Rustic Potato Tart

I've been feeling a little neglectful toward my creative side lately, so I thought I would share a delicious meal I made this week. Its nice, simple (even simpler if you cheat and buy ready to use pie crust), and wholesome. And did I mention it was delicious?

New Growth

Here in the Intermountain West it is slowly turning to spring. The days are getting warmer - at least some of them are, and the nights.... Well we don't have to worry about the plants every night anymore. Running outside to cover the beds or bring in the seedling trays when snow or hail threatens adds a hectic beat to the daily dance that is our life. We are putting more and more of our seedlings in the ground, but worry about some of the warm-weather plants that we have started. If the nights don't get warmer soon, our little guys will get too leggy waiting for transplant.

Homemade Butter

I had a little extra time and what did I do with it? Made butter of course. It is not my first attempt at making butter, but shaking it in a baby food jar at my daughter's 4th grade history field-trip shouldn't really count.
It seemed like the perfect next step to take after learning to make fresh cheese. And now I can use the buttermilk by-product to make my next batch of cheese! Or I might just have to make some buttermilk biscuits or pancakes instead.

Waiting for spring!

Welcome to my Garden! I hope to write about much that happens outdoors at my house. Gardening, building projects, outdoor-gathering ideas, pets and chickens.

On Sunday, spring will officially be here. The weather is supposed to be lovely on Sunday, but we've had quite a week of wild weather here in Boise, Idaho. Take a look at our yard earlier this week!

 The previous weeks' nice weather didn't last. Good thing we were expecting more chilly temperatures!

Homemade Italian Bread

Last week I said I would try making my Italian bread recipe with the liquid whey left from my cheese-making. After reading different things about acid whey and sweet whey, I wasn't sure what my bread would taste like, or if it would work at all. Because I used lemon juice for curdling the milk (acid whey) it sounded like my bread would not come out well but hey, I had to try. If I'm gonna stick with making cheese I need to incorporate the by-products into my life and not just throw them away. Based on my trial run it looks as though the cheese-making can stay!

Cheese-making : The fulfillment of a dream

I have always wanted to make cheese, spin yarn and live in a close-knit community of artisans. I was born just a little too late to hit the last big opportunity for that here in the United States. But with  the trend to "buy, eat, grow and make local and sustainable produce/products" making a big move, my chance may come again.

I won't uproot my life to move to a kibbutz, but there is a growing sense of community, both locally and on the world-wide web that is refreshing. I love the interaction with like-minded individuals, sharing ideas and experiences that enrich our lives, trying to hold on to, bring back, and create new cherished traditions that are healthier and more sustainable than current practices.

The other day a friend who'd (mis)read my Etsy profile said she didn't know that I made cheese and that she would love to learn how. I let her know that I actually haven't made cheese, just always wanted to. That made me ask myself "Why?". Why haven't I made cheese when it's something I've always wanted to try?

Pizza Friday : or whenever your cupboards are getting bare.

It doesn't matter how busy I've been all week and how many things I've run out of, if I've got flour, yeast, oil, and salt I'm in business. Cheese is a plus, so is milk. Pasta, even better. Got an egg? Some salad veggies? Canned olives or ??? If you have that you can make pizza, bread, pasta with a variety of sauces, macaroni and cheese, quiche. The list  is endless. Well, long at least!