July is a Buzz

 July has been busy! We've moved two honeybee hives out by the pumpkin patch and in good time. 

The pumpkins have just started blooming. While we wait for the bees to learn where to go for food, we will continue to feed them. The farmer puts on his beekeeper suite and heads out to feed the bees with a sugar water mixture he's holding in his can.




The blooms look great on the pumpkins. We're hoping for a good crop this fall. Nice big blooms.













While we wait on the pumpkins, we collect and sell sweet corn from our small corn field. Oh, my it has been delicious! I've started putting back just a few ears at a time in the freezer as I cook the corn for dinner. Our neighbors seem to really be enjoying the corn we pick. Some like picking it themselves with their families too.

The last of the berry harvests are taking place and I've had fun making small batches of jams along the way. Our jams will be on sale this fall during the pumpkin harvest. I'm not making a lot, so it will be get it while you can. :)


~The Farmer's Wife

Hay is for Horses

Hay from the field. A great mix for horses.

First cutting of orchardgrass, timothy, and clover mix to be ready for you to pick up straight from the field this Saturday, June 30. Estimate 400-600 square bales to be available. $2.50/bale. Discounts for larger quantities. Call for best price and details. First in the field on Saturday with the cash gets the hay. Thanks for looking. 

The Easter Weekend

Although we've spent much more time in preparation for our Easter events (Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Lent, coloring eggs, decorating a tree, crafting thread Easter eggs) Our Easter weekend begins with Good Friday...

We tell the story of the last supper, the betrayal, and the crucifixion, reading from the books of Matthew, Mark, and John.

Bread and grape juice will be provided as we take communion at the supper table before dinner tonight. Supper will include fish, broccoli, and lemonade (we kept the seeds from the lemons and are trying to grow our own lemon tree)




Saturday, we are making an Easter Garden (idea found on Pinterest) with the Lil' Farmers.
. We'll use a small flower pot buried in the soil of a larger flower pot. We'll place three crosses made out of sticks found on the farm and place them on the hill. We'll leave the opening visible and put a stone to the side of the opening to show the tomb is empty. That night we share a jar of jelly beans with a copy of the Jelly Bean Prayer. (For a free printable of the Jelly Bean Prayer, visit MamaJenn)
 

Easter  - we'll wake up with the sounds of the Lil' Farmers hunting for their Easter baskets. That bunny always hides them in the funniest places! Enjoy a nice, quick breakfast to get us out the door for church.:

Orange Juice, coffee, milk

Cinnabunny Rolls

Apple slices and yogurt



To make the Cinnabunny Rolls, simply take a can of cinnamon rolls and place them on a baking sheet. Cut one in half and shape for ears over each circle roll. Cook as directed. Let cool. Spread icing for your "white rabbit" and add raisins to decorate the eyes and nose.




Next, we'll head out to church with friends and family to celebrate this great day. We'll come home to lunch:
Mimosas and fresh squeezed lemonade

Chicken salad sandwiches
Grapes
Potato Chips

Then join the extended family for an egg hunt and dinner with the cousins. Our responsibilities:
Appetizer - Bunny Veggie Dip Tray

(photo and idea by brookesmommy)

Desserts - Mom's Apple Pie Crescents and Bird's Nest Cookies - simply melt butterscotch chips and add chow mien noodles. Place egg shaped candies on nest and let set.
(photo and idea by uh-oh-kitty)

Our family has lots of birthdays in April, and in honor of my parent's birthdays (both this week) I made this birthday balloon wreath using a foam wreath, pins, balloon and ribbon. It's currently hanging on my door, but I plan to also use it in my classroom on days that students celebrate their birthday.

Have a great holiday with your family however you celebrate!
~ The Farmer's Wife

Flowering Farm

     Oh how I love this time of year! I've been out walking our farm and just had to take some photos of a few of our plants in bloom.

One of our Red Bud trees:

 

Apple trees:

A lot is blooming along the the creek and around the house A whirlpool formed before the dam, spinning beautifully in the water. Our dogs loves to play in the creek. It's also a favorite past-time of the families. There's evidence of raccoon feeding along the creek, deer rubbing their antlers, the birds are leaving nests all along the wood line, and turkey performing in the field. They love crayfish.

The Buckeye Tree is beginning to bloom along with other flowering shrubs putting on their show around the farm. The cherry trees are covered with blooms making it look like the trees are filled with snow from the front porch.

We still have a few daffodils still in bloom, and our evergreen trees are showing signs of life hiding among the winter grass growth.

I hope you're enjoying the spring ~ The Farmer's Wife

Bringing Home the Beef

So I've spent a few days researching, thinking, evaluating what to do with this beef.

Okay, so here's the story. We went in with our neighbors on one of their aunt's cows. After the processing time, we brought home the meat. Added to our family's purchase was the liver, tongue, and heart. My neighbor jokingly says, " we figured if anyone knew what to do with it, it would be you." I razzed her back about how I don't eat organ meat, but I have to be honest. If any of you know me you know that I do not like to let a living thing have waste. I feel it's insulting to its energy and lowers the value of the sacrafice of life. Call it crazy, but for me part of good stewartship is keeping a high regard (as much as I can stand to taste, that is). But I digress.

Believe it or not, I think I've come across a few really insightful posts regarding these cuts of meat. You heard me neighbor, I'm planning on serving them up. I can't promise they won't be meals where we still may feel a bit hungry after we "try" them, but here's the plan.

I know these meats are supposed to be extremely good for you, and that is very important to me for my family. I do remember having these cuts on rare occasions at home, and they should be rare occasions. I mean there's only 1 heart in a cow. It truly SHOULDN'T be a common dish if you're consumming fairly. Maybe I should have, but I did not start with looking up my old family recipes. Okay, okay I'll go there next. (If you want to know more about these old time mountain recipes comment below and let me know. Maybe I'll share a few with you.) But I did start with some professional chefs who have studied this area. Michael Ruhlman at http://ruhlman.com/2011/08/how-to-cook-beef-heart/ did an excellent job directing me in preparing the beef heart. I had no idea though that I needed to get a good look at a video HOW TO BUTCHER A BEEF HEART by Chris Cosentino of offalgood.com that did such a great job explaining how to trim the heart to get good cuts of meat. An idea that I thought was great came from Kitchen Stewardship. From there, Katie writes about putting your organ meats into the food processor then putting small amounts into an ice tray and freezing it just like that. She says that when you're browning ground beef, etc. place a "cube" in with the other beef (approximately 1 cubes per 1 1/2 pound of beef). Then you're giving your family the health benefits of the organ meats without so much of the taste and texture.

In addition, here are a couple good references posted by the 2012 Cattlemen's Beef Board and National Cattlemen's Beef Association.
Download "Matching Cooking Methods" Guidelines

Download your own beef cuts chart (pdf).



~The Farmer's Wife

Cooking with Honey

I'm always looking for fun, easy, yummy recipes made from products we produce here on our farm...

here's our snack for tonight.

Vanilla Honey Peanut Butter Popcorn

This recipe was written by 

amybutze

Location: Minneapolis
Amy says: 

"This super addictive sweet treat has hints of vanilla."

Her recipe can be found at http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/vanilla-honey-peanut-butter-popcorn/a65b9770-8684-4d0c-a10d-c8846bbd0f51

It takes 30 minutes to make, only has 5 steps, and serves 10.

Deep Spring Cleaning begins

So I've printed off my April calendar for organizing around the house, thank you...

 

Then I downloaded the weekly household cleaning template and checklist from Money Crashers. I then made a "Goal List" (I made one for my classroom as well.), put it in a clear page viewer, added to it my cleaning goals for that period by cutting the ones I wanted our family to focus on and attaching them to the list, and hung it on the fridge. 

Wish me luck with the ever balance of being The Farmer's Wife, The Lil' Farmers' Mom, and the Keeping the Classroom Creative Teacher!

~ The Farmer's Wife

Things to do with eggs...

This morning, the farmer's wife woke up to warm Cinnamon French Toast made by the farmer himself. His general rule of thumb is one egg for every two slices of bread. He mixed eggs, milk, and one of the lil' farmers added 4 shakes of cinnamon to the dish and mixed with a fork. 

The griddle was warmed, bread dunked and coated in the mixture and placed on the griddle till golden, flipped, cooked till golden and removed.

We sprinkled powdered sugar over top and enjoyed.  I added blackberries I'd frozen from last season on top, and yum! (Mulberries, raspberries and blueberries all taste wonderful too! and we grow them all)

For the lil' farmers, I cut the toast into bunny shapes making whiskers out of the scraps, added two blackberries for eyes, and sprinkled powdered sugar to make a white rabbit as desired. This little farmer here likes to dip hers in syrup.


See you on the farm ~ The Farmer's Wife

Honey & Eggs

As promised, today I'm adding a favorite egg recipe and honey recipe. I'll try to add one about once a week.

This morning, I enjoyed one of my favorite breakfasts drop biscuits with butter and honey.
Follow the simple drop biscuit recipe on Bisquick box. Cook till golden brown. Place warm biscuits in a bowl. Cut in butter, drizzle with honey and eat. Oh, YUM!

We also had scrambled cheesy eggs. Break eggs into small dish. Lightly beat with a fork. In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add eggs, cook and stir just until eggs begin to set. Sprinkle your favorite shredded cheese(s) and stir.

I also want to share Honey Mustard Chicken | MyDailyMoment another yummy way to add some honey to a great dish!

And I wanted to recommend for Easter Brunch
  Yum!

Hoppin' Honey Biscuits Recipe from Betty Crocker

Serve these warm honey biscuits sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar and have them ready in just 25 minutes.

Speaking of Easter Brunch... must haves - look at my next blog for my family's Brunch Eggs, Holiday French Toast, and Cinnabunnies recipes. 


~The Farmer's Wife

Welcome to the Farm

Hello. I'm the farmer's wife. I'm also the lil' farmers' mom and a school teacher for the local elementary school. I'll add a link to follow my school experiences later. Come back and look for that. Here however, I'll be sharing our adventures on our farm. You can visit our farm website at https://sites.google.com/site/simmonsupickfarms/
or "like" us on facebook to stay up on the business end.

It is March here in Ohio and everything is beginning to turn green. 
We've had to shift into high gear preparing the fields and tending to the babies growing on our farm.

Here are our newest additions: 10 Golden Comet Chicks and 10 Barred Plymouth Rock Chicks in the nursery.


This week my Lil' Farmers and I painted tree branches The Farmer cut back to place an additional chicken coop for these girls above when they get bigger.

We then blew up balloons and wrapped them with string and paste, let it dry and pop the balloons for colorful Easter Eggs.



So I simply couldn't end the day without sharing two of my favorite products we have here on our farm.
1) Our caged-free, free ranged, beautiful brown eggs from our Golden Comet hens.
  Eggs Order Form $2.00 a dozen. I'll post my favorite egg recipes next.

2) And our local HONEY - YUMMY! $16 for a quart jar. I have a recipe for Shoo Fly Pie you're gonna want. I'll be adding that on the next Blog too.
  Honey Order Form