Farm Raised Chicken

If you would have told me - even two years ago - that this is what my family would be doing on a Saturday afternoon, I would have thought you hysterical! But none the less, here are the boys processing chickens on a hot June afternoon.



Here is our makeshift, bleached and cleaned outdoor sink. Complete with running water and side shelves to make the job easier.


And here is Charles with a finished product! This looks like a 4 pounder and should be perfect for the rotiserie or for Sunday dinner.

Maple Sugar Time

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

I am really enjoying making breads like this one for the family. This morning, everyone enjoyed a nice slice or two of cinnamon swirl bread, toasted with butter. I know that there are no additives, preservatives, msg or anything I don't want them eating. The crumble topping really adds that special something and we enjoyed it throughly!

Home Made Bagels

Don't they look yummy? Guess what, they are! Flour, water, sugar, salt, yeast and time made these yummy treats. I can't wait until morning when I toast mine and add butter and apple jelly...YUM!

In the baking of the bread...

I have been working on perfecting some bread recipes because, let's face it, there is not much that tastes better than fresh baked bread. This Italian Bread is made from just flour, water, yeast and just enough sugar to give the yeast something to eat. Nice crusty bread loaves perfect for dipping, toasting or slicing.

I went through a few recipes to find a nice hearty wheat bread. This one is made from Amish whole wheat flour. It rises and is kneaded 4 times before it is baked making the texture nice. It takes all afternoon to make this yummy bread.

Every recipe I found for rye bread called for molasses which makes a sweet rye and not what I wanted for dipping in my soup. Then I discovered sourdough bread recipes. This recipe takes two and a half days and 16 cups of flour to prepare. It makes three large and delicious loaves of bread-just what I was looking for. I love this bread!

Caramels

I attended and had a table at a Women In Agriculture night last week. I brought some of these homemade caramels with me as samples. After just a few people had tried them, I was laughing because of the reactions of the ladies. There were several mmmmmm's and ooohhhh's. By the end of the tasting time, the lady across the aisle who had handmade purses was actually laughing too. So I have decided that I will add caramels to my list of products to make women everywhere happy.

Today- Pears

I went on a scavenger hunt again the other day when someone wanted people to come and pick pears. I picked about a bushel of pears from the tree. If I would have had more boxes, I could have picked more. They are ripening and so I went on a recipe search. I found a recipe for Fresh Pear Cake...it is yummy! Pears and sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, walnuts and egg whites in a delicious bundt pan made a beautiful presentation and a delicious cake. Our dinner guests seem to very much appreciate the homemade beef stew, italian bread salad and then the yummy fresh pear cake for dessert.

I can't wait to see what other recipes I find for pears as they ripen and I need to use them up. Any one know any delicious recipes for fresh pears?