Thoughts From Peaceful Forest Homestead

Chicken and biscuits or dumplings is VERY popular at my house. So I try to make that often. We are not big pasta eaters, but do eat it occasionally. So the ground beef, which I try to can and have on hand, usually will be used in one of those type of dishes. This year, I did not get many tomatoes, as we had way too much rain to be productive for tomatoes. I do not buy very many processed foods, so making my own sauce and canning it, is something I do every year. So this year, I didn't do any. I don't think my husband will miss it anyway.

My raised beds have been shut down for the winter. They are mostly covered with leaves due to the fact that I live in the forest. It has been the most beautiful fall that we have had in a long time. Usually the rain and the wind has blown the leaves off the trees, before they even turn color anymore. So this year, we were very lucky. But now, we are getting our rain for the fall. Last year, we had 13 days of rain straight in a row in October. So it shouldn't come as any surprise that we are getting so much rain. It doesn't bother me too much, as now, our beautiful horses have a barn to keep dry in. But their paddock is a big mud pit. I keep getting stuck in it.

I don't know if I had mentioned this before or not. My husband has a gift with horses and most animals in general. Most animals, will seek him out of a crowd to come to him. One time at the state fair in Syracuse, this one big Clydesdale, kept catching his eye. If you really know anything about animals or have spent any real time with them, you will learn to communicate with them through their eye contact. And anyone who makes the statement that animals don't feel or think like a human, do not really know animals either. They usually say that, to justify their treatment of their animals, whether they are for food or pets. Animals have very strong feels and attachments. I know.

My dog, Nikita, is a very intelligent dog. She knows what you are saying in your conversations and will react on it. Sometimes, we have mentioned one of her siblings, such as our cat, Nutmeg, in the conversation we are having, and she will look directly at her. Like she knew what we said about her. Which of course, she did. She has feelings, and her feelings can get hurt very easily, just by what you might say to someone else, if it is about her. Most of time, she is a very happy girl. She has never had to live in a city or a town. She can go outside whenever she pleases - even in the middle of the night, if she wishes.

I have learned though, that people are the worst judge of animals, and what they think about taking care of them, or how they think a animal is feeling. My feelings as of right now, is to stay away from the human species as much as possible and you won't get hurt or mad. And I intend to do both!

Have a great day!

Busy Storing Food For The Winter

Today has been quite a busy day for me, so I don't know how I found the time to write this for my blog. I was given 6 Butternut squash by my friend and was keeping them in my pantry. But our New York weather is just so unpredictable, and it warmed up. Usually, by this time of the year our big wood heating stove is going full blast. We are just heating with the cookstove for now. So anyway, my pantry is not as cool as usual for storing squash and apples. My house does have a big bin in the root cellar, but I'm afraid that mice rule down there. So I have to store them in my pantry, where I can send my three cats in to keep things in order.So the squash started molding on the stem. Better get them canned today!

Yesterday at my local Price Chopper, the produce manager was so kind, to put over 5 pounds of bananas in a brown paper bag on sale for ninety-nine cents. They were all singles and their time was almost up. But they were very eatable. And this morning I made a banana pudding trifle. I make it with homemade vanilla pudding, and instead of Cool-Whip, I make my own from a topping mix, I get from my local Mennonite store. So that'll be our dessert tonight. Now, I may have passed up that bag of bananas and bought a small bunch for us, as there is only the two of us. But my Homesteading Today forum members, Tightwad Tips thread, has been teaching me a thing or two. They would have bought them and some of them would have froze them. But I do not have that option. My freezer is too small for much good use. But I made the dessert, and we both did eat a couple of bananas yesterday, and my husband had a couple this morning.

Less than a month ago, I purchased a 50 pound bag of carrots at my produce market and canned 39 quarts. So I figure, I need double that amount. I used carrots in many of my recipes, it is afterall, my favorite vegetable. So if I canned more, that would give us a quart a week for a year and some for the horses, and some for using in various dishes. Since I have not had much success with growing carrots, I can get them stored in this manner. This is not to say, that I will quit trying to grow my own. I will keep trying. The other vegetables that I would like to can for the year in this manner, that is, enough for one quart a week would be green beans, corn (both creamed & regular), zucchini and tomatoes, but for cooking. Apples made into applesauce, would be another welcome addition to our table.

I like to can meats also. Whatever I can find on sale is fine. My favorite is stew of course. Since I can dried beans so they are more convenient to use, I will be not be canning chilie for the time being. Since I like to can ground beef, I can just make the chilie from scratch since everything is already canned. It will be easier that way and I think it will taste better too. Well, I'll see. Every time I grocery shop, I plan on purchasing a big package of some kind of meat and then can it. So it will not be something I plan on cooking soon. Pretty soon, we're going to have add on to my pantry. Or find a way to use my root cellar without having mice all over our food. I thought about getting Rubbermaid containers and storing canned jars in them down there. I always like being able to look at all my shelves of canned foods, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

Unwelcome Visitor At Peaceful Forest Homestead

Another one of those rainy, gloomy days here in upstate New York. It just reminds us that winter in on the way. My house is in need of more insulation and winterizing. So many things, but never enough money to cover it all. I guess now I can understand why my own grandmother, who did not have much money at all, had newspapers stuffed in her windows! When I was a child that was something I always wondered about.

Today, a hunting dog has wandered onto our Peaceful Forest Homestead. It would not be so bad, except that he is a boy, and all they want to do is to pee all over our outside things! We have a well with a pitcher pump, and male dogs always want to christian it. Makes my husband very very angry!!!!! All our animals are female, as I have mentioned on here many times. So they just look at these males as if they came from outer space! Our dog, Nikita, was spade when a puppy, and has no interest in that kind of stuff. She never has been a wanderer, or a barker, and I suppose it makes me hard on other dogs who do all that. So now we have to wait all day for these people to respond to the message left on their answering machine.

Our horses for the most part like dogs. As long as they are not barkers, or the kind that want to chase them. Or, we have had some come here who want to bite their noses! Those are the dogs with a death wish!!! Our horses are very spirited mares. They are friendly, but don't mistake that for being passive. My stepson had a dog that used to bark at them when we were out feeding them. Our girls did not appreciate that fact. Dark Shadow, my husband's horse, would leave her feed dish and come to the fence, and seemed to say, "Come on Jake, come in here with us! We'll take care of your barking problem!" And she meant it!!!!!


Of course, animals have ways of dealing with problems much easier than people seem to. Course, this little hunting dog is just out looking for a girlfriend. But he is at the WRONG HOUSE! And today is not a day that I want to deal with it. I also have three cats, and they don't appreciate uninvited dogs coming over for the day. Callie, one of my cats, is very friendly to dogs. She'll even lick their faces! But she will also put a claw in them if she doesn't want them around. I have seen her many times chase a big stray dog down the road!

Fall Is On The Way

It is Fall already here in upstate New York. We have been feeling it in the air for a couple of weeks already. Our Robins are gone. The only birds I hear now are the Blue Jays and Woodpeckers. I miss the Robins singing while I work out in my garden. Every year, that is what I look forward to - seeing my first Robin. Now, it's time to stock up on bird food, especially for the chickadees. They come right up to me and demand to be fed, all winter long.

I canned more green beans today. And made some banana bread. So I wasn't on my computer this morning. Some days, I just have to get my household chores done. Neither one of those chores are really chores to me. I love to can food! I buy it in the grocery store on sale and bring it home to can. Once I mastered using my pressure canners, I became the canning queen! My father taught me to can, and what he showed me how to make was grape jelly. As he grows lots of grapes. Now I usually can it as juice, and if I need jelly or jam, I can can that. Last year, I canned lots of Elderberry Jelly, so this year, I plan on canning the Elderberry Juice. As it is good to have around, as a preventive measure for catching the flu - even the bird flu!

My husband knows how to can food too. Our first year that we had a garden, he canned 40 quarts of corn, 49 quarts of green beans, over 50 of pickles and I canned 48 quarts of pumpkin. I was working at that time, and he was home, so he was left to do most of the gardening and canning. And we have never used a gasoline rototiller to do our gardens. My husband has one of those wheel hoes, that he plows our gardens with. Both houses we had gardens at had never had a garden before. So he had a lot of hard work to get it in. But he doesn't like the fumes in our garden area. Last year, he started building beds for our garden, and we both like them so much better. I built some stone beds too. And we plan on adding more of those. Our plan is to grow as much as our food as possible.

My tomatoes are still green as I got them in late, due to heavy rains we had here earlier in the spring. So if they don't turn red, I will bring them in and wrap them in paper and turn them red inside like that. Or I will, slice them and fry up some good ole fried green tomatoes, which is something we love! A couple of years ago, Jackie Clay (my favorite author, who writes at Backwoods Home Magazine) said that you could put them in a pie, and tell everyone it was a apple pie and nobody would know the difference. Well, I did that. My husband knew immediately that it was not a apple pie! He ate it, as he will not waste food (unless you give him onions or mushrooms!), but he was not crazy about it. Sorry, Jackie.

My brother, Mickey Dran, better known as "The Marshall", puts on a wild west show called "The Spirit of The Old West", and he has been doing this for a number of years now. Tomorrow his show will be robbing the Cooperstown Railroad in Cooperstown, New York. His show uses black powder guns, and the kids usually love it. They dress in period clothes, and he is a stickler for detail. So it should be a fun time for all!

Well, I'll try to be back tomorrow. Have a great week end!

Sick Of Fighting!

Yesterday, I left my favorite forum, disappointed in what it has become. There are some good people on there, but too many others make it uncomfortable for other people to talk to each other about subjects they are interested in. I have a feeling that these forums have become nothing more than a place for people to try to force their opinions on others. If you discuss religion, politics or now, herbal medicines, there will always be a big fight. I cannot understand why it is allowed. But I for one, do not have to subject myself to the stress of some obnoxious know it all!

This guy, Big BobK thinks he is the authority on herbal medicines. It would be one thing if he knew what he was talking about! I have the feeling this guy is lonely and has nothing better to do, except to annoy anyone who would like to discuss this particular subject. I do not rely on Allopath Medicines. I have seen what they do. But I also realize there is a time and place for it. There are certain things it is needed for, but not all. He is a all or nothing kind of guy. When someone is discussing a medical treatment, even if I would never use it or think it is a worthwhile, if someone was posting about it, I would not argue or say they are wrong. I probably would not even go to that posting at all. Not Big Bobk!!! Oh no! I think he has a watch on his profile, so if a certain subject is being discussed, he can post on it immediately.

But I have also seen the surprising results of what herbal medicines do. And the fact that it appears like there is no research to substantiate the claims, well in our country, yes, that is correct. Our country for example does not want you to discover a cure for the diseases that they make big money off. Such as Hepatitis C, Cancer, Parkinson's Disease and MS, just to name a few. What do you think would happen if they discovered that drinking a simple tea that you could mix up in your kitchen could prevent or cure your cancer? Then wouldn't everybody want to take it? What would happen to all the cancer research centers? The Cancer Society? You are talking about big money here. For example, look at all the people working in these places. Then there is all the money paid for treatments, medications, insurance and just all the money it generates when you have to travel to a cancer center and your family has to stay in hotels and eat in restaurants. Big money. And lots of tax dollars!

So if you have anything wrong with you and you just follow along with the medical professionals' instructions, you are just as guilty as they are. I would never do that. I believe you have to research your illness first, then find out what you can. I myself, trust the Chinese treatments first. They have been doing these things for centuries. They treat you for the disease, not the just the symptoms. Herbal and Chinese remedies have been around alot longer than our medical community even existed. They were not making big money on these things. Now health care is really racking up the money and don't forget about those tax dollars either! Even Japan now says that Essiac Tea is the cure for Cancer.

I posted links to Dr. Weil, but of course Big BobK ignored that, because Dr. Weil is of course, well known and respected. And he tried to make it seem like milk thistle was useless for Hepatitis C, which it's not. And Dr. Weil says right on his site, "I’ve known a number of patients who have reversed hepatitis C using milk thistle in conjunction with another natural remedy, Schizandra (Schisandra chinensis), the fruit of a Chinese plant. Schizandra berries, like milk thistle, are nontoxic and support healthy liver function." Dr. Weil also recommends people seeing or contacting Dr. Qingcai Zhang. Here is some background information on him:

Graduated from Shanghai Second Medical University in 1962, trained in both Western and Chinese medicine.

Associate Professor of Medicine at Shanghai's Second Medical University

World Health Organization Scholarship awarded to fund two-year Fellowship from Harvard Medical School at Massachusetts General Hospital

Visiting Professor at University of California at Davis.

Principal Investigator of Oriental Healing Arts Institute. Long Beach, California.

Research Fellow of Wakai Pain Clinic of Nagoya, Japan.

Over 36 years of clinical, teaching, and research experience in hospitals, universities, and research institutes.

Invited by Mt. Sinai Medical University's Hepatology and Gastroenternology Department to speak on alternative treatments for Hepatitis C

Invited by the Center for the Study of Hepatitis C, Cornell University and Rockefeller University, to speak on various topics relating to alternative herbal treatments for Hepatitis C

Recently invited by John Hopkins Medical University, School of Hygiene and Public Health, Department of International Health, to speak on topics relating to treating Hepatitis C, Lyme Disease and Malaria using Traditional Chinese Medicine

ZHANG CLINIC is highly recommended by Dr. Andrew Weil. (Many patients are direct referrals from Dr. Weil.)

Dr.Zhang is a member of Dr.Weil's science advisory board.

Sounds like he knows a little bit more than Big BobK! And people listen to him too! They pay him big bucks for his advice. Not BobK. But he'd probably argue about that if he got the chance.

The thing is, that drugs are toxic to your system, and your body fights the drugs. So that is what causes your side effects, your body is trying to fix it. But herbal remedies are food, and your body is nourished with them. It just makes sense. So think for yourself and what kind of life you want. Maybe, you should start a alternative health program now, to prevent having to use extreme measures later.

Spending Money On The Little Things

People from other countries have the misconception that all of us Americans are very successful and rolling in money. That is so far from the truth. Most of us are surviving paycheck to paycheck, and that is with not paying all your bills due on time. You just can't. Our government may help other countries (but always with a reason to benefit themself) when in need, but not our own people. Actually, I believe it our government workers job to keep us all poor. They make money off the poor, always has and always will.

So if you are living in our country, trying to make it is not easy, unless you have a really good job, such as being a professional person. Believe me, there are alot more people living in poverty in the United States than most people would believe. So how do you manage to get by? By doing what you have to do. And that is that most people cut the grocery budget first. Most of them just can not do without their televisions. Just can't even imagine it! Or their fast foods. So what does that leave them? Not much.

My husband and I have been driving every Sunday to the nursing home to visit his mother, who had recently had her legs amputated. On the way home, as our treat to ourselves, we have been buying 2 large milkshakes at McDonalds. $6.03. Yesterday, he said to me, "for less than that, we could buy a whole half gallon of ice cream. We are paying that much for not much of anything." (Except that we look forward to it, and makes our ride home more enjoyable.) So I though about it even more. And for $24.12 a month, which is what our two milkshakes are costing us, we could go out to a nice restaurant once a month. Or we could buy a couple of steaks to grill at home. But look at it even closer, at the end of the year, it comes to $289.44, a year's worth of McDonald's milkshakes! And this was a luxury for us. We don't usually do things like this. But what about the family who gets take out several times a week? Add it up and see what it comes to.

On a popular forum that I frequent, the members have a challenge going to see if they could stick to not buying anything for a year. Could you? It doesn't include food and necessities. But extras, like clothing that is something you just want, not something you desperately need, books, magazines, housewares that are not something you really need, you know what I mean. Some of the people are doing it to try to save some money for something special. It's a good exercise in self control. People spend way too much money on silly things anyway. I can say that, as I do not spend money on anything except things I need to live. My books come from my paperbackswap club. I am going to do it too, but have decided what I intend to do is to try to add something to my income during this time. That's what I need to work on. If you have any ideas for me, please go to my website and contact me at www.larrylupole.com and you'll see my name right on there.