Squash Harvest

Last week we finished harvesting the squash and pumpkins. I love all the shapes and colors, they are one of my favorite parts of fall.

Fun at the Corn Maze

Last weekend we took the the boys and their cousin Justus to the corn maze. It was a gorgeous fall day, sunny and warm. David and Justus were so excited to run through finding the numbers and deciding which path to take. Matthew was so cute laughing and toddling behind trying to keep up with the bigger boys, when he got tired he rode on Andrews shoulders. It was a perfect way to spend an autumn afternoon.

Exploring the maze

Which way should we go?

Keeping up with Daddy

Running along

Matthew

Taking a rest

Kombucha

Well I did a post about water kefir or tibicos, now I am going to share with you about kombucha. Kombucha is another fermented drink that is full of probiotics. Kombucha is a little stronger flavored than water kefir and some people don’t care for it. I tend to like water kefir a little better but I also really like kombucha. If you enjoyed the water kefir and are feeling adventurous you might like making kombucha, too. I got my kombucha scoby and my water kefir grains at the same time. While the grains look like pretty little transparent crystals the scoby looks kind of like a slimy brown mushroom, which is why it is sometimes called one even though it is not. A SCOBY is a Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast that is used to ferment sweetened tea and turn it into kombucha. It is very easy to make, although it might take some experimenting to get it just the way you like it. I usually make a half gallon at a time but you an easily double the recipe for a larger batch. Ingredients for one half gallon of kombucha: 1 kombucha scoby ½ cup of kombucha tea 4 plain black tea bags ¾ cups organic cane sugar Helpful equipment for making kombucha: 1 gallon glass jar Cheesecloth Rubberband Airtight jars or bottles Strainer Here is the method I use: Place tea bags and sugar in a 4 cup measuring cup, add boiling water. Stir to dissolve sugar and allow to cool completely. Add to gallon jar along with scoby, four more cups of cool water and ½ cup of kombucha from a previous batch. Cover with cheesecloth and secure with a rubberband. Allow to sit at room temperature out of direct sunlight for 5 – 10 days. I prefer mine to sit for about seven days. I like the flavor the best after that length of time and it also makes it easy to remember which day I need to do something with it and start my next batch. Next I strain it into an airtight bottle. I have been using an old plastic juice bottle, but would prefer to get a couple more glass flip top bottles to use. Let it sit on the counter overnight then refrigerate to chill. You can experiment with different types of tea such as chai, or other flavors or green tea. My brother in law even tried a batch using coffee once, I’m not too sure about that though. You can also add fruit juice when you bottle it for a tasty flavored version. See it is easy to make, tasty, and healthy, too! If you need a scoby keep your ears open for friends or aquintances that are making it, most people are happy to share extra ones, or you can buy them online. Kombucha is easy to make, tasty, and good for you!

The lovely scoby

Steeping the tea

Bottled to give it a nice fizz

Finished and delightful

My Herb Garden

I enjoyed my little perennial herb garden so much this summer. I planted it last fall fall and everything came back beautifully I have Oregano, Winter Savory, Thyme, Sage, Lemon Balm, and Lavender.

Oregano Flowers

Winter Savory

Lavender

The Enchanted Garden Gate

Water Kefir

Tibicos… what a strange word, what might it be anyway? Well, it is fizzy fermented sugar water. Sounds strange right? It is actually quite delicious as well as a healthy alternative to soda. It is also known as water kefir. I first heard about it a few years ago when someone at the Farmer’s Market mentioned it, then a friend of mine started making it. It caught my interest but I didn’t start making any until last fall when my midwife offered me some grains as well as a kombucha scoby(which I also started making and will be another post.) Making water kefir is a very simple process. After looking it up online to figure out the basics here is the method I use. I make mine in a half gallon jar. For ½ gallon of water kefir or tibicos you will need: 10 Tablespoons of water kefir grains 6 Tablespoons of sugar(I use organic cane sugar) 1 small lemon or lime 1 small piece of fresh ginger Helpful equipment to have: Half gallon glass canning jar Cheesecloth Rubberband Funnel Strainer Jars or bottles that seal tightly To make your water kefir measure your kefir grains and sugar into your jar. Fill with water. Cut the lemon or lime into quarter and slice the ginger add to jar. Cover with cheesecloth holding in place with a rubberband. Let sit on counter at room temperature for 1 to 2 days. It should be tangy, with just a little bit of sweetness. Experiment to find how long you like to leave it, the longer it sits the more sour it becomes. I find the time it takes to ferment varies a little depending on the temperature in the house. Next strain out the liquid and pour into airtight jars or bottles. Let sit on the counter another 12- 24 hours. Refrigerate to chill then enjoy! Another variation that I like is adding about 1/3 fruit juice when bottling. It adds extra fizz and flavor! It is also good mixed half and half with lemonade when you serve it. I also want to try making ginger ale syrup to add to it one of these days. To make the next batch simply add 6 more Tablespoons of sugar to the jar and fill with water. After three batches I use fresh lemon and ginger and re-measure my grains, they will keep growing. I keep the extra grains in sugar water in the refrigerator, give them away, or throw them in the compost if there are too many.

My water kefir in my pretty bottles

Ready to sit on the counter

The grains- aren't they pretty?

The grains

The finished drink- so refreshing

Two Boys Painting

Having a great time!

Matthew didn't want to be left out while David was painting

Summer Highlights II: Rendezvous Days

Another highlight from the summer was having a booth at Rendezvous days.We worked like crazy to make and package enough body care products to fill a booth for the three day event.

I think our booth looked pretty good!

David had fun going on stage and blowing the train whistle during my in-laws performance

It was also fun to see Aunt Gina and Uncle Roger who came over from the coast

Summer Highlights I: Camping in Montana

 This summer has been so crazy, busy. With the farm bigger than ever, trying to do more farmers markets, starting a body care business and two active little boys, I have not really had time to keep up my blog. It has been a challenging, stressful, fun, exciting, crazy summer! We expanded the farm, but markets were down so it was harder to sell the produce, but we started selling some of our produce to a local grocery store which is  exciting. We have had a friend of Andrew's working with us all summer which enabled us to get more work done and made it more fun, but also added to the stress of whether the farm would make enough money or not. I have been making a lot of body care products; lip balm, body butter, scrubs and more; to sell on Amazon.com and locally. Plus I have my two sweet, precious, active, demanding little boys to keep me busy!

We had the amazing blessing of having my sister Melissa stay with us for two months this summer. I honestly don't even know how I would have survived without her. She helped with everything and anything; from babysitting to harvesting to making lip balm. It was so fun to have her with us. I haven't had the chance to spend this much time with since I got married and moved away.

We did take the time to squeeze in a few fun activities in the midst of our hectic days. One of the highlights of our summer was going over to the Bitterroot Valley, Montana to camp for a weekend. I lived over there on an 80 acre ranch.until I was 12 years old. My Grandpa still has property up there which is where we camped. It was fun to see all the old places, relax by the creek, and even visit some old friends who are now married and have families of there own.

David playing in the creek

Matthew enjoyed to creek, too

Melissa and Matthew in the old barn

The old barn, built in 1883

David in the barn

Sleeping in

Climbing an apple tree

Are the apples any good?

My sister and I with my boys

Colorful Fresh Salsa

I love summertime when all my colorful heirloom tomatoes come ripe. One of my favorite recipes to use them in is this zesty fresh salsa. It is bursting with color and flavor! It is also so easy to make. Recipe for Fresh Colorful Salsa About 2 lbs of various colored heirloom tomatoes 1 small onion 3-4 cloves of garlic 3-4 hot peppers depending on how hot you like it 1/4 tsp ground cumin 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro juice of one lime salt and pepper to taste Chop up tomatoes, peppers, garlic, and onion. Add spices and lime juice. Mix all together refrigerate until ready to use.