Homestead at Bridle Creek

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Archives for July 2016

One Lucky Duck

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Poor duckLife on the farm is never dull. . . . tiring, yes – but dull – never.  So many friends have asked about the welfare of our duck – that I thought I would update her status.

This sweet duck was hatched with a pair of chicks – and they have been inseparable since.  They have shared a suite and are very attached to each other.

In mid June, we took several days to travel and pick up our granddaughters – bringing them home with us for the summer.  While we were gone, this little duck was attacked by some very naughty – but soon to be tasty young turkeys – who for lack of a better word, scalped her.  We returned to find her with about 3 inches of her skin and feathers gone – and picked nearly to the spine, having one eye so damaged we weren’t even sure it was still there.

We cleaned her up, dressed her wounds and brought her and her roommates up to the house to watch her.  She healed up nicely and we were pleasantly surprised to find she still had her eye. . . . and so, after several weeks, we moved them all back to their original pen – where she continued to heal. . . Then, several weeks later, on a beautiful Sunday morning, we were getting ready to leave for church when the girls found her – scalped again – and this time – it was much worse (the culprits days are numbered – as soon as I make a little more room in the freezer  – – – need I say more?).  The scab had been picked clean, there was little meat left on the top of her neck/head,  and she was a bloody mess.  We brought the poor thing back up to the ducky triage unit at the house, cleaned her wounds, dressed them and bandaged her up as best we could.  We had her in isolation for several days – and found that she refused to eat.  We weren’t sure if it was trauma, the bandages, injury or? – but it didn’t look good for her.  Then it occurred to us that we had separated her from her roommates – (because we were concerned that the chickens may peck at her injuries) . . and wondered if she might be lonely as she had never been away from them before.

We reunited her with her family – and she began eating again.  After a week of changing dressings and tending to her wounds, we decided to fortify her pen and return the three of them to their suite. . . . We were quite sure that if she survived, there would never be feathers on her head again. . . and that she would never be able to be in with the other ducks.  . . . .

Well, we still don’t know if she will ever be able to be in with the drakes, but she has made a miraculous recovery – don’t you think?

Sweet duckyShe is still as sweet as ever, her buddies have tended her well – and it appears that she will make a full recovery – feathers, eye and all.

Peek-a-boo duckIf nothing else, farm life is a constant reminder of the miracle of creation. . . . and God’s tender mercies.

 

She is one lucky duck.

Lemonade Anyone?

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Lemonade-on-the-Porch-214-editedHave I mentioned that it is hot?!  With the heat and humidity soaring this past week, we have gone through gallons of lemonade.  A frosty cold glass of sunshine – seems to hit the spot.

I have been surprised at how many requests I get for my lemonade recipe.  Having had fresh lemons available my entire life, I forget that for most of the country, lemonade is made from a frozen concentrate or powdered substance  – and not from fresh lemons.

As good as those options may have become, (insert a shudder here), there is nothing that can compete with fresh squeezed lemonade. . . . and so – I gladly share my recipe.

Go out and find some fresh lemons, and treat yourself to this bit of heaven on ice!

Enjoy,

Kathy

Homestead Lemonade

Tart, sweet, icy cold - pour a glass and sit a spell.
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Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup lemon juice fresh squeezed
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 4-5 cups cold water

Instructions
 

  • In a 2 quart pitcher, combine the lemon juice and sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
  • Add 4 cups of cold water, stirring to combine. Taste and adjust to your desired strength/sweetness - adding water and/or sugar as needed.
  • Serve chilled.

Notes

Here at the homestead, we have very different opinions on how lemonade should taste.  I like my lemonade to taste like lemons!  My other half prefers a watered-down version of lemonade.  The basic recipe for lemonade is as follows:
1 part lemon juice, 1 part granulated sugar, 4-5 parts water.
The type/tartness of lemons you use will determine how much you use.  As with all recipes, taste and adjust to suit your liking. . . .

Homestead Lemonade

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Homestead Lemonade

Tart, sweet, icy cold - pour a glass and sit a spell.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup lemon juice fresh squeezed
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 4-5 cups cold water

Instructions
 

  • In a 2 quart pitcher, combine the lemon juice and sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
  • Add 4 cups of cold water, stirring to combine. Taste and adjust to your desired strength/sweetness - adding water and/or sugar as needed.
  • Serve chilled.

Notes

Here at the homestead, we have very different opinions on how lemonade should taste.  I like my lemonade to taste like lemons!  My other half prefers a watered-down version of lemonade.  The basic recipe for lemonade is as follows:
1 part lemon juice, 1 part granulated sugar, 4-5 parts water.
The type/tartness of lemons you use will determine how much you use.  As with all recipes, taste and adjust to suit your liking. . . .

Ice Cream – the Homestead Way

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Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream 43 editedThere is nothing like a bowl of ice cream at the end of the day – unless of course, it’s two bowls of ice cream!  Our love of this frozen confection borders on obsession.  When Dave and I were married, we received an ice cream freezer (hand crank model) as a gift – and as much as we loved it, the chipping of ice, the layering of salt, and the cranking – oh, the cranking – of that ice cream freezer resulted in its very limited use.  Several times each summer we would dust off the old relic and make the most delicious ice cream. . . . but it was a rare occasion that would merit the effort.

And then, one blessed Mother’s Day, enter the electric counter top ice cream freezer (bless you Cuisinart!)  Our lives have never been the same (nor have our waistlines).  Although vanilla is my very favorite ice cream flavor (I think of it as an incredibly rich and smooth blank canvas), we – or should I say, the machine – cranks out flavors from vanilla to rhubarb, chocolate chip, coconut, banana, peach, peppermint, strawberry, strawberry cheesecake and Heath Bar Crunch – just to name a few.  It just wouldn’t be summer here without the whirring sound of the ice cream freezer working away on the counter.

The recipe for my basic – and favorite homemade ice cream came from a book of instructions on how to use that first freezer – (printed during the stone age).  It has been our standard by which all other recipes are measured. . . . and to this day, it stands alone – frozen or liquid form – it is a winner!

Sippin Homemade Ice Cream through a straw
One of the often overlooked – but most important things about a recipe is quality of the ingredients used.  As in all recipes, use the best and freshest ingredients possible.  It really does make a difference.

The ice cream base is very easy to make, and can be chilled in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for several days before freezing.  It is a non-cooked base, and uses raw eggs.   (For those who may be concerned about using raw eggs, here is a link to instructions on how to pasteurize eggs at home.)

Don’t let that stop you from trying it – you won’t be disappointed. . . .I promise!

Enjoy,

                             Kathy

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

This recipe is our all-time favorite. It is old-fashioned homemade ice cream at it's best. Although the recipe is for vanilla ice cream, you are limited only by your taste and imagination.
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Ingredients
  

  • 4 eggs (raw) pasteurized if desired
  • 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups heavy cream
  • 5 cups milk

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, beat eggs until frothy.
  • While continuing to beat the eggs, gradually add the sugar. Continue to beat until mixture is very stiff and light in color.
  • Add vanilla, salt, milk and cream, mixing thoroughly.
  • Pour into ice cream freezer following manufacturer’s instructions.

Notes

If you are using a small ice cream freezer, use the recommended amount of ice cream base and store the remainder in the fridge.  The recipe can always be halved.
Try adding 1/4 cup finely shaved dark chocolate (use a serrated knife to shave the chocolate) - or 1/4 cup crushed candy canes during the last 10 minutes of churning.
Note:  This recipe calls for using raw eggs.  If you are concerned about using raw eggs and are unable to find pasteurized eggs at your local market, I have included a link on how to pasteurize eggs at home.  If you are pregnant, undergoing chemotherapy, have a compromised immune system, are elderly, have very young children, or are cooking for anyone that may fall into any of these categories, use wisdom and good judgement.

 

 

Here’s what’s Happening on the Homestead

Spring.  Just the word congers up images of blossoms and bunnies, eggs and chicks. . . . and catalogs filled with tableware, linens and all the fresh spring color imaginable. . . . so when my spring edition of the Pier1 catalog arrived – I was immediately drawn to devour every page.  The dinnerware, table settings, linens were, in typical Pier1 form, a wonderful feast for the eyes. pier1-catalog-page

But, there was one thing that especially drew my attention. . .their adorable folded napkins – especially the little bunnies in the upper right corner of the page. The catalog directed readers to log on to their website for instructions  – which I immediately did.

Upon arriving at the page, I  searched for the Bunny Fold pier-one-bunny-ears-directionsand found this.   I grabbed some cloth napkins (which happened to be from Pier1) and, following their directions, began folding.  It only took me to the 4th step to figure out that there was a real problem with the directions – they were rolling from the wrong side of the napkin. . . and by the final step – it was unmistakable.

wrong-way-bunny-napkinI had created this.  I took an unfolded napkin and the directions to my husband – who, as a builder, reads instructions for a living  . . . and his response was immediate – these are not right.  They have rolled from the long side and not the point – and used directions for a granny knot.  It needs to be an ‘overhand’ knot.  (50 plus years of scouting – he should know his knots!)

After making a few simple changes – rolling from the point and using an overhand knot – the finished product looked like the one in the Pier1 picture.  Success!    folded-bunny-napkin-perfection

 And so, as much as I LOVE Pier1, no one is infallible.  I have done my own set of instructions, including pictorials, for your use should you be wanting to try these little treasures.  Such a simple way to dress up a spring  or Easter table.

Just Click Here to go to the instructions.  Happy Spring!

Enjoy,

Kathy

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