The Sanborn Sanctuary Farm

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE

2012-03-05T09:00:00.000-08:00

It's been a long winter, not as harsh as the terrible -20 degree days of last winter but long anyway. As I feel the approaching spring air and see the sun shining out there, all I can think of is - the garden! How fun this is gonna be this year, we have so many new plans and so many possibilities out there!

But for now, I resort to my fellow farmers out there and buy their wonderful beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and meat from the Farmer's Market. Don't know how I could survive a winter without it!

So last week, a few days I go I took the night to do the Dark Days challenge and make an all around, if not perfect SOLE meal: Ricotta Cheese Stuffed Chicken Thighs with Whole Grain Pasta and a Garden Salad.

I took all the ingredients for the salad that I bought at market; cucumbers, tomatoes, spicy greens, onion and carrots, then chopped, sliced and diced and made a wonderful Garden salad.

I took the chicken thighs and stuffed them with home made ricotta cheese form our goat's milk. Topped it with some homemade pasta sauce that I whipped up this last October from our plethora of tomatoes, sprinkled some homemade mozzarella cheese I made from that wonderful goat Ezzy's milk. Baked it in the oven for about 40 minutes at 350*.

Add a side of organic whole wheat pasta and top with some more homemade sauce and walah! a good meal!

DEATH - AGAIN

2012-03-04T14:30:00.000-08:00

We lost another family member this morning, Barry the Pekin duck. He passed away after what seemed to be just growing old. I knew he was going but he wasn't suffering, just growing old and tired. We've had him for about 5 years which is a long life for a duck.

I remember for a couple years in a row, when we would open the pool in the spring and the water would be uninhabitable for people, but perfect for ducks, we would bring the ducks down to the pool and let them swim and swim! It was fun to watch them disappear under the murky water, only to guess and wonder where they would appear when they resurfaced! What joy they would express with their quaking and diving, all the time we would watch and be in awe of their revelry.

It was sad to see him out there, growing old, how his legs wouldn't work like they used to ( I can relate, Barry) and how his fellow duck friends would stand by his side every day for the last couple of days, seemingly anticipating the impending death and showing their support.

It was such a beautiful sight, watching his friends take care of him, showing him that he was well loved. Last week I had the pleasure of going to see a performance of Tuesday's with Morrie based on the popular book at the Rochester Civic Theatre. The way all these people came out to see Morrie, recognize his life and give him credit for the life he lived, that is beauty! In the play, Morrie even mentions that he throws himself a funeral! I wonder if Barry thought that? I know I would. Once I'm gone, I'm gone and that's no fun, I wouldn't be able to say goodbye to all the people I've loved in my life. I wouldn't be able to see and hug them one last time if I were to wait and have a funeral after I die. So be prepared people - if I know I'm goin' any time soon, there will be a party!

Barry lived a good life, he had many lovers, lots of good water to play in, great food, and some real good friends to be by his side through it all.

Isn't that all we really need?

Barry (right) with friend Uno

MOOSE MURDERS IN THE BARN

2012-03-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, we have this great friend, who by most people's standards is fairly normal, but for us - us and the fact that only in my world would someone want to do a really bad play in our barn, I am finding him frighteningly stranger lately. Ryan is an incredible actor, playwright and person and we met him a couple years ago when we all did a play together by another great friend, Debi.

So here's how the story goes (loosely translated - I'm old remember):

Ryan calls and goes quickly into his low, mellow voice:
"Today is the 25th (?) anniversary of Moose Murders."

Me: "Ok???

Ryan: " I had that thought again that we HAVE to do a read through of this play."

Me: "Ok??"

Ryan: "Well, we should, I mean it really has to be done."

Me: "Ok??"

pause

Ryan: "We should do it in the barn."

Me: "Ok. How' bout next Friday?"

Ryan: "Yes! That's perfect! I'll start gathering actors."

And the next thing ya know - the worst Broadway production in history is being prepared in my barn, tomorrow. 10 actors. No rehearsals. No memorized parts. They will be handed a script at 8 o'clock and be given stage directions by Ryan.

How someone can pull together 10 actors, 5 back stage helpers, produce a poster,

set,

Ok, so yes, WE had these set walls just laying around our barn

Ryan kept asking for a long list of props and the only thing
we didn't have was a can of vegetable soup

But we had a lodge and lodge furniture

props, T-shirt with logo, the Moose Lodge sign and an audience projected to be about 50 in one week totally amazes me! Who does this? and WHY?

Only in my world, only in my world.

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE - VEGETARIAN!

2012-02-28T18:33:00.000-08:00

If anyone knows me they know that a meal without meat is, well, a meal that is lacking in one of the most important things in life ( I live by Basset mentality). But I was challenged this week by our team at the Dark Days Challenge: to produce a fully SOLE (sustainable, organic, local, ethical) meal that was VEGETARIAN, one that lacked that all important ingredient - MEAT! Ask Louisa, my hound dog, and she will tell you - no meal is complete without ~ meat! (She prays every day that meat will fall from the sky - she does!)

So I did it. I went and looked at what I had in that there cupboard and found some sweet potatoes (our fav!), some salad greens and homemade herbed goat cheese and local walnuts. What to make, what to make?!?!?

Well, here ya go - I did it! I made a vegetarian meal that was to die for!

SWEET POTATO LATKES WITH GARLIC AIOLI AND A CRISP MIXED GREEN SALAD

Oh baby!

I took a couple sweet potatoes and shredded them, added some seasoning, egg, flour and mixed it all together, placing them on a cookie sheet and coking them in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Next I made some homemade aioli with garlic to top off the latkes.

Next I took the greens I got from the Farmer's Market a week and a half ago and topped it off with some home made herbed chevre, some local walnuts and added a bit of balsamic vinegar.

Add a slice of homemade bread and life is good!

Yeah, you wish you would've thought of this one yourself, didn't you?

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE

2012-02-28T13:59:00.000-08:00

Last week I went simple, because I was tired and really all I wanted to do was eat something quick and delicious, local and good for you. Well, what do ya know? That's exactly what I had in my freezer/fridge.

This is our version of a simple, down-home, meat and potatoes dinner: Grilled Bison steaks topped with sautéed mushrooms and onions (ok the mushrooms were bought locally but not organic), green beans and sweet potatoes from White Water Gardens.

I took this with my cell phone after a glass of wine - so forgive me, it doesn't look as good as it tasted.

This week's challenge is vegetarian. How am I gonna do that???

PLUG SPAWN AND ME

2012-02-28T13:33:00.001-08:00

I'm having a lazy day today, thinking about the upcoming spring, the impending snow storm tonight and all the things I should be doing like finishing up the taxes: I find myself sitting here on the computer wasting time, dozing off and enjoying every minute of it.

So yesterday I was in the kitchen and remembered the Plug Spawn in the fridge. I got out the directions and started figuring out what one needs to do to produce a plethora of mushrooms!

It seems complicated, a little, well no, not complicated but time consuming just like any other farm project but it will be fun! there's a lot of paying attention to detail like watering for several days, then not, then waiting, then drilling holes into wood, then waiting, then watering, then waiting, then putting the logs in buckets of sand to stand upright, then waiting. And each mushroom is a little different of course, so each requires a different set of rules. Oh well, I am looking forward to the harvest! I guess that's like anything in gardening; you know it's a lot of difficult, time consuming, back breaking labor - but the rewards of the harvest are definitely worth it!

Then as I was going through the directions, I started thinking to myself that most people would not get it, not understand or misconstrue this in some weird way, but in my life - this question and answer is perfectly normal:

"Honey, why is there plug spawn in the fridge?"

"I'm gonna inoculate it in wood this spring."

Perfectly normal, really.

DEATH IS ALL AROUND A FARM

2012-02-23T10:56:00.000-08:00

I was out enjoying the beautiful weather the other day with my camera in tow (of course!), and looked up to notice something on the side of the barn. Luckily I had my 70-200mm lens on my camera so I could take a better look at what it was. Sadly it was a bird who apparently had went to enter a hole in the side of the barn and it's foot got caught in a crack under the hole. I looked and looked and couldn't determine if it was alive or not.

I thought for a moment, " If it is alive, I can't just leave it there to suffer!" So I walked out to the pole barn looking for the long ladder. Then I thought to myself, "If it's dead, I would have just carried a 100 lb ladder over to the barn for nothing." So I thought maybe I would go get my 300mm lens and see if I could tell if it was alive or not before I did something like that. It didn't look like it was moving but sometimes you just can't tell with the wind and such.

Well, I am truly sorry to say but the little thing was dead, caught in the side of a barn by it's leg. It must've flapped and flapped it's wings until it just passed out. Do animals that go through something like that, just admit defeat and die? OR do they stay there until they starve to death? I think they admit defeat and die, the way it should be, without too much suffering.

I wish people had such options as that. Makes me think that we hang on to things longer then we should in life, if something isn't working, let it go. If we aren't in the right position, let it go. If we are dying, let us go. Why hang on? I like to live my life to the fullest every day, linger in the moment and know that each day is a blessing because who knows how much time we have? Animals do that, they live in the moment, why as humans do we let our selves suffer and run the rat race in hopes that someday we can retire? I'm already retired: retired to a lovely little farm, with great animals, friends and beautiful gifts of life. I actually worked on the computer for 8 hours yesterday; I felt like I had one of those real jobs, ya know the 9-5 jobs most people have? And I got down on my knees and thanked the dear Lord that I will never have to have one of those! I couldn't possible do that! I'd die, just like that little bird did, flapping my wings repeatedly hoping someone would notice me dying and then, just give up.

No siree! I am meant to be a farm girl!

"HON, WHY IS THEIR PLUG SPAWN IN OUR REFRIGERATOR?"

2012-02-22T12:49:00.000-08:00

Yes, I placed my order for seeds for the garden last month and they are starting to arrive! Yay! I now am storing plug spawn in my refrigerator and the seeds continue to arrive every day, it seems. Very excited about this year's plantings! I've got some new items like totally purple carrots that are purple inside and out! A hop vine, grapes, a cherry tree, Yin Yang Beans and of course the plug spawn, which is to grow mushrooms! Yay! Mushrooms! I've got a ton of old logs laying around and thought that, because we love mushrooms and only one person really sells them at market, it would be a good investment to make and product to sell.

I decided to go with seedlings this year for the tomatoes, peppers and other crops instead of growing them myself. Much easier and they arrive when they need to be planted and all I have to do is put them in the ground. Easy, schmeezy! I like the easy button.

PIG, ROASTING BY AN OPEN FIRE

2012-02-20T12:30:00.000-08:00

SCORE! WHY WOULD YOU SHOP ANYWHERE ELSE????

2012-02-18T12:12:00.000-08:00

This is my score of items from my last two trips to farmer's market. Tell me - if you can get this great, locally grown, no pesticides, hormones, nastiness and know the farmers who grew/raised it? Why the heck would you go to a supermarket???

The other week I even went into the local co-op/health food store, with all it's organic items, I thought I could find items more organic and local for the Dark Days Challenge I am doing. I was looking for similar things I could buy at market but couldn't even find what the market had to offer, not even close! and it was considerably more expensive. I bought just a few things and it came out to $40! not to mention only about $15 was from a local farmer. Not good enough for me! So look at this score:

Jan 2012:
1 lb beef, mushroom and swiss brats
4 lbs bacon
5 onions
2 tomatoes (yes - TOMATOES in Jan, in MN)
1 very large cucumber
2 lbs sweet potatoes
1 lb beets
3 lb pork chops
6 beef sticks
2 lbs carrots

all for - are you ready for this??? $52! yes, I said $52!

Feb 2012:
2 lb carrots
3 tomatoes
1 lb green beans (yes - green beans in Feb - in MN)
1 1/4 lb beets
2 lbs sweet potatoes
2 lbs onions
2 cucumbers
1/2 lb salad greens
1 1/2 lb grass-fed beef steaks
2 1/2 lb bacon
1 lb ground grass-fed beef
1 lb hamburger patties
1 lb free-range lamb for kabobs
1 lb beef, mushroom, swiss cheese brats (they were soooo good last month I had to buy them again)
4 lbs pork chops
1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs
1 lb summer sausage
6 beef sticks

all for - are you ready??? $83! yes, $83! Now why - I mean why??? would you buy from a grocery store? Soon, i am going to the store and try to purchase all these same items, albeit they will be nasty, factory farm meat and veggies, which is NOT the same, but see if they all cost about the same or cheaper. I'm on a mission…. from farmers.

WHAT IS A PROCESSED CHEESE FOOD PRODUCT? AND WHY WOULD SOMEONE WANT TO EAT IT?

2012-02-18T11:46:00.000-08:00

Just a question I put out there on Facebook and this is some of the answers I got:

Tracy van Eijl I know it is NOT cheese.
53 minutes ago · · 1
Lindsey Danger Hobbs it is a synthetic product that has the main qualities of cheese : mouthfeel, meltableness, spreadableness, taste with an increased shelf life. depending on how you view food, this can be a good or a bad thing. :-/
45 minutes ago · · 1
Taylor Huston A waste of time and brain space. Just say no
42 minutes ago · · 1
Dawn Sanborn My cat Cheeto - is named after a processed cheese food product!
38 minutes ago ·
Becca Stiles-Nogosek What's cheeto made of?
11 minutes ago ·

Now this is what more people should be concerned about! What really is their food made out of? Why can't you just buy FOOD? Food is grown not made.

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE

2012-02-14T13:06:00.000-08:00

more info here

I've been kinda ignoring my Dark Days Challenge with being gone so much and all this work coming my way, I decided last Thursday night would be the challenge for me, but the problem was: I was running low on items and because I missed the last market due to my birthday celebration and the "day after the night before syndrome" caused by one thing: sake bombs! (I don't want to talk about it!) I failed to get up and get some more items from market to sustain us through these dark days of winter. So needless to say, there wasn't much in the freezer/cupboard to choose from.

I dug through the freezer anyway looking for some type of local meat, and ransacked the pantry to find what ever I had left for veggies. Luckily I did find some leeks in the bottom of the crisper drawer that I had picked up a long time ago that were still good (see? you buy locally and the food doesn't go bad in two weeks - I think I bought these back in December!)

I also had some beets I found buried under some potatoes in the basket and found some pork chops in the bottom of the chest freezer in the garage. I decided to fire up the grill (nice weather this winter) and get them cookin'.

Not only do pork chops taste better in the winter when you grill them, but they look good too!

GRILLED PORK CHOPS WITH

SAUTEED LEEKS AND BEETS SEASONED WITH ROSEMARY

Nummy, nummy, nummy! (and all grown within 20 miles of my house!)

THESE CHICKS ARE HOT! update

2012-02-11T12:12:00.000-08:00

Time lapse of nearly 2 months and how fast a chicken grows!

Dec 15, 2011

Jan 15, 2012

Feb 8, 2011

Yes, they grow REALLY fast! Now my trouble is - when to put them out side with the other chickens?

They don't have quite enough feathers on them just yet, and they are not making too much of a mess down there in the basement of the granary. I am planning on turning off the heat lamp soon - soon after this 10 degree cold front moves on! It's been such an amazing mild winter with temps sometimes reaching the 40's - 50's that I could've moved them out doors a while ago, but they were just too small.

As much as I love this winter - I am afraid we will be paying for it this summer in hay prices and dryness, low water tables and so on. Maybe we'll get a huge downfall of rain in the spring to make up for the lack of precipitation this winter. I'm ok with that. I like not having to dress up like an eskimo to do chores.

But for now, my new baby chicks will have to stay warm under their heat lamp. Next week it's supposed to get back up into the 30's, plus of course they will have more feathers by then too.

: )

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE

2012-02-07T11:26:00.000-08:00

More info here.

Work has been plentiful this month and I am really enjoying it! So needless to say, bloggin' gets put on the back burner. Honestly - I think I could post 4 times a day with all the things that happen here, but I'm lazy sometimes. Ha!

So here's the Dark Days challenge I missed a couple weeks ago. Since I was gone to Illinois that week and the challenge of the month was Valentines Day Treats (and if any one knows me - I shy away from cookies, cakes, pies, etc as much as possible - my thighs jiggle enough) - I passed on that challenge.

We had a couple of good friends over for dinner that night, Kari & Ryan, and in exchange for me taking an image for my Ryan's next play poster, he made me dinner! Ryan is a very talented writer and actor and I am always willing to help out a friend, and yes, ya know I am a sucker for food, you can pay me in food anytime!

This is what we produced out in the studio!
of course with some help from a great graphic artist.

We made a fine dinner of grilled local pork chops, with a sweet potato mash made by Kari with local carrots and raisins, and served with a colorful salad of spinach, local tomatoes and cucumbers. Nummy, nummy!

The pork chops were from Hidden Stream Farms - Elgin, MN.

Sweet potato mash made from local sweet potatoes from Whitewater Gardens and included local apples from Seekap Orchards, Rochester.

Spinach salad with cucumbers and tomatoes from Whitewater Gardens as well.

We had a fine Chilian Carmenere, although not locally made - locally bought and from an organic winery. Does that count?

We were having a good time with locally grown, excellent food and fun, wonderful friends, what more could anyone ask for?

She loves him, really she does!

GET YOURS NOW! KITTY IN A BOX FOR ONLY $19.95!

2012-01-31T14:20:00.000-08:00

All my cats are crazy, have very different personalities and they are are very entertaining. At least they think they are. And this is what makes me wonder about cats: what is this obsession with containment? Why would one want to be contained? I personally think that that is a character flaw in humans. But for cats, I guess not because….

This is what happens when I leave a box laying around the house:

Cheeto

Oaky Dokey

Theodore Thing

Tiki

Noon

This is what happens when the cat shakes her head:

and this is what happens when I don't have a box laying around:

Containment or just plain sneaky? You see one can hide easier when contained and not be detected when it's time to pounce!

Except for maybe in the sink.

MAKIN' APPLE JUICE

2012-01-24T17:21:00.000-08:00

Every year, since we moved here 8 1/2 years ago - I dreamed of doing something with all those apples we get every year from our four apple trees. Well, of course, when apples are ready in August/September, I am knee deep into everything else in life and don't have time to do something with all those apples. So this year I took several 5 gallon buckets and collected some apples, placed them in the basement of the granary and hoped the temperature out there would keep them for a few months so I could try something new with them during the cold, harsh, boring winter months.. I searched and searched for a juicer that didn't cost $400 and finally found one - this December.

It was perfectly priced at under $30 and I snatched it up! So the other week I took out the juicer, went out to the granary and took one of the 5 gallon buckets and decided to make some juice! Yay!
Well here's the thing - when apples sit in a temp higher then 45 degrees - they go bad. Well, not totally bad but softer and some go really bad (brown).

So I got about 12 apples that were actually somewhat good, at least usable, out of that full 5 gallon bucket. And what I found out about that juicer is that apples should be really fresh. Because these apples, although still in good shape, were a little soft and this caused a very thick juice, too thick.

not draining

And I also found out that, although it was thick - it was incredible! Sweet, incredibly tasty and nothing like you buy at the store (no surprise there). I tried to strain the juice with the milk strainer, that didn't work so I took some cheese cloth that I use for making cheese and let gravity take over.

Ya know how you see jugs of juice at the store and the label states: not 100 percent juice or made from concentrate or (what is the worse) contains no fruit juice. HELLO??!?!? How can you actually label it JUICE if it doesn't contain JUICE!

But I digress - my goal to make apple juice is to create (yes - create - (my curse)) hard cider. I still have to go get the yeast to make hard cider but I wanted to get the juicer working and understand it's potential. 12 apples actually made about 3 cups of juice.

Wow! But I figure that if they were fresher, they might produce more, I will find out next year - when I get out there, collect the apples at the perfect harvest time and get out the juicer! This winter I am gonna go out and get the yeast and try to make the hard cider with what I have left of the apples in the granary. Ahhh… the life of a farmer… always trying to make the most of what the farm produces….

WHETHER OR NOT TO WEATHER THE WEATHER

2012-01-20T13:35:00.000-08:00

This has been the most fabulous winter ever here in MN and rightfully so when you get days like this in January!

Remember last year at this time when it was like this out side:

and in order to be able to functionally do chores outside, I had to dress like this:

and this last week I got to do this instead:

and the ducks got to do this:

and the sun was shining like this:

But alas… it was never meant to last and now I have to dress like this:

and the snow is coming down like this:

and within a few weeks from now, I'll be dying for it to be like this:

So I can get back to doing things like this:

and this:

Which produce things like this:

and this:

and I can go to places like this:

and watch smelly, bassets run like this:

and grow pretty flowers like this:

but for now…. I will be living like this:

the end.

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE

2012-01-20T12:56:00.000-08:00

Here's another one!

SPLIT PEA SOUP WITH HAM

There is nothing more satisfying then a big pot of hot soup in the winter, I think! And Split Pea Soup always seems to hit the spot, and fill it too.

I took the leftover ham from the other night and got some dried peas and celery from the Good Food Store Co-op.

Added in some chopped carrots and onions from the farmers market and wallah! Split Pea Soup!

Soak the peas for about an hour

Put everything in the pot and simmer for about an
hour and a half or until peas are tender

Enjoy!

JUST ONE THING

2012-01-17T10:21:00.000-08:00

I get so many new ideas on a regular basis, that's just the creative me - always creating - I can't help myself and I don't know what to do anymore. They say do one thing and do it better then anybody else, that's how you succeed in business. But what about people like me? are there people like me? people who get excited when the new Hoegger Goat Supply catalog comes in the mail? Not only because of the new items in the catalog but because of the adorable pictures of the goats in there? Are there people like me that will stop and take a picture of their food because they want to capture that steam coming off the hot soup? Like me who looks at things and wonders what to create from it; I have apples- I should make chutney or hard cider or applesauce or pie or apple turnovers. I've got goat milk - I should make cheese or butter or soap or shampoo or ice cream. Are there people like me that get excited when the vegetable seed catalogs arrive and all I can think about is how to expand the garden or plant some new things I haven't planted before or design a new trellis for the pole beans. Are there people like me that look at what some might consider garbage and see a new dining room table or plant stand? Are there people out there that are this crazy? Because it's driving me crazy lately. Why can't I just focus on ONE THING?

It's a curse really to be this creative. I've been rehashing my life lately; what I've done, what I haven't , why I have done something, and why I didn't. Where should I go and what should I do for my life? I have so many letters after my name, too many, and for what? Am I using them? Not all the time and I am ok with that. Can I just do one thing? Do I really want to do just one thing? Is it truly possible for me? If I have ever done just one thing I am sure I got sick of it after a few years and did something else, including some relationships.

I've been thinking about all the things that bring me joy in my life and how I can use them for success in business, but then I realized that if I focus on the money all the time, then I won't be doing what I love for the love of it, I'd be doing it for the opposite reasons, and thus - the love would be gone.

I thought maybe it was time to focus on just one thing and work it until it was so successful that I could retire in 5 years. But I thought about it some more, and I realized that's not who I am. And when Samantha and I went and saw the movie, We Bought a Zoo! yesterday, I realized some other things too.

So I have decided that it is impossible and not probable for me to do just one thing. That I will be doomed to forever not succeed in business because I can't just focus on one THING. I may not be able to be successful in business but I will/am successful in happiness by doing the things I love. {grateful sigh}

I will embrace my silly ways and create my products, projects and life in the way I see fit. I will spend time with my ponies, time in my garden, time on my art, work with my photography, and be who I was meant to be: Dawn Sanborn, RENAISSANCE WOMAN!

TRYING TO FIGURE IT ALL OUT

2012-01-17T09:59:00.000-08:00

Life on the farm can be so rewarding, exhausting and confusing all at the same time. I look back on these 8 crazy years on the farm and all that we accomplished and I am amazed at how much got done, what we've all gone through, how much fun, heartbreak, and pleasantries we've experienced, and how exhausted we feel most of the time. But what is it that I see for the rest of the years we will be here (yes, the rest of our lives)? Our list is small this year on the "Things To Do" which means we've done a WHOLE LOT. But now what? With my little birds either flying the coop or thinking about it, the farm will never be the same as it was, so where do we go from here?

Whether we like it or not, we have to pay our bills, so that means we have to make some cash to pay Peter, Paul, Tom, Dick and Harry and I am sure a dozen others nowadays. After looking at the cash flow for this farm, it looks like I might have to moonlight or Paul is gonna hire Guido to off me. So dreams of this farm have to become a reality sooner then later.

Our goals for this year:

Slowly do all the updating of the Barn Bar so it can become a real event center

I found this picture on line and it made me dream the our barn could look this way or even better:

I'm only gonna plant in the garden what we can use and put up ourselves - just a little extra to sell to local restaurants as well as the eggs
Make more goat milk soap and shampoo & conditioner
Work more on my photography
Finish the outdoor kitchen this year - complete with hot tub
Do market only when it feels good, it's never been a big bread winner so don't put energy in where it's wasted
Do some horse back riding lessons - I have horses, use them

This may seem like minor adjustments that don't seem real bread winning, but Bob will be retiring some day soon and I think having the Barn Bar as his toy (all the time) will be the perfect retirement gig, and income winner. And be awful fun! How many get to do that in their retirement?

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE - WEEK ?

2012-01-13T16:27:00.000-08:00

Not sure what week were in, I think 8 but oh well, I'm just here for the fun of it.

More info

We have been presented by our administrators with some challenges! Yay! I love a good challenge. This week: One pot meals

Easy schmeezy, lemon peezy.

OVER ROASTED HAM, SQUASH AND BEETS
Ham from Huneke Farms
Kabotcha squash from Many Hands Gardens (Theilman, MN)
Beets from Merril's MerriBees, Chatfield MN

Take a large 6 lb ham from a farm not more then, hmmmmm - 10 miles away from yours.

Place in a roasting pan, set quartered squash and peeled beets in pan. Add a cup of water and sprinkle some cumin, black pepper and chili pepper on top, cover with foil and roast in 350 degree oven for about 1 1/2 hours.

I made a little sauce from the juices by adding a little flour mixed with goat milk to top off the ham (guilty! I can't eat meat without a sauce, I am a pure mid-westerner).

Crazy good, and easy, local, sustainable, organic, ethical and just darn right.

I'm tellin' ya - I am on a mission to prove to people this really is possible!

LOST IN SPACE

2012-01-09T10:43:00.000-08:00

Had to send in my Mac for repairs this weekend and now I really feel lost; no computer, no pictures, no way I can get stuff done. Like the 365 project I am working on or the Dark Days Challenge or this blug. How is one to keep up? Use the gash darn PC and Picasa???? No! I will just have to wait until the fixed Mac comes back. WWWWAAAAHHHHHH!

So here's an old one for good times sake. It's of Madison (age 9). Percy and Louie on our first Halloween here. I scanned it from (gulp!) a print from film! Yikes! How old school. : )

Gosh! Look at those ugly kitchen colors we had!

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE WEEK 6

2012-01-03T11:13:00.000-08:00

Still not sure what's going on with the days but I thought I would pretend like I am on the right track. : )

When I cook, recipes are to me like fences are to goats: a mere suggestion. So I find recipes and tweak them the entire time to make them my own. This one sounded good so I thought I would give it a whirl and still stay within the confines of SOLE (sustainable, organic, local & ethical).

BAKED OMELET WITH ELK BREAKFAST SAUSAGE GRAVY

1/2 C chopped onion (Thoreson's Farm)
3 Tbs Butter ( from Wisconsin)
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (I didn't have any on hand so I omitted them)
- I also think adding a lot more veggies to this would be a great idea-
3 Tbs flour
1/8 tsp dried rosemary (from my garden this summer)
1 3/4 cup milk (from my goat)
1 1/2 cups of cooked Elk breakfast sausage (from Pronschinske Elk Farm, Winona, MN)
1 cup shredded cheese (mine)
3/4 tsp salt - divided
1/4 cup milk
4 egg whites (from my chickens)
4 egg yolks (from my chickens)
1/4 tsp cream of tartar*

* not SOLE

For the gravy:
Cook over medium heat the onion and butter, until soft (if you are adding any veggies, do it now, saute until soft as well). Cook the sausage in a separate pan now too.

Stir in flour, rosemary, and 1/2 tsp salt.
Add milk all at once, cook and stir until thickened and bubbly, cook and stir 2 minutes more.
Stir in the Elk sausage, 3/4 cup of the cheese and the milk. Stir until the cheese melts.

Turn into a baking dish, place into a 375 degree oven to keep warm.

For the omelet:

look how pretty orange them yolks are! Good girls, my chickens!

Beat egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff peaks form.

them's stiff!

Beat egg yolks in a separate bowl until thick and yellow.

Add remaining 1/4 cup cheese and 1/4 tsp salt and fold into egg whites.
Spread over the Elk sausage gravy.

Bake in a 375 degree oven until eggs are cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Take a pretty picture of the empty egg shells too.

Things I would change:
I would definitely add more veggies. This was good but if I'm gonna have breakfast, I have to have something that at least resembles a vegetable or green. Maybe layer some spinach in between the gravy and omelet layers.

Otherwise, it was superb!

And the only thing used that wasn't bought within 50 miles or not SOLE was the cream of tartar. I'll have to look for that next time I am at the Good Food Store (our local co-op). AND only if it isn't from California. I could go on a rant now about eating local vs. eating organic, but I'll save that for another post. : )

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE WEEK 5 or 7?

2012-01-02T10:49:00.000-08:00

more info about this here

Ok, I guess I am a week or two off from this challenge, (I don't know how that happened) so this should be week 7:

SPINACH CHEESE BREAD

This recipe for the bread (and the pictures too) I did last month for Rochester Women magazine, the new issue is out today, so I thought I would share it here for you:

SPINACH CHEESE BREAD

1 ¾ cup water

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups white flour

½ cup chunked cheddar cheese (any type of cheese will work)

4 teaspoons of sugar

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 ¾ teaspoons instant yeast

1 cup chopped fresh spinach leaves

1 egg yolk

Chop spinach leaves.

Pour all ingredients into large bowl except egg.

Mix until dough comes together, about 4 minutes.

Pour onto counter and knead dough until smooth and pliable, about 10 minutes.

Spray bowl with oil and place dough in bowl and cover with a clean cloth. Allow to rise for about 1 hour or until double in size.

Punch down dough and remove from bowl. Cut dough in half to make 2 equal size loaves.

Shape 2 loaves into circles or any shape you prefer.

Baste the top of the dough with an egg wash (1 egg yolk whisked with 1 Tbs water).

Make several slashes along the top of the loaves with a knife.

Let rise for about ½ hour.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!

Spinach was purchased from Thorson Farms, whole wheat flour and cheese from Prairie Hallow Farm, sugar, salt and white flour from the Good Food Store, eggs from my own lovely chickens. : )

Total prep time: 15 minutes

Total bake/rise time: 2 hours

Fresh, made from scratch bread that is SOLE: priceless!

THE END OF THE YEAR 2011 IN PICTURES

2011-12-31T13:11:00.000-08:00

It's been picture perfect! Just another day in paradise. : )

and to recap the year…. in no particular order:

Percy still thinks she's funny

Louie is still always beggin' for meat

Edie is forever wondering….

My birthday with friends

the hell of the well and pipes going out

me teaching Jen Koski (local writer, editor)
how to make cheese for Rochester Magazine

Pig, happy by the fire

We lost our dear friend Aphrodite this year

me, I got in the paper (again)

Maddie got a full page monthly article to write in the local paper, Exposed

Bob and the boys called BE performing
at the open mic night at the Rochester Civic Theatre

KSMQ TV came out and interviewed the characters
from Barn Bar for a special show called Off 90

We always went to the Americana nights at the Civic Theatre

Dana Cooper (who performed last year in the Barn Bar)
and our friend Brandon Sampson

Sam competed with Honor at Sahara Sands

always a lot of peace, love and sleeping done

Sally Barris came back to perform in the Barn Bar, yay!

and for the first time we had the whole Six Mile Grove band play too

Bob painted the out buildings

I helped paint the mural in the skyway downtown for the Farmer's Market

We took the old camper out to Milwaukee and
Sam & Honor won big at the Badger Arabian Horse Show

While in Milwaukee we got to see our good friend's brand new baby Hadley

we were at it at Farmers Market again, peddling the wares of the farm

With the help of Michelle Fimon, we created a wonderful
series of images based on her poems for an art exhibit

the great, fun duo called Patchouli played in the Barn Bar in June

Louie suffers from gravity

more open mic nights

Maddie turned assistant photographer a couple times for me

BE had their album release party in the Barn Bar

the tomatoes in the raised bed
grew to high and broke my strings

our band Blue Monk played at the county fair

BE at the downtown weekly art & music fest Thursdays on First

our band at Thursdays on First

Dex and I competed at a local benefit show
in the Egg & Spoon class

Bob performed with Kevin & Dianna, aka 12 Strings at ArtiGras

our band at the open mic night

Maddie's hair randomly changed colors

Whiskey tasting at Irish Fest

the view from our front porch still looks good

the camper died

BE opened for Patchouli when they came back in October

Madison performed performed in the play Aria de Capo this summer with our friend Ethan Savage

I took a trip to the Boundary Waters for a little rest and relaxation

hard to believe Maddie turned 17 this summer and
will be graduating with her associates degree next summer

we had our notorious Halloween party in the Barn Bar again this ear

yes, this is how i work

another view from the front porch - it never disappoints us

from the back pasture

these were works displayed at a large art show I helped put on in November

opossum break in in the barn caused a ruckus

the work is never done!

but it sure looks good when it is!

we visited granddaughter Riley, Bob's
daughter Kristi and her husband Wes in March

Tiki is still not too brave to go outside, unless the pig is with her

in the spring, the garden was bloomin'

my office, ever so changing,
hard to believe it was once a rabbit breeding room

some new raided beds in the garden - I seem to never stop adding on

we had a good harvest of strawberries this year

and tons of veggies

we got a couple new chicks for the flock

the job is never done

pig got a field trip out to the apple trees

Bob, Kevin and Dianna opening for Pat DiNizio from the Smithereens

I got the pleasure of having my image on the cover of our
local magazine Rochester Women

Maddie was on the cover of Exposed, twice

and I now have the privilege of being the
food photographer for Rochester Women mag. YEAH!

The Sanborn Sanctuary Farm

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE

DEATH - AGAIN

MOOSE MURDERS IN THE BARN

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE - VEGETARIAN!

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE

PLUG SPAWN AND ME

DEATH IS ALL AROUND A FARM

"HON, WHY IS THEIR PLUG SPAWN IN OUR REFRIGERATOR?"

PIG, ROASTING BY AN OPEN FIRE

SCORE! WHY WOULD YOU SHOP ANYWHERE ELSE????

WHAT IS A PROCESSED CHEESE FOOD PRODUCT? AND WHY WOULD SOMEONE WANT TO EAT IT?

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE

THESE CHICKS ARE HOT! *update*

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE

GET YOURS NOW! KITTY IN A BOX FOR ONLY $19.95!

MAKIN' APPLE JUICE

WHETHER OR NOT TO WEATHER THE WEATHER

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE

JUST ONE THING

TRYING TO FIGURE IT ALL OUT

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE - WEEK ?

LOST IN SPACE

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE WEEK 6

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE WEEK 5 or 7?

THE END OF THE YEAR 2011 IN PICTURES

THESE CHICKS ARE HOT! update