Crackers, Crackers, Crackers!

When the winter weather is blasting, there is nothing more satisfying, than a home-cooked meal. In the mood for chili during a recent cold spell, Papa was disappointed that we were out of saltine crackers.  I had seen recipes for saltines and they sounded very simple, so I decided to try them for myself. They were as simple as they sounded and with a little practice for the right thickness, these will be one less thing that will be purchased for the Matthews' Home in the future!  The chili is made with ground venison that I killed last fall, homecanned pinto beans and homecanned chili sauce that I put up last summer. It took about 5 minutes to brown the venison and dump everything in the crockpot. Then when it was time to eat, about 15 minutes for the crackers. This is "fast food" at its finest.

In my research to find saltine recipes, I found that most were the same basic recipe. A few had baking powder added.  This time I used the basic recipe without the baking powder but will try adding a teaspoon of baking powder next time to see which I like best.

The basic ingredients:  1 C. all-purpose flour
                                  1/2 tsp salt
                                  2 TBS shredded butter
                                  6-7 TBS water
                                  melted butter
                                  additional salt

Mix together flour and salt. Shred butter into bowl with hand grater. This technique makes mixing the dough much easier than trying to "cut" it into the flour.  I always have a hard time cutting my butter into biscuits etc.  It seems to me that cold homemade butter is much harder than what you buy at the store. It makes me wonder just what else is added to the purchased butter....but I digress.  After mixing to the point of looking similar to cornmeal, add the water 1 TBS at a time until you have a soft dough that is easily rolled out with a rolling pin.

Divide dough into two or three sections. Using extra flour to keep dough from sticking to countertop and rolling pin, roll out dough until very thin (1/8th inch works well).  Transfer your rolled dough to a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.  A side note: baking on parchment paper makes clean up so easy.  Since your food has never touched your baking sheet, simply wipe with a damp cloth, dry and put away.  The parchment also seems to make baking more even, without worry about those older dark sheets causing over baking.

Brush with extra melted butter and sprinkle with extra salt.  At this stage you could brush with olive oil and add other herbs to taste for a special treat.  I scored mine with a serated wheel that I purchased for a quarter at my local thrift store. It is perfect for this process, but you can also score with a pizza cutter. I also used a fork and made some holes in the crackers....just because it made them look more like the crackers we are familiar with.

Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheet once for even cooking.  Watch them closely the last few minutes, they can burn quickly at the last stage of baking.  They will also harden as they cool, so they may be a little soft when first removed from the oven.

Once they cool enough to break apart without burning your fingers, break apart and eat immediately or store in an airtight container.  Next time you find yourself out of saltines, try this simple recipe. You may find that you, too, will cross saltines off your grocery list forever.

Stay tuned. I also made wheat thins, but want to tweak my recipe and process just a bit to make them more flavorful before I share it.

Winter projects

One of the myths of Modern Pioneering and Homesteading is that there is little work to do in the winter. For the original Homesteaders, the winter was a test that was often not passed, with failure costing the ultimate price.  Many died during the winter months, from lack of preparedness, malnutrition, succombing to elements or other reasons.

Thankfully for us, our lifestyle prevents the deadly cost of winter, but the reality is, there is just as much work to do in the winter keeping the animals safe, warm, well fed and watered as there is in the warmer months.  If you want to make the summer ahead the most productive and efficient, you must plan ahead.  You must complete projects that don't get finished during the planting/growing/harvesting seasons.  Currently we have two major projects in the works that will benefit our lives for many seasons and years to come. We are building a greenhouse and remodeling a building to create a harvest kitchen/butchering area and milking area to use throughout the year.

I will eventually post on both projects on their own, with more detail, but for now here are some sneak peaks at these two projects.

Our new greehouse will be small, but hopefully large enough to start all the seedlings we will need and to get a fodder system started for feeding the chickens, turkeys and rabbits. It is 8 x 12, and will have cost us just about $200 to complete. We utilized several used pieces and at this point, I am very happy with the project.  We have moved it outside so that we have our shop back available to use for other projects, but the plastic has not been placed on it yet. As soon as the weather cooperates a bit, we will get this finished up and I will start some seedlings.

On a different front, we have decided to renovate this building. For the past few years is has been a catchall for various items, stored chicken feed and house broilers, pullets and turkeys on the back side.

 The siding has been completed thanks to Hammer Down Construction and Fencing, LLP, a local construction crew that branched off BKR Construction.  You can also contact the original BKR Construction that specializes in complete structures in larger area than just Southwest Missouri.  I recommend both whole-heartedly.  I'll post more pictures as we complete this project. The plan will be to have a harvest kitchen in the area with the white door where will butcher, can, dehydrate, make cheese, etc.  This area will also serve as a place to store our homecanned goods. The back lean-to will be completed into a milking parlor, where we can milk Serena out of the weather and have the milker washing, and cold milk storage in the harvest kitchen. Lots of pluses to our plan, not the least of which keeps much of the mess out of our family kitchen.

We have already completed our first Rabbit hutches. We need to make probably one more for growing out. But when we get culled down, we may have enough room. No further rush on rabbit projects. Though we do have one set of 6 cages that need some work, but for now that can wait for spring and warmer temperatures.

When it looks like this outside, it makes indoor projects all the more appealing.

But for all the inconveniences we are given during the winter, God still leaves us with beauty beyond measure.  As much work is created during the winter weather episodes, there is also as much beauty. God gives the plants and animals a rest cycle, and Modern Pioneers can benefit from it as well.  As difficult as we may think it is, imagine what our ancestors went through, when mere survival was a the measure of success after every winter.

More baking gets done in the winter than the summer. I've been trying some new recipes and tweaking some old ones.  I've made soft pretzels, and have worked on a couple of recipes for bread made from my home-ground oat flour and whole wheat flour. All have been delicious.

Being a Modern Pioneer we are blessed to be given a time to get our ducks in a row for the next year, rather than making sure we survive to plant the next crop.  We are truly blessed to live the life we life. I snapped this picture of one of our grandsons a couple of years ago, after I got control of my laughter.  Even at his young age, he understood the importance of keeping your ducks in a row.

Now it's time to get to planning the garden. It will be planting time in a few short weeks.

Family Time

The temperatures have been frigid the past few days and the ground is covered in snow with a forcast for freezing rain and ice tonight. So far in the month of February we have had record high temperatures AND record low temperatures. One thing is true about Missouri weather...if you don't like it, just wait a few days and it will change. That had never been more obvious than this past month.

During the winter months, we stay busy planning for the next year and doing projects that we haven't had time for during the months that are busy with growing, tending and harvesting the garden and animals. Some things have to be done when they are ready, but others can be postponed until other demands are gone. I'll share some of bigger projects soon. But today, I thought I would share some pictures taken one afternoon a few weeks ago when the three oldest grandkids came to stay with us for a couple of days. The boys got BB Guns for Christmas, and not to be left out, our oldest Granddaughter was given one by Papa so that she could join in the fun.

I made them a target and Papa took them outside to get one of their first gun safety lessons.  They will eventually graduate from BB Guns to 22 rifles and then larger caliber if they choose to hunt, so the gun/hunter safety starts very early with our family.  Since the grandchildren are different ages, they had different goals and expectations when the afternoon of shooting began.

Jayde, who just turned 8, was all about aiming and hitting the center of the target.

Aden, who is 6 wanted to hit the target. Didn't matter much to him where he hit it, as long as he hit it.

Owen, who is 5 was happy just to shoot his gun. It didn't matter to him whether he hit the target or not.  The innocence of childhood is so wonderous.

Papa made sure that each of them knew how to turn off the safety before shooting, and how to turn it back on when finished. They all practiced how to carry their guns so that they were pointed in a safe direction at all times.

Everyone learned to pay attention to where everyone else was.  I got the honor of being safety watch and taking pictures. We had a great time and it took them longer to freeze out than I expected.

The youngest grandson, Bently will be 2 in May. He didn't get to participate in the gun safety lessons, but I had to share this picture.  His mama tried to interrupt the "Man Time" he was having with his Daddy, by having him come in to eat and get a dry diaper.  That was not an idea that was appreciated! 

Then, there is our youngest grandchild. Maddie Jo is currently 5 months old and loves the puppy and being outside. She will soon be outside with the rest of the bunch, keeping them all on their toes. She is currently suffering from RSV and some accompanying illnesses and being treated at a local hospital. She is responding well to treatments and is a tough little girl. We'll have her home and out and about very soon, I am sure.

Papa's favorite baby is our newest addition. Rastus is half Jack Russell and half Mount Feist. His favorite spot is on Papa's lap.

When it is cold and snow and ice make it unpleasant to be outside, there is nothing better than spending time inside, by the fire with family and friends, unless you add something home-baked and hot chocolate.

An Unpleasant Reminder

We've had a very unpleasant reminder that having animals, raising your own food and being self-sufficient is sometimes not easy. This choice comes with an extensive set of responsibilities that if neglected can cost more than the few dollars we might have paid for those animals.  This post is not for the faint of heart, and if blood or dead animals bothers you, then please skip right on.

Last week on two consecutive mornings, we found a dead pullet in the pen.  It seemed secure, and we were puzzled in addition to being very disappointed. The 6 Barred Rock and 6 Buff Orphington pullets we bought last fall had done so well. They were beautiful, all females as promised, and we had raised them from chicks that were just days old without a hitch.  We were looking forward to adding these to our laying flock in the Spring.  After ruling out predators, because we didn't see any evidence of anything digging under or tearing through to get in, we decided that maybe the turkeys had gotten aggressive, so we decided to move them in with the established layers a little early.

While I was on a 48 hour shift on the ambulance, Larry found two of the Buffs dead in the pen on day three of integration. I had been concerned about them getting along, but when the first 24 hours went by without any major aggression, I thought we were good.  I learned a valuable lesson. The established layers were not ready to welcome the pullets and our help would be needed for a smooth integration.  From now on I will be using an integration plan to introduce new birds into the flock.  I do not want this to be a sight I see on a regular basis.

I've read about an integration called the "play pen process".  The new additions are introduced into the flock in the safety of their own cage.  I don't currently have a cage, but am using a small animal cage that was used for rabbits to keep the new girls safe from the grouchy layers, until they can get used to one another.  When I have some time, I will build a small cage just for this purpose.

At the same time these two pullets were suffering an early death, our Blue Slate Tom disappeared from his pen. It was assumed, with his disappearance, that we did have a predator and that, whatever IT was, had gotten him during the night.  When I got home, I started checking carefully. Larry said there was a place up high that was torn up and that he suspected that maybe a bobcat might be our culprit.  Upon inspection, it appeared that the damage had come from the inside the pen.  I became hopeful that whatever had disturbed the turkeys had simply scared him and he had escaped out the top of the pen. I had high hopes that he would be found wondering the woods the next day with his craw full of acorns.  It was too late to look for him because darkness had already fallen, but I would get up early and begin the search.  I prepared for the possibility of a predator as well. I had a loaded gun on the kitchen counter with a flashlight and slept in a spare bedroom on the back side of the house with the window open so that I might hear any disturbance that might occur during the night.

 I did a careful inspection early the next morning. The building is not in the best of shape, but at first glance it appears to be critter-tight.  Upon further inspection a small area pushed inward to the right of the of the old door about head high is seen. It would be large enough for a raccoon or opossum to climb up to and crawl through.

To the left of the old door, at the very top of the pen area a large area of wire was found pushed outward. This is where I think the Tom might have escaped.  The reason for his escape is still a mystery at this time. It could have been fear of a predator or an altercation with the larger, more dominant Black Spanish Tom. At this point, both areas have been repaired and a baited live trap has been placed near the door. Hopefully, catching a predator will answer some of the questions we still have.

When I went on a search for further clues as to the whereabouts of the Blue Slate Tom, I didn't get far from the house before I found a feather in the road that was obviously his. I knew I had headed in the right direction and was hopeful that I would find him scratching through the leaves looking for acorns and bugs.  But soon, after walking into a lightly wooded area, I found a pile of feathers.

In these feathers, there was no blood and no signs of a carcass, but I still began to lose some of the hope of finding the Tom alive that I had had the night before. I began searching for tracks or scat or anything else that might indicate what type of predator had obviously attacked the Tom in this area. I didn't find any sign to answer that question, but it was just a few minutes before I found the carcass of our Tom. Disappointment is an understatement when I describe what my feelings were when I discovered the carcass.

For me, the saddest part of the past few days, is also the most educational.  When we make the choice to be Modern Pioneers and have animals in our care, we must remember that we are responsible not only for their care, but also for their safety.  It is the natural way of things for predators to kill prey; for survival of the fittest; that living things will at some point die. However, what is not natural is the penning of these animals, domestication in itself has made many of these animals have their primal fight or flight responses bred out of them or at least sent these instincts to the far depths of their natural behaviors. When we participate in that domestication, we have an obligation to make sure that everything possible is done to keep these animals safe, not only from predators, but from some the remaining primal instincts that might make them turn on one another.

We have the obligation to research and learn all we can about the animals we plan to house and raise; learn all we can about their instincts and behaviors so that we may provide an environment that will allow them to, not only survive, but to also thrive.  Our care of them will then lead to their care of us as they provide meat, eggs, milk, furs, and other life sustaining materials.  Let's never began any type of animal husbandry without a willingness to learn the best way to take care of them, which in turn takes care of ourselves.

Join us at SW Missouri Homesteaders Buy, Barter, Sell or Trade to ask questions and learn about the many aspects of being a Modern Pioneer.

A tour around the Farm

On the top of a hill in the rolling hills of Lawrence County, Missouri sits our home. It is located on 110 acres that is partly wooded and provides with the opportunity to hunt deer, turkey and squirrel as well forage for wild edibles such as Morel mushrooms. This is the home that was built by my Father-In-Law during the 50's. This home is where my husband was brought to after his birth at a small hospital in a nearby town 55 years ago, spent his childhoon and adolescent years and where we currently live. After raising our two children, our 5 grandchildren love to come spend the night and visit "The Farm". We are fondly known as Nana and Papa by the ones who love us most. 

It has taken us several years to get to the point that we are ready to go back to living a simple self-sustaining life. Papa drives a school bus for a small Christian school in our community, and I work full time as a paramedic supervisor, working three 24 hour shifts a week. The job can be taxing, stressful, and downright sad at times. At other times it is the most rewarding thing I have ever done. It does however take a toll on the home life. Being gone 48 hours at a time is not the ideal situation for gardens, animals or Papa, but it does leave me 4 days a week at home to garden, hunt, and enjoy life. So, like everything in life it has its way of balancing out.  For a time we grew accustomed to the rapid pace, never-enough-time lifestyle, but when I was diagnosed with Depression and General Anxiety Disorder, I knew there was something very wrong with my life.  It has taken me over 4 years to realign my priorities, and take the small steps necessary to get back to a simple way of life that encourages good health, both mental and physical, simple living, and lost traditions.  A lifestyle in which family, friends and neighbors come before jobs and extra activities.  A lifestyle we refer to as Modern Pioneers.

Papa and I were both raised on farms, so we have a background in farming. We've both raised pigs and beef cattle, with chickens usually being a part of the animal family as well.  I always had cats, he had dogs. Neither of us have done much with rabbits, but we are learning. He remembers having a milk cow, and I remember my grandfather milking and I couldn't be more in love with our Jersey milk cow.  Serena provides us with milk and cream, that I turn into butter, sour cream, yogurt, buttermilk, and soft cheeses. I am looking forward to developing my cheese making knowledge and skills to include some harder, aged cheeses over the coming year.  We also have chickens, turkeys and pigs who each provide a valuable contribution to our lives.  We also have cats and a dog named Daisy.

We grow a garden and can or freeze much of the food we eat year round. I honestly cannot remember the last time we made a trip to the grocery store for a cart full of food.  We pick up an item or two here and there, but gone are the days of spending hundreds of dollars a month at the grocery stores and when I put food on the table, I know what is in each bite. We are planning to do more of our own butchering, and will be trying our hand at smoking for the first time this year when cure our hams and bacon provide by the pigs we butcher. In addition to churning butter and making cheese, I am beginning to grind some of the flours and grains we use, and cook mostly from scratch. We are building a greenhouse from an old trampoline frame, to start seedlings in and provide fresh produce, especially lettuce and greens year round.  Look for an upcoming post on how we are doing this.  

Our lifestyle is not for the faint of heart, or for those who do not like being at home and having a schedule to adhere to, but it is the most rewarding I can imagine.  Throughout the year we will bring you into our home and onto the farm to share in the activities we do to keep the tradition of living simply and providing for ourselves alive. We hope you will join us. We are still learning and orgainzing and though we have several barns and other buildings on our farm, and have plenty of room to do whatever we need to do, we are working on some renovations to make things easier and more efficient. We are combining the traditional ways with some modern means to build a life that we enjoy, are proud of, and love to share with those who are interested, to allow others to become Modern Pioneers as well.

Follow us, and join us on our journey through life as we work to restore the basics of a simpler time. We will share our successes and our failures. At times we will learn together; at times you will teach us; and hopefully I will have something to teach on occasion. We've started a Facebook group, geared toward "Homesteading" and more self sufficient living, hoping to encourage a group of people in Southwest Missouri to use cooperative effort to help each other achieve a healthy lifestyle that promotes family living and keeps the old ways of life alive for future generations. Visit us here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1093866313962649/  and if you like what you see, request to join and you will become a part of a great group of people who freely share ideas and knowledge.

The following are just a few snap shots from around the farm when we had a warm January day in 2015.

The first site to greet you when you arrive is the split rail fence that Papa and I put up a few years ago. At Christmas time I adorn each point of the fence that faces the road with a large red bow. 

The house that was built by my Father-in-Law in the late 50's. We added the log siding a few years ago, and have done minor changes on the inside. Mostly it remains the same as when he built it and he and Meme lived in it during their 49 year marriage.

A view from the road of the various buildings we have available to us. We just need to get organized to make the most use of them.

This building has been called "The Fur House" for as long as I've been in the family. It was used years ago to stretch the furs and let them dry after trapping. It housed the traps and other hunting supplies during the off season. Our children used the top story for a secret hide away and spent hours out there. Most recently, it has been used to store our home canned goods in an insulated room, store the chicken feed, and house the turkeys and young chickens on the back side. One of our major upcoming projects is to renovate this to have a milking room on the back side and turn the main area into a "canning kitchen" where all the food preservation will be done and all the canned goods and supplies will be kept. This is the project I am most excited about.

This is the Big Barn out behind the house.  Currently the cow comes in to eat and get milked when she has freshened, the pigs have shelter and get fed, and the rabbit hutches are kept inside here. It also seems to serve as a catch-all for extra "junk" that we don't where else to put.

The building part of the smoke house still needs the fire barrel and smoke pipe.  We will have to get this done soon, before Pork and Chop are ready for the freezer.

Pork and Chop enjoy the warm January weather.  They will provide us with enough pork to get through a full year and have some to share with the kids' families.

After finding several dead bees at the base of the hive we were concerned about how the bees were overwintering, but the activity on this sunny afternoon gave us relief and confidence that the bees are doing well.

We will be clipping wings in the next few days so that the turkeys can be moved into a larger area in the big barn. I tried to move them once already and let's just say it would have made for some entertaining video footage.  Have you ever tried to catch a turkey in flight?  This area will soon become an enclosed area where we will milk Serena after she calves again in a few weeks.

Serena is patiently waiting for grain and watching the pigs in the pen next to her. We expect her to freshen in March and are looking forward to all that fresh creamy milk again.

The older hens got a day to free range and roam while the weather was nice. They provide enough eggs to keep us in eggs year round and have enough to sell during the warmer months.

Just a part of the eggs that were laid a few days after adding crushed red pepper to the chicken feed.

We have 6 Buff Orphingtons and 6 Barred Rock pullets that should begin adding to the egg production in the Spring.

These are the New Zealand/Flemish cross does that we got from someone who was moving back to Florida and couldn't take them with them. There are two bucks in the pen next to them. They are all siblings from the same litter and are currently 7 weeks old.  We will be looking for a buck from a different blood line when it is time to breed and plan to keep two or three does to provide meat for the family both fresh and frozen year round.

There are just some days on the farm, when the weather is warm and sun is shining that there is just nothing better than a nice cat-nap. 

We hope you've enjoyed the tour, and feel like you know a bit better.  We hope you will join us frequently. Thanks for dropping by.