Fast and Easy Meal Idea! ~ Another Good Use For Stale Bread



Hot from the oven

Feeling rushed for time?  I have some favorite go-to recipes and this is one of them.


Today for lunch I needed something quick and easy.  My own children love this recipe and so do most of the daycare children.   Perhaps you can try this on your brood when you're in a hurry.  It also makes a fast hot dinner or nice weekend brunch casserole.

To make this tasty main dish, you'll only need bread (any type, even croutons would work), eggs (about a dozen), meat of some sort (we love sausage or ham, but bacon would be great too!), and cheese if you have it.

  Easy - Fancy Brunch Casserole

1. Tear up enough bread (I used a mixture of homemade croutons and sandwich bread today - but any bread will do) to make an even layer in a buttered 9 x 13 inch pan.  It doesn't have to be perfect, in fact the more uneven the pieces are, the more rustic I think the dish looks.
2. Layer 1/2 to 1 lb of cooked ham, bacon or sausage.  Today I used sage breakfast sausage patties and just broke them into pieces.
3. Layer shredded cheese if you have it.  I didn't have any cheese today.
4. Scramble a dozen eggs and season to your liking. 
5. Pour eggs over bread, meat and cheese.
6. Let the bread absorb the egg mixture for a few moments prior to baking.
7. Bake covered in a 350 degree F. oven for approximately 30 mins.
8. Remove cover and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes or until eggs are set.  If the mixture appears liquidy when you jiggle the pan, it needs to cook longer.
9. Serve with sliced tomatoes and condiments of your liking.  I really love salsa or tabasco sauce.  Enjoy!

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Good Way to Use Old Bread - Bread Pudding

Yesterday, my eleven year old daughter wanted to make a snack for everyone.  She was craving something sweet but we were out of flour so I had to shoot down her suggestion of chocolate brownies.
   

We looked around the kitchen and decided to throw together a few ingredients to make a bread pudding.  1)We mixed 3 eggs, 2 cups of milk, 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar, a splash of vanilla and some cinnamon.   2)Then we added a mix of stale bread we had sitting around. Approximately a half a loaf worth of french bread and some old dry hot dog buns.

3) We mixed it together until the bread mixture was moistened all the way through.

4) Then we baked it at 350 degrees F.  for about 40 minutes.  A few minutes prior to taking out of the oven, we sprinkled vanilla sugar over the top. 

When we experiment without a recipe I never really know if it will be a winner or a big stinkin' bomb.  But this one was a winner!  All the children snarfed it down and wanted seconds.  It would've been even better with some vanilla ice cream on the side!

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Plot Planting (How to Plant a Big Garden in a Small Space)

Garden Design

We don't plant in rows, rather we plant in plots.   Our plots are usually manageable rectangles of 4 ft deep x 8 ft wide.  

We never leave enough space to have comfortable walk paths once the plants get big.  Every year, we underestimate the space we'll need between those plots.  Seems fine while the plants are small but once they reach full size, it's like a jungle in our garden.  I think it works out okay though.  We definitely get the most "bang for our buck" by planting as much as possible in our space.

Plant in Plots - Not in Rows

Plot style planting (I've heard it referred to as "square foot" planting) is a very efficient method of planting.  It conserves water, saves space and reduces weeding if done properly.  

Unfortunately, most seed packets come with instructions for planting in rows.  If you will look at the photo below you will find helpful information, such as "Days to Germination", "Days to Harvest", "Planting Depth", "Spacing: Row/Plant", and "Preserve By".

  This particular seed packet (green beans) instructs you to plant the seeds at a depth of 1 to 1 1/2 inches.  It also tells you to plant each plant 4 inches apart, and to place the rows 20 inches apart.

If you were to do this, you would have a lot of wasted space.  A 4 ft x 8 ft section would look something like this.......


24 plants per row x 3 rows = 72 plants

 Plot Planting to Save Space

Or, if you plant as we have been, you can space the plants 4 inches apart and space the rows 4 inches apart.  You will be making a grid with your plants.  It will look something like this.


24 plants per row x 12 rows = 288 plants

As you can see, the "Plot" method allows you to plant 4 times as many green bean plants in this example.   Not only does this give you so much more harvest for your land space, there are other benefits as well.  

Water Conservation 

Because the plants are so close together, the folage actually shields the soil from the sun.  This natural umbrella helps reduce the rate of water evaporation.  We've noticed that we can generally reduce the frequency that we water our garden by half. 

Reduced Weeds

The leaves hold moisture into the soil but an added perk is the barrier that prevents the weeds from seeing the light of day.  Early weeding will likely be necessary but done properly, you shouldn't have to weed much as your plants mature, except in the pathways. 

Works With Most Vegetables

This method really works for just about any veggie.  Just pay attention to the spacing required between plants and plant in a grid. (Forget the row distance).  I encourage you to give it a try!  I'd love to see photos and hear how the plot method worked for you!

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How Much Seed Should You Buy? - Original Article

Setting Your Garden Goal(s)

Deciding how much seed to purchase can be tricky when planning your vegetable garden.   First you must know what your intentions are with your garden. 

Will your garden provide a little extra fresh produce during the spring and summer season?  Or do you hope to preserve enough food to feed your family until the next year's garden is producing?  Or perhaps you hope to do something in between the two extremes. 

What Will You Eat?

I find that I can easily get carried away when planning my garden.  The garden catalog(s) are so beautiful and the varieties are intoxicating!  It is fun to try new veggies but it's not cool to discover that you must go to the grocery store to purchase the good ol' favorites because you didn't plant enough to get you through the season.





It has worked well for us to follow an 80/20 ratio when purchasing seeds and planting our garden.   Approximately 80% of what we grow are our favorite, time-tested standbyes.  20% are new to our garden, either vegetables or herbs we've not grown before, or a new variety of a vegetable we've grown in the past.

How Much Seed to Purchase?

There are multiple on-line sources to help you decide how much seed to plant.  But I've yet to find a site that will tell you exactly how much to plant per person.  I thought I would take some time to give you guidelines but after putting much thought to it, I've realized I can't tell you either!   


Some of our seed stash


I can tell you what we plant approximately.  Hopefully this will give you an idea of how much you should plant.

Our Family Numbers

We have eight members in our family.  Our family consists of - two adults, two teenage boys that eat as much or more than an adult, two preteen daughters that eat as much as I do at times, a seven year old little boy that exists on air and water alone, and a two year little girl who loves veggies.   Plus we feed lunch to 7 or 9 daycare children 5 days a week. 

Our garden goal is to produce all of our family's produce for each year.  Of course the zone we live in causes us to purchase some things like bananas, oranges and avocado.  And we've not gotten our greenhouse finished so if we want a fresh salad in the off season, we must purchase that produce.

Here is an list of what we generally plant -

• Tomatoes - 50 to 60 plants (a mixture of paste tomatoes and large beefy style) - We eat fresh, can, dehydrate and sometimes freeze.
• Hot Peppers - 10 to 12 plants - Eat Fresh, pickle and dehydrate
• Bell Peppers - 15 plants - Eat fresh and freeze
• Summer Squash - 25 plants - Eat fresh, pickle and freeze
• Winter Squash - 30 to 35 plants - Eat fresh, cellar storage and freeze
• Swiss Chard - 100 plants - Eat fresh and freeze
• Spinach - 100 plants - Eat fresh and freeze
• Green Beans - 4 lbs worth of different varieties - Eat fresh, freeze, can and pickle
• Dried Beans - 4 lbs worth of different varieties - Dry for soups, etc.
• Cucumbers - 30 plants -  Eat fresh and pickle
• Okra - 25 to 30 plants - Eat fresh, freeze and pickle
• Snap Peas - 30 to 40 plants (not a big staple in our home) - Eat fresh
• Potatoes - For some reason we've not had much luck with potatoes, so this will be an area of improvement this year.  I'm planning on planting at least 5 lbs per person plus a little extra.  I figure I'll plant at least 50 lbs. - Cellar Storage for use throughout year
• Corn - We have approximately 10 lbs of corn from saved seed.  Last year, we ate very little of our corn harvest but instead let it go to the point of seed.  I really don't know how much we'll plant or end up with as corn is fairly new to our garden.  I will keep you posted.  You should keep in mind that corn tends to produce one or two ears per plant when considering how much to plant for your family.  Our family loves corn so much that we could probably plant an acre and still consume it all in a year's time! Eat fresh, freeze and can
• Watermelons - 10 plants - Eat Fresh
• Canteloupe - 10 plants - Eat Fresh
• Carrots - Seeds are so small, and we've been saving our carrot seeds for many years now.  So I'm afraid I can't tell you anything other than we put approximately 3 to 5 seeds every square inch and plant an entire 4 ft by 8 ft plot.   We also plant some carrots arround the tomatoes as they make good companion plants.  We usually plant about 2 cups of saved seeds.  I'm really not sure how many seed packets that would be.  We eat carrots through the summer and put the rest up by freezing, dehydrating and pickling.  
• Onions - We go through about 4 large onions a week in our house.  52 weeks x 4 = 208 onions.  In the past, we've grown half that and always wished we'd planted more.  This year, we'll plant approximately 250 to allow for some loss to weather, bugs, etc.   Cold storage, freezing and dehydration
• Garlic - We've grown garlic just for fun in the past.  We'll plant about 50 cloves this year and see how far that takes us.

There will be other odds and ends of things we will plant but these are the mainstays of our garden.

I hope you find this hopeful!

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I Need a Big Snowstorm!

Where is winter?  I know some of you will think me insane to complain, but I really want a big snow storm.  Sure, we've had some cold days but that doesn't feel the same to me as a big snow. 

A big snow covers all of Winter's stark, harsh lines.  Snow embellishes the landscape and buildings like calligraphy embellishes mere words. 

Until Mother Earth decides to grace us with snowfall that sticks, I'll just have to reminisce about the past winters. 

Our Backyard Several Winters Ago

Beautiful isn't it? 

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Save Money By Starting Your Tomatoes From Seed - It's Easy!

I am so excited!  That precious moment that I look forward to each year has arrived.  I have tomato seedlings sprouting! 

Starting Seeds Couldn't Be Easier!



Several weeks ago I planted my saved seeds from our last garden. 

1) I used organic potting soil to fill up my peat pots.  For my tomatoes I like to use the medium sized pots.  I think this allows the root system to grow and the plants to get larger at a faster rate.  In the past, I've used the smaller pots  and the plants seemed stunted even though I'd planted them 8 weeks  prior to transplanting to the garden.

2) I planted 4 tomato seeds in each pot.  This amount is probably over-kill but I'm always anxious that the seeds  might not germinate.  The germination rate of my saved seeds seems to be 90% to 95%.

 

3) Then I put the pots in a warm location  (my kitchen) to germinate.   I made sure to give them a gentle watering each day, just enough to keep the soil damp.

 

4) Once the seedlings pop through the soil, I move them to a sunnier location in my house.

 

5) I will continue to keep the soil damp and make sure my babies get plenty of sun over the next 6 to 8 weeks.  I've planted 40 pots with 4 seeds each.  When the seedlings have finished emerging, I will watch them for a few days and thin them down
to the strongest in each pot.  

To see the thinning process read Thinning Tomato Seedlings

A Time To Plant

It's important to keep in mind that while tomatoes need a long growing season, they will not set fruit when night time temperatures are below 60 degrees F or above 75 degrees F.  This a very compelling reason to time the planting and transplanting just right for your zone. 

If you wait too long to get your plants out into the garden, you may not have your tomatoes fruiting until nearly fall. 

How Much Should You Plant?

Since we consume a lot of tomatoes, I plant at least 5 plants per adult (or larger child) and 3 plants per smaller child.   If you plan on canning tomatoes, as we do, I would recommend nothing less than these amounts.  Adjust these amounts based on your family's personal preference.

What Type of Seeds Should You Plant?

You can purchase hybrid seeds but I strongly suggest you purchase heirloom seeds.  Heirloom seeds are usually no more expensive than the hybrid varieties but they will save you money in the long run.  You can save your heirloom seeds from some of your harvest and use them to plant your garden for FREE next year!

You can find heirloom seeds and starting supplies
at the following sources ~

15 Pack 3-Inch Round Peat Pots (Bonus Pack) # FR312B

Jiffy 5444 4-Inch Seed Start Pots, 6-Count

Ferry Morse Heirloom Tomato Collection

Black Krim Tomato 30 Seeds - Russian Heirloom

Beefsteak Tomato Heirloom Certified Organic Seeds

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Dreams of Living Off The Grid

As long as I can remember, I've had a vision of spending my days not working for money, but working to live.  I dream of using my time and energy to grow our family's food and to maintain our shelter.  I think it would be very satisfying to be so connected to our quality of lives.

We Sell Our Time (Ourselves?) In Exchange For Things
 
I think it is safe to say that in this day and age, most of our population works a job in exchange for money.  We use this money to purchase our homes, our food, our vehicles, our haircuts, education, clothing, entertainment, and household products.


The Lost Art of Survival

Skills that were common in our society a century ago are rare today.  Our grandmothers knew how to make soap, bake bread, sew, butcher chickens, milk a cow, preserve food and so on and so forth.  Today, these skills are considered "hobbies".  

My Great Great Grandmother, Katie Longhofer, with all of her chickens

I realize that these skills have become hobbies simply because most of us are too busy. We work hard at our jobs for 8 to 10 hours a day, then rush home to feed our families, help with homework, transport the kids to their extra-curricular activities, clean the house, wash laundry, and if we are lucky, find a little relaxation time.


Homesteading in the City? 

I've taken steps over the past few years to pull out of the "norm" and step away from the expectations that I feel are imposed on me by society.  I was able to cut the expense of daycare out of our budget and stay home with my children by starting my own in-home licensed childcare business.  

We grow a large organic vegetable garden and preserve our harvest by canning, dehydrating and freezing.  We did raise chickens but decided it didn't make financial sense as we were limited to only 12 hens since we are in city limits.  The cost of the feed plus the reality that our hens would not be able to produce new chicks without a rooster made our keeping chickens for eggs a mere hobby. 

I love to make soap but without a pig to slaughter, the lard used in the recipe becomes an additional purchase instead of a valuable by-product.   Unfortunately, our city zoning doesn't allow us to have farm animals such as goats, pigs or cattle on our city lot.


Inspiration! 

There is so much that we can do to be self-sufficient where we are living now.  I try to remember this when I'm feeling anxious to get out of the city.  I think of the Dervaes family doing extraordinary things with their small city lot when I need to feel inspired.  See their site here - http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/


Debt Freedom Is a Requirement

Still, I want to get out and away from the sounds of cars rushing by, the bright lights, and especially the city regulations.   So, this year my husband and I have been earnestly looking for that perfect piece of land that will allow us to go from wannabes to the real deal.   To truly live that dream, we will need to be as debt-free as possible so that we are not tied to a job.  We realize that this may take some more time. 

Our goal is to find a piece of land with some trees and tillable land within one year's time.  We pray that it will be reasonably priced and that if it doesn't have shelter on it, we can find a mobile home to purchase cheaply for a temporary shelter.


Eyes on the Prize! 

This desire is in my mind every moment of every day.  I am very much looking forward to the moment that we sign the dotted line on our new property and take that exciting step toward having our very own homestead.  In the meantime, I'm learning everything that I can about living self sufficiently.  It is a truly exciting journey!

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