Sprouting Up All Over

Well, as you can see my organic red clover seeds have sprouted. They are delicious! Every time I am in the refrigerator I grab a handful to munch. I am not sure that they will make it into any salads or onto any sandwiches before I devour the entire contents of the container.

As for my broccoli sprouts, I am not feeling quite so successful. They are sprouting at a very slow pace and they have a strange look to them. I will see what tomorrow brings as to whether they are going to become edible or if they wind up in the trash.

I have started my alfalfa seeds today and am looking forward to success there.

At Hanaford, (not organic) alfalfa sprouts go for $1.69 for 4 ounces and the organic broccoli sprouts sell for $3.79 for 4 ounces. I am sprouting that volume for pennies and even better, I know where my sprouts were grown and who has been handling them. Visit my post entitled "Sarah's Super Heroes-Sprouts!" for information on the nutritional side of adding sprouts to your diet.

I think I am officially hooked on growing and consuming fresh sprouts! Have you tried sprouting yet?

Castile Soap

It has been 4 days since I made my fourth batch of soap. Castile Soap. "Castile" is named for the Kingdom of Castile which was located in what now is Spain. The history is a bit fuzzy, but this soap seemed to have made made it's first appearance in Italy. With 100% olive oil being the recipe for this Old World soap, it makes sense that people would have been making Castile soap somewhere in that part of the world. Now, as far as the soap I made, I have to use a lower case "c" in my spelling as I added some other oils and cut back on the olive oil. The recipe I used is found below.

By adding the palm and coconut oil, the bars should not be as slippery and they should have more lather. It is a mild and gentle soap that could have many more uses than just showering and shampooing. It can be used for washing clothes, washing pets, cleaning the floors, and just about any other cleaning job you may have but after I cut the bars out of the molds so they can cure for the next few weeks and washing the residue off of my hands, I thought to myself, "Why would I use this beautiful soap on any other job than myself and my family? It is simple delightful!

I can't wait until my other batches have cured so we can test them. Soap making requires quite a lot of patience...but it seems to be worth it!


                                                                Castile Soap

24-28 oz. cold water

12 oz. lye crystals

55 oz. olive oil

16 oz. palm oil

16 oz. coconut oil

Temperature-110-115 degrees

Sarah's Super Heroes-Sprouts!

Well, after many days of research and hunting locally for sprouting seeds, I am finally ready to try and grow what some people consider to be "the super food". I was able to find three different kinds of sprouting seeds at a local natural food store. (When looking online, shipping was astronomical for the small amounts of seeds I wanted to purchase). I ended up buying organic red clover, organic broccoli, and organic alfalfa. I was surprised to find out just what super heroes these little seeds can be! My final decision to try sprouting for myself "stemmed" from watching and listening to a friend, Rusty Stevens, and seeing the passion he held for the process and the results. Thanks for the push!

 I love to grow my own food. The safety factors as well as the knowledge of where in the world the food I feed myself and my family comes from are of utmost importance. I can grow these in my kitchen without the worry of salmonella or E-coli. Don't we have enough to worry about?  Knowing that using a mason jar with a wire mesh top and sprouting seeds, I can grow something in my own kitchen (in a space smaller than my toaster takes up) all year round. Of course, you can spend a bazillion dollars on fancy equipment if you want to. I don't want to.

I knew that sprouts were highly nutritious, but wow! The nutrient content of these little guys increases up to 1200% after sprouting. They are packed with nutrition; amino acids, simple sugars, digestive enzymes, and vitamins (especially B vitamins). 1 cup of bean sprouts provides 119% of your daily vitamin C and broccoli sprouts are considered to be cancer fighting super food because of their high levels of photochemicals. Let's get into the process...

                                                   How I Sprout Red Clover Seed


1. Fill mason jar with water. Add 2 tablespoons of seeds. Put on cover (cheesecloth or tight mesh screening). Soak overnight.

2. In the morning, drain water out. Rinse seeds 2 times and on the final drain make sure all water is out. You can put the jar at a slant in order to help any remaining drops of water drip out. Some people drain their sprout water into a bowl and use it in their gardens, houseplants and compost piles or add it to shakes or yogurt. (I'm not there yet).

3. Repeat this process at night before bed. This process will take a few days. Each seed has a little different timeline. I have read that red clover will take 4 days to sprout. I will know when it is ready to eat because the tail (root) will make it's appearance. At that point, give them a final rinse and enjoy. They will keep up to a week in the refrigerator.


If you let your sprouts go longer, they will begin to develop leaves and are then known as baby greens. I'm not sure I am patient enough for that right now!



As this is my very first time sprouting, I am a little nervous to put this out here as I might fail miserably. I am hoping that someone who might feel that same way may read this and get inspired to try something they might have been afraid to try. If not sprouting- something else.  Take that leap!

 It's a bird, it's a plane...what is the worst thing that could happen???

Blueberries-You're Just Too Good To Be True

After beginning my high bush blueberry pruning session (how long is this process going to take?) I reached into my freezer and got out a package of my berries from last fall's harvest. Letting them thaw so that I can make blueberry muffins! YUM!

That got me thinking, I know that blueberries are "good for you" but what exactally does that look like? I started poking around for some solid nutritional benefits of this seemingly perfect fruit. Blueberries have about 80 calories per cup and practically no fat. In one serving you get 14 mg of vitamin C which is almost 25% of your daily requirement. Blueberries are packed with fiber therfore a handful of them is a delicious way to add just a little more fiber into your diet. Who couldn't use a little more natural fiber? Blueberries also contain manganese (which is important for bone development as well as converting fats, proteins and carbohydrates into energy) and they stand head and shoulders above most other foods when it comes to the power of antioxidants~ and we all want to make sure that we are fighting those free radicals that can damage our bodies. Above all else...they are a delightful little berry and they really want to be a part of my blueberry muffins!

~Enjoy!


                                           Blueberry Bran Muffins


1 1/2 cups wheat bran
1 cup nonfat milk
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup all- purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup blueberries


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin cups or use paper liners. Mix together wheat bran and milk. Let stand for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together applesauce, egg, brown sugar and vanilla. Beat in bran mixture. Sift together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir into bran mixture until just blended. Fold in blueberries. Fill cups 2/3 full.

Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. The tops will spring back when touched.


                                    1 muffin=100 calories--- 0.9 g. total fat---18 mg. cholesterol 

Happy Berries

One of the most enjoyable and satisfying parts of Sample's Hidden Acres Farm (to me) is the high bush blueberry orchard. My grandparents planted it almost 50 years ago and every year it gives off the most amazing yields of the sweetest, biggest blueberries I have ever eaten. Being out amongst the bushes and picking those little blue nuggets is another way I keep my Grandparent's dreams and hard work alive. I feel a strong presence of them in that space.

Alas, like everything else that is enjoyable, it requires a lot of hard work, time and commitment. So, today (my second day of vacation) I am headed out to do some heavy pruning of said bushes. Pruning high bush blueberries needs to be done in the winter months, when the bushes are dormant. I had never understood why pruning anything was important- as I felt that I was killing it somehow, but now I've learned that to get a more abundant crop and have healthier trees, pruning is essential. Now I can equate the process to people in my life. Throughout the years I have "pruned" people out of my life and in doing that I have become a much happier, healthier and fun person to be around.

The most important thing I look at when pruning the bushes is the shape. As these are very old, mature bushes, it is most important that I remove any broken or diseased branches, that the center of the bush be open so as the sunlight can get in and the air can move freely around and through, if any branches are crossing or touching they need to be taken off and all of the suckers growing around the base of the bush need to be removed. I will take the tops off of them all this year to ensure that I can reach the top of the bushes for harvesting. I have a few bushes that are about 10 feet tall and as I stand at only 6 feet, the birds have a distinct advantage over me!

If you don't grow your own blueberries, I would encourage you to get a couple of bushes and go for it! When I hop out my door on any August day and grab a handful of blueberry heaven to put on my cereal...Mmmmm! Nothing in a store compares!

Anadama

For this first day of vacation, I am going to jump head first into baking bread. Anadama bread was a favorite of both of my grandmothers and smelling it bake and biting into the delicious richness of this heavenly bread takes me back to my childhood.

In the Cooking Down East cookbook written by Marjorie Standish (copyright 1969), there is a cute little history of how this bread got its interesting name. A fisherman who had a lazy wife and had to do all of his own cooking named his special bread after her. He called it "Anna, Damn Her" but polite society was against such harsh language and renamed it Anadama.

Whatever the name, it is a delightful bread. Very rich and filling. It goes well with a thick chowder or warmed with butter and a cup of tea. Enjoy!


                                                          Anadama Bread


2 cups hot water
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup molasses
2 tbs. shortening
2 tsp. salt
1 envelope dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
About 6 cups flour

Bring water to a boil. Add cornmeal SLOWLY. Cook water and cornmeal together for just a couple of minutes (I use a whisk so it the cornmeal doesn't clump). Add molasses, shortening and salt. Cook together until ingredients are well mixed. Turn this mixture into a bowl and allow to cool to lukewarm.

Measure 1/4 cup lukewarm water, dissolve yeast into this. When first mixture is lukewarm, add dissolved yeast.

Start adding flour. When mixture makes a stiff dough, turn it out onto a floured surface. Start kneading, add more flour as needed, continue kneading until dough is smooth and glossy.

Place dough into a greased bowl. Cover. Place in a warm spot, allow dough to rise until doubled in bulk. Poke dough down in bowl and allow to rise once more.

Turn dough onto floured surface and add a bit more flour if needed. Let dough relax for about 10 minutes. Make into 2 loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Cover with a towel. Let rise until loaves are about double in pans. (Do not allow the dough to rise too high in pans).

Bake 10 minutes at 450 degrees, reduce heat and bake 20 minutes at 325 degrees.

Turn loaves from pans and cool on rack. While loaves are still hot, butter the tops of loaves.

A Time To Order

As I watched my chickens scratch and peck in my raised bed gardens this afternoon, a sly little smile came across my face as I walked up onto the porch. I heated up some water and made a cup of tea as the light snow fell outside my window. On my table lay 3 seed catalogues, graph paper, my garden plan from last year and a sharp pencil. I sat down for the next stages of planning my vegetable garden- preparing to order and making sure I have enough garden for all of those delightful treats I want to plant in it!

This year I am ordering:

~From Miller Nurseries-Miller Certified Super Male Asparagus

~From Johnny's Selected Seeds- "Provider" bush green beans, "Rocdor" yellow beans, "Red Ace" beets, "Sugarsnax" carrots, "Northern Pickling" pickling cukes (developed in Maine), "Premium Greens" mix, "Premium" shelling peas, "Spineless Perfection"zucchini, "SlickPik"summer squash, "Sarah's Choice" cantaloupe (just because I can), and an assortment of sprouts.

***Not ordering out of a catalogue, but buying on Mother's Day at Moose Crossing- many herbs, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, green peppers and acorn squash

I have "placed" these where I want them in my existing gardens on my graph paper. I think I need more space to plant all these seeds, seedlings and plants. Perhaps another project for the man of the house? He does, after all, get to taste the fruit (I mean vegetables) of my labor!

Gardening is finally fun and exciting for me. It has taken me a LONG time to get to this point!  Start small, make a plan, plant what you like to eat and...above all...don't take yourself too seriously!

Life's Breakdowns

This morning started out like any other. I awoke, wrapped in my flannel sheets and heavy comforter- completely certain that my alarm clock must be on the brink (my first machine encounter of the day). I proceeded to get dressed (with the help of electricity and running water) and went out to feed up.  I relied on running water and electricity in order to carry out this ritual as well. I packed my lunch, only possible with refrigeration, and made a bagel in the toaster.

I got in my car and began my 30 minute commute to work. Exactly half way, my trusted, mechanical, 4-wheeled mode of transportation overheated and died. A year ago, my whole day would have ruined and those people who proclaim to love me would have become scarce. I would have thrown a giant pity party and made myself the guest of honor. I would have proclaimed that this was the worst thing that I had ever gone through and carry on as though no one had ever broken down before. I didn't do stress or change or ANY sort of fiddle-faddle mucking up my business. (Wow, introspection is fantastic!)

So...I pulled into a parking lot as my work horse blew out her last moan of despair and I shut her down. I called my husband to come and get me- I was stuck- and sat back to fret.

But something very calming came over me as I sat there in that early February sunlight. I closed my eyes and all I felt was serenity. Beautiful waves of calm brushing against my jagged edges. I began counting my blessings. Not just listing them to see how many great things I think I have in my life, but REALLY applying my life to my life.

~I began when that horrible alarm clock started screaming in my ear. "Thank you for having a reason to get up."
~Getting dressed. "Thank you for giving me a choice of clothing at my disposal."
~Lugging water and grain. "Thank you for being trusted with these most precious creatures I am caring for."
~Breakfast and lunch. "Thank you for delicious food in which to nourish my body with."
~The breakdown. "Thank you for giving me a car so that I can have a car that breaks down."
~The call. "Thank you for allowing me to be married to a man that hangs the stars and would walk through fire to help me. Thank you for letting me breakdown in an area that has cell service (as half of my commute is without that luxury)."

I got to work. My car was towed home. Life continued on. But somehow I had a moment of transformation and clarity. A year ago, that vehicle breakdown would have been a Sarah Breakdown. Today it was simply a malfunction of a piece of machinery. Maybe my jagged edges have been smoothed by the raging storms of these past 22 years. Maybe today is the start of warm winds, small waves and tranquility. I would ask that you take just a few minutes to truly apply your life to your life. It is, after all, your greatest treasure.

May all your breakdowns be in the realm of mechanical devices. You are too important for any other kind!


 

A Kiss For The Mailman!

Well it came! It's FINALLY here!!! Actually it arrived yesterday, but as I shared with you in a previous post (Catalogues: Passion or Obsession?) I have to spend my first day looking through all of the pictures in my brand new Johnny's Selected Seeds catalogue before I can really wrap my head around it. Now that I have wiped the drool from the corner of my mouth, it is time to give a quick review and begin my "wish list"...So here we go!

The first striking feature (actually the 3rd-smell and glossiness were the first 2) was the thickness of the catalogue. It is 206 pages long (Burpee is only 148)! I know that size doesn't matter and should never be a distraction,  so I ventured inside. Conventional and organic seeds abound. Vegetables, herbs, flowers, and tools comprise the makeup of this publication. (I am not much of a flower girl, so I apologize for not mentioning that section- but if you are, I'm sure it is just as exciting as the rest of the catalogue). Herbs to plant and dry and use in my soaps are at the top of the list that goes on and on. Then there are the most important delicasies. VEGIES!  The first 115 pages are dedicated to vegetables alone! They have a huge selection of micro greens, sprouts and farm seed. This company carries 11 pages of "greens" and then, in addition, 16 pages of lettuce greens. There are things here that I have never even heard of.

Maybe it is just me, but I don't think so. The different kinds of lettuce, micro greens and sprouts left me wanting more, who has ever heard of corn salad/Mache, Romanesco, or Scorzonera? Like I said, maybe it's just me. What I DO know is the description, amount of seeds to buy (oz.,1/4 lb., 1 lb., 5 lbs. 25lbs.), time to plant and how to use said item are fully spelled out for a novice to a professional to experiment, explore, and experience.

This company is owned by their employees, has the #1 rating in Mother Earth News, and now has my endorsement. (I'm sure they are thrilled!) The amount of information and stunning photography between these pages is stellar and next week I will be writing them a check for some of their most amazing products.  After I order herbs I will ask for their featured item on the back page:"Sarah's Choice" cantaloupe. I have never planted cantaloupe. This seems to be a sign to try! Again...these people are cheering me on to try something new and different. I am in!

Whether you are a seasoned pro or a first time gardener-look at Johnny's Selected Seeds Catalog. Support a thriving Maine business!!! I will let you know what my complete order is as soon as I send it away...busy,busy,busy...