorite is Zucchini Relish. I got the recipe from the Ball Blue Book of Home Canning and it's a great way to use up all the extra zucchini. Tastes wonderfully in a bowl of pinto soup beans and some cornbread! YUM!!!
Tiredmamaof5:
We love zucchini! When Our zucchini's come in I try and make most of them into desserts or breads so I can store them in my freezer for winter. I usually make bread, muffins, cakes, whoopie pies, cookies, and bars. They all freeze well.
ZUCCHINI WHOOPIE PIES
1 cup sugar
1 cup grated zucchini
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup crisco
1 egg
2 cup flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts
Mix together zucchini, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, crisco and egg. Mix dry ingredients together, add milk. Combine until smooth and stir in vanilla and nuts. Drop by TBSP onto greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 9-10 minutes.
gabbie427:
I like to make zucchini chocolate chip bread.
Belle:
I make Fried Zuchinni and Zuchinni Muffins! They are very tasty!
For Fried Zuchini, I slice the the Zuchinni in rounds, I dip them in egg and flour, then I put them in the skillet with a little vegetable oil, fry them, flip them until both sides are brown, then, they are ready to eat!
Reginascott:
We like to put zucchini in our fajitas and casseroles too. 2 of our other favorites:
Slice lengthwise. A little oil and a little seasoning, then throw on the grill.
zucchini lasagna
slice lengthwise
in bowl combine 15 oz ricotta cheese, about 3 eggs, 3 T breadcrumbs, 3 T parmesan cheese, and about 1/4 teaspoon each of parsley, oregano, and pepper.
Spread some spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a 13 by 9 pan. Cover with about 1/2 the zucchini, ricotta mix, and about 1 C of shredded mozarella. Cover with more sauce and then make another layer. Cover again with sauce.
Sprinkle top with 2-3 T of parmesan and breadcrumbs to liking. Cover and bake on 350 for 45 minutes. uncover, bake 15 more min.
I don't remember where we found that recipe, but we love it.
Fantine:
We've never been successful with squash because of vine borer but, in season, I do purchase it cheaply and in quantity at the local farm market. We love it as follows:
Wash and slice squash slightly on an angle for largest surface area. Peel and slice onions (separate into rings). Place olive oil and butter in skillet over medium-low heat, and swirl until butter is melted. Increase heat to medium and add garlic, squash and onions. Cook until all are translucent and starting to brown at the squash edges. Sprinkle with tarragon and stir to distribute the tarragon evenly. Serve warm with a sprinkle of sea salt.
We're also big with zucchini bread and zucchini corn muffins!
3 1/2 c. plain flour (I use soft white wheat)
1 cup nuts
4 eggs
2 c. sugar (I use sucanat)
2 c. chopped zucchini
1 c. oil
1/2 c. chopped dates
1/2 c. raisins
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
Beat eggs till thick. Add sugar gradually, add oil and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients together and beat slow for 3 min. Fold in zucchini and beat a little. Fold in nuts and raisins and dates.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50 min or until toothpick comes out clean.
Makes 2 loaves.
ZUCCHINI - CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
1 c. brown sugar (I use sucanat)
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour (I use soft white wheat)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 c. oatmeal
1/2 c. coconut
6 oz. chocolate chips
1/2 c. nuts
1/2 c. butter
1 c. zucchini, shredded
Beat butter, sugar, egg and vanilla. Add all dry ingredients and oatmeal; mix until smooth. Add coconut, chips, nuts and zucchini; mix well. Drop by spoonfuls (same as chocolate chip cookies) on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
Vegetable Lasagna
1 Large Zucchini diced
1 Large Onion diced
1 Large Bell Pepper diced
Olive Oil
Several cloves of garlic
2 quarts of tomatoes, diced, crushed, sauce whatever
Basil
Oregano
Salt
Pepper
Sugar
Cheese Mixture
1 12 oz. cottage cheese
1 8 oz. ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
basil
pepper
Whole Wheat Noodles
Heat your EVOO in your cast iron skillet. Then add your diced onion and garlic, making sure not to burn. Saute' for a few minutes until tender, add your zucchini and pepper. Saute' that for a few minutes until tender as well. Add your tomatoes. Now add about a tsp of salt, a Tbsp sugar, a few shakes of pepper and then take the basil and crush it in the palm of your hand you probably want about a tablespoon of this. Now do the same with your oregano. Mix it well and taste. If it is too tart add a bit more sugar, if it is too sweet add a bit of lemon juice... taste and let your taste buds tell you.
Meanwhile boil your Whole Wheat Lasagna noodles in a big stock pot with a liberal dose of real salt.
While your noodles are boiling and your sauce is simmering make your cheese mixture.
Beat 2 eggs in a large bowl. Add your cheeses and mix well. Add your basil the same way you did to your sauce and then pepper.
Once you have all this ready it is time to assemble
Pour just a bit of the sauce on your casserole dish to give it a base to start with and your noodles won't stick.
Add a layer of noodles, now cheese, now sauce... over and over until you finish.
Bake at 350* for about 45 minutes and then sprinkle a hefty amount of mozzarella cheese on top and bake again for 10 minutes. Let it rest for 10 minutes and serve with a nice green salad and some lovely crusty bread!
Enjoy!
As one of the co-creators of The Schoolhouse Planner, I am so happy that it is finally available for purchase. It truly is a wonderful planner and one of the few out there that is interactive, meaning you can personalize the pages BEFORE you print them out! The planner contains forms for managing your home as well as your homeSCHOOL!! Please feel free to leave a comment if you have a question about the planner and I'll answer you here on my blog UNDERNEATH your question.
... Kris
We are so excited to announce that our much-anticipated Schoolhouse Planner is READY!
The Schoolhouse Planner has so many wonderful features. You told us what you wanted in a planner, and we have delivered!
Some of the main features include:
Calendars in various forms - yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily
Planners for your homeschool - in various styles to meet your individual needs
Household planning forms
12 "homeschool must-know" items, one for each month of the year
12 essays from some of our favorite authors in the homeschool community - you absolutely won't want to miss these!
24 easy main-dish recipes from some top homeschoolers around the nation
and so much more!
PLUS, the Schoolhouse Planner is interactive! You can type right into the pdf! If you have Adobe Acrobat, you'll be able to save the changes you make. (Note: If you only have Adobe Reader, you can type in your planner information, print it, but will not be able to save these changes.)
Don't forget, monthly planner add-ons are available for purchase every month. We already have some great holiday related information ready for July's planner supplement!
We're there with you each month to make your home and school planning as easy and fun as possible throughout the year!
Have a friend who likes an organized home and school? Let them know about the Schoolhouse Planner.
________________
We want to say a very special "thank you" to those of you who pre-purchased the planner.
If you pre-ordered the TOS Planner, you will receive download instructions within the next 48 hours. Watch your inbox! If you haven't ordered your Shoolhouse Planner, now is the time to order your copy. The new school year is quickly approaching!
Hello there! Hope your gardens are growing well and you are having bountiful harvests. Though the heat is taking its toll on garden and gardener here, the squash and okra are hanging in there !
I spend the morning hours outside watering and puttering about in the garden and enjoying my containers of herbs, and the afternoons trying to beat the heat indoors, enjoying a good book.....or two, or three!
I've gleaned some great tips from the book, Companion Herbs for Natural Health by Juliette de Bairacli Levy that I thought you might be interested in.
Use your "less than fresh" dried herbs, mixed with wood ash to not only deter pests, but encourage growth.
In Mexico, Sage leaves mixed with goat manure and wood ash produced superb vine and corn crops. The author says she grew wonderful grapes using this mixture, too. Wild sage was used, but I wonder if garden sage wouldn't have maybe at least close to the same benefit?
Bitter herbs, such as wormwood, southernwood, mugwort and rue, powdered and sprinkled in when planting beans, peas, peanuts and cereal grains, will deter birds and act as insect repellants.
I hope those tips are of some use to you. Herbs are simply wonderful, aren't they?
p.s. Sorry that I've been hit and miss here on the Front Porch. The computer is in an "uncooled" room of our little house, and quite honestly, I try to avoid it as much as possible these days . A dear friend from a more temperate climate, likened being in Texas in the summer to being in a clothes dryer ! Pretty accurate description of my office/storage/junk room, too. But....change is coming, not only in the seasons, but in our home situation, too. I'll post more about that on my blog later.
Yep... gardening time is here again, and here in the south things are coming up daisies er, I mean zucchini's! We all know how quickly these veggies can grow, we can pick our garden before we go to bed and then the next morning we can find a big ole zucchini that seems like it came out of nowhere!
So what do you do with your zuchs?
What I would like to do is to compile a list of everything each one of you adds to this entry and then I will make an entry with all the recipes or ideas submitted! Sound good???
Here is mine,
I make zucchini and squash stir fry. A little olive oil in my cast iron skillet. Sliced zuchs and squash go in next and then I add a bit of Bragg's Amino Acids and saute until tender. YUM!
Of course being from the south I make fried squash, but I also fry zucchini sometimes. Just as yummy!
I made zucchini bread. It is my husbands grandmother's recipe and it is FABULOUS! I will share it on our big tip post.
I have made zucchini chocolate chip cookies. Great way to get in a veggie and a yummy treat!
Casseroles! Grate the zucchini up and throw it in one of your favorite casserole recipes... another great way to get in some veggies.
Relish. I have a recipe for squash relish. I have not tried this one yet, but I am sure you can add some zuch's in there as part of the squash... and the relish is good!
Grill it! Put it on your grill with a little butter and garlic...mmmm!
Chop it up with some potatoes, squash, onions and whatever you like. Lay a sheet of tin foil out, place all your veggies in the center, add a few pats of butter and some seasonings of your choice. Fold up the edges of your tin foil and make a little pocket... make sure you fold it up well, the steam will cook it up and make everything nice and tender. Put it in the oven or on the grill alongside your main dish (or make this your main dish). Perfect for a hot summer supper!
I am going to leave the rest for you! Please leave me your favorite way of preparing this lovely veggie and if you have a great recipe, please share that as well!
Have a great day on your homesteads!!
From My Homestead to Yours,
~Chas~
Chasity L. Burrell
Senior Editor Homesteadblogger My Cup Runneth Over at Heritage Acres Farm
Most of you probably know about Path to Freedom and their great story. This video really makes me want to dig in and get started on some new gardening ideas. Definitely some much needed inspiration for this gardener!
I found several projects on their site that I've put on my "Honey Do" list for the summer . Check out their DIY links- you might just find some for your own To Do list .
Hope everyone is having a great gardening season. The heat is on here in Texas, so I'm trying to keep both myself and the veggies hydrated. Plans for the Fall garden are underway, as well!
Chocolate Syrup
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Mix cocoa and water in saucepan, add sugar and heat until boiling. Boil for 3 min! Remove from heat and add salt and vanilla. Pour into a pint sized jar and store in fridge once cool!
Just one more way you can make it yourself!
You can also substitute carob powder for cocoa and sucanat for sugar!
Enjoy!
From My Homestead to Yours!
~Chas~
Chasity L. Burrell
Senior Editor Homesteadblogger My Cup Runneth Over at Heritage Acres Farm
Here are some basic tips for selling rabbits locally in your area. There are many options in advertising meat rabbits and breeding stock that are cost free. First decide what rabbits you want to keep for breeding stock or meat and what rabbits you want to sell. Keep the best for your breeding stock. You will need these for future sales. Don't sell your personal breeding stock! Its almost a guarantee that someone will make you a nice offer for your personal stock-its tempting but not advisable. Just think of all the $ that your stock will bring you in the future-it just not worth it. Decide if you are going to sell breeding pairs or fryers. Let your friends and family know that you have rabbits for sell. When getting started in advertising you want to start slow. The demand for rabbits is usually greater than your stock so don't go overboard at first. Feel out the demand. I usually can sell all I desire to sell with a simple sign that says "RABBITS FOR SALE" post by the road. I do want to add a bit of caution to this---if you put a sign by your house--you will have visitors. If you do not wish to have unscheduled visitors you might put the sign on a road close to your house with a telephone # to call. Some other options are:
1. Putting a sign at the local feed stores information boards.
2. Place an ad in the local free advertising circular.
3. Posting an ad online. There are groups online in most areas that allow this. I.e. Yahoo groups--try farmers groups or homesteaders groups in your area.
4. Talk to your local feed store manager. Some will allow you to sell your stock there or allow you to set up in their parking lots. Saturdays are always a high customer day. Talk to the manager during the week as they are usually too busy on Saturdays.
5. Try your local farmers markets or sale barns.
6. If you have FFA or 4-H groups in your area, notify them that you have rabbits for sale. Home School groups are also a good place to let it be known that you have stock for sale.
There are many cost-free methods for advertising rabbits. Just start slow. If you have good stock most of your customers will become repeat customers and will tell others where to find you. So each year your customer base will grow. I always keep some boxes available to put the rabbits in for transport. Most breeders will bring their own cages but new rabbit owners usually do not.
I hope these rabbit entries have been useful to the readers. At this time I would like to start a question and answer series of entries. So if you have any questions--big or small please ask them. I cannot promise to know all the answers but I will do my best to find answers for you. So any problems you might be having or general rabbit questions please post as a comment below or send me a message on my blog at faithfarm. If you would prefer me not to use your name on the front porch entry just let me know and I'll keep your name anonymous. Thank you for stopping by! Blessings>faithfarm
One basic tenant of simple living is having less stuff. Doesn’t that sound so easy? Less stuff. It doesn’t get more simple than that. Well…that’s a nice thought isn’t it. But getting there is MORE than half the battle!
About seven years ago I went through a nesting period and I decluttered with a tenacity unknown to anyone excepta nesting mother. A year after baby I noticed that someone kept putting things in my home while I was sleeping, or something, because there was stuff everywhere. I tried to get back into that nesting mode, but my attempts seemed futile at best. I was so strongly desirous of getting rid of stuff that I began dreaming of myself saying “Beam them Up Scotty!” while looking at piles of stuff on the transporter deck. YES! Problem solved. What I needed was a transporter for the unwanted stuff! That is when my mindset began to change.
I noted that the only way to control stuff, was to buy less of it. That was a GREAT and oh so unique thought process, that surely I would be remembered as one of the masters. Master of what, I had no idea! But what to do with the stuff we had. Hmmmm…
It occured to me that with the stuff we had and didn’t needbeaming it up to some unknown location was like transporting my stuff to a landfill. I don’t think so. Alas alack, what’s a mom to do with a house FULL of stuff? We have never had any luck with yard sales. We don’t have time for Ebay, what with all the picture taking, posting, weighing, packaging, and transporting the stuff to the post office. Oh and those post office lines! Ebay doesn’t make me enough cash to pay for my time in those lines!!! Just this year I came up with an idea that was absolutely SIMPLE and FRUGAL!
I have mentioned the fantasmic blessing of such groups as Freecyclein which anyone can acquire stuff posted for free. You can also post items that you want to get rid of for free. But with a house FULL of stuff to deploy, posting individual items and making arrangements to have each one of them picked up was daunting, to say the least. That’s when my plan came into affect. Have a Freecycle Yard “Sale.”
Schedule a week to ten days to declutter your entire house. YES, I said your ENTIRE house! EVERY room! You can schedule a room or two per day. Gather some boxes from grocers, etc to place your unwanted stuff in. You do NOT need to spend extra time organizing like things together. Just DO it! Be ruthless! You will need a clearing station; a place to put all your unwanted stuff. When the whole house is devoid of unwanted items, pick a Saturday to post a Freecycle Yard “Sale” to as many lists as you have in your area. You will want to list some key items groups of items, but it is NOT necessary to list more than 10. Post your address and mention that everything will be in your drive way; noting that for one day only everything is free on a first come first serve basis. (Do not promise to hold any item for anyone.) On your Yard “sale” day move all of the items out of your garage and line both sides of your driveway. This allows “shoppers” to pick through items with ease.
The first time I did this, I did not have a chance to post until 1 pm on a Saturday afternoon and thought we might not get many people because who would be home on their computer on such a gorgeous day. Soon you will hear the words, “If you post it, they will come.” And come will they!!!! That particular day ALL of the items except for a few small items were GONE by 5 pm! We didn’t have to wait for 5 or 6 yard salers and then haul our unwanted stuff back into the garage. We didn’t have to deal with haggling. We knew our items were not going into the landfill. We didn’t spend a dime on advertising or gas to cart the stuff to a thrift shop. It was SPLENDIFEROUS!
The best part for us was that we were helping others. Someone did mention that “shoppers” may be picking the items up to sell in a yard sale themselves. Our reply was that we didn’t care. Our main objective was to rid ourselves of these items and get them into other homes. If that meant someone else turning a buck, then God has used us to bless them!
Push back that feeling of being overwhelmed. You CAN begin living simply today!
These are my thoughts.
Leslie Valeska
~Contributing Writer~
Leslie Valeska is the lucky wife of Thomas.With children ranging in ages from 4-16, she has had a lot of time to learn and experience much of the fine art of homemaking. Simple Journey Ministries was established to encourage, support, and inspire women, from all walks of life, to engage and continue on a path of Godly Womanhood. You can visit her at her blog Journey to Simplicity (www.leslievaleska.com/blog), Simple Journey Ministries (www.leslievaleska.com), and Simple Journey Bookstore (www.leslievaleska.com/bookstore)
I'm sorry this post is late this week-we have had one of those weeks here at faithfarm! Thankfully all is returning to normal now.
here is some basic rabbit info that I have left out before:
The average # of litters a doe produces a year is five litters. Depending on your breed of rabbit and size this can produce an average of 6-8 kits per litter or 30-40 kits a breeding season per doe. Fryers range in size from 3-5 pounds depending on age. Average butchering age is 10-12 weeks. I usually opt for 12-13 weeks for weight purposes. So an average doe has the ability to produce almost 200lbs of fryers per year. Now this is per doe. So it is easy to imagine how quickly these numbers multiply by adding additional breeding stock. So you have all this lean healthy meat in your freezer...how do you cook it? I use rabbit meat the same as I use chicken. Everything I can do with chicken I can do with rabbit. The only difference is it is a very lean meat---you need to cook it slower and at a lower temp to avoid the toughness commonly associated with rabbit meat. Grilling or BBQ cooking rabbit is a favorite way in the summer. Average cost to produce a 4lb fryer ranges from $1.92-$2.56 depending on feed costs. Keep in mind that you are providing healthy drug-free, hormone-free meat for your family. You know what your putting into your meat---do you know what commercial producers put in their's? That is one of the main reasons I started with raising meat rabbits. There was no other way that I had available to me in the amount of space and money I had to work with to be able to provide so much of what my family needed. The numbers just added up....it worked. Funny enough as it is I had never even ate a tame rabbit when I started all of this. Let me tell ya--they are so much better than wild rabbit! I hope this has helped and answered some questions. Blessings>faithfarm
Hello my fellow Homesteaders, if you are like me you might have some lingering hamburger or hot dog buns from your cookouts last week. Well, before they get gross and moldy, make your own bread crumbs! You can do this with your stale bread, homemade bread, homemade rolls... we were given 3 bags of buns after a cookout so we had quite a few left over!
All you need is your buns
And now grab your food processor
Pulse till crumbs
Bag and date the bags and stick them in the freezer
Now you are ready to add them to your meatloaf, or casseroles or whatever you need.
**Also, add parmesan cheese and basil to make them Italian bread crumbs. Or use your imagination and come up with your own flavors!! The possibilities are endless!
Drumroll please....
Our winner for the ONE YEAR Season's at Home magazine subscription is... Belle!!!
Congratulations Belle, I am going to be contacting Theresa and she will be getting in touch with you soon!
Join us on the Front Porch to talk about anything and everything that has to do with homesteading! Catch up on the latest news at HomesteadBlogger. Chat with our Front Porch Team as they blog about their favorite topics. The Front Porch is the heart of our community. Make yourself right at home!
! 
! Pretty accurate description of my office/storage/junk room, too. But....change is coming, not only in the seasons, but in our home situation, too
. I'll post more about that on my blog later.
We all know how quickly these veggies can grow, we can pick our garden before we go to bed and then the next morning we can find a big ole zucchini that seems like it came out of nowhere! 
