This Week at Ramsey Farms

This Month at Ramsey Farms - November 3 through December 4, 2014

I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve updated this blog! We’ve been so busy with work, school, the fall festival, visitors from north Carolina, Thanksgiving, and other activities that have left little time for interneting. (I just created a new word!)

The garden is doing fine. We’re eating a lot of radishes and scallions, the lettuces are growing bigger by the day, the carrots and beets are growing albeit slowly, the green onions are growing bigger and we do enjoy the green scallion stems, and there are a handful of garlic stems showing up through the mulch now! I really miss my old herb garden in North Carolina so that is a project we’ll be preparing for this winter so that we can begin planting as soon as possible in the spring. We’re building our compost pole and sourcing manure to enrich the main garden so that it will be more productive next spring.

We spent a wonderful fun-filled day at our little church’s fall festival where the kids and community enjoyed two large inflatable slides, games, music, food, candy, and a hay ride! The following weekend the church hosted a housewarming party for a family in our little community who lost their home to a fire back in September. They have rebuilt and needed all the basics a home needs such as towels, pantry staples, and kitchen implements.

My mom and my sister visited us the weekend prior to Thanksgiving and we spent the week beforehand preparing for them. I made homemade pasta sauce so my daughter could make her renowned lasagna dish. We made homemade hamburger and hotdog buns and slaw for a cookout the first night they were here. I was so happy to see them and to introduce them to our special piece of land – our home. We ate, drank wine, played board games, danced to music, hiked the trails Chris has cut through our woods, sat in the sun, listened to crickets and coyotes, and talked and talked and talked and simply enjoyed one another’s company. I was delighted to introduce them to all my closest neighbors! I loved having them here but it was just too short of a visit and I look forward to having them come back in the spring and stay a little longer and see this place in full bloom! 

We had an awesome Thanksgiving that began with an evening church service and pot luck dinner at our church. There were more than 70 people there and the food was incredible! You know that anytime you get a bunch of southern women bringing food it’s gonna be downright delicious. That was on Sunday before Thanksgiving (the same day my mom and sister left us) and the same day I started my Thanksgiving cooking extravaganza!

That Sunday early morning, I started the feast cooking with making my homemade totally-from-scratch chicken broth with a nice little 4.5 pound whole chicken, fresh scallions from the garden, dried herbs from my garden, garlic, carrots, onions, and celery. This simmers for several hours and had the house smelling delicious and well, like home! I deboned the chicken to use later on, simmered some more, then cooled the broth in another pot that was surrounded by ice and cold water. While the broth was cooking, I made my homemade cornbread (no mixes or boxes used here!) then started my mom’s “world famous” (well probably just to our family) cornbread dressing. I even made my own homemade cream of chicken and cream of celery soups rather than using the teeming canned stuff.  I did use a bag of Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix (the only prepared food used in this recipe) so next year I’d like to figure out how to replace that with a homemade version – any ideas? I jarred the remaining chicken broth to use in other recipes and refrigerated the unbaked pans of dressing. Then…I took a nap! J

My sweet and talented daughter helped me in the kitchen all throughout the week’s preparation for

Thanksgiving. We had a delicious Thanksgiving Day menu that we spent Wednesday and Thursday preparing. Cranberry salsa, crock pot macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, homemade turkey gravy, candied yams, my mom’s dressing recipe, and of course a big beautiful 17-pound turkey!

We didn’t use any ingredients from a can or a jar! The only shortcuts we used were frozen yams, store bought marshmallows for the candied yams, and the Pepperidge farm stuffing mix I used in the dressing recipe!  Farmhand Chris always gets the dirty work – he readied the big bird for the oven by removing the neck and giblets, tying back the wings, stuffing the bird with apple, onion, carrot, celery, and herbs and spreading herbs under the skin. Our dog, Carolina got Thanksgiving the evening before by dining on the turkey neck and giblets poured over her crunchy dog food. Our little boy washed the potatoes for the mashed potatoes and helped clean up and do the little things that he could do (mostly he stayed out of the way, which was a big help)!

We served our hors devours about 4pm on T-Day with a pinot noir and had a selection of chardonnay, pinot noir, and Riesling for the main courses. My dear daughter baked the pumpkin pies – we did use canned pumpkin and frozen pie crusts for that (last year my pie crust was terrible and I was not pleased with the local availability of pumpkins…next year I’m growing my own!). I whipped up fresh real whipped cream and we served champagne with the dessert! Of course the kids don’t drink wine so they enjoyed a nice vintage sweet tea with their meal! It was a beautiful and wonderful meal and we’re so thankful for each other, our farm, our home, and all the wonderful people and blessings in our lives.

Recipe of the Week: Hot Apple Cider

Ramsey Farms Hot Apple Cider

Prep Time: 10 minutes   Cook Time: 30 minutes   Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 4 whole cinnamon sticks
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp ground allspice
• orange peel from 1 orange
• lemon peel from 1 lemon
• lime peel from half a lime
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• dash vanilla
• 6 cups unfiltered, sugar-free (fresh squeezed is best) apple juice
• 1/2 cup Caribbean rum (Optional)

Instructions

1. Place cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice, and citrus peels into large pot. 
2. Add brown sugar, water, vanilla, and apple juice, stir well then bring almost to a boil. 
3. Reduce heat to lowest setting and simmer for 30 minutes. 
4. Add rum if desired. Remove from heat and serve in mugs. 

This Week at Ramsey Farms

Monday, October 27 - Sunday, November 2, 2014

Gina, Myself, Katie, & Stephanie

It sure was nice to have “The Girls” from North Carolina down last weekend to celebrate my birthday. I think I miss them even more now that I got to see their faces, laugh and talk in person, share some time together…just not enough time! I can’t wait to have them back down here for another, maybe longer visit really soon. I got a bunch of great phone calls from my mom, sister, family, friends, and neighbors. My wonderful neighbors here made me a delicious cake with caramel and pecans that has been immensely enjoyed by everybody (when I let them have some)! The whole church even sung happy birthday to me in church two Sundays in a row! 

Our week hit a tough patch when on Wednesday morning we experienced our first tragedy here on the farm. Our dog George (full name Georgia) was hit by a car and killed instantly after the kids had left for school. Luckily he did not suffer. Chris carried the dog back up to the house and buried him in a backyard grave, complete with a cross by the time the sun rose over the eastern skyline. His pal, companion, and (we think) mother, Carolina has been sad and lethargic all week. She looked for him to come up the driveway for two days, she sniffs for him, cries for him, it’s obviously grief. The whole household here is shaken and missing dear George. He was an instant part of the farm family and like Carolina, seemed to belong here. “We didn’t know you long, but we loved you much dear George. Rest in peace, buddy.”

We’ve really seen autumn this week as leaves are finally beginning to change – the wild muscadines vines have bright yellow leaves against the still green oaks, the magnolia trees have bright red berries and some orange mottled leaves, some of the maples are turning yellow, and way in the tips of the tallest oaks I may see some reds. The weather is still bright, sunny, and dry but our daytime high temperatures have taken a little nose dive from an average of 82°F to an average of 76°F, Saturday’s high barely even hit 60° and our low Sunday morning was a frosty 36°. 

Two mornings of 30 degrees took out our cucumber and squash plants as we did not take precautions since it was so late in their growing season anyway. The remainder of our garden is doing well and will do fine in these chilly temperatures. If the forecast seems likely for a 28° plunge I will need to protect our beets, carrots, and lettuces by covering the rows with light airy fabric (groovy 1970s large bedsheets actually!) And if it dares to drop below 25/26°F then we have to take extra precaution for the onions and radishes. For the garlic, 21° is my magic number at which to add extra insulation to those root crops.  Chief farmhand Chris is setting up poles to hold the row covers near the plants without touching them and we will mulch in the garden to keep our fall investment growing. Hopefully. (Remember you can see the latest garden pics here.)

If all this cool weather has you in the mood for some good autumn food, here is a few links you will like!

• Rustic Farm Bread
• Brown Sugar Chili
• Ramsey Farms Hot Apple Cider! (this one will be "live" later this week) 

This week was Homecoming week and our county school system’s 100^th anniversary. The kids had fun dressing up for each day’s theme. Hat day, decade day (1960s), character day, red shirt day, camo day, I can’t remember them all as both schools had something different every day. The week culminated to a homecoming parade and the big football game Friday!

We did hit the parade then headed home for dinner and trick-or-treating! We were with a group of 15-20 kids in three pick-ups. Our fearless leader, my neighbor Ms. Patty had a pre-arranged list of house to visit and with homes sometimes a few miles from one another and country driveways that meander like a wild river for a half-mile. It was an awesome fun night – most of the houses were decorated in a fun Halloween theme and several of the houses gave out gift bags that may be like what you’d get at The Oscar’s! It was a fun way to do Halloween in a place with no neighborhoods and the kids had more candy and treats than I bet they’ve ever gotten.

“If there is to be any peace or reason, we have to create it in our own hearts and homes.” 

~From A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeline L’Engle

Recipe of the Week: Rustic Bread

I have fallen in love! With this  simple, easy, no-knead, only-four-ingredients bread recipe!

Ramsey Farms Rustic Bread

Prep time: 5-10 minutes. Rise time: 3 hours. Bake time: 45-60 minutes Total time: 4 hours+

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 tsp yeast
• 2 cups luke warm water
• 4 1/3 cups flour (bread flour, all purpose, or self-rising)
• 2 tsp kosher salt (omit if using self-rising flour)

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the yeast and water.
2. Add the flour and salt; stir until combined. Batter will be lumpty, but no visible dry flour should be visible.
3. Cover with towel. Rise until doubled - about 2 hours.
4. Sprinkle flour over top of risen dough and cover hands in flour. Grab dough, shape, and transfer to baking sheet, pot, loaf pan, or skillet.
5. Let rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Preheat oven to 375. Slash top of dough with sharp knife (opt.)
6. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until browned on top and cooked through.
7. Cool before slicing (if you can)!

This Week at Ramsey Farms

October 21 - October 26, 2014

Tomatoes canned last week

It was a busy week here at the farm in preparation for our first group of visitors from North Carolina to celebrate my birthday!

I have set up a Ramsey Farms Facebook page and began listing the garden pics there. So for now to see all of our 2014 Fall Garden pics you will have to go HERE for the first album and HERE for the October 21 - December 31, 2014 pics.

Fresh Baked Rustic Breads

Chief Farmhand, Chris got the ol' homestead cleaned up, mowed, did the weedeating/trimming/edging, created trails in the woods, and finished up the new bonfire pit out back among many other chores. He stayed busy from dusk till dawn every day in preparation for our guests and the weekend party. I worked on ensuring sweet,  southern hospitality with a nice comfortable home and lots of good food! I made six loaves of bread (overkill, but I got to send a loaf home with each of the girls), got all the grocery shopping done, and did as much advance food prep as I could.

Gina, Katie, and Stephanie arrived shortly after midnight and we enjoyed hugs, greetings, quick catching up, and a midnight snack of fresh fruits, cheeses, crackers, and a creamy zesty cream cheese dip. Thank you to Katie for making her famous French Toast using my homemade rustic bread for Saturday breakfast! We enjoyed our sweet toast with fruits, juices, coffee, and mimosas!

Ramsey Farms Fridge Pickles

At lunchtime we feasted on Gina's chicken salad, turkey, and ham sandwiches on homemade rustic bread with swiss or colby cheeses alongside my Ramsey Farms pickles, fresh fruits, and chips.

Saturday's dinner was my brown sugar chili, so here is the recipe link again for your convenience as this got rave reviews! This is an awesome recipe that can be altered according to your own tastes, based on what you may have on hand, halve it, double it, freeze it, love it! I sauteed my onions and garlic, browned, drained, and seasoned my ground beef on Thursday. I then chopped my carrot, celery, and peppers and added those on Friday. Then Saturday afternoon, added tomatoes, beans, salt, and pepper and turned on the crock pot! We were serving steaming hot chili, baked potatoes, and homemade rustic bread along with homemade hot apple cider by the brand new fire pit by 8pm! It was the perfect birthday day and evening!

Having these friends come visit the farm was the best birthday gift I could have asked for and I hope they know what this meant to me and how important they are to me. "Watching your car head off down the driveway was a very slow and sad parade. I cried like a baby when you were out of site. Please come back soon - you know the gate at Ramsey Farms is always open for y'all!"

I did promise Gina and Katie that I would share the apple cider recipe. So look for that in a future (soon) post - promise. This has nothing to do with anything else in this article, but I just want to share my new way the cook bacon! Thanks to The Kitchn blog for this recipe solution.  Baking it in the oven is so much easier, quicker, and far less messier than pan frying on the stove. This is perfect for me and I'll never splatter my stove-top with bacon grease again!

"Of course you can dance! You've just spent too long listening to someone else's music!" ~ Ramsey Penegar

This Week at Ramsey Farms

This Week October 6 - October 20, 2014

So you already know that time flies when you’re having fun! I must be having lots of fun because the days just seem to roll on by in one big chunk of time! Sometimes there are just too many things going on to try to write a blog post. By the way, I am excited to tell you all that this simple, little blog has had more than 2,100 visits since I launched it last year! YAY – thank you for dropping in, please be sure to “follow” us, post comments and questions, and share your ways of finding the joy in the simple life with us!

We have had some gorgeous, warm, sunshine so far this October! Based on the comments all over Facebook, it may be looking like autumn in some more northern locations (including North Carolina) but here in the southeastern coastal plains of Georgia, nary a leaf has turned.  Will they change? I have no idea! The weather has vacillated between summer and fall these last weeks. It’s still can hit 100° in the sun but the average high has been 82° with lows around 60°.

Chief Farmhand Chris finally got his Z-mower and has spent many hours mowing our fields and yard spaces. His next project is a fire pit for entertaining, cooking, and simply enjoying! Yummmm, I am ready to roast marshmallows and sing campfire songs! ;) He reseeded lettuce and we have tons of baby radishes popping up! Check out the garden pics here.

Getting up early has its perks. We would not have gotten to see the lunar eclipse earlier this month if we weren’t outside before 6:30 in the morning! It was the October full moon and a “blood moon” that made it appear red. I love checking out the sky every morning, it seems to be so much more visible than we lived in the city with a million twinkling stars in the big Georgia sky. No buildings, city lights, or smog to block the view. It takes my breath away almost every single morning! I hope I never get used to it!

I am so happy that we visited a local farmer’s market where we were able to purchase locally grown potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, and fresh local eggs! The woman I bought the eggs from has invited us to check out her farm to get ideas and buy some laying hens. She seems like she’ll be a great resource to us in the coming months as I am very anxious to get started on the poultry side of our farming adventure.

Last week, Chris spotted something moving across the back field. It took me a moment to see what he saw as he fled outside gun in hand. A 3-foot diamond back rattlesnake was moving rapidly through the fresh-cut grass beyond our fence. He put a couple 22s in it and nearly decapitated it with his shovel and it was still moving! I’m so glad no one was outside in the field at that time! Just a not-so-gentle reminder that we live among the wild and we must be careful. I can handle some chiggers or ants, but I’d much prefer to avoid the bite of any snake, much less a venomous rattler. Speaking of chiggers and ants, did you miss my post on DIY soothing anti-itch cream? It is wonderful - I dare ya to try it!

The whole household had a great time Saturday helping out at our community’s rescue squad / fire station’s biannual fundraiser. We got to help serve up BBQ chicken, homemade potato salad, green beans, bread, dessert, and tea while meeting a slew of neighbors. My son even got to do the honors of drawing the winning name for a 30-0-6 shotgun! He didn’t choose any of our names but oh well! It’s all for a good cause.

I had a plethora of local, farm-fresh tomatoes that a neighbor had given to us. I had never canned tomatoes but I was able to put up 3 quarts this weekend thanks to the canner from Chris’ grandmother and some handy internet instructions! I have a new, easy rustic bread recipe to share with you all too. There are days I just don’t feel like kneading dough, so I’ve been searching and testing no-knead bread recipes and think I found a winner!  On the subject of food, how often do you visit the grocery store? I am looking forward to discussing “once-a-month grocery shopping” with you all in a future blog post!

Many times our life’s greatest desires are fulfilled in unexpected ways! –Ramsey Penegar

DIY Anti-Itch Cream

After getting the bejeejeez bitten out of my ankles by chiggers, I needed to find some fast relief lest I go insane with the itching! I got busy researching the web and found a couple recipes I liked and had ingredients on hand. The base recipe I used was from one of my favorite blogs, Wellness Mama and I have used many ideas I've found on this site.

This concoction worked wonders! It soothed and cooled the manic itching and seemed to have helped reduce the swelling. This worked on my chigger bites and subsequently, fire ant bites I got a few days later. (Note to self: Wear long pants, socks, and shoes in the field and woods, not flip flops!)

I did notice that after a few days, the mixture seemed to congeal (probably the oatmeal) and added more witch hazel/water to the container. I made a very small amount so the following recipe may certainly be doubled. It may be a good idea for me to mix up a large batch of the dry ingredients to have on hand and simply add the liquid portion when needed.

I have included a link to info on why these ingredients are good for you!

Anti-Itch Cream

Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp zinc-oxide powder (optional)
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground oats
• 7 ml witch hazel (water can be used for a shorter shelf-life)
• 5 drops of wintergreen essential oil

Instructions

1. Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl or jar. Slowly add witch hazel, stirring constantly until it reaches a creamy consistency. Add essential oils.
2. Store in an airtight jar and use within 2 weeks (use within 1 week if using water in place of witch hazel).

This Week at Ramsey Farms

Week ending Sunday, October 5, 2014 ~ 

Chief Farmhand Chris built a really cool dog house for George and Carolina. The best thing is that it didn’t cost a dime because he was able to reuse materials we already had on hand! My five-year-old said it's the nicest doghouse ever, gave it his thumbs-up approval, and asked if he could sleep in it, too! 

The garden is doing well. Okay, well the cucumbers are doing really good! We harvested our first ever Georgia-grown produce this week: two perfect cucumbers! There are a lot of cucumbers forming and tons of yellow flowers on the plants. I foresee a pickle-making and canning day in my near future! YAY, I adore homemade pickles. Are there any other kind?!! Check out our garden pics here.

This week Chris has been busy in the garden. He has created a temporary, makeshift fence to help keep the dogs and other large animals out of the garden, created some new planting space, and seeded more produce. This week we planted yellow onion bulbs, more beets, leaf lettuce, buttercrisp lettuce, three varieties of radishes, carrots. He also recently planted spinach, mesclun mix, and arugula.  

Mmmmmm…I am ready for some delicious, crisp autumn salad with my homemade ranch, vinaigrette, or bleu cheese dressings and homemade croutons!

Southeast Georgia is beautiful in fall! The air smells of wood burning fires and the sun’s rays are crisp and intense. The leaves have not started to change, but I did find a couple red leaves on a maple tree in my yard. The sun is still hot as fire with the heat of the direct sun pushing the thermometer past 110°! The average high last week was 80 and the average low was 64, but this morning our half-mile walk to the bus stop was a brisk 46°! We have dipped into our winter clothes storage and begun breaking out sweatshirts, jackets, and long pants again.

We had my "famous" chicken-n-dumplin's this week, one of my daughter's favorites! I’m looking forward to apple cider, pumpkin patch visits, pumpkin pie, jack –o-lanterns, mulled wine, and more autumn fun in the coming weeks! I'm going to make real pumpkin pie this year - not pumpkin from a can! (Wish me luck!) Did you check out my wine slushy recipe? My friend Gina said I need to post a mulled wine recipe instead...so I will work on that! 

Enjoy your week! I mean hey...it's only your life! So be sure you really DO enjoy it! This week I plan to get a little more exercise, try a new bread recipe, get crafty, and visit with my neighbors. What are you going to do to refresh your spirit?

"How we speak to ourselves can have a powerful effect on what happens in our lives."

Recipe of The Week: Wine Slushies

My recipe of the week for you this week is WINE SLUSHIES! Ever get a bottle of wine that just isn’t quite as tasty as you’d like? I found the cure! I had a bottle of inexpensive red sangria that was only so-so (drinkable, but more so after you ma de it through the first two glasses!). So in a vain attempt to find a recipe using the Spartan ingredients I had on hand (hey, it’s a one hour round trip excursion to the store – ya don’t just run out for frozen lemonade just ‘cause you want a cold refreshing adult beverage on a Tuesday night!) I googled! I treasure my findings…

Wine Slushy

 Ingredients 

• 1 bottle of wine (750 ml) 
• 1.25 to 1.75 cups sugar 
• 1 tsp citric acid
• 3 cups (730 ml) water 

Directions

1. Whisk or shake well the sugar and citric acid. Use enough sugar to suit your taste –if your wine is already sweet use less sugar. 
2. Add the water. Stir / shake / blend. 
3. Pour into freezer safe containers (I used a glass bowl and plastic food containers but then the next batch I just used a 1.5L wine bottle and slightly less water). 
4. Freeze for 3 to 6 hours. 

I was impatient and enjoyed slushy-slushies after about 90 minutes in the deep freeze. The citric acid gives it a tart lemony flavor and...OMGosh! this is just the perfect wine slushy! Forget about buying those mixes for $12 – this will be my  beverage of the week every week! (I can just see me sitting around the pool or patio with Katie, Mandy, and my Mom sipping this, talking, laughing, and enjoying life! Stephanie, you and Gina would love this too! Let's make some soon!)

This Week at Ramsey Farms

For the Week Ending Sunday, September 28, 2014 - 

The weather this past week has been so different from the southeast Georgian summer heat and sun! I ain’t seen the sun shine in three damn days, to quote Cheryl Crowe. It’s been overcast, cloudy, rainy, stormy, and fairly cool! It’s perfect weather for our mushroom crop. Just kidding, we don’t have a mushroom crop but those little fun-guys (get it?!) are popping up all over the yard – like a magic little Smurf village built overnight! We’ve gotten nearly six inches of rain this month – almost double the “normal” September rainfall.

Our typical 90-100+++ degree days of Georgia summer have faded into daytime high temperatures ranging from 65 to 88 this past week. It’s been so refreshing outside watching the stars (when it isn’t raining) with cools in the low to mid 60s. Sadly though, it does seems pool season has come to an end!

Last Tuesday morning while washing dishes, I looked up and out the kitchen window to see two animals walking out of the woods soaked by the two-day rain storm. I asked Chief Farmhand Chris if he had special ordered any new friends – I swear these two dogs were just what we said we wanted – a black lab and a German shepherd blend. He went to investigate the visitors who seemed in healthy condition despite being soaked and very thin. The two canines appeared to be friendly enough and we cautiously introduced ourselves.

They are actually very ferocious dogs!

Carolina and Georgia have elected to stay here at Ramsey Farms as our security/farm dogs! When they stayed 24-hours, we then had to feed them. Chief Farmhand, Chris started building them a dog house after the 2^nd night. He hopes to finish the house early this week if the rain lets up.

This dog house construction curtailed the chicken coop development and I am so anxious to get my own birds – one of the very reasons I wanted to leave the suburbs and have a large parcel of land in the country of my very own! So for now I’m just reading books on chicken raising and pursuing the Farm Bulletin sales ads for poultry!

This week a quote came to mind (I think of you, Alysha T. when I read this quote). I have always been a big fan of the public library (or any private library for that matter)! Reading is a fundamental skill, passion, hobby, learning method, and escape mechanism. I've visited my new local library three or four times since we moved here eight weeks ago! We don't have a TV in our living room and our satellite internet can be sporadic, entertainment is made the old-fashioned way round here. Conversation, games, hobbies, and reading! I find myself wondering what my favorite characters are up to while I'm not reading or when the book is finished, I wish I could ask the author or characters questions about their lives and the story! Stretch your mind and read something interesting to you tonight! 

"Because for some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth." - Anne Lamott

A few great books I've recently enjoyed:

• Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs (I cannot wait to read more of her work! A forensic pathologist in North Carolina and Canada, she is the role model for and the executive producer of the forensic show, Bones.)
• A Walk on the Beach by Joan Anderson - a non-fiction book about life
• Circle of Quiet by Madeline L'Engle
• Your Money Map by Larry Burkett
• 116 Lighthouse Cove by Debbie Macomber

Be on the lookout, loyal blog readers! J I am going to start posting a “Recipe of the Week” that is QUICK & EASY and tested out here at our house! Maybe you’ll find a fast and easy meal to make for your family or find ways to simply replace the processed foods (canned and boxed goods) from your own recipes or just find a fun, new treat to share with your friends!

Also, don't forget to check out the Georgia garden pics!

This Week at Ramsey Farms

For the week ending September 21, 2014 ~ 

Well I certainly did not intend to skip the last weekly update…but time flies when you’re having fun and last week just slipped quickly away from me. I do want to remind you that you can “follow” my blog by clicking on the “Follow” button on the right and to brag that this little blog has received more than 2,000 visits since its creation last November! You are also encouraged to leave positive comments and questions and have space for this following each post.

Today is the Autumn Equinox and tomorrow will be the first full day of fall here in the northern hemisphere of our globe. For me, autumn brings to mind colorful and falling leaves, crisp air, sharp sunlight, chili, cooler air, warmer clothing, hikes, boots, football, and a closing down for the winter hibernation. I love fall for the feeling of change, but cringe at the thought of winter. Then I remember that without winter we won’t have that wonderful rebirth of spring!

From death comes life; out of the ruins, beauty will grow.

It’s remained quite hot here in southeast Georgia with afternoon highs hitting or surpassing the 100 mark daily. We’ve had some wondrous heat lightening and even a better-than-fourth-of-July electrical storm thanks to this heat! Though our official highs have actually dropped to the low 90s most days this past week, yesterday morning we dipped to 60 degrees just before the sun rose and heated the land. Our daily half-mile trek to and from the bus stop was crisp and refreshing, albeit a tad chilly this morning. This week the forecast shows our high temperatures to stay in the mid to high 80s! What a change that will be.

Since we’ve moved and started a brand new garden, I have created a brand new garden photo album. You can check out pics of our current garden HERE and still can view the photo gallery of our 2014 NC garden right HERE. Chief Farmhand, Chris has worked hard in the garden to get things planted. So far the cucumbers, squash, and zucchini are the only things that are doing well. It’s either far too hot in our sunny planting area or the ants are carrying off / eating our seeds. I have parsley, chamomile, dill, and cilantro started inside and all have sprouted!

Chief Farmhand, Chris finished installing the compost walls last week. It was really tough to toss things like egg shells and coffee grounds in the trashcan, so I am happy we’re back to composting! We look forward to some nice, rich, organic matter to incorporate into our garden soil for the spring planting. He’s planning out the chicken coop and run next. We are so ready to have our own hens and fresh eggs! I can barely wait. 

We checked out a livestock auction this past weekend and saw a huge variety of chickens (roosters and hens), quail, turkeys, a peacock, rabbits, pigs, cows, goats, and sheep. Some roosters got loose and headed straight for us! My five year old was upset that he didn’t get to catch them! (My teenager was just glad she wore closed-toe shoes.) Our Chief Farmhand designed his animal barn on paper that very night.

It’s all a big learning experiment…so stay tuned to see what’s next!

Ice Cream Cake

Easy Ice Cream Cake 

Made 3 cakes in various size loaf pans ~ About 24 servings ~ Prep time: About 25 mins. + Freezer Time: 2.5 hours+ ~ Total Time 3 hours ~ Can Make Days in Advance! ~ Fast & So Easy

Ingredients

• 2 packages of Oreo-type cookies, any flavor (I have an idea that any cookies would work well)
• 2 boxes (1.75 pt) ice cream, your favorite flavors
• Optional toppings (see recipe step #8)

Directions

1. Make space in the freezer for your cake pans and set out ice cream packages so they will soften. Oil loaf pans, line with parchment paper and wax paper (or plastic wrap).
2. Crush the cookies. If using two different flavors, keep them separated. For the first bottom layer, crush into larger cookie crumble pieces. For subsequent layers, crush to a nice bread crumb consistency with some larger pieces for crunch.
3. Line the bottom coated, papered pans with large cookie crumbs and chunks. 
4. Spoon in one flavor of ice cream, mash it down into the cookies with the spoon. This creates your crust. Put pan into the freezer for 10 minutes for a frozen foundation. 
5. Add layer of second ice cream flavor to frozen crust layer. Top with a thick layer of fine cookie crumbs. Put pan into the freezer for 10 minutes. 
6. Add layer of first ice cream flavor. Top with thick layer of fine cookie crumbs mixed with crushed cookie chunks. Freeze each layer for 10 minutes. Most loaf pans will let you do about 3 layers. 
7. Keep in freezer until ready to serve (at least 2 hours, up to 4 days or more). Let it set out for a few minutes or dip the bottom of the pan in warm water to help loosen the cake for easy upside down serving and slicing! 
8. Serve with optional whipped cream, chocolate or caramel toppings, fresh fruit, fruit syrups, or crushed nuts on top. 

Crock Pot Cobbler

Ramsey's Slow Cooker Cobbler

Notes: This recipe has been a staple at our house since 2002! I have tested this recipe with blackberries, blackberry/blueberry, raspberry/blackberry, and peaches. It gets the highest rating in my book - 5 STARS! I bet this would be good with apples too. Mmmmm...anything I can use the crockpot for and make something fresh and yummy is a winning recipe! Enjoy!

9/3/2014: Served this for dessert this week using 4 lonely peaches I had left in the fridge. Rave reviews from my crew! Top with butter and cream if desired and serve alongside a cold glass of milk! Ahhhh...this is heavenly dessert. 

Prep Time: 25 mins   Total Time: 2 hours, 55 mins   Servings: 6

Recipe Type:   EASY   GOOD-VALUE   CROCKPOT  ALL-NATURAL

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 2 Tbsp oil
• Splash vanilla extract
• 4 cups fresh or frozen fruit (I have used this recipe with fresh blackberries, blackberry/blueberry, and peaches)
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/8 cup brown sugar (if using peaches or apples)
• 1 tsp orange juice (or orange zest)

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine flour, 3/4 cup sugar, and next 4 ingredients.
2. Combine eggs, milk, and oil. Stir into dry ingredients until just moistened.
3. Spread batter evenly into the bottom of a greased 5-quart slow cooker. (I have put this into the fridge for up to 15 hours at this point; if making ahead.)
4. In a saucepan, combine fruit, water, orange juice, 3/4 cup sugar (and 1/8 cup brown sugar if you're using peaches or apples)
5. Bring fruit mixture to a boil. Remove from heat; immediately pour over batter in the crockpot.
6. Cover and cook on high for (2 to) 2.5 hours or until tests done with toothpick.
7. Turn cooker off. Uncover and let stand for 30 mins. before serving.

This Week!

Monday, September 1 - Sunday, September 7, 2014~

Turkeys! August 31, 2014

Here is the photo I snagged of the big flock of wild turkeys that came out of the woods in our front field during a brief lull in a late summer thunderstorm. Mentioned in last week's post.

Fresh Peach Cobbler in the Crockpot

I love to cook and bake for my family. We cook homemade meals every day and bake bread several times a week, but I still don't want to spend all day, every day in my kitchen (though it is the most used space in our home)! Any time I post recipes on this blog, it's gonna to be something easy and not overly time consuming and likely will use fresh, healthy, and simple ingredients. (Not always good for you though!) EASY and FAST should be my keywords for these recipes. So if you tend to avoid the recipes (Alysha!) then remember EASY & FAST. Say it again, FAST & EASY! So that being said, check out this easy recipe for fresh fruit cobbler in the crock pot that will post later this week! Also look for the super easy ice cream cake recipe, my homemade pancake mix, and easy to make / tastier than out of a bottle cinnamon syrup, and the best hashbrowns ever coming in the weeks ahead. :)

Cucumber 9/4/14

The cucumbers are doing really well in the garden despite the super hot and dry temperatures we have had the past few weeks. We got more rain this past week with heat-triggered thunderstorms most every evening. We've had a zucchini and a squash plant pop up, but not a sign of the tomatoes, onions, borage, or dill. Chief Farmhand Chris planted beets, more cucumbers, garlic, and leeks this past week. I started a few seeds of dill and chamomile inside in small glass jars, we shall see if it works.

My baby boy turned five this week! I can't believe how times flies and how fast tiny babies grow up into little boys. Since we don't know many people here, I instigated a little "send-a-card" party on Facebook encouraging our family friends and those who have been close to my son throughout his life to send cards and love via the U.S. Postal Service. It was really great as he got several pieces of mail every day last week and a delivery from UPS and another from Fed-Ex. It's pretty exciting to see one of those big familiar delivery trucks pull up into view on this long sandy driveway! We spread it out so that he got to open one or two cards or boxes each night so that he had plenty to still open on Saturday - his actual birthday.

We held a small party by the pool and grilled hot dogs, served with chips, pickles, and pasta salad by request of the birthday boy! Farmhand Chris and I made a really delicious, really easy (FAST & EASY) ice cream cake that got rave reviews.

Ridding Your Life of Negativity

Sheessh! Negativity is not something I find pleasant in anyway and I will go to lengths to avoid negative situations, negative places, negative feelings, and of course, negative people. Have you known someone who sucks the life out you? Drains your energy? Belittles your dreams or ambitions? Never has anything nice to say about anyone or anything? Ugh...I don't want to deal with these types of people - their number pops up on your phone and you dread answering. Negativity is toxic; it seeps into every aspect of our personality and lives if we were to allow it within the boundaries of our lives. 

One of the blogs I like to read (http://coachchinh.com/) defines a toxic person as: someone who complains and dumps their problems on you but doesn’t do anything to change their situation. Someone who is not supportive. Someone who makes you feel bad. Someone who shoots down your bright ideas, big goals, or bold (and risky) decisions that you need to make in order to be successful. I'd say that just about nails it!

Allowing toxic, negative people in our lives has a hundred-fold impact on us physically, spiritually, and mentally.  Negative people discourage us from our goals and ambitions. They can cause physical anxiety and stress and illness. When we have too much negativity in our lives, we aren't open to the positive things we need in our lives. 

This is YOUR life, it is your's and only your's - no one else is in charge of you. Never allow someone else to define what a good life is for you…life is not one-size-fits-all. What seems “right” for one person or family isn’t the perfect choice for another. You don’t have to lead my life and I sure as hell don’t want to lead yours. :) Set boundaries: limit your conversations and time with people who are negative. Surround yourself with positive, supportive, encouraging people who uplift and inspire you.

When ridding your life of negative people and things, there is no need for you to explain. You might want to, people may even demand it of you...but you don't have to. Again, this is your life, it's how you feel, and you don't owe anyone an explanation of why or how you go about living your life. 

If the negative person is someone close to you, you may want to let them know how their negativity is impacting your relationship with them. They may not realize that their behavior is out of sync. Their negativity is about them not you - do remember that. If you feel that the person truly loves you and doesn't intend to hurt your feelings, try to help them instill more positive energy in their lives. For every negative comment they make, give them a positive remark back. You can't make someone else change their behavior, but maybe you can help them. If not, cut your losses! Life is far too short to listen to or even have to be around Debbie Downers, Negative Nancy's, Judge Judy's, Bob Bummer's and Perfect Polly's! 

This Week at Ramsey Farms

Monday, September 1, 2014-

The last couple of weeks have truly gotten away from me. I have stayed really busy with my work gaining more than 16 new career strategy clients in about as many days. Thank God for blessing me with ample work! It just gives me less time and energy to write blogs! J

It’s really nice to all walk the quarter-mile to the end of our driveway each morning before the sun comes out to meet the school bus. It’s a nice way to start the day: a brisk walk in the dawn air, seeing the moon and some planets and stars while the sun rises in the east, night time paw prints in the sand, coffee and groggy conversation with your kids.

I like to take a few extra moments outside to watch the pink and orange glow come up over the trees and breathe deeply the fresh morning air, maybe catch sight of an owl or other nocturnal animal returning home for the morning. Then I head inside to my office to start the work day by seven. Many days I’m done in time to enjoy some free time before the kids get home, but there are plenty of days when I’m working until dinner or beyond to meet deadlines. I love those days I can take a solo swim, go fishing, take a little walk to the creek or in the woods, or just sit and take in the natural beauty surrounding me in the afternoon!

The heat has been amazing these past weeks. Daily highs topping 100° and the heat indices exceeding 106°. The cheap $1 thermometer I have on my front office window that gets full afternoon and evening sun often reaches its max level of 120° most every afternoon. The official temp has hit 95 or higher ten out of the last fourteen days. We are blessed with a nice, well-insulated house with great air conditioning as well as that pool! A quick jump into the pool after walking up from the bus stop in the late afternoons is a decadent treat!

106°

We got about 2.75 inches of rain yesterday along with lots of thunder and lightning and even some good quarter-size hail! During a lull in the storm at dinnertime, Chris said, “look! What is that?” We all got up to the windows and low and behold – a family of at least 20 turkeys came waddling out of the woods and up the hill. “Get your gun. I’ll get my camera!” I told Chris in jest. (It is not turkey season until spring.)

Chris has worked hard to get our fall garden in and I hope the heat doesn’t just kill it all. So far he planted bush beans, cucumbers, dill, beefsteak and roma tomatoes, green onions, borage, crookneck yellow squash, and zucchini. The beans came up quickly but also very quickly dried up and died. (He replanted cukes in their spot). The first batch of cucumbers planted are up and seem to be doing very well despite the heat and lack of rain; though Chris does water most every night and morning.

On Labor Day, Chief Farmhand Chris spent the afternoon tilling a 20x20 planting zone and one 3-foot wide bed that is 26’ long. During the month of September, we hope to plant the following seeds: arugula, beets, broccoli, carrots, garlic, kale, leek, lettuce & mesclun mix, radishes, spinach, and maybe even Brussel sprouts. I also intend to get some herbs in the mix and start a herb garden for the perennial herbs. This month I hope to plant my chamomile, cilantro, parsley, and more dill & borage if those don’t pop up in the primary garden. My next door neighbors gave me some fresh basil over three weeks ago that has sprouted roots in the vase on my kitchen island!

Inside, I have the majority of the house in order, organized, and unpacked. I have four boxes of photos that I will have to go through eventually and not found the need to open four boxes marked “china cabinet / wine glasses / kitchen” in the month we’ve been here. (I love moving to get rid of the things we truly don’t use!) Those boxes will go into the shed for the next six to 12 months. If I haven’t needed those things before then, I will sell or give away the contents of those boxes! (Please see me if you need wine glasses. Please.)  I have not hung any photos, art, or whatnots on the walls and that will be a project for September.

We still bake all our bread and baked goods from scratch by hand and prepare healthy meals with items

that do not come from cans or boxes. It’s harder to do without our garden-fresh produce or even a local farmer’s market. My daughter is an excellent pastry chef baking us tasty brownies, peanut butter cookies, and other sweets! Farmhand Chris has learned how to bake bread, too. We all pitch in in the kitchen, but I get the fun of planning out our meals and finding (or creating) recipes. We made a homemade garlic-mozzarella cream sauce for pasta that we served with homemade basil-garlic bread; pancakes from scratch served with hand-shredded hashbrowns and handmade cinnamon syrup; remarkable potato soup and a black-bean vegetable soup served with fresh homemade bread. Some of the best things out of my kitchen are things we threw together at the last minute or combined from several recipes and ingredient shuffling!

The mailbox is a source of mystery, fun, excitement, and intrigue! We’ve received so many cards, letters, and packages (okay only two packages to date) from our friends and mailed so many letters and postcards that this old-fashioned method of communication has become something fun for us. My son will be five in just five days and daily he checks the mailbox to see if anything new has been sent to him! For those of you who know us well enough to know our mailing address – please take a  moment to write us a letter! We’d love to hear from you. I encourage us all to get back to letter writing as an art form and way to communicate. Don’t allow modern technology like texting, social media, email, and the phone let this form die. Write a letter to your mama, your best friend, a pal living in another state or another country – anybody!

I would never suggest that anyone try to live their lives according to my definitions, but I believe in this busy world of ours it’s easy to lose track of the small things that can bring simple pleasure into our lives. So here is my suggestion of stuff you ought to give a try to this week:

• Watch the sun rise or set
• Take a brisk, quiet morning walk (no earbuds)
• Jump in the pool
• Try a new recipe
• Write a letter
• Find ways just to simply be good to yourself & others

God's Creation in All It's Splendor! Take Time to Enjoy This Day, We are Given so Few!