What's So Special About This Pot Roast?

It's just a pot roast - right?

Wrong.

This is a bone-in chuck roast which in the store would be a lesser quality cut.

We happen to savor it.

In order to serve a dual purpose, I will share how I prepared it.

Here I added garlic, rosemary, thyme, and borage.

(Always add herbs in threes: did you folks know that?)

I added no water, sauce, or broth, just the roast.

It went directly from the freezer to the terra-cotta roaster so was still frozen.

These terra-cotta roasters are expensive if you go to a kitchen shop.

I often see them new and still in the box at thrift shops for a few dollars.

My guess is that people don't know how to use them.

But again - that's my guess.

They will season with use.

Cover and place in oven at about 235 degrees.

This is when I leave for work.

Now while it's cookin'

let's get back to what makes it so special.

We saved for this roast for a whole year.

Why did it take a year to save for a roast you ask.

Well, because it was attached to the rest of the beef we purchased.

Again not just any beef.

This steer was purchased as a weiner calf - so about a year-ish old.

It was then turned out on a grassy pasture all spring and summer.

Towards autumn when the apples began to ripen,

they were tossed over the fence providing sweetness to the feed 

for about the last month or so of its life.

While on this pasture, he kept old forage trimmed

so that the young tender sprouts could get sun and grow healthily.

He pressed new seeds into the earth allowing them to be germinated.

And he fertilized the pasture with his "left-overs"

which in turn aids soils in water retention, carbon sequestration and fertility. 

The money spent on this creature

stayed right here in our community helping a friend/neighbor.

And now he is helping to nourish our bodies.

He is generous indeed ~ and we are thankful.

Upon returning home from work roughly 10 hours later,

here's was I find:)

I don't trim any fat off.

Though I can't just eat it like some,

I try to get the health benefits of saturated fats when I can.

And do you see all that broth - it's about 1 1/2 inches deep.

That's good stuff.

I heated up some home canned corn & we ate.

So this one pot roast that is now a very simple meal

was part of helping the environment, the local economy, 

and future fodder for next year's calf.

Not too bad for a critter that says, "Moo."

That's what makes this pot roast so special.

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

Spicy-Scented Christmas Ornaments

That sounds much better than

"This year I want a smelly tree."

In addition to Strung Popcorn, our tree is going to don a variety

of natural fragrant ornaments including dried orange slices,

and these yummy smelling ornaments.

(This recipe is from 'Taste of Home Magazine' about 20 years ago.)

First thing's first:

gather items needed~

3/4 c. applesauce

1 c. cinnamon

1 Tbl. ground nutmeg

1 Tbl. ground cloves

2 Tbl. white glue

(I used homemade pearsauce, because that's what I had.)
In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients.  It will be a little 'glumpy' at first.

Don't worry, just mix it together like you would cookie or pie dough.

It will smooth out.

Then roll it out to about 1/4" thick using cinnamon as you usually would flour.

Choose cookie cutter of your choice.

I'm not sure why, but I thought the little squirrel would go well

with the star and rocking horse.

Maybe I just thought it belonged in a tree.

Mine ended up a little thinner than 1/4".

I'm not too concerned.

Continue to rework your dough, roll out, and cut until there is not enough

for another ornament.

I set the remainder in a tin can with a little water on the wood stove.

Once they are all cut out,

use a straw to make a hole for a ribbon, or

I used a toothpick to poke a small hole 

since I will be using wire ornament hangers.

Be sure the hole goes all the way through.
These are pretty small ornaments.

If you are using a larger cookie-cutter, you might go ahead with the straw.

You can then set them in the oven on warm and

turn them over occasionally.

I'm not sure how long that would take, because

I cheated and set them on the dehydrator :)

It took about 1.5-2ish hours.
I can't begin to tell you just how good the house smelled.

You can use craft paint to embellish them, but

I will be keeping these natural.

After the holidays, 
you can do as mentioned above and crumble in a tin can
with some water on the stove as air freshener.
If you have munchkins in your home, please
remind them these are not for munching on.

Enjoy~

Until next time,
Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

Uses for Pine Needles

As I was lighting the fire this evening,

I threw in a bunch of dried pine needles.

For just a moment,

you could have seen the hint of a smile as

I thought ~

pine needles are so useful

and for so many things.

They are a fabulous source of vitamin C.
Every so often I break one up for in my tea
or if I am out puttering around,
I will just nibble on one.
Of course, winter decor is fond of pines
and other greens.
That's just while green.
They are equally useful when dry.

There tend to be an abundance of them available
wherever there is even a single pine tree.
On occasion, a small branch will break and fall.
Around here, those get tossed in with the firewood
When winter comes,
they make starting a fire a cinch.
They are great to use in the chickens' nest boxes
with a couple handfuls of wood shavings.
The chickens don't seem to scatter them 
like they do straw.
Pine needles also make great path covers.
Where a path is worn and becomes muddy,
a thick layer of these really seems to help.
And, they aren't slick like wet straw.
If added to compost,
they are acidic so ask a professional first
and/or know the ph of your soil.
There are certain plants that do thrive on acidic soil.

One other side note:
If you do have pine trees or if you visit a friend with one,
don't park under them.
In addition to pinecones falling, they "rain."
Mostly in the summer months or warmer weather.
They emit a very fine mist
that is actually sap (resin.)
It can be difficult to wash off your car if you don't do it right away.

Do you have pine trees/needles around your place?
If so, do you use them & for what?

Until next time,
Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

The Salt of the Matter

This really is one of those 'duh!' moments for me.

In the picture is regular table salt,

sea salt, and reeeal salt!

First, let's just be clear.

Salt is NaCl - sodium chloride.

It is a chemical compound.

These two elements can be brought together upon manufacturing will.

This is what happens when you get the

typical table salt, with the additive of calcium silicate

which helps keep it from caking.

Then there is sea salt.

This one is not the iodized sea salt which contains

other ingredients such as dextrose.

This one is just 'sea salt' and calcium silicate - again.

I am wondering just how they get all the nutrients out of the salt

and how they get it so bright white.

I could find no such information in my search.

Most salts on earth are not a true white.

And here is the 'duh' part.

I grew up on a ranch.

We gave the cattle, sheep, etc.

salt with trace minerals.

Guess what...

we (humans) need those trace minerals too.

So,

I found Pacific Salt Sea Salt.

It is the real salt.

No additives - so yes, it will cake if it sits that long.
It is a soft greyish-white color.

The great part is that we are now naturally

getting trace minerals in our diet.

We are not salt-aholics so

our diet now contains more of what we need

and less of those anti-caking chemicals.

As far as price goes.

I think the real salt was about twice the other

which means it was about $2.00 rather than $1.00.

We don't go through a ton of it so I deemed it affordable.

The flavor is slightly milder and a bit more savory

as opposed to the acrid tang of regular salt.

It seems to add to or bring out the flavor of food

rather than masking it.

We've been using it for several months now and love it.

That's why we still have these others in the cupboard.

Might have to use them as ice-melt or something.

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

A Healthy Diet Invitation

We are at it again.

For the month of August,

we are eating our healthy diet.

We don't venture too far from it for the rest of the year,

we just aren't as adamant.

We are doing this in great part due to a neighbor who wants to

but needs support and encouragement.

There might be several of us all doing it

so thought it might be fun if we invited you too.

We have among us borderline diabetics and gluten intolerant.

I need to make some calls tomorrow and find out who is in.

We begin Friday the first of August.

So here we go...

These are things we eat and things we avoid.  Last year, we did no grains, processed sugars, or chemicals.  Eliminating chemicals was the most difficult part.  Since then, hubby has continued to eat no wheat.  His joints are greatly improved by that.  We have continued to minimize grains in our diet.  One thing that made a lot of sense to me is that your body recognizes three things: sugars, fats, and proteins.  Grains are sugars.  Fats are good.  Proteins are best.

1st.  ~  No grains nor processed sugars.  We do eat fruit since they are natural sugars, and we don't typically O/D on them.  Once you eliminate grains and sugars, you can really taste their sweetness.  Honey or real maple syrup are okay, but we found that we didn't have anything to use them on.

2nd.  ~  Fats and oils: We use avocado or olive oil which are both stone fruits as well as butter or lard.  We do not use vegetable oil, shortening, or margarine.

3rd.  ~  Dairy: Eat as much as you like.  Eggs, milk, and cheese are good.  If we could get milk straight from the cow, that would be best.  The least processed the better (ie. no skimmed or ultra-pasteurized.)  Cheese without a ton of chemicals is difficult to find if you are avoiding chemicals.

4th.  ~  Nuts and seeds:  Eat all you want - just watch as they tend to add 'mystery' ingredients and cook in canola oil.*

5th.  ~  Meat: as much as you like.  Try to opt for 'natural' - not by government standards, but by real standards.  We still buy chicken and pork since we do not have a local source - yet.  We get grass fed/fattened beef, wild game, and fish. 

6th.  ~  Veggies and Fruits: Any and all.  The darker the better & lots of greens.  Herbs are really just greens with lots of flavor.

7th.  ~  Sauces and dressings: Beware!  Most are a mixture of oils, chemicals, sugars, and grains.  There is wheat in soy sauce, some ketchup, salad dressings, licorice, ... the list goes on and on.

8th.  ~  It will be difficult to eat out.  Most restaurants add starch &/or sugar even to their veggies.

There is no limit to the amount of food you eat as long as it is within the parameters above.

I lost 8 lbs. & hubby about 15 lbs. in one month changing nothing but our diet.  Hubby didn't move like an 80 year old man any more and was no longer in pain.

Wheat is a natural inflammatory & appetite stimulant.  I will just encourage you to do your own research before taking the government (FDA) word for what is safe and good for you.  

Example: Several of the approved food colorants are proven carcinogens.

There is a new book out "The Big Fat Surprise" which hubby and I would both recommend.

The Weston A Price site is good as well.

*Canola - click here

Before the Egyptians began cultivating crops to feed cities through the winter, the 'natural' human diet was very close to what we have listed above.  This makes a ton of sense to me and was the reason I gave it a whirl in the first place.

Disclaimer: We are not doctors, licensed nutritionist, or medically certified in any way.  We do continually do our own research in regards to nutrition.  We are in no way responsible for your health.  We do believe in being responsible for our own health & nutrition.  If we can in some way help others we would love to do so.  Again, we would encourage you to do your own research.

You might be thinking this is expensive,

but it is amazing how much all the grains and sugars cost.

Our grocery spending didn't really change when we changed 

from eating those things to what we do on the diet.

It was Sap/Pitch for Salve

If you happened to wonder by

a week or so ago,

I posted this picture to see if you could tell what it was.

The prior weekend, we went and got a load of firewood.

We found a red fir which burns well.

The kicker was that it was full of pitch.

I saved it and later heated it.

As it heats, it becomes more liquid.

And more transparent.

It will be infused into olive oil for salves and balms.

Pine (& fir, tamarack etc.) pitch has natural antiseptic properties.

So after 3-6 weeks,

I will pour the oil off and use it.

The ratio is 1 part pitch to 2-3 parts olive oil. 

The pitch pretty much ruins whatever you put it in

so I bought a very cheap pan from the thrift shop, a clean stick

for stirring, and am using jars that I had for recycle.

Also, when I was working with it and had it heating,

I had a brown bag on the counter.

I still managed to drip a few drops on the stove

then the olive oil ran down the side of the container.

The pitch need to harden to remove it more efficiently,

and the oil cleans up with warm water,

so it was one or the other.

This is a first attempt for me.

I am thinking as the pitch cools, it will solidify

and settle to the bottom.

I will have to keep you posted.

The other perk is that heating it indoors made the house

smell absolutely wonderful:)

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

*~*Homemade Deodorant*~*

For some reason this seems to be a touchy subject

with some folks.

There are lots of different recipes, and I was skeptical,

but thought, "It doesn't hurt to try."

The cost to make a stick of deodorant?

Maybe 25 cents - ish.
(It's so little, I didn't take the time to do the actual figuring.)

One thing that was advised

was that you try it on a weekend when you plan to be home

so you aren't in public sniffing your underarm

every 5-10 minutes:)

I went ahead and took that advise.

I didn't have any sniffing problems; 

however, after a short time I noticed little white things

all over my floor.

One more word of advise:

it doesn't take as much as store bought deodorant.

1-2 swipes does the job.

What I really like (in addition to the lack of mystery chemicals)

is that there is no odd purfumey smell

if you do perspire.

You simply don't smell anything.

Also, it washes away better.

Most of the recipes I found call for tea-tree oil as it is an antiseptic.

Being sensitive to tea-tree, I used lavender.

Men could use pine or cedar, etc.

So here is what I used: 
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup corn starch
2 Tablespoons coconut oil
15 drops essential oil
Mix it well and press into deodorant container.
Let set 2-3 days before using.

I can honestly say,
I don't see myself ever buying store-bought deodorant again.

Until next time,
Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

Decking the Halls with Nature

Here are some more sticks:)

I little different then the last 

I posted about.

They aren't difficult,

just a little messy.

You will need 5 sticks

roughly the same size,

some craft wire (or strip those little twist ties,)

and some needle-nosed pliers.

(Never mind my tea)

I chose mossy sticks for this star.

You could spray them white or silver etc.

to suit your decor.

Again, I prefer natural.

Lay them out in a star shape

before wiring anything.

You might need to put one over or under

another because they aren't perfectly straight.

Then wire the points together (using the needle-nose pliers) 

wrapping any of the wire tails to the back.

Once you have all five points wired,

wire at least a couple of the places

'in the star' where the sticks cross.

I made two different sized.

The taller one is about 16 inches tall.

The smaller one is about 8 inches tall.

I might have to do a really big one.

We'll see how ambitious I am.

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

Learning More at Dye Day

This last Saturday, I went with Renee

and her mom to a natural Dye Day

in Lone Rock, OR.

It's pretty much a left over

Boom Town

that now has only a hand full

of permanent residents.

It was absolutely wonderful!

It's in the middle of nowhere

on a dirt road.

 

We used natural dyes including:

madder, log-wood, hollyhock, cochanai, and Osage orange.

There was a little mix up and log wood got mixed

with some used madder, 

but it turned into this deep, rich, brown color.

I forgot to get a picture of all the skeins

hanging to dry.

After lunch,

we each brought something to work on.

Marie and Renee brought knitting,

and Renee brought a wheel for me to try out.

It was my first time ever using a wheel.

I am hooked:)

I have a tenancy to over spin the wool.

I need to get on you tube and watch someone's hands

while they are drafting/spinning.

I haven't watched before, 

and there's a lot to just seeing it done. 

So my yarn (1 ply at the moment) is 

both lumpy and over spun.

I guess that's what it takes to learn.

This day had more to offer,

but I will save that for the next post.

And I will introduce you to our amazing hostess.

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches