Keep Close to Nature's Heart...

Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away,

once in awhile, and climb a mountain or

spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.

John Muir 1838 -1914

I find that seeking out moments with nature have to be not only on her terms, but when she wants to keep her beauty close to her own heart away from prying eyes. She keeps her beauty protected for those who seek out to see it and that are there just for that moment and time.

Passing through a field, I see the plants, flowers and seeds. When I look at the woods or while walking through the woods I see the trees as a part of my life for that moment. I look at their form and shapes, their limbs and leaves as pieces of art.

As I sit in a spot I look and see everything God has provided us in our world. If you think about this a moment, as you sit there and watch the leaves fall, you are seeing in your life a moment of time that will not be repeated.

Yesterday I took a trip into McConnell Mills State Park after the big ice/snow storm pushed through. People had already adventured into the key locations before I made time to go there. But I knew a few places others wouldn't venture into and I could go there and sit and reflect on the sounds and beauty.

The storm had left behind a glass covered forest, as the trees were covered heavy with ice and snow. I sat along the river and listened to the water rush by. Knowing the ice would leave it's toll, I could hear the stress of the trees as branches could be heard crashing down.

As the wind blew ever so slightly, the sound of the cracks of branches could be heard like wood in a fireplace. The pops and cracks would sometimes be followed by big crashes, and other trees would begin to crack from the wind and sound. I sat there listening to this being played out all around me, and I was thankful to be able to go to a place where the scenery was so different from my own mountain spots of the homestead. The scenery and sounds always seem so much more defined and louder in new places as you visit them.

I left these photo's as large as I could so you can look at them and see how they make you feel. This is what I saw around me as I ventured into the park and took in all that was around me.

 

Beam Making, The Bridge Project

When I started to plan the second bridge project, I took everything I learned from the first build, and applied it to this project planning. The first bridge, still standing and handling people and equipment traffic, had its flaws and bad approaches.

Nothing in Homesteading is perfect and learning as you go is a tough way to get things done. However, it sure makes for a learning curve that is not soon forgotten. Building my first bridge, I used lumber that was left here from the old home built saw mill that once occupied a space above the pond. When I dug the holes to put in the main supports, I used a string to aline the post and holes. Over a 20 foot span, I missed my mark by 3 inches, so cutting the lumber to fit properly took twice as long as it should have and the boards had to be custom cut and fit in.

Have the out building that I use to dry some of my food such as beans, onions and garlic has its advantages. Split in half inside, one side has woodstove and the other has a force fan which pushes heat to that side and has a electric 220 volt heater as well. The woodstove side also has a evaporation hood to vent out the moisture when cooking down sap during sugar season. As a manufacturer of copper range hoods, that skill has helped me along with the vent hood.

Sixteen months ago I fell a couple of Red Oak Tree's on my property. I set them on top of some other logs to season. Partially seasoned now, I have started to cut them and will allow them to un-stress and normalize as the seasoning process continues inside the out building.

Once inside, after I finish cutting the beams to 10 x 10 x 12, I plan to control the moisture level and hang the beams 7 feet off the ground to the ceiling to take advantage of the heat. I fire up the woodstove a few times a week keeping it going during the weekend, I maintain a temp of 65 degrees. The idea is to control the moisture and allow the beams to twist, crack and do what they will do before the final cuts and building with them.

The final cuts will be made using a tried tested method, using an Adze. So lets take a look at the preliminary cutting of the beams. You can see the quality of the wood now that I have cut into it. Although these are not yet seasoned all the way, I am using a approach that I have in the past that I know will work and produce a high quality beams that will be the running beams for the new bridge.

Although this project will be done in stages, I plan to blog and share lots of photo's in the future so that you can better understand what I am doing and my approach.

The Cash Storm, Homesteaders Freedom...

With the warm coals from the hard wood fire, I sit in my warm house wearing my smiley faced pj bottoms and my traditional plain white T on. As the storm Sandy finally moves away, what is left in her path is beyond words, however lets take a closer look.

Held up by the force of wind, I once stood in the wind gale of a down graded category 3 Hurricane. As a natural entrepreneur minded man, I gather fuel, bar oil, sharpeners, chainsaws, straps and come along's,  timber jacks, ropes and cash. As I had already gathered basic 3 week supply of goods to take care of my family I was ready... As we sat in the eye for almost 15 minutes, I was already to get going.

Perhaps you might think that I was going to take advantage of people and charge outrageous prices to remove tree's from dwellings and other places... No, I was however using my money and skills to make money and provide people with a service. I made money after the hurricane moved through by having the tools and supplies on hand to get the job done right away as people wanted to get back to normal. I never charge to much and did dozens of jobs for what the people could afford or had on hand. I even bartered for some stuff....

As a young man, poor, I was always searching for new things to adventure into as long as I could benefit from it, and I enjoyed it, why not? I am positive this type of attitude of moving forward has helped me with running my own businesses as well as the risk of doing that. But Hurricanes and big storms always put a little green in my pocket. There was risk doing what I was doing, but I felt a need to take care of my family, money in my pocket insured I could buy supplies.

A few years ago we were hit by several big storms back to back. We had snow on top of snow on top of snow on top of snow... At one point, I had walls of snow that lined my driveway. But I didn't need to do as I had done before, nor was this storm any different. However perhaps my age now, maturity, knowing better, or just a more confident approach in getting through these types of natural events.

I remember sitting in the eye of that hurricane, in the dead still of air, looking at the coming wall, did I do the right thing and could we handle another 6 hours of this? We did in the end, but it sure was tough and scary. I thought I had 3 weeks of supplies, they lasted only a week.

As I sat here the other day while Sandy raged on, I thought about those days when I thought like that about money..... Today, I am just prepared for months if need be and I didn't go out of my way to do anything special. I don't feel like being in a panic to run to the store to buy supplies other than toilet paper. If I don't have a tin can of food, it doesn't bother me.

Being self sufficient has given me a confidence that I never knew it would. Sure you can say, well of coarse silly, but I can't explain the feelings of confidence I do have. I feel like we could be stuck here and we would survive and be okay. I know tons more about hunting, gathering, gardening and life skills. I feel like I could write a book and teach others the way I have adapted to this life of rewards and freedom. We that Homestead, step in and post a comment if you do, we have a sense of freedom others do not know or understand....

It compares to something like a right of passage, something you have learned and lived and now you can confidently execute the motions without thinking or worry...

By being self sufficient as I want to be, I think if the stuff hits the fan, we will be okay... That is a good feeling....

Raw Milk Turns Into Many Homestead Products

As I sit here this evening, while the cool fall air swirls around the trees to pull off the dead leaves and floats them to the ground, today was a good productive day.

You might remember the other night I went to a secret location and got some raw, right from the cow, milk. Now before you start posting your thoughts of how bad raw milk is for you, I will not listen to your nonsense. Your wasting your time preaching to me about all the things bad with raw milk, and if I wanted to waste my time I would combat and debate the issue with you. But I am not going to do that.

As I used a method taught to me by my Mom, I had confirmed the technique of separating the cream from the top of the milk. So out of the milk I got I ended up with enough cream to make nearly three pounds of butter. You see I dodged that "how much cream did you get" bullet? I didn't measure my cream as I should have because I forgot to and just moved into butter production first thing this morning.

So, I know your ready to get into the whole butter production, but I wanted to let you know in my useful gadgets I have a Mixer Stand like the one I used to make my own butter. One of these days I am going to blog a list of stuff I make with my Kitchen Aid stand mixer.

So I started out by allowing my cream sit overnight and then just chilled it a couple hours. I added some into the stand mixing bowl, and kept adding until the mixer was going on high and I always make a foil bonnet around it to keep it full.

 So as it starts to churn, it will thicken up and the milk and as you can see in the photo below, the level of milk has dropped compared to the one above. Generally I just keep adding cream until I get enough where I know my machine can handle the butter.

So by adding foil around the edge, tucking it in, I can fill my mixer up pretty full without spreading milk all over the kitchen.

Taking a peek in, can you see the noticeable change it texture and color?

Well it won't be long until my butter starts to clump and balls together. When it is at this point it is time to take it out and strain it.

Now it is time to start cutting the butter, if you don't cut it, it will become rancid very soon and you have wasted all your cream, time and effort. Cutting the butter with a pastry cutter and cold water will clean out all the residue milk that has been collected during butter making process. Ice cold water added, than cut it for a couple minutes, strain add new cold water, and repeat until your butter cuts clean in water. I use 1/2 cup cold water during my first cut and mix that with my buttermilk. The remainder several batches after the first one I toss out.

This is my last cut, clearly from the first photo you can see the water color get much clearer.

Now I will strain the butter one last time and begin to press it into containers for long term storage. Notice the water coming out?

Don't be afraid to poke your fingers down into the butter to remove the air pockets and the water will also continue to come out. Now it is time to smooth it out for long term storage...

Some advice, never share your source for raw milk by bragging about it, share with people you know if the farmer allows it. Make sure to visit your farmer and make sure they are a clean milker. If your lucky as I am, mine doesn't use hormones and mine grazers and produce organic milk for the market.

So tomorrow for breakfast I will have homemade buttermilk (made from my by product from butter production) pancakes with my homemade butter covered in my homemade maple syrup.... I feel pretty proud to say all those homemade words in one sentence....

Stocking Up The Pantry 2012...

As the garden keeps giving, I keep on putting food up. Because I use several methods of storing food, I use the methods that best suit our needs and I know the food will get used.

While the pantry fills, taters sit at the bottom under every shelf, jars start to stack up, and I end up putting empty jars waiting to be filled every where I can.

To the right are Jars filled with good eats, as well as the left side. The right is wet side, the left is the dry side. We are looking good so far and ahead of production this year. I am short on taters, and I was late on beans which are now canned from mine and Marks garden. I still have Lima, Kidney, Pinto and Mexican Red Beans that are almost ready to harvest. Because they are dried beans, they need time to ripen and store.

I also have 19 Butternut Squash that are bigger than a pound each, and a few Pumpkins. The Okra is still going as well as the Sunflowers. I still have 2 bushels of maters and the peppers will continue to grow. 

The pantry is looking good...

Soul Food In The Garden

Many people that garden just do it, they just get on with it and you would know nothing else other than they grow their food. Some people garden to eat, share and be happy and enjoy giving food away. Some people garden because they have to, they will not eat well if they don't do something to lighten their food bill. I even know one 84 y/o man that swears that his hard work and gardening is keeping him alive.

Out of those four types of Gardeners, I am not one of them. Perhaps just a little part of each one of those, tossed in with some other types of Gardeners, that would be me. I am not alone either...

With sweat running down my face, dripping on my legs, the dirt from pulling weeds scattered all over me turning into mud while mixing with the sweat. My back sometimes hurts, I get mad all the weeds and want to surrender my garden to them as if they won some kind of war for my land. The on going battle with the critters, and the lack of or way to much rain at one time. Then there is the diseases to fuss with and all the ways to find out how to best handle them organically. It all seems like it would be better to just give up, cash it in, and try living like the mass population.

Then the feared canning day... Here it is in my house... alright I am canning tomorrow, that day, everyone get out of the way or you have a job to do. Danielle pitches in and ask if there is something she can do, I often have Joshua or Jessica helping out. But until I say so, I own that kitchen!!

Truth be known, I can't give up, my soul won't allow me to. I spent many years working my way back to the land and people I call home. I over paid for the property I now own, but I am not upset at that either. Because you know what, as much as I have worked my land, the land has worked me and my soul too. This is my little organic spot that I made, worked, and saw a vision when we first bought the property.

When I step into that Garden, my soul steps out and takes it all in. Sometimes I work in the garden and time flys, the sun sets and the air gets cool and I don't even know it till I finish my job.

When I start canning, as I move along, I know that a little piece of my soul goes into that jar. When the contents of that jar are used, that is my love feeding our bodies.

If you had asked me 15 years ago where I would be at today, well it wouldn't be where I am. I am so blessed with so many things, and I am so happy my wife, Danielle, allows me to continue. I would say I humor her sometimes I think, as I try some of the wackiest things. How many people do you know have a rain gutter full of dirt, growing Spinach on their property?

When the day comes I can no longer garden, give me a big pot and some seeds beside my bed...

How To Process More Tomatoes and Make Seedless/Semi-Seedless Jams

I am ready to still continue making my own food if power is lost for long periods of time. I know how and have the proper equipment to manually prepare my own food for long term storage. But for now, I have power and I have lots of fruits and produce to get through.

Using technology to help you sustain a self sufficient life isn't a bad thing, and because you use it to help you doesn't mean that your not doing it right. Sure, some people might say "well that isn't the way it was done/you can do it a more primitive way" and most of the time their right. But you know what? We are modern pioneers, not pioneers without the tools available to us to use.

Go back 100 years with a chainsaw and ask a Lumberjack yielding misery whip to fall a Redwood in Oregon, if he would like to try your chainsaw. After he uses your chainsaw, you would have to shoot the guy to get it out of his hands. Maybe it is just me or perhaps you think like I do, it is just common sense to use what you can to help you. I got a Kitchenaid stand mixer some years ago, the the fancy high end one. I had picked it up for a few hundred bucks. I started to use it to make bread dough and mix other things when I could.

One day I went into the store going to check out the attachments that I could use to make more use of mine. So there it was, the one thing I needed the most... The Kitchenaid strainer attachment... My mind started racing like the dad did when he opened the box and saw the leg lamp in the movie Christmas Story... It was amazing to see it there, and it drew me in and I didn't care about the cost. I was drawn in by all the uses and how much time it was going to save me... so I bought it...


I got it home and started to make jam the following morning, Raspberry to be exact... It was too easy... The berries went in, filled the hopper, pressed down with the tool, juice and pulp drained down and the seeds and other stuff came out the end. That was it, that easy...DONE!

 A bright light appeared in my kitchen that day, it was the time saving idea light... I had finally found the one item that would save me THOUSANDS of HOURS of intensive labor to process berries and tomatoes. I can do a bushel of tomatoes in under an hour, that is from washing, cutting and processing them for canning. Now that I have this, I use the time I save and my shoulder for other projects that need attention.

I don't know about you, but some jam like Blackberry/Raspberry can have way too many seeds for my liking, but at the same time they don't feel like homemade jam to if there isn't some seeds in it. So I dump one big tablespoon back in each batch I do.

Trust me when I say " don't let the price fool you, it's well worth the investment ". If by chance you don't have a Kitchenaid mixer yet, get one!!! I love mine!!

The Haters, The Lovers, The Seekers.....

As I sit in comfort of my plush chair, the fire is keeping this space warm and the smell of the fire reminds me of childhood days of living on the farm. I know that wood I split was well worth the effort as I knew these days were coming, and I would have to keep us warm. It was the same way back on the farm.

Today the world is a whole different place, but there are spots and places that have stayed the same just as I was raised. People are trying to get back to the basics and teach themselves the skills needed to live off their land, I am one of those people. To me, its in my soul, part of my program, what I believe in, what I desire. I was never a " keep up with the Jones " or "faddish" type, maybe as a teenager but that has long since been gone.

When we moved here I had many dreams on how I was going to make this land work for us. I have struggled many times with different aspects of living self sufficient. I haven't gone without, I have always provided, and the food I eat and gather is bar none the best. I know that when we pop open that canning jar, whatever is in the jar was made with hard work and lots of love. Pride is something I feel, but its also my drive to live the way I do. No words can describe to you how I felt in my heart when that day I opened my freezer and all the food that filled it over half way was of my own effort and hard work. The rewards of doing it on your own are many, more than some people can see, but also ones that people seek to understand it.

The Haters
Haters is a strong word, but these are the people that think that meat in a package was grown in a garden or a product made by man. Shake your head if you want, I have a neighbor that thinks just that way, clueless. They are the people who look down on you, or feel sorry for you because you "have to" live the way you are. They think that the efforts you make to make maple syrup is a joke because they can go to the store and buy it without any effort.
Its easy to go to the store and buy a dead processed chicken, after cooking it, its okay to throw some of it away if you want because there is no relationship between that chicken and you. I was at a KFC, yup I said it, sue me, KFC....... When I ordered some wings. As I sat down to eat them, I opened the hot sauce and began to chow down (KFC does have some killer hot sauce). After a couple, I bit into one that had a dark substance all around the meat and bone. Raising and slaughtering animals myself, I knew that was a blood clot caused by abuse. At the hands of a human, that chicken died in a manner less than respectable, at least in my book.
The haters don't have a clue as to why it was like that... Frozen veggies and fresh.... They sit around and complain about the economy and food prices, but harvesting lettuce in a field is below them. They are the people supporting big Ag companies so that the basic gentle farmer can't make a decent living at working the land or raising meat to sell. I don't hate the Haters, I want to open their eyes, teach them, let them taste their own rewards. I want them to raise one chicken and harvest that chicken to feed their family.

The Lovers
These are the people who might not have land, might not understand what we do or how we do it. They are looking at us, reading what we do, and living through us as we get on with life. Lovers are those that understand why/what we are doing. They sit on the side lines because perhaps that is all they can do because they need to learn and be taught how to do something on their own. They don't envy us so much as appreciate what we do and what makes us tick. They do what they can to recycle, and do what they can to keep the landfills less filled.  Lovers ask questions about what we do as well as love the food we share with them. Some lovers cover their like for us because they don't think they can do what you do. But they are always the first to stick their hand up for free veggies when we have extra to offer. Believe it or not, Haters can be closet Lovers, in fact a closet Lover will be your seasonal friend. They are easy to snuff out, you just have to see who is kind to you during growing season and dislikes your lifestyle when growing season is past. I am positive you can say " Hey, I know someone like that! " Lovers also don't make fun of us, they are eager to understand because perhaps they will someday be a Seeker. I like Lovers and I will gladly keep sharing what I do, in hopes someday, you will post that you decided to try it for yourself and love the rewards of your hard work and thank me.

The Seekers
I am a Seeker... Seekers are those, ( I will remind you, at ANY LEVEL) that are seeking a new/better way to provide for their family by doing it themselves. They seek out like minded people to join with to learn and understand. They want to join those people that are doing it and get their hands dirty. They want a wood fire, they want to pop open the canning jar, they want to understand how basic needs can be met by hard work and understanding how to do it. They respect others who have to live that way, they look at those who have to live that way as a friend. A Seeker can cover themselves with a blanket that was sewn with yarn and understand the warm they feel was made with a pair of hands not a factory loom. They embrace the smell of a wood fire, and will even cook a meal right in the living room because while the open fire heats the room, it can also cook a meal in a pan. ( Did you ever image looking at your fireplace that way?) 

I really like it when people tell me that they tried something I have taught them to do, or they buy a book that allows them to make something all on their own. It isn't my goal, but an added benefit to teach others while I learn myself. I know some of you have been with me a few years now, and as I have hit the bumps along the way, you too have hit them with me. Thanks for hanging out with me and I hope your doing something SS if you weren't already doing it yourself. Jason

About That City Life? Country Living At Its Finest !

So I have had some conflict recently about my SS way of life. But let me not forget my city life and all that it still is and more. Perhaps I will slip into a place where I beat city dwellers down, but have heart my dear friends, city living isn't this country boys cup of tea.
As we sat watching the news, a 78 y/o woman had been raped and murdered 4 blocks down, 7 blocks over. I didn't understand the dynamics of the murder back then, I have a great understanding now. However, it was the fact that we lived in the best area, the best school, and things like that didn't happen here, or so I was to believe.

Then there was the on going hassle with stupid neighbors and property lines (still can't run from that one) and all that it came with. Then comes privacy, I didn't get that till we moved back to the country. The people driving by, the sirens, the smog, the everyday traffic, horns beeping, that fights people had, and the list goes on.

Than once we moved house back to the country it took a little getting use to. But I would sit out on the porch staring up at the sky that I hadn't seen in so many years. The peepers, the tree frogs, the gentle cool breeze of the summer night. It was like heaven, a place where I walked around and drank my beer and listened to what mother nature was. To be honest, it defined me and who I am.

I grew up on a farm, where in the summer we stay and camped outside because the upstairs of the house was too hot. Even if we could afford a fan, we couldn't afford the power to move the night air. In the winter, getting ready for school was a hoot!! See, the trick was to put our clothes in bed with us the night before. Early in the morning, when Mom would shout to get up, she just wanted to see lights in the hallway. So every other day me or my brother would hop out of bed and make a mad dash to turn on the light and back to bed. There was frost patterns on the windows, you could see your breath. You could smell Dad trying to get the coal fire started. But if it were banked right the night before, it would be cold but you couldn't see your breath.

I found the relationship with the Earth that I so longed for and had missed sooooooo much when I had to move to the city. I always told my Dad " You can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy. " He would be mean sometimes and say " well what are you going to do? Move back to PA where the deer and the antelope roam? " I never could figure a response to that statement, until I moved back. Jokingly, at Thanksgiving dinner, I looked at him and said " They must have killed all the Antelope, because I have yet to see one. " He never said a word but rather changed the subject.  
I decided that city living isn't for me, I see nothing wrong with it, but its not for me. I have dreamed of living in a cabin, that dream might just happen sooner than I ever dreamed.
But it might not, so I have made a final decision on where I will remain. I will continue to live in the woods, and continue with my way of life and continue in the direction I want to go. I want to be happy, and gardening, living off the land, making my own stuff, and being kind to the Earth are all things that are importnat to me, I can't give that up.
I hope you stay with me as I continue my next adventures of sausage making!!! I am evening doing a bacon video.... Thanks friends and fans, stay tuned!!! Jason

Keeping On Getting Back To Normal, Love Fresh Food

Hello SS folks, long time no post... However as I mentioned after my return from the coast, I am presenting you with the photos of the homestead and where I am at with things.

So we are doing great, and the weather has been bad. With almost no rain, my rain barrel has been dry most of the grow season. I have used both pond water and well water for the garden. The mulch I laid down has been a blessing. Like some of you, I have been getting on with my seasonal duties of putting food up for the winter season. Although I have been eating more veggies since the garden has been growing, I drop almost 25 pounds of fat. Stress fat as well as process food eating I am sure. We all know the difference in the taste of market food and your own.

Well, all that being said, I'd rather explain the photos as they posted. So if you have sometime and want to join me on my adventure of my SS lifestyle, grab a cup of tea or your preferred drink and lets have a mozzy on the farm.
Mushroom Logs setting idle, waiting for some rain


Wind spinners which help run the birds off and add some beauty to the garden



Solar lights in the garden. 4 corners have led colored globes, and again the bean tree fence post topper


Garden Guard


Garden pictures of different crops and general garden stuff







Ground Hog enters garden and eats carrots and beans, I will harvest and stew him soon


Early Garlic processing



Onions



Summer and Zuke squash, dried and ready to be separated into my squash mess vac bags and other cooking recipes. I have a long loved squash mess recipe from my Mom that she taught me how to make. I took it one step further and developed a dehydrated recipe of my own.


Jamming.. Maple syrup too..





So let me set this up and explain to you how some people don't think. At the end of maple season, folks are tired and couldn't be bothered working out the "fines" in the last gallon of syrup. Fines are named as all the small particles left over in the last batches of each go at maple making. They were going to toss them out this year, I got my equal share already, and wanted the stuff they were going to throw away. Anyway, what you are looking at is one jar of the left over "fines" syrup. Somewhat darker than Amber, still a good quality syrup, this jar is 90% maple syrup with the fines settled at the bottom. SO letting it settle and removing the top syrup has given me another half gallon of syrup.


Todays harvest


The root cellar seems to keep at a steady 66 degrees and was a rewarding building project for food stores. It has proved to be a great place for me to safely store both dried foods as well as canned food.

The hedge rows have provided a steady supply of berries for jamming and fresh eating. This year is the first year that grapes are growing. some of the later raspberry plants are still providing berries of pancakes and sugar and milk.


I suspect that I will be drying and canning tomatoes very soon. I will be canning green ones as well. I also will be drying some for soup recipes.

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You can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy.
вегетарианец- Russian word for poor hunter
We are pioneers, trail blazers, we fight for freedom. We transform our dreams into the truth, our struggles, we became a nation.