Monday, December 31, 2012

Happy New Year!

To one and all out there, I truly hope you each have a wonderful new year!  May 2013 be kinder to us all than 2012 was.  May our nation recover and may we all prosper in a better economy. 

Happy New year to  all my friends and family!
Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com

Saturday, December 29, 2012

2 home flu cures I know of

flu seems to be making the rounds so I thought I should post these two cures that both work great.

two flu cures I have that work great in stopping all flu within an hour:
 1st one:  6 drops of elder berry extract in 1 cup of water.  sip slowly over the hour.

2nd one:  Use small gelatin capsules and make up 3 per day:
In each capsule add:
4 drops lemon oil
2 drops Tea tree oil
2 drops Oregano oil
2 drops On Guard essential oil blend

Take 1 capsule 3 times a day.  We've never needed to go beyond the 1st day with these.

Cherlynn

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Last chance for free subscription

My friend Donna Miller launched a preparedness magazine this last year and we've been enjoying free digital down loads.  January 2013 they will launch the hard copy of the magazine but right now before that date you can go sign up for the free digital down load.  I prefer hard copies but their digital download lets you flip pages online just like you were reading it at home.  So I thought I'd let you all know you can get this for these last few weeks of 2012.  So go sign up here: http://www.preparemag.com/premium-subscription/ 

It's Free if you do it now!

Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com

Monday, December 3, 2012

It's December, what are you counting down to?

I remember when in December the only thing one counted to was Christmas Day.  But now I've discovered many are more interested in counting down to December 21st.   The day so many in the past said something major would hit.   When even NASA is sending out warnings I am not totally ignoring it. 



Well today we are only 18 days away with something that might be like the 1999/2000 event that was suppose to crash all the worlds computers or it might be something bad enough to kill 90% of the worlds population.  Nostradamus said there would be no water.   NASA says the sun, earth and the Milky Way are all lining up for the first time in recorded history and they expect at least one of the super volcanoes to go off and possible more than one.   The super volcanoes are problematic because they can and do send up so much ash it circulates around the earth for upwards of two years.  In other words we'd be thrown into a nuclear type event.  No sun light for two years.  We'd probably lose electric power and be going through an ice age type 2 year winter.

So I suggest you hope and pray for the 1999/2000 type event but I'd sure be prepping for the 2year ice age event.

I read a blog with comments from a Hurricane Sandy survivor.  I won't post all his 46 comments but I will list a few to help you get thinking:

If you do not have water stored up you are in trouble.
   
a. A couple of cases of bottled water is “NOT” water storage

You should have as much fuel as water
   
a. Propane,     b. Gas,      c. Kerosene,      d. Firewood,      e. Firestarter, (kindling, paper, etc)
 
Even the smallest little thing that you get from the store should be stocked up.. (spark plug for the generator, BBQ lighter, etc)

Stored water can taste nasty.

 You eat a lot more food when you are cold

Cash is king (all the money in your savings means nothing)

The electrical grid is way more fragile than I thought.

Think of the things that are your comfort, your escape, a cup of hot chocolate, a glass of milk and a ding dong before bed, tequila, etc. Stock up on those too. You will need that comfort after day 3.

It takes a lot of firewood to keep a fire going all day and into the evening for heat.

 All the food storage in the world means nothing if your kids won’t eat it.

Some people shut down in an emergency. There is nothing that you can do about that.

Your town, no matter how small is entirely dependent on outside sources of everything.

All of the expensive clothes in the closet mean nothing if they don’t keep you warm.

You can never have enough matches.

Things that disappeared never to be seen again for a very long time.
   
a. Fuel, of all kinds,  b. Matches, lighters of any kind etc,  c. Toilet paper,  d. Paper plates, plastic forks  and knives,  e. Batteries, didn’t really see a need for them. (flashlights??? I guess),  f. Milk,  g. Charcoal
    h. Spark plugs (generators),  i. 2 stroke motor oil, (chainsaws),  j. Anything that could be used to wire a generator to the house.  k. Extension cords,  l. Medicines (Tylenol, advil, cold medicine etc)

 This is part of a list posted by Frantz Ostmann this last weekend.

He had some very good thoughts for us to consider and polish up our preps in the next 2 weeks.  

May you have a blessed day and be a survivor no matter what happens.

Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving

Hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving with your family.  I feel like we had so very much to be thankful for this year.  The drought has taken quite a toll on farmers here but we were blessed with a very productive garden and crops did better than expected.  Our ponds are down so low it scares me.  Our ponds are our only water source.  We should be ok for another year but after that we're in trouble. 

I must confess, in all my preps I never really worried about water until this year.  With a 17 acre pond it never dawned on me that a couple years of drought and several month's of 100 degree days could dry it up as much as it already has. 

We put our garden in 1 1/2 month's earlier this last year and I also felt impressed to heavily multch as we went.  I didn't water except for taking grey water out like the dish rinse water or the rinse water from the laundry to water the tomatoes extra.  But it produced and we are still taking broccoli out of our garden but I think today will be our last picking.  tomorrow is suppose to start some very cold temps that should take the broccoli on out. 

But we are doing well and making it when so many things are happening.  I pray for so many in weather related crisis and so many losing their jobs.  My family has been truly blessed.  Hope your Thanksgiving was lovely and you have a blessed Holiday season.

Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com

Monday, November 12, 2012

Taking care of animals during a crisis

When it all hits the fan and you can't buy feed for your animals what do you do?  Hopefully you have planned your food storage to take care of your animals.  I have created a good diet for our dog.  I'm certain I've already posted that but I will repost it here as this is labeled for animal crisis care.

Here's my recipe...Makes enough for 10 days of meals.
Dahlia's All Natural Dog Food

2 cups brown rice
2 cups barley
6 cups rolled oats
2 cups millet
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 small sweet potatoes
1 cup dehydrated or cooked carrots, diced
1 cup dehydrated or cooked spinach, chopped
1/4 cup sea kelp
1/3 cup beef liver, chunked

In a pressure cooker, cook the 2 cups brown rice and 2 cups barley on high for 24 minutes with 8 cups water.

In a large pot, cook the 6 cups rolled oats and 2 cups millet with enough water to cover for 12 minutes or until millet is cooked through.  Add 1/4 cup coconut oil to the hot oatmeal mixture.

Meanwhile, combine the sea kelp, cooked or dehydrated spinach and carrots in a large mixing bowl. (You can divide the food into 2 large bowls, for easier stirring.) Once the rice and barley mixture is done, add it to the  mixing bowl. 

Add the rolled oat mixture and mix well. Don't strain the extra water from the pot. Cut the sweet potato into 1/2 inch cubes, and pressure cook on high for 5 minutes or until tender. Add those in as well. If you need more liquid, use the water from the sweet potatoes. 

Mix all ingredients well, and allow to cool slightly before filling your storage containers. I use about 1 1/4 cups per portion.

Add chopped up liver or other meats to it as you serve it.

Our dog has become much less hyper and his coat is shiny now.  And more important he loves it!  

Now the cats is a new thing all together.  Cats require a meat diet.  They don't eat grains or grasses.  They eat mice, birds and other small critters.  I can't afford to store meat for the cats.  I do try to store cat food.  We only give them 1 small scoop daily for the 3 of them to share.  We count on them eating all the mice they can find.

Now for the chickens, etc.  They require at least 13% protein and they need calcium to produce eggs.  I have finally settled on making cornbread for them.  We have GMO free cornmeal in our storage and I grind wheat up for the flour.  I use their own eggs fully.  I run the eggs throught the blender with water instead of using milk.  I save all egg shells to add to the ones I use making the cornbread  I add what ever fat I have available.  I never waste fat when cooking meats up.  I save it all to use in the chicken feeds.  I don't add sugar.  They don't need it and it's unhealthy for them.  

My chicken cornbread recipe:

3 cups Corn meal
3 cups flour
4 Tablespoons baking powder or soda 
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup fat (off meats or shortening, etc)
3 to 6 eggs
3 cups water

Mix dry ingredients.  run eggs through the blender with 2 cups of water.  Add to dry ingredient and then rinse blender out remaining water to get all the egg shell into the mix.  Add fat and mix, add more water if needed.  pour into bread greased bread pans and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 35 minutes.  
After cooled down break each loaf into half and break each half into pieces and run through food processor.  I do this to keep the chickens from grabbing pieces and running off to eat it.  I feed in the evening so they all come in and I can lock them all up for the night.  

If you have horses or cattle you will need to know what they need and store that.

Horses will need hay for the winter time and oats.  Not rolled oats but oat groats.  Yes you can buy oat groats in 50 lb bags. 

Cattle will also need hay for winter time (lucky is the person who lives in the warm areas that don't have winter!)  They also like corn.  Not corn meal or popcorn but field corn.  

If it all hits the fan you need to be able to feed your animals.  Make sure you have them taken care of.  I didn't mention pigs.  They are so easy to feed table scraps to.  Anything and everything you have left over they will eat.

You also should learn how to butcher your own meat.  Knowing how and having the right equipment will make your life more livable.  Also knowing how to preserve it and having what you need to do that.  

Have fun taking care of your animals!
Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com                                                 



















Thursday, November 8, 2012

For my GF DF friends

I keep trying recipes and experimenting with Gluten Free Dairy Free recipes and had a winner today, my first great DF GF cake.
Frankly I haven't had much to cheer about this week but by gummy this cake was really worth cheering about!  Maybe I'll get brave and try making bread again!

One Bowl Food Processor Carrot Cake! {gluten free, dairy free}

This recipe makes two cakes, or a cake and 12 cupcakes.
Or 1 fluted  bundt cake or about 24 cupcakes. :-)

 Now this was a British recipe so here's a grams to ounce conversion chart:


Grams to Ounces Conversion Chart

Grams
Ounces
1
0.0353
10
0.353
50
1.8
100
3.53
150
5.3
200
7.1
250
8.8
300
10.6
350
12.4
400
14.2
450
15.9
500
17.7
If you cannot find the number you want in the chart above simply multiply your grams by 0.0353 to get the weight in ounces.

If you don't have a scale a good rule of thumb is 1/4 cup is 4 oz.

400g carrots, quartered
4 large eggs
80g macadamia oil (or other light flavoured oil)
1 tsp vanilla
180g honey* This was about 1/4 cup and I could not taste any sweetness at all so added 1 cup of Brown sugar -I use to use 2cups brown sugar in reg. recipe

Blend well in food processor.

300g chunks of fresh pineapple  Or 15 1/4 oz can drained pineapple chunks 
380g plain gluten free flour I used Red Bob but you can use your own blend- see below
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp sea salt
150g walnuts (unchopped)
Note: for a nut free cake, leave walnuts out and add a couple of handfuls of shredded coconut with the sultanas instead.
Optional: stir in raisins/sultanas.  80g raisins or sultanas

 Ok I baked this at 325 degrees for 60 minutes in the bundt cake pan.
Cook for approximately 30-40 minutes for cupcakes, and an hour and a half for cakes, depending on your oven. Check by poking a skewer into the centre - it should come out nearly clean when the cakes are done. If the cake is getting too brown on top, just cover it with foil and keep baking til done. Don't cut it straight away while hot - it will be very moist inside. Let them cool, even in the fridge, before icing and eating, and the texture will be better.

I just made up a simple Butter cream Icing using coconut oil for the butter.   I am allergic to eggs also but have discovered I can get away with eggs occasionaly.  Eggs made a world of difference in bake goods.  I was very pleased that this cake raised up like a regular cake would and the texture was the same.  My husband who can't stand gluten free stuff said this was a keeper!  

Now for gluten free flour mixes.  I have experimented a lot.  A good friend told me to use equal parts brown rice flour, corn starch and white rice flour.  I discovered very quickly that I don't like rice flours because they are very grainy in texture.  I very much like Sorghum flour and Garbonzo Bean flour as they feel most like regular flour but you can't use them alone.  I usually use half of one of those with a mix of other flours like buckwheat(not related to wheat at all) and tapioca flour/starch and maybe a little rice flour.  Using a little of the gum's helps baked goods a lot.  The most popular is xantham gum.  I get it at my local Amish stores but you can find it online also. 

Knowing your allergies and how allergic you are is helpful.  I found out that gluten was my #1 allergy much worse than all the rag weed and pollen allergies that have given me so many problems all my life.  But the dairy and eggs was a very mild allergy.  I have also learned that milk is much worse for me than cheese.  Cheese doesn't have the live lactose but it does have casein. So if I'm going to cheat in dairy I would use a little real cheese but I stick with using my coconut milk.  I do still use rice cheese most of the time.  Eggs I can use sparingly as long as my other allergies aren't going crazy.  I am taking allergy shots to get rid of the problems I have with pollen, molds etc.  making it easier for me with my food allergies. 

Hope this helps anyone who is having to go dairy and gluten free!
Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com




Friday, October 26, 2012

Does December 21, 2012 really mean anything?

There is so much hipe going on about NASA predictions and the Mayan predictions and many don't know whether to panic or laugh.  Well, laughing is more in line here.  Here is info about the Mayan thing:

The Mayan calendar has 18 months of 20 days each plus a sacred month, "Wayeb," of five days. "B'aktun" is the largest unit in the time cycle system, and is about 400 years. The broader era spans 13 B'aktun, or about 5,200 years.  

Guatemala's Mayan people accused the government and tour groups on Wednesday of perpetuating the myth that their calendar foresees the imminent end of the world for monetary gain.
     
"We are speaking out against deceit, lies and twisting of the truth, and turning us into folklore-for-profit. They are not telling the truth about time cycles," charged Felipe Gomez, leader of the Maya alliance Oxlaljuj Ajpop.

Several films and documentaries have promoted the idea that the ancient Mayan calendar predicts that doomsday is less than two months away, on December 21, 2012.

The Culture Ministry is hosting a massive event in Guatemala City -- which as many as 90,000 people are expected to attend -- just in case the world actually does end, while tour groups are promoting doomsday-themed getaways.

Maya leader Gomez urged the Tourism Institute to rethink the doomsday celebration, which he criticized as a "show" that was disrespectful to Mayan culture.

Experts say that for the Maya, all that ends in 2012 is one of their calendar cycles, not the world.

by Mitch Battros - Earth Changes Media

Also about the stuff NASA has been predicting: I was so worried about the huge solar flares we were having and then I found a chart.  One of the worst solar flares would cause Northern lights in my Missouri area.  Well we've seen them here before but not this time!  Totally clueless that anything was going on and gee whiz, we lived to tell about it!  So for the record NASA stuff isn't that important either.

What's more important is what our political leaders are doing.  We are bankrupt and they keep spending more and more and more money.  So what we should all be concerned about is getting decent leaders in congress who can act responsively.

I'd be laying in food and supplies just in case those idiots in Washington do sell us down the drain.  Better to be prepared for the worst instead of waiting and not having anything.  It's happened in other countries and it could happen here.  I wouldn't want my family risking their lives to go get food or supplies when I know now I should be laying them in.  That is why you should be prepared:  So that you and your family will be able to weather what ever happens in our future.

Have a blessed weekend,
Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com

 

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Happy Autumn Time!


I hate to admit it but I am so enjoying the cooler autumn temps this year!  This year has been anything but normal.  Spring time came early and hot and got hotter than heck.  Summer progressed and stayed hotter than heck.  It was nice to know we could cool down and enjoy some autumn time. 

I love Autumn with the pumpkins and crisp new apples coming in.  Hoping to get more apples to make a couple more batches of apple pie filling and make some apple juice too! I also will need to buy #10 cans of canned tomatoes to make up our V-8 juice.  We ran out so very quickly last year.  12 quarts were used so very fast.  So need to triple it as I use it for soup making along with everyone drinking it.

Every year a local place has produce in bulk for sale at great prices.  If you are near the Bethany, Missouri area it would be worth your while to go stock up.  It's down near Gage's grainery on East bound Hwy 136 and then take T toward Ridgeway. it's the first right I think.  I always get a lot to can up and keep some in the water room for winter fresh use.  Canned potatoes are great to dump into soup or reheat and mash for mash potatoes in a hurry. 

For sale at Max & Neil Fordyce  Friday's after 2pm, Sat & Sunday's all day
660-868-1010, 660-872-6787, 660-872-6580

White or red potatoes: $11 per 50lb bag

Yellow Onions $24 per 50 lb bag

Jumbo sweet potatoes $18 per 40 lb box

Apples $22 per bushel

Beets  $15 per 25 lb bag

Parsnips $15 per 20 lb bag

radishes $1 per 1 lb bag

Cabbages $15 per 50 lb bag

Turnips $16 per 25 lb bag

Soup beans: Pinto, Navy, Dark red kidney, Black beans

You will need cash or a check here no credit or debit cards.
 
Have a great weekend!
 
Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com

Thursday, October 11, 2012

MYO Dog Food from your Food Storage

Ok, I've been very unhappy with all the dog food I buy so today I made my own from my food storage no less.  The only thing I didn't have was fresh beef liver.  So I got that and it did become a labor of love.  Took a good portion of the day but Sammy the dog loves it. 

I was told it made a month's worth but no way.  I got 30 snack bags full but my dog sure needs more than 1 bag and I'm thinking 3 bags will be more like it.  It called for 1/3 cup chopped beef liver but then I found out it was 1/3 cup per day added in.  I chopped up the whole container and also added in some eggs for extra protein.  So my packages just need to be dumped.  I am keeping them in the freezer and will keep enough out for 2 days at a time.


We have had a lot of trouble getting the dog to eat the store bought stuff and usually the cats or the chickens eat it because he won't.  So now we have a new option and best of all it all came from food storage except the liver but that will be easy to store also now that we know we need it.

Dahlia's All Natural Dog Food

2 cups brown rice
2 cups barley
6 cups rolled oats
2 cups millet
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 small sweet potatoes
1 cup dehydrated or cooked carrots, diced
1 cup dehydrated or cooked spinach, chopped
1/4 cup sea kelp
1/3 cup beef liver, chunked

In a pressure cooker, cook the 2 cups brown rice and 2 cups barley on high for 24 minutes with 8 cups water.

In a large pot, cook the 6 cups rolled oats and 2 cups millet with enough water to cover for 12 minutes or until millet is cooked through.  Add 1/4 cup coconut oil to the hot oatmeal mixture.

Meanwhile, combine the sea kelp, cooked or dehydrated spinach and carrots in a large mixing bowl. (You can divide the food into 2 large bowls, for easier stirring.) Once the rice and barley mixture is done, add it to the  mixing bowl. 

Add the rolled oat mixture and mix well. Don't strain the extra water from the pot. Cut the sweet potato into 1/2 inch cubes, and pressure cook on high for 5 minutes or until tender. Add those in as well. If you need more liquid, use the water from the sweet potatoes. 

Mix all ingredients well, and allow to cool slightly before filling your storage containers. I use about 1 1/4 cups per portion.

 I then fill 30 snack sized bags with the cubed beef liver and use 1 bag each day to add to the cooked mixture.  I added in all the liver and added a few raw eggs to it also and then I freeze the packages and only keep enough out for 2 days.  

Sammy the dog loved it but I do feel the need to give him 3 packages instead of just one.  So it is a 10 day supply for big dogs.

Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com

Monday, October 8, 2012

Winter is coming

Most years starting in August I start lettuces and greens and baby carrots etc in pots to keep in my window sills all winter long.  This year with everything going on I didn't get it done.  Today I found this blog with an idea I love! 



http://homesteadsurvival.blogspot.com/2012/10/5-great-reasons-to-grow-vegetables.html

They intended this for an apartment dweller but I think it would work great inside in the winter.   They said to line it with burlap, add soil and plants.  But inside I would line it with heavy plastic then the burlap and soil and plants.  The plastic to keep from having water drain all over.

Lettuces, greens like kale etc, baby carrots, green onions, chives all grow well during the winter time.   Lettuces and greens can be picked a few leaves at a time and they will continue to grow.  They grow slower inside during the winter but can be a welcome addition to you winter diet.  Kale is very nutritious.  Try adding a few torn leaves into your soup.  Some Dutch grew Kale in their window sills because the German's wouldn't touch it.  It gave them a nutritious ingredient for their soup that helped them survive near starvation times they lived in.  It could make a big difference if hard times hit.  having fresh greens to add to your meals. 

If you don't have a sunny window you can grow them under florescent lights.   I grew several pots of kale and some other greens for my son.  He kept a pot in the cage with his Iguana who loved to eat the fresh growing greens.  We had about ten of them growing and rotated them around to keep them going all year long.  It was his job to water and tend them and he kept them under florescent lights.

Anyway I thought I would pass this along in case anyone wanted to try it this winter.

Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com

Monday, October 1, 2012

First Day of October 2012

Roseman Bridge, IA taken by Karmen Bell

I, for one an looking forward to 2012 being over.   Somewhere between the predictions and the election I just want to be past it all.   I'm starting to get posts saying "What or Where will you be December 21, 2012"?    Well it's a Friday, the last Friday before Christmas to save you the time of looking to see where it falls on the calendar.   For me I'll be finishing up my Christmas preps.  Will all those quilts be done?  Not being silly about them.  I already got all but one quilt semi done.  I am making up each person's quilt squares ahead of time and got another one almost done and one more to go.  The rest of the quilt will be printed off on the printer and then I will need to put borders on all and sew it together and then put the quilt together and tie them.  Yeap, just tying them.  They are meant to be smaller quilts they can cover up with during the winter to keep the chill off.  I'm also making up an emergency prep kit.  I have everything collected so just need to sew up reusable wipes to go in each and then they are done. 

I know our world will continue.  I know who ever gets elected will do what ever they want and I can't do much about it.  It will take a miracle to save our nation and I'm not sure if either candidate will measure up to bringing off that miracle.

I can see the hand writing on the wall when our President goes before the UN and states we are not a Christian country but a nation that protects Islam.  It's getting harder and harder to say Jesus Christ, use a Bible in public, say a prayer.  I foresee Christian  Churches losing their tax free status.   I foresee our Constitution being destroyed to wipe out the rights of Christians.   I see a very hard next 900 years.   But I do see our world continuing no matter how ugly it gets.   Guns, Bibles, and children are in danger of becoming extinct in the near future.  

No matter what happens, go in peace.  Go in faith and peace that Christ Jesus blesses us with.  Do not riot and scream.  That's what they want us to do.  Store food, water, weapons, and other preps that will help you and your family continue thriving no matter what.  If we prepare now, we will be able to walk in faith and thrive in the future.  It will be enough.  No way can I do everything myself.  But Christian's who prepare now will be able to work together and thrive. 

Now, do you know who your neighbors are?   Now if the time to see if you all are on the same page.   Are they Christian's?  Are they preparing?   I will help anyone who needs help to teach your neighbors how to prepare.  You just need to ask me.  If you live in a big city and have no one near you to work with, then you need to really prepare and plan.  You can stay put for now but you better have a safe bug out location within 200 miles to flee to when needed.  Keep at least 3 months of supplies with you but store the rest in the bug out location.  When a crisis hits you need to go immediately and not wait.  You should keep your gas tank topped off always and keep a gas can with stabilizer stored where you can get it. But 1st sign of anything you need to take off and not wait.  You can always return the next day if it was a false alarm.  But if you hesitate even a moment you might not make it out in the first place.  Plan your route to avoid rough places.  Have 2 or 3 routes planned out and run them several times both in day and night times. 

Your other option is to move outside the area now.  You might totally relocate with new employment or just move to the edge of the city so you can depart easier.  But plan now so you know how to survive.

So where will you be on December 21st?  What will you be doing??  Some folks I know have already sold everything and moved to other countries they feel will make survival easier.   I will be right here and know our world will continue right on.  I do expect more earthquakes and severe storms to happen but our world will still be here.  So don't just sit down and relax.  Make sure you have food, water and other preps on the ready and then you can relax in peace.

May you have a blessed day,
Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

A nice beautiful Autumn Day

I know I've been on the quiet side for the last few month's.  So much going on and it's taken a toll on me.  Hope that doesn't mean I'm getting old!   Yesterday some of my daughters went with me to Iowa.  We visited the two LDS historical sites near us in Garden Grove and then on up and over to Mount Pisgah.  Both were way stations to the Mormon's fleeing Nauvoo, ILL. Then Mount Pisgah site is much more developed and is right off Hwy 169 which goes up into Winterset, Iowa which is centered on all the covered bridges in Madison county, Iowa.  We got a late start and one in our party wasn't feeling well so we only did the covered bridge in Winterset city park and then the Roseman Bridge headed back down Hwy 169 toward home.

It makes for a long day visiting all the sites but is a fun day trip.  I suggest packing a picnic lunch and eating at any of the area stops.  The Roseman Bridge is on the river and a picnic table and lots of mowed area's to picnic and they have a lovely gift shop.  Here is a link to the bridge map: http://madisoncounty.com/index.php?page=getting-here-around      And of course the one in Winterset park has all kinds of picnic areas and restrooms and they even have a lovely Pivet Maze you can go explore.

I've got a turkey who has decided it would rather roost outside the fenced chicken coop.  I finally got it to roost on top of the fenced roof area which is much to high for even me to reach.  But last night I went out just before it got dark and spent 45 minutes running like a fool to get them all in.  I'm hoping to do that the rest of the week and see if I can get him to willingly go into to roost.  I am just waiting for them all to fatten up and then we can butcher most of them.  I plan to leave a male and female turkey as a breeding pair and keep one rooster and about 8 hens and fill the freezer and canning jars with our own fresh meat.   About 6 of the hens will go up to my son in St Jo also.

I am still here and getting along but moving slower than I ever remember me doing!  Hoping I will recover and take off again real soon.  Need to get the garden done for the year.   So much to do and so little time and energy!  I know a little bit at a time, will get me done. Just need to slow down.

Hope you are all having a lovely Fall!
Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Getting back to normal

Had a wonderful trip to LA area for our son's wedding.  Loved his new in law's and brought home the brides twin sister and having fun with her also.  Still got lots to do but the dust will settle soon.

My friend Sylvia at Christian Homemakers gave me a great recipe for Apple Pie Filling that was gluten free.  It's so amazing!   Here is her site and she has a wealth of info for all to go through.  Hope you will go visit her site when you have time!  http://christianhomekeeper.org/

Apple Pie Filling
10 pounds tart apples – peeled, cored and sliced
5 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cup Clear jel
1 T. cinnamon
2-1/2 cups cold water
5 cups apple juice OR use water, its up to you.
1 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 cup bottled lemon juice
In this recipe you first want to boil your apple slices. This cooks the apples and keeps them from shrinking so much once they are cooked in the canner, and from making your jars look like they are missing some apples.
So bring a large kettle of water to a boil. Add about 1 quart of apple slices at a time and bring the water back to a boil. strain the apple slices out of the boiling water and add the next batch of apple slices. Keep the boiled apples covered while you are boiling the rest of them.
Once you’re done, you can empty out the water because you will need the kettle.
In your large kettle, preferably heavy-bottomed, add the sugar, Clear-Jel, nutmeg and cinnamon. Add the apple juice or water and stir. Turn up the heat and cook the mixture until it is thick, bubbly and smooth. Turn off heat.
Add the apple slices and lemon juice. Stir.
Fill hot jars 3/4 full of apples and syrup. Top of each jar with syrup to within 1 inch of the rim of the jars.
Run a plastic or rubber spatula around the inside of the jars to release air bubbles.
Clean off the rims with a clean, wet cloth.
Add lids and rings.
Water bath the jars for 25 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to sit on a dishcloth on the cabinet. Allow the jars to remain undisturbed over night.
Makes 6 or 7 quarts.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Is our drought over?

We got an honest to goodness rain the other day and now thanks to Hurricane Issac we are looking for more good rain by the weekend.  Do we have hope that the drought is over?  I guess we'll see how much snow we get this winter and see if we have a chance to recover next year.

Do you ever get so busy you just can't go on?  Well that's where I'm at right now.  I got a quilt on the frame I'm trying to get done for my son's wedding next week.  It should be off the frame tonight of tomorrow if all goes well.  I also need to go bail out our boats and get them on land and turned over before the next rains come.  I also need to get the chicken coop cleaned out real good.  I had to use wood chips the last few times but now I have straw again.  Straw works much better in the nesting boxes.

I decided other than picking tomatoes every few days I will not work in the garden until we return from California.  I'm just to wore out to keep up so will do what needs to get done and then return refreshed and ready to process all that produce when we return.

Some times you just have to pull back and recover.  It's ok, you give your body time to recover and then charge back in.

Hope you have a wonderful week and a great Holiday weekend!

Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com

Friday, August 24, 2012

Reading the Scriptures

Most of you who really know me, know that for the last several years I kicked in a plan to read the scriptures daily and by the end of the year have them read completely.  I realized I might be reading the scriptures daily but there was whole sections never being read.  I checked Sunday School manuals, Institute and Seminary manuals and there really were sections never being taught less a lone read.  I know it's easy to say that those sections being skipped just must not be important but as time went on it bothered me that I was missing part of Gods word.  So I divided up the pages into daily parts to read so every year I'd read all of Gods word, not my hit and miss methods of before. 

It has been a very enlightening and spiritually rewarding time.  Every day I am hit with things I had never noticed before.  I am left to ponder these messages every day, all day long.   Today I read Matthew 24 and Alma 46 &47.  Matthew 24 of course is the chapter the disciples asked about the final days and what was to come and Jesus shared with them.  Alma 46 & 47 of course talks about the Stripling Warriors.  These were the 2,000 young men that their parents offered for the war effort because they had taken an oath to never fight but their young son's had not taken the oath.   The part that got to me today was verses 47 & 48 (Ch.46).  They had no fear because of their great faith because their "mother's had taught them".   Which leaves me pondering if I have taught my own children as well as their mother's taught them. 

We are entering perilous times and I really am pondering if I have taught my children well enough so they have the faith they will need to go on in life.  For that matter, do I have enough faith to carry on myself?

So many think of being prepared as having food and ammo.  But if you do not have a Spiritual footing, you won't last very long or will become a mean angry soul lost in a lost world.

So while you are laying in those food stores, etc.,  make sure you take some time each day to be spiritually fed.

Have a great day and wonderful weekend!

Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com

Monday, August 13, 2012

Are you ready for a Famine?


Ok most of us have never known hunger.  Our stores have always had full shelves.  But this year we have a drought.  Not just us but most of the country and duh... most of the world.  There is going to be next to no harvest all over world this year.  For the first time since the great depression we are looking at a modern day famine just like they talk about for Africa and in the Bible.  Famine as in no food.  If you have been laying in food then you'll probably be ok if we don't also run out of water.  

But 80% of people are still ignoring the blaring warnings.  They can't picture a famine in our world.  They still think somewhere there is food so our government or the church will feed us. 

I was so excited to watch Japan after their big disaster.  They didn't wait for or even expect anyone to come help them.  Every citizen rolled up their sleeves and immediately went to work cleaning up.  They took care of their neighbor.  No one thought only of themselves, everyone was suffering.  I have family in Japan and we saw miracles happen there.  It's a mind set the rest of the world would be better off adapting.  Roll up your sleeves and deal with it yourself.  Just assume if something happens, no one but yourself is going to help you. 

Some say God will watch over us.  Why should He?  Do we keep the Sabbath Day Holy?  Sunday has become our nations busiest day for eating out, shopping, sports, and anything else you can think of.  We've removed all signs of God from our schools and government offices.  Now tell me why God should watch over and protect our nation? 

A big change of mind and habits are needed.  Will we as a nation change?  I would like to think we would but I sure am not seeing any signs of it yet.  Maybe we'll have to hit rock bottom before folks wake up and take control.

Just my 2 cents worth here.  I think it is stupid to toss God aside when we need Him the most.

Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

The harvest has begun

Well the writing is on the wall.  We've all been warned that we should lay in anything that involves meat, corn or soybeans.   This week in our area and many other areas insurance adjusters are showing up and telling us what to do with our crops.  Fields that produced thousands of bushels are yielding 1 1/2 bushels.  It's not even worth turning into fodder.  So it's all getting chopped up and dumped.  Not even worth trying to get that bushel of corn to use.  We only have 14 acres this year so we'll just walk through and pull off the little bit of corn and feed it to the chickens this winter.

I've said it every way I can say it, there is no corn or soy beans to harvest this year.  Most of our foods have corn or beans in them.  I don't even want to think about what is going to happen at the grocery store this year.  There is very little hay as it burned up so early so they are chopping the corn up and baling it.  Most have sold off their livestock as they had nothing left to feed them.  We got rid of our horses because there was nothing left for them to eat.  We were faced with feeding them daily starting now until next spring time.  We rarely needed to feed our horses at all.  Even in winter time they dig down and get the grass but there is no grass left for them to dig down to.  I can only pray we get our winter snows that passed us by last winter.

Several bloggers are reporting of things happening that I either don't think about or can't prove right now.    One reports that China is buying up small bankrupt US cities and moving their party faithful families there and even flying the flag of China in their towns.  If anyone has actually seen such a thing please tell me where you have seen it!  The other report is one I would think nothing of.  US troops going through towns in their tanks, and other military vehicles.  I've seen them around all my life so would think nothing of it.  But of course these other bloggers are claiming it's our government getting people use to them as they are planning to declare marshal law when the food runs out.  Those who cause problems will be taken to those FEMA camps that are all over our country.  So they want you to be prepared and have what you need so you don't have to go out and riot with the masses.

I have no clue on the "evil" designs of our government.  I can only beg you to lay in all the food we can find to lay in.   Talk to your neighbors and get them to do the same.  Don't wait for Uncle Sam to save you.  Plan now to save your self.  Don't hope and pray your church will save you.  Don't hope and pray your local government will save you.  Get as much as you can now so you can take care of yourself.   PLAN NOW TO SAVE YOURSELF.   Don't wait, Do it now!

Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com


Saturday, July 28, 2012

Taking Inventory

Ok, my store room is a mess.  The dry goods canned up in #10 cans and the 5 gallon buckets are in order and I know what I have but the home canned produce is another matter.  I can all year round.  Things I can store and can later I put off until winter time to can.  Meats and broths and soups get canned all year round.  I tend to stash in piles and sooner or later everything gets mixed up. 


So today I am downstairs digging through boxes finding out what I really have and finding things that didn't work out and need to get dumped because no one here will eat it.  Those items I bake into the daily bread for the chickens to eat.  The produce makes the bread moist and tender and they love it.  I also have to make sure to get a little fat and 15% protein added in.  I add in eggs, milk products, meat products, ect to get the protein levels meet.  I add in lots of whole grains and use items we need to use up along the way. 

I got stuck this week when tomatoes started coming on really good and not knowing what I really had and what I really need. 

One of my biggest mistakes last year was using pickling lime with cut up cucumbers to make pickled spears and slices.  I didn't know after sitting for the time required I then needed to drain them and soak again for at least 1 hour in pure water.  Some times it takes up to 5 hours of soaking and changing the pure water every hour.  So I have learned a lesson and am going to feed the chickens over the next week last years failures.  I also had a batch of salsa that need to simmer 12 hours so I decided to use the crock pot.  For some reason my family thought it had cooked enough and every time I walked into the kitchen the crock pot was turned off.  It turned a dark color and no one will eat it.  So 12 jars of salsa is being dumped also.  I thought it was strange that I did plum and apple butter in the crock pot and no one felt the need to turn that off.  No clue but it happened and ruined a batch of salsa.  I found two good jars down stairs when everyone claimed we were totally out. 

I still have a large section to do so who knows what else I will find.  Also my grapes are turning purple and ripen a full month earlier than usual.  I was worried they would be ready while we would be in California in early September but looks like in 2 weeks grapes will be done!  All we have currently are concord and it looks to be a great harvest this year. 

Hope you are keeping track of what all you have and getting all you need to get through the coming year.

Blessings,
Cherlynn

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

My Garden update- Dill Pickle Slices

I have gotten all the peas pulled so we have seed for next year.  Lettuces have now all bolted and going to seed so will be watching carefully so I can get lettuce seeds.  Radishes have also bloomed out nicely so should be able to get seed for those also.

Melon's are looking great so need to be watching for those ripen very soon.  Tomatoes are coming on much stronger now and peppers are coming in strong too.  Might be able to make salsa up soon!  I've experimented with using the burpless cucumbers to make dill pickle slices and it seems to be working.  Not as crisp as I would of liked but not mushy either.  So I will go ahead and make a couple more batches to can up.

I keep going down to look at all those carrots we canned up last week.  They look so pretty in the jars!  I've been so pleased with this years garden.  Mulching has made all the difference in all we've grown.  We still haven't had any serious rain here.  This is the time of year we usually dry up so not to hopeful about getting serious rain.  It would be a great help to my garden but our row crops are already beyond help.  I can not stress enough about having a good food supply built up before this Fall.  Grocery prices are going to go through the roof in the coming year.

If you do not garden, PLEASE, go to farmers markets and see how much you can get and preserve for the coming year now while you can still get decent prices.

Here is the recipe I'm using this year to use up all these burpless cucumbers:


Dill Hamburger slices
Here are some tasty dill pickle slices to top your burgers or sandwiches.

Ingredients:

  • 4 pounds pickling cucumbers
  • 2 tablespoons canning salt or kosher salt
  • 2 1/2 quarts water
  • 3 cups cider vinegar
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons canning salt or kosher salt
  • 6 teaspoons dill seeds
  • 3 teaspoons mustard seeds
  • 6 bay leaves
  • 18 to 24 black peppercorns

Preparation:

Slice ends off cucumbers then slice in 1/4-inch rounds. Put the cucumber slices in a large nonreactive bowl or pot and cover with the 2 1/2 quarts of water. Add 3 tablespoons salt and stir until salt is dissolved. Cover and let stand for 12 hours.
Drain cucumber slices.
Prepare jars. Fill a boiling water canner half-full with water; add jars and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low to keep jars hot.
In a nonreactive pot, combine the 3 cups vinegar and 3 cups water. Stir in 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons of salt until dissolved. Bring to a boil. Into each of 6 pint jars, add 1 teaspoon dill seeds, 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds, 1 bay leaf, 3 or 4 peppercorns, and about 1 teaspoon of chopped garlic. Pack with cucumbers.
Add hot vinegar mixture to each jar, leaving 1/2-inch of headspace.
Wipe rims and threads of jars with a damp paper towel. Fit with lids and screw on jar rings tightly. Put the jars in a rack and lower into the hot water. If necessary, add more boiling of near-boiling water so the water level is 1 to 2 inches above the jars. Bring to a boil. Cover and boil gently for 10 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool completely. Check for seals about 24 hours later. Store in a cool dark place for a few weeks before using

Hope you enjoy!
Cherlynn

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Vacation is over so back to work this week!


Ok, I didn't go any where but had lots of company this last week.  All my husband's brother's & sister's came for a lovely visit.  We also had our oldest son with his soon to be wife visiting us from California too.  Had a wonderful but much to short visit with all of them! 

Took a quick walk through my garden today that has been mostly ignored except for things I ran out to pick fresh last week.  Cucumbers are coming on hard now so will be a daily pick to stay on top of them.  Got 3 beds of tomatoes bearing now and 3 beds of green beans needing picking.  I have a full bed of garlic ready to pull and 2 beds of carrots ready to pull.  I'm pulling the peas now also for next years seed.  Got most of one bed done yesterday so will finish that bed tomorrow and maybe tackle another if I have time.

Now I need to decide what to plant as I clear these beds.  I want to plant another bed of garlic this fall and hope to plant several beds of gluten free oats this fall for spring crop next year.  But I will try to plant broccoli and cabbages for a fall crop and more carrots too.

So now is the crazy time of the year where I'm running full tilt harvesting and canning.

Hope you are getting much from your garden too!  If you don't have a garden try to can produce you can get at framers markets.  Keeping up your skills is very important to do!  Creating a food storage is very important also as food prices continue to climb.

The drought this year is going to really make prices climb.  Only 23% of our soy bean crops and the corn crop is expected to do even worse.  Our fruit crop that survived the late hard freeze is dropping most of it's fruit before it matures.  I just got 2 bushel's of peaches from the Amish and they said there wouldn't be any more due to the fruit drop and drought conditions.  Our personal corn crop looks fairly good but failed to put on corn as it didn't get water at the right time.  I'm hearing from farmers all over the mid-west saying the same thing.  So lay in what you want now before the prices sky rocket this fall/winter.   Many cattle producers are selling off their herds because they have no food to feed them.  Meat is cheap now but this winter it will be very high.

Take care and hope you are busy canning too!
Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Happy 4th of July!

We decided to take a day off and work inside today in honor of the holiday and the high heat we've been dealing with.  I've made 3 batches of soup so far.  I am bagging up 2 quarts of each for the freezer that can be popped into a crockpot and reheated and the rest is getting canned up.  So far I have 9 pint jars of Taco Soup.  I've canned that before and it canned up very well.  We really enjoyed having it to heat up quickly.  Then I have 6 pints of Pasta Bean Soup.  I'm certain the bean soup will can up well but had to ponder adding the pasta in.  I cooked the soup and then added uncooked pasta to it and canned it and it looks like it worked ok.  I guess we'll find out some where down the road when we try it out!  Then I am canning up Broccoli Cheese Soup.  I canned up 4 of those as a trial.  My husband said this was the best Broccoli cheese Soup ever.  It's the first time I've made it with fresh broccoli from our garden and the cheese was home made also.  I know this freezes very well but have never canned it so tried just a few of them until we know if it works well or not.   With us being so very busy most of the time and just the two of us now, it's very nice to have home canned soups we can quickly reheat.  It's also great in a crisis.  Cooked canned soups reheat quickly so would use much less energy when you are without power. 

Next I will make Chicken & Rice.  I use that a lot in recipes and I can not use any of the store bought soups because they put wheat or milk in them.  I will make a very large batch of the chicken rice soup to have on hand.  Today's Broccoli Soup was made for my husband.  I will try a small batch later that is thickened with arrow root powder and uses no butter and uses rice cheese instead of Cheese Whiz.  This has been our most favorite soup in the past.  It will be good if I can create a suitable substitute.

Then I will make Split Pea with Ham and a big pot of Chili.  Both of those can up very well also.  I will also make up some Turkey Soup.  These will make a nice collection to our food storage. 

I think I have listed some of these before but if you need recipes just let me know and I will list them for you.  I can them in pint jars and pressure can for 75 minutes.  The pressure is set by where you live and you can find that through your county extension service. 

Hope you have a great day celebrating our Nation's Birthday!  I pray daily that we might get some people in Washington DC that will defend our Constitution and do what is best for our Nation.

Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Very Busy Summer!

I love summer!  I love the heat and lots of sunshine!  I love things growing even if I do have to mow/weed eat my day away!  But this summer I feel like I'm getting pulled 5 different directions all at the same time.  We're living from the garden and getting lots of stuff put away for winter time too!  I've written off all peas and will let them mature and dry out and save seed for next year.  Got salad greens replanted and choosing out the ones I want to go to seed so we can have it next year also.  Last year I waited until fall to start saving seed and most never fully matured so was worthless to try and save.  This year I will save early in hopes I will have most of my own seed to use next year.  Someone told me I could let early broccoli go and flower out and it would then go to seed even though its a biennial.  I'm not convinced it will work but I will try it this year and see!

Today I needed cream of chicken soup and can't use any store bought soups due to my food allergies.  I am using white bean flour with hot water, chicken bouillon and chicken.  It looked so good I went ahead and made 3 batches so I had what I needed tonight and have 9 pints in the pressure cooker right now so I have it on hand.  I used 1 pint of chicken for the 3 batches and it has way more chicken than the store bought stuff ever had!  I had some old navy beans in my storage so used those to grind for my flour and they worked great going through my Wonder Mill!  

The recipe I got comes from a great book I've had for years!  "Country Beans" by Rita Bingham  ISBN 1 882314 10 7.     I had used her tips and ideas to sneak beans into so many meals but never once noticed or tried her instant soup recipes!  Now that I am so very allergic to dairy and gluten these recipes are saving my life!  No need to try and figure it out myself, she already had tried and true recipes for me to use! 

Cream of Chicken Soup

6 cups boiling water
1 cup fine white bean flour
2 Tablespoons chicken or vegetable soup base
1 cup chicken dices (opt)

Whisk bean flour into the boiling water and then stir in the soup base.  Stir and boil 3 minutes and add chicken if using.  Serves 3 to 4.
 
I got 3 1/2 pints from this.  Made 3 batches and got 9 pints and enough to do make a casserole up for tonight's dinner. 

I turned our 6 week old chicks/turkeys loose today after spending 2 days locked up with our 3 year hens/ducks.  They have finally begun venturing out close to the chicken coop and least little thing they all run back in and hide.   I don't remember our 3yr old hens being so shy but it's been a while and the kids mostly took care of them.  I guess after a few weeks they'll start venturing a little farther out.   I did at least remember to lock up the dog today.  He loves to run in the middle of the hens and watch them fly up and bark.  Our hens are used to it but figured our 6 week old's would do better without Sammy the dog playing with them!

So working around here and in the garden and trying to get some outside things added in and running almost faster than I can trot anymore!  But I'm here and loving this hot summer weather.

Take care and hope you are able to get lots of stuff laid in this summer!

Cherlynn