Applegarth Farm: in the kitchen

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

in the kitchen

I've been having fun cooking in the kitchen on these snowy days. Over the last several weeks I've been practicing a new method of making whole wheat sourdough bread. The method uses a wild yeast biga and a soaker, whole wheat needs to be brought alive by starting the bread the day before, and allow the flour the and wild yeasts to ferment. Everyone in our family loves good whole wheat bread. I'll write more about this method and post more pictures of this process the next time I make it. I also made a big batch of chicken, barley, rice and vegetable soup, and baked a butternut squash to eat as dessert (with butter and brown sugar) plus I'll have enough left over to add some to the soup tomorrow. I love to make good smells in the kitchen on a snowy winter day.

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Our goal here at Applegarth Farm is to raise children that play in the woods and gardens, and know where their food comes from. To feed the animals and care for their young, to gather eggs, and milk goats, to eat fruit off of trees, and berries from the bushes that we grow, and to eat from the gardens. We are working towards, and teaching them to be as self sufficient as best we can.

With the economy in the state it is, our plan has become even more important. Being able to live on less is one of our goals. Working from home, or close to home is another goal, and growing and harvesting most of our food is a big goal we've been working towards.

We live in a handbuilt home, our heat comes from the firewood we cut, and cooking is often done right on our woodstove. We grow a lot of our own food, and are building our home slowly with cash for materials, and the time to work on it. All of the buildings have been built over the years by my husband from trees grown and milled right on our farm, or from salvaged lumber.

The beginning years started here with no electricity or running water, and were lived in a small cabin, slowy building and clearing land. We are still trying to live as self sufficiently as we can. I am a homemaker and work part time in the nursery (plants and trees) business. We are raising children, tending animals, gardening and cooking from scratch.

Some of the topics you will hear about are; gardening, cooking, beekeeping, chickens, rabbits, building and timberframing. Along with some of my adventures in soapmaking, candlemaking, animal husbandry, plus the everyday of what's going on around the farm. Future building projects include a goat barn, a root cellar, and a pizza/bread wood fired oven. Come learn along with us, and share homesteading skills you are learning. I'm looking forward to meeting others that share a similar path that we're on, or simply others who dream of homesteading.