Content with little?

 Spring Pea Soup

Seems the last few weeks (OK...months) have been an uphill battle.

Two steps forward, one step back. 

Though there are many days where it's also two steps back...

leaving me right where I started!

Gah!

Wild Salmon with  Smoky Paprika/Chipotle Salt

Good days....

Bad days....

We all have 'em.

 Beau...and his collection

Beau has 4 things he loves...

His bone, his no-stuffing raccoon, his squeaky thing, and his rope.

Satisfied with little.

Why can't I be just like Beau?

 Pete and Sam playing Corn Hole

I confess...I have not been open to whatever the Lord is trying to show me.

I feel beaten up, battered, and bruised.

And not putting up much of a fight against the enemy's onslaughts.

 Mother's Day, 2012

Somethin's gotta give.

Somethin's gotta change.

"No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Jesus

Gina & Avery

So...here's to gettin' back on the horse, and putting my hand to the plow once again.

For I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me.

Bear with me, please...

I think it's gonna be a bumpy ride!

In Christ alone...as always,

Cindy

French Citron pressé (lemonade!)

 Lemon Bath (2)

While watching cooking shows, I am quick to take note of anything I might want to experiment with.

The French version of lemonade,

 pronounced Citron pressé = SIH-trone press-SAY,

 sounded really good, especially with all the crazy heat we were having in March!

I dropped my 2 lemons in boiling water for just 20 seconds or so, as they were not organic and I would be using the peels.

Peeling and julienning

After running the hot lemons under cold water to quickly chill, I peeled the lemons with my potato peeler. You want a bit more than the zest, but not the pith.

The potato peeler takes off just the right amount.

Then I julienned the peels.

 Sugar Bath

Put the julienned lemon peels in a saucepan with 2 cups of sugar and 2 cups of water.

Boil for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and cool.

Citron Presse in my 1.5 pint canning jar

Store the syrup in a glass jar in the fridge.

(I have had mine in the fridge for 2 months now and it is as fresh as when I first made it)

It makes me happy to see the bright yellow bits of lemon in my clear glass jar at the back of the fridge!

To serve:

Put 1 TBL of lemon syrup in a glass with a few ice cubes and a sprig of fresh mint.

Squeeze in the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Stir in cold water to taste.

Add more syrup if necessary.

This would be wonderful with club soda!

This is NOT an overly sweet lemonade...actually barely sweet at all...

When using just a tablespoon or so of the lemon syrup you are getting very little sugar, but lots of lemon flavor.

Next time I might add some julienned orange peel, or perhaps a bit of ginger?

In France, Citron pressé is made to order.

Nearly every cafe has it on their menu... 

A waiter brings you the freshly squeezed juice of a lemon, along with a pitcher of chilled water, a glass filled with ice, and some granulated sugar or sugar cubes.

You then proceed to make it as sweet/tart as you prefer. 

My personal preference is more tart than sweet.

I think the sweet is not nearly as thirst quenching, which is what I want on a hot summer day.

 Cleaning your cutting board

When you are done julienning your lemons, take 1/2 of a lemon and with a bit of coarse salt, rub it all over your cutting board, smooshing the salt and lemon into the board. 

Let sit for a few minutes, then rinse carefully.

This takes the smells out of your board and makes it fresh and sweet!

Au revoir,

Cindy

Can I walk the talk?

 Quiche

In my defense, I have been busy.

On the other hand, it is easier NOT to post when one is feeling down and depressed.

I hate those "D" words.

 Ciabatta

 Oh, I keep myself busy.

Perfecting some sourdough recipes...

Teaching classes at Maple Valley Farms...

Getting a small garden established...

 Venison Bulgogi

But mostly I find myself NOT walkin' the talk.

Letting my feelings dictate how I act.

Spewing bitterness...

Spewing is an ugly word, isn't it?

Fitting.

 Buns!

 Letting my emotions tell my mouth what to speak.

Now that can be ugly.

Dandelion oil

Liquid sunshine!

Don't get me wrong. 

It's not all bad!

I have some really good days.

Days where I laugh more than cry.

And I know it will get better.

Time heals, right?

Meanwhile, I put one foot in front of the other.

And find myself repenting on a daily, nay, sometimes hourly basis.

Hey!

I have an idea!

 

Tell you what...

You pray for me...

And I'll pray for you!

 Cause taking your mind off your own silly problems

 (and mine are so small compared to what others are going through) 

and lifting up someone else before the throne of God is good for the soul.

Leave a comment and I will pray for you...

You don't need to make it too personal, cause HE knows what you have need of.

I feel better already!

In Christ alone,

Cindy

 

It's been a long time comin'...

 Seeds and Herbs

Sheesh!

It's been like weeks since I have posted anything, but it's not been for lack of trying!

I have had to play the waiting game, trying to get the Farm Fresh sales blog up and running.

Labels, and tins, and jars...all promised, but took forever to finally arrive.

And for someone who is fairly computer illiterate, this has been quite the challenge.

 Calendula Lavender Salve

Perfectly gentle salve for  baby's bum, rough, dry skin, and owies of all sorts.

This salve is my "go-to" salve. I have a jar sitting on my bedside table for nightly hand, knee, elbow, & heel treatments.

Hot Process Soap

Rose fragrance...smells divine.

Messing around with hot processing soap...I think I am going to like this!

Please stop by and see what you think.

I have special introductory pricing going on for my salts and rubs right now.

Mothers Day & Fathers Day coming up right straight...

Soaps, salves, rubs, and salts might be just the ticket!

Farm Fresh

Any questions e-mail me at:

farmgirlcyn@gmail.com

My road...less travelled

I have been trying to keep myself busy around here...

Staying home a lot, what with gas prices being what they are.

Even going into town to the library isn't cheap....about $6 round trip.

I have had a lot of ideas swimming around my head..

How can I earn some extra money for us?

I have been making my soaps and laundry detergents for nearly 3 years now, but I wanted to expand.

Since the kitchen is my favorite room in the house, where I am most comfortable, my thoughts turned to specialty items.

Rubs, finishing salts, spice blends....

I hope you will like what you see!

They should all be on the Farm Fresh blog by the weekend.

 Fresh Green Beans

I could not help myself. 

I am tired of frozen beans from last summers bounty.

I wanted fresh.

Even though they likely came from far, far away.

California, maybe.

Or Florida.

Snapped and simply steamed with cultured butter and salt.

Oh, my.

Come quickly, dear friend, summer.

 Sourdough stecca with campari tomatoes, fermented garlic, and green olives.

My dear friend Ang, of Maple Valley Farm and I have a good thing going.

We both have cow shares from the same Amish farmer, but it is a 15 min. drive or so.

We planned on sharing the driving, so we would just be going every other Wednesday.

Right now Ang has church just down the road from the farm, so she has been able to do the pick-up every week!

In exchange, on the weeks she is doing MY milk run, I send her home with some fresh bread.

Last week I sent 3 loaves of stecca, but before she could even see them...they were gone.

Hungry kids/hubby.

It's all good...next week...more stecca.

And Ang will be sure to get her fair share!

 Sweet Sophia napping on her napping pillow...

  Looks like she found a library book to rest her head on!

 Calendula Salve

20 jars ofcalendula salve ready to put on the Farm Fresh blog!

It should be fully operational by the weekend!

Calendula salve is sort of an all-purpose salve.

Perfect for babies bums, scrapes, chapped, dry skin, and owies of all sorts.

Savory Seed Sprinkle

This is a seed mixture I came up with recently.

Perfect on focaccia, roasts, steaks, or even soft cheese spreads.

It will be listed on Farm Fresh by the weekend also, along with the new rubs, finishing salts, and spice blends I mentioned earlier.

Sweet gift box from Kristen

Hearing my cry for seeds, Kristen from Sweet Country Life sent me this dear package a couple of weeks ago.

Seeds, gloves, and a jar of her homemade jam.

I tell you, there is nothing like getting a package in the mail.

Nothing.

Can't hardly wait to break ground here, even if it will be a much smaller garden than before.

 And...lest I forget, I am scheduled to teach several classes over at Maple Valley Farm

over the next few weeks. If your going to be in the area, give us a shout out...we'd be happy to see you!

(just click on the link at the top of the page)

In Christ alone,

Cindy

Farm Fresh, comin' right up!

 Farm Fresh blog 

The new Farm Fresh blog is nearly up and running!

I am waiting on amber jars, metal tins, and bags for the different products that still need packaging.

  Salves

I have organic calendula, plantain, and evergreen salves infused and waiting to be mixed and poured.

Organic Lavender Laundry Soap

My laundry soap is mixed and ready to sell

Teas

I have 2 healing teas mixed and am just waiting for the packaging to arrive.

  Rubs and Finishing Salts

  Researching, mixing, tasting, re-working, adjusting...

I want the rubs and finishing salts to be special!

 Soaps

Several new fragrances added...

These are ready to go!

In other news, I am teaching several classes at Maple Valley Farms just down the road a piece.

 Angie asked if I would consider teaching small groups of up to 14 how to make soap, sourdough breads, simple salves, and cultured dairy.

Classes start soon, so if you are in the area, click on the link near the top left of  my blog.

I would LOVE to meet with you!

In Christ alone,

Cindy

PS...and don't forget...

If you have not yet subscribed to Parisienne Farmgirl Magazine...NOW is the time.

It's premiere issue comes out this Sunday, April 1

I promise...you will not be sorry!

"Gourmet" Finishing Salts...

 3 Citrus Sea Salt

I hesitate to call anything that comes out of my kitchen "gourmet".

Just sounds so food snobby.

 Shitake Mushroom, Smoky Paprika, and 3 Citrus Sea Salt blends

But I think I'm gonna have to go with it.

Cause these are pretty terrific.

"Gourmet", even.

3 Citrus Sea Salt

I have been working on these for a couple of weeks, basically just coming up with several flavor combinations.

I am using French Atlantic Coast unrefined sea salt and organic ingredients when possible.

 Did you know unrefined sea salt contains over 80 mineral elements that the body needs? 

We had a combination of the mushroom salt and the paprika salt on some roasted potatoes last night....

Really good!

Today I will be tweaking these, adding more mushrooms to the Shitake Mushroom, grinding the Smoky Paprika a little bit finer.

 And doing some test runs on a few other ideas I have. 

Really, the possibilities are endless.

I think the Shitake Mushroom would be a great finishing salt on creamy pasta or rice.

The Smoky Paprika on some buttery popcorn.

And the 3 Citrus on fish or chicken.

And as I perfect these, they will be available to purchase from my Farm Fresh blog.

What do you think?

Any other ideas?

In Christ alone,

Cindy